Project: Scratchy

Scratchy Gets a Repaint... Again.

2019-04-01T16:24:00.000+08:00

Roof rust is a b*tch.

I have no choice but to have the car repainted again, but this time with a new roofcut from JDM land.

I decided to have the car repainted the soonest without even researching on other options -- so yeah, I settled for an expensive shop with so-so quality.

When I say quality, what I mean is the way you prepare the surface for paint or no-paint -- YES, it includes proper masking.

My complaints about the shop:

1. The owner rarely visits the shop, probably because he is busy with his other hobbies (like biking?). If you have a business -- especially a business that requires attention to detail, you should never entrust it to your staff. Those guys are painters and rely on a monthly salary and/or commissions. They couldn't care less if the car is turned-over like shit.

2. His staff doesn't care about plastic trims AT ALL. All the plastic pieces have broken and damaged clips. Even the most simple thing to remove like the sail panels don't have the clips anymore. I know the car is aged and the plastics might be a bit brittle, but an almost new sail panel? I even saw my black door card with black bricks cloth siding soaking in the rain. Come on!

3. My under chassis and engine bay have over-spray all over. Yes, this is very lazy in the staff's part. The engine bay plastic parts like the clutch fluid reservoir, brake lines, and harnesses have white paint on them. I would need to repaint all the black suspension and clean up the engine bay all over again.

4. It took over six months to finish the car. That long period of disassembly risks parts interchanged with other cars. Parts not belonging to me include the hood lock catcher, right tail light, and some bolts which for the longest time I made sure to keep original.

5. When the owner told me it's ready for pick-up, I drove 4 hours only to find out that the interior is dirty and full of paint dust, my OEM chin is still unpainted, antenna tip is covered in green primer, and rear trailing arms are white. So yeah, I drove back home without the car.

To be fair with the owner, he tried to make up to me by giving me his spare power window switch, right tail light, and not charging me for electricals done to the car.

Costings:

JDM Roofcut EG Hatch Civic without sunroof - P18,000 from JBT in Las Pinas City
JDM Brown Glass set except for the windscreen - P23,000 with shipping from ACVillaroman from Bacolod City
JDM Honda Access Snowflakes - P40,000 from the shop owner
USDM Rear Wiper switch with rear washer function - P1,600 from eBay
USDM EG Civic Air Filter Box - P1,500 from US Junkyard
JDM CRV 99 Integrated Control Unit - P2,000 from Darwin Martinez
JDM Honda Access 4-spoke Steering Wheel from the shop - P12,000
External washover from the shop with roofcut install - P70,000

Was the painting job expensive? Yes. Worth it? Definitely not.

The lesson learned for me is to check actual customers' cars and ask for feedback. Never ever trust what you see in car shows. These kinds of shops only do quality work on their own show cars.

The Overseen Overheating Problem

2015-10-30T13:15:00.000+08:00

After I bought Itchy (projectitchy.blogspot.com), I rarely use Scratchy and would be parked for weeks at a time. One afternoon I drove it from Cainta to Banawe, and without hesitation pushed the RPMs while cruising Quezon Avenue. Upon reaching the corner of Q.Ave and Biak na Bato, I noticed the temperature needle almost hitting the red mark. Without hesitation, I pulled-over and turned-off the engine as soon as possible.

Good thing, the place was near a convenience store, so I bought Absolute Distilled Water to fill it up again and this is what I saw:

So there you go people, I have a blown head gasket.

I was really worried about it so I had to buy parts for a top overhaul.

Here's a shopping list for the job:

Honda OEM Cylinder Head Gasket - P2,829

Intake Valve Seals and Exhaust Valve Seals (8 pieces each, 16 in total) - P205 each (P3,280)

Exhaust:

Intake:

Spark Plug O-Ring - P269 (x 4 pcs, P1,004)

Camshaft Oil Seal - P255.00

Oil Pan Gasket - P955.00

Oil Pump O-Ring - P95.00

I also bought:

NGK BKR6E-11 - P90 each x 4 pcs

Coolant - P565

Caltex Delo Gold Ultra 6 liters - P1,360

OEM Oil Filter - P350

VHT Copper Spray (IMPORTANT to seal the head gasket) - P580

Brought Scratchy to Blacksheep for the service, labor is P6,500 including machine shop. Good thing my head is not warped or cracked. It is still in perfect shape, done the machining just for assurance.

