Project PRO.2 Mugen CR-X

Welcome to: www.jhmed.com

2011-03-31T23:59:00.000-06:00

After posting several build threads on different sites (mostly www.jdmuniverse.com and www.cr-xcentral.com) I thought it may be better to start a Blog chronicling my car's growth... I'll start with a brief overview of my old car (Project 88) and lead into where I am today with my current build (Project PRO.2).

I hope you enjoy following this as I continue to build my CR-X into a Mugen PRO.2 replica.

My first love...

2011-03-31T23:58:00.000-06:00

My story begins on a used car lot tucked behind a Budget outlet in Langley, BC in April 1996. I’d just landed my first decent job and was in the market for an Accord or Prelude. I was already sold on the brand since my first car was a ’78 Civic that had seen better days. When I arrived I noticed that there were both a Prelude and an Accord on the lot… and tucked neatly in the back corner was a red ’88 CRX Si. It was buried behind two rows of cars and was a little dirty.

After a short conversation with Derek-the-salesman I was on the road in the Accord. She was blowing a lot of blue smoke and even as an automotive novice I knew that was not a good sign. My next adventure was in the Prelude. The sunroof wouldn’t work and it smelled bad inside. Not quite enough to make me want to vomit, but enough that the little yellow tree wasn’t enough to successfully mask the aroma. I also test drove a Volkswagon Jetta, a Suzuki Samarai and even a Ford Aspire.

Budget Car Rental, Langley BC

Each time I returned to the lot from a test drive my eyes were drawn to the CRX in corner, but I was afraid to take it out. I knew that if I did I would end up trying to buy it and I was sure that a car like that would be out of my price range. I wasn’t prepared to have my heart broken that day but I’d run out of vehicles to drive in my price range and it was getting late… I had to ‘shit or get off the pot’ as my parents would say. I’m sure that Derek-the-salesman believed I was wasting his time, but he moved the two cars blocking it in without missing a beat. Derek-the-salesman explained the car had sat for a while and had a dead battery, but I was understanding.

I sat inside the CRX and waited for Derek-the-salesman to boost the car and I had a look around. It was different than my friend’s ’87 Si. The dash tilted slightly towards the driver, and the “CRX” on the door panels were the two differences I noticed immediately. In hindsight, I think I was sold right then and there.

The test-drive was fairly uneventful; what I remember most was being scared of stalling the car since it had been a few years since I’d driven a manual transmission car and the pressure was amplified because of the failing battery.

I returned to the dealership and proudly declared to Derek-the-salesman that I would take it, but I needed to make sure that I could get the payments that fit my budget. I was introduced to the business manager, John, who crunched the numbers but sadly I had to walk away. They said that because of my young age (I was 21) I would need a co-signor which I couldn’t provide at that time. In the week that followed I drove a few more CRXs, a DX and a couple Si’s and even a Mazda Precidia GS.

Then it happened. I received a call at work from Derek-the-salesman. He asked if I was still interested in the car, which I was, and he said that we could work something out. This time I took my father to help me check out the car. With Dad’s Seal of Approval, I went back in to see John and not only did I get the CRX, I got $1500 off the sticker price but I didn’t have to get a co-signor. I had to wait two very long and agonizing weeks to pick her up but on May 16th, 1996 she was all mine!

My 1988 CRX Si, circa June 1997

I’m not sure what exactly led me to that dealership on that Saturday. Almost 15 years later it’s easy to say that it was God, or fate, or destiny or whatever, but no matter what you choose to call it, that day changed my life forever. That sounds like a very cheesy thing to say but it’s the truth. Almost everything I’ve done in my life for fifteen years has had some connection to that car and that day.

My 1988 CRX Si circa 1999

Bitten by the JDM Bug...

2011-03-31T23:57:00.000-06:00

In 1998 I was in Richmond BC, browsing in a hobby store called Herby’s Hobbies when I stumbled upon a Fujimi model kit of a CRX. Of course I bought it right away… I’d never seen anything like that for a Honda before. All I’d ever seen were model kits for Muscle Cars and classics. When I got it home and opened it up, I discovered that Japanese CR-Xs came with rear seats (and in Japan it was called the CR-X) I wanted a back seat. I wanted one real bad… but I had one problem: I don’t speak Japanese and didn’t know the first thing about how to go about getting parts from overseas.

Fujimi Model Kit

Later that summer I attended the 1st Annual BC CRX Meet. It was there I met a man named Will McQueen who had a back seat in his CRX. I’d never seen one up close and in person and I thought it was just about the coolest mod ever done to a CRX before. He said bought it from his cousin in England, and when I realized they were not only standard equipment on Japanese CR-Xs but also on European CRXs, I saw an opportunity for me to get one since now the Japanese language-barrier that prevented me from obtaining one had been removed...

Will McQueen's rear seat in his CRX (taken at BC CRX Meet, 1998)

I didn’t have a computer or the Internet back then, so the following Monday I got up at 4am and started calling England. I phoned information, and got some phone numbers and talked to Honda dealers and junkyards looking for one. Honda wanted $1500GBP ($3600 Canadian) and the junkyards I managed to get ahold of all said they didn’t have one. It was an expensive and painful process to say the least but I told myself to be patient. I would have one someday…

…Fast forward to Y2K. The world had not ended, I was now living in Calgary and this thing called the Internet had really taken off. I was working at a local jobber store that had a computer with a DSL Internet connection. I decided to go there on one of my days off and scour the Internet until I found myself a used rear seat for my CRX. I was there for almost two hours reading and researching, but I hadn't found anyone in the UK selling a rear seat for a CRX. Just as I was about to give up and go home, I stumbled upon a website run by a guy named Asuka Kuroda who lived in England. His site showed a lot of the different items from European and Japanese that he had for sale. There were SiR clusters and power window kits and yes, back seats.

The JDM fever had begun.

JDM Fever...

2011-03-31T23:56:00.000-06:00

My rear seat arrived in the Spring of 2001. It was in mint condition, and cost me a little under $600Cdn with shipping and Western Union fees (although Asuka asked if I had a PayPal account, I didn’t even know what that was back then).

Rear Seat installed in my 88 CRX Si

By late 2001, I had quite the ‘JDM wish-list’ for my CRX in progress and had signed up for an eBay account. Coincidentally, my eBay account was actually the first time I’d used the screen name JHMED. When I created my account, every name I entered seemed to be taken already, so I tried something obscure: the first five letters of my VIN number… and JHMED was born.

After being sniped on a few auctions on eBay, I quickly realized that using the computer at my job on my days off or after work was simply too limited a time-frame. If I wanted to get the parts on my list I’d have to make a non-automotive-related investment. So I bought a computer and had a DSL internet connection installed.

Over the next four years I had amassed enough parts to make a reasonable JDM CR-X SiR replica from my North American CRX. I had a glass roof, tail lights, power folding mirrors, front end conversion, the list goes on and on…

My Personal Box "Ashtray"

By far the best purchase I made was a Honda accessory ashtray called the Personal Box. I bought the Personal Box on eBay from a seller named rickcab1. With shipping and the Canadian exchange, it worked out to a little over $300. After a few weeks, and it hadn't arrived, I checked online tracking. It showed that it was still in California. I called the seller and he checked with FedEx.

They lost it.

Rick called me immediately and offered my money back. I told him “I just bought a $300 ashtray; do you think I care about the money? I just want my Personal Box.” FedEx eventually found it and delivered it to me. Over the course of the next couple months we began to IM each other and became good friends. With his help my project went into full swing, he hooked me up with several contacts overseas, and he helped me find some rare and amazing parts. Without his help I doubt my current CR-X would be what it is today.


Funny cartoon

A Tough Decision

2011-03-31T23:55:00.000-06:00

One day in February 2005 a 1989 JDM CR-X EF7 Si showed up at my work. It needed ball joints and other small items fixed. It was only the second genuine right-hand drive CR-X I’d ever seen in person. I found out that it was for sale but the current owner/importer had to get the ball joints and some other things fixed before he could drive it to Edmonton to complete the sale.


