Furthermore, the transfer case and one of the engine mounts had bad bolt housings ( or whatever you call em ), so we had to fix them and put these in, which were almost impossible to find:
Also, I finally fixed the damned cooling system and made it work properly. Turns out that after swapping all the thermostats, sensors, radiator, and even the new fan it was just an old wire that broke off. So yeah that is finally fixed!
Also, I do not have a picture but I did take out the dashboard a few times, first to try and find a ground wire that was loose, then to properly strap in the dashboard ( one of the brackets was missing) and lastly to swap out the small lights in the speedometer. By the way those small lamps and housings are hard to find, and I had 3 of them that had to be replaced.
Oh, also I took out the trunk/hatch warning light because I could not for the life of me find the missing ground wire. However, I did fix the other light that shows when the handbrake is on, so that is a good 50/50 split.
Also, I somehow found brand new headlights, especially for a shuttle, so I could not be happier to buy them!
Changed the oil filter/ oil, and put in new lights, however, did not get the light adjustment mechanism on these new ones, but the trade-off is worth it because with those burnt-out housings I could barely see anything at night. Furthermore, the white turn signals go really well with the font end now.
Lastly, I bought the expensive Honda MTF-3 transmission fluid that makes the shifting smooth. The result is fabulous, getting into 5th gear doing 90-100 km/h makes the revs drop down significantly. I will get a proper comparison of what it used to be and what it is now.
Almost caught up to what has been done and now we are almost back to the present.
This is me, tinkering with LMA's because I simply could not deal with the darn sound coming from the valve train.
Let me tell you about this, they are a huuuuge pain to disassemble. However, really worth it, I took them apart and just polished them so they moved freely just like new. Just so you know out of 8 of them, 4 would stick like mad, and after I got 4 of the best ones and worked on them the difference was night and day.
Also, I did notice my exhaust valve lash was off, so I did readjust it. However, I will redo it because I am not quite sure and happy with how it turned out. Or if it is correct I need to hit the dyno shop again.
Oh, my intake was making whistling noises at partial throttle, so I did find that my throttle did not open all the way up, so I did tighten the cable. And my throttle body gasket needed trimming. So this in conjunction with valve adjustment may be a solution to finding a bit more power up top.
Things that are happening at the moment is that the car is in the body shop getting some fixes:
doors adjusted, roof rail clips sticking, many small spots repainted, rear wheel archs repainted ( were messed up from gravel ).
Decided to paint inside of wheel archs black to protect from gravel rather then making new plastics.
Changed number plate holders to black, painted the windshield wiper arms black and replaced them.
Removed trunk mid-wing because there was rust under it, so got the trunk repainted.
Added back the proper rear window moldings and rubbers.
I will get some pictures after I get it back from the shop.
Things that need doing and will be done soonish:
Proper valve lash readjustment with looking at TDC's and rotor positions to make intake 0.006 and exhaust 0.008 as Crower suggests.
Fix the oil leak that I hope to be coming from the black PCV box in on the rear of the engine block.
Fix the Vtec sticker on the driver side.
After the repaint stick some protective film on the parts of the wagon that gravel hits.
Make a list of missing parts that my buddy who owns a bunch of wagons can source.
Fix the rear interior storage space plastics and maybe put leather on them.
Fix the dent in the windshield or maybe get a new one.
Try and fix the gas pedal travel distance ( I think my added layers of floor insulation gets in the way of full throttle ).
Make a new intake from the carbon cobra one.
Order a heavier longer custom shifter.
Make a proper bracket to hold down wobbly arm rest.
Lube up the creaky trunk metal cover.
Order a spoon sock to cover brake cylinder.
Buy beautiful bolts for engine bay.
Get a more square wheel alignment.
Order a new rear wing from US and stick on sunroof visor from the other wagon.
Glad to be back! How is your wagon doing? If I do not make updates this summer like every two weeks or something just know that something went really wrong.
Progress! Also, somehow the J' style wing is coming in way faster than expected. If my wagon comes out of the paint shop this weekend, I will work on it as much as possible to make it mechanically ready for dyno day.
Furthermore, I thought of a small improvement I will make for my PCV/catch-can setup. I want to install a valve, maybe I even have one laying around my garage.
Slowly, but surely I am getting excited about this project again.
Niiiice. Slowly but surely. Finally figured out what I want to do with mine in so far as drivetrain at least.
I'd forgotten about those ultra wide fender flares you did. I've been on and off the fence about the J's wing myself. I'll be looking forward to see your update on that.
Welcome back glad to reach out to you when I thought about this wagon, it’s great seeing it again and you still have it specially working on it. You definitely have list to get done but I can see you knocking it out, can’t wait for updates
I tried fixing the oil leak that I hope to be coming from the black PCV box in on the rear of the engine block. It did not work out the engine still leaks but way less. The new idea is to order a special plug that replaces the black leaky box, I found it on ebay for D-series. Seems like I am not the only one with leaky backside.
With a help of a friend who modified the cobra intake we got the install, but it required quite a bit of bending of brake lines.
I also got rid of the fume smell by rerouting engine ventilation back to the intake, and the fuel tank ventilation below the car using a small silicone hose.
My custom spacers for the rear arrived, of 22mm. I will get some pictures after the install.
Glued back the carpet that was not put back on together correctly.
Went to the dyno after all the sorting and I got what I wanted, just a little bit more power then the standard B-series engine here in Europe. However there is still a bit of a hick up that the car does when decelerating in gear. So I will have to go resolve that.
I did fix the vtec sticker, fixed the pedal travel distance, lubed up the trunk metal cover, ordered a custom wooden shifter, ordered a new windshield, ordered heat wrap for exhaust, gave away trunk storage plastics for upholstery and gave the car away to fix minor exterior problems.
Finally, the J'style rear wing that is supposedly made for the wagon, doesn't even remotely fit, I am very disappointed with the form. The width is off, the legs are different, and the cutouts are wrong. Hopefully, body shop can make it work, but it will require heavy modifications.
