PandaCoupe's Frost White EJ1 - DANG! Updated 5/05 - New pics!!

[PandaCoupe]

More pics and updates on later pages!

Exterior

-JDMShit Spoon style mirrors

-JDMShit Mugen OE type urethane front lip

-JDM thin side moldings

-JDM Stanley EG6 outter tailights

-JDM Stanley EG6 side markers

-OEM splash guards

-JDM Stanley EG6 headlights

-JDM Stanley EG6 corner lights

-Honda of America eagle badges

-Raybrig H4H 4000K headlight bulbs

-JHPUSA JDM yellow fog lights

-Luminics JDM yellow H3 fog light bulbs

Interior

-JDM Sir-II dash clock

-JDM SiR-II climate control cluster

-JDM defroster switch

-H.O.P. optional center audio/accessory console

-H.O.P. optional center console w/cloth armrest

-H.O.P. radio block off plate

-Skunk2 Pro-Series dual bend short shifter

-Skunk2 weighted shift knob

-Honda Of America JDM "Coupe" third brake light

Audio

-Panasonic CQC1333U head unit

-OEM speakers

-XM radio

Engine/tranny

-SOHC D16Z6 Vtec

-DC Sports brushed 4-2-1 header

-Injen RD series CAI

-2.5" Carsound cat

-2.5" es Tuning muffler

-Custom 2.5" mandrel bent exhaust piping

-Skunk2 Pro-Series dual bend short shifter

-Skunk2 billet battery tie down

-Energy Suspension shifter bushings

-Powder coated valve cover

-Mr. Gasket header gasket

-Skunk2 oil cap

Suspension

-Skunk2 Pro-Series coilovers

-Skunk2 Pro-Series adjustable camber front upper control arms

-Skunk2 Pro-Series adjustable rear upper control arms

-Skunk2 rear lower tie bar

-Omni Power LCA's

-Tokico shocks & struts


Wheels/Tires/Brakes

-15x6.5 Rota Slipstreams, steel grey

-195/50/15 Yokohoma AVS ES100's

-Hubcentric rings

-Skunk2 tuner lugs

-Skunk2 extended wheel studs

-New OEM brake calipers

-Brembo cross drilled/slotted rotors

-Hawk brake pads

-Brembo rear drums

-New OEM brake shoes

Misc.

-New H.O.P. drip rail molding

-New H.O.P. windshield molding

-New H.O.P. door sash moldings

-New H.O.P. door window moldings

-New H.O.P. trunk and hood emblems

Future plans

-JDM speedo

-JDM window visors

-ASR subframe brace/ITR rear sway package

-PW:JDM 3 point front upper strut bar

-Rear disc brakes

-JDM inner tails

-B18C with bolt ons

-Get rid of the Rotas

-EDM DC2 rear fog

-JDM DC2 clutch/gas/brake pedals

-Backyard Special front lip

-Etc, etc, etc....




Pics in no particular order, but trying to keep them oldest to newest

First day home











The build up begins





























































Random part pics

[PandaCoupe]

I went to the shop today, even though I really didnt feel any better (been sick for the people just checking in) and messed around for a little while. No pics because what I did really didnt make that much of a difference

I wired up my side markers, and test fit them into my fender. They look great and fit perfect, nice and tight.

Took out the whole "center console", getting ready for my audio/accessory console and a console with an arm rest. Switched out my shift boot with the ITR shift boot that came in yesterday. The ITR boot is pimp shit

Took my XM reciever, and straight wired it to my car. So that it doesnt have to plug into the ligher anymore. Plus hid the wires a little better than what they were.

[JdmRevelations]

WTF!.. james i just read your bulletin... are you serious?... damn must be something serious if your selling your Skunk2 Coupe... hope all is good...

[G-rat]

SELLINg.....say it is'nt so

[PandaCoupe]

Yes, its true, I'm selling my Coupe. I really hate to see it go, after all of the time and money I have put into it, and havent even put the first mile on anything that I have bought for the car. But its time to move on to bigger and better things in my life. If I was to keep this car, it would only hold me back. Because theres so much I still want to do to it that would take so much more money.

I may keep the car and drive it through the summer so I can actually enjoy my hard work for a little while, but I doubt it very seriously. I can get more money for it if I just sell it ASAP after the paint job while everything is still brand new. I would like to get a good percentage of my money back that I have put into the car up to this point. Although I know I am going to have to take a big loss to get rid of it. So far I havent set any type of a price, but I am still working on that. As soon as its ready to sell, I will have the car for sale in the classifieds on here just incase some of you guys would be interested in it.

I have no idea what I am going to get next, but chances are it will not be another Honda unless I happen to get lucky and find a new Si around here. My love for Hondas is just as strong as it was when I first started this build. But I have realized that its time for me to start putting the money I have put into all of my project cars to better use, and if I get another Honda it will be just like this one, a bottomless money pit. Thanks for everyones support and kind words that you have given me since I have started on this car. Everyone gave me the motivation that I needed to get to this point(although its not that far)

I will continue to update this thread just as I have before. Thanks everyone. CCFL!!!

[Mugen_Stumpo]

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:


i'm a little sad to see your ej go, but i've really appreciated your word about the council and the hondas:TU:

[Dina]

WOW James man I cant believe it! I have to give it to you though you have put alot of time and money into that and if its blockin you from better and bigger things in your life then its only right to let it go

[G-rat]

damn...im sorry to here that...i have to say that your car was one of the finest builds on this site if not the best....hope things work out for u though in the futere

[PandaCoupe]

Hey guys and girls. I just wanted to update everyone on the situation of my car.

I havent done anything to it in a few months other than cranking it up for a little while every week. As everyone knows I have been really busy for a while. That said I just havent had the time to mess with it at all.

But, the car will still be for sale as soon as I get it painted and put back together. I'm not real sure how much I will be asking for it, but believe me it will be a STEAL for whoever buys it. I will probably end up selling it for half of what I have put into the car since the start of this build.

