The resurrection of my 2002 Civic Type R
Discussion
Let’s set the scene, the year is 1998. A car mad 13 year old MattyC has become increasingly obsessed with JDM cars, this is due to owing a chipped PS1 with access to a brother in-law with a CD burner and a blockbuster who have just received their first copy of Gran Turismo. A wallet busting £3 later I have my own copy.
A few weeks later whilst scanning the Eastern Daily Press’s weekly motoring pull out, I notice Holden Honda have a spanking new Integra Type R in their showroom, I beg MattyC senior to take me there. He happily agrees and I fall in love. I promise myself I will own a Type R Honda one day. The salesmen handed me a brochure along with Spoon upgrade catalogue which I studied for hours!
Fast forward to 2005, apprenticeship done and have as much overtime as I can handle available. A nice little pot of money is beginning to appear in my savings account and I have pushed the limits of my Saxo VTR. I think it may finally be my time to buy my dream Integra. But every insurance company I speak to are not interested until I am 25 without horrendous premiums! Part of the appeal to this owing an Integra is modifying so don’t want to waste all my money on insurance!
A few months pass and my best mate’s sister boyfriend rocks up in a Nighthawk black EP3, he has paid a timely sum for it as its only 2 years old. He is well aware of my Honda love affair and chucks me the keys! After the drive the only thought on my mind was the need to own a Honda Type R again!!!! He suggested to me his insurance was a lot lower than he thought it would be! A few checks online and it seems they will insure a 20 year old MattyC for £1000 a year fully comp! What a result!
Various Autotrader searches later and its clear I am about £3k away from owing and insuring an EP3 taking into account selling the VTR and using my savings. After a long discussion with MattyC senior which resulted in an agreement I would join the works pension scheme and set up a direct debit to pay him back he would lend me the money.
The hunt was on, it seemed Nighthawk black was the most popular colour but I was not a fan, my dream would of been Championship White but no such luck as they were reserved for the JDM market and I personally found the silver a bit bland, Milano red it is in!
After only a week my car appeared on the daily search. A 2002 Milano, one mature owner, 20k on the clock and few weeks of Honda warranty left and the best bit it was 10 miles away. I am on the phone and with the car 30 minutes later, as expected it was faultless. Whilst sitting in the sellers kitchen I began flicking through the various service books, the seller nervously stopped me "would you mind not bending the spine on the manual as it may crease it and I like to keep things perfect" this is definitely the guy to buy a car off. The deal was done and the Civic was mine!!!!
Unfortunately I dont have a picture of my first days with the car but this is google image is identical.
Up next wasting all my money on overpriced "go faster" parts.............
A few weeks later whilst scanning the Eastern Daily Press’s weekly motoring pull out, I notice Holden Honda have a spanking new Integra Type R in their showroom, I beg MattyC senior to take me there. He happily agrees and I fall in love. I promise myself I will own a Type R Honda one day. The salesmen handed me a brochure along with Spoon upgrade catalogue which I studied for hours!
Fast forward to 2005, apprenticeship done and have as much overtime as I can handle available. A nice little pot of money is beginning to appear in my savings account and I have pushed the limits of my Saxo VTR. I think it may finally be my time to buy my dream Integra. But every insurance company I speak to are not interested until I am 25 without horrendous premiums! Part of the appeal to this owing an Integra is modifying so don’t want to waste all my money on insurance!
A few months pass and my best mate’s sister boyfriend rocks up in a Nighthawk black EP3, he has paid a timely sum for it as its only 2 years old. He is well aware of my Honda love affair and chucks me the keys! After the drive the only thought on my mind was the need to own a Honda Type R again!!!! He suggested to me his insurance was a lot lower than he thought it would be! A few checks online and it seems they will insure a 20 year old MattyC for £1000 a year fully comp! What a result!
Various Autotrader searches later and its clear I am about £3k away from owing and insuring an EP3 taking into account selling the VTR and using my savings. After a long discussion with MattyC senior which resulted in an agreement I would join the works pension scheme and set up a direct debit to pay him back he would lend me the money.
The hunt was on, it seemed Nighthawk black was the most popular colour but I was not a fan, my dream would of been Championship White but no such luck as they were reserved for the JDM market and I personally found the silver a bit bland, Milano red it is in!
After only a week my car appeared on the daily search. A 2002 Milano, one mature owner, 20k on the clock and few weeks of Honda warranty left and the best bit it was 10 miles away. I am on the phone and with the car 30 minutes later, as expected it was faultless. Whilst sitting in the sellers kitchen I began flicking through the various service books, the seller nervously stopped me "would you mind not bending the spine on the manual as it may crease it and I like to keep things perfect" this is definitely the guy to buy a car off. The deal was done and the Civic was mine!!!!
Unfortunately I dont have a picture of my first days with the car but this is google image is identical.
Up next wasting all my money on overpriced "go faster" parts.............
