AYB18c

Hey everyone, I'm not going to lie, I'm freaking pumped that I finally get to start a build thread. Albeit not much of a "build" as a restoration to stock-ish glory, but you can call it whatever you like.

Bought a 2001 DC2 GSR this past weekend with 151k on the clock. 3 owners prior to me, and they took decent care of her but just didn't give her the time/money/energy she deserved.

Picked it up as a daily driver so my other car can slide into a 3rd car/weekend car slot. So I'll be daily-ing the GSR, but who Wouldn't want to do that?!

Per the PO the timing belt/water pump were done in 9/2012 at 109k miles, along with a new distributor, valve cover gasket, cam seal and VTEC solenoid gasket. Clutch work/transmission bearings were replaced at the same time. So I should be good for a little bit of time on those at least. Also he put on GS rims and took off the VTEC badge on the back thinking that would deter thieves....not sure if i love that or hate it.

The suspension is TIRED. I mean, 151k on stock shocks tired. And the steering shows, i feel like I'm driving a waterbed lol....so floaty/sloshy. First order of business is to get that sorted.

Anyways, taking it to my mechanic tomorrow so he can give it a once over. We'll see what he has to say, and I'm sure I'll be asking you guys what you think of his assessment.

Now, what you all came for, PICS!

B20VtecVillain

Awesome DC2 man looks nice and clean. I love my DC2 daily I don't think I'll ever get rid of it at this point. For suspension I have to give my vote of confidence for the Ground Control coil over/Koni shocks combo. I have that setup in OEM DC2R rates along with GC extended top hats, Function 7 LCAs, ASR rear subframe brace, Hard Race RCA's and PassJDM "Bronze Edition Front/Rear strut bars. (3pt Front/2pt Rear). I'm running on USDM Type R hubs/brakes and JDM Type R wheels with Bridgestone Potenzas. Amazing setup. Rides great on the street, not to low at all, only time I scrape on something is the lip (JDM Type R) and it's always my fault for not paying attention/going too fast. Ride is plenty comfortable for day to day and long trips and it handles like a freakin slot car on track. I've done AutoX and A few time attack runs with that setup and it corners with some much higher dollar players. They have also held up great, mine are atleast 3yrs old and still perform and adjust perfectly, with only minimal surface rust and a little chipping paint on the Konis, but I've never cleaned them up or repainted. Anyway, i would recommend that GC/Koni setup to Any DC2 owner looking at a suspension upgrade. Hope all goes well with the build, and don't be afraid to get crafty! I picked up a solid 8-10HP on a basically stock B18C for free just from experimenting. When I did my head gasket/ARP studs I decided to add thermal intake and TB gaskets and extended studs. At that time I took out my dremel and cleaned up all the ports on a spare P72 head, basically just showing myself how to hand port and removing all casting marks and smoothing everything out in the runners. I also port matched the thermal gaskets to my intake ports, and did the same hand port/polish dremel treatment to the runners of my Skunk2 intake manifold. (Basically a Type R clone for GSR head) I then deleted the coolant lines going to my intake manifold to further reduce heat transfer and aid the new gaskets. When I put the self ported head back on the same B18C shortblock I've been using with the same 01 TypeR cams/valvetrain I was using it now regularly puts down an average 8-10 HP more than it ever did before I did the DIY port work. Little things all add up! Also I was able to get the car down to 2569lbs while still retaining a full cabin interior, PS/AC, double din touch screen audio etc. Gutted trunk area, removed some sound deadening and extra metal removed from here and there along with some lightweight bolt ons has done the car very well while keeping it totally comfy on the street. Best of luck with the build!

AYB18c

Thanks man I appreciate it! I've heard nothing but good things about the GC/Koni setup, that's for sure. You mentioned you've got them set at OEM DC2R rates, how much of a drop from stock are you running? I was leaning towards the H&R OE Sport Springs as they're advertised to give a very mild 0.75" drop, a lot like ITR springs would. As for shocks I'm waffling back & forth between the Koni STR.T's and the Yellows - I'm not sure if the adjustability is worth the $$ since this is gonna be a 95% commuter ride with a little bit of spirited driving on the weekends. Not planning on track/AutoX for this girl, I've got my other car for that. Thoughts?