I will update as soon as I make my next move on the car. Which will hopefully be SOON. Thanks for everyone replies during the buildup. You guys kept me motivated to make it this far. I hope you all like the final product. Thanks

[PandaCoupe]

I went to the shop yesterday and got to do some odd and end things to my car :TU: The most I have done in 4 months. The biggest thing I did was put in my center console w/ armrest and the audio console. Looks pimp

Anyways I took some pics. As you can see, the car hasnt changed at all since the last update I made other than the fender signals and putting my headlights and corner lights in which werent mounted when I took these pics

[PandaCoupe]

This car is being parted out! Check the classifieds for my FS thread, EVERYTHING HAS TO GO!

[Dina]

I hate to see you do this but I know you have your reasons this was one of the best builds I have ever seen and I am gonna make sure I try and honor you and your car by making mine as close to this as possible with my own touch!

Thanks for taking the time to share it with us!

[PandaCoupe]

OMG....I am keeping my car and finishing it. :lol:

After a long week of thinking and stopping by the shop this morning and spending some quality time with my coupe. I am deffinatly keeping it.

As most of you know, I had a big for sale thread going for a long time, and was parting out my car. That thread is closed, and the sale is off.

I am going to have to buy some things again, that was sold in my for sale thread. Most of the things that I sold, I can live without. Some of the things I need to get again. And there are some things that I didnt have before, that I want now and will get.

I am going to put some thought into where I want to take my car now, and make a list of what all I will be getting. And keep you all updated :TU:

Thanks guys

[PandaCoupe]

Ordered a set of OEM mud guards and still waiting for my side moldings to be shipped out

Will have pics as soon as they come in :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

I was in the shower earlier when my girl came busting through the door telling me that I had a few packages. WoooooWhoooo JDM molding FTMFW!!! I love new molding smell

I was hoping my mud guards came in too, but it looks like they wont be here until tommorow

[PandaCoupe]

Mr. FedEx man ran today :TU:

Mmmmmmm OEM goodness

[PandaCoupe]

Got these today. Courtesy of Grip King from EJ1OC :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

A little update. Ordered a few things over the past few days. Ordered:

15x6.5 Slips in steel grey
2.5" es Tuning muffler(Just got a confirmation that this is on backorder. Fawk :TD:)
JDM Stanley headlights
JDM Stanley corner lights
JDM defroster switch

Still like a few things but will hopefully get everything else that I need ordered and delivered fairly soon. Going sometime this week to find out how much its going to cost to get custom piping made for my exhaust(scared). Will get pics as everything comes in :TU:

Thanks for all of the comments so far

[PandaCoupe]

Alright so I couldnt find an es muffler in stock anywhere, and es never answered their phone and never returned my e-mail.

Soooo, I went ahead and ordered a radio block off plate, JDM clock and Skunk2 shift knob. So now I have everything for my interior. All thats left is the tires, and the muffler, both of which I will work on getting fairly quick :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Got some parts in :TU:

Headlights


Defroster button

[PandaCoupe]

Clock came in.



Still waiting on my rims, shift knob and block off plate...Hoping to order the muffler sometime within the next few days :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Update:

Rims came in today








So did my block off plate

[pali_meister]

First off: sick build! :rockon:

And i hear u on the bills and always being broke. But every now and then you will be able squeeze some part in.

Now go to work and make some money so i can see this car finished.

[Moe2005]

Build looks like it's going along great. Keep the good work up :TU:

[Mugen_Stumpo]

:TU: :TU: :TU:

don't give up man...

[PandaCoupe]

The drivers side corner light came in yesterday. Now I have a set instead of 2 passenger sides haha



Also, I ordered an ES Tuning muffler a couple days ago. Shipped out not even a half hour after I ordered! So that should be here early next week hopefully.

Now, before I can paint the car I need:

Tires
Piping made for the exhaust

So close yet so far :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Got some more stuff today..

OEM CD player..




OEM speakers..





30 watts max FTW!



And my ES Tuning muffler finally..





:TU: :TD:

[G-rat]

when are all the new goodies goin on?

[Ej1Trying2BeJdm]

man your build is great i deffinitely got alot of ideas. I love the facy that you got an oem cd player and speakers me personally i couldnt have dont it but it will look way more original the way your doing it wow i love this build keep us posted

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks man :TU:

[jdm93EJ1]

hey was wondering if u still got another passenger side JDM corner light still? mine broke =( lol let me know! all the parrts look nice tho cant wait to see it all done!!

Adam

[PandaCoupe]

No I dont have it anymore man, sorry :TD:

If I come across one I will let you know

[jdm93EJ1]

for sure! good lookin out lol cant wait to see this thing done man good luck!

Adam

[PandaCoupe]

Small update..

JDMSh!t Spoon knockoff mirrors came in





Going to have to put my car on hold a little longer until after the holidays. Going to try to get everything else that I need ordered before the new year, and have the car painted ASAP after the '07 year begins.

I would like to get the car done and have a nice photoshoot before the Feb. ROTM contest begins so that I can hopefully enter. But dont quote me on that just yet. If I cant make it by the Feb. contest, be looking for me to for sure enter in the March. contest!!!

[Mr.MAN]

aweosme, i love my spoon style mirrors, linited view but they look bitchin:TU:

[crazyxzer0]

sweet! the only thing i grieve is not being able to parallel park in the city with those bastard mirrors!

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks guys I got these kind of spur of the moment. I have had one set in the past that fit like crap. But those were the $20 set that you get on Ebay. Got these and they are alot better made than the cheap Ebay set. I am hoping that they fit alot better too :TU:

[Mr.MAN]

i got mine off ebay for 35 shipped fit super good

[PandaCoupe]

Shiyat mine didnt. To get them to fit would have required some serious trimming. Gaps everywhere ya heard!

[Dina]

This is Most deff one of the best builds on here! I love this car and cant wait to see it done! There are few cars on here with the attention to detail as this! Thanks for sharing with us!:ccfl: :JDMCC:

[PandaCoupe]

Hey thanks Dina that means alot to me bro!!

There are ALOT of better builds on here than mine though, mine has just taken the longest of anyone elses :lol:

[PandaCoupe]

Just wanted to let you guys know, that if you have noticed that your post count has went down a little its because I cleaned this thread up. I deleted about 10 pages all together, and left all of the posts that were made within the last month or so while leaving my update posts to keep the thread up to date

I also added a few different pics, re-arranged some stuff and updated my mod list a little.

