SamKidney

On the subject of Minis I’m probably looking to let my Clubman Estate project go if anyone here’s keen. Very solid shell as far as minis go, but will need re-registering as it’s been off the road for 35+ years. Various spares included, new old stock original subframes front and back etc.. 1275cc from a clubman GT/Cooper S. Will see it through one day if nothing materialises but a good offer would wave it goodbye

Hey man, not logged on in a while! They were fetching more than ever before but the market seems pretty stagnant at the moment with lots of pieces hanging around. Id say it’s comfortably worth £1500 or a shade more, especially as you have some history/knowledge to back its condition and mileage. If you’ve since sold it on ignore me 😂

Long time no see. Still spannering on old rice boxes. Busier than ever, I need to find another set of hands to get me through now.

2022s shared/communal project for me and the lads at the workshop. £500.00 Civic, a £200.00 K24 and all the parts we can find in the unit to try and build a cost effective track car we can all share/use in the winter months to avoid using our own individual cars in weather we’d rather not take them out in. So far we only need an ECU, conversion harness and a set of shift cables to get it running/driving.

Leaving my MOT job on the 28th and going into KDN Honda Works full time as of the 31st! Been a right long slog to get there, can’t wait.

DC2 and EG6 dyno day yesterday! Integra - K20. Was expecting a little more from it really, and I could tell that Jesse (tuner) wanted to see more too. MAP readings were indicating there’s a restriction somewhere. We picked up around 6hp changing intake tube lengths to alter resonance/frequency so there’s some improvement to be made there, and possibly a larger TB. 230bhp peak was the end result, but the midrange is far better, 16bhp increase from 5500 right through till about 8400rpm where it plateaus. Civic - B18. Really impressed me. I’d said if it cracked 200 I’d have been impressed. It ran 203 peak on the first run, but the graph on the existing map was terrible. So peak power was in the region I’d hoped, drivability and midrange to improve. Everything seemed to work really well together, intake temps nice and low, exhaust flowing well and the engine in general being very healthy with a hugely smoother/improved midrange too. 206bhp peak to finish. Great fun

A Ford.. with the right engine. Le Fonda. Very nice local chap approached me a while ago to get his Time Attack car ready for next season with its new heart. 5.1 final drive, plated diff, complete bearing/seal replacement for the box, light flywheel, posh clutch and a sump baffle. With how close the water pump pulley sits to the chassis leg it doesn’t allow the lot to drop on one side enough to remove the box conventionally, so out the lot came.

I’m reviving my old Civic Coupe. I had a look round at what I had to hand, how much I’d realistically have to buy and at what cost to make it a viable option. I have a gearbox, driveshafts, radiator, hoses, K swap engine mounts and a suitable chassis. The engine was going to be the deciding factor. As a result of everyone throwing K20s into just about anything these days they’re commanding more money than ever. Without spending serious money you’re looking at around 230-250bhp absolute peak too for your money. Ive had a K24 sat in here from an accord I pulled apart a long time ago with a view to doing a K24/K20 Frankenstein build until we found his Civic shell was rotten and it was abandoned. Cue a phone call, £350 later and the engine, box, headgasket, stem seals, head bolts... LOTS of parts essential for the conversion all included. He let me have the lot. Stripped the engine down to the bottom end only. Sump off, head off, oil pump off. The K24 uses a beefy pump incorporating a pair of balance shafts that aren’t RPM friendly. Searched the shelves and found a K20A2 pump in good order that was stripped and cleaned/inspected for wear before being modified to fit the 24 bottom end. (Requires some material removing to clear the main/girdle bolts) Another search through my spares and I found a K20A2 cylinder head along with the camshaft carrier/rocker assembly and a pair of camshafts with exh gear and 50deg VTC inlet gear. I had this head skimmed years ago for another engine destined for a customers engine that never went ahead. Big bonus! Replaced the valve stem seals, offered onto the block and torqued down. Bagged an RBC inlet manifold for £250.00 too. New timing chain, all re-assembled and I have an engine that’s capable of around 250-260bhp, makes more power everywhere in the midrange and a nice little increase in torque too (at the expense of peak RPM limit due to long stroke) for £600.00. In a world where Honda parts are doing nothing but sailing through the roof I’m over the moon.

No mate, it’s been a steady slog to equip my place to a point where I can comfortably work without worrying about buying more tools/specialist equipment and the extra/steady income from working at my uncles garage has been a big help. It’s just meant it’s been two years of working evenings and late nights. It’s done great in the way I currently operate, I can only hope that when I get in there full time in the new year it’ll pick up it’s feet another notch again. Already looking into potentially employing another mechanic but finding one that’s both passionate about the cars I do (that’s very important, it shows in the finished product and quality of work) and knowledgable enough about them is obviously quite difficult.

Yeah that’s it mate. At present I’m effectively working two jobs and having time for my own work is difficult. Thankfully it seems most people are quite happy to wait (lots of them use them as weekend/second cars) until a slot is available which I hope is a reflection on reputation/quality of service. Work booked in well into next year with new enquiries and bookings coming in every week. Never expected a small venture to blow up like it has, you never see 90s Hondas on the road anymore but it turns out lots and lots of people still have them stashed away!

I’ve been struggling a little recently with the work life balance thing. Currently sat having a beverage and realising I’m in my own garage, fixing cars I love and the business is succeeding in turning over a profit in its infant years. Down here full time in the new year, can’t wait.

I’ll fill in the details once I get some time, but my little EG Civic is just about finished.

Another outing! Nearly two years since we’ve been back to Cadwell. Had a mad rush getting these three ready for the day, all performed superbly. DC2 is phenomenal at the minute. With an eyeballed alignment it managed a 1:41.8 in the afternoon. I say “it” because it definitely humours my driving

Red teg had an engine bay de-greasing this evening and made a start on repairing some corrosion on the N/S/R. Got a bit carried away but given the rest of the car is free from corrosion I’d rather chop out and replace what I can to make it as sound as can be. Back on its original wheels now too and it’s looking a million times better for it.

It’s a great feeling mate. Absolutely stacked out at the moment and the bookings keep rolling in. Plenty of repeat custom too! It’s great to be making a living on the cars I enjoy the most. I dug the white DC2 out this weekend just gone and gave it some love prior to a trip to Oulton Park yesterday. Oil change, rear pad replacement, new exhaust and swapped in my short ratio box (more so for the plated LSD but I’d forgotten just how hard it pulls with it in!) First trackday in well over a year and a half. Went really smoothly, car performed impeccably and drove home without any major issue bar my idle valve playing up a little.