Blogging:


3/4/07
Just got started on looking up parts and locations to upgrade the box. I'll update this page when I actually start to goto work on it with before and after pictures as it is done. It's a 2006 EX-P, Nighthawk Black, 5 speed manual with absolutely no aftermarket parts to date.

3/11/07
Decidely, the car needed new speakers. Ordered a set of Boston Acoustics SX60 and SX65 (front components, rear 2 way respectively) from Crutchfield. By St. Patty's day I'll have the first pictures of the 'standard issue' with installation pictures and notes for the new speakers. That clear headlight mod (626ele's page has a link) seems like a great idea too. Who knows, one thing at a time right? : )~

3/14/07
Just to keep the page in a kind of blogging mode until I actually make it cardomain worthy: Had to return the speakers the moment they arrived from UPS. Word to the wise - don't be to quick to impulse shop for this car (lol). After extensive research from the EOC (www.elementownersclub.com) site, I discovered that upgrading the speakers w/o changing the factory amplifier (at least) would be a waste of time and money. So, going to put that off until I have the will/money to have it professionally done and going to go all out on an undetermined budget. The biggest news of this little rambling is that rumor has it Injen released a bolt-on ready catback exhaust for the AWD models. Yay.

3/16/07
Ordered:
Eibach Pro Truck Lowering Kit
Eibach Rear Alignment Arm Kit
18x8 TSW Sakata-5 Rims
K&N Typhoon Short Ram Air Intake
Parts to make a 'switchblade' style key.

Installation of the springs/rims will probably take place with in 2 weeks. I'll have some pictures going up (finally) after I can put up something other than what everyone else's stock E looks like. Also, will do the installation of the intake myself and will have a finished product photo up probably sometime next or the following week. Working with my 'connection' to get the HID's and exhaust installed with in the month. As for the 'switchblade' style key - following directions from the DIY forum section from the EOC: Flip Key Mod. Soon to find out if I'll have to extract the immobilizer chip to make the key fully functional. Will find out all in good time.

3/17/07
Side marker -> side marker + turn signal mod completed. Nice and easy.

3/25/07
Installed the K&N Intake. Still have to take pictures... don't have a good enough camera to use and its nothing too exciting considering its a pretty standard performance upgrade. Got the polished silver one to generally go with the interior. Don't feel like painting the valve cover or anything like that so polished = good.

3/31/07
Completed the TL Switchblade key mod: Guide. Everything's in except the rims. Figure with in 2-3 weeks I'll have 'phase 1' completed and finally start posting pics of the semi-finished product.

4/2/07
Installed two EOC stickers. Yay.

4/7/07
Wheels are not going to come in for some time. Special order product and TSW has not given a date yet. Fixed the intake - black silicon tubing was not properly clamped and had a small crack which was releasing air near the throttle body (which was interesting since I would think that opening would cause air to be sucked in instead). Ordered factory spoiler and hood air deflector from handa acessories. Looking into a head unit and leaning away from the touch screens. Even though they seem nice and all, I might stick with Alpine's new single din HU with the 2.2" screen. Realistically going to have the lowering springs, camber kits, and exhaust installed in two weeks. Next week - last trip to the dealership for standard maintenance before taking the plunge and going all out on the car. New plans to change the upper front grille for looks and after all else is done going to order new factory headlamps to try to make the HID conversion. Burning through my wallet, but being young and stupid... why not. : )
**Finally added pictures! On the third page.

4/8/07
Did a quick relocation of the wiring for the radar detector and relocated the unit. Pics on the 3rd page. This is more of a temporary fix. Going to do a permanent wired installation with the fusebox and put the 'remote' unit somewhere easily accessible and make a bracket for the detector around the area it is currently located at now. But, for now, it works. 2 minute wire running and only the right side A pillar had to be removed to do this.

4/13/07
Rims finally came in! Ordering the tires sometime tomorrow. Have to do some last minute research so I can finally get them on the car. Radar detector direct-wire up (vs. 12vlt socket) came in as well. Yay.