All done.

I thought everything was okay, but I almost had an overheat again. I immediately pulled-over and wired the fan switch to turn-on all the time. After all that spending, my overheating problem was still not solved. So on to the hunt for that part.

...and Now Screaming with a Shiny New Spoon N1 Gen 3 Muffler

2014-08-19T18:27:00.000+08:00

I got a good deal on the internet today.

Slightly used Spoon N1 Gen3 for only P16,000 from Erik of the FB groups. Met him at Caltex Julia Vargas, and he is also driving a hatch. The muff is fully compatible with the EG/EK Hatch with no modifications.

Check out the photos:

Having this installed for 300 pesos at Motech Imelda Avenue:

For those who are looking for a Spoon N1 Gen 1, contact me.

Getting a Car Part from any US Online Store

2013-07-30T17:51:00.000+08:00

As you all know, Scratchy has a JDM OBD1 SOHC VTEC D16A engine. All local Civics of its generation run on OBD1 non-VTEC engines. So finding a brand new distributor (an ignition part, not the one who sells to stores/dealers) for my engine is a PITA (Surplus parts are available. However, these run for P4-5K -- overpriced for a used part).

Tried scouring Banawe, but they only have the one for the ESI or PH12 which are incompatible with VTEC SOHC. Replacement brands run for P6 to P8K and it's kinda expensive if you ask me.

Then, I stumbled upon this site on a local car forum: http://gmettrading.com/.

They can buy from any website in the States, ship it here (with a cost of course), and all you need to do is to pick it up from their office. I guess this is my chance to buy the cheap TD-42U distributor from Amazon that I've been eyeing on for quite some time now.

I emailed them and I received friendly replies even though I have a lot of questions. They gave me a quote for the item for P5,450. Knowing that this is in fact lower than the brand new replacements here, I went for it. I deposited half the amount into their BDO account and that's it, they ordered it for me. All I have to do is wait and pay the balance upon pick-up.

ETA is around August 8 or 9, 2013. I'll let you know once it arrives. :)

The Not-so-major Underchassis Refresh

2013-07-30T17:03:00.001+08:00

I came to realize after years of using Scratchy, that its front underchassis parts were long due for replacement. It was still rolling on its OEM parts for 21 years already. Leaking rear shoks, cracked trailing arm bushings, clunking sound up front, and bump steer were some of the indications I needed to refresh the underparts.

First thing to do was to find what needs to be replaced first. I went to a couple of shops: Motech Cainta, Goodyear Servitec Marcos Highway, BlackSheep Autoworks, and Yokohama Gil Fernando.

Motech quote on parts and labor (in parenthesis):
Upper Arm Assembly Pair - P3,600 (P560)
Rack End Pair - P2,200 - (P560 including tie rod)
Tie Rod Pair - P1,900
Lower Ball Joints Pair - P2,200 (P560)
CVJ Boot - P200 (P240)
Alignment - P560
Motech TOTAL: P12,580

And knowing I could buy original 555 replacement parts cheaper from Banawe, my succeeding inquiries were just for labor.

Goodyear quoted me on labor for a few parts and were even more expensive than Motech. Knowing this, I got the quote and never intended to return.

Yokohama, on the other hand, said that I only need to replace the left upper arm and one rack end together with the CVJ boot. What I liked about them was that they didn't recommend replacing parts that were not yet due for replacement. And labor was quite reasonable, too. So no breaking the bank for me.

I also got a quotation from BlackSheep for labor:
Rear Shocks Pair - P500
Trailing Arm Bushings - P1,600
Tie rod pair, rack end pair, lower ball joints pair - P1,000
Upper Suspension Pair - P350
Left CVJ Boot - P300
BlackSheep TOTAL Labor: P3,750

That said, I bought all the parts I need from LVC in Banawe:

Rear Shocks Pair KYB - P3,400.00
Trailing Arm Bushings - P900.00
Tie Rod End Pair 555 - P1,000.00
Rack End Pair 555 - P1,160.00
Lower Ball Joint Pair 555 - P1,100.00
Upper Suspension Assembly Pair - P2,000.00
Constant Velocity Joint Boot (L) - P215.00
CVJ Grease - P65
LVC Parts TOTAL - P8,940

I started having the shocks installed in BlackSheep, done in 30 minutes! Paid P500 for it. Then after a week, I returned to Motech. I know that BlackSheep was cheaper by a few hundered pesos, but I was willing to pay more in Motech for their relatively trained mechanics.

