Saad's DC2R

[saad]

Hi guys

Joined here a while back, but for some reason I couldn't post, but now I can.

I had a mk 5 Golf GTI previously, and loved. However, I was obsessed with it, spent too much time and money on it, and had plans to spend waaay more. Plus I wanted something more trackable, cheaper, and on which I could do more work on myself. So I found a DC2R and bought it.

This is the story thus far, as documented on JDMST


The car with some replican TE37's, which are pretty lightweight! Also have OEM dc2r wheels, and OEM white 5 spoke wheels










The plan was to not mod it, but because of some defects, I 'need' to lol.

Picked up exhaust and brace courtesy of VTECMACHINE



Spoon strut brace - replaced factory one



J's Racing 60RS Titanium exhaust, with silencer - It weighs 4.6KG!!!!

[saad]

1st August

New Brakes



I replaced them myself, for the first time ever. Honestly the most annoying part is jacking the car up and getting the wheels off. I want a rattle gun! I was amazed at how easy it is to replace pads and rotors, and why anyone would pay $250 to get it all done.

I needed to borrow an impact wrench to get the screw undone though. COOLEST TOOL EVER!







The brakes work very well, so I think I did it right!



2nd Augusts

Picked this up today for ridiculously cheap - ie cheaper than secondhand.





OK, so got some new wheels - well secondhand, but they are OEM 15" Type R wheels, with some pretty new Kumhu KU36's, which as far as I know are in-between a semi-slick and a normal tyre. A 'semi' semi-slick if you will. Did a swap with a friend - he took the the old exhaust and gave me the wheels plus cash.

Get some bolt on spacers to make them nice and flush, and they should look pretty damn good!



Also, from Capital Seating I got some new side bolster for the drivers seat as they were pretty worn - the previous owner didn't know how to get in and out of the car properly! By replacing the bolster foam, I'll prevent the alcantara from wearing unnecessarily, which is an expensive fix.

To complement the new bolsters genuine Recaro Seat covers, with the Type R logo, to protect the seats and keep them looking new and nice.

[saad]

Ok a few updates

Firstly replacing the factory speakers. I originally bough some JL coaxials, as I didnt want to cut the trim etc to install a tweeter, not to mention the extra installation. However, the rear speakers in the DC2R are higher than the front, so when you have music, all the treble comes from behinds you, so it basically sounds like crap.

However I then discovered that having the splits installed was only $30 more, so I bought some. Now, I;m undecided whether I should return the coaxials, or replace the rears too. They were really cheap, but money is still money. Ill speak to my installed and see what he says.





I replaced the bolster foam in my recaro. This wasn't challenging per se, but required a LOT of strength.

Before:



After:




Notice how yellow the old foam is.

I went crazy and bought some tools - I figured It would be better to have my own rather than using Dad's all the time. The drill was an impulse buy, and I was talked into it by a random dude there. Bascally I wanted an electric rattle gun/impact wrench. The Ryobi one was only $140 from Bunnings, however, it doesn't come with batteries. Buying the charger and two good batteries was arounf 150-180, and the drill was 199 with 2 batteries and a charger.

I want a rattle gun for track days etc, and because its just plain cool. However, I then thought 'why did I just buy that'. The Ryobi impact wrench goes to over 400Nm, but wheel nuts are only torqued to about 100-120Nm. There is on on ebay for $130 which goes up to 130Nm, which is more than enough for wheel nuts. So I think I'll be returning the drill!



Finally I grabbed a voltage stabiliser and a grounding kit. I have been told that the grounding kit really does help with everything, plus I have been having some ignition problems, so this might be the first step in solving it. Plus all those blue wires look cool in the engine bay!

[saad]

Lots of updates today.

After installing the speakers there was a lot of rattle whenever a kick drum or bass note hit. I had a sheet of dynamt lying around, so I cut in half, and stuck it inbetween the speaker and the door, obviously cutting a hole for the speaker. I only did this on one side, and it made a HUGE difference. I did the other speaker too.