That's crazy that you did a hand port/polish at home & it turned out so well, really impressive! I'm not sure how aggressive I'm gonna get with the engine side of things. Probably just stick with bolt-ons & maybe some head work, but definitely keep it n/a.

AYB18c

Got it back from my indy. As expected, most everything rubber is failing, along with the struts on their last legs. Work needed includes (but is not limited to): Power steering rack rebuild, new tierods, new front swaybar bushings, new rear trailarm bushings, pads/rotors, struts. Not exactly the laundry list I was hoping for, but not unexpected. Otherwise he says it's in excellent shape, even used the word "cherry" at one point, so I can't be mad at that.

Now goes the parts sourcing/seeing what I can do myself & what I need a shop to do. And my wife was worried it would be a money pit, psssshhhhhh.......

Saul_Good

Berry Naisu!! This is basically the direction I am going with mine. Replace the worn stuff and make it a reliable stock car. I went with Bilsteins and stock springs. Looking to do bushings down the road. I am eyeing the hardrace rubber bushing kit, because of price.

AYB18c

Yeah man I'm excited, been following your thread on your '98, getting some ideas from there.

When you replaced your struts did you replace anything else (I know you didn't replace the springs)? Top hats, bump stops, any of that? Or did you just use all the OEM stuff? My mechanic mentioned replacing the whole assembly when I replace my shocks/springs, but I've never had to do that on any of my other cars, just re-used the old stuff. So I'm not sure if he's just trying to get extra $$ out of me or if he thinks I need to junk all the 16 year old components...

Saul_Good

The struts came with new bumpstops. I contemplated the tophats, but the ones I had were fine. If you are feeling up to it, then i'd spend the extra on new tophats too. I also replaced the balljoints and tie rod ends. Found out I also have to replace my CV axles -- getting a clicking sound when turning -- I wonder how long I can go before it becomes a real issue...

Hope that helps.

AYB18c

So I decided to change the spark plugs out on the car today as I had no record of when it had last been done. I assumed it was when the PO put on a new distributor back in August 2016, but based on the state of the plugs I was CLEARLY incorrect.

I replaced the plugs with NGK G-Power BRK6EGP (7092)'s. For reference, the plugs should be gapped 1.2-1.3mm (0.047-0.051 inches) and torqued to 13 lb-ft.




New on the left, old on the right.

Yuck!


The only issue I ran into was that when pulling the plug on cylinder 1 it there was some oil that came out with it. Not a pool of oil, but enough for it to drip onto my fingers and for me to notice it and think "Oh, there's oil where there shouldn't be". A cursory google/honda tech search reveals that the spark plug tube seals on the bottom of the valve cover are prone to breakdown and is a common cause of oil in the spark plug hole. The weird part is I've got a receipt from the PO from when he replaced the valve cover gasket, grommets included, in March 2015. Could it have gone bad that quickly, or maybe it was a bad install, or maybe it's something other than the tube seals? Thoughts anyone out there?

Drove it after the plugs went it, no issues. Idled a bit high for a second but after up to operating temp it worked itself out & drives just fine. I don't notice a difference, but then again I didn't expect to. At least now I know it's done right!

B20VtecVillain

Should have probably went with 7's but I don't think you'll be leaving much on the table with 6's in the way of safety margin so you should be fine. If you go with any more compression increase or with aggressive cams I would certainly go up to the 7 then for sure.

B20VtecVillain

Mine is dropped about the same, around .75" from stock Ride height. I'm running a USDM Type R 36mm 5 lug axle/hub/brake setup and 5 lug wheels and I didn't want to slam the car or anything so I wasn't really wanting to do a super aggressive drop. With the trunk completely gutted and no weight out back combined with the excellent suspension and tight chassis from the bracing makes the car handle a lot more like a FR than a FF. Walking the rear end around turns is just as easy as a rwd car and the handling characteristics are very similar. I can't power over the rear tires obviously. It as far as coming through a corner with lots of speed/momentum the rear end hangs almost every time I get aggressive. It's a blast to drive and performs so well on track for as simple a setup as it is.

