The Pontiac Torrent is a small-to-midsize SUV made by Pontiac. It’s meant for regular driving like commuting and carrying people or cargo. In the episode, it sounds like the name is being brought up because it resembles the word “Torrent.”
“Four gears” means the car’s gearbox only has four forward settings. That can make the engine run a bit less efficiently or less smoothly than cars with more gears, especially when you’re driving faster.
An “intake” is the part of the car that brings air into the engine. When people say “first mod intake,” they mean one of the earliest upgrades to improve airflow and change how the engine feels.
The Honda Integra is a popular Honda that a lot of car fans modified for racing and street driving. Here they’re talking about a specific older Integra generation (late 80s to early 90s) that’s easy to spot by its headlight design.
The Acura Integra is a compact car made by Acura that many people consider a performance model. The episode mentions it in the context of identifying the car by its generation and years. They’re basically saying, “If you don’t know what it is, it’s an Integra from about those years.”
A “five-speed swap” is when you change a car from automatic to a manual gearbox with five gears. It usually takes more than just swapping the shifter—there are other parts that have to match.
Gathers is a Honda-related racing brand. The speaker is trying to make their car look like a Gathers-style race car, including the kind of markings you’d see on track-era Hondas.
Gran Turismo 3 is a racing video game. The speaker is saying the game helped spark their interest in the specific Honda Civic and the Gathers-style look they wanted.
Person
Yamamoto son.
The speaker mentions a person named Yamamoto. They’re saying they didn’t want that person to see the car and react to it, but the clip doesn’t explain who he is in detail.
Term
roof line
“Roof line” just means the shape/edge of the car’s roof. The speaker is trying to get a clear picture of that area so they can see the driver name.
JGTC is a Japanese racing series. The speaker is saying that before that series era, race cars often had driver names displayed in a certain place, like on the roof.
Engine mounts are the parts that hold the engine to the car’s frame. When you swap an engine, you usually need the right mounts so everything lines up and sits properly.
Term
partying it out
“Parting out” means breaking a car up and selling its parts one by one. People do this when they don’t want the whole car anymore but can still use the components.
“Ground up” means the car was basically taken apart completely and rebuilt. It usually involves lots of careful work and replacing parts so the final result is fresh.
OEM parts are the same kind of parts the car manufacturer originally used. Using OEM hardware can be a way to make sure everything fits and works the way it should.
They’re using a 2000 Honda Civic as a parts source for the project. The year matters because not every Civic engine setup is identical, so some parts may need to be swapped or sourced separately.
Main bearings are the parts that let the crankshaft spin smoothly inside the engine. If they wear out, the engine can start making noise and can eventually fail.
Timing covers are the protective shells over the engine’s timing parts. If they’re worn or not sealed well, they can leak and cause problems around the timing system.
They’re saying the transmission/gearbox came from a different Integra Type R variant than the “A-spec” version. Different versions can have different gear ratios, which changes how the car feels when you drive it.
It’s the gearing between the transmission and the wheels. Changing it changes how hard the car pulls from a stop versus how relaxed it feels at higher speeds.
An LSD is a differential that limits how easily one wheel spins when it loses traction. It helps both drive wheels work together so you get better grip when accelerating.
Preload is how much the spring is “pre-compressed” before you drive. It helps set the ride height and how the suspension behaves right from the start of travel.
Helper springs are extra small springs added to the suspension. They help keep the suspension from getting too loose or rattly when the car is lifted or when the suspension moves a lot.
“Three wheel” means one tire lifts off the ground while the other three stay on. It’s a way to describe how much the suspension can move when you’re really stressing it.
A rear subframe brace is a reinforcement piece that helps the rear of the car stay more rigid. That can make the suspension behave more consistently when you drive hard.
Spherical bearings are suspension joints that move more precisely than soft rubber bushings. They can make the car feel sharper, but they may be louder or harsher.
A geometry kit is a set of adjustable suspension parts used to fine-tune wheel alignment angles. It helps the car handle better, especially after you change suspension components.
A camber kit lets you adjust the angle of the rear tires. Changing camber can help the tires grip better in corners, especially when you drive on a track.
Extended ball joints are suspension joints that allow more adjustment or movement. They’re commonly used when a car is lowered so the wheels can stay aligned correctly.
Import Alliance is a motorsports event. The speaker is saying they’ll get their first chance to drive there.
Place
ncm in Kentucky
NCM in Kentucky refers to a motorsports track venue in Kentucky where the speaker plans to attend an HPD/Chase event. Track layouts matter for setup choices because different sections emphasize braking, traction, and cornering balance.
Term
B16s
“B16s” is a Honda engine family people often build around. Here it’s being used as a comparison for what a “normal” gearbox feels like versus the transmission they’re talking about.
