Mitch- 1996 Honda EK1 Build

Hey Guys,

Names Mitch, new to the Honda game and am starting out at the bottom. I'm currently in the midst of building an EK1 for circuit work. Having owned a long list of Subaru's and a Mitsubishi Evo, the Honda is something new and exciting to me. I chose a 1996 EK1 with a D16 and manual box for my base as I read that they were a great beginning and should help me build my FWD driving skills.

So far the Ek has undergone a few modifications as below:

Handling + Suspension:

- Shockworks Coilovers
- Hardrace front Camber arms
- Hardrace Rear Camber arms
- Hardrace rear Toe arms
- Whiteline 22mm Rear sway bar and brace
- Honed Front Brake ducts
- Function7 rear lower control arms
- EK4 Disk Brakes F+R
- PMU HC800 Pads F+R
- Enkei RPF1 16*8 +38
- Yokohama Advan Neova AD08R 225/45
- EK4 Front Sway bar
- Hardrace Adjustable Sway Bar links
- Hardrace Sway bar D bushes

Interior:

- Completely Stripped (Except dash pad)
- Works bell short Hub
- Works bell Quick release
- Nardi Personal Grinta 350mm
- Sparco Circuit II drivers seat
- Sparco Lowered rails
- 1Gauge
- Brown Davis Custom half cage
- RPM six point harness's driver and passenger


Exterior:

- APR Carbon Mirrors
- PCI Rear diffuser
- PCI 5" Side Skirts
- PCI Quick release Splitter mounts
- Custom Alucobond Splitter
- APR Splitter support rods

Engine:

- K24 Swap YOOOOO


As you can see its quite a simple setup for the time being, once I have achieved enough seat time and am finding it hard to push the limits of the car I'll look to either B or K swap it. Until then I'll mainly be uploading timed results from track days I'll attend.

Looking forward to learning all about the FWD characteristics and improving my mechanical knowledge.

Cheers,

Mitch

welcome mate, nice list of mods there yours seems like its basically ready to go haha. fwd drives very similar to an awd car it wont take you long to get it down what tracks are you planning on taking it too?

Haha Cheers man! she's of to get corner weighted and aligned atm. Im off to winton a far bit in the coming months, once I've got a the feel for it I'll branch out to PI and Sandown. next year I might venture up to SMSP with some mates!

Nice. I wouldnt mind a hillclimb type track like haunted hills

So car went for an alignment last week. Turns out the inner tie rod is incorrect and was too long, so they couldn't adjust toe correctly. Anyone had this issue before? Anyway ordered some lovely Hardrace inner tie rod arms and also got round to installing a fire extinguisher.

Guards have also been rolled and flared a bit. I didn't bother heating the guards and actually rolled them quite aggressively. Talking to a few designers at the moment but rolling around a few exciting ideas for new color and livery!

off to Winton this weekend to compete at the Vivid Race day. Watch this space for video on the civics first outing.

Soooooooooo, First day out and what a blast it was! Walking away with a 1:53.2, with plenty of room for improvement. (Both in the driver and car).

Car needs to be lowered a touch more and for some reason the thermo Fan isn't kicking in, might just hard wire it. Also need to fiddle a touch more with the dampening as the rear walks now and again (might just be driver error).

However for now she is the best fun I've had. I plan on making a custom dash for her as when I removed the dash and put it all together the cluster doesn't work, rather then chase my tail looking for the issue I'd rather pull it all out and make my own so I can have it focused around the Tacho and install my awesome OneGuage.

watch this space as its all time chasing from here on out.

So the Go-Pro died, but I have a few photos of the day.

Attachment 30170


Attachment 30171

Found some spare time to assess why the dash wasn't working. instead of going straight to the fuse box I decided it would be much more time consuming to chase all the wiring and look for any faults. When in reality, It was just a fuse. I have removed the drivers side aircon vent and have began creating a filler piece for the one gauge to sit in. I have also began removing the power steering as well as designing a front splitter.

I also scored a rear diffuser off Facebook so once mounts are made that will be going on too. I have started to shop for rear wings and have fallen in love with the Voltex type H2S, so time to start saving. An ek9 front is also on the cards, if it goes ahead some TopOne Double stacked track canards will defiantly be in order.

slowly but surely she is shaping up. Will be racing again at Winton mid January. this time Ill have a new go-pro battery and some footage.

Nice nice.The d16y4 is a fun engine! Can give it a good workout and it never misses a beat!

Cheers Mate!

she sure can take a beating, but I have been keeping her well treated. Motul oils and genuine filters are always used, still planning a K-Frank swap. just need a lot more to read up on.

Ok, the mighty EK1 has no front sway bar! what a dilemma, easy solved though as I've purchased an Ek4 front Sub frame with an EK4 steering rack and sway bar attached.
so watch this space for the updated fit.

Then off to Winton with a Lower, better kitted out civic. Hoping to crack the 1:40's. Is anyone else attending the Track For Days event on the 14th of Jan? I'll be there with a friend, so if you see the little red EK be sure to stop by and say G'day, I'm always up for a chat.

Ek4 Sub frame swap is a nightmare to complete on your own! So many tricky bolts and awkward manoeuvres. But its all done now. Ordered new Hardrace Sway bar bushes and adjustable end links as the old end links look like they've had it.