I will make a final list of things to do before the photoshoot/car meet or show, which I plan on attending at the end of the next month.
Things are in motion since I signed up for a show at the end of the month.
First, about the wing, I did order the correct one, and this week I will know how it will fit. I will update you on it Bill. Here is the one I got:
I have made a final summer list that needs to get done within the 3 weeks I got left. It probably won't be done but still I will do my best.
I took a whole day to stick sound insulation to the sides of the trunk. Do any of you know if I can stick it on the wheel arches also, or will it get in the way of the plastics?
I also got the new windshield installed yesterday, and it is a night and day difference! For anyone thinking about doing it, it is probably the greatest modification ever.
Lastly, I went for a night ride with a few friends, we talked and had good fun. P.s. yes the red wagon is a 1996 auto beagle with full options and funky interior.
Here is the final list:
I will keep the updates rolling as soon as I get the wagon back from the oaint shop.
So, I have started to really try and get ready for the upcoming auto show in two weeks. I have spent 3 straight days working on the project.
First, instead of a spoon sock covering the brake cylinder, I reused a shifter knob warmer that my GF has made me. I just had to cut his head open to fit. I think it turned out great!
I adjusted the hood, to make it line up as good as possible, as well as the trunk and the other doors.
I readjusted the hand brake, and painted the handle black. Also, I moved the arm rest further back where it fits better onto the bottom plastics. I also made it hold better and wobble less.
My buddy supplied all kinds of small parts that make a huge difference, here is one of them - headlight cover that actually clips in place and doesn't fall out.
My passenger side one was broken but here is a new one - turns out you have to unscrew these instead of pulling on them. Learned something new.
Windshield plastic clips, while installing them I lost one of them like three times. Be careful, they are super fragile.
These are the speedo cover clips that are on the back, nobody sees them, but I had one missing and it was killing me.
I had to take out both of my front seats, to paint the brackets black, since they were getting all rusty. I did paint the side plastics black to fit the over all theme.
I also repainted power steering and overflow reservoir black.
The OEM brake splash guards (metal ones) were rusted to death on drivers side, and new ones cost 100 euro a piece. So I decided to just destroy the one that was bothering me. Took a good 30 minutes, but I got it completely off. The other side just got trimmed a little bit.
I also cleaned the brakes since they were squeaky on one side.
Furthermore, I decided to mess with the suspension height in the front, guess what I needed to do it two times, and I am not sure if I got it right. I wanted both lowest points of the car, which turns out to be exhaust under the engine and the box in the back be about the same distance from the ground. Now it is around 13-15 cm. I will have to recheck each side to see how she sits, but it is the lowest the wagon has been.
I also adjusted the throttle body blade position with a bolt a bit, since it was idling a bit too high. I think I messed with quite a bit of other things that I can't really remember. Anyways here is a picture of me and little Honda in it's natural habitat.
This seems like an uphill battle, more things need fixing then I get done, but I went for a drive and got like 5 thumbs up and a few people following me taking videos, raced a few diesel audi's and it all seems to pay off.
I got the squeaky brakes all cleaned and quiet, and I finally got my throttle position bolt in the perfect position for my car to idle properly with all the mods.
Also, after the repaint of the sides of the wagon from gravel chips, I have gotten the bottom half from the black trim down covered in protective film (PPF). You can hardly notice it, only if you know where to look, and if the car is dirty you can see the lines where the film ends. I highly recommend it for anyone with big wheel arches or wide tires.
I have adjusted the rear bumper to sit more flush with the back of the wagon, however all of our bumpers seem to sag a bit on the sides. Also, the front EF lip got put back in place, since it unstuck itself during the summer heat.
The big thing is that I have placed a new replacement plug for the black PCV box in the back of the engine block. I really hope this fixes my leaking oil problems.
Other quality of life thing I thought of doing is to lube up the squeaky door hinges! Such a small thing, but makes the wagon feel many years younger.
I got to fixing the windshield washers, and I installed the original hood insulation and refreshed it's look with a bit of dust of and light spray of black paint.
Lastly, I measured both sides of the wagon to see if the ride height is finally correct. From the bottom of the mirrors each one reads exactly the same! I could not be more stocked that I got it perfect.
Lasers do not lie. Also, a fun measurement is that my front lip is ~15-16cm off the ground, and the exhaust in both front and back at the lowest points are 8-10 cm. The car is definitely very low underneath.
Question - should I stiffen up the damping? Should the rear be stiffer then the back, since the springs and the wagon itself is lighter in the back?
Quite a few things got done, but it is the last week before the auto show that I want to attend.
I have fixed the partial throttle issue that was happening due to updated map, and I lowered the launch control RPMS a bit to save the clutch.
I have also bought good supplies to clean the interior of the car.
I finally finished the sound insulation install in all of the trunk, including the sides and wheel arches. It was quite a task.
After looking at all kinds of old parts I had, I noticed that there are these two rubbers that go onto the fuel filler doors, as bump stops, so I installed them on my wagon.
Lastly, I really cleaned up the routing of new hoses I got for the oil catch can. Oh and the leak that I hoped would be fixed with a new plug that replaced black PCV box did NOT solve my issue. I am quite frustrated my beautiful wagon keeps leaking oil and making a rattle noise at certain rpms.
The car is at the body shop again, because they have not fixed the problems they have created while doing the previous work.
So, a few more updates. Body shop has solved the old issues - fixed the coating problems on the roof sides, straightened out the number plate, polished a few spots, reattached the EF VTi lip, removed paint from the inside of the windows and cleaned up sideskirt.
I also cleaned up the damned glue from the old under the hood insulation with a help of a buddy.
Also, I have put in new floor matts, they feel great! I will get some pictures of it later on.
I have put in the super secret storage compartment under the passenger seat. Hopefully I won't lose it, because I doubt ill find another one of these.
I have got a much better set of corner lights, and painted the plastics black again. I do plan on taking them for a full refurbish later on.
This is me being happy that old souls have come together to work on cars and engines again.