1989 JDM EF7 CR-X Si

I started to seriously think about it. I’d considered buying a genuine RHD CR-X before, but this was different. I agonized over this decision; I couldn’t sell my baby, but at the same time, I was facing an $8000Cdn bill for body work alone (to install the glass roof, new quarter panels and rockers (rust), cut and weld SiR front bulkhead (so I could use stock motor mounts for the engine instead of HASport ones) and a complete repaint). Then I needed to buy a B16A engine and transmission, and I’d need to complete the installation of all the other toys I had purchased over the last five years. I could do some of the basic labor myself, but it was starting to feel a little overwhelming. The cost of all the parts, and the constant search for something in better condition kept me constantly on the verge of being broke.

A JDM EF8 from Edmonton I'd considered buying but couldn't afford.

This decision wasn’t all about money though. It was also about time… I had recently turned 30 and I wanted to drive my CRX again before I was ‘an old man’. And then there was the sentimental factor. I’d had that car for almost nine years. I gave up many paychecks so that she could have tires, or servicing or whatever else she needed. Years before, I lived on bread & peanut butter and dry Rice Krispies for an entire month because I couldn’t afford groceries after paying rent, car payments, and insurance. I moved myself to Vancouver in 1997 and then back to Calgary (1999) using only the CRX. She was also my first ‘real’ car – not a beater, and with payments. She was like an old friend. She was with me when times were good and she was there when times were bad.


Moving to Calgary in the CRX

Even though this new CR-X wasn’t in the greatest condition, I realized I already had over 90% of the parts to make it a decent looking car. I’m not really into power or speed, I’m just as happy with all show, no go. Another big plus was that it was drivable… now. At the rate I was going, with my CRX I was at least two years before I could reach the point where I could consider driving it again. It had been parked since October of 1999 so I could work on it, and I had done a lot, but there was still so much to do.

The state of "Project 88"

The next day, I made the call to the owner/importer. He said he already had an offer on the table for that car, but I talked him into entertaining my offer. The money was better and he wouldn’t have to go all the way to Edmonton to sell it.

He told me that he would call the other potential buyer and then call me later in the day to firm up the deal.

I had made my decision.

The state of "Project 88"

Meant To Be?

2011-03-31T23:54:00.000-06:00

One day in February 2005 a 1989 JDM CR-X EF7 Si showed up at my work. I’d considered buying a genuine RHD CR-X before, but this was different.

After much deliberation, I had made my decision. My baby; my 88 CRX Si would be replaced. I made the call to the owner/importer, Import Concern. After much convincing, he accepted my offer of $5000Cdn and told me that he would call the other potential buyer and then call me later in the day to firm up the deal.

Literally one minute after I hung up the phone from him, a friend of mine, Dieter, called to tell me that he’d found an EF8 SiR for sale in Japan and he was going to import it. He had been talking about bringing cars over from Japan for quite some time, but I didn’t know he was that close to getting set up and actually doing it. When I asked him how much, I was floored at the response… approximately $6500Cdn landed.

I confirmed the options on the car and the condition with him… A Grade 4 at auction in Japan. Now, here was everything I wanted: CR-X SiR, B16A, glass top, with Auto Air Con, power windows, etc… in decent condition and for a mere $1500 more than the Si I was prepared to purchase. And I was purchasing through a friend; someone I could trust. I called Import Concern and canceled my offer right after I hung up from speaking with Dieter. They were fine with my cancellation since only about ten minutes had passed, and we even joked some months later about it being the fastest about-face he'd been involved with.

But before I would put money down for this car, I told Dieter that I would need to see some pictures. He agreed that to buy a car absolutely sight unseen was not good, so he told me he would set about getting some pictures for me ASAP. The wheels were in motion…

The Right Choice

2011-03-31T23:53:00.000-06:00

Later that same evening I called another friend and told him that I had decided to buy an SiR instead of finishing my CRX project. I was having a few doubts about my decision I was wondering if I’d made the right choice. He assured me I was doing the right thing although I still wasn't convinced. He put me in touch with friend of his named Allan that had an EF8 for sale in Nagoya, Japan. He said he'd arrange for Allan to sell it to me at cost as a favor. He estimated Allan's cost to be even less than what I was prepared to spend on the CR-X Dieter was selling!

I spoke to Allan and he sent some pictures of the CR-X and the VIN number so I could run it through the Honda Japan EPC (Electronic Parts Catalog) and see what other options it may have on it. It was indeed an SiR with a glass top and auto air conditioning.

As soon as I saw the pictures I fell in love. It reminded me of how I felt at the car lot back in 1996 when I test-drove my ‘88. I wasn’t crazy about the black color, but I loved her regardless. It looked relatively intact, and had some white four-spoke wheels on it.

My JDM CR-X at auction in Nagoya, Japan

But the thing that made me certain THIS was the car I had to buy was that the VIN for that unit was one digit higher than my old CRX: … 60. The EF8 was… 61.

I just had to have that car... If I had any lingering doubts about my decision before, this squashed them all.

A week later I received an email from Dieter saying he had gotten some pictures of that CR-X he wanted to sell me. I opened the attachments:

I had two people trying to sell me the exact same car!

!

Tsunamis, Monsoons, and Earthquakes, Oh MY!

2011-03-31T23:52:00.000-06:00

After receiving pictures from two different people trying to sell me the same car, my first reaction was that someone was trying to play a cruel joke on me. I called Dieter and he told me that his contact in Japan was the same guy that Allan uses to import his cars as well. He also assured me that the car was his, and if I didn’t want it he was still bringing it to Canada and would sell it when it got here. I called and confirmed his story with Allan who offered me some other CR-Xs that would be coming up at auction later in the week, but I said I didn’t want them. That was the CR-X I wanted, even if it ended up costing more money.

The next day I put a deposit down on the CR-X. And then I started to worry...

My mind raced with all the terrible possibilities and scenarios. Earthquakes, tsunamis, monsoons, boats sinking, trains de-railing! I was a nervous wreck. Then I heard on the news March 20th, 2005, there had, in fact, been an earthquake in Fukuoka Japan. I looked up Fukuoka Japan on the atlas to see how far away it was from Nagoya where my car was patiently waiting for the next boat to Canada. Luckily they looked far enough apart, so I was somewhat relieved but still a little shaken. I wanted that car out of Japan and in my driveway ASAP!

Nagoya, Japan

To try and take my mind off of worrying, I began planning my build. I started by examining the few pictures I had, trying to decide what parts I could keep and what parts I could sell, calculating how much money I could get for them so I could afford other pieces, etc.

I was lucky enough to find a set of unused Mugen Pro.2 "CR-X" door decals at auction in Japan. I was considering keeping the Mugen sides that were coming with the car, and I already had a rear spoiler for Project 88 (which I fell in love with back in 1996 when I saw my very first one).

But, I think what sealed the deal on making the new CR-X project into "Project PRO.2" was finding a set of used 15" Mugen MR5 wheels on the Yahoo Japan auction site. I made arrangements with Dieter that for $100 he would have his contact in Japan place the wheels inside a car (mine or another) that he was sending over, and I could pick them up locally. That saved me about $300 in shipping. (I had the decals sent directly to me from my own contact overseas via EMS)

The car was scheduled to leave the middle of March, but there were some problems with finding a boat leaving Japan with space on it for my car. Apparently they had to ship it about 400kms from Nagoya to Yokohama by truck in order to get it out on the boat to Canada by the end of the month.

More delays kept it leaving Japan until the beginning of April when she finally set sail on the cargo ship "Pacific Explorer".


© John Wrightson, MarineTraffic.com

Arrival

2011-03-31T23:51:00.000-06:00

The car arrived on Canadian soil, April 15^th 2005 after a mere 11 days at sea. At first I thought this was an awfully short amount of time for shipping but then I realized: it’s on a boat out at sea. What were they going to do, stop for evenings and weekends?

She was cleared by Canada Customs, Agriculture Canada and was ready for shipping to Calgary by April 25^th. The CR-X was Paid In Full on April 27^th and by April 29th she was on a train headed from Vancouver to Calgary.

Because Allan had given me the VIN number I was able to track its progress across the Canadian Rockies via the shipping company's website otherwise the not-knowing would have been excruciating (not that it wasn't already, mind you). After a few short delays the train arrived without incident and when I called the shipping company I found out I was in for... you guessed it, more waiting. Waiting for the train to be dismantled and waiting for the vehicles to be off-loaded. Then waiting for final delivery... That could take up to a week, they said, but they said to check back on Thursday.