While I am at it, a little up to date info about my car. I am going to order my tires within the next few days, get my car running again(need an ignition coil), and get an appointment to get my piping made for my exhaust.

As soon as the piping gets made for my exhaust, and the car makes it back to the shop I am going to start wet sanding. When the wet sanding is done, I will begin painting within 1-2 days of finishing the wet sanding. Should take about a week to paint the car, let the paint cure good and get it put back together. If everything goes as planned, my tires make it to me without a problem, and I can get an appointment at the muffler shop quick enough, the car should be ready to drive within 3 weeks to a month, tops. :TU:

[Mr.MAN]

awesome man, hey how did the skunk2 coils and tokicos work out? i heard under that much drop on tokico they blow?

[PandaCoupe]

I havent had any trouble out of them yet, but I havent really "driven" the car yet either, just backing it in and out of the shop and driving it around in the parking lot. I think alot of different variables come into play with the Tokico blues blowing out. Some people say that theirs went out pretty quick and other people say they have been driving on them for years without a problem.

I will drive on them until they blow, and when they do I will upgrade :TU:

[Mr.MAN]

cool deal, thanks for the info

[2coupes]

it's not the amount of drop that blows stock shock replacements like tokico blues, it's the springrate, and being that the shock isn't valved to handle much over stock rates, it blows the shock quicker, i think skunk2 coilovers are about 7k front, 4k rear...that's much more than stock....my weapon R coilovers were 6k/4k and they blew the shit outta those kyb's i had on there

[PandaCoupe]

I was thinking it was something like that, I was unsure so I didnt want to open my mouth without knowing for sure.

I am going to run the blues until they blow, they will do me until I am able to get better shocks. Which will be after my baby boy is born probably. Surely the blues will last me a few months with red light to red light cruising

[Mr.MAN]

imo, u could drive em forever and never truely notice anything bad, but this is coming form a person who dosent even have a permit yet lol

[2coupes]

imo, u could drive em forever and never truely notice anything bad, but this is coming form a person who dosent even have a permit yet lol
actually that's true, because with springrates like that, you won't hardly ever use the limited shock travel because the springs will handle every bump, not the shock, i was probably on blown shocks for 2+ years and didn't really know it

[PandaCoupe]

I am hoping that I am able to upgrade from slip on coils to a full coilover setup sometime next year. After doing some research and talking to some people, looks like I will be going with PIC from Suja1 the next time around :TU:

Today I ordered my tires, 195/50/15 Yokohama AVS ES100's. And reordered a Skunk2 battery tie down since I sold my last one when I decided to do the part out.

Tommorow I am picking up an ingition coil on my way home from work, and also calling the muffler shop and getting an appointment to do my exhaust.

I may mess around a little in the paint booth and paint my mirrors sometime in the next few days. I'm going to try my hand at mixing my own paint to see how it turns out. I've never tried doing this before. My dad mixes his own paint everyday and says its pretty simple. So I am going to have him there to help me a little bit if I need it. He has a bad ass setup at his shop for mixing paint and it looks pretty simple. I'll find out how simple it is soon enough.

[Mr.MAN]

sounds good man, cant wait to see it runnnin

[Dina]

Hey James is that your garage that the car is in or is it a shop?

[PandaCoupe]

Its my Dads body shop, the room that the pics of my car was taken in is just a room off to itself that is usually used for storage or wet sanding cars. I just took it over to build my car haha

[JdmRevelations]

damn must be nice james... eheh so any progress on the whip!?

[PandaCoupe]

Nah not really any progress. I got the ignition coil just havent had time to put it on yet. I was going to today, but me and my fiancee had a few doctors appointments today for a pregnancy check up that lasted ALL DAY. Everything looked perfect though :TU:

I am going to go to the shop tommorow after work and put the igntion coil on, and I am also going to mess around and paint my mirrors just to give me a little more motivation. If I get the car running tommorow, I will make an appointment at the muffler shop, then will have to wait until I get the exhaust made and get the car back to the shop so we can start on the paint.

[PandaCoupe]

Went to the shop today and put in the new igition coil. It fired right up without a problem and purred like a kitten.

Also mixed some paint and painted my mirrors, they turned out perfect. I was going to get some pics but I didnt have my camera with me. So it will be tommorow, when I go back to get them, before I can post up some pics. I'm going to let the paint cure and dry overnight before I really handle them.

Also, I talked to my muffler guy today and I am dropping my car off to him this coming Wednesday morning. He said he could get started as soon as it gets there, and have it done and ready to go by early Wednesday evening.

Tires will be here Tuesday, Wednesday I will more than likely go ahead and get the tires and rims mounted and balanced.

As far as paint, still no date set in stone as to when it will be painted. But I feel that it will be painted within the next 2.5 weeks.

I'm so f*cking excited, my long time project is finally coming to an "end". I cant wait to wrap this thing up so I can get it back on the road.

[Dina]

Thats great James Maybe when your done I can use the bay to finish My Coupe! I was a body and paint man for 13 years and I think I want to paint the Coupe! LOL

[PandaCoupe]

haha Yeah I want to paint my coupe too, but I think I am going to let my Dad handle that chore! I trust myself with small things like mirrors, bumpers, ect. But I dont trust my painting skills enough to spray a whole car. My Dad has been doing body work for well over 20 years now and can lay paint as smooth as glass. I know he can paint it alot better than I can, so I'm going to step back and just watch.

[Dina]

The better to take pics of it then! If I could find a garage around here for me I would most deff be working on my car more!

[PandaCoupe]

Oh yeah for sure! I'm going to try to get as many pics as possible from here on out :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

New pics :TU:

Went to the shop to mess around for a little while today doing odd and end things. Had to put a few exhaust heat shields back on, mounted my center console in permanently, put the rear deck back together, and let the car run for a little while.

This is how the car sits as of now. Not much different than any other time.



Raised the car up as much as possible so we can get it on and off the trailor without it dragging when we take it to the muffler shop Wednesday morning. Looks like a friggin 4x4





Half assed put the back bumper on for the installation of the exhaust



And just for the hell of it an interior shot



I forgot my damn mirrors when I left too, so no pics of them. I need to go get them tommorow sometime.

