My ek3 Fiero

[Teggymun]

As the summer nights draw to a close and winter sets, after 3 years of blagging the wifes car decided to get myself a runabout so she doesnt end up stranded now that the teg will be getting tucked away soon. The challenge was set to find something i can enjoy owning and driving but will also fit the family in if needs be. I first thought of getting another fn2 or even an ep3 but i wanted something a bit more economical and my budget wasnt going to stretch to get a clean one, i also looked at the st170 focus, st150 fiesta, an ek4 vti and a honda jazz. But this caught my eye as it kinda ticked more boxes than the other cars did. After some questions were answered and photos sent i arranged a viewing and went for a nosey. 20 mins later im driving home in my new (to me) honda civic ek3 fiero!

Granted shes no oil painting. But bar the small patch on the drivers wing this car is rust free! She also comes with a rake of jdm extras from factory including oem honda floor mats, front and rear cup holders, personal tray, digital climate control, aircon, heated wing mirrors, non airbag dash and steering wheel, centre arm rest and oem yellow fog lights.

first on the hit list is a deep clean as the car hasnt seen a hose or a hoover in a long time.

 

[Teggymun]

It didnt take long for me to get stuck into the ek3. First on the hit list is a full interior valet, all interior trim cleaned with apcs. Seats and carpets were hoovered then sprayed with fbreeze and carpet fresh but ill probably shampoo them at a later date. The floor mats took a bit of doing so they were soaked overnight in woolite then pressure washed and wet vacced. Glass was cleaned inside and out using apc then glass cleaner as there was a thick layer of aged road grime and dust to contend with, i also cleaned the window rubbers before treating with silicone spray to allow the glass to slide freely. 6 hours well spent! I also had an old max power era sparco gear knob from my father in law that i decided to fit as the oem didnt feel great. Chances are ill switch to an ek9 one if i can find one for a good price.

 

[Teggymun]

First mechanical issue requiring attention is the tires, plenty of tread but heavily perished. The old 14 inch bbs RAs had seen better days so i jumped onto facebook marketplace and found a set of clean Em1 vti wheels with yokohama neova advan Ad08rs tires for a great price.

Off with the old

On with the new!

Not set on keeping them white but the car feels a lot better on the road with some good rubber on it.

 

[rvm]

Beautiful car

Thanks for sharing.

 

[iRELOADED]

this'll be spot on with a small bit of work into it. Good project that

 

[Teggymun]

With a few free hours i thought id get through some small issues the car came with. Firstly the engine bay needed a good clean as i dont think it had ever been done. The outside isnt much better but i reckon half of it needs a respray so it can wait. Jetwash along with a cocktail TFR, iron fallout, all purpose cleaner and engine degreaser shifted almost 30 years of grime quite well.

This just highlights a bunch of things i now want to paint or replace .

Next up, the car came with one key that only worked with the ignition so the car didnt actually lock/unlock. I contacted station vtec and they sent me a full lockset and barrel within a couple of days. After a bit of fiddling that was another job done.

Next up one of the tails was smashed and another had red tape on it so it looked proper ****.

All the lights need a good polish but thats for another time.
Next up i ordered some import style plates from eastfield plates, cleaned up the threads to bolt them on as they would have been in japan as i prefer the "just off the boat" look. I also had to glue the rear tabs back on.

Lastly for today.
The rear footwell is soaking and im trying to figure out why so first up im trying to clean the drainage holes somehow. If that doesnt work ill probably just seal them from the top to stop water getting in at all.

Ill see how things go with this and update in a future post. Ill need to get a dehumidifier or fan heater in to dry the floor.

also if anyone knows of a coupe/sedan rear bumper going for a good price holla my way.

 

[terry_em1]

I have 2 facelift bumpers, but they're spurious.

 

[Teggymun]

I have 2 facelift bumpers, but they're spurious.

Not a huge issue tbh its just a ropey daily, only issue being the big bit of water between us postage isnt cheap

 

[terry_em1]

Not a huge issue tbh its just a ropey daily, only issue being the big bit of water between us postage isnt cheap

Could meet you at next Hiro Racing day hahaha.

 

[Teggymun]

Could meet you at next Hiro Racing day hahaha.

Defos a shout!

 

[Teggymun]

After giving the car a good valet and letting the dampness dry out the car still smells like ciggarettes and wet dog, i cant be bothered shampooing the full interior just set so settled for an odour bomb. I used one in a previous car owned by a smoker and it made a good bit of difference.

Decided to go for ocean water scent as it sounded very japan.

Simple to use and effective. Inside the car now burns my eyes but doesnt stink of old man balls. We will see in the coming weeks if it lasts.

 

[terry_em1]

I normally use Chemical Guys and turn the fans on after spraying the floor and seats. Lasts a good while. Never tried the can type.

 

[Teggymun]

I normally use Chemical Guys and turn the fans on after spraying the floor and seats. Lasts a good while. Never tried the can type.

Ill give that a bash on the dc2, its overdue a valet

 

[Teggymun]

Quick update! Couple of bits added onto the sedan today. Decided im going to go down a kind of osaka/kanjo-ish style vibe with the whole car but i want to do it right.
First off. The rear view mirror glass is starting to split so aquired a broadway from a friend in an exchange with some unwanted car parts.

Secondly. After a dig in the bulb drawer to find a new one for the interior i found a set of yellow h4 bulbs id bought for a previous car and never used so it was a no brainer.

I love how they match with the fogs! Makes it mega tempting to get some yellow bulbs for the dc2 too

And thirdly.....
I Have loved the osaka/kanjo asthetic for a long time and i always said its a simple recipe to pull it off. 15x7 jdm wheels (p1s, type x ect) on chunky dunlop/yokohamas, lowered but not too much, and a dirty straight pipe!
So after a scroll on croober while doing my 2nd dump of the day i managed to find a zerofighter axle back for a good price including uk postage. I even paid the extra 7 quid for 3 day delivery. With a child free day coming up it arrived just on time for me to take advantage!

Out with the old.

And in with the new! it sounds savage too very dry and raspy with very little body or tone to the exhaust note. Its making me tempted to try it on the dc2.

Speaking of which, when i bought the teg it happened to come with an exhaust bung in the glove box, even though it had a totally standard exhaust system at the time, weirdly enough its the perfect fit!

Its like it was always meant to be bung can live in the glove box unless i need it though.

 

[terry_em1]

Ill give that a bash on the dc2, its overdue a valet

They have a JDM scent. Its phenomenal

 

[Teggymun]

So i took the teg off the road for the winter last week and yesterday after a trip in the sedan i decided it really needed a radio, i always fancied a double din touch screen for the teg so i remved the radio from it and chucked it into the sedan. Luckily with the cars being similar age all the wiring harnesses were like for like so the swap was a skoosh. Because of how i wired in the etc card reader it came with the radio and i now have the little woman talking on startup. I also decided to fit one of my kill switch lighter bungs as i have one in all my cars. I make ans sell these on my instagram @hackittgarage

I opted to throw the card reader into the glovebox to keep things tidy.
I then put the kids seat in the back so the far can be used for family duties since the interior is clean.

Currently on the hunt for an oem ek9 gear knob or similar and a good condition rear bumper if anyone has one??

 

[B16Swt]

I’ve got a nylon gear knob that I had in my racecar going spare

 

[Teggymun]

I’ve got a nylon gear knob that I had in my racecar going spare

Ooh got any photos??

 

[B16Swt]

Ooh got any photos??

Not the easiest thing to photograph. Here it is. £15 delivered if you want it.

 

[SebTR]

Great transformation of that EK! Nice