Fortunately, I worked about 10 minutes from their main lot, so at lunchtime on the Thursday, my fiance and I drove past the lot armed with my digital camera… just in case. I had my eyes peeled out the passenger’s window at one lot and she was driving and scoping out the lot to the left. All of a sudden she shrieked: “There it is!! I see it!! I see it!!” and I turned just in time to see a flash of ugly white wheel. We parked the car and walked down the street. I started snapping pictures, my heart pounding… there she was, a mere 50 feet away from me and I couldn’t do anything about it.

It was pure torture. I couldn’t stop smiling all the way thru lunch, and it was very hard to concentrate at work. My boss was nice enough to let me have the next day off so I could be there when the car arrived at Dieter's shop.

After work we went to the lot again to take some more pictures, and we were soon joined by some of my friends who had heard thru the grapevine that my car had arrived. So there are now about nine of us standing on the grass at the side of the road next to a chain-linked fence topped with barbed wire, staring at the back half of a Japanese CR-X and talking. Obviously security arrived within minutes, and after a brief conversation he said we could stay as long as we wanted but he couldn’t let us in or turn a blind eye if we carefully climbed the fence to get a better look. LOL

I left at nightfall and could barely sleep that night. I tossed and turned until about 3am when I finally dozed off.

Tomorrow, she would be mine...

The 'Rex Has Landed

2011-03-31T23:50:00.000-06:00

The next morning I got up early and bought donuts for the staff at the shipping company. This was both to make amends for being a giant pain in the ass by calling all the time and maybe help coerce them go the extra mile to deliver my car safely and on-time.

My fiance gave an Oscar-worthy performance to convince her boss she wasn't feeling well and left work at 10am. We met up at her place and drove to Dieter's shop to await the phone call to say the CR-X was on the way.

We were there for about an hour when the call came in that the CR-X would be delivered at 1pm.

One o'clock came and went with nothing. We sat in the waiting room. We sat in Heather's car. I paced outside, watching the street. I paced inside, in the showroom. By 2pm Heather had fallen asleep, but I was too wired to doze even though I was working on an all-day adrenaline rush with three hours of sleep under my belt.

I glanced over at something happening in the shop and when I looked back out the window, I caught a glimpse of ugly white wheels in mid-air. I yelled out “there it is!” and jumped out of my chair, camera in hand. The driver had driven past the entry to the shop and continued down the street. I really think that was just God’s way of prolonging my wait by another few minutes. As we got out to the sidewalk we saw him driving back the way he came, and he passed by us again!!

I will never forget that moment when I saw her riding majestically on the back of the flat bed truck. She was a little dirty, and looked a little rough around the edges, but that was ok. She had just come to the end of a very long journey, and was about to begin another one here in

Canada

. As the driver rolled past, I yelled out “Hansen’s!” as loud as I could. Luckily he heard me and did a u-turn back towards the shop.

While the driver was inside getting the paperwork signed, a small crowd began to form, surrounding the car like vultures, snapping pictures with their phones and ogling the newest Japanese car to hit the streets of Calgary. The driver came back out and began the off-loading process. I was taking some video of her release, when the driver asked me if I could get in and back her off the truck for him. The car was so low to the ground that he had to lay some blocks under the front wheels while someone backed her off the truck.

So I climbed up on the ramp, already about 45 degrees in the air, and opened the door. The first thing I remember was that ‘Japan’ smell (Anyone who has ordered parts from Japan knows that smell: it's a very distinct odor that wafts to your nose when you first open a package of parts straight from

Japan

). Well, that and a little stale cigarette smoke smell.

I tried to keep the door open while I climbed into my car for the very first time. As I sat down for the very first time I whispered softly “Hello” and tried to get my bearings. I was terrified. My first time sitting in the driver’s seat of a right-hand drive car, let alone my first time driving a right-hand drive car, and the driver is expecting me to back it off of a flat bed at a 45 degree angle.

Lovely.

I had visions of taking out the front bumper on the way down, or running over the Hansen’s driver, or worse, making an ass of myself in front of the small crowd gathered around the front of the shop.

I put the key in the ignition, my foot on the clutch and turned... This was it... ‘Would it start?’ I wondered.

She fired up with that typical Honda starter sound, and ran smoothly and cleanly. I didn’t see plumes of smoke from the tailpipe, so I was a little bit relieved. There was still the small matter of backing it down. I reached over to gear lever and – wham! I whacked my right hand into the door. ‘Oh yeah, it’s over there’ I thought, and chuckled to myself. Backing the car off the truck was a lot easier than I thought it would be, no scraping, the Hansen’s driver was unhurt, and the bumper was intact. I pulled it over to an available parking stall and shut her down.

She had landed.

She Is Happy, Too

2011-03-31T23:49:00.000-06:00

After the CR-X was off the truck and safely in a parking stall, we went over every square inch of her. We tested the power windows, the climate controls, and the CD player. We played with buttons, checked the signals, I even looked at the brakes through the wheels to make sure I was comfortable with how much brake pad I could see before I took her on her maiden voyage back to my house. The owner of the shop, Paul, even gave me two replica Mugen emblems for the side skirts.

There were some oddities that came with the car as well... We found about four "JDM cigarettes" in the door pocket, which we smoked. We found kitchen sponges and a floor mat in the trunk; a keychain, and some spark plugs in the glove box, a cellphone screen cleaning pad, and there were two pieces of rubber wedged between the rear interior side linings, and the ¼ window trim.

My car’s previous owner was an odd one indeed. There were some inconsistencies with this car that to this day I cannot explain. Why some of the best name-brand upgrades were installed on the car (APEXi, Spoon, Spats, SPAC) but yet the interior was not showing signs of the same love and attention to detail. There were nicotine stains from smoking in it, no spare tire, broken heater control, and someone "hacked" the side linings with what I can only imagine was a dull steak-knife to install the rear Spoon bar instead of trimming it nicely.

After almost an hour of combing over the car, we decided to call it a day and bring her home. I was a little excited and a little nervous all at the same time. This was my first time driving a CRX in a long time, and my first run out with a right-hand drive.

Heather got in the passenger’s seat (a weird feeling, having her on my left while I'm driving), and we were ready to roll. Slowly, I pulled onto the street and we were off... A few seconds later I hear a little voice, kinda scared saying: “Honey, you’re in the middle of the road.”

That was something I hadn’t expected; getting used to the center line of the road being farther away than just to my immediate left. I pulled a little closer to the curb and proceeded to make my left turn from the side street onto the main street (and into traffic with other cars!). The wipers suddenly came on… Now, this was something I had prepared myself for. I bought a JDM wiper switch to use in Project 88, so I knew the switches were reversed, but in real life when everything is happening all around, you just don’t think about the wiper switch being on the left side of the column versus the right. You don’t realize how much of your driving is based on instinct and habit until you’re forced to change it. I banged my hand only a couple times on the door panel while attemping to reach the shift-knob but otherwise the drive home was fairly uneventful. I got some odd looks and even a couple double-takes.

I was even got to open her up a little bit on a deserted stretch of highway, and it felt good...

When I got her home, I felt like a new father; there were people calling, emailing, and folks started stopping by. Hell, I’m surprised no one showed up with ‘It’s a Girl’ cigars with them (hmm, maybe that’s what the JDM cigarettes were for). The Japanese family from next door even came by to see a little taste of home.

My friend Tsuyoshi from Japan mentioned to me during an IM conversation shortly after my CR-X arrived, that he thinks ‘she is happy too’. I asked him what he meant by that and he said, ‘if she is still in Japan, she is not going to get any spot lights’.

I guess that’s true... If she had stayed in Japan, she may have ended up at a salvage yard. And we may have been seeing pieces of her on eBay by now.

One of my good friends once asked me why I didn’t save my money and just buy an SiR to begin with rather than collect parts for my North American only to end up buying an SiR anyway... I thought about that a lot and I’m happy with my decision(s), not that I could change them now anyways. If I had it to do all over again, I’d still do it the exact same way. I know some people will just look at my car think "Bought not built" but that's not the way I see it. I paid my dues, and I've earned my stripes. I've learned so much more by doing things the way I have, that in a lot of ways, I feel I have built this car. I've torn it down and built it back up in my head millions of times. I've gathered over 60GB worth of information, tens of thousands of dollars worth of parts and years worth of research. This EF8 didn’t just fall into my lap; I didn’t just wake up one morning and there was an SiR in my driveway. Buying my first CRX literally changed my life and these past 17 years were a learning experience, a journey; and one I wouldn’t trade for anything.