[Dina]

Oh Yeah its On I love this build!!!!!:ccfl:

[G-rat]

those are some nice pics...what kinda camera do u have?

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks. I use a Kodak DX7590, in manual mode :TU:

[Mugen_Stumpo]

:tu: :tu: :tu:

[PandaCoupe]

While I am thinking about it. Isnt the recommended ft. lb. for tourqing down Skunk2 lugs like 80-85 ft. lb.?

[NtAcivG94]

thats OEM specs as well

[PandaCoupe]

I thought so, thanks man :TU:

[Dina]

90 ft lbs is the factory specs I use it every day

[PandaCoupe]

Finally got around to putting my mirrors back together and snapped a few pics. They turned out really good, with barely any orange peel at all.

I sprayed the clear a little heavy on the last coat and sort of puddled it a little in a spot. You cant really notice it unless you get right down on them, I didnt notice it until I was putting them back together. When I wet sand them I can get it out though so its no biggy. Anyways heres the pics







Heres where I sprayed a little too heavy



So this will probably be the last update until Wen. when I get the exhaust all welded up and get the car back to the shop. Then, I'll get some more pics and possible a video/sound clip of the new exhaust.

[NtAcivG94]

that looks sick

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks homie :TU:

[JdmRevelations]

DOIN IT UP ! glad to see you are making progress! keep us updated

[PandaCoupe]

Got this in the mail yesterday and didnt even know it! I really need to start checking my mail everyday. ICB kicks ass, I just ordered this a few days ago!

[crazyxzer0]

sweet

just like mine.



:TU:

[PandaCoupe]

You didnt happen to buy that from me did you? Reason I ask is because I sold my old one to someone on here a few months ago and I cant remember for hell who I sold it to haha

[Mr.MAN]

man themirrors look sick i need to get mine painted

[G-rat]

sweet

just like mine.



:TU:

i should be ordering mine this week:D

[Volume 8]

Those mirrors came out good. I've seen them painted like that on white coupes and it looks great, definitely gonna be a nice addition.:TU:

[G-rat]

i just saw the mirrors and they look awsome man....turned out really good...cant wait to see the car done

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks fellas I am proud of my mirrors haha :TU:

[eJone powereD]

lovin your thread bro...love all the pics of all your parts and cant wait to see it being put back together!

[crazyxzer0]

definitely loving your car james. :]

[Thateguhate]

sweet

just like mine.



:TU:


CF FTL .... Im getting the DOHC from the gsr and throwing it below the light...."maybe"....

Definately loving your ride though...shit is dope

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate everyones comments :TU:

[crazyxzer0]

:TU: i love your car. Can't wait to see it in action hah.

[Moe2005]

Looks like the build is going great. Keep the good work up! :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Tires came in today





Tommorow morning at 8 A.M. we are trailoring the car to the muffler shop and getting the exhaust all welded up. Should get the car back tommorow evening. Also having to do some odd and end stuff tommorow night when it gets back to the shop that has to be done before paint.

I have some more stuff thats supposed to be in tommorow, will get pics and a sound clip up of exhaust and everything tommorow night probably.

[NtAcivG94]

sounds like a big update ahead...cant wait!

[Mr.MAN]

awesome man cant wait to see the wheels on

[PpSiR]

...and after read all the post's all I wan't to say is: don't give up and continue cuz we wan't to see it finished! yay! :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Got a couple of odd and end things in today. Shift knob and battery tie down. I swear the last couple of weeks has been like deja vu. Having to order everything again that I sold when I decided to part the car out.







And got my exhaust done! 2.5" mandrel bent piping from the cat, back. It sounds good, but I think I may get a resonator installed later on. I will have to drive it and really get the feel for how it sounds on the road before I know for sure.

I was going to get a sound clip but I didnt have enough space on my memory card for a video clip. But I'll get one later

[NtAcivG94]

that muffler looks great!

[PandaCoupe]

Yeah I really like the way it looks. I'll take the oval style over a can style any day now. I think I may get a nice subtle tip to put on it too, to try to make it look a little more stockish. My ass is going to be bling blang when I get an ASR brace put back there haha :TU:

[Mr.MAN]

muffler looks awesome man, i ust got that shift knob and it is by far the best feeling knob ive ever used

[NtAcivG94]

muffler looks awesome man, i ust got that shift knob and it is by far the best feeling knob ive ever used


and we all know zac has felt a lot of knobs! haha jk

[PandaCoupe]

Ohhhh...buuuuuuurrrn hahaha :lol:

[Mr.MAN]

hahahhaha, very funny but you know gays actually take their knob feeling anger out on straight people

[EJ_Allmota]

your ride is turning out so sic man.. I ****in love it...

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks man!! :TU:

[G-rat]

oval style ftw......been rockin one for a few years and lovin it

[JdmRevelations]

"OEM" look... keeping it on the DL.... shoulda gone with that vibrant one though!

[PandaCoupe]

I'm sure I will end up trying out the Vibrant muffler before all said and done. I havent even gotten my car done from the first go 'round yet and I am already thinking of ways to change it up haha

[crazyxzer0]

I'm sure I will end up trying out the Vibrant muffler before all said and done. I havent even gotten my car done from the first go 'round yet and I am already thinking of ways to change it up haha


you are like my friend, he has 3 exhuast for his EF..

buddyclub, Espelir, Nvidia lol. all before his car was up again.

[PandaCoupe]

UPDATE!!

OK, the moment has come. This weekend.......we are painting my car.

Friday, I have to go water sand it and do some last minute odd and end things. Sunday morning we will start painting, bright and early. So, next week sometime if weather permits, I should be able to get in a nice little photo shoot. I already have a nice parking garage picked out for some night shots and am still looking for somewhere to take some day time pics.

I cant believe it, after so long, so many ups and downs, all of the time and money. This is finally getting wrapped up.

Oh and just to have a pic thrown in here, got my tires mounted and balanced today :p

[G-rat]

i am definatly staying tunned for this....cant wait to see if done...good luck..and wheels look awsome

[Mr.MAN]

i cant wait man, and parking pics ftw

[JdmRevelations]

DOOD paint your car already! and slap them rims on!