Term
ITR gear boxes
ITR means Integra Type R, and “gear boxes” means the transmission. The host is comparing how the Integra Type R transmission’s gearing differs from other common Honda setups for track driving.
Race Tech makes racing seats. The host is saying they installed Race Tech “bucket” seats for the track so the driver and passenger are held more securely.
Term
1 000 series
This sounds like a specific seat model/size from Race Tech. The host is using it because it fits taller or bigger drivers better than the standard seat.
Here, “vitals” means the live numbers from the engine sensors. Things like coolant temperature and intake air temperature help you see if the car is running normally.
VTEC is Honda’s system that changes how the engine’s valves work. When it kicks in, the engine switches to a more aggressive valve setup for better power.
The ECM is the car’s engine computer. It runs the engine and controls things like fueling and timing, and older tuning sometimes required physically modifying that computer.
Apexi is a company that makes aftermarket performance tuning gear for cars. Here they’re talking about controller boxes people used to adjust engine behavior.
Brand
HKS f con depros
HKS makes performance parts, including tuning computers. “F-CON” is one of their tuning systems that helps you adjust how the engine runs.
They’re talking about having the car’s computer reprogrammed so it drives better. The current settings make it run too rich and act loud, so they want the tuner to fix it.
In tuning, a “map” usually means an ECU calibration map—tables that control fuel and ignition timing across different engine loads and RPM. When the speaker says “put a map on it,” they mean the tuner loaded a new tune to change how the car runs.
“Running rich” means the engine is getting too much fuel compared to air. That can make the car smoke or even pop/flame out the exhaust, and a tuner can adjust it.
When you see flames out the exhaust, it usually means extra fuel is igniting after it leaves the engine. It can happen if the tune is off, and it’s something you’d want corrected.
A conversion kit is a set of parts that lets you swap your brakes to a different setup. It’s meant to make the upgrade parts work together instead of just trying to fit them randomly.
Term
vbk
“VBK” sounds like a nickname for a particular brake upgrade. They’re saying they’re doing a cheaper version of that known setup.
Wheel size matters because the brakes have to physically fit behind the wheel. They’re sticking with 15-inch wheels to keep clearance predictable.
Term
advent neovas avo nines
This is the name of the tires the speaker uses. They’re saying these tires work surprisingly well in the rain because they still grip and pull the car through slippery spots.
The Audi S3 is a sporty version of a small Audi car. It’s made for quicker driving and more performance than the regular models. The episode mentions it because it’s connected to a moment or recognition involving an S3.
This is a Honda Civic Type R from 1999. It’s a small “hot hatch” that enthusiasts love, and the host is saying their car was featured in a magazine or show called S3.
A rotor is part of your brakes: it’s the metal disc the pads squeeze to stop the car. Upgrading it can help the brakes work better and stay consistent when you use them more.
Brake pads are what clamp onto the rotor to slow you down. “More aggressive” pads are meant to grip harder for better stopping, but they can also affect things like brake noise and how long the pads last.
Sway bars help keep the car from leaning too much in turns. Upgrading them can make the car feel more “tied down” on track, but it can also change how the car behaves in corners.
An “aggressive” tire is built to grip harder for driving on track. It can make the car handle better, but it often wears out faster than normal street tires.
A “K series swap” means putting a Honda K-series engine into another Honda car. People do it for better power and responsiveness, but you usually have to upgrade the rest of the car too so it handles correctly.
Term
zcs swaps
A “ZC swap” means putting a Honda ZC engine into a different Honda car. People used to like it because it was a straightforward swap and a good base for building a fun track car.
“B series” is Honda’s older performance engine family that people swap into other Hondas. The idea here is that it makes good power without overwhelming the car’s handling as easily as some other engine swaps.
Spring rates are how stiff the suspension springs are. Stiffer or softer springs change how the car behaves in turns and over bumps, especially on track.
Shocks help control the suspension movement. On track, good shocks keep the tires planted so the car doesn’t feel bouncy or unpredictable.
Term
tires flush
This sounds like the host is saying your tires and suspension need to work together. If the tires aren’t right for your setup, the car won’t grip or handle as well.
A rev limiter is a safety system that stops your engine from revving too high. When you hit it, the car temporarily stops feeding power so the RPM can’t keep climbing.
Part
spirit block
An engine block is the main part of the engine that everything else bolts to. The speaker is saying they have a special/modified block for their build.
“Boost” refers to running a turbocharger or supercharger to increase the pressure of the air entering the engine. More air (and the right fuel/ignition control) can enable significantly more power, but it also requires careful setup to stay reliable.
A/C is the car’s air conditioning system. It takes some engine power to run, so turning it off can make the car feel a little quicker—especially on a performance tune.