Lastly, my new custom shifter knob has arrived - it weighs about 350-400g, is much longer, has the shape of the OEM one, and the pattern of OEM, in my Y56 yellow. It feels very very smooth, and it is covered in matt coating
It was polished at first, but then it looks a lot like candy, and I wanted it to blend in more.
During the week I did quite a few small jobs and a few bigger ones.
I finally fixed the damned leaking from the back side of the engine, however I still need to check the underside for possible transmission leak from the passenger axle seal.
I also put in a fresh valve cover set of rubbers, because I have messed with it so much.
I got a clear cam gear cover, but of course my engine mounts are in a different place, so I needed to modify all of the things until it fit. I will get a picture of it at the car show hopefully.
Antenna got pulled out, and lubed up. New shifter got adjusted. Seat rails also got the lube. Handbrake got adjusted. Solenoid and other parts got rechecked for tightness all around the top of the engine.
A bunch of small plastic parts inside and out get painted black.
New floor matts have arrived and got installed in the front. A good deal for $65.
This little 8 euro magical device now connects to the aux cable that comes out from my modified radio.
Such a quality of life upgrade, cannot wait to listen to all kinds of funky old music in the wagon with no cables flopping around. I got the cable to run to the glovebox, so it all is quite neat now.
Furthermore, my trunk plastics got fixed up and repainted black, I got them installed, but will get more pictures of it from the show.
Here is an after and before picture of the speed and rpms. I need to get a picture of me doing the same 110+ kmh for direct comparison, but it is clear as day that it will not be 4k anymore.
I also checked my fuel economy, it used to be around 10L/100km, now after a long slow drive it was 7,6L/100km. In mpg that is from 24 mpg to now 31 mpg, even with additional person, toolboxes and sound insulation.
So, a long 5th gear is just great.
Bonus - pictures of a late night Thursday meet of JDM cars, which also had another Shuttle, 2 EF sedans and a coupe!
Car won a top 10 in a local show, with a help of Honda friends, who helped locate parts and even prep the car for it.
Very easy job, but so worth it - swapped old pedal covers with the new OEM ones.
Got the sun visor from the other wagon polished and rubber renewed. I think I love it.
Got the rear wing mounted, but the job was done not quite right, so I will have to get the front bumper painted again, and the wing repainted and put on. I also want it to sit more straight then up.
Got a mint condition brochure for the wagon from Germany. It is even in the ugly color that my car originally came in. I couldn't be happier with it.
I did a teaser on the discord about my Italian box - here is what was in it. A Nardi steering wheel and lussi boss. This thing is light compared to the stock wheel and it feels incredible. Well worth the moneys.
These are the pictures of me enjoying the wagon. The summer is slowly ending, but I still got quite a few things I want to do, and the wagon is still leaking oil, so updates will be coming.
Another big change is I need to move to a new garage.
Since I am getting ready for a longer trip, I have installed new LED H4 bulbs, which are 20K lumens bright. I can assure you this upgrade was very well worth it.
I got the car corner balanced (with a 100kg person, I am around 80), but figured out that my rear cheap camber kit is half way dead, which is not surprising.
So i ordered a hardrace suspension kit, which will be installed this week, and the car will finally be going down the road straight as an arrow.
I was just wondering about lowering the wagon a little bit more, but I am still unsure about it.
I have also put in sound insulation in the front doors, which makes quite a difference, so now the only place left is rear doors and the roof.
The car with full sound insulation will be around 1150 kg's which I am quite happy about, with all the metal wheel arches, big wheels and other modifications it is still very light.
Lastly, we went to a mostly German local car meet where there were like a good hundred BMW cars, however, our three 4th gen Hondas got into almost all the pictures! We did stand out like a sore thumb.
As said before, while the nights are still cool, we cruise the streets! Do not forget to enjoy the wagons we build!
i like the new updates, love the shift knob the steering wheel looks amazing the pictures came out great you’ve done so much already to your wagon. The oil leak issue is always frustrating to find and fix. Keep the updates coming enjoying it. Congratulations on the getting the top ten
I tried changing the oil pan without removing transfer case, and let me tell you that will simply NOT work.
Since I got the transmission rebuilt and finally not leaking, I decided to just put a lot of sealant on the side of the pan that was problematic.
Oh, and of course I changed the oil and filter before upcoming track day.
After my quite spirited drive for two days, I got the car back to alignment because my steering wheel was a bit crooked, and I found out that actually, my front lower control arm bushings gave out. I never changed them before, but since all of the other parts are new and tight, something had to give.
There was 2 smaller ones and two bigger ones, the old ones were very sad. Also, cheap knock off rear camber adjustment arms also failed, so I got Hardrace ones, they are much much better.
The car with the alignment done and all the left over funky rubbers swapped, it feels so straight and good!
I know people joke about changing all the rubbers bushings and so on, but I highly recommend getting the suspension sorted out properly, it really changes how the car feels and drives. I decided to make wheels more square, but still leave some camber for the performance in the corners and a little bit to keep the wheels tucked under the wheel arches just in case I lower the wagon a bit more in the spring.
The only thing I did not change is the rubbers on the front telescopic arms (not sure how they are called) , but those seemed to be fine. I will need to check them to be safe.
I replaced the old number plates with the new, (old ones got damaged and wrinkly) and adjusted them to be in the very center of the bumper.
Got a spare key, just because during the meeting with some EF friends I heard horror stories about losing it or locking it inside.
I actually think my key is the OG one from way back.
I also finished insulating all the doors of the wagon, doing inside with a more heavy insulation, and outside covering all the holes with a lighter one. I am hoping it will make a huge difference in the over all noise reduction inside, since I do not have fender guards to protect me from sound ( custom wheel arches have their negatives ).
Oh, and I found some old wiring, bunch of holes and other stuff inside the doors, even an electric motor to operate an alarm system that previous owners had.
I also properly reinstalled the generator bolt that I lost during one of the drives. I thought I broke my transmission, but it was just an easy fix.