The rear diffuser mounts are made and she looks amazing. Can't find an off cut of timber from my stores to fit the width of the front diffuser so looks like ill be heading off to Bunning's to get one. It will be made of Timber until I find a final design I like, once I'm happy I'll make it out of a foam core with carbon outer.

Timber usually works all good, fair few track guys I know just use plywood or similar

Made a splitter out of MDF, but decided not to run it. Winton held a track day on 26/01/18.

With just the addition of a FSB and a few technical changes to my setup I dropped my 1:53:XX to a 1:49:XX!!! Super stoked with the result. Now to head on back, try a few more changes and see how we can go with a stock body!

Then after that try the splitter.

I mean U have made it :)

Any video footage?

Quote:

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Then after that try the splitter.

I mean U have made it

Any video footage?

---

Yes It is completed, I wasn't 100% happy with it so I tweaked it a bit last night. I don't think I will run it for a few more track days as I think the car still has a bit more in it. hopefully I can find some more time to head on out. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to run it for a single session and see if i can find time haha.

Haha fa sure! I was going to make one too but maybe after a couple of track days first, at Marulan then Wakefield,2 hrs away.I'm 6 1\2hrs to Winston..
No vids or pics?

haha I'd love to hit up some of the NSW Track's. they look good fun. Looking to head out to Phillip Island soon. See how I travel on a different track.

I'll be posting some videos as soon as I get to editing them. They're a bit saturated so makes it hard to see the track.

Phillip Island ftw!!

Will be epic

Last month I headed out to Nugget Nationals @ winton for a quick session, however with rain non stop and a greasy track I found it very hard to get heat into my tyres.
I had an off on turn one which was a little hard and now believe that there may be a slight steering issue.

I have since taken the car off the road for a bit whilst I chase the issue and add some parts I have had kicking around. PCI 5" side skirts are on, as is the bill-spec racing Rear diffuser. ATM I am working on making a new splitter with a set of PCI Quick release splitter mounts. It will all shape up nicely and make for a great fit out. I've also acquired a brand new set of AD08R's, coming in at 225/45R16, I scored these on a 4 for 3 from traction tyres.

for those of you who are keen to see picture updates, I have started an Instagram dedicated to the Civic its @heart.break.civic

So I gave up on the D16. it's started to leak oil from the sump and I CBF putting any money into it. So I have started a K24 swap!! I have slowly begun to collect parts for the swap and every time I think I'm getting closer to achieving my goal I find something extra I want to add to it.

The list is quiet extensive but here we go

what I have so far:

Buddy Club Short shifter
Drag Cartel 2.2 Drop in cams
Supertech Valve train
RBC and S90 70mm T/B
K-Tuned Swivel thermostat housing
K-Tuned Firewall Grommet
K-Tuned Firewall Cable Tidy
Karcepts K-swap Shifter holder
EP3 Idler pulley/bracket
Circuit Hero Spark Plug Cover
Circuit Hero Shift Knob
Hybrid Racing heater block off
Hybrid Racing K-Swap Harness
Hybrid Racing Fuel System- lines/reg/rail
Hybrid Racing Shifter cables
REVZONE 4-2-1 headers
Hasport EKK2 Mounts
Hasport 32mm Drive shafts
Koyo DC5 Radiator
Skunk2 Timing Chain Tensioner
Hardrace Upper Ball Joint
Hardrace rear Bushes
Hardrace EG Compliance bushes
Hardrace SwayBar Bushes
Hardrace SwayBar Bushes
HEL Oil Cooler with thermostatic sandwich plate
HEL Braided brake lines
HONED Solid Steering bushes
Chase Bays Clutch lines
OEM CRV Bracket
OEM EG Subframe
OEM EG LCA
OEM DC2R Steering Rack
OEM DC2R Front Sway Bar
Shifter+ Detent spring
Radiator Shroud and fans

What I need:

Hondata Kpro V3 ECU
ID1000 Injectors
HONED Roll centre correction kit
HONED Brake booster delete
HONED Rear camber arms
M-Factory Helical LSD
OEM K24 engine and gearbox
OEM Engine Loom
OEM K20 Type R Oil Pump
Fuel Hose
AN Fittings
30L fuel cell
2.5L Surge tank
Fuel pumps X3
Catch cans X2
modify both engine and vehicle harness'
Custom Charge harness
Relocate Battery to boot
Paint the car inside and out


So far the car is being pulled apart ready to receive its new heart. I'm going to research how to add photos and will be adding them as I go along. The aim is to run E85, I'm hoping to achieve 180-190kw range. I'll also be upgrading my tyres from AD08R to A050 for extra grip, once I start to progress I'll look to change from 4 stud to 5 stud and run a staggered tyre setup with most likely a 265-275 front tyre.

Bought a new car! A 05 Honda Accord Euro. its a wreck, but i got it dirt cheap. $550 for a low K manual. So now its time to strip that, mock the engine in the bay, get the hood vent in the right location and mold it in and then begin the process of painting it all! I change my mind about paint every 2 days and I seriously struggle to do anything to the car lately.

but we've got a donor now so there's not an awful lot holding us back. I will look into getting some photos uploaded as I progress.