My friend works at JB Hi fi, so I got a bit of Stinger Road Kill very cheao. I then did both doors, but I didnt cover the whole area. I used small pieced and stuck on strategic areas on the inner and outer skin to stop resonance. This way I havent used very much, costing less, and more importantly, weighing less. Right now I have 1-2kgs of sound deadening and it works fine. Research has told me that you dont actually need to dynamat the whole door or panel, just parts of it, in effect dividing it up into smaller panels. Much like how a large piece of sheet metal flexes, but a smaller sheet will be harder to flex. By adding some extra weight to the panels, I got rid of a lot of resonance.

When testing, there was still some rattle, and this was coming from the trim. Ideally I would get some dynaliner, which is a foam, designed to isolate the trim, so stops rattle getting through, btu its pricey stuff. I had some carpet lying around, so I cut it on, and stuck it with some gaffers tape folded in half. This again made a HUUUGE difference, and trim rattle from the doors is all but gone. I might get some dynaliner at some stage, but right now Im happy. Again this weighed basically nothing.


Here you can see some carpet stuck on the door.



I also got a fire extinguisher (CAMS approved) and made a bracket to attach it:











Seat operation is not affected by the extinguisher.

My coilovers arrived, and looking at getting them installed this weekend:



I installed the earthing kit:



And my 2 takata harnesses arrived. I will need to get a long eyebolt and a mounting bracket to install them. The part of the seat belt which you clip into is on the seat itself, and if you remove the bolt and replace with an eyebolt, the seat doesn't go back due to very tight clearance. I'm getting a bracket off Ricki, which screws into the rear seat bolt, and is L shaped, allowing you to screw the eye bolt into. He only has one, so I will see if I can get another made up, as I dont think you can get them anymore. The other option is to drill and well into the body, but don't want to do that

[felixR]

Woohoo you made it! Love the progress so far. Just to confirm, what speakers do you have in the rear?

[Samm928]

i like itttt :P

[PHATJM]

nice work dude!

keep up the good work!

[mini_s2000]

looking great! keep it up

[saad]

Woohoo you made it! Love the progress so far. Just to confirm, what speakers do you have in the rear?

Well none for the time being, just the factory ones. I havent had them replaced yet, and dunno if i will since i generally fade to the front fully

[visconti]

great stuff here!!

[felixR]

Well none for the time being, just the factory ones. I havent had them replaced yet, and dunno if i will since i generally fade to the front fully

oh yeah? i don't think i could do that.. i like the surround sound coming from the rear

[saad]

oh yeah? i don't think i could do that.. i like the surround sound coming from the rear

I dont mind a bit of rear fill, but very subtle, like 90% front. The rear speakers are actually rooted, so i might just put the speakers that were in the front before (Some Kenwood ones) in the back, as the rear speakers rubber surround is basically gone

[on boost]

hey man glad to see your on here.

What size spacers are you going to use? I have been thinking about using bolt on spacers on mine, pretty sure 25mm will make them sit relatively flush

[saad]

yeah i was thinking 25mm, but still looking at other options like wheels. Considering getting the 16" Type R wheel replicas from Rota, perhaps in green, then I'll see how flush they sit. For street use they will be fine.

Ideally would get some 16" CE28N's, btu will only get secondhand, too expensive new!

[saad]

Had my coilovers installed yesterday - Zeal Function X's

Upon having them installed, my mechanic pointed out how awesome they were after taking the car for a drive around the blog - said the old suspension was just crap, and that was because it had aftermarket springs that weren't very good or suited.

Upon driving the car I instantly smiled. Firstly the car was a lot quieter. A fair few rattles had gone. Secondly, the ride was a LOT better. Still hard yes, but the dampening was more pleasant, where as before it was quite jarring. On some bigger bumps, as the car goes down, my stomach does have that sinking feeling, but I think that may be because the dampening is a tad soft, and needs to be turned up - can anyone advise otherwise?

However, overall, the ride is a lot better, and my GF and sister noticed too.

The car now is a lot flatter in corners. This inspires confidence, and cornering speed has increased. A thicker sway bar and there should be virtually no roll. There seems to be less liftoff oversteer, but making the rear a tad firmer should fix that.

The car sits a bit lower now, so that there is very little gap between the top of the tyre and the wheel arch.

Overall I am VERY happy with these, and would wholeheartedly recommend them. Cant wait to play with the setting on track.