PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

So are you doing the same work on the EP3 as the DC5? I spy the same pics in both threads.

SHG_EasyE

Lol yup literally the exact same setup just different rates

SHG_EasyE

So boys, Im really starting to gear up here for the 2014 season!

Ill start with the new purchases

Since this years theme is going on a diet, I decided it was finally time to replace the portly stock passenger seat with a fixed bucket. I chose a pair of F1 spec Type 2 carbon buckets since they are a similar design to the S68 that Ive been so happy with over the years.

I was contemplating getting a head restraint seat and moving the memoryfab bucket to the passenger side but there really arent any HR seats that can be used with a 3pt belt due to the halo design. Since Im not willing to put a roll bar and harness in the car I dropped the idea.

The quality on these is actually pretty impressive







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Also finally picked up a set of adjustable endlinks after searching for a sealed ball cup/full turnbuckle design for quite some time, then actually laying out the cash for them cause theyre not cheap lol.

I ended up with 2 pairs of Whiteline front links for a 350Z. They have a bunch of great features including a hex on the shaft to hold while loosening or tightening the nut, sealed ball cups, and nice long studs that can be spaced to correct endlink angle if need be.





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Heres the last batch of plating back including a bunch of stuff for the EP3 swap, some suspension stuff, DC5 parts, and SHG_Mikes S2000 hardware

Oh the thoroughly enjoyable task of sorting out the hardware





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The plating batch included the Todd's engineering top hat bearing receptacles, which received brand new Aurora bearings upon assembly









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Last but not least the rear shocks also assembled with the ERS 1100 lb springs

Squidette

lawd those look good.

Terrence

SHG_Claudio

Oh wow you got new buckets? Did the S68 end up selling? Good deal man, I wasn't a fan of the head restraint seats for a street car so I'm happy to see those going in. How is it compared to the S68? They look wider too. Good stuff as always, never seizes to amaze!

SHG_EasyE

Yeah man after the wheels and Evos sold, I decided to pull the trigger Stevie G with the Taffy white EP3 is actually picking up the S68, so it will be great to see it going to a good home

The Type 2 is definitely wider than the S68, which is nice since it allows people with larger than a 32" waist enjoy the car from the front row
Although the S68 fit me perfectly, these come very close. Its a shame that the S68 is no longer available but Im happy with these as an alternative. Theyre also going to get the satin clear treatment

SHG_Claudio

Was wondering about that too....

Big changes for the 14' season!

<StevieG>

thedvlsh1

What's your reason(s) for not wanting to put a harness and rollbar in the car?

SHG_EasyE

I want to keep full interior and not molest the panels and chassis to fit the roll bar

runjimirun

Very awesome build. The level of research and fabrication is unparalleled; well done sir.

SHG_James

I hope your swapping in the A2 this year!

Moog_enep3

why dont you use thrust bearings under the springs?

SHG_EasyE

Thanks man!

Not this year over next winter it will go in

The fronts already have a radial bearing in the upper perch so on the front strut (where its very important to let the spring unwind) its not needed. In the rear, between the motion ratio and the fact that torrington bearings are not sealed and attract tons of debris it wasnt worth the money to use them.

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Finally have another update for you guys, Ive been making a ton of progress on the car... Although Im still taking it apart (lol) Im still closer to getting her back together

First up, I hit the new seats with some satin clear keeping with tradition





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I also got a set of oem DC5 rails torn down in order to use them with the new buckets. Because OEM sliders > anything aftermarket

Here they are with custom angle iron brackets Tig'd on for perfect spacing for the custom aluminum side mounts that are also in the works





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Last up for this installation is the caliper finishing and assembly

I had to do a bunch of finishing work like chasing threads, and machining powder coat from the banjo surface and bridge surfaces.

After that was done I assembled them with all new parts including seals, boots, and crossover tubes.





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Stainless hardware for the pad retaining clips

Loganej8

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

faccckkkkkk dem brakes doe!!!

egvera89

nice update, I have a question about the engine in your ep3. Would you be able to put oem k20a2 pistons and cams lets say into the motor and run it as if it was a k20a2 long block. When it comes to the k20a3 and the k20a2 some differences are that the a2 has i-vtec while the a3 has i-vtec and vtc. and besides the compression's i don't think there's anything major that will not allow you to run it like that since it would be used with a kpro. I was just curious if you know more about doing something like this since you have the k20a3 in your ep3.