Sport mode is a driving setting that makes the car feel more aggressive. In this conversation, it’s being paired with turning off the A/C to help the car feel quicker.
“Wiring” here means the car’s electrical cables and connectors. They carry power and signals to different parts of the car, and older cars often need rewiring to work properly.
Term
dual points
“Dual points” sounds like an older ignition design that uses two contact points. The takeaway is that older cars can have different wiring/trigger setups, so you can’t just plug in newer wiring without adapting it.
“Multi point” here means the car’s wiring/ignition system is set up with multiple connection points. When you’re adapting an older car, you may have to rewire or rearrange connections so everything matches up.
A “battery location kit” is parts that let you move where the battery sits in the car. People use it when they’re building or modifying a car and need the battery in a better spot.
A “charge harness” is custom wiring that helps the battery charging system work correctly. It’s often needed when you swap parts or modify the car so the electrical connections match the new setup.
A “K swap” means putting a Honda K-series engine into a different car. Because the engine and electronics are different, you usually need custom wiring so everything works together.
LIVE
Hey, and welcome back to the next episode of the right hand drive guys podcast the podcast for guys who like right hand drives
I'm Bobby. This is Aaron. Hey, oh, and we are joined today with Eli tacker. What's up, man? Hey guys, what's going on?
We appreciate you coming on and you know, it was kind of funny because I don't know what last week or maybe the week before
Like I see this sweet civic come across my
My feed, you know, and it kind of breaks down the story of the guy that built it and you know
Just some of the little intricacies and stuff that you went through to get the car to where it was
Yeah, and I was like, oh, that's cool. Like, you know, love those style cars
And then it just so happens that a week later. He's like, yeah, no, I know this dude
He's got this car and I'm like wait this car and so, you know, it's just crazy, you know, how
Small this is even though it's it's so big
So, okay, can you tell us a little bit?
I mean, if so if Aaron found you you're probably from Nashville or somewhere like that, right?
Yeah, 61 originally from East Nashville
The real East Nashville before the 20th. Oh, then toward that place apart and then 90s
Yes, born and raised there since the early 80s
Dang, that's cool. So
Yeah, tell us like a little bit about like how did you
Get in the cars like how like the early days
so my first mode of transportation was a skateboard I had a
Thing had the missing link board from like alien workshop
Catch the bus go down toward West End and go to Tower Records or Tower Records and books and
Go there and get my albums or whatever went to the special interest section to where they had like the Japanese DVD used or whatever
And discovered hot version of this motoring and that option to magazines and things of that nature
I used to go straight and just kind of dive into it
That's pretty cool. So
That's sweet. It was actually just like the opportunity to be able to go to a place that actually had that type of stuff
Right like for me up here in Maine when I was young like no, you weren't you were not finding any of that
There was no Tower Records. There was no, you know, maybe
At the Barnes and Noble they had Super Street or import tuner, I guess, but that's like the extent of it, you know, and
I don't know how you how old you are. You said 80s
So, you know, you're probably around the same age as me and it was like the internet was just
Becoming a thing and if like you knew, you know, like even on
Like the later versions of Napster or like Torrent downloading you could like
Yeah, you could like find, you know, you're
Your best motoring or option, you know DVDs that were loaded up on there
So for me, I had to go dig a little further to be able to like but you can just like take the skateboard and the bus and like
Yeah, you know, get it. So I'm like, damn, that's pretty cool
So is that something you just kind of stumbled across in Tower one day or just stumbled across?
I come from a different lifestyle background. I used to do martial arts for a long time and
Once I got back states, so, you know, I needed to concentrate my energy and something else
Like any teenager who wants to get from point A to point B other than using this skateboard, you know, it's getting into cars and
It was all down here after that
For sure. So like
What's what's the first car like back in the day that you end up like actually modifying for the first time
Modifying my very first car. I worked shown ease on in the summer
Doing dish washing and it's a horrible job
but I did that for like three summers and saved up and
It was a thing was the 88 or 89
Static hatchback, but it was oh, yeah, it was it was the standard one. So I only had like four gears. I
Mean like bottom bottom tier base model. No no thrills at all. It even have a passenger mirror for like seeing those
Yeah, I remember like that
Model they took stuff off of yeah, it was the base model. Yeah
So an EF hatch is the first
Yeah, very personal what yeah, what's the mod on it? What's the first mod intake?
No, I didn't start modifying the Honda's until I got my DA and then I got really into it
This is from a point A to point B car
All right
hanging out hanging out with other friends and looking at magazines trying to figure out what the recipe was or how they did things a
certain way because
In East National, no one did really import except for the Asian cats, but I wasn't really tight with them just yet
So I was still learning everything. I see
So
Eventually a DA comes along then yeah, and if somebody doesn't know that's an Integra like a what 88 to 90
43 I believe it's 89 to 93. Yeah. Yeah, so
Sorry
No, so for the listeners if you you know most listeners know a DC to Integra or something like that, right?
