t.k's EE2 Love Affair

I figured it was about time to post my wagon up, i've only owned her for about 2 months but I've loved her since I bought her!

So I had been looking for a wagon for a year or so pretty vigilantly but all the ones I found had been ragged out, had chopped up swaps or were sold a couple days after they were posted. Once I saw this one pop up in Dallas I called the guy, after an hour and half conversation we agreed on the price, 2 days later I went up and drove her back to Austin.

She's an 88 DX, original motor with 233k on the clock, working AC and formerly working aftermarket cruise control (stopped working after I power washed engine bay and didn't care enough to figure out why :cool:). She was 100% stock when I got her besides the sony head unit and polk audio speakers. Here are the couple pics from the original CL ad.

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The wagon's in pretty nice shape except the cracking material on the rear seats and the usual door dings. Needless to say I was pretty stoked! ;) Even came with some nice 88-89 CRX wheels with fresh tires!

First off is always the tune up! Holy hell this thing had oil leaks everywhere! enough to the point that I topped it off in Dallas and it lost a quart by the time I got back to Austin! So along with the usual spark plugs, spark plug wires(which were the original wires from 88, c'mon seriously?!), cap, rotor and air filter. I also did the valve cover gasket, tube seals, dizzy o ring, oil pan gasket and oil change. Needless to say no more leaks and she really woke up! During the tune up I also noticed that the drivers headlight bracket was busted and half ass'd repaired. Luckily I found a guy locally that was parting out an 88 wagon so I got both his headlights, HID's with yellow high beams, rear mudflaps and both front window actuators, all which are now installed.

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So after immediate maintenance was complete I had to start 'making her mine' as I like to call it. Started by fixing some small things, replaced the broken glove box and broken center vents(thanks CodyJDM). Then I went a little parts crazy on eBay lol. First off was a $10 short shifter from eBay which is probably the best $10 i've spent on a vehicle in awhile! Felt like I had to cross county's to get into 2nd gear! Also threw in my old favorite teggy shift knob. After the short shifter was installed it just didn't look right with the stock shift boot, so I made one out of a Tito's Vodka bag, I dig it!

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Got new hatch lifts off ebay aswell as in the first week I got the wagon I took it up to best buy and got an alarm installed, (kind of a requirement in my neighborhood) so I have keyless entry in the wagon! Next I just set out to get all the rare options for the interior.

First was rear speaker pods.
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I followed the install guide on here and it honestly wasn't even that difficult.

Next was the armrest, I paid a pretty penny for it, and it was broken :(
Luckily i'm pretty resourceful when it comes to stuff like that. So the top lid was cracked, like someone put too much pressure on it and fell through, aswell as the top cloth being worn out and the padding pretty much disintegrated. I should have taken pictures during the process but forgot :( Pretty much what I did was disassemble the lid and cut out a piece of thin plywood using the lid as a template, then using a combination of super glue and loctite I pieced the lid back together, putting the plywood in the middle, and it was as sturdy as ever! For the padding I simply found an unused piece of pipe insulation, using the lid as a template, cut and applied with loctite :)

The finished product without the covering.
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I was having a bit a trouble deciding what fabric to cover the armrest lid in, then I remembered I had a pretty large Jager meister bandana laying around. So after a bit of arts and crafts time with some spray adhesive I had my new armrest lid :)

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Installed

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And last but certainly not least was the EDM center console. I couldn't find one in blue so i settled for gray. If anyone has a blue one they want to trade i'm down for a straight up trade! Also if anyone knows how to make the ashtray and cig lighter lights work please educate me. Either the harness that came with mine was bad or the wagon just didn't like it because I had to use my stock harness to get the cig lighter to work at all.

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Other than that i've just done some small things to personalize my wagon.

EE2 love decal

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Old Skool love plate frame

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PW:JDM hood spacers

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Broadway 270mm convex x2 brightness rear view

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I've also got limo tint all the way around, installed EF9 stanley side markers, a black datum 1 rear tow hook and an ebay hood bra. This is pretty much how the wagon sits right now.

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Any comments/suggestions are welcome! Sorry for the shitty cell phone pics, i'll get some decent ones taken once I restore the paint and get the bumpers paint matched. I'm also picking up a set of BMW bottlecaps this weekend so those will be put on once I decide how I want to refinish them. I'm thinking white with a blue lip. Before anyone gives the "needs moar low" post i'm working on it lol. I want to do skunk2 pro series v2 coilovers and a full bushing kit at the same time, so it'll be a little while. I've also already got about 75% of the parts needed for my swap, which isn't a D,B or H if you know what i'm saying... Hoping to have that in by next summer.
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Comments

  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    small update

    EFK1 mounts, ex front spindles with extended lugs, swap axles, rsx-s shifter box with cables and r crew race header

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    Was originally going to piece together a motor but I think i'm just going to save up for an H motor, less hassle that way.
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    I like where this is headed..