PaulMc

iTrader: (1)

If those tube seals are installed improperly they will leak easily. Also if they used an aftermarket seal they tend to leak too. Get an OEM valve cover gasket set. Here is the part number: 12030-P73-000

Also, if you're going to replace those tube seals, you're also going to replace the valve cover gasket at the same time. So if you're anticipating on doing a timing belt or any other work that involves removing the head cover, do the job after that.

AYB18c

Deleted the rear wiper & installed PasswordJDM's rear wiper delete plug. $35 was stiff, esp because it's branded with a big PJDM stamp, but it looks clean i think.

Plus wit da mad weight reducktion itz lik tutally worth 5whp bro and it makes my vtecz pop lik tha titz.

B20VtecVillain

It does look clean. Plans to remove the squirter as well? Ive been thinking of deleting the rear wiper on my DC2 daily/time attack toy, extra weight off the rear is always welcome but I still use the wiper when it rains heavily sometimes so not sure on it yet. I gutted my trunk area down to the metal and that combined with my suspension setup makes the rear end very light and stuff already. Not sure it's worth it or not, decisions decisions!

panda_ej8

clean car bruuhhhhh is that a PORSCHE i see trynna creep its way into the pic
I just bought a 94 civic sedan with plans on making it a stock daily on good suspension
good luck with ur build hopefully i get the courage to take pics and start a build lmao

AYB18c

Thanks man, at some point I'll delete the squirter along with the antenna & seal the hole. Long down the road, when I pound out some of the dents & respray the ole girl, the paint in a lot of places is just so so so tired. I'm not sure I'm ready to gut the trunk & all that, still using it as a daily so I gotta keep some functionality.

Yeah man, that's my 3rd/weekend car.....981 Cayman GTS. And grats on the civic, just take the plunge & start taking pics & posting, lots of good folks around here to give you some direction

trm4life

As far as those tube seals go, I also had bad luck with a set failing within about a year. Thing is, I think it was more of a prep mistake than poor seals. I decided, since I'm flat broke, to take off the valve cover, wash the gasket and seals in hot soapy water. I then put just a tiny bead of black silicone on the tube seals. I've used silicone in the past on my seals, and was irritated when it just made more prep work when I put new seals in. By that I mean, having to take my sweet time peeling the silicone out of the valve cover and had to be extra cautious not to drop any small pieces inside my engine. However, it was worth it this time. My tube seals aren't leaking anymore and all it cost me was a tube of black silicone!

AYB18c

Got the brakes sorted this afternoon. Put on new rotors/pads all around. Nothing fancy, but it's definitely an upgrade from what I was working with. Things i learned:

1. Those rotor screws that come from the factory are a BITCH and were seized to the rotor; so I got to use an impact driver for the first time, that was fun.
2. Rear pads are a bitch, esp when you have the ratcheting piston instead of a traditional one. Good thing Auto Zone rents brake tools.

Anyways, still need to replace the old brake fluid, i'll save that for another day. Took a drive with the new pads & rotors though, no more vibrations from a 70-0 stop! Making progress....

AYB18c

I was noticing a little notchiness in my shifts and every once in a while the car wouldn't want to go into first gear, so I went ahead and changed the manual transmission fluid this morning. Replaced it with this:



I've had good experience with redline in my previous cars so I thought I'd go this route. I suppose I could've used Honda MTF as well, but then I'd have to drive All The Way To The Dealer....lol.

Easy job, took me about an hour but i was taking my sweet old time & enjoying this gorgeous spring weather.