But if you've ever seen like the square ones with didn't they have two-piece headlights?
Three yeah, yeah, they were three-piece the fog light was separated from the main housing and then at the corner light
Yeah, yeah, so if you've ever seen one of those, that's what that's what Eli's talking. They also kind of looks like 240
Coops in the back. There's always a joke. Yeah. Yeah, it's always like
Especially at night time you think you're about to see something cool and it's some guy
It's just a DA Integra honestly was my first Honda that I modified so
Well, you know, they're pretty cool. Yeah, they get my pass
That started back in I think 2000 2001. I just remember really got serious into it
That's pretty good. I mean, you know 20 25 or so years in the game. I mean, obviously you've seen quite a lot
Have you been?
Modifying cars throughout. Did you take a break like a lot of us did? No, I
Fell in and just kept going
Okay, yeah, he's like no
Yeah, which is cool man and so
What happens after the DA as far as like do you stick because obviously you've had an EF a DA
Like are you sticking to those like, you know that generation of cars or do you eventually get into EGZK?
Like that type of thing. I think it's at EGZK is to like wait later. I like the
The earlier models so the DA that I had it was auto. So I don't know how to do a five-speed swap
That that took a while because the internet wasn't really available and you could get the AOL
Discs get like 16 hours free in a load up or whatever
Oh, for sure. And God forbid someone picked up the phone in the house and you have to start all the way back over
Oh
It was crazy. Um, yeah, yeah, I mean downloading those option videos on 56k
You know, it'd take me half a week or a week to get the video
But I'll tell you I was waiting like and we're so spoiled today, right?
Because with fiber you could download one of those in like 10 seconds. Yeah, but literally it would take a week to download back in the day
So
But yeah, I see what you're saying even the forums weren't like kicking at that point
No, I think the forum that was on I think that was Honda Tech
That was I think it's yeah around and that was really the main place to go to
Unless you found a little articles like in Super Street
That's really about it. Yeah
So we're like just as far as
When do you end up getting into because like spoiler the car that you have now is an EK, right? Yes, sir. Yeah
So I know you got into them later, but like is this your first DK?
Technically, yes. It's my very first one. Oh
Okay, that's cool
So you went pretty pretty hard for your first EK, right? Like a lot wasn't intentional though
I just I got focused on a certain direction and then
When plants are coming together like right after my surgery I had my hip replaced not too long ago. Oh, she you know and
You know
Being from the old school era, it's I know today people asked for forgiveness
Is these are didn't get the permission but back in those days you had asked permission for like first reading you think and
Those who don't know the gather city is pretty much it's legendary
and you know, I discovered playing Gran Turismo 3 and
So I had the EK and I wrapped it white and I wanted to do the gathers delivery
But I didn't want to get to a point like if it if I was successful
I didn't want some I I don't want
Yamamoto son. He's he's the guy that runs opera
I didn't want him to see it and then I don't know how his
Actions might be or how he would feel so I just messaged him after it took a while to figure out who he was because
The trying to look up stuff on gather civic
even today it's not very
Trying to find images is quite scarce even videos and testings and stuff
So I was trying to find the roof line because usually the drivers back in the old days like super ty Q
Whatever before the JGTC came along and
They would have their names on the top and I'm trying to find this guy's name on top of it
I'm like, I know this guy's names on here. I've just got to find a clear shot of the roof and
I forgot where I found the guy's name
But anyway, I found it and googled it and opera performance popped up like that. That can't be right because this says gathers on
Because I was kind of you know, I was ignorant about you know opera performance and their background and lineage or whatever
Kind of found out later that it's actually pretty cool. You know close ties with
Cousin Ori with the grand charisma and all yeah, so long story short, so shut up
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll talk I can nerd out. I apologize
I just emailed him and it took I think it took about 23 days to get a response back because I'm pretty sure it popped up in the
span mail
But we know we got to talking back and forth and I think once we had that video chat
I guess you want to see that was for real like because I really wanted to do it
I'm pretty sure he just want to make sure that I wasn't somebody that was trying to do this for like a
Cloud or click me or you know or to get news
I really built this for myself because this is my favorite car in Gran Turismo. It was like OP for a city. Um, I
Just loved it. I really enjoyed it and I'm thankful that you have a motto song like
Allow me not really allow but like got his blessings to do so
Just trying to try to recreate it because there's a few people globally. That's on it. There's a guy in Japan
Thailand
Me in the States. There was another guy out in Cali. I can't thank you the name right now
ADHD anything
But I wanted to do it to the point to where I didn't want to do an exact replica because I could never do that car just
Is the car start up as a shit box for lack for a better term?
so
it's pretty close almost dead accurate except for like a couple decals and
Big where it says civic type on the C pillar. I left that one off and put a Honda's our
Passports level of mount man on there
They're one of the guys that came on board with the bill a couple years ago
They hooked me up some mounts when I did my B-series swap in it and
thank
The so how long has this build been going like cuz you just said a couple years, so I'm like yeah
Yeah, I'm like damn. What do you mean a couple years? Like, you know, how so how long has this been coming together?