    You got a link to that hood bra?
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    Thanks.

    Looks like the seller sold out of the current ones they made. I would try messaging them to see if you could get one made. Not too shabby for $55 shipped. Going to look into getting 'civic' embroidered on the front of it so it looks a little more OEM.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/1988-1991-civic-hatchback-crx-wagon-hood-bra-/251154661557?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a79fc00b5&vxp=mtr#ht_1230wt_1170
  • TerminusVoxTerminusVox Senior Wagonist
    I'm in for updates! Looks like you are having fun.
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    I'm having loads of fun with it. The only other EF's i've owned were CRX's. Had 4 of them and loved 'em. Not sure why the wagon appealed to me so much but i'm really glad I got one.
  • 666DAN666DAN Wagonist
    I like it! Cant wait to see what the future brings for your wagon!
  • damn dude, k series?? cant wait to see the progress
  • Love your build! Can't wait to see how that H motor goes in.
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    To clarify by h motor I meant a full swap from h motors online, not an h series :)
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    I know the updates are slow guys. The holidays have kept me pretty busy.

    Kswap is at a standstill while I gather money and parts.

    So i'm currently focusing on the interior/exterior of my wagon.

    My girlfriend bought my a pair EDM rear fogs, EK front fogs and an ebay lip for xmas/birthday.:smug:

    I installed the lip and the fitment is pretty much perfect, i'll post pics later tonight. I decided on EK fogs motivated by Gab's wagon and how well he made them look. I cut the holes, mocked them up then one fell off my bumper...needless to say i'm waiting for the replacement pair to show up :disturbed:.

    I should be installing the rear fogs tonight, for the time being i'm planning on just wiring them to the running lights while I figure out all the wiring for the switch.
  • BillBoardBillBoard council member
    t.k wrote: »
    Also if anyone knows how to make the ashtray and cig lighter lights work please educate me. Either the harness that came with mine was bad or the wagon just didn't like it because I had to use my stock harness to get the cig lighter to work at all.

    the lights for cig lighter and ash tray will not work with usdm cigarett harness- needs to be a 3 or 4 pin plug... you could probably mix the 2 parts together, like the actual cig lighter from USDM wagon and the harness from the EDM console...
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    Thanks for the suggestion BillBoard, I'll try that the next time I take it out.
  • bam-bambam-bam Council Member
    If I remember right, the EDM console I put in pebbleswagon was plug-n-play. Just plugged into the factory harness and lighter, lighted ring around socket, and ashtray light all worked.
    Her car is a '91, maybe that's the difference?

    BTW, welcome if I didn't already say so. Funny, we have a TK here in Georgia who's an OG EF guy. when I first saw this I was like HUH? How did Thundercat get in a wagon without me knowing? Funny.
  • rbwdrivenrbwdriven Senior Wagonist
    bam-bam wrote: »

    BTW, welcome if I didn't already say so. Funny, we have a TK here in Georgia who's an OG EF guy. when I first saw this I was like HUH? How did Thundercat get in a wagon without me knowing? Funny.

    I thought the same friggin thing.
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    bam-bam wrote: »
    If I remember right, the EDM console I put in pebbleswagon was plug-n-play. Just plugged into the factory harness and lighter, lighted ring around socket, and ashtray light all worked.
    Her car is a '91, maybe that's the difference?

    I tried using the USDM harness from my stock set up, aswell as testing the EDM one aswell as a couple DC Integra ones that were lying around and all yielded the same results. I'm so stumped but lukily it's not super important :)

    bam-bam wrote: »
    BTW, welcome if I didn't already say so. Funny, we have a TK here in Georgia who's an OG EF guy. when I first saw this I was like HUH? How did Thundercat get in a wagon without me knowing? Funny
    rbwdriven wrote: »
    I thought the same friggin thing.

    Thanks for the welcome. I lurked on HCW for the longest time before posting anything. Funny about your buddy, small world.
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    Finally got around to installing my rear fogs. They didn't mount flush due to previous damage on my bumper :( but it was good practice for when I get a replacement bumper.