The wheels on the car go ‘round and ‘round…

2011-03-31T23:48:00.000-06:00

If you look really hard, you can spot my CR-X. Yay for ugly white wheels!

Fast forward to August, 2005.

Our very first car show. V8less and Sport Compact Challenge; held at the Race City racetrack in southeast Calgary. I made sure I detailed the hell out of my CR-X. I couldn’t afford to paint the front bumper in time for the show so I did a lot of little things I thought would help with the judges. I put Japanese coins in the coin tray, laid out brochures on the trunk tray, I put a mint copy of the JDM owner’s manual in the glove box, and I even had the correct series of JDM license plate for the size of engine.

A lot of people stopped to look the CR-X and most seemed quite impressed with her. I was beaming like a proud Papa. One passerby stopped and looked at the CR-X, then began to check her out more closely: "I think I tried to sell you this car... Is your name Andy?" he asked.

Turns out it was Allan, the friend-of-a-friend who was going to sell me my CR-X before it was promised to Dieter. He recognized the SSRs, but wasn't sure it was the same one until he looked at the VIN. He was a really nice guy, and although he lost a sale, he said he was happy I'd ended up getting the car I wanted. We talked for quite a while, and I even ended up meeting his contact from Japan, named Lon - another great guy, who sold the CR-X to Dieter.

And we all had a good chuckle over that whole situation and my initial panic over two people trying to sell me the same car!

Note: The guy in the green shirt in the top left photo is Allan.

A few hours later while wandering through the staging area for the drag races I pointed out to my fiance a set of MR5s that were mounted on (strangely enough) a Toyota. She'd never seen a set of MR5s in real life before.“Those are what my wheels are going to look like”, I told her.


MR5s on a Toyota (background, right)

I had been in touch with Dieter several times throughout the summer regarding my wheels and when they would be shipped. I even inquired about the wheels again when I met Lon and he assured me that they were safe and sound back home in Japan, and he'd try to get them out just as soon as he could. I wasn't worried about them... A little anxious for them to arrive, maybe, but not worried. Winter was fast approaching and you could feel a chill in the air at night. I wanted to put them on before I had to hang up the keys for the season.

I didn't win any trophies at the car show but we had a lot of fun checking out all the sweet rides, seeing some old friends and meeting some new ones. Watching the drift competition and the drag races were also some of the highlights of the day. In hindsight, it's a shame that I never ended up going to another car show with my CR-X that year - or in the years that followed... Maybe in 2012 I will try and get her out to an event or two...

Winner, Best JDM: Nissan Skyline

Let The Games... BEGIN!

2011-03-31T23:47:00.000-06:00

My new JDM CR-X wasn’t in the driveway five minutes before I performed my first upgrade: the ‘H’ for the hood.

Next in line was the center tail light with CR-X VTEC badge and then some cleaning. Before I knew it, it was dark and I was exhausted.

The next morning I began working on the front end. I removed the fascia, headlights, and the crappy air intake hoses. I converted the air cleaner box and hoses back to factory Honda pieces. While I was working in there I noticed that it had aftermarket replacement horns, so I swapped in the horns left over from Project 88. I replaced the headlights and fascia with better, cleaner parts.

The interior was the next stop. The center console was removed and the JDM radio was replaced with a North American unit capable of playing our FM radio stations. I added my EDM center console with the heated seat switches, a new climate control box (with Kanji writing on the face), Spoon intrument cluster. Also replaced the steering column covers with NIB JDM ones, and swapped the Nardi steering wheel for a JDM ITR wheel. I also removed the APEXi controller and installed the Spoon ECU and VTEC Controller I had been saving.

The rear seat was removed and replaced with a fresh, unripped EDM rear seat and the rear side linings were removed in favor of fresh (unmangled) EDM ones. I also carefully inspected the quarter panels for any signs of rust or repair.

The Spoon rear upper strut bar was yanked and an OBX one put in its place. This allowed for my custom mounts from Project 88 to be used instead and thus spared the rear side linings from having to be cut to get the bar to fit. The rear bass tubes were added and topped off with NIB "Super Sound" rear speaker covers.

That was my Saturday.

Sunday wasn't as busy as Saturday. I finished bolting the rear seat into place and replaced the front door panels and speakers. I put a NIB 1/4 panel glass with SiR badge on the back. I also replaced the air intake hose to the manifold and the valve cover was swapped with a red JDM ITR one. I did other odds and ends and various cleaning tasks. And I test-fitted my glasstop sunshade and replaced the sunvisors (he had some sort of decal on the passenger's side one that left a large round mark on it).

But most of all, I was happy to be started restoring my CR-X.

One Last Hurrah!

2011-03-31T23:46:00.000-06:00

With winter fast approaching, I wanted to take one last run with the CR-X before she had to go into the garage for hibernation. But where to go? I wanted somewhere fun, that could be driven round-trip easily in a day so we'd have plenty of time to stop for pictures along the way. Somewhere scenic, but not too remote, in case we ran into trouble and somewhere where I could open her up and maybe get a change to take some corners.

My fiance suggested Invermere, BC.

Invermere is about three hours from Calgary. There's lots of beautiful scenery thru Kootenay National Park, the highway there has a few wide open stretches and the closer you get to Radium, just outside of Invermere, there is a stretch with some curves.

It was the perfect destination, so we packed up some sunblock and the cameras and off we went.


Pictures Taken Through The Glasstop In Kootenay Nat'l Park, Aug 2005

We had a blast; the weather was great, the CR-X ran like a top, we had an excellent dinner at a local pub, took some amazing pictures and we were back shortly before midnight. It was the perfect end to the perfect summer.

When I got home and was sorting through the pictures from our trip I realized that I'd taken one of the best pictures I'd ever shot. The lighting isn't perfect and the camera was just a point and shoot 2 megapixel digital, but it will always be my favorite.


CR-X Sunset

Someone Selling My Rims? WTH

2011-03-31T23:45:00.000-06:00

One afternoon in September 2005 Dieter called and said to me "I don't know how to tell you this, but... I think your rims are for sale on Beyond". Beyond.ca is one of the largest automotive-related forums in Western Canada. Dieter was scanning the For Sale threads and found a set of Mugen MR5 rims for sale in a city called Lethbridge, about 300kms south of Calgary. I admit, they looked suspiciously like the set I purchased at auction in Japan.

Rims I Purchased In Japan (L) - Rims For Sale In Lethbridge (R)

Dieter promised to call his contact in Japan and see what he could find out. I called Allan because he lives in Lethbridge and it's a small city with a small community of enthusiasts so the odds were pretty good he knew the person selling them.

It turned out to be one of his good friends and business partners named Steve who was selling the rims. I sent him my pictures from the auction and he spoke to Lon and Steve and he called me back the next day to explain. A lot of the cars shipped over had parts placed in them by Lon in Japan so they could be sold here. The rims arrived in a Toyota Levin from Japan but there was no note saying they were a specific person, so it was assumed that they were to be sold. The good news was: because of my pictures, they properly identified them as mine and I would get them. The bad news was that they'd been in the country for most of the summer and Steve used them on his drag-car and there was no rubber left on the tires... Remember this car from the car show?

Turns out those actually WERE my MR5s I showed to my fiance that day!

Anyways, I told him as long as the rims were in good condition, I didn't care about the tires. He told me that Lon wanted $100 shipping and handling for sending them from Japan. And I was fine with that, even with the whole mix-up... I was happy the rims were here and in good condition. All I wanted were the MR5s.

He offered to bring them to Calgary for me but I would have to wait a few weeks until he came up again or I could come to Lethbridge and pick them up. In for a penny, in for a pound, I say. We made arrangements for that coming weekend and Saturday morning, bright and early, I jumped in my car and headed south on Highway 2.

The day was... Interesting.

The rims were actually in two different locations. Steve had two of them and had "sold" them to another friend who could only afford two, so two were at the friend's house. Allan drove us all around Lethbridge the entire afternoon. First we picked up the first two rims from Steve, then to the friend's house. The guy wasn't home and the rims were already mounted on his Civic which was sitting outside. Allan spoke to the guy's parents, whom he knew, and they let him in their garage to see if there were any extra rims we could put on the Civic after we "repo'd" the two MR5s. There weren't. So back to Allan's to get some jack stands and a jack. We finally got the last two MR5s from the Civic and then Allan treated me for lunch at the Burger Baron.