Edited by mattyc69 on Friday 12th November 11:28
Shortly after getting the car I receive a rather tasty (well for a 20 year old lad) pay rise. MattyC senior is soon paid off so what to do now, I know modify the car!!!
Now the below is a list of everything I can remember wasting my money on over a 2 year period…
• Buddy Club carbon bonnet
• Facelift front and rear lights
• Carbon Mugen spoiler (replica)
• JDM wheels
• AEM big brake disc upgrade
• Buddy Club exhaust
• AEM induction kit
• Ridiculously expensive Spoon oil and radiator caps
• Apexi VTEC controller (never played about with it just loved how it looked!)
I was more than happy spending away on the car and still saving a bit. I had absolutely no chance of buying a house due to continuous price rises and the old folks did not mind me hanging around it seemed as I was the last one of the brood left at home. Below is how she looked in the summer of 2007.
Up next the banking crisis, housing market crash and the push from MattyC senior to move out.............
Now the below is a list of everything I can remember wasting my money on over a 2 year period…
• Buddy Club carbon bonnet
• Facelift front and rear lights
• Carbon Mugen spoiler (replica)
• JDM wheels
• AEM big brake disc upgrade
• Buddy Club exhaust
• AEM induction kit
• Ridiculously expensive Spoon oil and radiator caps
• Apexi VTEC controller (never played about with it just loved how it looked!)
I was more than happy spending away on the car and still saving a bit. I had absolutely no chance of buying a house due to continuous price rises and the old folks did not mind me hanging around it seemed as I was the last one of the brood left at home. Below is how she looked in the summer of 2007.
Up next the banking crisis, housing market crash and the push from MattyC senior to move out.............
It now seemed I could buy a house, things would be tight, but it could be done. I had a works van so need for the added expensive of running a car. Should I sell the Civic? No way I could not do it. I tell myself after a few years’ things would improve and it could be my weekend toy. A few mods were removed and sold to help with moving costs and the Civic was tucked away in the garage.
Well as you can all imagine the plan of bringing her back to life after a few years did not go so well. A wedding, 5 year house extension (me being tight and refusing to pay for help!) and 2 kids later it’s the summer of 2021 and the Civic is still in the garage but it seems I now have a bit of time on my hands.
A new battery is ordered, the sump removed and cleaned, new oil and filter along with a fresh 10 litres of super unleaded in the tank. The engine is turned over by hand with no problems. I blimp the alarm and turn the key, with no fuss and around 13 years since the last start it fired into life! Only issues seem to be a rough idle when warmed up and a clutch pedal on the floor.
With the help of the kids and Mrs MattyC we push the car out of the garage and I strip down the front of the car to get to slave cylinder. I chuck a new one on, bleed up and we are in business we have a pedal.
The car will now move under its own steam, things are a bit tight in the garage so she is moved to her new home on the drive to allow the resurrection to continue.....
Well as you can all imagine the plan of bringing her back to life after a few years did not go so well. A wedding, 5 year house extension (me being tight and refusing to pay for help!) and 2 kids later it’s the summer of 2021 and the Civic is still in the garage but it seems I now have a bit of time on my hands.
A new battery is ordered, the sump removed and cleaned, new oil and filter along with a fresh 10 litres of super unleaded in the tank. The engine is turned over by hand with no problems. I blimp the alarm and turn the key, with no fuss and around 13 years since the last start it fired into life! Only issues seem to be a rough idle when warmed up and a clutch pedal on the floor.
With the help of the kids and Mrs MattyC we push the car out of the garage and I strip down the front of the car to get to slave cylinder. I chuck a new one on, bleed up and we are in business we have a pedal.
The car will now move under its own steam, things are a bit tight in the garage so she is moved to her new home on the drive to allow the resurrection to continue.....
Edited by mattyc69 on Thursday 11th November 18:46
Edited by mattyc69 on Friday 12th November 11:31
Edited by mattyc69 on Friday 12th November 11:34
Unfortunately taking loads of pictures to document the rebuild did not really happen!
The rocker cover was removed and shot blasted at work along with the standard exhaust and my original wheels. I was all for keeping things standard but always loved the yellow Spoon rocker covers and my little girl decided she preferred yellow and after all she is the boss!
On my list I had a raft of bits and bobs I needed, it seemed the old Type R forums I used to frequent were all very much shutdown. Facebook appeared to be the place were deals were done. A number of my old “go fast bits” were now quite rare and I managed to sell them for a surprising amount of money! Only thing I kept hold of was my Vtec controller as I still love the look of it!
I raised over £350 alone for this spoiler that had been wrapped up in the garage for all this time! It also seemed that the thing that was killing off all the Civics was rust! Luckily mine is very clean underneath but I guess this no surprise with only being on the road for 5 years of its entire life!
Wheel colour choice was a hard decision, I did not want to shell out on a professional job to then not like the colour, as a temporary measure I rattle canned mine silver and I am glad I did. I prefer the look so over this winter I will get them off again and have them powder coated properly.