4/14/07
Ordered 245/55/R18 BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDWS Tires. Installation of the cat-back exhaust, rims + tires, factory spoiler, & lowering springs + camber adjustments go on as soon as the tires arrive at the auto shop and an appointment is made. ~2 weeks (seriously this time : ))

4/15/07
Hardwired the radar detector yesterday/last night. Ran the 12v power from the interior fuse box using an "add-a-circuit" fuse tap on #9 (Rear Wiper), grounded with the metal bracket held on with the left factory sub mount screw. Ran the cord up from there up the left side of the dash up the a-pillar and across the roof cloth and had the cable come out the plastic surrounding the rear view mirror arm. Mounted the "Smartcord" remote unit to the left of the sub and infront of the interior fuse cover... right next to where your right leg would be. Pictures will be added later. This was a true self-DIY really only getting the idea to tap into the fuse box from a DIY post for an additional 12v aux port (cigarette lighter slot). Nice to have the mute button easily accessible for a change.

4/18/2007
Ugh. Annoyances. Tires arrive at the installer and he comments how they are a little big, especially considering my plans for the car. IMO do not use any info from discounttiredirect.com. Consulted the manufacturer and they recommend 235/50/R18 for the box with the rims that I have, not 245/55 which has a significantly larger tread and sidewall. >.< So, returning the tires and was tempted to order Michelin Pilot Sport tires, but they cost way too much. Got 235/50ZR-18 Kumho ECSTA ASX tires instead. Higher rated on tirerack.com than the BF Goodrich in that size, but lower rated than the Michelins which were top on the list. *shrug* will be better than the crap that's on there now. Appointment set for Friday. Will have pictures of springs, rims, and exhaust done by Saturday. Still have to wait on the weather to home install the front air deflector and got to schedule an appt. for the spoiler unless I feel brave enough to take a drill to yet another car. Audio system will be planned out soon. Going with the JL stealthbox instead of the custom enclosures in the back. Seems more practical and use less power considering it will be 4 feet away from my face. Also, just a cheaper install (haha). JL components for the front and I may have them install some for the rear as well. Figured at this point might as well just go for it. Double-din touchscreen + XM tuner - probably a Kenwood unit. Navigation doesn't seem like its worth it right now so I'll probably do w/out it. We'll see. First thing's first after all.

4/20/2007
Installed lowering springs, rear alignment kit, cat-back exhaust, & rims + tires. Got 500 miles to break in the tires before I can really try out the car. So far, there are noticeable changes in the handling on turns. Its a slight feeling, but there is a noticeable difference. Ride is rougher, but nothing exceeding what I was expecting. Sounds great too! Glad I went with this system. Will get the front hood air deflector on tomorrow as a DIY. It's easy enough. Got to get the spoiler on through an auto body shop, pick up a ScanGauge II unit and then its another month of saving money for an upgraded audio system.

4/20/2007
Home installed Front Hood Air Deflector, aka. bug deflector? Whatever you want to call it.

4/28/2007
Painted the valve cover "Pepper Red" for a nice contrast under the hood. Also, put on an aluminum gutter guard to act as a lower grille. Total cost: approximately 12 dollars for everything done today. Pictures coming soon.

4/29/2007
New phone, new camera = retaking pictures tomorrow given it is sunny and having some nice high quality pictures to post.

5/8/2007
It would seem as though the springs finally settled in. The car seems to be riding a bit lower than the initial pictures taken on day one shown on page 3. Really have to get new pictures taken. Need a memory card for the phone or borrow someone's camera. Either way i'll have all new pics up eventually with some nice background scenery or whatever (lol). Going to consult the audio shop this weekend and hopefully get things rolling with in 2 weeks. We'll see!

5/22/2007
Ordered the parts for the audio system. Parts list on the first page. Promises to be a decent upgrade. Going to have components installed in the rear and the front tweeters moved down to the doors. Installer suggested a 1000w Kenwood amp considering the actual sub and the RMS of both the sub and amplifier. Once the install is finished, will get the spoiler put on and the Scangauge II unit in and all new pictures including the stereo system.

5/25/2007
Car sent to the shop. Returning tomorrow with the brand new system...