Say what you will about everything we went thru to get the rims, Allan did all of this and went to all this trouble and I wasn't even his customer. I bought my CR-X from Dieter. I made the arrangements to ship the rims with Dieter and he had no obligation to be the go-between for myself and Steve. He didn't have to drive me all over Lethbridge to sort this out and then buy me lunch. As a matter of fact he didn't even keep the $100; he sent it back to Lon in Japan. We've kept in touch off and on over the years and is a really nice guy. If I was in the market for another Japanese import, he's the only person I'd call.

Funny how a lot of the really good people I've met thru acquiring parts for my CR-X I've become friends with after mix-ups. Richard who sold me the Personal Box ashtray that FedEx lost, Matt who sold me some replacement glass for my glasstop on Project 88 that kept arriving broken, and Allan and the MR5 situation. Just goes to show that just because a deal goes a little sideways, it doesn't mean it's going to end badly.

Allan wasn't kidding about the tires either. They were worn right down to the belts, but the rims - while in desperate need a good cleaning - were in excellent condition and had never been stripped or restored before. In the spring, I found a complete set of lug caps and a Mugen key on eBay to complete my set.


Mugen MR5s Finally Arrived! The tires didn't survive being used on a drag car though.


Mugen MR5s after cleaning, installation and some lug caps

Misc Pics From 2005

2011-03-31T23:44:00.000-06:00

Ready For Her First Canadian Winter

Illuminating License Plate

Mugen License Plate Bolts


Testing The License Plate


Gathers Radio From JDM EF6

JDM License Plate Seal

License Plate


Mugen MR5 Lug Cover Key and Spoon Radiator Cap

Honda Access Aero Mirror Covers


Honda Access Aero Mirror Covers

Project PRO.2 Moves To A New Home

2011-03-31T23:43:00.000-06:00

Project PRO.2

2006 was a year of changes and challenges for me personally, professionally and with Project PRO.2

My fiance and I bought our first house, I changed careers and I wasn't able to put as much money into the CR-X as I'd been able to in the past. We had a lot of extra expenses the first year of home ownership; new furnace, hot water tank, appliances and more. Add to that a back injury that sidelined me for pretty much the entire summer on powerful pain medication and it wasn't a terribly productive year on the build.

It was not all bad and some progress was made, but a lot of the year was about the house and my health. One of the big decisions I made was to fully commit to the Mugen PRO.2 build. I'm still going to keep all the OEM moldings and bumpers so that I can switch back if I ever want to, but that was definitely the direction I wanted to take the build. I also decided that I would continue to assemble my car by sourcing all of my parts first, then organize and install them at once. This route would take longer, and was the same route I took with Project 88. The main difference now was that my EF8 is drivable -- Project 88 wasn't. Not having to tow your project around town and even being able to enjoy the occasional Sunday afternoon cruise is a big advantage.

Driving My CR-X

One of the only requirements I had of any place we purchased was that it either had a garage or the space to build a garage on the property. The house we purchased didn't have a garage but had plenty of space for one. 2006 was a very prosperous time in Calgary it was extremely difficult to secure someone to build our garage. Coupled with Calgary's short building season and the fact we purchased in late spring, most companies were already booked well into the summer. We had no choice but to store all of my tools, the lawnmower and gardening implements until we could get the garage built.

Testing the Garage Pad (L) - CR-X in Storage Unit (R)

As the months wore on I no longer prayed the garage would be built by late July and started to pray that it would get built before winter. If winter arrived before we'd finished building there's no way the CR-X's sportier tires would allow me to drive in snow and ice so I'd have to get it towed from storage to the house.Although I'd prefer if she just stayed indoors all winter.

With the help of a friend, I was able to acquire a genuine Mugen rear bumper from an eBay seller. Since the seller wouldn't ship to Canada I had it shipped to the friend's house and then to mine. It arrived in decent condition but some minor repairs and a repaint will need to be made.Some minor cracking around sides, and some damage near the tow-hook hole are the worst of it.

Mugen PRO.2 Rear Bumper

Protip: Don't try and 'clean' near the Mugen stamp on the backside of a Mugen bumper. There's no clear coat or sealer on top of it. If you clean it, the ink will disappear. I managed to get only one picture of the stamp before I made that dumb mistake. Learn from me.


Mugen Stamp on Rear Bumper

I also scored a sweet deal on a 5zigen exhaust. It's missing the over-the-axel pipe but I figure any decent muffler shop should be able to custom-fabricate something with the custom bends needed to clear the suspension.


5Zigen Exhaust System

Some friends also came through for me and helped locate and acquire some rare parts from Japan like the Honda Access rear storage boxes, clear and smoked Mugen PRO.2 front bumper lenses and a Honda Access steering wheel. A few other purchases were some JDM foglights from eBay as well as a Honda Verno emblem for the rear bumper. I'm not big on decals and emblems, but this one was small and subtle enough that I decided I wanted it for Project PRO.2. Spoon heat barrier tape for my oil pan and a Honda Access trash bin rounded out some of my other purchases.

Honda Access Rear Seat Storage Boxes


Honda Access Momo Steering Wheel

Mugen PRO.2 Front Bumper Signal Light Cover (Smoked)

Honda Verno Emblem

Spoon Sports Heat Barrier Tape

Honda Access Fog Lights

Honda Access Trash Bin

But by far, best purchase I made in the summer of 2006 was a rear hatch for $150. It had a Honda Access DOHC deal on the 'extra windshield'. I saw it on eBay one night and noticed it was at a local tuner shop here in Calgary. I printed out the auction, which had no Buy It Now on it, and called in *cough cough* sick to work the next morning and went to pick it up. It included the SiR rear spoiler which I was able to sell for $100 to make most of my money back.

Honda Access DOHC Hatch Decal

As for the garage, it got completed. The structure and doors were installed by the end of September so I was able to bring the CR-X and all of our stuff home before we had to pay another month of storage ($250). The exterior and electrical were completed by the end of October. Four days later, we had the first snowfall.

Misc Pics From 2006

2011-03-31T23:42:00.000-06:00


1990 CR-X SiR & 1988 Civic Wagon (winter beater)


CRX Tail Light Collection

JDM 90 CR-X Tail (top) & USDM 90 CRX (bottom)

JDM 90 CR-X (top) & JDM 90 CR-X VTEC (bottom)


JDM 89 CR-X Exclusive (top) & JDM 89 CR-X (bottom)


JDM 90 CR-X Style SII (top) & JDM 90 CR-X Limied Edition II (bottom)


Canadian 91 CRX Special Edition (MISSING: USDM 89 CRX)


CR-X Exclusive Tail Light

Minor Progress

2011-03-31T23:41:00.000-06:00

Things started off well in the early Spring of 2007. I managed to pick up a few items that came up for sale in Japan, including two genuine, unused Mugen decals for the tail light and front bumper. I found a great bargain on some JDM Honda Access front floor mats which I originally was thinking of re-selling but changed my mind, since I'd been using a set of custom-cut Neuspeed mats meant for LHD CRXs and I was never quite comfortable with that. So I decided to keep my mint ones for shows and use that pair for daily. I also began prepping my Honda Access Aero Mirror Covers to be painted.

Emblems Shown In Mugen PRO.2 Brochure


Mugen Emblem Purchased At Auction In Japan


JDM Honda Access Floor Mats


JDM Honda Access Mirror Covers Primed And Ready For Paint

JDM Honda Access Mirror Covers First Coat Of Paint Done

Some of my good friends (such as rickcab1, cybercrxt and others not as well known on the forums) had sold or were in the process of selling their CRXs in 2007/2008. Once again familiar feelings began to surface and it seemed to me that perhaps they were on to something... The CR-X is an impractical car for most people, as most two-seater sports cars are. As I got older, I didn't drive my CR-X as much and I could feel that my priorities and goals had begun to change. I started to wonder if this was the equivalent to a pre-mid-life crisis. Between work, school, home-owner responsibilities and a social life, the CR-X always seemed to take a back seat and yet I couldn't let go. I felt like I was trying to somehow recapture my youth and the great times I'd had in Project 88. I wondered if that was healthy and wondered if it was time to let go.