Little over four years. Oh
Wow, yeah, cuz you know if you like me it comes across my newsfeed, you know, I'm thinking like you just you know
Just the perception is like you just picked up this car and went like super ham on a build and it just came together like
I got it about four years ago from a local guy a friend of mine
He had it and I guess he got bored start partying it out
And about that time I'm coming out of the FK a type R platform
And I sold it and sold the parts and I wanted something to ticker on and good for you
while I heal it up from the
different placement and
And never I didn't think that it would get to this point because I've always built the cars for myself and
I've been lucky and I've been fortunate to have people to help along the way and
It's been you know, it's been a real blessing
But it just started off and ground up and we tore completely apart
All except for taking the windows out everything was out of the car
So every bolt suspension break line clip molding trim anything that was available at Honda. I grabbed
Dang, just OEM suspension bolts first product for a little over $400 that
That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, but I mean it probably looks so nasty with everything like a shiny bolt
Or you know what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah, that is awesome
Yeah, Honda text the fault on that one because they had those bills back in the day and they set the bar kind of high
I was like, well, I was gonna do this. I gotta make sure I do it right and
But everything with the car is I mean, it's brand new everything on this car is new except for the paint body
I can't do paint bodywork. So that's why we wrapped it were white and I wanted to do delivery
So I could like save up later if I ever wanted to get the car, you know bodywork and paint done
I could save up for that on the side and have this to play with in the meantime
excuse me and
But yeah, it's
It's definitely some hard work went into it. That's four years. That's that's
So, so what else is the setup like what's what are you running for the engine what what's in the interior?
So the engine is out of a 99 2000 E and one or a 2000 Civic
And then the but it's gone through from top to bottom all red label red label is like all OEM Honda parts
So timing covers gasket seals front rear main bearings
You name it if it was available. I thought it
Because I had most of parts on the shelves in these containers vector you can see
Like I've hoarded parts over the years and the cool thing about Honda is some chassis is under certain conditions
You know like interact with each other so we can you can borrow from one chassis go to the next chassis
But the stuff that's e-case specific, you know, I either went to the dealer or I went to a
Wrecking yard or salvage yard. I don't know what the term is these days
and try to find the best part that I could find like on the
For example the bracket that holds the coolant reservoir jug
At the time it haunted was like 70 80 bucks
And I was a little bit out the budget at the moment
So I just went to a red yard and found one and took it to a machine shop
Had them media blasted and coated it and then I trimmed it up with them a engine enamel make it look nice
I think that's like 13 14 bucks and everything if that and
And then the the gearbox get back on track. Sorry. I'll start talking talking
The gearbox is from a non-A spec ITR
That specific gear had a really nice gear set
So it's a 4.7 85 final gear set up the 4.4. Oh and also the transmission comes
OEM with an LSD
So it's really nice. Yeah, first gear is useless. It's pretty much a just no first gear
Second year so close to first you just start the second even though they really have a lot of torque. It's just there
That's pretty cool, so
You got the EM1 motor you got the is it a usdm or JDM Integra?
Transmission must be it has to be the JDM on the 90. Yeah, I see. Yeah, that's pretty cool
Go ahead. I was gonna say to my knowledge that specific year is
One that had that really nice final gear and then I think the first two third are really short and then fourth and fifth
I believe our GSR fourth and fifth and then the final gear is that big one
So, huh, it's real
What about suspension?
Suspension I got with progress. Those guys have been around since
Way before I was even around
They came on board. So I got their top tier their cs3 trim level
Adjustable dampers
Nice, I forget what the pounds are I converted into came around. So it's like 9.8 k front
11.2 k in the rear. I don't know what that is in pounds. It's not off the top of my head
And then I had to get the maggots spring spring helpers to keep the springs up in the purge because they're old school. They don't the
The the preload when you set it up
It can still
It doesn't adjust on the along the shock like today's suspension does
So they they still do it by the collar
But in order to keep that preload and have it lowered
I got a set of helper springs to keep the
Attention up from there. So when you jack it up or you do three wheel from the stiff suspension
The spring doesn't fall to purge and rattles and makes a whole bunch of norms
and
I have their
I think it's 22 22 mil dual adjustable rear spray bar and then their rear subframe brace
Mm-hmm. That's pretty cool. So I mean you're pretty set up and I would assume if you had everything out
And you were doing the whole not in bold thing. Did you
Change out bushings and whatnot do some yeah, everything's changed
The front rear rear control arms are billowing from PCI and they use spherical bearings
And then the front upper arm the rear camber kit the front and rear geometry kit and their front
Lower extended ball joints. They're all those are from home development
Wow, so like everything's like yeah, yeah, I wasn't exaggerating
It's it's it's all it's like a go-kart
That being said, all right, are you going to get it on the track?