For reference:
Fill Plug: 17mm bolt, Torque to 33 lbs-ft
Drain Plug: 3/8ths ratchet head (just the end of the 3/8th's ratchet fits into the square opening), Torque to 29 lbs-ft
*Both the drain plug & a the fill plug have a crush washer behind them which should be replaced
B18C1 Transmission volume: 2.3 quarts

I'd like to say that I feel like I have a brand new transmission now, but that'd be a lie. The tranny fluid coming out actually didn't look horrible so I didn't expect a huge improvement, but at least I know the stuff in there now is brand new. Took her out for a spin, maybe there's some decreased notchiness, but I haven't had a problem getting into 1st gear, so that's a plus. Probably all placebo effect, maybe not. It's definitely not worse though, so we'll see how it feels after a couple weeks.

Oh, and as always, when doing this REMOVE THE FILL PLUG FIRST. The last thing you want to do is drain the tranny then realize you can't get the fill bolt off & you're stuck with a tranny with no oil in it and no way to fill it. Womp Womp.

AYB18c

Just a quickie update, checking things off of the list that need to be repaired/replaced. Just got her back from the shop,

Replaced the front sway bushings (both shot)
Replaced both rear trailing arm bushings (again, both shot)
New tie rods
Rebuilt the power steering rack & resealed the PS pump

Ho Lee ***** it's like driving a damn new car! The slop out of the steering is completely gone, and everything just feels much tighter (I know I know, that's what she said...); the car actually goes where I point it when I'm heading into a corner! Anyways, on to the next steps.....

Oil pan gasket is leaking, but not enough to form a puddle on my floor yet, so I'm waiting for my next oil change to knock that out.

More importantly, and next on the list is replacing the almost blown shocks on all 4 corners. Does anyone know if I can re-use my stock dust covers/boots on Koni STR.T.s? Or do i even need to run dust boots on those?

JDM-EJ698

Good job so far. The easier I have used to fill the tranny is by using the removing the speed sensor and filling it by there. I feel it is easier that way.

AYB18c

Thanks for the tip, didn't realize this was a thing. I'll have to store it in the memory banks for next time...

billabongrob

iTrader: (1)

I believe I see a CX-5 as well? I have a 2016.5 and a 99 GSR as well... I also tend to run in the Porsche circles. (PCA Lonestar Region)
Very cool! Nice car. Interested to hear how you like the Red Line MTF.

AYB18c

CX-5 for the wifey, she loves it, although she's itching to get into something with a little more get up & go I think. But it's perfect for carting around the 4 legged furry children we have!

The Redline MTF is so far so good. Can't say it's made my 16 year old tranny feel like brand new, but my shifts definitely aren't notchy or tough to get into gear, i'd say it just as good as Honda MTF if I had to guess.

Looks like you & I have a lot of the same in our stables!

Jimmy

iTrader: (5)

Very nice pickup

AYB18c

I was having a nice drive home from work today, and I decided to take the long way & do a nice 2nd gear pull. Things going nice & well, she's sings to 7.5k, i shift to 3rd, climbing back to 6k and then boom, loss of power and check engine light. I babied her home & checked the code: P1259, VTEC System Malfunction. So I'm thinking "Hmm, I've been burning some oil and I've been lazy about checking it, but the oil light never came on...."

Dipstick - bone dry.

Sigh. Added oil, cleared the code. I know my oil pan gasket has been leaking so I took her around the corner to my mechanic to get a new one & an oil change (he might as well do it since he's dropping the pan & putting on the gasket), but i doubt that's the cause of my oil problem. It's gotta be burning oil. So I'm thinking it's piston rings or valve seals, or both, which means.....rebuild time.

At first, my long term plan was to build the motor, but the more I've been thinking about it lately even with dumping cash into an n/a build (no interest in turbo) I'd still be way behind what i could get if I swapped a k24 in there. Plus, with a k24 I could still leave room for more power in the future.....

So I guess the question is how long can I run along with an engine burning oil while saving for my kswap? As long as I keep a close eye on my oil levels and limit my vtec pulls (ugh...) i suppose I could limp this baby along for at least the rest of the year, at which time I should have what i need to fund my swap....

Thoughts?

All this after I just dropped $$ on new coilovers (waiting to be delivered). Dammit.