In the end, my fiance made everything easier for me. She told me that the CR-X wasn't costing anything to store in the garage - well, it was $50/yr for a storage insurance policy, but that's no big deal. She said to keep it. Sleep on it for a year... So I did. I took a break. I didn't post as much on the forums, I didn't keep a close eye on parts and I didn't think about the CR-X very much. Matter of fact, she sat for over a year on jack stands in my garage without so much as being touched.


CR-X In Storage Again "On A Break"

But We Were On A BREAK!

2011-03-31T23:40:00.000-06:00

I had decided to take a break from working on my CR-X. Changing priorities had forced me to sit back and re-assess my plans for the CR-X.

It wasn't a total work-stoppage, mind you. Once in a while I would check online and sometimes I would find some deals and of course, like I always have, I submitted my list of dealer-parts to Honda each month to check what would be coming up for discontinuation etc..

I realized that after taking such a break I began to "lose my touch" when it came to parts and the scrutiny required when buying used ones. I ended up buying the wrong JDM spare tire and the incorrect size rear sway bar for my EF8. It was difficult to admit I'd been so careless, especially given the attention to detail I used to have when shopping for used parts in the past.

I Bought The Wrong Sized Spare Tire

I decided that in order to 'cheer myself up', I would have some of the rare decals I bought duplicated. Now I know what some of you are thinking, and I've gotten into many debates on the message boards over the years over this very same issue. I'm only in support of replica decals or parts if the replica(s) are made from the original... "Close enough" is not my cup of tea. I want an exact replica or I won't use it. The only exception would be an unimportant part, for example: like the mounting bracket I need to have fabricated for my rear Mugen bumper. But for core pieces of my build, they will be original unless otherwise stated. I don't believe in rockin' Rotas then telling everyone I've got Spoon wheels or some bullshit like that. So, I contacted a friend who was able to replicate my Mugen Door decals and the Mugen decals for the front bumper and rear tail light.

I bought an NIB rear tail light at my local dealership and proceeded to pull off the CRX decal and replace it with the Mugen replica one.


Brand New CRX Tail Light


So Shiny So Clean So Minty

AAAHHH! What are you DOING?!

OMG I Could CRY!

You are RUINING IT!


Naked Tail Light


Carnage

Mugen Tail Light Installation

Mugen PRO.2 Tail Light Decal

Mugen Tail Light Decal Installed

"PROJECT PRO.2" IN HONDA TUNING - WINTER 2008

2011-03-31T23:39:00.000-06:00

In June of 2008, I submitted my sunset photo to the Oh Snaps! contest in Honda Tuning Magazine. It had been a spur-of-the-moment idea and I didn't think about it very much. Several months later, I grabbed the Winter 2008 issue from the mailbox when I arrived home for lunch from work and was flipping through it waiting for my lunch to finish reheating in the microwave when I saw it...

I just about fell over. I never expected to have the picture get published, and I certainly never expected the SIZE of picture they printed. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I ate lunch as fast as I could and stopped by a couple Chapters stores on my way back to work and cleaned them out of copies. In total I think I bought about 12 copies, plus my subscription copy. I'd dreamed of getting my picture in a magazine since the early days of Project 88 and it finally happened. It isn't a feature, but I don't care. This is MY picture that I took, featuring MY car. I couldn't be happier and couldn't ask for anything more.

URL: http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/features/htup_0812_photography_tips_from_a_pro/index.html

I'm presently looking at having it laminated and hanging it in my home office.

Slideshow

2011-03-31T23:38:00.000-06:00

This is a slideshow I made in March 2010 chronicling my progress from Project 88 to Project PRO.2.

Hope you enjoy it:

Alternate URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdivXttX4s

Project PRO.2 Renaissance - ViS JDM Techno R Front Bumper

2011-03-31T23:37:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2009 my fiance gave me a nice surprise for the holidays: She told me that since I was leaning towards keeping my CR-X and about to begin work again in 2010, she would buy me a ViS replica Mugen front bumper to use until I can find a mint (or close to mint) genuine Mugen bumper.

I went to a local tuner shop, Speedtech Racing Development, and ordered it. When it arrived two of the three mounting tabs to the latch support were broken, so I had to refuse delivery and asked them to get another... Several months later, in March, I picked up the bumper on a Friday. I checked it for damage, but when I got it home I unwrapped it and noticed something very, very wrong with it...

The fiberglass was quite 'flimsy' feeling and the edges by the grill, signal light holes and under the bottom lip weren't straight at all.

I did some additional research online and scoured my CRX picture cache on my hard drive looking for evidence of other people with this issue. The only reason I'd agreed to use a replica was because a) it was supposed to have been molded from an original Mugen piece and 2) it was temporary until I could find a genuine one. Temporary or not, I could not use this on my car. After looking at the following pictures of other ViS-equipped CRXs I started to think perhaps Speedtech charged me for a ViS JDM Techno R bumper but sold a cheap knock-off (of the knock-off).

From what I was able to determine, a genuine ViS JDM Techno R bumper came painted in a black or dark grey primer; but had no plate like their hoods did. I called ViS on Monday morning and they confirmed that they'd sold Speedtech two of these bumpers around the same time I'd ordered my two. He also confirmed that this particular bumper can come in a black or dark gray primer color. So Speedtech sold me what I'd ordered but I still couldn't figure out why the drastic difference in quality.

I called Speedtech when they opened and spoke to the owner, and he assured me he would get to the bottom of it for me. I emailed him some pictures to send to ViS and a few days later both Speedtech and the customer service rep I spoke to at ViS earlier in the week called me back to explain what had happened and what they would do to make it right...

The ViS rep explained that when they run out of stock on a popular item sometimes they sub-contract to another company who has stock to supply them temporarily until another production-run can be made. These sub-contracted items are shipped direct to save time. Apparently the quality from the sub-contractor they used for my particular bumper was not as good as they'd believed... The ViS rep told me if I could wait for the bumper until they made another production-run on the JDM Techno R, they'd send it out to Speedtech ASAP no problem.

Note: While researching this issue on the 'net a lot of people had some very negative things to say about ViS Racing and their customer service but I must say, I've received exceptional customer service from them - and Speedtech, too... Unfortunately, they have closed their Calgary branch since :-(

Finally in July it arrived, and this one was a dark charcoal/black in color and the fiberglass was much thicker, giving the bumper more structural rigidity. The edges were straight and the overall quality was more in-line with the reputation that this bumper has.

Project PRO.2 - Back in Business For 2011

2011-03-31T23:36:00.000-06:00

My glass LHD headlights arrived this year. I had to buy these in case the legalities regarding JDM vehicles in Canada become more stringent. It's a topic I've decided not to discuss in this blog, but basically rumors were swirling around Canada in 2006 and 2007 that the government may change the requirements for JDM vehicles to be brought into the country and it was also discovered by the Provincial Governments that a lot of the Out of Province Inspections that had been performed on JDM vehicles weren't performed properly. There were reports of people who'd passed inspections getting re-inspection notifications from the Province to have their cars re-inspected. It was a concerning series of events, so I made arrangements to ensure that my CR-X would be in compliance in the event I was chosen for a re-inspection.

Also in the package were a Honda Verno dealer document holder for the owner's manual and other documentation for my CR-X, and this little guy:

April 25th, 2011: Don't Call It A Comeback, I've Been Here For Years...

2011-03-03T19:54:00.007-07:00

April 25th, 2011

Once again life has interfered with my CR-X build. It looks like a new job is on the horizon and I needed to take the money I'd saved up towards my build for a new wardrobe and other responsibilities. With summer fast approaching I'm concerned that this set-back may prove disastrous to my "comeback" attempt.

Luckily I've got plenty I can do in the meantime to keep me occupied. I set up some RSS feeds to eBay searches and a couple forum sites I frequent, like JDM Universe, and I started looking for some new contacts in Japan to get items from. The recent events with regards to the Earthquake/Tsunami in Northeast Japan has slowed progress on this front, but I will begin emailing potential contacts again near the end of the month.

I did manage to place a phone call to Mugen’s offices in Japan and I spoke to a very nice gentleman there… A couple weeks ago a genuine Mugen PRO.2 front bumper came up for sale on eBay, and the seller actually had the original front brackets to go with the bumper. I asked him to sell me the brackets but he wouldn’t (I didn’t think so, but I had to try), so I asked for the specs on the brackets so I could make my own but never heard back.