Here are the parts:

And the car while being worked on:

Some additional parts that were needed to be bought while installing:

1. Additional grease for the inner CVJ - P65
2. A new boot, since the one given to me by LVC was for an EK! Damn LVC! - P150

GRAND TOTAL for parts: P9,155

I think I had a break on labor. I had all the things to be done quoted again and they just asked for P1,000 for tie rod, rack end, ball joints, and boot. And since removing the knuckle would mean leaving only 2 bolts for upper arm to be replaced, I asked the mechanic to do that for me. I also added front alignment for P280.

So that's P1,000 + P500 (for shocks) + P280 (for alignment) + P300 (for the upper arm and mechanic tip)

GRAND TOTAL for labor: P2,080

Next in line would be the trailing arm bushings and if budget permits, Energy Suspension set for EG!

Will update you guys when that happens.

GE Jazz Rims Pretty Thick Tires: What to Do?

2013-07-24T17:07:00.000+08:00

Recently had a deal with one of my old mates in a car club.

Got these for a reasonable price:

I've decided to sell the wheels to anyone who needs it. How much do 2011 OEM Jazz 15-inch wheels sell for anyway? However, I still don't know what to do with the tires.

Tires included are GT Champiro 55 at 195/55/15. A piece costs around P3,000 in tire shops around the metro. Two of which are at around 70% tread, and the other pair are at around 90%.

Option 1: Replace my Falken ZE 502 set with these on my Spoons? I just don't know if it would look good on it.

Option 2: Install these on my 15s steelies? Steelies are just 5.5" wide.

Option 3: Sell the tire set? What's a fair price?

What do you think? Hit the comments to help me decide. :)

The Secondary Clutch Impromptu Repair

2013-06-25T16:45:00.000+08:00

For a long time now, I was intending to replace my secondary clutch because it was still the original piece since 1992.

True enough, this plan slipped my mind, and darn... got me while cruising along Amang Rodriguez Avenue early this morning.

Clutch hits the floor and never returns. The entire reservoir of clutch fluid was on the asphalt.

I caused a bit of traffic build up, so I've no choice but to have Scratchy towed. Towing is free BTW thanks to Wheelers Club International (be a member now for only P700!).

Back home:

The culprit: a 21-year-old secondary clutch cylinder. A photo of its location, above where the leaks are.

Here it is in disassembled form together with a repair kit I bought from a nearby auto supply (the kit comes with the piston and rubber boot):

While at it, painted using Bosny Hi Temp flat black:

Fully assembled like new!

Installed back into the car.

A summary of what happened.

I suggest you do this as a preventive maintenance to your ageing EGs. Total cost for repair is only P150 which almost cost me thousands more if not for the Wheelers membership.

Soft-spoken Scratchy Now Screeming with a Spoon N1 Muffler

2013-01-26T15:36:00.000+08:00

The legendary Spoon N1 Muffler. A dream part for the inner child in every Honda lover.

I got one at a somewhat cheap price: P9,500 for a slightly modified original 1st Generation Spoon N1.
This particular one is for a sedan, but the owner modified (shortened) the pipe to fit the hatch.

The Gen 1 Spoon N1 Muffler features a matte/flat steel finished body and polished tip -- different from the succeeding generations that have a Spoon badge and 100% polished body.

Here it is when I bought it:

And moments before installing, a closer look. Notice the clean welds? That's what sets it apart from copies/fakes.

Installation time!

Remove the rear bumper so you can easily see what you're doing.

This is an OEM JDM EG6 B16A muffler and pipe set BTW.

OEM vs. Spoon N1

Take off two bolts that connect the muff to the midpipe, then install the Spoon muff. Pretty straightforward if you ask me.

Done!

Looking at the pics, you would say that it is a perfect fit. However, due to the fact that this just a modified part, a portion of the pipe is hitting my LCA whenever I hit bumps on the road so further modification is needed.

Now on to Brodeth. A trusted muffler and pipe fabricator of many car enthusiasts.

The muffler and car while waiting for them to start work:

This is the fit I'm looking at:

I decided to replace the pipe altogether. It hurts to see them cut the pipe, but it's all for the better.

Ouch!