I did many other minor adjustments and tightening, some under the hood, some inside to fix rattles and things that are not worth mentioning.
The more I use the wagon and work on in the more small things come out of hiding and into my vision that need fiddling with.
Just going to leave a few pictures here from the trip where possibly some racing occurred with two wagons.
Bad weather is coming, so I have around 2 weeks to enjoy my car as much as possible.
Things that got done:
Hood got tightened properly, bolts inside screwed back in properly, dashboard button lights got changed (it was a HUGE PAIN to do w/o taking off the speedo) , wiring behind the console got tightened up, all fluids filled back up, new Bluetooth device to jam music to and finally the corner lights changed to orange for a more old school look during night meets in parking lots.
I also put in around 10ish of these clips that go into the rubbers that go around the doors to make them seal the doors properly. I also stuck the ones that were out of place right back. However, the wind noise is still ridiculous, however it is only coming from the rear doors and trunk.
I took 7inch wheels from my clio sport, got them repainted and put on new Nankang AR1 100 treadwear basically slick tires on for track day.
It does look a bit more like a rally thing, but these normal wheels show just how much wider the wagon is from stock.
Most important part is the car held up great during the trackday in which I did 38 laps. The only real problem was that the coolant temp starts climbing up after 5+ laps, because it was quite a slow/technical track. However, half of cooldown lap brings it right down. I knew this might happen having a smaller custom radiator and 12.5 CR NA engine.
Here is more pictures from the meet and I will keep working on this little beast until it is sorted out and drivable without the wind inside and oil outside.
It was a great season for the wagon, and I hope I will have some more things coming up these two weeks, to finish it off strong!
Bad news first, I changed the distributor O-ring to OEM Honda one believing it will solve my engine oil leak. It didn't. I don't even know how many things I swapped and modified for the leak to stop, and today I made a final decision to buy baby powder and put that stuff all over the engine after cleaning it with brake cleaner and a rag. I will FIND IT AND FIX IT before the new year.
Good news - I went to a big Shuttle graveyard (around 15+ cars) and got myself a good latch and locking mechanism for the trunk.
I cleaned it as good as possible and re lubed it up with heavy duty long life squeaky silicone.
Got a fine looking U-latch with minimal dent and wrapped it up quite a bit in PVC tape.
Then I worked on aligning the trunk as good as possible without a latch, so that it closes as good as possible on both sides.
I did find that one of the sides of the trunk is f'ed up and cracked from the insde, as well as that it needed quite a bit of forward adjustment on the bolts up top to sit flush.
I also put even more sound insulation on all the holes of the trunk and even on the plastic cover.
Believe it or not after like 7 years of rattling and squeaking I FINALLY FIXED IT.
However, I am not finished, I still want to buy a wider brand new rubber to go across the trunk opening from another car like a new CRV or something. I am also missing some plastic clips to make the trunk stick properly.
Also, I did the light adjustment and drove a bit at night, it is an incredible upgrade with the new LED 20k lights.
Pictures from the wet track day, I hope this serves as inspiration to take your wagons out and about in the rain and into some challenging roads!
That’s good you found extra parts and fixed your rattling issue that you had for the trunk. You’ll find that oil leak soon specially what you did with the baby powder, the pictures from track day came out great, how was your track day ? How did the wagon handle/feel
The wagon did go fast! However, since the tarmac was wet and I had slicks on the front did push quite a bit.
I will certainly try it out again in the spring with the proper conditions.
I do feel that overheating is a bit of an issue in slalom karting track, however in normal 3-4th gear tracks it should be no problem.
I plan on swapping out the old coolant to a better performing one.
What did bother me is downshifting from 3rd to 2nd is difficult, because the wagon gearbox has SL (superlow) gear that slides extra far to the left.
So going left and then down I did go left too far and had missed the shift a bunch.
Furthermore my wagon is set up a bit soft and still has OEM brakes.
Other then these minor complains the wagon took 38 laps like a champ!
All the new rubbers are so worth it. I did wish to have a racing seat instead of a grandpa one lol.
Also, I slowly started completing my long planned goal of doing a Eurotrip with wagon!
Last weekend I went for a total of 1'500 km round trip to Poland.
Here are a few pictures and insights
This is basically me showing how annoying it is when people drive really close to me at night, due to wagon being very low and having windows like an aquarium. I have the sun visor down for shadow of my hair. Thought it is clever and funny at the same time.
Here is the wagon parked in the middle of city of Gdansk in Poland.
Best find of the drive was 100 octane fuel with E5 in it.
Points to note from the very long drive:
Nardi steering wheel sucks for comfort, I will go back to my super fat nappa leather one for long drives.
The suspension set up is like a dream, it drives so soft and nice. The only problem is due to it being low and occasionally scraping the bottom of the exhaust on slow area humps.
The wagon is right at home at European highway speeds of 120-140 kmh (75-87mph). It just cruises without any sound, like cutting through butter. It is also super stable and straight.
The disadvantage to having a long 5th gear is going at speeds around 70-90 kmh, because I have to stay in 4th gear.
Sticking all of the wagon with sound insulation was a very good choice.
Fuel economy seems reasonable even with 4wd system.
The LED lights, are an absolute MUST for anyone who thinks of driving. It is absolutely a dream how good they are and the difference they make at night, especially when the road did not have all the white lines and side marking at times.
There are a few things that need fixing, and decisions need to be made if I want to have winter tyres on the wagon or not, to drive it while it is still warm and there is no snow, or if I should retire the wagon until spring comes.
Comments
So, it has been YEARS since the last update, but only this winter I have decided to dive back into my Honda adventures.
As promised I have put on my new OEM EF lip, and I got the grill painted black.
Many updates have been done so I will probably put them into a few posts.
First and most importantly, what has been keeping me away from driving is the gearbox, and we FINALLY rebuilt it with a longer 5th gear.
Oh, before even that when I started my wagon it was running like a subaru, so I had to change the spark plugs.
Luckily I had two gearboxes laying around. So one was in the wagon while we rebuilt the other one.
