Paul's RHD JDM Integra build
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Paul's RHD JDM Integra build
Hey guys, going to show you the build of my daily driven Integra. I'm new to Honda-Tech so hopefully this thread won't be a complete mess!
I'm 21 and from Dublin over in Ireland. I'm a student (almost finished college) so doing things slowly for the time being!
Had a VW Golf mk4 before this but eventually had to get an Integra.
Bought this car back in August 2012. It had seen a lot of owners since being imported in 2007 and each seemed to half start jobs. When I got it it was looking a bit ricer-ish but the bodywork and engine was in quite good condition. The rest at least I could work on over time.
Its a jap-import DC1 Integra - 1.6 fuel injected SOHC (non-vtec).
So here it is when I got it.
Me and another mates DC1 Integra
The next morning consisted of a good stripping and cleaning of the interior.
Also swapped in my radio and got rid of the god awful garage stickers.
The boot had a huge sub, amp, and alloy spare tyre along with plenty of rubbish suggesting it hadn't been cleaned in a while. Got a nice weight reduction by getting all that lot out.
Then added a nice strut brace to the boot that I might paint later.
I found out the hard way that the brakes were completely worn away on the first night when I locked up coming into a roundabout having a near miss. So less than a week later the car was being treated to new pads and discs all round.
Could give it a good bit more now that I could stop in time!
So it was about now that I finally managed to get a buyer for the Golf and had a bit of money that I could spend on the teg.
Seen a clean set of DC2 Recaros down in Waterford (90 minute drive away). So we went for a spin down to get them on a spur of the moment kind of thing and put them in on the side of the motorway Guy had a set of bronze 15" rota grids for sale as well with all new tyres. At the time I really wanted a set of 16" rota circuits, but in hindsight I should have got them as they were spotless 
...ah well!
Other things I done in this month were:
Jap pressed reg plates as I couldn't stand the other ones
New fuel filter
Engine was underheating so put a new thermostat in to fix that
and finally a nice polish of the backbox. (Which I had to make dirty again as It was blinding people behind me from the lights reflection!)
A full compound of the car using Meguiars Ultimate Compound worked wonders on the bodywork.
I was amazed at how 'yellow-y' the paint actually was when you compared the before and after.
I'm 21 and from Dublin over in Ireland. I'm a student (almost finished college) so doing things slowly for the time being!
Had a VW Golf mk4 before this but eventually had to get an Integra.
Bought this car back in August 2012. It had seen a lot of owners since being imported in 2007 and each seemed to half start jobs. When I got it it was looking a bit ricer-ish but the bodywork and engine was in quite good condition. The rest at least I could work on over time.
Its a jap-import DC1 Integra - 1.6 fuel injected SOHC (non-vtec).
So here it is when I got it.
Me and another mates DC1 Integra
The next morning consisted of a good stripping and cleaning of the interior.
Also swapped in my radio and got rid of the god awful garage stickers.
The boot had a huge sub, amp, and alloy spare tyre along with plenty of rubbish suggesting it hadn't been cleaned in a while. Got a nice weight reduction by getting all that lot out.
Then added a nice strut brace to the boot that I might paint later.
I found out the hard way that the brakes were completely worn away on the first night when I locked up coming into a roundabout having a near miss. So less than a week later the car was being treated to new pads and discs all round.
Could give it a good bit more now that I could stop in time!
So it was about now that I finally managed to get a buyer for the Golf and had a bit of money that I could spend on the teg.
Seen a clean set of DC2 Recaros down in Waterford (90 minute drive away). So we went for a spin down to get them on a spur of the moment kind of thing and put them in on the side of the motorway Guy had a set of bronze 15" rota grids for sale as well with all new tyres. At the time I really wanted a set of 16" rota circuits, but in hindsight I should have got them as they were spotless ...ah well!Other things I done in this month were:
Jap pressed reg plates as I couldn't stand the other ones
New fuel filter
Engine was underheating so put a new thermostat in to fix that
and finally a nice polish of the backbox. (Which I had to make dirty again as It was blinding people behind me from the lights reflection!)
A full compound of the car using Meguiars Ultimate Compound worked wonders on the bodywork.
