New 2004 EP3 Owner (Pics)

[ChiTownRob]

Hello There,

The name's Robby and I live in Chicago. I just last week acquired an EP3 that I have been on the lookout for since last year. Finding one was not a problem. Finding one that was not beat the piss out of was quite another. A local Honda dealer ended up taking one from Florida in off of trade that was one owner and only 70,000 miles. I have had it about a week now. It's in superb shape mechanically according to one of my friends that is a gear head, and is bone stock all the way around. Cosmetically it has a couple of dings but nothing major. The PDR shop has it tomorrow to sort those out.

I am a severe audiophile, and one thing I do know is car audio, so I spent last weekend getting her up to pimp status as far as a sound system. Ripping out all the stock Honda stuff was not that big of a deal, but wiring everything up took me the better part of the day on Saturday. I replaced the head unit with an Alpine with Bluetooth calling and XM using a dash kit. It does not match 100% perfect as you can see from the pic, but close enough for my taste. I then changed out both the front and rear pairs of 6.5's as well as the front 1 inch tweeters with's Alpine as well. The 1200 watt Kicker amplifier I installed underneath the passenger seat (I had to take the seat out to accomplish this) and the mini Alpine power pack amplifier to run the highs is mounted in the dash behind the head unit. The 12 inch Kicker subwoofer enclosure I bolted down in the hatch on the passenger side. I was originally going to install 2 12's, but after trying this out it was overkill. Not to mention, I wanted to conserve some storage space.

Audio I am an ace at, performance related issues, not so much. This is why I wanted to come here and see if I can pick some people's brains on the best ways to proceed. And now, for some pics:

The car side profile:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt47/supaflyrobby/IMG_3391_zpsneo6uut9.jpg

Interior:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt47/supaflyrobby/IMG_3390_zpsyddul5qs.jpg

Dash Kit for the Radio:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt47/supaflyrobby/IMG_3378_zpsub7rzb2z.jpg

Back:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt47/supaflyrobby/IMG_3388_zps5dzg5rtf.jpg

Amplifier mounted under seat:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt47/supaflyrobby/IMG_3379_zpsmqf8qay7.jpg

Sub Enclosure in the back:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt47/supaflyrobby/IMG_3380_zpsnx9jc3rt.jpg

Another Angle of the car:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt47/supaflyrobby/IMG_3348_zpshnjnencp.jpg

[tommy]

Nice pick-up; car looks really cherry for 70k.

Griot's Garage has a good headlight restoration cleaning kit that will help with the glazing.

The car is a dilemma, performance-wise. Aftermarket mods don't do too much short of turbo or superchargers, but engine swaps are pretty common and can be affordable and fairly reliable.

As always, it comes down to money. How much are you looking to spend? What are you looking for - straight-line power, great suspension, a little of both? And are you looking to just do some minor stuff now and something else later on? It's a fun car, but modding it can be a headache.

[ChiTownRob]

Nice pick-up; car looks really cherry for 70k.

Griot's Garage has a good headlight restoration cleaning kit that will help with the glazing.

The car is a dilemma, performance-wise. Aftermarket mods don't do too much short of turbo or superchargers, but engine swaps are pretty common and can be affordable and fairly reliable.

As always, it comes down to money. How much are you looking to spend? What are you looking for - straight-line power, great suspension, a little of both? And are you looking to just do some minor stuff now and something else later on? It's a fun car, but modding it can be a headache.

Hey Tommy,

Thanks for the tip on the headlights. That is actually something I was investigating today as it is super annoying. I was looking at a couple of 3M kits off of amazon but I will investigate your suggestion.

As far as mods, I am not looking to go too crazy. I already have an SRT4 that I have had for a couple of years that has been an absolute money pit left and right. I have about had it with that thing. I am going to make my EP3 my daily, but I want it to be my daily with some style. I am thinking of starting with what's easy, so probably exhaust and intake. Rims and tires are also going to be a must sometime in the near future. I will probably step up to some 17's and get some lower profile tires. I could also lower it on some springs an inch or an inch and a half maybe.

At the end of the day, I am not sure how far I am going to take this project, but I figured coming here was the best way to get some ideas. I have already been checking out posts and FAQ's and lurking.

[Piercematt]

X2 on Griots headlamp restore! Nice EP, just picked mine up as well.
7094

[ChiTownRob]

X2 on Griots headlamp restore! Nice EP, just picked mine up as well.
7094

WOW! Those are some fantastic results! I already pulled the trigger and ordered the Griots kit today. It's gotta be a better option than buying a whole new headlight assembly I figure. I will take some before and after shots after I get them cleaned up.