WhiteSlips

Amazing as usual! The brakes look perfect.

SHG_James

Perfect! I should be settled in by then. Hope I can give you guys a hand!

.joeham

iTrader: (3)

Seats look great Evan ! Loving the progress

Egezzy

iTrader: (2)

Holy smokes!!

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

Couple of quick questions since I'm starting down the road on my 94 (finally!).

I flipped back through the thread, sorry if I missed it but how did you go about stripping any bitumin undercoating before the POR-15? Or did you just get lucky and find a car that didn't have it?

Also, I'm getting ready to send a bunch of hardware out for cad plating and kinda want to make sure I'm not getting shafted when they get me back an estimate. I haven't worked with anyone on plating though so I don't have a good baseline of what I should be expecting. Do you mind sharing your specs (prep, bake, cost, etc.)? What did you do for pre-prep?

Your attention to detail is, as always, impeccable!

SHG_EasyE

Im not sure... Ive never heard of anyone doing it. Honestly it would be much cheaper and easier to just find an A2 long block and throw it in untouched and be done. Then you can also sell you A3 for a few hundred to recoup some costs.

If youre referring to that sticky tar like spray on stuff I had a little on my car in the rear wells, and I used Nason single stage medium reducer. Im sure any reducer will work. Reducer is better than a stripper of some kind because it doesnt affect the oem painted undercoat, just takes of the gooey stuff that paint wont stick to.

As far as plating, the only prep you have to do it remove any kind of paint and silicone from the bolts (such as painted fender bolts and oil pan/timing cover bolts that end up with the goo on them). Chemical or media stripping wont remove that stuff. Otherwise just throw them in a bucket and bring them to the plater. They should take care of the rest. Expect to pay between 200 and 300 per batch.

Its a full 02-04 Type S suspension

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Update for you guys! Been chipping away at the seat project, and also dropped the wheels off for repair and stripping

I picked up the 1/4" aluminum parts I designed from the water jet cutter last week including the seat mounts and DC5 floor plate. Thanks again to SHG_Mike for helping me getting them drawn up in CAD





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Here are the seat mounts test fitted on the DC5 rails. I spent alot of time finding the perfect hardware to fix the two together and ended up using titanium GSX-R rotor bolts. The countersunk seat bolts are also titanium





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A few other parts have come in over the last week or so as well including these Enkei valve stems for the Advans



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And this Honda parts order from Autofair including a new handbrake (the old button was chipped and disgusting) 9th gen Civic belt buckles for the new seats, extra long 95mm bolts for the LCA's to work with the ASR brace, and one of Autofair's new Senna T's



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Last but not least I finally got my new audio setup together. I just havent been totally happy with the Bose system as the sub is just too much bass for my liking. I dont like the sound that a sub puts out as It just doesnt blend seamlessly with the rest of the audio. the bass comes from the back and the mids/highs come from the front and that just bothers the hell out of me lol. I was lucky enough to come across a set of highly sought after ADS 346 mid bass speakers which Ill use in the doors, and I purchased a new set of Infinity Reference coax's for the rear and a Pioneer Bluetooth deck so I can now use my iPhone wirelessly for my music

spAdam

iTrader: (1)

Yeah that's the stuff. I picked up a gallon of mineral spirits but haven't gotten under there to try it yet, if that doesn't work I'll try the reducer. That's exactly what I was looking for, I don't want to go all the way to the bare metal. Probably going to spray my underbody with the Ford Grey.

I heard back from my plater, I'm going to bead blast some of the cruddier stuff myself (since he was going to blast it anyway) so I can do some triage and decide what should just be replaced. I figured I'm looking at ~$100 per batch, but it depends on if he's throwing it in with other stiff or firing up the tank just for me. This guy does a lot of aerospace stuff for LockMart and other local industry. Actually, Florida is pretty easy to find cadmium plating since it's one of the few places it's still legal!

That new stereo setup looks nice! It's getting so hard to find a deck that doesn't look like a space cruiser console, that one looks pretty clean. I'm interested in you review on the speakers too, I've never been big on subwoofers and over-bass'd setups.

navin

iTrader: (1)

^Try EvapoRust (can be bought at Autozone)... Dump all bolts and **** in a container and let it sit for a day or two, then clean rinse all the hardware with clean water and make sure to dry them off. Should take off factory cadium plating, and leave them clean for the plater.

Also make sure your plater is baking any hardware that is Grade 8+... but I think most do anyways.