I did buy all kinds of new bearings and my buddy got better parts from other gearboxes he had.
The BIGGEST problem I encountered was that my pair for 5th gear WAS TOO DAMNED BIG to fit in the housing.
So I had to make a 3D printed copy of how the gears feel and dremel away until they fit or until I have a hole in the gearbox.
So, even after all the hard work, and fixing the leaking transmission, guess what, THE CLUTCH seemed to be slipping.
Furthermore, the transfer case and one of the engine mounts had bad bolt housings ( or whatever you call em ), so we had to fix them and put these in, which were almost impossible to find:
Also, I finally fixed the damned cooling system and made it work properly. Turns out that after swapping all the thermostats, sensors, radiator, and even the new fan it was just an old wire that broke off. So yeah that is finally fixed!
Also, I do not have a picture but I did take out the dashboard a few times, first to try and find a ground wire that was loose, then to properly strap in the dashboard ( one of the brackets was missing) and lastly to swap out the small lights in the speedometer. By the way those small lamps and housings are hard to find, and I had 3 of them that had to be replaced.
Oh, also I took out the trunk/hatch warning light because I could not for the life of me find the missing ground wire. However, I did fix the other light that shows when the handbrake is on, so that is a good 50/50 split.
Also, I somehow found brand new headlights, especially for a shuttle, so I could not be happier to buy them!
Changed the oil filter/ oil, and put in new lights, however, did not get the light adjustment mechanism on these new ones, but the trade-off is worth it because with those burnt-out housings I could barely see anything at night. Furthermore, the white turn signals go really well with the font end now.
Lastly, I bought the expensive Honda MTF-3 transmission fluid that makes the shifting smooth. The result is fabulous, getting into 5th gear doing 90-100 km/h makes the revs drop down significantly. I will get a proper comparison of what it used to be and what it is now.
I have decided to fix my stance, the 15x8 ET0 wheels just do NOT fit under the front custom wheel arches.
So, I decided to buy the spoon like wheels, just because I originally wanted to get the spoon color wagon, which I did.
These are Rota Slipstream in Flat Black 2 15x8" 4x100 ET20.
Also, for years I wanted to make my wagon lower and softer.
Finally got BC racing coilovers BR-RS Honda Civic CR-X (Rear Fork) (88-91) 6kg in front and 4kg in the back spring stiffness.
Basically, the softest possible springs on a new coilover. It is so soft and smooth I cannot even begin to explain.
However, I did need to aquire 4th get front forks, because previously I had 5th gen suspension in front.
Pulled that out of this old thing that was being parted out.
Also, decided to swap out the big bushings in the rear control arms and the small ones also. It needed to be torched.
Furthermore, got the new headlights adjusted, wheels aligned, and fixed the power steering belt squeak and the exhaust leak.
After all this, the wagon passed the national technical inspection to be road worthy.
Then I got new stronger bmw rear trunk shocks and cut/welded them to fit the wagon. So that finally got resolved.
Oh and I got the squeaky steering wheel sound reloved by taking the wheel off and lubing/rubbing things.
Got some goodies - Oil cap, but it of course would not fit and needed some work to sit properly.
Radiator cap, was such a need - the old cap was shedding rubber into the coolant.
Almost caught up to what has been done and now we are almost back to the present.
This is me, tinkering with LMA's because I simply could not deal with the darn sound coming from the valve train.
Let me tell you about this, they are a huuuuge pain to disassemble. However, really worth it, I took them apart and just polished them so they moved freely just like new. Just so you know out of 8 of them, 4 would stick like mad, and after I got 4 of the best ones and worked on them the difference was night and day.
Also, I did notice my exhaust valve lash was off, so I did readjust it. However, I will redo it because I am not quite sure and happy with how it turned out. Or if it is correct I need to hit the dyno shop again.
Oh, my intake was making whistling noises at partial throttle, so I did find that my throttle did not open all the way up, so I did tighten the cable. And my throttle body gasket needed trimming. So this in conjunction with valve adjustment may be a solution to finding a bit more power up top.
Things that are happening at the moment is that the car is in the body shop getting some fixes:
I will get some pictures after I get it back from the shop.
Things that need doing and will be done soonish:
Welcome back, I was away for a while too while my wagon was down, slow progress but hey. Glad to see you around again.
That temperature radiator cap is awesome! I want one.
Glad to be back! How is your wagon doing? If I do not make updates this summer like every two weeks or something just know that something went really wrong.
Progress! Also, somehow the J' style wing is coming in way faster than expected. If my wagon comes out of the paint shop this weekend, I will work on it as much as possible to make it mechanically ready for dyno day.
Furthermore, I thought of a small improvement I will make for my PCV/catch-can setup. I want to install a valve, maybe I even have one laying around my garage.
Slowly, but surely I am getting excited about this project again.
Niiiice. Slowly but surely. Finally figured out what I want to do with mine in so far as drivetrain at least.
I'd forgotten about those ultra wide fender flares you did. I've been on and off the fence about the J's wing myself. I'll be looking forward to see your update on that.
Welcome back glad to reach out to you when I thought about this wagon, it’s great seeing it again and you still have it specially working on it. You definitely have list to get done but I can see you knocking it out, can’t wait for updates
I have adjusted the valves accordingly.
I tried fixing the oil leak that I hope to be coming from the black PCV box in on the rear of the engine block. It did not work out the engine still leaks but way less. The new idea is to order a special plug that replaces the black leaky box, I found it on ebay for D-series. Seems like I am not the only one with leaky backside.
With a help of a friend who modified the cobra intake we got the install, but it required quite a bit of bending of brake lines.
I also got rid of the fume smell by rerouting engine ventilation back to the intake, and the fuel tank ventilation below the car using a small silicone hose.
My custom spacers for the rear arrived, of 22mm. I will get some pictures after the install.
Glued back the carpet that was not put back on together correctly.
Went to the dyno after all the sorting and I got what I wanted, just a little bit more power then the standard B-series engine here in Europe. However there is still a bit of a hick up that the car does when decelerating in gear. So I will have to go resolve that.