Over the next few months when I had some time (shift work helped a lot!) I got stuck into the mechanical jobs-
• Coolant flushed and replaced
• Valve clearance checked
• Master cylinder replaced (nothing wrong but wanted to be on the safe side)
• All suspension bushes changed
• Full brake calliper overhaul and paint
• Brake fluid flush
• Standard exhaust refitted after the complete system was painted at work with high temp paint
• Gearbox oil change
• Spark plugs replaced
• Aux belt replaced
• Standard front lights refitted, and old wiring loom soldered back into place
• New wiper blades and number plates
• x4 new tyres
• IACV cleaned and freed up (to hopefully sort the poor idle)
It was now time to finally fire her back up but the rough idle was still there when warm. After an unofficial Italian tune up the problem still persisted so I bought a good used IACV, swapped them out and she was running like a dream. It seemed other than a good wash she was ready for the MOT.
MattyC senior was brought out of retirement to help, I am no detailing king, but the red had suffered a bit over the years. We managed to complete the below in a day and grab some final pics in what was the last of the Autum sun!
• Snow foam and wash
• Claybar
• Wash
• Machine cut
• Polish
• Wax
• Interior clean (and remove the many magic tree's!)
The MOT was passed last week with only issue being a front headlight adjustment. I have driven about 250 miles with no problems to report, my intention is to use it until the end of the month, give her a good wash and put it away before the salt appears on the roads.
So that’s the journey so far, the car has certainly put a smile back on my face after driving a 1.4 80 bhp Seat Ibiza to work for the past 3 years! The Civic currently sits on 37,000 miles which is not bad considering its 20 years old next year!!!! I only do around 4000 miles a year and the Ibiza will be staying for the winter months so the Civic will remain a low miler for a while to come! I am looking forward to lots of days out in with the kids next year attending various shows and hopefully getting my hands on a few final bits to finish her off, namely some JDM red Recaro’s!
The rocker cover was removed and shot blasted at work along with the standard exhaust and my original wheels. I was all for keeping things standard but always loved the yellow Spoon rocker covers and my little girl decided she preferred yellow and after all she is the boss!
On my list I had a raft of bits and bobs I needed, it seemed the old Type R forums I used to frequent were all very much shutdown. Facebook appeared to be the place were deals were done. A number of my old “go fast bits” were now quite rare and I managed to sell them for a surprising amount of money! Only thing I kept hold of was my Vtec controller as I still love the look of it!
I raised over £350 alone for this spoiler that had been wrapped up in the garage for all this time! It also seemed that the thing that was killing off all the Civics was rust! Luckily mine is very clean underneath but I guess this no surprise with only being on the road for 5 years of its entire life!
Wheel colour choice was a hard decision, I did not want to shell out on a professional job to then not like the colour, as a temporary measure I rattle canned mine silver and I am glad I did. I prefer the look so over this winter I will get them off again and have them powder coated properly.
Over the next few months when I had some time (shift work helped a lot!) I got stuck into the mechanical jobs-
• Coolant flushed and replaced
• Valve clearance checked
• Master cylinder replaced (nothing wrong but wanted to be on the safe side)
• All suspension bushes changed
• Full brake calliper overhaul and paint
• Brake fluid flush
• Standard exhaust refitted after the complete system was painted at work with high temp paint
• Gearbox oil change
• Spark plugs replaced
• Aux belt replaced
• Standard front lights refitted, and old wiring loom soldered back into place
• New wiper blades and number plates
• x4 new tyres
• IACV cleaned and freed up (to hopefully sort the poor idle)
It was now time to finally fire her back up but the rough idle was still there when warm. After an unofficial Italian tune up the problem still persisted so I bought a good used IACV, swapped them out and she was running like a dream. It seemed other than a good wash she was ready for the MOT.
MattyC senior was brought out of retirement to help, I am no detailing king, but the red had suffered a bit over the years. We managed to complete the below in a day and grab some final pics in what was the last of the Autum sun!
• Snow foam and wash
• Claybar
• Wash
• Machine cut
• Polish
• Wax
• Interior clean (and remove the many magic tree's!)
The MOT was passed last week with only issue being a front headlight adjustment. I have driven about 250 miles with no problems to report, my intention is to use it until the end of the month, give her a good wash and put it away before the salt appears on the roads.
So that’s the journey so far, the car has certainly put a smile back on my face after driving a 1.4 80 bhp Seat Ibiza to work for the past 3 years! The Civic currently sits on 37,000 miles which is not bad considering its 20 years old next year!!!! I only do around 4000 miles a year and the Ibiza will be staying for the winter months so the Civic will remain a low miler for a while to come! I am looking forward to lots of days out in with the kids next year attending various shows and hopefully getting my hands on a few final bits to finish her off, namely some JDM red Recaro’s!
Edited by mattyc69 on Friday 12th November 11:36
Edited by mattyc69 on Friday 12th November 12:58
Edited by mattyc69 on Friday 12th November 13:00
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