All its glory exposed.

TIG welding it and the finished product.

Now, fitting it into the car:

Finished work!

I don't care whether it lost its value by doing this since I don't plan to sell the muffler anytime soon.

I paid Brodeth a total of P2,500 for everything.

What do you guys think?

Update: Bought a Spoon N1 Gen3. Click here.

The DIY EG Civic Hatch Power Windows Install

2012-06-10T11:54:00.000+08:00

When I begin a project, I always make sure to get all the information I need -- wiring diagrams, pictures, possible problems to encounter, and other stuff that you need to remember.

The site that helped me the most is this: http://repo.jackmoves.com/v/erik/albun31/albun42/
This is more detailed, but I didn't follow everything like the relay and other stuff.

This is the first time I'm taking the fenders off Scratchy so it's a bit challenging. Besides that, the wiring and the installation itself is a breeze especially when you connect/assemble the harness beforehand. By doing so, you will be able to test its functionality first before taking your car apart.

Here are the parts I used and the steps I took to install.

1. JDM Window riser with motor, bought for P3,500 with switch and pigtail harness. Motors should be swapped so that the right motor will be at the left to make the auto up and down function work.

2. Left and right door covers. This is part of the black bricks Gathers interior I bought in 2010 for P19,000.

...look, a Honda Primo maintenance badge!

3. Window switch to motor harness which should be assembled before hand for easy installation. The best way to assemble this is to match the colors of the wires. I reiterate, you don't need a Honda power window relay for this to work. The gray connector is for the switch, the white is for the motor. You just need to connect all the wires together and the two extra wires are for 12v positive and ground. I used normal automotive wires to connect the two sides.

If you fancy reading diagrams:

4. Take of the fenders of the car. You need to remove the skirts by removing the clips and a screw at the front part, then for the fender you need to remove three bolts on top, and three at the side. You need these off the car run the wires through from the door.

5. Take the interior covers off the doors and you can see the mounting holes. The doors are ready to accept power or manual windows.

6. You need to remove the glass first, use duct tape to hold it while you work on the riser. No need to take the glass off the door. Unscrew and remove the manual riser from the door through the biggest hole.

7. Run all the wires from one side to the other. I used a normal 16ga automotive wire to do this.
Ground the harness to the driver side door, no need to ground the passenger side since + and - signals (2 wires) will come from the driver side wiring.

8. Connect the power wire of the harness directly to a vacant slot in your fusebox. I used a vacant one that turns on only when you turn the key to the "ON" position. You can also choose a slot that turns on at "ACC" position. You can choose any of the two depending on your preference.

You can see here that the option connector C917 for "ON", you can use C919 for "ACC".

9. Test if it works!

Since this is a JDM power window, driver side switch for left and right are reversed. A good thing is that the auto up and down feature works as it should so I could live with it. You can also wire it as such that you have the correct orientation, but of course, you'll lose the auto up and down with it.

I'll post pictures of the finished install soon.

Timing Belt Change Turn-out

2012-02-25T15:12:00.000+08:00

After calling-up shops to find the best price, I decided to bring my Scratchy to Blacksheep along Imelda Avenue. Their labor price is quite reasonable -- for P2,000, they will change my timing belt, tensioner bearing, cam shaft and crank shaft oil seals, water pump, clutch master, and fix my leaking brake master.

Here are some pics while they tinker with Scratchy:

Here are some pics of the parts I used:

Now, first time opening the valve cover, the sight just made tear -- tears of joy! This is indeed a very fresh engine!

Finished in 4 hours. Work is satisfactory. One thing I'm not happy with is that my brake master still leaks. I suspect they didn't even touch it -- but still billed me for it. :(

Lesson learned is to never leave your car in the shop.

I will still come back to this shop though. I just need to keep a close eye to make sure they do what they are paid to do.

Getting Ready for a Timing Belt Replacement

2012-01-28T21:30:00.002+08:00

I've used my engine for more than a year now and it has served me well without any problems aside from the distributor oil leak which I already fixed. I'm the first owner of this engine in the Philippines, and I have no idea how far this engine has traveled in Japan.

So after a year of using it or about 10K kilometers, I'm now getting ready to embark on one of, if not, the most important preventive maintenance procedure in an engine -- TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT. This is done every 70K kilometers.