[tommy]

Yes, it is. I had to buy a new driver's headlight because of condensation (and being lazy enough to not want to deal with baking them, regluing, etc.), and they're damn expensive.

My summer rims are 17 x 8s, and I think that's the perfect size for our car, and also dealing with NJ roads (I'm sure IL roads are at least as bad). They're +38, and the rears had to be rolled a little, but not bad at all.

Any exhaust without major mods will be mostly for appearance and sound, but there's nothing wrong with that. What I would suggest you look into if you're not doing forced induction or a swap would be the Hondata reflash; it's pretty cheap, the removal of the ecu is easy (the immobilizer is a pita with the tiny screws but with all of your stereo work would be a piece of cake for you), and it gives a nice little bump in power that you can feel. Need super gas afterwards, but worth it, imho.

If your suspension is on its last legs, look into the A-Spec suspension (RSX); only need a little grinding to make it work, drop is 3/4 - 1", and it's a full kit of springs/struts. Even better it's in the $600s. An Acura dealer close to me is the main source for getting it; right now, there's one on ebay for $642. It's a very good deal, and I've been happy with mine for the 18 months I've owned the car.

Lastly, shifter bushings and/or the Buddy Club short shifter kit are worthwhile too, and easy on the pocketbook.

Enjoy the modding!

[ChiTownRob]

Yes, it is. I had to buy a new driver's headlight because of condensation (and being lazy enough to not want to deal with baking them, regluing, etc.), and they're damn expensive.

My summer rims are 17 x 8s, and I think that's the perfect size for our car, and also dealing with NJ roads (I'm sure IL roads are at least as bad). They're +38, and the rears had to be rolled a little, but not bad at all.

Any exhaust without major mods will be mostly for appearance and sound, but there's nothing wrong with that. What I would suggest you look into if you're not doing forced induction or a swap would be the Hondata reflash; it's pretty cheap, the removal of the ecu is easy (the immobilizer is a pita with the tiny screws but with all of your stereo work would be a piece of cake for you), and it gives a nice little bump in power that you can feel. Need super gas afterwards, but worth it, imho.

If your suspension is on its last legs, look into the A-Spec suspension (RSX); only need a little grinding to make it work, drop is 3/4 - 1", and it's a full kit of springs/struts. Even better it's in the $600s. An Acura dealer close to me is the main source for getting it; right now, there's one on ebay for $642. It's a very good deal, and I've been happy with mine for the 18 months I've owned the car.

Lastly, shifter bushings and/or the Buddy Club short shifter kit are worthwhile too, and easy on the pocketbook.

Enjoy the modding!

Thanks for all the tips Tommy! This will prove invaluable to me moving forward. I had a system worked out when I was still in the early phases of building up my SRT4 and that was one new mod per month. This gives my bank account the opportunity to replenish itself (assuming I do not go too nuts), and it gets my car on a progression towards what I ultimately want or need it to be. This month is pretty well juiced. Brushing aside the cost of the car itself, I have had audio components and I drop it off at PDR shop shop later this afternoon to get the body as close to perfect as is possible.

It's hard to want to wait, but if I limit myself to paying only in cash and fight the urge to break out the credit cards I find it makes for a more disciplined build since I spend a longer amount of time contemplating each one. It's a system that has served me well so far.

Thanks again for the tips.

[tommy]

Sounds like a good system. Mine was definitely not as smart - I just bought what I wanted from the start, and figured I'd run out of ideas fairly quickly. I was wrong, and hope to pay off the debt this year. :)

[dirtyMETHOD]

nice! welcome to ephatch.

There will be many mods to come...

[StimulisRK]

... and the mini Alpine power pack amplifier to run the highs is mounted in the dash behind the head unit...


Hope the car is still kicking it! Love the audio setup. I know very little about audio when it comes to setting up aftermarket equipment - but getting the Alpine Power Pack installed is something I've been really wanting to do. I have totally stock audio system, except for my rear speakers. Eventually I'll do the front speakers - but for now I want to get the Power Pack in to add some punch. Is it a fairly simple plug and play? From what I've seen, I won't need to add any power wiring or do any splicing? It runs off the power to the stock headunit - is that correct?

Any tips on installing it? I know so little about audio haha. Thanks!