Yeah, yeah first events coming up at import alliance. I signed up for the HPD event. I think it's july 24
It'll be my it'll be my first opportunity to do so
And then I think after july once
Some things get figured out. I want to sign up for chase's event by august 15th up there at ncm in Kentucky
Because I'm familiar with it because I used to take the fk8 if they're all the time and track all the time
So like full grand course layout and then the west course layout. I'm familiar with
But they're going to have the chase won't have the drift guys
In the stink hole on the east side and they're going to have the grip guides on the west side, of course if I'm not mistaken
Oh, that's pretty cool. Thank you. Thank you. I'll split it up like that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah
Nice dude, I mean one of the things about nashville is like
Right after I left it seems like all these new tracks popped up and like do you drive?
You can drive five hours in any direction and hit some of these sickest tracks
Yeah, you know road Atlanta barber. Are there any plans to travel out and do any of those?
I'd like to do barb at some point because I hear the tracks very nice. Uh, it's real smooth
I mean, obviously it's a portion testing track. I believe
I want to try out pull cat. Um, I hear it's really small in tights. That's maybe like an hour and a half down the road for me
Yeah, because like again that gear box has that big big final gears. It's like an oem cross-fier transmission
It's very short compared to the standard b16s and itr gear boxes
Um, so I'm sure the top of stack and third to be realized around so I won't try that track eventually
And then uh, maybe next year I can try road Atlanta
Yeah, I mean you are definitely fortunate in the sense of
You do have facilities
Like he said, you know, you can make day trips to like multiple facilities and be able to
Really stretch the legs on the car
Um, so I don't know if I heard it. Maybe I'm just deaf, but what did what did you end up with in the interior?
Yeah, oh, yeah, sorry about that on the interior. Uh, it's it's pretty basic
uh
Um, cosmetically, uh, I had a uh friend who was stationed in Germany for military background
And he found some like dam near brand new ek3 door cards or door panels
Uh, he sent those over to me, uh, because here in the states, even those those who have, you know, ek's
Um, the door cards or they fall apart. They're almost as bad as fc plastic. It's really bad
um
I had swapped those out and then just your standard stuff like auto power, uh, roll bar set up
Uh, I got two race tech buckets
I've got their standard in the passenger and then the driver is their 1 000 series for like the bigger guys who are a little bit taller
um
You know down here in the south we're a little bit big around the waist. So that's quite comfortable
Uh, you know just uh
Rails, uh, some you can dress up. So I got you can uh, steering wheel and itr shifter and shift knob
Um, I just kept it basic inside because I really don't need a whole lot of attention
Just just the bare minimum is fine
but
The engine is set up on hondata, uh
s 300
I don't know if it's v3 or v4, but I have it set up through my phone
And where the clock is over by the climate control. There's there's a blank plate
So I took that all that out and put a ram mount set up there to where my phone is uh front and center to where I don't
Have to gauge it up or down. It's like right here
And the hondata just reads out all the vitals like uh temps cool and temp air temps speed
Uh if v tech turns on or whatever
Um, it's it's all right there for me. Um
Because I I like the old school stuff like the big five inch monster attack from auto meter
You know of the triple sets or whatever
But I didn't think that would look good in the car
So just the hondata with the my cell phone right there pretty much does everything I need it to
Yeah, it's cool how now, you know, whereas even shoot just 10 years ago, right like
You know
The technology wasn't like it is you couldn't put it to your phone like that
You had to have the all of the gauges or you know, you had to have all that stuff and you know, or you were having
Ah shoot, uh something soldered into your ecm to even be able to tune it let alone
Just plug it in and like actually run it. So it really is cool how we've
Really come a long ways when it comes to the tuning and the actual technology that goes along with it
Yeah, it's it's jumped quite a bit from those days. Um, even uh, I'm sure uh, erin regiments
I used to have these old v tech controllers from apex
Like on the steering column, you can see through your steering wheel you're looking at pushing buttons and
Yeah, for sure
You're ready to take on the world with it, you know
Yeah, I mean because
But yeah, because all the boosted guys had the apexi controllers
So they were like, oh, yeah, yeah now we'll put something out for you v tech boys. You guys can turn it up and down a little
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, those those the apexi
Controllers or the hks f con depros and all those things
We couldn't have anything like that. So
Who who's your tuner? Who tuned who tuned the car?