5/28/2007
Updated pictures. Audio system is great. All that's left now is to put on the spoiler, tint the windows, change the gauge/HVAC led's with hyper white (most likely) and put in the scangauge unit. Running out of things to do : (

6/2/2007
Cleared the headlights today. I am kind of amazed to see how easily the entire front end comes off on this car. Ordered mirrored amber bulbs for the front, sidemarker/turn signal, and rear directionals which appear to be a silver mirror bulb until illuminated. Should look nice (hopefully)... Added a 4th page with progression pics on the cleared headlights. Rotated the horn to point down instead of towards the body of the car (see pic on page 4) which increased the volume a little bit. Ordered clear sidemarkers and if all shows up on time, this time next week the clearing project should be completed and the scangauge II unit will be in. Thinking of mounting it to the upper right of the gauge cluster next to the center console. going to fit a short metal bracket between the plastic (maybe?) to have it stand up on its own. Will have to investigate that next week or the week after.

BTW, thank you everyone for the ratings! I must be doing something right ^ ^ I am open to suggestions as well, although there isn't much else that can be done right now with out going 'nuts'. Future plans still include installing the 07 factory spoiler, maximum NY state tinting all around except the front windshield, and making some home-made privacy panels. All in good time : )

6/6/07
Mirrored bulbs came in today. Still waiting on the clear sidemarkers. Added more pictures to page 4 to show the finished headlight product and the resulting change between the bulbs.

6/7/07
Clear sidemarkers came in today. Easy 5 minute swap/install. Decidedly after installing them, I want to paint that small nub of plastic sticking up into it (holding the bulb) black. Once that's finished this weekend, the project will be completed.

6/8/07
Put in the Scangauge II Unit. Nice thing to have.

6/10/07
Painted the dash pieces semi-flat black and gave the rings a new silver metallic coat. Removed the "Element" logo from the tailgate. Going to have a friend take high quality pictures sometime after the window tinting and the spoiler is put on with a nice background... probably the beach given we live on an island. That's not going to be for another month or so. Got to pay off the credit card bills first before I can put more money into this thing. : )~

6/17/07
Continued the interior paint job - did the door handles and pockets to match the dash. Moved the crossovers on the rear doors as well. Was an all day, very long project.

6/27/07
Rear spoiler installed (finally).

7/5/07
Started drawing up plans for a bi-xenon HID retrofit. After some research on hidplanet.com and some experimentation with the headlight wiring, it would seem that a bi-xenon retrofit is possible. Complications arose with the ground-switched low/high beam circuits but there's a way around that.

*Picture Deleted*

In theory this should work for this vehicle. Will find out in about a month after the parts are ordered. Considering wiring in a new set of halogen bulbs and placing them somewhere inside the housing to maintain the 'high-beam flash' function as well.

7/15/07
Ordered a complete line of 12v LEDs for a partial conversion.
-Gauge Cluster (Blue, #74 Tri-Star)
-HVAC Controls (White cluster faces, 5mm 25� / Blue buttons, 3mm 25�)
-Front Dome Light (Blue, 44mm Festoon - 6x 16mm 100�)
-Rear License Plate Illumination (White, #194 100� *168 replacement*)

If all goes well I may convert the rear dome to white and map lights as well for a full internal conversion.

7/20/07
Did the gauge cluster, dome light, and license plate bulbs. Was fairly easy. Tristar LEDs work great - there was some talk about blue being too dim for the gauges but these are fairly bright. I am very happy with this mod. Waiting on the rest of the bulbs for the HVAC controls. Plan on changing the map lights to white as well as the rear dome light. Will probably have it done by next week. Also disabled the ignition beep. Covered the head of the screw (which grounds the circuit) with electrical tape. Easy on, easy off if I ever need to reactivate it. 1 minute mod.

7/21/07
Disabled ignition beep also meant disabled dome light for drivers door and no disengaging of the autolock feature as well. Took the time and $10 bucks to solder on a switch in the rear drivers side door rubber tubing (location of the wires) so I can turn it off when needed.