Since replacing the timing belt requires unbolting the valve cover and removing the timing belt cover, it is also a good idea to replace parts that are connected with the belt you are replacing.

Normally, these parts are the water pump, timing belt tensioner bearing, camshaft and crankshaft oil seals. Optional parts to be installed are new valve cover gasket and an adjustable cam gear.

For my use, I'll stick with the basics by replacing all life limited parts + all the seals and gaskets.

Here are the parts for the VTi's PH16A VTEC engine I bought with its corresponding prices (as I was told, all are compatible with D16A):

1. Timing Belt (Honda Q.Ave) - 14400-P2E-004 - P1,492.29

2. Crankshaft and Crankshaft oil seals (Honda Q.Ave) - 91212-P01-003/91213-PD2-004 - P257.25/P246.51

3. Valve Cover Gasket (Honda Q.Ave) - 12341-P2A-000 - P515.95

4. GMB Water Pump (Levin Auto Parts) - VTi - P1,500

I'm quite worried about the size of the gear. Too tall that I might need to cut the timing belt cover? (UPDATE: Jan 30) - I bought the wrong part! Darn!

5. Koyo Tensioner Bearing (Levin Auto Parts) - VTi - P600

With all these parts, I now have the task to look for a shop to install these for me. Labor for this job ranges from P1,500 to P1,800.

Hang around until I find one a nice shop to bring Scratchy to and while you're at it, hit the comments if there's something I bought that's not compatible.

New Year, New Plans for Scratchy

2012-01-07T19:53:00.000+08:00

It's new year!

With the year of the dragon closing in, let me lay out my plans for Scratchy for next year. Treat this as my wish list for the year. If you want to donate anything, you are most welcome! ;)

1. Have the leaking distributor fixed (leaking from inside).
2. Have my extra P91 ECU chipped.
3. ~~Replace timing belt and all necessary stuff before its too late.~~ (February 25, 2012)
4. Have the tappets and timing adjusted (darn 8Km/L!!!)
5. Have my car tuned by a pro (using my chipped P91 ECU).
6. Have my power windows installed (motors, switches, and sidings waiting for more than a year now).
7. Have my 20yr old battery terminals replaced with something more elegant + battery tie down.
8. ~~Front tower strut bar.~~ (February 18, 2012)
9. Rear lower tie bar.
10. ~~Rear disk brakes~~ (March 24, 2012) + proportioning valve
11. ~~Have my leaking brake master fixed (minor fluid leak)~~ (Supposedly done February 25, but still leaks.)
12. ~~Have my 20yr old clutch master replaced.~~ (February 25, 2012)
13. Replace my transmission oil.

Thirteen things to do/buy for Scatchy. Why 13 you ask?
Well, that's one for a month's salary including 13th month pay! :)

Do you suggest anything more? Hit the comments and let me know.

New Wheels for the New Year (and Christmas!)

2011-12-24T21:56:00.000+08:00

At long last!

I finally found a set of Spoon copy wheels. Bought from "Autobat" from HCP, the same guy I bought my doors and front bumper from. Had it installed for P65 per wheel and also bought Kyo-ei Steel Black Lugnuts for P850.

Here are some pics:

Unmounting tires from the steelies

Out with the old

In with the new

Installing

New Look!

The Distributor Leak That Makes Me Sick

2011-10-15T21:36:00.000+08:00

There's a leak below where the distributor meets the engine.

Well, don't worry, it's a cheap and easy fix -- a P60 OEM part called distributor o-ring is the answer.

Step 1: Mark your timing by using a ruler and pencil.
Step 2: Unplug all electrical connection to distributor and high tension wires (make sure you remember which hole the wire you unplugged belongs).
Step 3: Loosen the bolts holding your distributor to the engine.
Step 4: Pull out the distributor.
Step 5: Look for the short shaft and look for the small circular rubber ring. Take it off by cutting or pulling. It would easily snap due to age.
Step 6: Put clean oil onto the new o-ring. Slide in to install. (just like how slide in your favorite "rubber" LOL)
Step 7: Put everything back reverse of how you took them off. Clean the mess you made.

Enjoy!

The Best Slick Substance for Your VTEC Engine

2011-08-30T13:35:00.000+08:00

A lot has been asking about which oil would be best for your VTEC engine. I have long asked the question: Would a fully-synthetic oil do better for your stock, daily driven engine compared to an ordinary, cheap mineral oil?