Uh car is getting tuned on
The 13th june, uh hanging down to james at eb tech
I want to take it down there. It runs pretty good now. Uh, hondetta put a map on it for me
And I got it from the get go
But it runs real rich uh shoots of fire and shit off the back. He gets really loud sometimes
Dang, I need to turn it down a bit. Um, uh, it's a b16. It's it's fast downhill with the wind pushing it
That's really about it. Um, I might be able to take out an mta post from like stop to stop
It's it's pretty much slow. I just needed to clear up the tune and just make it more drivable for me
Um, what about lastly? What about brakes and wheels? What are you doing there?
on the brakes I
uh
Took all the olem brakes off. Uh, just the brake pad happens for a tsx o8 tsx
It's a hawk hp plus just the brake pad is bigger than the factory sidic caliper that came on the bar
Uh, so I had to rip all that out. So the calipers are from it or an tegrotype bar
Uh, the rotors are mini cooper base and then I've got the little sleeves that centers out the
The rotor on the huff to where you just jibble around
And then the fronts are o8
tsx pads because if you use itr pads the overhang a little bit and you will start like chewing into it and it'll start gnawing
Uh, oh, yeah, but the tsx pad just is perfectly flush with a diameter to where it doesn't overhang
and uh on the rear, um
I took the drums off and put a 98
integrity s uh
Or not suspension, but the caliper and rotor itself
Oh, that's cool. Yeah, it is crazy. Like you were saying earlier how
You know, Honda's like the cross like it's just crazy that somebody figured out like, oh, okay
Well, you know, if I throw the tsx pad on there, I'm actually not going to get this gnawing on the upper part of the pad
And it's going to sit flat like that's just like wild, you know, how Honda guys are so resourceful within
within the brand
It's like a poor man's vbk. I wanted to do the uh, so there's a whole honed they do a
Conversion kit you run you can run like the porous caliper the big four pot one
Oh, I run but I run 15 inch wheels because I like the the older style from the old days because
Everything was 15
And I didn't know if they're going to clear most of my wheels
So I just went with the itr setup
And then on the wheels to get back on track, uh, current wheels are immune r and rs
I think the stamp dates 96 almost the same as the car
Damn
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it's like it says 15 by six and a half plus 43 or something like that. It's
It's the older specs and it does pretty good
And then tires are the uh advent avo nines or advent neovas avo nines
I've been running those since ever ever since they came out and uh,
Surprising they do really good in the wet. They actually grip and grab because there's been a few times up in the mountains to where
I didn't think I was going to make it and somehow they grabbed and pulled me out of the way
So, uh, notice that you were featured in s3 congrats on that. Oh, thank you very much. I wasn't really expecting all that
um, I'm glad that they felt it was really nice enough to be in there because
Uh, you know woolly. He's a really good guy and talking with him
It showed me that it's something that he's passionate about because I think to him it's just it's not just a magazine. It's it's like a
Kind of like a sport like it's the way in life with them
And just to be a part of that and share, you know, it's it's really cool
Yeah, that is cool. I uh, I had a
99 civic type r that was in s3 and yeah, and this was in 2009 though. So it was like it was really cool
The way that they really
Kind of embrace the grassroots thing like they are
They are doing it for the people so to speak not, you know, just they're not getting rich
It's not crazy, but they're still putting stuff out for the community, which is super cool. Shout out to s3
John woolly all that. Yeah, woolly's awesome
Yeah, for sure. Um, so okay, what we what we really want to know here is
What's next for the car?
Uh, a little bit more upgrades. Uh, I want to uh, so right now it's just like running remote blanks
I want to run a nicer rotor and more aggressive pad
Uh, these pad, they grab pretty good
But I like to go in turns a little bit hotter than those people
That um, I need a pad that's going to grab it
Uh, because I really don't want to be that guy that could break for the last minute and go off track and hitting the kitty
Later and get stuck and then ruin everybody
The kitty later
Everybody's session for the day
Yeah, don't be that guy. Yeah, I don't want to be that guy
Uh, and then I got some uh bigger sway bars. I want to put on it and then I want to swap out the wheels and try more of aggressive tire
Just for like track events. I could just swap them out when I get there
I can swap them out when I go home. I can just put the other ones back on
That's pretty cool, man. Do you ever uh, do you ever plan on going k series?
