michaelz

G'day all, former Type R owner here and glad to be back in one. Recently found a DC2 Type R in distress and picked it up to save from falling into further disrepair.

I haven't posted much here in the past, used to have a CW JDM ITR 7 years ago which I owned and drove in Japan. After bringing it back to Australia 5 years ago I sold it to a local enthusiast for $20k. I was unemployed after my Japan trip, didn't have a garage, couldn't afford to insure my ITR so no real choice but to sell. Here's a few momentos from what seems like a life time ago:



































I never stopped missing that car and been trying to find another. There's not many around and here in Australia they start around $10,000 in any condition. Working on a budget I was searching in the lower price range. Test drove 3 listed for sale within my state and all 3 didn't impress.

Then a week ago I found a NHB ITR listed at only $6,700. It has some issues: crunchy 2nd gear syncro and noisy 5th gear. Clear coat was gone from the roof, rear bumper had a low speed impact and cracked the paint. Original ITR wheels were gone and came on some Accord wheels which I will change ASAP.

Some photos from the listing:





















The good: it's got a clean title, has registration, everything worked, engine and chassis numbers match from what I can tell, interior all there and will clean up, black Recaros not torn, mostly stock with a J's Racing catback and some cheapo coilovers. Most importantly the engine pulled strong and has that raw VTEC cross over that only a B18CR can provide.

After taking it for a spin, the engine actually felt stronger than the other 3 I've driven, so after some negotiating I managed to get the price down to $5,500, half priced ITR, couldn't say no.





Gave it a good clean, literally every interior panel was loose as I suspect this car used to have a big audio system which resulted in the interior being completely taken apart. Spent some time buttoning everything up, removed useless wiring and heavy MDF panels.

Finally to my shock the rear wheel well was like a swimming pool, the rear hatch rubber seals weren't put on properly and has been leaking in for god knows how long:



Long term goal is to have this ITR reliable enough to replace my slowwwwwww NB Miata as the daily driver. Currently have already changed all fluids and done some general servicing. Just in time too as the engine barely had any oil left in it and was probably a few weeks from running empty and causing permanent damage.

Next on the cards is some proper ITR wheels and I will adjust the coilovers up to a more sensible ride height, eventually find some stock shocks and springs to go back in as I never had an issue with stock when I had the white one.

Apart from the crunchy box, everything else is mostly cosmetic and I will bring her back to full health (slowly) as got too many projects at the moment. Pair of Mazdas, pair of Nissans and a dirty old Toyota on the street. Most of these cars were ugly ducklings that weren't looked after and I purchased them to fix up and got too attached to sell them on.

The latest member of the family:





Stay tuned for more

DC2-ProdUcTiOnS

iTrader: (2)

Nice pickup. Would be awesome if the plate was RRR - RRR instead of YYY - YYY... LOL

Quite the collection youre working on there. Very nice. Good luck with getting heR back into top condition!

insidiouseg-6

Very nice platform, and a great stable of cars! Congrats

Sp00nFed EM1

Gosh, that wast a steal! I feel like those deals dont exist in the US lol. Good luck bringing her back.

touringteg

Good luck with the restoration! The Recaros look great.

What a great collection of 90s/2000s of cars! It is getting pretty crowded I had a Z32 non turbo 5 spd in yellow LHD, S13 240SX with SR20. Currently have a 94 Supra TT RHD in addition to my ITR.

Need more info on all the cars

michaelz

Sounds very similar to my collection, brother from another mother.

S13 notchback is SR20DET powered with S15 T28 turbo and S15 6 speed and a 2 way nismo LSD.
Z32 was originally NA 5 speed but now TT swapped by me 2 years ago. Purchased a built motor and dropped it in. "Was" putting down 500hp at the wheels but spun a bearing back in Feb and I haven't touched it since. Got sick of spending money on it.
FD is a 13B bridgeport with a T04R single turbo. Putting down 400hp to the wheels and braps like god intended.
mk3 Supra has been 1JZ-GTE swapped with R154, looks terrible but drives very well.

All of these cars were pretty unloved when I first bought them. Will refrain from turning this thread into a 90s nostalgic photo build thread.


Anyway, back on topic, another update for my ITR! some JDM 16" wheels have arrived. They are CW as gunmetal is super hard to find. Gotta say, only a R can pull off white wheels even when the car is black.



It's a beautiful day today, since I'm working in the evening, took the chance to give the car a good wash, raised the coilovers to a very sensible ride height and got her new shoes on.

dave7

Off topic. I used to have a 240. It had the s15 Trans (and motor). That 6 speed is one of the best transmissions I've ever driven.

touringteg

The JDM 16s look great! Did the car come with gunmetal 16s in Australia? How long does it take on the slow boat from Japan to Australia? I've been waiting nearly 2 months for some wheels from Hong Kong to Canada.

There are a few S15's in my small city in Canada but not many. I'd really like to drive one.

The Z32 can be a headache. The previous owner had a bill for $6800 for rebuilt motor etc etc. I bought the car for $2500 and fixed a bunch of things like non working stereo, ABS ecu was dead, old tires, missing t-top covers etc.

michaelz

Same here, tight ratios and very fun to move through the gears especially since I have a 4.3 final drive in there. These cars are super easy to find parts for it and by far the easiest car I've ever had to work on. I really do get why people love them so much.



Thank you. AUDM cars came from factory with gunmetal wheels of same design but downsized to 15" with a slightly higher offset just like the european spec cars. Example below.




16" was as usual JDM only (they sure love keeping the best stuff), mine are just an used set I found locally from another state.