The answer dumbfounded me. It is NOT. Oil is just that... oil. It protects internal engine parts during start-ups and high-revs and it doesn't matter from where or what material it is made from, it performs as the lubricant it was designed to be. The cheap mineral alternative will give the same level of protection as your expensive P600 a liter synthetic oil. One thing that you need to consider though is the weight or viscosity of the oil you are buying, and you should refer to what the car manual suggests. If you pour in light oil, then you may have oil leaks all over if your seals are not in good condition. On the contrary, pouring in heavy oil, would add extra load on your engine and would increase your gas consumption.

So back to the question: What's the best oil for your VTEC engine?

I'll take the advice of Mr. Ichisima, the president of Spoon Sports JAPAN -- the world-famous Honda Tuner. Taken from Temple of VTEC Asia.

One question that have always been asked whenever Honda fans discusses about VTEC is that issue of the best engine oil for the engine. While there are many different brands of oil available on the market, many with great specifications, some even with a "Formula-1 Pedigree" (e.g. Mobil-1), I think the answer by Mr. Ichisima, president of the famous SPOON SPORTS Honda specialist tuner in Japan during his interview on issue-1 of BEST MOTORing International, is the best and most concise. Mr. Ichisima said it simply for engine oil, the "price per litre" is no indication of suitability, i.e. a multi-dollar oil will not necessarily work better than the cheaper alternative. He goes on to make a firm recommendation for the best engine oil for your Honda engine, the oil available from the dealer is probably the best. Personally, I think his recommendation makes the best sense.

Well, having said that, good news is upon us. Have you ever heard of the Honda dealerships' promo on oil change? Honda Philippines Quick Change Oil Promo

With this, I change Scratchy's oil every three months and this way, my D16A always gets a frequent supply of fresh, clean oil to make it last longer. You can't do that with fully synthetic oil considering its price, right? How many months before you change your oil?

UPDATE (1-05-2012) : Is the P875 promo still available? Last time I checked, it's now up to P1,085. Too bad, everything is becoming expensive. Click link for the new promo: http://www.hondaphil.com/ver2/promo/changeoil.php

JC Electrical Marikina Makes My Day... the Wrong Way!

2011-07-24T11:39:00.000+08:00

A certain Jojo of JC Electrical in Marikina made my day yesterday.

I went there to have my cold starting problem checked, knowing that they are experts when it comes to electrical stuff. I entered their shop and greeted by a friendly, big, long-haired guy which I knew from another deal prior. Told him about my problem and endorsed me to a middle-aged man named Jojo.

Conversations of me and Jojo went like this:

Me: Boss, hard starting ako pag malamig yung makina.
Jojo: Ah ganun ba? Check natin ang karga (gets the volt meter). Sige, start mo tapos buksan mo lahat pati headlights (my car starts in one click because I just used it).
Jojo: Okay, naman ang karga ah.
Me: So, ano ang problema? Wala din naman CEL.
Jojo: Malamang sa grounding lang yan ng kotse mo kasi bagong pintura ka. Linisin ko nalang yung contacts. (He cleaned contacts of battery-chassis, chassis-ground wire, and ground wire-tranny)
Me: Hindi kaya sa distributor? (Holding the new o-ring) Magkano magpakabit sa iyo nito?
Jojo: Naku, kailangan ko baklasin yung buong housing ng distributor mo niyan (pointing to the distributor cap).
Me: Talaga? Sure ka? Kaya ko nga gawin yan, wala lang ako gamit.
Jojo: Edi ikaw ang gumawa.
Me: (Going back to the original problem because I don't want to argue any more) Okay na kaya yan sa grounding lang? Paano kung ganun pa rin?
Jojo: Okay na yan.
Me: Sige, salamat boss (then handed him P50)
Jojo: Isang daan! Wala nang singkwenta ngayon!
Me: (Jokingly) Talaga boss? Mahal naman. (Smiling while handing the P100) Naku, baka di na ako bumalik niyan ha.
Jojo: (Turned his back) Edi wag ka na bumalik!

And the WORST part of it: NOTHING was fixed!!!
Same cold starting problem. The only difference is that I'm P100 poorer.

Good job JC Electrical Marikina. Because of the great service you showed me, I'll take Jojo's advice to never go back.