No, not with this one. Oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're be all day, huh? Yeah, I'm be all day. It's just something we grew
We actually started out with zc swaps. Uh zcs or they came in seen came in doing great
Yeah, they're non vtech and those were the swap for me back in my day
I'm in my mid 40s, which is pretty sad still messing with civics
But that was the swap zcs were the swap and then b series came along
And I just stuck with the k series are awesome. They make really good power. They respond really well to modifications
but
You know to me
I like the b series because the the motor doesn't overpower the platform
and I really think that
k series swaps are awesome
But I think the overpowered the chassis to where
You really have to start doing your homework because tires flush spring rates shocks
All that's good coming to play because if not all day, you're just spinning tires and going through the gears and bounce off the
Rev limiter, you know, that's that's
That's just not my thing. So I think people should really try to think the whole thing out
uh
But just my opinion
But yeah, you know for now, I'll just keep it b series. I got a spirit block on the engine stand
Um, I might go boost. Uh, there's a guy in Alabama called go out of works. He makes really nice kids
Um, and he's got a
A sorry stuttering
He's got a specific setup to where it's ac friendly because this thing has heat and ac
This thing looks cold. It's it's nice. Yeah, too. Yeah, we get up. You get up to earlier. It's like man
I need the ac in here
gets high
Because in the old days you didn't care you just yanked it out for like three more horsepower. Oh, yeah for sure weight reduction
Yeah, yeah, but these days, nah
And then if you want sport mode, just turn the ac off get a little bit. Yes, literally. There's your there's your horsepower. Yeah
That's cool, man. Hey, um
Before before we wrap this up like if somebody wants to find you on the internet
If they want to you know, check out your build or
Fall along with you know, whether you do end up finding that right higher combo and whatnot. Where can they find you at?
Oh, and on instagram
It's run hard industries or run hard underscore industries and then on youtube. It's just run hard. There's a picture of a mugen
mf 10s as my profile pig
Oh, yeah, nice. What is what is uh, what is run hard? Can you break that down for us?
What's the deal with that run hard is a passion project so
You can ask erin
I've always done wiring in the background because I had to you know in the old days
We had to figure the wiring out for ourselves
We didn't have we didn't have google or chat telling us which wire goes to what pin
And then because on the older chassis is like the the 8890 civics. They're dual points
So you had to figure out do a multi point. You got to swap wires or uh, the wires around you got to delete wires and make everything work
So I just stuck with wiring and then got really big into it. And then uh, I always like messing with batteries
for some reason
and
So like I can do like battery location kits or
charge harnesses for like if people want to like k swaps
Or even upgrade their oem harness like because harnesses down these civics are 30 years old
That's 30 year old of harnesses of copper wire that's aged and timed out long ago
So when somebody wants something, you know, and they you know, I'm thankful that they
You know, they get me up say hey, I need something, you know
I'll whip up some charge harness or battery harnesses or battery location kit or whatever it may be
You know, if I can get them if I can get them back on the road if I can have them with a project or whatever they're doing, you know
I like to be part of the
Hell yeah, dude, that's yeah
Man, we appreciate you coming on and having a little chat with us for sure
We're actually going to be at import alliance
in july
So, uh, we'll definitely look forward to you know, seeing the car in person and being able to
You know, enjoy that four-year-long passion project with you. Awesome. Thank you. Yeah, if you see me come by check it out
Off dinner. Yeah, absolutely. I don't care still for it
Oh, yeah, man looking forward to that dude
Dude, we're we're gonna see you next time but for this episode of the right hand drive guys podcast. I'm bobby
This is erin
Peace see you guys
That was great, man. Oh, dude, thank you
About this episode
Eli Tacker shares how he fell into Japanese car culture—starting with skateboarding and digging into Hot Version and Japanese DVD used sections. The conversation then tracks his Honda path from a basic late-’80s hatchback with “only had like four gears” to Civic EF/DA-era ownership, including the challenge of converting an automatic DA to a five-speed. They connect styling inspiration from Gran Turismo 3 and Gathers looks to a long, track-focused EK build: swaps, OEM parts, Hondata monitoring, suspension/gear choices, and upcoming HPD/Import Alliance and NCM events.
In this episode of the Right Hand Drive Guys Podcast, we sit down with Eli Tacker from Nashville, Tennessee, to discuss one of the most impressive Honda projects we’ve ever seen — his painstaking recreation of the legendary Gathers Honda Civic race car.
What started as a dream turned into a four-year journey of research, sourcing rare parts, and obsessing over every last detail. Eli shares the challenges of replicating one of Honda’s most iconic race-inspired liveries and how he stayed committed to authenticity throughout the build process.
We dive into the history and significance of the original Gathers Civic, the hunt for hard-to-find components, and the satisfaction of finally unveiling a project that captures the spirit of a true JDM legend. The result is more than just a replica — it’s a tribute to an era of Honda motorsports that continues to inspire enthusiasts around the world.
🎙️ Four years. Countless details. One legendary Honda brought back to life.