7/29/07
HVAC controls were a job and a 1/2. After two days, its all finished. Well worth the mild hassle. Starting to draw up plans to do the HID conversion. Found a great source on www.hidplanet.com to make a relay for the new system. All that's left is picking out a bi-xenon projector (and find a matching shroud) as well as auxiliary lighting to retain the flashing lights function. Ideally I will find something that will fit in the housing with the new projectors. Alternatively, just put some lights behind the upper front grill. Planning on taking pictures sometime next week. May even go forward and get the front windows tinted sometime this week.

7/30/07
HID retro project is underway...
Overall plans: Clear the new headlamp housings and paint the front trim/main reflector housing black. Color mod the TSX projectors. Install a small set of PIAA driving lights behind the front upper grill to retain flashing ability.

8/5/07
Wiring harness is finished. Always manage to screw something up with anything and this time it was the very last thing. Wired the plug backwards and was getting no lows when the highs were switched on. Reversed the plug and everything works great. Lows stay on regardless of the highs and the highs only come on when they are supposed to. After measuring the current in all the plugs - took one of the ballast/capsules outside to try it out. Initially they were bright but after about 10 seconds they got intensely bright. I mean, that was the idea after all but it is clear to see why they need to be placed into a projector housing. During this week once the 'new' headlamp housings come in, will be prepping them for the Saturday retrofit which will be completed the following week. Going to black out the housing and sheath the projector with a 3" to 4" PVC housing painted black. High beams (driving lights) will be KC 2x6" Halogen reflector lamps mounted behind the front grill on either side of the logo. I may end up blackening the lenses to give more of a stealth look, but that can be determined and completed another time.

8/9/07
Wiring harness completed and fully working. New headlamps are in pieces and have been cut, drilled, and fitted with the projectors. All is ready to go for painting. Pushing the project off another week to make a custom shroud which will be flat and block off the entire rear portion of the housing. It will be an extension of where the lenses are. Probably will be fiberglass which will be primed and painted like the rest of the housing. We'll see... In the meantime, pictures are up of what was done so far. So far so good. : )

8/12/07
Pictures are up on page 4. What a pain... It's done, it looks good but it was a nightmare. Once I reached the part which was supposed to be a quick swap of the old and new lights... problems arose. I had to hack up the old lights to get these in which is a combination of the new bowl (w/projector), new chrome trim (reverted back), original lens, original back housing (which was the source of the problem), and the original turn signal reflector. The black back housing of the ebay headlamps would not fit on quite right. There was something different about it. It was a subtle difference but it just would not fit on correctly. Then, the bulbs would not fit in the projector housing. Purchased them ready to be dropped into an H4 housing and not a projector. -_- Had to tear off the H4 guide metal and place them in to get some kind of light output. It has to go... Otherwise, everything looks good.

8/13/07
Ordered a pair of Phillips bulbs which will allow the xenon portion of the retrofit to be completed. Too much light is escaping from the current horribly jammed-in bulbs. Hopefully with the new bulbs (which will fit correctly) I can finally achieve the excellent light output which was the reasoning behind doing this mod.

8/15/07
Just did the AVIC-D3 bypass mod found on www.avic411.com. Works great so far! No more having to stop the car and pull up the parking brake to do anything fun with the radio. Going to see how it holds up. Some people have said they encounter a problem after 45 min. We'll see.

8/15/07
New bulbs are in and made a world of difference. Certainly made the upgrade worth it. The light output is stunning compared to the halogens.