Some photos of the shop:

Scratchy's Parts for Sale

2011-07-15T21:22:00.055+08:00

Since all the forums I am in don't allow posting of items for sale any longer, then I will be posting my for sale items here.
I'll update this as often as possible and will be posting the most recent pictures that I have. Happy shopping!

1. CF Spoon Wing for EG Hatch, used for a week and very fresh bought for 8K - 6.5K only!

2. Brand new OEM 3M Nomad Car Mat Regular, 5-piece set, sells for 3.5k in Ace - Out of Stock

3. P70 OBD1 ECU (Stock ECU of D16A SOHC VTEC with P08 head. Same as P08 ECU) good for rechipping, original manual! - 8,000 only

4. Original OEM Honda EG "Civic" script decal (for light-colored cars) - 600 each

5. EG Hatch Right Door Shell Lata (no kalawang) (shell only/best sa mga nabangga/kalawang) - 1,500 only

6. EG Hatch Left Door Shell (konting kalawang) - 800 only

7. EG Hatch Tail Gate (shell only) - 800 only

8. Fresh EG PH Evaporator (bolt on para sa mga nasiraan, on the left of the pic) - 900 only

9. EG Hatch Inner Tail Lights - 1,500 pair

10. 2-piece wing for EG hatch with Stanley brake light (not LED) fresh! - 1,500

11. KYB Super/Excel-G Shocks Front L & R (Good condition) - 2,000 pair

12. Tanabe NF210 Front (pair) Lowering springs for EG/EK - 3,000 pair fixed

13. EG OEM Condenser with OEM Fan (Newly flushed and good condition) - 900

14. PH12 Distributor with OEM SOHC Hi-Tension Wires - 3,500

15. PH12 OEM 4-1 Exhaust Manifold w/ Heatshield - 1,000

16. Complete PHDM EG Hatch Interior Fresh! (Comes with front and rear seats, front and rear sidings, interior trunk cover, trunk carpet, hatch board etc.) - 8,000 very negotiable

17. Brand new and unused OEM Honda Valve Cover Gasket for PH12 - P600 sa casa, 350 nalang

18. EG Alternator (Newly bought from Rey's electrical, used for 1 month) - 2,000

19. Civic Hatch Gas Tank (Very Fresh Carb Type) - 1,500

20. OEM Civic Hatch Exhaust Pipe and Muffler Set (Long pipe and Muffler set, no flange header side, you can use your existing) - 2,000 set neg

OPEN FOR SWAP BOLT-ON SPOON COPY N1 MUFFLER.

Audio Items:

Targa X-120 12" Subwoofer with ABC Box
Targa lifetime warranty from Daiichi
ABC Box made by Jeff Tan
2.5K for both

Aura RPM Plus 12 Subwoofer
350W RMS power handling
Most powerful Aura 12" Sub
Lifetime warranty from Daiichi
3k

RFS: No use in Gathers interior

Big items pick-up Vista Verde, along Imelda Avenue

Normal schedule:
Imelda Avenue Cainta or Eastwood/Calle Industria, weekdays after office hours around 8-9PM.
Katipunan Shell in front of La Vista during weekends.
Vista Verde Cainta: Weeknights or weekends.[/b]

09167815445

Scratchy's JDM Retract Side Mirrors Get Stolen

2011-06-05T22:42:00.000+08:00

Saturday morning, outside my friend's house, I found Scratchy defiled by heartless thieves. All the cars parked in that street lost their side mirrors. Scratchy was just at the wrong place and and the wrong time.

I scoured Banawe to find a replacement but failed. The mirrors are rare because those are for the auto retract side mirrors that are different from the rest. The only answer is to buy a whole set again for P3,500!

Running out of options, I decided to head to DZ Racing in Banawe to buy me a Spoon copy side mirror.

There are three copies to choose from:
1. All plastic with blue lens - P3,500
2. All CF with blue lens and auto adjustment - P8,800
3. Actual copy of the original Spoon with auto adjustment - P10,800

Knowing that I can put my the money to OEM stuff, I decided buy the cheapest. Made of plastic, the shape is close to the real thing. The original Spoon however is made out of carbon fiber.

I'm happy with the way it looks on the car. However, I think I need some time to get used to the small mirrors and limited view.

EDIT: Sunday night, my advertisement in the HCP forums for the OEM retract mirror paid off. I found a set for P1,000 and bought it.