I called King Motorsports and spoke a nice enough guy there, but I had one good and one bad experience with them and I don’t trust their information, especially when their blanket response to a question is: Discontinued. (The good experience was a set of BNIB spoiler brackets I ordered back in 1999 -- The bad experience was: I called with part numbers for side skirt and spoiler emblems. “Discontinued” was the answer. That was July 2006… Then in November 2006 someone posts a JPG on the forums with a caption that said they just received “the last set anywhere” with the emblems and a King Motorsports invoice in the picture) So I figured try them first them call Mugen in Japan “just to make sure”. The man I spoke to at Mugen said he wanted to thoroughly check this item for me, so he asked if he could call me back, which he did within ~30mins.

Sadly, there are no more brackets available, and the company that fabricated them went out of business many years ago (he said he’d hoped to be able to send me direct to them or have some made for me). He thanked me for my enthusiasm for their product and said to send him my email address and since he knows some people in the Honda scene there, he said if he heard of anyone selling or who would measure them for me, he would send me an email. Now THAT’S customer service!

I also called a local company who does mobile glass repair and restoration to come out and perform an estimate for me. I have some minor scratches in my driver and passenger side windows from the worn and weathered belt-moldings. I replaced the belt moldings back in 2005, but I never tried to buff out the windows. They've gone out of business since the economic downturn so I suppose I'm back to the drawing board.

Anyways, part of getting back into the swing of things also means refreshing my brain on CRX information and all things CR-X... Some things I've just simply forgotten, like the OEM sway bar sizes for an EF8 (LOL), and some things I just need a little refresher on. A couple weekends ago I installed my EPCs on some Virtual Machines on my PC. I installed the JDM, EDM, USDM Honda/Acura, and Canadian Honda/Acura catalogs. I also cleaned up and organized the CRX pictures and information on my PC.

It wasn’t all roses and sunshine though… I spent the better part of 2 days working on an error with my JDM Honda EPC (Electronic Parts Catalog) I installed. Every time I look up a part that req's an Interior or Exterior Color Code the application crashes. I have all of my EPCs on a Virtual Machine - Canadian Honda/Acura, US Honda/Acura, JDM EPC v1.20 and EDM EPC v11 so playing with different apps and settings are a breeze.

I downloaded the JDM v4.3 EPC and I tried every combination I could think of to get it to install but unfortunately it keeps asking for a password to complete the installation. I don't have the password. Fortunately years ago I had called a Honda dealer in the UK every day for a week checking supercessions on part numbers. After some time getting to know the parts rep he actually gave me his access to their online Japanese parts catalog… I saved all the parts data for a CR-X SiR just in case, so I still have access to the information... It would just be more convenient to use the parts catalog by inputting my Frame Number.

This Easter long weekend I did inventory on my Honda parts in my garage. I used an iPhone app to scan the barcodes and email myself the information. Four large Rubbermaid bins and seven pages later I had all the information in my Google Docs folder for safe ‘cloud storage’ keeping, and also put locations of what container the parts are in as well. I also looked up the remaining parts I need as “spares” for my CR-X and got the Honda part numbers for them then had them checked to see if any are valid in Honda Canada’s database since the dealers are open on Saturday here (none of the parts were good in Canada).

Then just this afternoon I received a reply from a potential contact in Japan for spare parts.

Fingers crossed…

April 29th, 2011: Information Is Power

2011-03-02T21:26:00.001-07:00

April 29th, 2011

When I first got into the 'JDM CR-X Scene' I realized that it was hard to find reliable and accurate information. There were only a handful of sites out there with quality information and pictures, and it was shortly after one of them went offline (I can't remember which) I decided I should start saving this information for reference. I started off by printing web pages and saving JPGs of CRXs and parts. Soon after I began to saving the individual pages to disk and eventually I started saving the pages as .PDF documents.


Screenshot of Asuka's website where I bought my CRX rear seat that I'm still using today.

When I started working for a local Honda dealer here I realized just how important information is. You needed to have a 'Bulletin Book' since the catalog wasn't updated with new/updated listings for superseded parts etc... So I ended up collecting even more information. Then, as Honda Canada moved to an online portal called eBiz where they stored all their bulletins and Shop Talk articles I began to collect this information as well. You never know when a list of blind hole plugs and their sizes will come in handy... lol

I began preparing for my impending departure from the auto industry by combing thru the eBiz database and saving as many PDF files as I could. Shop Talk technical tips, the shop manual for the SiR and delSol VTEC models, anything and everything I thought would be useful in the future.

Also, in preparation for my departure (and because I had accrued some extra vacation time they would pay out on my final paycheck), I was able to order and pre-pay for a new SiR hood, hood release cable and other items. I also got the CR-X out for a timing belt repair (even though it snowed while driving her home) so I could take advantage of Service Dept discounts. Came out to a little under $1500 for the parts and labor for everything including the hood etc...

I dropped my CR-X off at the dealership to have the timing belt and water pump replaced. I spent about 15mins with the Assistant Service Manager saying things like: Make sure that all of the parts I supplied get used; even if it doesn't need the tensioner spring, I'd still like the new one to be used etc...

I knew that they wouldn't take the care I would take to do this job but I simply did NOT have the time to do the work myself and it's been 5 years since this car's been in North America, it has 102,553KMs on it, and I don't know when the belt was last replaced in Japan...

And as I'd hoped, everything worked out fine. She had to spend the night at the Honda dealership, but I made sure that the Assistant Service Manager knew that she wasn't to be left outside. I decided that if it wasn't in the shop by 5pm when I left, I would come back at 6pm when the Service Dept closed and pull it in myself (one of the many benefits to having a Master key and an alarm code to the building.

I decided to leave a little early and as I walked thru the parking lot I noticed that my CR-X wasn't there anymore so I went back to the shop just in time to see it being driven into the service bay. I spoke to the mechanic as he pulled my car into the shop. He didn't know it was my car at first, and he was pissed off, complaining that he had no info on the car/engine and the engine bay was such a tight fit, etc... He realized it was my car once I pulled out a USB stick and said: "I have the OEM service manuals for this car... You want that in Japanese or English?" Then seemed more relieved. (No, I don't keep JDM & EDM repair manuals in my pocket - I loaded them in anticipation of this... LOL)


Spending the night at the Honda dealership.


It was an odd feeling leaving my CR-X at the Honda dealership overnight.

It was an even odder feeling not seeing my CR-X in my garage in her spot.

I stopped in shortly after 7am to speak to the technician and let him know to contact me directly to ensure he received the correct parts and support for this car since no one in the Parts Department had the ability to look up JDM parts. I stopped in every hour or so to check in on his progress and I could tell he took great care with her. He noted I'd got the timing belt done just in time because it was loose and had begun to slip, chewing into the plastic guard next to the engine block. He had to file down some frayed plastic prior to putting the new belt on. Despite one small hiccup, everything went smoothly. We needed to get some additional valve cover tube seals since one of the ones I'd installed when I changed to the red valve cover was seeping slightly.

The highlighted cylinder was the one that had the seeping oil from an improperly installed valve cover tube seal.

I can tell you, I was sure glad to get her home. It was the first time in over five years that she wasn't under my supervision and it was an uneasy feeling walking into my garage and not seeing her parked in her usual spot.

Home sweet home.

May 30th, 2011: Some New Parts Arrived!

2011-03-01T22:40:00.004-07:00

May 30th, 2011

Well I have placed my first bid through my new contact for some parts I found on Yahoo Japan. The parts themselves aren't very expensive but by the time they get to me they will have over tripled in price. One of them is a shift boot and the other is a repair manual supplement for the 1991 EF6/EF7/EF8.

Now, I've always had a rather love/hate relationship with the Honda Access Shift Boot. There's part of me that really wants one, mostly because I love the 'Powered by Honda' emblem stitched into the leather boot... The part of me that hates it, thinks it looks like a giant uncircumcised penis, pardon my french, and what has been seen cannot be unseen.

Honda Access Shift Boot or Uncircumcised Tally-whacker?

I've relegated the shift boot to the very bottom of my wish-list, since I go back and forth on it quite a bit, right next to the pillar flashlight... The Honda Access Shift Boot is one of those parts I'd like to have but one of those parts I don't really want to install on my CR-X. ~$125is a bit much to spend on a 'Powered By Honda' scrap of cow ass, y'know?