As for shipping times, it once took 3 months for some Tein coilovers to arrive from Japan and my old CW ITR landed after only 2 months.

ef9wpb

the 16s look great on there. what tire size are you running?

michaelz

205/45/16. My JDM R used to have 215/45/16s and it's a much harder size to source so settled for 205s.

touringteg

Thanks for the info. I did the same. 205/45/16 Bridgestone RE71R on some 16s. The JDM 16s look way better on your car

Sp00nFed EM1

World of a difference on the 16’s. I like!

michaelz

Finally managed to source a replacement DC2R gearbox and some stock suspension. All now fitted




Also needed some new bushings so time to get heR feeling new again.








Good chance to put the stock suspension back in. Honda's Type R suspension is far superior to most aftermarket coilovers and this is the only car I've ever gone back to stock from coilovers.






Huge difference in shock & spring lengths. Stock handles better actually and much more comfortable.






Also some new sway bar links while we're at it.



The old ones have deformed and starting to split.




Lastly, a little trip down memory lane. I contacted the new owner who purchase my old white JDM DC2R and hinted I'd like to buy heR back. Obviously he shut me down before I even asked the question!

Pushed my luck and asked if I could at least buy the steering wheel back? Turns out he sold it but gave me details of the guy who bought it off him. Having nothing to lose I called the new owner, explained to him I really wanted the steering wheel back and he was kind enough to sell it back to me since it held sentimental value.


'93 build date Momo which is basically the same design as the Mugen steering wheel without thumb grips. I prefer this over the Mugen and very happy to have it back:






To fit this wheel I accidentally bought the non SRS EG/DC steering wheel boss. Spline count was the same... seems like it could work so after some trial and error, I can confirm the NON SRS boss is working perfectly. Below is a quick install if anyone is considering swapping steering wheels.

1. Removing one very worn SRS wheel, safety first, disconnected the battery for a few mins and pushed the brake pedal to use up any residual charge.




2. Removed the SRS clock spring, I assume the SRS boss kits are more plug and play and will retain the clock spring and also provide a SRS light cancellor but more on that later.




3. Testing the pair of wires going into the clock spring are indeed for the yellow SRS airbag connector.




4. Confirmed which wires do what, will be cutting the airbag wires as that connector cannot be removed from the clock spring.




5. After doing some reading on how to stop the SRS light staying on, apparently it's just a matter of wiring in a 2ohm 1/4 watt resistor. So really HKB is charging a plug and play tax for a 50 cent resistor when you buy the SRS boss kit.




6. Spliced the resistor onto the 2 airbag wires and checked resistance across both ends. Soldered on once I confirmed the resistance is correct.




7. Now getting the horn to work, you just need to ensure the horn wire is in constant contact with the back of the boss kit. It's pretty much the same as an RX7: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...nstall-904878/




8. Moment of truth, did the 50 cent resistor do the trick? SRS diagnostic on ignition.




9. Success, light went off within a few seconds and no errros:




Some final shots of my 90s era MOMO Corse now installed.

itr1244

nice car collection and you did very good job at saving the R

feck

Very cool car collection alright. Great to see you saved another R, especially an original Aussie R. BTW M have ever seen the Oz only Yellow with yellow seats(and gold brake callipers) edition R in your travels?

And nice getting your Momo back. I know exactly what you mean about the sentiment of such things. Nice instructional for those wanting to swap out a non airbag wheel too. I agree with your re the standard suspension. The Spoon or Eiebach setups are pretty close now the standard is gone as a new part(I think you can still get the rear shocks for Honda?). Coilovers are mostly way too harsh with not enough travel and don't tend to last. I fitted those Meister R coilovers a few years back and they're pretty good and have lasted on my daily since 2010 and the closest to stock of any coilover I've driven(they don't have mad spring rates for a start, pretty close to OEM), though run the car quite a bit lower. They'd be up there with stock, Spoon or Eiebach if the ride height could be set to stock levels.

On the wheels: I love the look of the 16's, but TBH prefer to run the E/AusDM15's as a daily driver. It seems Honda specced 15's outside of Japan(Civic R wheels in North America, cut down JDM's elsewhere*) because of different/likely rougher road conditions outside of Japan. Like the way they changed the engine map for various markets outside of Japan because of variable quality fuel and octane ratings. The 15's are lighter and give you more tyre choices, though finding a tyre with the same stiffer sidewall of the original Bridgestones is not easy. Oh and the deeper tyres give more comfort. Though comfort in an R is a relative thing.



*I've all three sets. Cos I'm insane in the membrane...

michaelz

Cheers, I have seen yellow seats being passed around for crazy money on the facebook sale groups. There was a PY with yellow front seats and matching yellow stitched rears for sale at $22k a few years ago but way the problem with unicorns like that is I'd be too scared to drive it anywhere.

Gotta say though, PY and MR actually made it to other markets so your Vogue Silver being JDM only is probably the rarest colour.

We don't get snow down here, no salt on the roads means no need for winter wheels. I've bought a full set of Bridgestone RE003s recently and went for 205/50/16. 50 profile is a lot easier to find and were cheaper than 45. Didn't affect the speedo either, it's actually perfectly accurate now after stepping up from 205/45/16s.

The paint (excluding the roof of course) actually cleaned up nicely too.

feck

Those kind of cars tend to be garage queens brought out for shows and meets. Which is cool too, but I'd think the same as yourself. No way would I use one like that as a daily..

Wasn't even a popular colour in Japan. Not in the 2 door R anyway, oddly enough second only to White in the 4 door. At least that was my impression when trawling the Japanese auctions ten odd years ago.

True, though maybe Honda's thinking was more about road surfaces? Very smooth roads in Japan compared to some markets. No snow/salt is a real blessing as far as rust goes too. Mine is more anti rust wax than Honda at this stage.

Sounds like a good choice alright. There's so little difference between 50/45 anyway. Funny enough when I went up slightly in sidewall ratio with my 15's I also found the speedo more accurate.