[PandaCoupe]

Doin it as fast as I can! Now I cant do anything until Friday but sit here and squirm. After I wet sand the car Friday, I wont sleep Friday night, or Saturday night probably haha.

[Mugen_Stumpo]

don't rush on the paint job...

do it right:TU: :TU: :TU:


congrats man:JDMCC:

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks Stumpo!! And believe me man, nothing is getting rushed. I've never half assed anything with this build and for sure wont skimp on the paint job. :TU:

[Mugen_Stumpo]

i know man:TU: :TU:

[2coupes]

your wife get mad with car parts in the house? haha

definately can't wait to see this thing painted!

[PandaCoupe]

You know, shes actually the one who told me to put them all in here! I was talking about how I didnt want to put everything in the shop because it was all get covered in overspray and bondo dust and she said she didnt mind if I put them in the house. But, most of everything is in the attic. The only thing thats actually in the house are my rims and tires, in the guest bedroom. Everything else is out of sight out of mind

[kyle10182]

thats a real clean build!

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks man :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Ok, so today I went to the shop and made a day out of it. I wet sanded my car really good and got the car ready for paint. Early tomorrow morning we are meeting at the shop and throwing some color to it. There ended up being an ass load of pics taken tonight. All of them posted below :TU:

Wet sanding should be a punishment :TD:









Break time!



Random sticker



Back to work. Cleaning the floors real good. Dont want anything jumping up and getting in my paint!



Pulled my car back in the shop and broke out the air hose blowing the car dry.



Almost an hour later...still blowing...



Boooooooo dirty engine bay



Noticed a while back that my Brembo drums had some pretty nasty surface rust. This has bugged the hell out of me ever since. So tonight I decided while I was there I would do something about it.







Sitting back watching the paint dry, literally.



Random m4d tyte JDM key flob. Boredom while watching paint dry



And the last shot of the night. Everything done, now we wait.

[NtAcivG94]

thats awesome dude...wish i had a shop like that to work in! excited to see this thing with some fresh paint on it finally!

[Mr.MAN]

looks great dood, nice shots, cant wait to see it up and painted

[Mugen_Stumpo]

:TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU:

bad ass shop!

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks for the comments! :TU:

Walking out of the door in just a few minutes to go to the shop. I'll take a few more pics for today and post them up when I get back home.

[s_18@CH]

Looks good! Good luck with the painting :) Can't wait to see the results :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks dude :TU:

My car was painted today, and all I can say is, :eek: damn. My Dad is amazing with a paint gun. He definatelly flexed his painting skill muscles with my car. Its the slickest car I have ever seen come out of there. Virtually no trash in the paint, slick AS GLASS and very little orange peel. But, using the best paint and clear they had there helped too. I am very very very satisfied with the outcome.

I didnt take pics of the car actually painted. I am going to wait until later tonight when I go back to the shop to take some things for my car up there to take those pics. I wanted to let everything dry a little more and flow out better before I took pics. Plus I wanted to get my camera out of there because of the over spray. Anyways, heres some pics from today and more coming tonight, probably.

When we got to the shop this morning we taped the car up and spent a little extra time masking off all of my suspension and exhaust.











Bumpers all ready to go





And some random shots of the paint mixing room, and my Dad mixing my paint





:TU: / :TD: :jdm: Thanks for all of the replies!! They are very much appreciated!

[NtAcivG94]

thats awesome man. post some pics up of the car actually painted asap!!

[s_18@CH]

Damn, I look forward to it :)

[Partizan]

Looking forward to seeing the car painted.

[Mugen_Stumpo]

a big :TU: goes to your dad

[Mr.MAN]

sick dude cant wait to see it its gonna be so nice and fresh and clean and mean

[PandaCoupe]

Heres a few shots I took a few minutes ago when I took some stuff up to the shop. Tommorow morning I am going back to untape everything. And my Dad is coming sometime to help me mount the bumpers, because I dont want to do it myself and screw up the paint job since I cant watch both sides of the bumpers at onced. We are going to try to get as much done tomorrow as we can. Which we should be able to cover alot of ground with the both of us. These may be the last pics I show of my car until I get it all put back together and am able to put together a good photo shoot. But I am sure I will post teaser pics until then :p

For those who cared enough to post their comments, thanks!!

[Dina]

Sick James I Love This car! No paint booth huh just right there in the shop any kind of draft system in there? any dirt in the paint?

[PandaCoupe]

Nope virtually no dirt or any type of trash in the paint what so ever. We went over the car top to bottom, front to back earlier looking for whatever may have gotten in the paint. We could probably count on both hands the amount of stuff that got in the clear, and that was very very small amounts that will for sure come out when I get the car buffed out. Most of it will probably come out in the first washing if I use hot water to wash it in.

And as far as a ventilation system, theres none at all in the shop. I asked if they ever thought about putting one in there today and my Dad said they had talked about it but never got around to it. There are a few doors at one end of the shop, and if you open them it sucks all of the over spray out pretty quickly. But when you paint it gets pretty foggy in there, I had to go outside quite a few times. It was rough, especially the clear.

[NtAcivG94]

that looks excellent! love that white

[Z3R0]

lookin good

[hondaholic]

wow man that looks great, you've came pretty far man, it looks amazing

[SOHCej1]

lookin good! can't wait to see it all back together!

[Partizan]

Thats awesome man.

So, current mod list? Or the modlist when the ride is finished?