I did fix the vtec sticker, fixed the pedal travel distance, lubed up the trunk metal cover, ordered a custom wooden shifter, ordered a new windshield, ordered heat wrap for exhaust, gave away trunk storage plastics for upholstery and gave the car away to fix minor exterior problems.
Finally, the J'style rear wing that is supposedly made for the wagon, doesn't even remotely fit, I am very disappointed with the form. The width is off, the legs are different, and the cutouts are wrong. Hopefully, body shop can make it work, but it will require heavy modifications.
I will make a final list of things to do before the photoshoot/car meet or show, which I plan on attending at the end of the next month.
Love this wagon!
Regarding the J's style rear wing, I wonder if they sent you one that was made for a hatchback?
Good day!
Things are in motion since I signed up for a show at the end of the month.
First, about the wing, I did order the correct one, and this week I will know how it will fit. I will update you on it Bill. Here is the one I got:
I have made a final summer list that needs to get done within the 3 weeks I got left. It probably won't be done but still I will do my best.
I took a whole day to stick sound insulation to the sides of the trunk. Do any of you know if I can stick it on the wheel arches also, or will it get in the way of the plastics?
I also got the new windshield installed yesterday, and it is a night and day difference! For anyone thinking about doing it, it is probably the greatest modification ever.
Lastly, I went for a night ride with a few friends, we talked and had good fun. P.s. yes the red wagon is a 1996 auto beagle with full options and funky interior.
Here is the final list:
I will keep the updates rolling as soon as I get the wagon back from the oaint shop.
So, I have started to really try and get ready for the upcoming auto show in two weeks. I have spent 3 straight days working on the project.
First, instead of a spoon sock covering the brake cylinder, I reused a shifter knob warmer that my GF has made me. I just had to cut his head open to fit. I think it turned out great!
I adjusted the hood, to make it line up as good as possible, as well as the trunk and the other doors.
I readjusted the hand brake, and painted the handle black. Also, I moved the arm rest further back where it fits better onto the bottom plastics. I also made it hold better and wobble less.
My buddy supplied all kinds of small parts that make a huge difference, here is one of them - headlight cover that actually clips in place and doesn't fall out.
My passenger side one was broken but here is a new one - turns out you have to unscrew these instead of pulling on them. Learned something new.
Windshield plastic clips, while installing them I lost one of them like three times. Be careful, they are super fragile.
These are the speedo cover clips that are on the back, nobody sees them, but I had one missing and it was killing me.
I had to take out both of my front seats, to paint the brackets black, since they were getting all rusty. I did paint the side plastics black to fit the over all theme.
I also repainted power steering and overflow reservoir black.
The OEM brake splash guards (metal ones) were rusted to death on drivers side, and new ones cost 100 euro a piece. So I decided to just destroy the one that was bothering me. Took a good 30 minutes, but I got it completely off. The other side just got trimmed a little bit.
I also cleaned the brakes since they were squeaky on one side.
Furthermore, I decided to mess with the suspension height in the front, guess what I needed to do it two times, and I am not sure if I got it right. I wanted both lowest points of the car, which turns out to be exhaust under the engine and the box in the back be about the same distance from the ground. Now it is around 13-15 cm. I will have to recheck each side to see how she sits, but it is the lowest the wagon has been.
I also adjusted the throttle body blade position with a bolt a bit, since it was idling a bit too high. I think I messed with quite a bit of other things that I can't really remember. Anyways here is a picture of me and little Honda in it's natural habitat.
This seems like an uphill battle, more things need fixing then I get done, but I went for a drive and got like 5 thumbs up and a few people following me taking videos, raced a few diesel audi's and it all seems to pay off.
I hope you guys work on your wagons as well!
So another two days of work done.
I got the squeaky brakes all cleaned and quiet, and I finally got my throttle position bolt in the perfect position for my car to idle properly with all the mods.
Also, after the repaint of the sides of the wagon from gravel chips, I have gotten the bottom half from the black trim down covered in protective film (PPF). You can hardly notice it, only if you know where to look, and if the car is dirty you can see the lines where the film ends. I highly recommend it for anyone with big wheel arches or wide tires.
I have adjusted the rear bumper to sit more flush with the back of the wagon, however all of our bumpers seem to sag a bit on the sides. Also, the front EF lip got put back in place, since it unstuck itself during the summer heat.
The big thing is that I have placed a new replacement plug for the black PCV box in the back of the engine block. I really hope this fixes my leaking oil problems.
Other quality of life thing I thought of doing is to lube up the squeaky door hinges! Such a small thing, but makes the wagon feel many years younger.
I got to fixing the windshield washers, and I installed the original hood insulation and refreshed it's look with a bit of dust of and light spray of black paint.
Lastly, I measured both sides of the wagon to see if the ride height is finally correct. From the bottom of the mirrors each one reads exactly the same! I could not be more stocked that I got it perfect.
Lasers do not lie. Also, a fun measurement is that my front lip is ~15-16cm off the ground, and the exhaust in both front and back at the lowest points are 8-10 cm. The car is definitely very low underneath.
Question - should I stiffen up the damping? Should the rear be stiffer then the back, since the springs and the wagon itself is lighter in the back?
Quite a few things got done, but it is the last week before the auto show that I want to attend.
I have fixed the partial throttle issue that was happening due to updated map, and I lowered the launch control RPMS a bit to save the clutch.
I have also bought good supplies to clean the interior of the car.
I finally finished the sound insulation install in all of the trunk, including the sides and wheel arches. It was quite a task.
After looking at all kinds of old parts I had, I noticed that there are these two rubbers that go onto the fuel filler doors, as bump stops, so I installed them on my wagon.
Lastly, I really cleaned up the routing of new hoses I got for the oil catch can. Oh and the leak that I hoped would be fixed with a new plug that replaced black PCV box did NOT solve my issue. I am quite frustrated my beautiful wagon keeps leaking oil and making a rattle noise at certain rpms.
