Project PRO.2 Moves To A New Home - Mugen PRO.2 Rear Bumper, 5zigen exhaust, Honda Access fogs, Verno emblem, Spoon heat tape, & Momo Steering Wheel

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.

Remember, this blog was written in chronological order so, you will need to click OLDER POSTS to move forward in time, and click NEWER POSTS to go backwards.