[PandaCoupe]

Current mod list is:


Exterior

-JDMShit Spoon style mirrors

-JDMShit Mugen OE type urethane front lip

-JDM thin side moldings

-JDM EG6 Stanley tailights

-JDM Stanley EG6 side markers

-OEM splash guards

-JDM EG6 headlights

-JDM EG6 corner lights

-Honda of America eagle badges

Interior

-JDM Sir-II dash clock

-JDM SiR-II climate control cluster

-JDM defroster switch

-H.O.P. optional center audio/accessory console

-H.O.P. center console w/cloth armrest

-H.O.P. radio block off plate

-Skunk2 Pro-Series dual bend short shifter

-Skunk2 weighted shift knob

Audio

-OEM Honda CD player

-OEM speakers

Engine/tranny

-SOHC D16Z6 Vtec

-DC Sports brushed 4-2-1 header

-Injen RD series CAI

-2.5" Carsound cat

-2.5" es Tuning muffler with custom 2.5" mandrel bent piping

-Skunk2 Pro-Series dual bend short shifter

-Skunk2 billet battery tie down

-Energy Suspension shifter bushings

-Powder coated valve cover

-Mr. Gasket header gasket

-Skunk2 oil cap

Suspension

-Skunk2 Pro-Series coilovers

-Skunk2 Pro-Series adjustable camber front upper control arms

-Skunk2 Pro-Series adjustable rear upper control arms

-Skunk2 rear lower tie bar

-Omni Power LCA's

-Tokico blue shocks & struts

-Type-R rear sway bar

-Energy suspension sway bar bushings

Wheels/Tires/Brakes

-15x6.5 Rota Slipstreams, steel grey

-195/50/15 Yokohoma AVS ES100's

-Hubcentric rings

-Skunk2 tuner lugs

-Skunk2 extended wheel studs

-New OEM brake calipers

-Brembo cross drilled/slotted rotors

-Hawk brake pads

-Brembo rear drums

-New OEM brake shoes

Misc.

-New H.O.P. drip rail molding

-New H.O.P. windshield molding

-New H.O.P. door sash moldings

-New H.O.P. door window moldings

-New H.O.P. trunk and hood emblems

[Mr.MAN]

so title says its painted? so is it done? cant wait to see

[PandaCoupe]

Yeah its painted, pics of it after paint on page 13 :TU:

[Mr.MAN]

oh kickass man, howd i miss that , my bad

[PandaCoupe]

haha Its alright. I'm about to leave for the shop and start pulling off all of the paper and tape. And trying to get a good bit done today as far as putting everything back together. I hope everything goes smoothly

[Mr.MAN]

whee;s goi n on after that?

[PandaCoupe]

I'm going to put the wheels on today. Thats probably what I am going to do as soon as we get the bumpers back on. Then mess with the suspension until I get it where I want it, height wise and camber wise. Then start putting back on all of my new moldings, lights, etc.

[Mr.MAN]

man this is ona be sick, how low u think ull go?

[Mugen_Stumpo]

go slammed:rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

[PandaCoupe]

Yeah I am definitely going low. I'm going to take it down to where I have no wheel gap between the tires and the fenders.

I didnt lower it tonight, because its going to be a few more days until I get it out of the shop, so they will have to pull it in and out for a few more days with some nasty drop offs here and there backing out of the shop. I'm going to wait until the day I am taking it home with me before I lower it.

I took some pics tonight. I will post them up in a bit :TU:

[Mr.MAN]

oh cant wait to see man, ur gonna have a sick ride soon

[OniFactor]

in for the pics.. get those up, or else i call shens!

[JdmRevelations]

james i gotta give it to you man! your car is going to look so fresh and so clean like you just drove it out of the dealer!

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks man :TU:

I am about to post up some new pics in just a few minutes. I have to resize them first!

[Dina]

Again one of my favorites Builds on the Net! James you know I love your car and I cant wait till I get mine going! Props to you for all you have done and the time you have spent its is well worth it!

[PandaCoupe]

Here are all of the pics from today! I busted my ass today and put the entire car back together. The only things left to do: get H4H headlight bulbs, adjust the headlights, lower the car/adjust the camber and get it aligned. It will more than likely be at the shop another day or 2 and then I am bringing this baby home!!

Freshly untaped



After a little procrastination I finally started getting everything together and got around to putting all of the moldings on.



After I got all of my moldings on my Dad showed up and helped me hang the front and rear bumpers.







After that I took a long break and got a sammich to eat. Then I messed around and while longer and got some more stuff done. Decided to throw the wheels on and set the car on the ground.






Aaaaand, the only "whole" shot of the car that I am going to show until I can get it home, clean it up and am able to get a nice little shoot. I dont know what happened to the camera here, weird!!! ;)

[NtAcivG94]

good god...that thing looks niice

[crazyxzer0]

congrats james. looking might goooood. :]

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks fellas :TU: Its kind of like its not even real yet. Busting my ass for about a year on it, and then in one weekend it all comes together and its basically finished now, and it all went without any problems or bumps what-so-ever. I just cant wait to get it slammed. It looks like a 4x4 right now!

[Dina]

looks great James Glad to see it coming together!

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks man!! Hope to have you some pictures of it soon!

[Mr.MAN]

wow man that thing looks sick, i love the mirors, i need to get mine painted soon, it looks soooooooooooo good man

[NtAcivG94]

shit i didnt even notice the painted mirrors...they look great!

[OniFactor]

tits. :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks everyone! :TU:

[Partizan]

Car is looking really fresh. Now about slammin it on skunk 2 coils...wont that blow out the hp's pretty fast?

[jabeaner101]

nice... too bad that last pic got messed up somehow lol

[s_18@CH]

Damn, that's straight out nice! I miss my old Coupe badge though :(

[G-rat]

congrads man on finnaly getting it painted....cant wait to see a full on photoshoot of her

[Mugen_Stumpo]

:TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU: :TU:


really really nice, i love the american badge under the side marker:japanflag:

now slam her:ohsnap:

[Volume 8]

Looks awesome. Definitely inspirational to see a build like this come together.

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks for the comments everybody!



Car is looking really fresh. Now about slammin it on skunk 2 coils...wont that blow out the hp's pretty fast?

You know, probably so. But like what was said earlier in this thread about the spring rates for those Skunk2 coils, if the shocks do blow you really wont be able to tell it. But when they do I am going to upgrade to something better. More than likely full PIC coilovers instead.


nice... too bad that last pic got messed up somehow lol

Yeah I know I dont know what happened to my camera there :p

[JPCoop]

It looks great! Nice fresh paint

[2coupes]

very very nice!!!! more pics!

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks! I am going to get more pics ASAP. Going to have to get the suspension set where I want it, and give it a good wash job first. I have a photo shoot planned to happen soon. I dont really want to show the whole car until its completely ready even though its killing me not to haha

[1995civicEJ]

it is great to finally see it done, hurry up and do a photoshoot, thumbs up for keeping it Frost White.