The car is at the body shop again, because they have not fixed the problems they have created while doing the previous work.
So, a few more updates. Body shop has solved the old issues - fixed the coating problems on the roof sides, straightened out the number plate, polished a few spots, reattached the EF VTi lip, removed paint from the inside of the windows and cleaned up sideskirt.
I also cleaned up the damned glue from the old under the hood insulation with a help of a buddy.
Also, I have put in new floor matts, they feel great! I will get some pictures of it later on.
I have put in the super secret storage compartment under the passenger seat. Hopefully I won't lose it, because I doubt ill find another one of these.
I have got a much better set of corner lights, and painted the plastics black again. I do plan on taking them for a full refurbish later on.
This is me being happy that old souls have come together to work on cars and engines again.
Lastly, my new custom shifter knob has arrived - it weighs about 350-400g, is much longer, has the shape of the OEM one, and the pattern of OEM, in my Y56 yellow. It feels very very smooth, and it is covered in matt coating
It was polished at first, but then it looks a lot like candy, and I wanted it to blend in more.
Here is how it looked all shiny -
Also a picture from last night's local meeting. I am getting ready for a show so this is still not finished.
Very nice, dig the laminated shift knob
Keep it up!
During the week I did quite a few small jobs and a few bigger ones.
I finally fixed the damned leaking from the back side of the engine, however I still need to check the underside for possible transmission leak from the passenger axle seal.
I also put in a fresh valve cover set of rubbers, because I have messed with it so much.
I got a clear cam gear cover, but of course my engine mounts are in a different place, so I needed to modify all of the things until it fit. I will get a picture of it at the car show hopefully.
Antenna got pulled out, and lubed up. New shifter got adjusted. Seat rails also got the lube. Handbrake got adjusted. Solenoid and other parts got rechecked for tightness all around the top of the engine.
A bunch of small plastic parts inside and out get painted black.
New floor matts have arrived and got installed in the front. A good deal for $65.
This little 8 euro magical device now connects to the aux cable that comes out from my modified radio.
Such a quality of life upgrade, cannot wait to listen to all kinds of funky old music in the wagon with no cables flopping around. I got the cable to run to the glovebox, so it all is quite neat now.
Furthermore, my trunk plastics got fixed up and repainted black, I got them installed, but will get more pictures of it from the show.
Here is an after and before picture of the speed and rpms. I need to get a picture of me doing the same 110+ kmh for direct comparison, but it is clear as day that it will not be 4k anymore.
I also checked my fuel economy, it used to be around 10L/100km, now after a long slow drive it was 7,6L/100km. In mpg that is from 24 mpg to now 31 mpg, even with additional person, toolboxes and sound insulation.
So, a long 5th gear is just great.
Bonus - pictures of a late night Thursday meet of JDM cars, which also had another Shuttle, 2 EF sedans and a coupe!
Very nice update, great pics. I'm tempted to do the bluetooth mod to an OG radio just for fun.
Lovely Shuttle!! Truly an inspiration!!
First things first
Car won a top 10 in a local show, with a help of Honda friends, who helped locate parts and even prep the car for it.
Very easy job, but so worth it - swapped old pedal covers with the new OEM ones.
Got the sun visor from the other wagon polished and rubber renewed. I think I love it.
Got the rear wing mounted, but the job was done not quite right, so I will have to get the front bumper painted again, and the wing repainted and put on. I also want it to sit more straight then up.
Got a mint condition brochure for the wagon from Germany. It is even in the ugly color that my car originally came in. I couldn't be happier with it.
I did a teaser on the discord about my Italian box - here is what was in it. A Nardi steering wheel and lussi boss. This thing is light compared to the stock wheel and it feels incredible. Well worth the moneys.
These are the pictures of me enjoying the wagon. The summer is slowly ending, but I still got quite a few things I want to do, and the wagon is still leaking oil, so updates will be coming.
Another big change is I need to move to a new garage.
Another update!
Since I am getting ready for a longer trip, I have installed new LED H4 bulbs, which are 20K lumens bright. I can assure you this upgrade was very well worth it.
I got the car corner balanced (with a 100kg person, I am around 80), but figured out that my rear cheap camber kit is half way dead, which is not surprising.
So i ordered a hardrace suspension kit, which will be installed this week, and the car will finally be going down the road straight as an arrow.
I was just wondering about lowering the wagon a little bit more, but I am still unsure about it.
I have also put in sound insulation in the front doors, which makes quite a difference, so now the only place left is rear doors and the roof.
The car with full sound insulation will be around 1150 kg's which I am quite happy about, with all the metal wheel arches, big wheels and other modifications it is still very light.
Lastly, we went to a mostly German local car meet where there were like a good hundred BMW cars, however, our three 4th gen Hondas got into almost all the pictures! We did stand out like a sore thumb.
As said before, while the nights are still cool, we cruise the streets! Do not forget to enjoy the wagons we build!
i like the new updates, love the shift knob the steering wheel looks amazing the pictures came out great you’ve done so much already to your wagon. The oil leak issue is always frustrating to find and fix. Keep the updates coming enjoying it. Congratulations on the getting the top ten
Another weekend, another update:
I tried changing the oil pan without removing transfer case, and let me tell you that will simply NOT work.
Since I got the transmission rebuilt and finally not leaking, I decided to just put a lot of sealant on the side of the pan that was problematic.
Oh, and of course I changed the oil and filter before upcoming track day.
After my quite spirited drive for two days, I got the car back to alignment because my steering wheel was a bit crooked, and I found out that actually, my front lower control arm bushings gave out. I never changed them before, but since all of the other parts are new and tight, something had to give.
There was 2 smaller ones and two bigger ones, the old ones were very sad. Also, cheap knock off rear camber adjustment arms also failed, so I got Hardrace ones, they are much much better.
The car with the alignment done and all the left over funky rubbers swapped, it feels so straight and good!