So when I saw the auction for this piece the wheels started turning.

Honda Access Shift Boot Emblem glued onto imitation Type R shift boot

I translated the auction and apparently the seller had glued the Honda Access boot emblem on to an imitation Type R style shift boot. And it was cheap... I ended up winning it for 910 Yen, or approximately $12USD. And the emblem is MINT.

Emblem From Honda Access Shift Boot on an imitation Type R shift boot

So the plan is to order a new shift boot from Honda next week, then have this emblem stitched onto the stock CR-X shift boot, probably by an auto upholstery shop. I tried to make an apron for HomeEc class back in 9th Grade. It did not turn out well.

I think the repair manual supplement speaks for itself. Information is power!


Repair Manual Supplement 91 EF6/EF7/EF8

(UPDATE: $20 worth of parts, landed they cost me $73 --> 2 Parts = Shipping from both the Japanese sellers $17, 2x bank transfer fees to the seller $4, my contact's commission, $10, which based on closing cost PER item, then EMS courier shipping for one package from Japan to Canada $22).

June 2nd, 2011: Little Odds And Ends

2011-03-01T22:39:00.002-07:00

June 2nd, 2011

Tonight I finally got around to installing the timing belt sticker on my CR-X. I've seen some used engines come in from Japan with this sticker attached to the upper timing cover plastic, but according to the sheet that came with the timing belt kit this is the correct location... so who am I to argue? I forgot the date... Fortunately, I have plenty of extras I can replace it later.

Forgot to add the date on the sticker, but I've replaced it since these pics were taken

I also placed my order for a new shift boot from Honda Canada. I got one for a spare and one to have the emblem stitched onto. I normally wouldn't have bought 2 but they're discontinued and these were the last two in the country... Sorry, my fellow Canuck EF lovers :-(

Add caption

And the best news of all, the rest of my back-ordered parts arrived including a brand new hood for my EF8. I was told years ago they were discontinued, but apparently they didn't check the supercessions on the part number because when I checked the European parts catalog I found the new part number and was able to order it. With a staff discount it ran me about $350, which is less than half of what I was planning to spend on the carbon fiber hood.

July 1st, 2011: Happy Canada Day Long Weekend!

2011-03-01T22:38:00.027-07:00

July 1st, 2011

Happy Canada Day long weekend and Happy July 4th long weekend!

Got my CR-X out for a few days this weekend. My friend Tony, who had never driven in a RHD vehicle before even took her for a spin in a parking lot.

Getting a bath before heading out.

LHD 2008 Honda Fit LX & RHD 1990 Honda CR-X SiR: I'm Automotively Ambidextrous!

My friend Tony's first time in a RHD vehicle

Tony Driving My CR-X


He was so scared, it was funny.

July 24th, 2011: Well, This Is Embarassing!

2011-03-01T10:37:00.001-07:00

July 24th, 2011

I have a lot of parts for my CR-X. A lot.

It was a running gag when my CR-X arrived from Japan. “Oh, you’ll need a new xxxx.” And my answer was always the same: “Ya, I’ve got a spare one of those at home”. The guys at my local dealership joke about it. I don’t consider it hoarding since I do plan on using them. The way I’ve approached my build is to gather all the parts then go nuts and install everything once so I’m not tearing her apart every other weekend. I hate doing things twice. It’s the OCD in me maybe?

Anyways, every month I check Honda Canada’s inventory for the parts that I need for my build. I’ve been doing this for about 6/7 years now, maybe longer. When something comes up to be discontinued I can usually tell and I buy it. Sometimes I miss one and it’s already discontinued by the time I check but I usually get the guys in parts to order it, and because it hasn’t been discontinued very long, Honda Canada will usually order it from the US for me if it’s still available (no additional charge).

I’ve amassed so many parts that earlier this year I started looking at barcode readers so that I can scan all my parts and keep an inventory of them so I don’t end up buying things twice. At issue were a few parts: door hinges, a/c o-rings, and throttle/clutch/hood release cables that I weren’t sure how many I had, and a battery hold-down that I had bought double of by accident. In the end I just downloaded a iPhone barcode scanner app and used Google Docs to assemble my inventory. It took me an afternoon to compile the list and sort it so I have a reasonable idea what part is in what bin/tote/box/area.

Anyways, I’ve kinda left Project PRO.2 for a while now, but still kept up with my inventory checks. Last month, I was reviewing my parts list and revising some things and planning my build when I realized: “I don’t have rocker panels. Rusting rocker panels were the straw that broke the camel’s back for Project 88. I should have some for when I take my CR-X to the body shop and they remove the Mugen side skirts. Dealer cost isn’t very much for them, and it would be more expensive to have the bodyman repair than replace, I’m sure.” So I added them to my list and checked availability on them.

I found that the left side was in stock, but the right side was discontinued. I emailed the parts dept at my local dealer and asked them order the left and to phone Honda Canada to get me the right side from American Honda... The next day I got an email back: No luck; the US didn’t have any either. I checked a Vintage parts distributor that I know sometimes handles old Honda inventory. No luck there as well. I phoned a dealership in Washington state and asked them to check dealer stock around the country but I hit another dead end.

The chase was on.

My first stop was Australia, calling a dealer ‘down under’, where the parts guy there verified it was a good part number there but said no stock on the whole continent (makes it sound more dramatic to say continent rather than country, doesn’t it? lol), but he could ask Honda Australia’s parts team to contact Japan for me and check their stock. I said I would call back the next day. In the end, I had nothing to show for my calls to Australia but more dead ends; Japan had no stock either.

Out of desperation, and acting on a rumor I’d heard floating around the message boards once upon a time, I called Honda Japan to see if they would make me one. I heard a long time ago, and I can’t remember where, companies like Honda and Mugen would remake a discontinued part for you if you called them to specifically special-order it. (Side note for everyone thinking of calling Mugen in Japan to ask for emblems/fiberglass kit pieces, I called them already… they don’t do that anymore, for CR-X parts anyways). I was asked to email the particulars including my VIN to them and they would get back to me. That was June 28th, and I never heard back. In their defense, I called every day last week and received an automated message saying Honda Japan was closed. Perhaps something to do with the earthquake back in March? I seem to remember reading something about the car manufacturers doing rotating closures so there wouldn't be as much of a drain on the power grid during the crisis. Regardless, it was a roadblock, possibly leading to a dead end, so I moved on to England.

The time change from Western Canada to England is unforgiving, especially for someone who has to work a 9-5 job, so I sent them an email and figured if I didn't hear anything back in a day or two I would simply get up at 4 or 5am and call them. The next day I received the reply I'd been waiting for. Honda Europe had to no stock and there was no stock at any dealer in the UK, but they did manage to find one in stock at a dealership in Greece. Woohoo!!

One small problem though... I don't speak Greek and can't read it either. The dealer's whole site is done in Flash so Google translator didn't work and with Flash there's no 'cheat' when hovering over the links on the site either. So I figured I would call this coming week and see how much of a beating my wallet would take getting this part from Greece, what with the money Exchange, the Shipping costs and, most certainly, the Duty and GST when it arrives.

Friday I picked up the left side and brought it home. I regaled my former co-workers with the tale of trying to track down the right side etc.. and they all wished me luck and I just put the part on the floor and scanned the barcode with my app and added the part to my Inventory list way at the bottom.

This morning I was working in the garage and decided to put the left side away and decided the best place for it was on the rafters in the garage where it couldn't get damaged. So I got out the step ladder and asked my wife for assistance. It's not a heavy part but is awkward what with the box and all. After several attempts it became painfully obvious that the box would not fit in the rafters (too long) and I would need to find an alternate location. I scanned the garage and found a small space on top of my spare quarter panels. Then I started to look more closely at what was already on top of the quarter panels and realized there were two boxes that looked eerily similar to the box I was trying to find a home for.

Sunnuvabich!

Sure enough, I went to check and there, staring back at me was a Honda parts label: 04631-SH2-A50ZZ. I couldn't believe it. I checked my inventory I'd made back in April and sure enough, there they were. Both sides. I'd been calling all over the world to find a part that had been less than thirty feet away from me the whole time. And by my calculations I've had them for almost 6 years now!! If only I'd checked my inventory before I started I could have saved myself a whole lot of grief and hassle (and money for international long distance phone calls).

Lesson learned. Next time check the inventory before rushing off to chase CR-X parts across globe.