[Profile] jim

[jim]

Real Name:  Jim Tower
Ride:  '03 CM5 EX-L
Color:  Graphite Pearl
Engine:  k24a4
Tranny:  Automagic! :wink:


Future Mods and Plans:

Engine:
Hondata KPro
Cham's custom Kpro harness <- ordered!
RSX-S wideband A/F sensor <- ordered!
Casper custom O2 harness <- ordered!
RDX 410cc Injectors
UR pulley set
Skunk2 FI Stage 1 Camshafts
Jackson Racing Supercharger
K24a2 Engine Swap??

Brakes:
Wilwood BBK


Pictures:

[timot_one]

Looks good Jim, and welcome!

What did you do for weight reduction?  I'm also kind of curious about how you blacked out your chrome window trim.

For anyone that doesn't know, Jim is responsible for the banner at the top of the page.

[jim]

What did you do for weight reduction?  I'm also kind of curious about how you blacked out your chrome window trim.

Thanks Tim!

I actually took the time to go through my car and weigh things that were easily removable... I should post up the itemized list of weights as soon as I figure out where I put it, but my stage 1 reduction consists of removing the driver and passenger seats, rear seat cushion and back support, rear seat side bolstering, spare tire and cover, emergency jack, stereo, glove box, and center console.  Together, these reductions add up to almost 200lbs of dead weight.  The whole idea behind a stage 1 reduction is that it can be performed in under an hour and is easily reversible.  For the weekend track warrior, this is a must do mod.

As for the window chrome, for years I used DIY King's blackout tape method but was not happy with the longevity of the tape.  After about 3 months it would start to shrink and bits of chrome would begin to peek out.  I have seen others take their car to a professional to have the chrome covered in vinyl and that seems to work well.  What I did instead was break out the sandpaper, newspaper, and can of black trim paint... It took me a full day, but I was able to cover all the doors with sandable primer and Duplicolor black Trim paint.  The only downside to this method is that the whole car has to be completely masked off... paint vapors can penetrate any crack and leave nasty overspray marks if you're not too careful.

[timot_one]

Ahhh.  I never knew what Stage 1 actually meant.  I bet you could take out a ton of stuff in an hour if you didn't have a stereo.  Most likely, I'd take out the front seats, center console (it's pretty heavy and only held in by a few bolts), rear seat completely, and everything out of the trunk.  I'd probably take off the door panels while I was at it since those are pretty easy to pull off.

What kind of paint did you use to black out the chrome?  I have never been too keen on the tape method or using vinyl.  The other alternative is way too expensive to by DX replacements.  I'm not concerned about masking everything off properly.  A good friend of mine does body work and paints, so he will help me mask everything off the right way.  If not, then I can always clay off the overspray.

[jim]

Taking off the door panels aren't as simple as you might think... the door lever on the inside is part of the panel, so if you take it off and close the door theres no handle anymore...

I used Duplicolor black trim paint in the spray variety... it goes on pretty easy but utilizes a special nozzle that makes the spray of paint very fine.  This makes the paint go one more like dust than anything else... as u can imagine, this "spray dust" gets everywhere including all over whatever you're wearing at the time.  Believe me when I say to mask everything!  Clay bar-ing off the overspray works for small stuff, but remember that clay bars are abrasive by nature and will scratch the paint if rubbed too hard.

[timot_one]

Thanks for the advice on the paint Jim.  

I have done a lot of work on my stereo and have removed the door panels more times than I'd like to admit.  Maybe it's just because of sheer repetion, but I can get a door panel off in about 5 minutes.  I'll have to time myself to see how long it takes me to remove all 4 door panels and see if it's something that's reasonable to do in the time limit of a Stage 1 weight reduction.  If I was going to do something like this for Auto-X, I would just pull off all the door panels (since mine are a little heavier because of sound deadening material) and buy a 2nd door handle to hook up since it's only like $10.  I know it's a lot of trouble for weight reduction, but it's just a thought.

[jim]

I forgot who I was talking to for a minute... I wish I had your skill at door panel removal!  

[timot_one]

Hahahaha.  I hear ya man.  I realize that it can be a pain to take off all the door panels.  I guess it's just something that has become second hand to me.

I'm gonna have to talk to my buddy about getting those trim pieces painted.  I'm going to be re-painting my car when I remove the door molding and shave the trunk, so it might be a good idea to paint the trim beforehand.

[jim]

I put a new sticker on today! Yay!  

[timot_one]

What are the HP gains from the sticker?

[jim]

Ionno... but the butt dyno on the way to school today felt promising!  Who knows, I might even break 150whp with this puppy!  I even posted a picture of the little devil up above.^

[jim]

My checking acct. is in a lot of pain today... I nearly emptied it with a single transaction!  Anyone daring enough to suggest a reason why?  

[JohnnyG123]

kpro? :mrgreen:

[Latin2nr]

Never to late to say welcome Jim.
One of the nicest Graphite's I've seen yet.

[seththekorean]

Hey Jim! not really a welcome but, how ya doin? ha.
what seat rails/brackets did you use for the buddy club seat? i know corbeau makes accord rails. but where are yours from?