I was amazed at how 'yellow-y' the paint actually was when you compared the before and after.
Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Re: Paul's RHD JDM Integra build
Forgot to say above...please, let us know what you think, any suggestions welcomed!
So due to my love of driving, the cost of petrol over here, and the consumption rate of my teg it was a while before I made any more changes to the car.
Had a few nice spins in the car
This was from one night we went up the mountains.
From left to right: BZR Levin, Silvia S14, my teg
Then another night seen the three tegs and another mates R33 GTR out for a spin
I done a few small bits and pieces such as de-wipering, and new gear **** and gaitor.
Eventually in December while 'studying' for exams the procrastination kicked in and I split my headlights.
I really wanted to do the black housing headlights like dc2 but being quite rare and expensive I said I'd take a shot at doing it myself. Splitting the first headlight was painfully long and tiring, then taping up everything was quite painstaking.
Once I gave it the first coat though, a friend suggested removing the indicator cover and spraying it entirely black. A quick google search and I much preferred that option being something different aswell so I sanded back and sprayed the lot.
It also gave me a chance to buff out the inside of the headlight to give a clearer look.
My ugly 17" wheels were running on very low thread dept coming into winter.
I didn't want to invest in tyres for them as I didn't like the wheels anyway.
Funny enough another set of 15" Rota Grids popped up on DoneDeal (our craigslist)
I didn't think twice about them this time as I realised just how difficult circuits were to find, and how expensive if you did find them. Freshly resprayed with two serious wet weather michelin tyres on two which I put on the front. Turned out one wheel was loosing air which was something he 'forgot' to mention but I got it sorted.
Got a set of neo-chrome steel locking nuts, and painted the callipers at the same time.
Made a huge improvement to the overall car.
Old:
New:
Unfortunately a mate crashed his DC1 on a back road. Nobody injured thank God, but so I managed to get some parts from his car. Almost new 55mm lowering springs, rear recaro seats and a few interior plastics.
Noticed a huge improvement in handling with the drop.
It was already lowered 40mm but the extra bit definitely improved the car on back roads, not to mention the improved look of the car.
Next up after Christmas was the lights...I had always wanted HID lights even in the Golf.
Considered getting a cheap kit off the internet, but in the end decided to go to the local shop that sells them, MDS who give a warranty and piece of mind. Got the 8000k after much consideration. Remember it taking some getting used to at night having so much more light!
I also got a dc2 rear spoiler in black with lumps taken out of it. Done a good job filler primering it and spraying white, but can't seem to find my before and after pics of it unfortunately
With the NCT (National Car Test) coming up and so I gave her another service.
Almost 10,000km on the button since I bought her/serviced her last.
Changed airfilter aswell and noticed a HUGE difference...low end torque was much improved.
Needless to say I enjoyed the car that night
Ever noticed how when you're car is put up on a ramp it looks fab?
Well I was delighted with the way it was looking in the test centre.
What made my day even more was the two old men (70ish) in front of me admiring the car...not realising it was mine. I quietly listened in without saying anything.
"thats a fierce nice car Jim..it's a Toyota isn't it?"
"no, thats a Mitsubishi...lovely Mitsubishi altogether!"
"there'd be nothing wrong with that car...somebody who owns that would keep it running perfect"
"wonder how much that would cost...€3,000?"
"Ah lad...somebody who owns that wouldn't sell it for no money"
Thought it was really nice to hear men of that age admiring the car so much
NCT passed for another year
Keep checking back guys, have more updates to come yet to bring us up to what the car is at present
So due to my love of driving, the cost of petrol over here, and the consumption rate of my teg it was a while before I made any more changes to the car.
Had a few nice spins in the car
This was from one night we went up the mountains.
From left to right: BZR Levin, Silvia S14, my teg
Then another night seen the three tegs and another mates R33 GTR out for a spin
I done a few small bits and pieces such as de-wipering, and new gear **** and gaitor.
Eventually in December while 'studying' for exams the procrastination kicked in and I split my headlights.
I really wanted to do the black housing headlights like dc2 but being quite rare and expensive I said I'd take a shot at doing it myself. Splitting the first headlight was painfully long and tiring, then taping up everything was quite painstaking.
