Project CB9 : Dressed To Impress
Being able to actually see results from your labor goes a long way towards motivating you to keep going, and that's what this phase of the build is all about. Once the engine is tuned and driving, it's time to make the car look good for the street. I'll be aiming for a mature 'sport-luxury' theme rather than letting it look like the typical Honda 'tuner car.' I guess you could say there's a little bit of Japanese/Euro VIP influence here... without the aggressive stance.
Luckily, in terms of parts there's not a whole lot going on. The only things that will drag this phase out due to cost should be the wheels and the paint. There are a couple JDM-OEM pieces I'm wanting that may prove hard to track down, though.
Sneak Preview...
I have parts I saved from the old sedan, plus a few other finer details I've gone ahead with during the engine build.
Here you can get an idea of the color that's going on the car. I actually really liked the Cobalt Blue of my old sedan, but I went looking for something a bit more modern and finally ended up with BMW's Monaco Blue. What drew me to it is the color flop; it is a much more pronounced black or blue depending on the lighting. This valve cover I did myself with a rattle can from AutomotiveTouchUp.com using the correct A35 color code. I'm not sure how accurate it came out compared to what BMW actually lays on their cars, but it's beautiful to my eye. I've seen Bimmers in traffic with what I'm pretty sure is A35 (looks too dark to be their Montego Blue, at least), and it looks great. I'm praying that by using high-temp primer and clear on this valve cover that the normal color coat will withstand a hot engine!
Here you can get an idea of the color that's going on the car. I actually really liked the Cobalt Blue of my old sedan, but I went looking for something a bit more modern and finally ended up with BMW's Monaco Blue. What drew me to it is the color flop; it is a much more pronounced black or blue depending on the lighting. This valve cover I did myself with a rattle can from AutomotiveTouchUp.com using the correct A35 color code. I'm not sure how accurate it came out compared to what BMW actually lays on their cars, but it's beautiful to my eye. I've seen Bimmers in traffic with what I'm pretty sure is A35 (looks too dark to be their Montego Blue, at least), and it looks great. I'm praying that by using high-temp primer and clear on this valve cover that the normal color coat will withstand a hot engine!
As you saw on the Accord's home page, this is what the JDM one-piece headlights with TSX projector retrofit look like mounted on the blue car. The lights that came on the cars outside of Japan (even many of the cars in Japan, I'm not sure if the one-piece was a sedan-only thing) were of two pieces, separating the corner turn signals from the large unit housing the high and low beam reflector bowls.
The Spoon style lip is also there - Spoon never made a lip for the Accord, but I believe the design is based off of their lip for the EK9 Civic.
One of the detail pieces, I had to have muffler tips that were just right. I'm a big fan of Ferrari, and there will be a handful of their design signatures that I want to try to emulate in a tasteful way. Dual tips with a straight cut are a nice, sporty touch. The outside diameter on these puppies is 3.5 inches!
This emblem below is something I didn't think would ever actually happen, but then I met someone on the forum at ClubRSX.com who happened to be in the custom bodywork and 3D printing business and he seemed happy to help. I originally thought up this idea a handful of years ago.
In certain parts of the world, the CB Accord wagon (many a wagon from different manufacturers, for that matter) was badged as an "Aero Deck." Then, in later generations, special performance trims of the Accord became available, named "Euro R" and even hallowed "Type R" at one point. The earlier iterations of these cars even came from the factory with an H22A engine. So, in combining the wagon and performance trims, I came up with "Aero R." Genius, if I may say so myself! It's even got an OEM ring to it, and keeping with that OEM idea, I wanted the design and font of the thing to match that of the CL7 Accord's "Euro R" emblem. Here you can see it go through its stages of existence, from 2D concept to a pair of 3D prints. Note how the letters in "aero" even have the OEM curvature to their face! The emblems have yet to be fine-sanded and chromed (the R will be red with a chrome outline), but I've got time to sit on them. I'm debating whether I want to stick the second emblem in the grille, or if it would be in better taste to just have the one on the tailgate. Genuine DC2 Integra Type R red "H" and 1997-2001 "Accord" badges will accompany it out back. Personally I don't see this as a "ricer" mod, like when you see kids stick "Type R" badges on their stock D-series Civics. Not only does my car have the real Euro R's engine, but on top of that it's built up to take on even faster vehicles, and the suspension on the car will definitely back it up in handling. In all honesty, this emblem will probably go down as my single favorite part of the entire car, and probably because it's something I can proudly call my own. Pulling that original idea out of my head and putting it in physical form could not have been done more accurately. Massive thanks to Cody Casale of Casale Design for doing this for me.
This next item was something that just came up for sale at the right time. Normally, I don't see stuff like this until just after I've dumped a bunch of money on something common, but I finally got lucky on a rare part: JDM power folding mirrors. I think it's pretty cool for a car from 1990 to have such a feature, when my 2002 Acura could not get it even as a dealer option. I'm always bumping into my mirrors in the garage, so it does have its practical purposes. It wasn't just a "that's so JDM yo!" purchase.