[-eXpo-]

Wow, just wow! Coupe is looking amazing! Big thumbs up to you! Can't wait to see the photoshoot of her done and on the ground! :TU: :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Thank you man :TU: I appreciate everyones positive comments. It makes it all worth it!

[CTB16]

Your car is looking beautifull. It's a true inspiration to us all of us with buildups.

[JdmRevelations]

Damn james now i want fresh paint on my whip! i hate you!

[PandaCoupe]

i hate you!

I love it when you lie to me in my ear Luis :p

haha

[mphscivic]

Looks good dude. Nice color choice. Glad to see u finally got it all back together

[SOHCej1]

ooooooWEEEEEE! she's looking good now! get er' done and get some more pics!

[PandaCoupe]

So I know I said I wont be posting any full body shots just yet. But screw it, its not like you've never seen a car like this before and your going to see it sooner or later anyways :lol:

I lowered it tonight. Its not really as low as I want to go, but I am going to let the springs settle a bit first, and then go from there. I adjusted the camber in the front dead on, but dont really like the way it looks. So I may add a few degrees of negative camber tommorow before I bring it home. Heres the pic, I didnt try to get too artistic with it or anything



Hellz yeah s0n!! haha

[SOHCej1]

awesome! looks good man! feels good coming down the home stretch, doesn't it?

[PandaCoupe]

Yeah it does, it feels like the weight of the world has been taken off of my shoulders!

[CTB16]

Don't rush it to get it over. You've waited long enough for it. It is looking great, I love the fender badges. Where did you get them by the way (not gonna steal your steeze and copy, just wondering)?

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks man!

I got the badges off of Grip King from EJ1Ownersclub.com :TU:

[NtAcivG94]

oh shit son...bout time!

[G-rat]

looks awosme on the ground...cant wait for a full photoshoot

[Mr.MAN]

damn dude it looks great, i love every little detail, from the badges to the rims, looks completely sick and i like the drop just like it is, when it settles itll look perfecto

[JdmRevelations]

damn james now i gotta start working on my car agian cause yours looks too damn good compared to mine...

[jdm_ej2]

Nice wheels ;)

[2coupes]

very nice! full shoot soon please! :TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Well today I drove my car for the first time in a year. God I missed that car. It drives good, rides really smooth, handles good, doesnt rub any no matter how I turn, runs as good as it ever has and everything seems to be in order. I didnt think it was low enough when I first lowered it, but after driving it the springs settled a little and OMG I consider it "slammed" now. I couldnt image having it any lower. A little white smoke when I first started driving it and a little black soot on my rear bumper. But after a few miles it all cleared out and stopped smoking. But sitting up for a year and basically not being ran hardly at all, I can understand a little smoke. I have to call tommorow to get an appointment to get an alignment, and get insurance too.

Its sitting in my driveway right now, and its killing me not to jump in it and go, but its getting dark and my headlight bulbs are nonexistent, and I dont want to drive it anymore than I have since my alignment is off. But it feels great to have it home fo sho!

As soon as I get an alignment, and am able to get it detailed I will get in a good full photo shoot for you guys. I hope I am able to do that before next months ROTM so I can enter! :TU:

[2coupes]

you've got my vote!

[Moe2005]

Just simply amazing how this car has transformed, it came out great :TU:

[Dina]

Thats Great James Glad to hear it Brotha! Check your phone you have Text!

[SLVRBLLT22]

:TU: Great job on the build. The car came out awesome and is super clean. Congrats on getting it done and enjoy it.

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks everyone :TU:


Thats Great James Glad to hear it Brotha! Check your phone you have Text!

Got it! Crazy ass :p

[1995civicEJ]

your car looks amazing, i only hope taht one day mine will be this nice. but im gunna do it big and go boost here soon, so i wont be able to get mine as clean looking for a while.

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks homie :TU:

Sometimes I wish I would have skipped some of the cosmetic stuff and went with a little more motor myself. But in due time my friend!!

[Mr.MAN]

what are ur plans for the motor james? looks pretty complete to me

[mphscivic]

sweeeeeeeet. Yeah what about the motor. Thats been my dilema for a couple of months now with my car but i figured suspension and brakes first b4motor would probably be the best way 2 go

[PandaCoupe]

Right now I dont really have a plan for the motor. All I know is definitely a B series and keep it N/A. Maybe a JDM B16A, built a little. But for now, the D is doing me just fine. Its still running strong and reliable so I am no big hurry for a swap. But would like to do it sometime this year.

[1995civicEJ]

when you get rid of the d i want your vc. i dont feel like doing it to mine, and yours is perfect.

[JdmRevelations]

man F ur car dood! eheh JK james.. glad to see its 98% done now...

[PandaCoupe]

haha Thanks Luis!!

I went and got an alignment for my car today, and MAN what a difference an alignment makes on a car. On the way there, I noticed that just about every time I hit a bump on the road my steering wheel would jerk either way really hard, the steering felt really loose and sloppy. And my tires were getting really sticky, throwing up all kinds of loose pebbles off of the road the whole way there.

After I picked it up, on the way home it felt like a new car. Drove straight, bumps didnt affect my steering, and the tires stopped throwing garbage up.

Now, I just have to wait for my headlight bulbs to come in and I will be set, it sucks having to race to get home before it starts getting dark.

Tomorrow I am going to my parents house and throwing a hell of a detail job on it, since all of my detailing supplies are still there. I may even take off of work to do it, since its only 3 hours until dark by the time I get off. :TU: haha

[CTB16]

Grrr :hoppingmad: youre making me miss driving my em1 lol. Sometime I think theres too much to do to fix it and wanna give up and sell it. Its beein almost a year and a half since I drove my buddy but now ima get off my keester after finding JDMCC. I bet you just stare at your car thinking "finally". Just wondering how long did it take? Big ups :TU: and congrats! :honda:

[PandaCoupe]

Yeah I hit highs and lows like that through my build up too. I got sick of it, and didnt see an end to the build in sight. I parted my ride out for 2 months and was buying stock parts back so I could build it back stock and sell it. I was fed up with it, plain and simple. Then after a while I woke up one morning with a brand new fire lit under my ass, and I got back on my car and had it finished in no time it seemed.