Once I gave it the first coat though, a friend suggested removing the indicator cover and spraying it entirely black. A quick google search and I much preferred that option being something different aswell so I sanded back and sprayed the lot.
It also gave me a chance to buff out the inside of the headlight to give a clearer look.
My ugly 17" wheels were running on very low thread dept coming into winter.
I didn't want to invest in tyres for them as I didn't like the wheels anyway.
Funny enough another set of 15" Rota Grids popped up on DoneDeal (our craigslist)
I didn't think twice about them this time as I realised just how difficult circuits were to find, and how expensive if you did find them. Freshly resprayed with two serious wet weather michelin tyres on two which I put on the front. Turned out one wheel was loosing air which was something he 'forgot' to mention but I got it sorted.
Got a set of neo-chrome steel locking nuts, and painted the callipers at the same time.
Made a huge improvement to the overall car.
Old:
New:
Unfortunately a mate crashed his DC1 on a back road. Nobody injured thank God, but so I managed to get some parts from his car. Almost new 55mm lowering springs, rear recaro seats and a few interior plastics.
Noticed a huge improvement in handling with the drop.
It was already lowered 40mm but the extra bit definitely improved the car on back roads, not to mention the improved look of the car.
Next up after Christmas was the lights...I had always wanted HID lights even in the Golf.
Considered getting a cheap kit off the internet, but in the end decided to go to the local shop that sells them, MDS who give a warranty and piece of mind. Got the 8000k after much consideration. Remember it taking some getting used to at night having so much more light!
I also got a dc2 rear spoiler in black with lumps taken out of it. Done a good job filler primering it and spraying white, but can't seem to find my before and after pics of it unfortunately
With the NCT (National Car Test) coming up and so I gave her another service.
Almost 10,000km on the button since I bought her/serviced her last.
Changed airfilter aswell and noticed a HUGE difference...low end torque was much improved.
Needless to say I enjoyed the car that night
Ever noticed how when you're car is put up on a ramp it looks fab?
Well I was delighted with the way it was looking in the test centre.
What made my day even more was the two old men (70ish) in front of me admiring the car...not realising it was mine. I quietly listened in without saying anything.
"thats a fierce nice car Jim..it's a Toyota isn't it?"
"no, thats a Mitsubishi...lovely Mitsubishi altogether!"
"there'd be nothing wrong with that car...somebody who owns that would keep it running perfect"
"wonder how much that would cost...€3,000?"
"Ah lad...somebody who owns that wouldn't sell it for no money"
Thought it was really nice to hear men of that age admiring the car so much
NCT passed for another year
Keep checking back guys, have more updates to come yet to bring us up to what the car is at present
Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Re: Paul's RHD JDM Integra build
Want to do something in the future though just not sure which. Options are:
B18
K20 (although I doubt I'd be able to afford that for a while)
or turbo the current engine
Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Re: Paul's RHD JDM Integra build
So the end of March and start of April seen the postman deliver two small envelopes to me...
...
...
...
MUGEN AIRFRESHENERS!
...which smell extremely nice and look good with the seats which is always a plus!
Interested in hearing your opinions on the type one stickers...wasn't too sure when I put them on, but getting to like them now I think!
So another few spins after a good wash. Have Graham to thank for the pics here
Sick of the engine bay being a mess so I started on a clean of it...not finished yet, but when exams are finished I hope to do a good clean.
Decided eventually on a colour theme ..purple. Think it goes well with the white, so done the strut bar ends in that.
Got heat wrap off ebay for €20 I think, think it gives the engine bay a better look than the heat shield. Can't say I've noticed any difference in performance though..
So after giving it a bit of a clean, drove for a few days and already see the dirt building up again.
Have wanted to make a front splitter for a while now. So I'm thinking make a flat underbody (at least for the engine anyway). That should definitely help keep it somewhat cleaner.
I've researched it a bit. Think I'll go with plywood with supporting rods at the front. Just need to examine how I'm going to mount underneat the car/up into engine bay yet.
Hopefully be a more agressive look along with even better handling hopefully, not to mention keeping the bay clean
So needed to get a new rear tyre as a bulge was starting to develop...went down to my local honda specialist (the tuning factory).