I know people joke about changing all the rubbers bushings and so on, but I highly recommend getting the suspension sorted out properly, it really changes how the car feels and drives. I decided to make wheels more square, but still leave some camber for the performance in the corners and a little bit to keep the wheels tucked under the wheel arches just in case I lower the wagon a bit more in the spring.
The only thing I did not change is the rubbers on the front telescopic arms (not sure how they are called) , but those seemed to be fine. I will need to check them to be safe.
I replaced the old number plates with the new, (old ones got damaged and wrinkly) and adjusted them to be in the very center of the bumper.
Got a spare key, just because during the meeting with some EF friends I heard horror stories about losing it or locking it inside.
I actually think my key is the OG one from way back.
I also finished insulating all the doors of the wagon, doing inside with a more heavy insulation, and outside covering all the holes with a lighter one. I am hoping it will make a huge difference in the over all noise reduction inside, since I do not have fender guards to protect me from sound ( custom wheel arches have their negatives ).
Oh, and I found some old wiring, bunch of holes and other stuff inside the doors, even an electric motor to operate an alarm system that previous owners had.
I also properly reinstalled the generator bolt that I lost during one of the drives. I thought I broke my transmission, but it was just an easy fix.
I did many other minor adjustments and tightening, some under the hood, some inside to fix rattles and things that are not worth mentioning.
The more I use the wagon and work on in the more small things come out of hiding and into my vision that need fiddling with.
Just going to leave a few pictures here from the trip where possibly some racing occurred with two wagons.
Bad weather is coming, so I have around 2 weeks to enjoy my car as much as possible.
Things that got done:
Hood got tightened properly, bolts inside screwed back in properly, dashboard button lights got changed (it was a HUGE PAIN to do w/o taking off the speedo) , wiring behind the console got tightened up, all fluids filled back up, new Bluetooth device to jam music to and finally the corner lights changed to orange for a more old school look during night meets in parking lots.
I also put in around 10ish of these clips that go into the rubbers that go around the doors to make them seal the doors properly. I also stuck the ones that were out of place right back. However, the wind noise is still ridiculous, however it is only coming from the rear doors and trunk.
I took 7inch wheels from my clio sport, got them repainted and put on new Nankang AR1 100 treadwear basically slick tires on for track day.
It does look a bit more like a rally thing, but these normal wheels show just how much wider the wagon is from stock.
Most important part is the car held up great during the trackday in which I did 38 laps. The only real problem was that the coolant temp starts climbing up after 5+ laps, because it was quite a slow/technical track. However, half of cooldown lap brings it right down. I knew this might happen having a smaller custom radiator and 12.5 CR NA engine.
Here is more pictures from the meet and I will keep working on this little beast until it is sorted out and drivable without the wind inside and oil outside.
It was a great season for the wagon, and I hope I will have some more things coming up these two weeks, to finish it off strong!
The white wheels look great on the wagon and those pictures came out looking good from the meet. Keep up the good work
Update time!
I resolved one issue, but failed to fix another.
Bad news first, I changed the distributor O-ring to OEM Honda one believing it will solve my engine oil leak. It didn't. I don't even know how many things I swapped and modified for the leak to stop, and today I made a final decision to buy baby powder and put that stuff all over the engine after cleaning it with brake cleaner and a rag. I will FIND IT AND FIX IT before the new year.
Good news - I went to a big Shuttle graveyard (around 15+ cars) and got myself a good latch and locking mechanism for the trunk.
I cleaned it as good as possible and re lubed it up with heavy duty long life squeaky silicone.
Got a fine looking U-latch with minimal dent and wrapped it up quite a bit in PVC tape.
Then I worked on aligning the trunk as good as possible without a latch, so that it closes as good as possible on both sides.
I did find that one of the sides of the trunk is f'ed up and cracked from the insde, as well as that it needed quite a bit of forward adjustment on the bolts up top to sit flush.
I also put even more sound insulation on all the holes of the trunk and even on the plastic cover.
Believe it or not after like 7 years of rattling and squeaking I FINALLY FIXED IT.
However, I am not finished, I still want to buy a wider brand new rubber to go across the trunk opening from another car like a new CRV or something. I am also missing some plastic clips to make the trunk stick properly.
Also, I did the light adjustment and drove a bit at night, it is an incredible upgrade with the new LED 20k lights.
Pictures from the wet track day, I hope this serves as inspiration to take your wagons out and about in the rain and into some challenging roads!
That’s good you found extra parts and fixed your rattling issue that you had for the trunk. You’ll find that oil leak soon specially what you did with the baby powder, the pictures from track day came out great, how was your track day ? How did the wagon handle/feel
The wagon did go fast! However, since the tarmac was wet and I had slicks on the front did push quite a bit.
I will certainly try it out again in the spring with the proper conditions.
I do feel that overheating is a bit of an issue in slalom karting track, however in normal 3-4th gear tracks it should be no problem.
I plan on swapping out the old coolant to a better performing one.
What did bother me is downshifting from 3rd to 2nd is difficult, because the wagon gearbox has SL (superlow) gear that slides extra far to the left.
So going left and then down I did go left too far and had missed the shift a bunch.
Furthermore my wagon is set up a bit soft and still has OEM brakes.
Other then these minor complains the wagon took 38 laps like a champ!
All the new rubbers are so worth it. I did wish to have a racing seat instead of a grandpa one lol.
Also, I slowly started completing my long planned goal of doing a Eurotrip with wagon!
Last weekend I went for a total of 1'500 km round trip to Poland.
Here are a few pictures and insights
This is basically me showing how annoying it is when people drive really close to me at night, due to wagon being very low and having windows like an aquarium. I have the sun visor down for shadow of my hair. Thought it is clever and funny at the same time.
Here is the wagon parked in the middle of city of Gdansk in Poland.
Best find of the drive was 100 octane fuel with E5 in it.
Points to note from the very long drive:
There are a few things that need fixing, and decisions need to be made if I want to have winter tyres on the wagon or not, to drive it while it is still warm and there is no snow, or if I should retire the wagon until spring comes.