8/21/07
Light output is certainly amazing... unfortunately one of my projectors is misaligned and is shooting light way too high on the right side. Have to fix that this weekend. The auxiliary lights are in as well, but they don't do anything. Much like the fog lights now, they are completely useless with the HID's. You can't even tell they are doing anything and they are supposed to be my high beam alternative. To boot, flashing the lights turns on all the circuits and I am debating removing them or trying a brighter bulb since now they serve absolutely no purpose. I bought them, they are in... who knows. On the bright side 'they look cool behind the grill' as my friend put it. Struts are going quickly. The clicking noise on hard turns on the rear right side has evolved into regular turns with at least 1 passenger in the back and on both the rears. The car rebounds quite a bit and there's less and less of the factory struts preventing a wooden rollercoaster ride. Word to the wise: don't bother getting lowering springs unless you plan on matching aftermarket struts/shocks with them. Car is almost done now. In about a month I'll have the front windows tinted and a new optima yellow top battery. In 3-4 months I'll have the coilovers on with the factory rims on some kind of winter tire. Come spring, I may slam the car to the ground (4" drop) and proceed to raise/lower it over the course of the years to come. I hate to say it, but I think the car is nearly finished.

8/25/07
Fixed the headlights. Properly leveled and soon to be placed back onto the car. Pictures will come soon once I can borrow someone's camera and there's a nice sunny day to update page 3 (finally).

8/28/07
Ordered the Tein's. The rear suspension is dying quickly if not already dead. The past 2 weeks went from semi-bad to pretty damn horrid. Car is bouncing excessively on the highway and I fear the fronts don't have much longer to live. Ultimately the drop will be lower than it is now by another .5-1" minimum. Considering trying out dropping it to the ground before the winter season comes.

8/30/07
Thank you "perfdata" from the EOC! Leather shift boots (real and synthetic) have finally come onto the market and I am inquiring about one with black leather and silver stitching to match the repainted interior. Considering the price, it's definitely the next thing going on my car asap. : )

Honda Element Leather Shift Boot

9/1/07
Finally painted the trim pieces on the steering wheel. Removed the airbag after disconnecting the battery overnight and popped out the trim pieces. Painted to match the rest of the 'metallic' trim pieces (which is really clear paint with silver glitter). Will get the pictures up on page 4 by tomorrow.

9/6/07
(Synthetic) leather shift boot came in today. I will have it in by tomorrow. Pictures to follow.

9/7/07
It's on and it looks great. Much thanks to Perfdata from the EOC (again) as well as www.lightningautocustoms.com who made the actual piece.

9/14/07
Nothing physically changed, but some changes are going underway soon. 1. Tein basics are shipped and they should be on by the end of September. Will drop it to the ground for the duration of October and probably til Thanksgiving when I'll switch over to winter tires and raise it to the top until March. We'll see how the weather is... 2. The headlight trim has been bothering me - I don't know why I went back to the chrome trim. There is some light being reflected off of the bottom as well and after ripping them apart so many times and cracking the reflector bowl (etc) I am going to just purchase new 07-08 headlamps and do it all over again. Should be considerably faster since this time around I know what I am doing. Nice and clean install with brand new lenses and the TSX projectors. 3. Changing the fog light bulbs to yellow light for a real fog benefit. The HIDs are making them useless other than something pretty to look at. 4. Decided to go with a upper (logo removed)/lower billet grille to enhance the look and hide the high beam replacement spot lights a bit more. Although light output will be significantly reduced by physical blocking, they should still serve the 'flashing' purpose. 5. Hood damper kit (you know, the hoods that prop up by themselves with out having to set the prop stick)! It was a small dent in the wallet but I am glad they are available. Had them on the previous car and can have them again. Small convenience issue really. Should have that on in 10-20 min after they come in. All in good time. Hopefully by March of 08 I can declare the project officially over and ready for 200k (accident free, *crosses fingers*).

9/15/07
Appointment for the Teins are set for the 17th.

9/17/07
Car is in the shop. From what I hear, the upgrade makes the ride a lot smoother. Going to order the 07 headlights and will probably attempt the re-retrofit this weekend. As it stands now, they are doing well but its time to do it over once more with brand new headlamps. // Ordered a few things today as well. Factory alarm system, OEM weather mats (the ones I have there now keep sliding/getting under the clutch pedal), and a pair of new headlights to redo the retrofit. I'll probably repost a new picture of the car as it stands now on the new suspension and what should be approximately a 3" drop vs. the original 1.7".

9/17/07 (#2)
What a world of difference. The car rides much smoother now. Dropped as far as it will go with out rubbing or other issues.