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    Should be installing my front EK fogs on Friday, as well as finally washing/waxing the wagon. Ordered a set of pathfinder window visors that are scheduled to arrive early next week. I'm also waiting on my set of floor mats that from_si_to_is made me, check out his thread.

    Updates are slow, I'll keep them coming as the parts roll in.
  • crx_arturocrx_arturo New Wagonist
    We have the exact same rims. Except you have all your center caps and I only have 3 :/
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    I was surprised that the guy had all the center caps on them when I bought my wagon.
  • rear fogs are dope man you beat me to it! mine is on its way lol
  • subbed. when i saw the pix of the car and wheels it reminded me of this car i just saw over on h-t haha. looks this is going to be another epic thread!

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  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    codyJDM wrote: »
    rear fogs are dope man you beat me to it! mine is on its way lol
    Haha thanks, your cars gonna look so sick with them! Let me know if you want some help installing them.
    MY_EEWagon wrote: »
    subbed. when i saw the pix of the car and wheels it reminded me of this car i just saw over on h-t haha. looks this is going to be another epic thread!

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    That sedan looks so clean. I hope my wagon comes close to that eventually.
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
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    Gotta love it when everything comes in on the same day!

    Gotta run some errands right now, but everything should get installed later today.

    Stay tuned
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    So after reading in a window visor thread that visors from a 97-04 pathfinder are a pretty close match for our wagons I ordered a set from eBay for $35 shipped. They weren't scheduled to get here until Monday but they ended up getting here early! :encouragement:

    So the rears go on with no modification and fit really well. The fronts almost fit perfectly but they are too long on the mirror side.

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    I started off by cutting right where the visor meets the mirror. I used tape to mark everything and a die grinder with a cutting wheel to cut, went through like butter.

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    Now they ended where they needed to but having them just end abruptly looked goofy to me so I decided to taper off the end.

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    I cut a couple different angles, starting small of course, until I found a length I liked. Then simply sanded the rough edges from the cut, duplicated on the other side and installed.

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    Much better

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    Now the curve of the visor to the door is not perfect, it could be if you took time with a heat gun to get it 100%. For me, the fitment is just fine. The only issue I ran into is that the front visor overlaps the rear door a little bit. On my passenger side it wasn't an issue but on the drivers side the rear door would catch the end of the front visor when you closed it and would pinch it. Can't have that so I had to trim them.

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    I still need to go back and smooth out the drivers side a little. If I do it again i'm going to make the visor contour perfectly to the mirror, but for a first try I really like the way they turned out.

    As I mentioned earlier fellow wagon owner from_si_to_is made me some floor mats that I also received yesterday. They are good quality, look nice and fit perfect!

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    Thanks again Evan!

    The last package was a bunch of little wagon things I got from a guy off HT, I got a full set of AC vents and the guy threw in a change pocket, little pocket that sits below the cluster, fuse cover and 2 passenger mirror block offs. Got everything for stupid cheap.

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    I mainly wanted the drivers side ac vent as mine fell apart when I tried to remove it a month ago.

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    I'm really happy to no longer have that hole in my dash ;)

    I decided to enjoy the rest of my day out of the shop so the front fogs will have to wait until another day.

    As always feedback is always appreciated.
  • Damn man! I wanted to do a Kswap in my wagon too. Good luck with the project.
  • I love the build looks good I just order the vent visors from my work. I can't wait to make them work. Keep up the good work. :encouragement:
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    Damn man! I wanted to do a Kswap in my wagon too. Good luck with the project.
    Thanks!

    I love the build looks good I just order the vent visors from my work. I can't wait to make them work. Keep up the good work. :encouragement:
    Thanks man! Be sure to post pics so we can see how they look!
  • Clean build. Looking forward to seeing the ek fogs and lip on. H motor is by far the best place to get a swap from. I have been working with Steve for over ten years
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    Clean build. Looking forward to seeing the ek fogs and lip on. H motor is by far the best place to get a swap from. I have been working with Steve for over ten years

    Yea Steve is great, we've ordered motors from him for years. Always top notch quality and service. I'm working on a deal with a guy locally for a complete k motor, we'll see if it works out.
  • t.kt.k New Wagonist
    Didn't want to post much about my swap progress until I had a motor, so...........

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    Just went and picked it up, full k20z3 swap out of an 08 si. 58k miles, factory everything, including the 6 speed LSD transmission. Needless to say the majority of my time and money will now go to finishing my swap. I'm still confident I can make my summer 2k13 goal as I already have most of the major parts.

    Nobody expects the wagon....
  • nice vent!! and everything else!!! haha. good shit man loving the updates!
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