(Finished) Scratchy's Awesome Paint Job that Renders it Scratchless

2011-03-26T17:41:00.000+08:00

After all that waiting, we have finally come to this. This is the time I bring home Scratchy from Pau's shop. Check out the finished product.

If there are still people not using broadband, beware, this post is full of photos!

What do you think of the outcome? More pictures coming in the next posts.

(Week 5) Scratchy's Awesome Paint Job that Renders it Scratchless

2011-03-12T05:27:00.000+08:00

Another week has passed and I'm back to check on my project.

I saw Scratchy under the sun (good in curing newly applied paint), being glass-detailed.
Doors, all the glass, and all interior parts already installed.
But I have a surprise for Scratchy today -- GATHERS/JDM INTERIOR!

Here you will see the detail of the shop's work with the first photos of the engine bay and the body-colored inner fender.

Check out the pictures:

(Week 4) Scratchy's Awesome Paint Job that Renders it Scratchless

2011-03-05T17:39:00.017+08:00

Another visit today to P3 to check on Scratchy.

I can't help but notice the slow transformation of this car from a beat up, rusty piece of metal, to a head-turning classic.

Not much progress here, but I took some good detailed shots especially of the fenders and under carriage. Notice that they even covered-up parts that don't need to be painted.

(Week 3.5) Scratchy's Awesome Paint Job that Renders it Scratchless

2011-03-02T20:23:00.001+08:00

It's painting time!
Notice that they paint the car disassembled?
That's right. It means that all the unseen parts of the car will be painted. All removed, including the windshield, quarter panels, all rubber trims and interior. The only parts not removed are the engine and the dashboard.

Check it out!

(Week 3) Scratchy's Awesome Paint Job that Renders it Scratchless

2011-02-26T17:41:00.001+08:00

Week 3. I'm starting to get really excited with the outcome. At this point, they have started with sanding the entire car including the flooring and the engine bay. Not much progress here since sanding takes time.

(Week 1) Scratchy's Awesome Paint Job that Renders it Scratchless

2011-02-19T21:02:00.003+08:00

Since I don't have the luxury of being a bum, I only get to visit Scratchy every Saturday.

Week 1 of the job, I started seeing improvements in the alignment and body of car. They have already installed the new JDM doors and they have started spraying Anzhal primer on to the entire body. As you notice, the boys are sanding tediously the surface which is vital to a mirror-like finish and to avoid the "alon" that we all hate.

Looking good so far.

Scratchy's Awesome Paint Job that Renders it Scratchless

2011-02-12T22:38:00.011+08:00

Painting a car is no joke. You need to invest a lot of money to make your car smooth and shiny all over. And with that investment, you must make sure you have the right partner.

You need patience. Patience to canvass, patience to read in the forums, patience to check out other people's cars, patience to go out and visit paint shops.

After countless hours, days -- even months of searching, I set my eyes on one shop in Marikina called Patpaint, or as they now call it: P3 - Pauu Painting Performance.

Flashback to early 2010, I brought Scratchy in for a quotation. It was my first time to set foot on Pauu's shop. I heard a number of good reviews about the shop, and the moment I stepped-in, I saw with my eyes the detail and attention they put in every project car in there. "Treat it as if it is your own.", a statement every shop should abide with. I knew, in that moment, that P3 will be Scratchy's home for 5 weeks of its life.

It took me a year to scour parts for Scratchy to prepare for the big make-over. Here are the stuff I bought over the past 12 months:

JDM Hood - P1,600
JDM Fenders - P1,800 pair
JDM OEM Trunk (complete assembly) - P2,500
JDM OEM Doors (complete with manual side mirrors, rubber gaskets, door handles, inner opener, manual window mechanism, etc) - P2,500 pair
OEM Door Glass - P500 pair
JDM OEM Bumpers F/R - P3,100 pair
JDM OEM Retract Auto Side Mirrors with Switch and Relay - P3,500

Total pre-painting damage: P15,500

I went back to P3 to re-quote my paint. It was higher than last year, but I guess it is still reasonable.
There it is, a date: Febraury 14, 2011. The day that I need to bring Scratchy in. A date it is...

EDIT:
Okay. So much for that Valentine's date. It turned out February 14 will be a Monday (Like every other normal person, it is the first day of the work week). I brought Scratchy in today instead, February 12.

Here are pictures of Scratchy before we parted ways: