The long awaited #eh9build update! Sad to say since I got my FA5 I have been neglecting my poor EH9. With the weather as nice as it has been and now that I've been getting these gaps in my schedule that people are calling "free time" I decided to pull the EH9 back in the shop, get her in the air, and finish the 5MT swap.
2.5 Ton stands in the rear and 3 Ton stands in the front - able to work comfortably under the car
Fellow SA club member Jarred [@ildsem1] ran with me to go pick up a used, OE EG sedan shift linkage with about 150K miles. The sedan linkage was required as I planned this to be a "no cut install" - meaning that I will not be cutting holes in center column to mount the linkage, just drilling two small 5/16ths mounting holes. If anything I will be adding sheet metal to the floor to seal up the 4AT shifter hole.
OEM EG Sedan Shift linkage and shifter
The hardware on the undercarriage of this 22 year old car is surprisingly forgiving. With the exception of the CV axle nuts there was nothing frozen or gave me any real trouble on both the donor car or the EH9. The longest part of both the removal and installation was the bitch pin.
5MT shift linkage mounted
The best part about a No Cut Install is that everything fits and looks like stock. I could not have asked for a better install - everything lined up perfect. Because Honda was the true originator of plug and play the chassis was marked exactly where I needed to drill the two 5/16ths holes to install the rear linkage mount. 30 seconds on the drill then 30 seconds on the spanner and the linkage was mounted.
Test fitting the 4AT shifter plastics
Another reason I wanted to do a No Cut Install - the above image is a test fit of the stock 4AT shifter plastics. They have not been modded at all, just removed from the vehicle. If I had the shift boot You would not know that this trans had been swapped.
The finished product - OE-looking 5MT swap (minus the shift boot)
I had two shifters - one OE and one aftermarket short throw. The short throw was beaten to shit and had a shitty shift knob stuck on the shifter with LocTite by the previous owner (I didn't ask why). Since the bushing on the OE shifter were eaten up I got a no-name short throw shifter that came with a knockoffSkunk2 knob.
Dual bend short throw with Skunk2-style knob (can't find the shift boot)
For a $30 shifter I was actually impressed that it came with NSK bearings. The shift knob however is total shit - the size is correct however it weighs like 3 grams. The linkage also has a bit of slop in it so I've got Energy Suspension bushings and a Skunk2 5 speed shift knob on the ToDo list.
Demo of how short the throw is
I don't think I've driven a car with a throw this short. Need to fill the trans with fluid, get the exhaust sorted, and then it's track time. Need to get some baseline runs in so that I can start tuning. Another item crossed off the EH9 Build ToDO list! Totally looking forward to bangin' gears at the track! Special thanks to Phil Walker and my SA brothers Phil Johnson [@chevrollac] & Jarred [@ildsem1] for stopping by the shop and lending a hand! If you are not already be sure to follow us on Instagram! Stay tuned, we're just getting started! Matt @ HYPR Garage // @hyprgarage // #eh9build // #streetassassins
Foreword Since it's been quite some time since I made a post here so a little explanation is in order. The purchase of the FA5 was my breaking point in terms of the level of frustration the EH9 trans swap had been building up to. Now that I had a new, dependable daily I had decided to let the EH9 sit for a little while so that I would not get burned out on once was an endless source of joy and happiness (turning wrenches). So I did just that, I let the car sit while I enjoyed my new DOHC iVTEC monster =) ...Fast forward about 6.5 months to current day... EJ8 Build With the EH9 parked (elevated on jack stands) that increased my garage kept builds up 100% to two rolling chassis, which is one too many seeing how this is a one man operation. After much deliberating I decided to part ways with the EJ8 and keep the EH9 as my garage build. In the end it was pretty simple - I had already invested thousands of dollars in the EH9 over the years verses a little under a grand in the EJ8.
How it has been sitting - with some bits sold off to mates in the car club
After toting this car all over the bay area for the last 5+ years scrapping it was not an option so I started to ask some of my fellow Street Assassins. I initially offered the car dirt cheap to a member who recently totalled out his car and was completely without transportation however he advised me that [1] he could not afford to pay anything for it and [2] he recently picked up an Integra which he was going to start using as a daily. (NOTE: Initially I was advised that if purchased the EJ8 would stay a project build and not a daily as it is nowhere near being able to be used in that capacity however I think the deal on the Teg was too good to pass up)Another member, Phil [@chevrollac], said that if the first person that I offered the car to did not take it that he would and that is exactly what happened. The EJ8 previously known as The Black Beauty will from here out be known as The Black Fox to go in line with the naming structure used by Phil's builds.
The Black Fox, The Silver Fox, & the wife's SOP Element
Phil currently owns a 1999 EJ6 AKA The Silver Fox with a factory 5MT so I know the EJ8 is in good hands & since we are in the same car club I know I will be able to visit her from time to time. The EJ8 is going to sit in the front yard for a few days until he can transport it back to his shop. In the mean time I'm left with this:
The shop will be cleaned out before the EH9 returns
Since the EH9 is pretty far long I'm going to clean out the garage completely so that I have a proper environment to build a proper car in. The rear right corner of the garage has had so much shit piled up in the corner that you could not physically walk around the EJ8. That will not be the case when the EH9 is ready to be parked back in here. Which brings us to the last part of this update: EH9 Build I feel that I have taken enough time off from the build to truly appreciate the new FA5 - from its 6MT with factory installed LSD to the Si's Vehicle Stability Control to the bucket seats that hug your rib cage to it's screaming DOHC iVTEC 8000 RPM redline - you would be amazed as to how fast you can turn a frown upside down with 200HP under the hood. Anyway some progress has been made on the EH9 in the last few weeks:
Engine buttoned up, everything reconnected
Proper pedals, clutch, and 5MT transmission installed
4AT shifter harness spliced to trick the ECU in thinking the 4AT is in N
Column interlock has been disabled / removed
Trans filled with Genuine Honda MTF
Tires reinflated & wheels reinstalled
Car pulled off the jack stands
Freshly recharged battery under the hood
Obviously if you know me you know that I had my phone out documenting the first startup after the 5MT swap, here are the results:
This video serves as more evidence that the Honda SOHC VTEC D16Z6 engine is fucking bulletproof. This engine has been sitting for 8 months and 21 days - exactly 265 days - and it fired up on the second try. It would have started up on the first try had I let the fuel pump prime longer. I had removed the pressure on the fuel line back when I did the trans swap and the pump was still building up pressure when I first turned the key.
All four wheels are on the ground =)
Now that I have more time to devote to the EH9 build I will be doing just that and in the process I will not leave such large gaps in posting here. Comment, share, like, etc - it's how I know you like what we're doing here at HYPR Garage 🛠🔥 🚗💨💨 Until next time! -- Matt @ HYPR