How long was my build up? Ummmm....next month would have been a year I believe. I'm not really 100% sure about the exact time though

[PandaCoupe]

I went out tonight and made an attempt to do a photo shoot. Its not professional quality by any means and I got a little carried away with the camera. So I apologize in advance! But here are all of the pics I ended up taking



The rest are 800x600 so click to see the full size

[Busterkun]

wow :eek: simply amazing, this is one of the best builds on here, congrats on getting it finished :japanflag:

[G-rat]

my gosh...cant believe it....just seeing it able to drive and go places to take photos......awsome....and the pics look good man....i smell rotm here soon

[Mikey]

Soooooooo cleannnnnnnnnnnn

[1995civicEJ]

beautiful, just beautiful.

[Mr.MAN]

wow its absolutely perfect, i love the second to last shot

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks guys! :TU:

I'm glad you like the pics, I froze my ass off taking them!

[crazyxzer0]

very nice shots!!!

is that a jdm cluster or amber bulbs in the car?

[PandaCoupe]

The speedo is just a USDM cluster with amber bulbs, cant wait to get another JDM cluster. And the climate control cluster/switches are JDM

[Mugen_Stumpo]

amazing:ohsnap: :TU: :ohsnap: :TU:


i know that your ej will be the next ROTM:japanflag:

[NtAcivG94]

that thing is freshhh

[PandaCoupe]

i know that your ej will be the next ROTM

Eh I dont know about all of that. But I am definitely going to give it a shot next month, I think!

[Mugen_Stumpo]

:TU: :TU: :TU:

i'll be one of your opponent:eek: :lol:

[PandaCoupe]

Uh oh, I may just wait until the month after next then! :lol:

[Volume 8]

Car looks awesome James:TU: It's really an inspiration to see your build come together so well.

[Partizan]

looking nice

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks fellas :TU:

[97EJ6mike]

thats simply amazing.

[Mr.MAN]

hey james dosent the coupe badge go above the sidemarker and not below???

[PandaCoupe]

I do believe the H.O.A. badges are supposed to go above, but I looked at them both ways and liked them under alot better. So thats where I put them.

[Mr.MAN]

my bad eagle honda of america badges lol

[Mugen_Stumpo]

i have just notice the new council banner....


hey wait a second, OMG this is your car:lol:

:TU:

[PandaCoupe]

Yes sir :TU: It was a surprise and quite an honor to be on that banner!

[JdmRevelations]

damn car looks good.. simple but just perfect...

[mphscivic]

Thats one shiny dashboard. I bet if u laid something on it it would slide right off. lol :lol:

[PandaCoupe]

haha :lol: Hell yeah man, I had to Armor All it up. That thing was 2 inches deep in dust and over spray.

[-eXpo-]

Just wow. The coupe looks great! Really makes me want to get my car done ASAP! Especially a paint job.
:TU:

[C-West Civic]

Damn dude, nice work, nice build. Looks like you went thru the same type of build Im going thru, just did yours in hella beter time.. Again nice whip..

[Ej1Trying2BeJdm]

nice car build is great man

[PandaCoupe]

Thanks guys :TU:

[1siccej]

damn ur selling your coupe, im kind of new to tha site and ur coupe was tha first one that cought my attention, atleast you know you had a clean ass jdm build up!

[PandaCoupe]

You must have not read my whole thread haha. I changed my mind about selling my coupe a long time ago. I'm not selling

[crazyxzer0]

:TU:

your car is hot. im jealous. I want new paint.. but motor is getting expensive. :frown:

[naman]

That may be the cleanest car I've ever seen. Awesome work.

[PandaCoupe]

Today my car got hit by an old man. I had it parked where I work, he didnt see it, and he backed all over it. Got the pass. fender, front bumper, my pass. corner light and got the front pass. side of my hood.

He came up to me and asked who the white Honda that was sitting outside belonged to, and I said its mine. Then he tells me "I'm sorry. Come take a look at it" and right then my heart hit my feet. I walk outside to see the whole drivers side of his car with a long black mark down it and my front bumper hanging down along with all of the plastic lens out of my corner light all around. I thought he had taken the whole passenger side out of my car at first.

While I was standing there with my hands over my mouth feeling like I was about to throw up, he said it all, "I'm a blind old man who has no business driving". He was basically deaf and blind and clearly had no business behind the wheel of a car. I felt sorry for him because he was shaken up pretty bad, so I kept my cool.

Its all being taken care of, and the damage isnt too bad. The bumper can be fixed, it just needs repainted. I am going to have to get another fender which will be OEM not DEPO, and going to just buy a brand new set of JDM corner lights. The hood isnt dented, just scuffed the paint a little and will have to be repainted. It just breaks my heart because its only been a week since its been painted and back on the road :TD:

Anyways pics of the carnage to come soon, I have to resize them and upload them.

[Dina]

I know I did not read this right and I know that nothing happend to your car James I was just talking about how great it is to see a project done and on the road and How I cant wait till I pay off my car and I own it and I can finish it! Tell me it isn't true!

[PandaCoupe]

Yeah I hate to say, it is true my friend! I started calling everyone freaking the hell out and no one believed me at first.

The damage really isnt as bad as it sounds, well...I guess it is pretty bad considering I literally just got it back on the road. As much as I have babied my car since its been out of the shop and spaz out over anything that looks like a scratch. Getting my pride and joy ran over is pretty serious.

[Mr.MAN]

damn james that suxxxxxxxxx! you just finished it! sorry to hear man

[PandaCoupe]

Pics

[CTB16]

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm crying for you I had an old man do that for me too but it was my rear fender. Sorry man

[C-West Civic]

Dang dude, sorry to hear about the whip...

[crazyxzer0]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:



HOLY SHIT!!!

That sucks man! :( its not too bad though but definitely sucks..

[Volume 8]

Dude that sucks. Especially since you just got it back on the road after all that work. I admire your restraint, I would have lost it.

[PandaCoupe]

Yes it does suck, bad. If I didnt have body shop connections I would be seriously flipping out. But like I said a new fender, corner lights and a little paint and she will be just as good as before. Plus I am going to be coming out of this with a little pocket change too :TU: Its no big deal, but it definitely hurts me to look at it.

It could have been worse, thankfully it wasnt!