9/20/07
"Dropped as far as it will go with out rubbing or other issues." Jinxed myself. Rear is rubbing with a single 130lb passenger. *sigh* Purchased a fender roller and will work on it next week.
Thread link. Other than that, waiting on the various parts to come in. Considering this takes priority, I will be putting the headlight re-retro/billet grille install off until the following week. Will have the hood damper kit on as soon as it comes in. Mental preparations for the next two weeks of major modding. It's gonna be a fun month.

9/29/07
Fender Rolling done. EOC Thread Link. Somehow I managed to kill my battery in the process. Whoops? Overnight slow charge should remedy that.

10/5/07
Weekend of the re-retrofit. Overall plans are to redo the headlights, paint the interior trim black, install the billet grilles, install the dual PIAA horns, and convert the fog bulbs to 55w yellow and the high beam replacement to 130w white. Have a new radiator cover on order as well - sometime next week will remount the high beam lights with a bracket. The cover which is made of plastic has become warped from the install and has the lights on an angle.

10/6/07
So far so good. Billet grilles are on, projectors are on and adjusted. Everything's painted and ready to go. Tomorrow is sealing day - JB Weld and putting it all back together. Found a nice 'urban' place to take pictures as well. If it's still light enough I'll get the E over for a photo shoot.

10/9/07
Hit a metal chair on the L.I.E. and took out a chunk of my bumper (front end), to the right of the fog light, front portion of the inner fender, and smashed my front washer motor to pieces... maybe even the washer tank as well. Priced out the damage in parts directly from Honda just over 500 dollars w/o additional charges (tax, S&H). We'll see what the insurance company says. Just put on the billet grille too... >.<

10/17/07
Fixed up the car. Parts replaced/fixed. Took some new external pictures and posted them up. Currently working on the fog lamp bypass Fujisan from the EOC figured out. Will finish up the pics later on including night time pics of the HID retro and the gauge cluster. For the most part, the mods are done. The E is as it is now is what it will be for a long time. Still need to pick up some new things including the engine torque damper, some kind of battery, and window tinting to 35% front (NY Legal).

11/4/07
Rewired the fogs to activate with the parking lights. Cut off most of the interior harness and ran three connections from 5 wires on the OEM switch. Fairly simple. Also, reinstalled the lower billet grille since the other one was not salvageable after the accident. Going to tear out the old XM and amplifier from the stock radio next week time permitting as well as home-tint the side markers and taillights. Will probably fine sand the interior paint job - found some 'bad' spots which need to be smoothed out. Finally decided to go forward with a 6-speed conversion as well. Adding a 6th gear from a TSX into the existing transmission (there's an open space for it). 200 dollars in parts and what will probably be a grand in labor. Hopefully will have that done sometime next month.

11/10/07
Re-did the high beam circuit lights. Ordered a Buddy Club short shifter for a Civic SI 02-05 and new metal brushings. Same part, will reduce throw by at least 50%. Still waiting on an answer from the first shop I contacted for the 6-speed conversion. Ordered black tinting paint and 1500 grit sandpaper - will have the taillights smoked out next week, short shifter installed, and will try to smooth out the paint in the bad spots.

11/18/07
Installed a Buddy Club Short Shifter designed for the 02-05 Civic Si. Was a perfect fit since the mechanisms are all the same. Shifter is definitely tight and shorter... no more sluggish feeling. It's also a bit stiffer but that's fine with me. Ran out of time since the removal of the stealthbox changed the install time from an hour to 4 and couldn't do the tailights. Will do that later in the week given its thanksgiving and all.

11/30/07
Ordered the Engine Torque Damper. Will have that on sometime soon. Put on the winter tires on the OEM rims. Looks like it used to just 3" lower, still. Ordered the SC taillights and going with those instead of blacking out the tails. Put up the TSW's for sale and seeing if anyone will buy them. If someone does, then I will be searching for a nice set of 19x8's with 245/45/R19 Kumho Ecsta SPT Summer Tires. If I can't sell them, I'll be taking off the old tires and replacing them with 245/50/R18's to match the original wheel diameter as closely as possible. Turns out the 235/50's are too small and the odometer is reading incorrectly. We'll see what happens in three months.

12/5/07
Engine torque damper installed. What a world of difference for this vehicle. Along with the short shifter, the E feels much less sloppy during shifts.

12/11/07
SC model taillights installed. 2 minute operation.

12/16/07
Freak occurrence two days ago. The ride height caused the driver's side rear driveshaft to literally fall out of the CV joint. Have to get the boot off to determine whether or not the pieces just need to be placed back in or if replacements need to be made. Whoops - Ride height is too low apparently. Going to raise it to 2.5" (Tein's recommended setting) and see what happens from there.

12/27/07
Update: raised the rear 1 inch and the front something... maybe .5? Seems ok now. Ordered a new momo shift knob. Plan on taking off the extension piece on the buddy club and trying out the shortest shift for a week or two and see how it is.

1/2/08
2008. New year plans: "Honda Ghandi" installed and tried out the F/R sway bars from Suspension Techniques. Looks like a good buy and will do this myself when the weather warms up a bit... probably come February since I honestly don't want to wait that long to put those on. Something I have been thinking about doing for a long time (several months). Will repaint the dash pieces and may even smooth the surface instead of leaving the textured one it has now. Keeping the same colors. If the old summer wheels sell, I plan on getting Tenzo-R GF7 19x8 Black w/chrome lip rims with 245/45/R19 Kumho Ecsta SPT tires for a better look . 18's are too small and 20's are too big for my taste with 19's being the perfect compromise. Deciding on black spokes with the chrome lip to maintain the overall look of the vehicle inside and out. As much as I do love the TSW's, I would rather not get the same thing 1" larger and take the opportunity to get something different. Later in the year, this spring/summer perhaps I will have a Compustar remote starter installed for the winters to come. Front windows will be tinted 20% for a uniform look closely matching the rear. That about sums up the final plans for the E. I was thinking about doing a full DIY sound-deadening but if that is going to happen it will in the summer. I'm not set on doing it right now although it seems like a nice investment considering how much noise that thing makes by itself (aside from my intake/exhaust). Will post new pictures in the next few months. Maybe even get a "winter" shot if it snows again.

Oh, can't forget. Got to rinse and oil the air filter sometime this year.

1/3/08
Installed the Momo shift knob. Accidentially destroyed the old shift boot in the process so I ordered a new identical one as well as a matching e-brake boot from lightningautocustoms.com. Took off the shifter extension piece so it's at the shortest shift possible. Will take a little getting used to but I like it. The new shifter is a little heavier as well. All looks nice. I'm happy with it except for my temporarily deformed shift boot.

2/25/08
Spring plans are set. Starting with sway bars which will probably be on by the end of March if all goes well. Hoping to sell the TSW's soon for the new Tenzo-R Type M rims; machine silver or black with machine silver lip (undecided), 19x8.5 with 245/45 Kumho SPT tires. Would love to have those rims... Relining the interior doors with the SC model's titanium/black panels to start. Redoing the dash (same colors) with a smooth finish instead of the texture that's there now. Window tinting for the front to match the rear (finally). Replacing the KC's with 4" shallow round lamps for the high beam (better "high beam" light output). Last but not least, installing a rear-view camera in the rear hatch key slot and rerunning some wires and mount the amps to the rear interior quarter panel trim so they don't get in the way anymore when there are large loads to put into the back. Should be finished no later than May and ready to show off for the EOC's international meet come end of June.

3/2/08
Front bumper is cracked. Considered my options and concluded an SC front end conversion is the thing to do. Sell off the retro headlamps for the same cost of new SC lamps, pick up the two front bumper pieces and all necessary hardware for a net cost of around 400 dollars. The TSX projectors were great, but an SC conversion will look even better IMO. For that cost, it seems like a much better option than spending ~300 for another regular bumper. Going to throw on the rear bumper as well. Also, decided on the black with machine silver painted face Type-M rims. Come May, the car will be transformed again and ready for professional detailing.

3/15/08
Ordered: $2500 in parts.
-SC Front conversion parts
-Tenzo-R Type M Rims, 19x8.5 5x114.3 +45mm Black w/machine silver face
-ST Front/Rear sway bars.
Hopefully by the end of the month, it will all be on.

3/30/08
The SC conversion is done minus the new wiring harness. Worked out a theoretical daytime running light harness that should work. Will have that constructed and in by next week. The sway bars are on backorder until next weekend and then shipping should put them at my house in two weeks. I plan on putting them on a.s.a.p. Rims are still a 'who-knows'. Given the popularity, I hope to see them sooner than later but so far there has been no word. As much as I would like to get off my winter wheels, I have to wait. In the meantime, I will re-do the dash pieces and throw in the rear-view camera. Once the new wheels are on, the new door panels are going in followed by window tinting and finally the remote starter system to finish it all up. A whole conversion write up has been made and can be found at http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44604 with pictures of the conversion. Once everything is done, I'll have a whole new line of summer time pictures inside and out.

4/6/08
Constructed and mostly installed the new wiring harness. High beam wiring still needs to be run on another day. Worked out plans to have the dash pieces professionally painted to match the exterior color of the car. Going to touch up the door panels and put the money to new leather seat skins - two tone in black and silver to match the style of the interior. Recharged the air filter. Waiting still on the new rims to show up. Plan on having everything but the new compustar system and window tinting done by the end of April. Finish it all up in May. Have the car detailed in mid June and then it's off to Ohio to the EOC international meet at the Honda plant. Show off the new SC-X and compare to the other mod fanatics. Eventually I'll post some older pictures to show the progress from the old days of all-stock with an external iPod adapter to what it will be in the next couple of months.

4/13/08
Fixed the DRL harness this past week. Changed one resistor to 2 ohms to yield a total resistance of just under 1.5 to yield ~52% light out of the high beam bulbs. Working nicely. Found a shop to do the 6-speed conversion and plan on having that done in the near future. Going to change the shifter links and try and tighten up the shifter on the tranny side. Since it's identical to the EP3 (02-05 Civic Si), something should be readily available. Upholstery order will be placed this week: black leather and "aluminum (reflective) carbon fiber leather to match the interior silver paint. I plan on removing the interior door panels next week to repaint the interior weather permitting since they have seen something of a beating in the past year. Going to layer on the clear coat to give more protection. Dash pieces are being professionally painted to match the exterior color and the ring trim will be redone with the door panels. Wheels are still MIA and the sway bars have been pushed back another week on back order. Going to take care of all of this a.s.a.p. since I would like to have it all done before the end of April, but that doesn't seem likely now. I'll have all new pictures up once the rims and sway bars come in since the dash and interior panels will be done by the end of the week. Give another couple of weeks for all the seats to be reskinned (DIY). I may have the window tint done sometime between now and then since the panels are coming off anyway.

I just want those damn rims to come in already. Tired of driving on my winter wheels. : /~

4/16/08
Got word on the rims (finally). They should be coming in early May. Chances are I'll order the upholstery around the same time. Mid may seems to be the first major current milestone since the entire interior will be redone. All that will be left after is the window tint and the remote start system... but the latter can wait.

4/26/08
Finished redoing the door panels and the speaker components. Cleaned up and rewired including mounting the front crossovers to the outside of the doors. If the paint does not hold up over the next year I will probably swap them out for the black/titanium SC panels like I had originally intended. Dash pieces should be coming back and it will look complete again. Ordering the tires and upholstery this week.

5/12/08
Installed the pioneer HD and XM radio tuners. Wheels are in - waiting on hub rings. It's all coming together soon...

5/15/08
New wheels are on, pics are up. The dash will be finished soon - pictures to follow. Remaining future plans are set. Leather seats will be next followed by tints.

5/25/08
Got back from vacation including US 129 - the "Tail of the Dragon". Posted pics of the E in action tackling the 11 miles of twisted road. Put on the front and rear sway bars - eliminated all understeer. I'm very happy with the upgrade. You can see the rear sway bar (which is neon green) from behind the car... will get a picture of that up soon.