Pingo pulled out these two hankook tyres partworn with a good bit of grip still left for only €40. I jumped at it, and it was only when I got home examining it I realised just how good they were. Really soft tyre that heated up a little after a decent run even though they were on the back.
So last week I decided to swap them to the front to see if it would reduce understeer, and was I suprised or what!
Car very rarely understeers at all once tyres are warmed up...in fact getting oversteer a little bit, with a lovely amount of lift-off oversteer!
Really nice for the type of driving I do be doing, I will just have to be careful on motorways/high speed corners not to lift off too much.
Looking through Donedeal and came across this carbon spoiler for €50. Almost new condition, so I thought it would be rude not to get it!
Gearbox really needs changing now...syncro's gone in 3rd and 4th...keeps popping out! So annoying! But on the other hand its a chance to get a gearbox with a diff as I only have the S8G at the moment. So I'm thinking the S40.
I'll leave you with these pics from town that my mate Aaron took for us, really liking the car in these pics
Doing my final exams in college now starting next tuesday so wont be able to do much on car for the next couple of weeks 
but then on the plus side I'm heading over to Boston at the end of May for the summer on a J1 Would love to see what the car scene is like over there compared to here so hopefully I'll get to see some of that, even though I know nobody over there!!
Plans for after exams and before Boston:
Gearbox
Clean and seal arches
full body clean (clay bar, scratches removed, paint restored, waxed) - got all the G3 stuff in work so should make a nice difference!
...
...
...
MUGEN AIRFRESHENERS!
...which smell extremely nice and look good with the seats which is always a plus!
Interested in hearing your opinions on the type one stickers...wasn't too sure when I put them on, but getting to like them now I think!
So another few spins after a good wash. Have Graham to thank for the pics here
Sick of the engine bay being a mess so I started on a clean of it...not finished yet, but when exams are finished I hope to do a good clean.
Decided eventually on a colour theme ..purple. Think it goes well with the white, so done the strut bar ends in that.
Got heat wrap off ebay for €20 I think, think it gives the engine bay a better look than the heat shield. Can't say I've noticed any difference in performance though..
So after giving it a bit of a clean, drove for a few days and already see the dirt building up again.
Have wanted to make a front splitter for a while now. So I'm thinking make a flat underbody (at least for the engine anyway). That should definitely help keep it somewhat cleaner.
I've researched it a bit. Think I'll go with plywood with supporting rods at the front. Just need to examine how I'm going to mount underneat the car/up into engine bay yet.
Hopefully be a more agressive look along with even better handling hopefully, not to mention keeping the bay clean
So needed to get a new rear tyre as a bulge was starting to develop...went down to my local honda specialist (the tuning factory).
Pingo pulled out these two hankook tyres partworn with a good bit of grip still left for only €40. I jumped at it, and it was only when I got home examining it I realised just how good they were. Really soft tyre that heated up a little after a decent run even though they were on the back.
So last week I decided to swap them to the front to see if it would reduce understeer, and was I suprised or what!
Car very rarely understeers at all once tyres are warmed up...in fact getting oversteer a little bit, with a lovely amount of lift-off oversteer!
Really nice for the type of driving I do be doing, I will just have to be careful on motorways/high speed corners not to lift off too much.
Looking through Donedeal and came across this carbon spoiler for €50. Almost new condition, so I thought it would be rude not to get it!
Gearbox really needs changing now...syncro's gone in 3rd and 4th...keeps popping out! So annoying! But on the other hand its a chance to get a gearbox with a diff as I only have the S8G at the moment. So I'm thinking the S40.
I'll leave you with these pics from town that my mate Aaron took for us, really liking the car in these pics
Doing my final exams in college now starting next tuesday
so wont be able to do much on car for the next couple of weeks but then on the plus side I'm heading over to Boston at the end of May for the summer on a J1
Would love to see what the car scene is like over there compared to here so hopefully I'll get to see some of that, even though I know nobody over there!!Plans for after exams and before Boston:
Gearbox
Clean and seal arches
full body clean (clay bar, scratches removed, paint restored, waxed) - got all the G3 stuff in work so should make a nice difference!
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