• Registered users are encouraged to enable MFA/2FA to add an aditional layer of security to their account. More information can be found here: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online/activate-2-step-verification-on-your-email

Luke's FN2

Messages
41
After a bit of looking around I picked up a 2008 FN2 a few weeks back, my first Type R and second Honda. I've spent the last week or two slowly getting it cleaned up now I've got a few decent pictures it seemed like a good time to get a few posted up here. It's covered just over 64k miles with a full service history, some from Honda and some independant. There's a bit of the usual wear and tear and it definitely needs tidying up a bit, but there's nothing out of the ordinary for the age so I'm pretty pleased. Pretty much standard aside from the wheels being painted (less than brilliantly) and a few decals that aren't to my taste. All things to keep me occupied.

I've not really had a chance to drive it much at all due to the current situation, but it's giving me plenty of time to work on it at least. A few pictures...

IMG-20200408-194609-2.jpg


IMG-20200408-194629-2.jpg


IMG-20200408-194659-2.jpg


IMG-20200412-172601-copy.jpg
 
Hello
You sure the wheels arnt factory black? My old milano red had black wheels from factory and yes they bubble up really badly.
 
Hello
You sure the wheels arnt factory black? My old milano red had black wheels from factory and yes they bubble up really badly.

Ah I didn't realise there was a factory option for black wheels so maybe? The way they're flaking looked a bit like a DIY rattle-can job to me, but I don't know for sure.
 
Looks decent, see what you mean about the stickers though.

Cheers. Yep, standard decals next to the rear wheel arch and the front grille badge are not present so replacing them both is on the list. There was another sticker the same as the front ones on the rear bumper which I've already removed and polished back to normal, but unfortunately I discovered that the two on the front lip have been lacquered over so it's looking like a re-paint job. The lacquer is peeling along a lot of the front lip anyway so I'd be wanting to get it done again anyway, not the end of the world.

The Honda logos on the edges of the wheels aren't quite my thing either but again something that I'll sort out over time, it's obviously had an owner who loved their stickers. Each to their own...
 
Well I lasted a couple of weeks before buying something for the car... Fitted a pair of Climair wind deflectors. As I'd read on here it felt a bit wrong bending them to get them in the channel but the fit is brilliant, and after leaving them to seat themselves in for a day or two the windows operate as normal with no catching/noises, winner.

These photos also show something else that's been bugging me, different colour lenses on the wing mirror indicators. Currently deciding which I prefer and then I'll change the other one to match. And thanks to a bit of rain and some farmers blasting around the fields/roads in their tractors, the car could now do with another wash.

IMG-20200416-103357.jpg


IMG-20200416-103336.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Been doing a few more bits on the car so thought I'd get some pictures up again. Both headlight lenses were slightly faded with some dirt building up along the bottom edges so I gave them a blast over with a 3M restoration kit. Wasn't a bad process at all as they wern't too bad to begin with, but thought it'd be worth tackling sooner rather than later so I can keep on top of it.

Mid way and polishing back up:

IMG-20200425-145639.jpg


IMG-20200425-155403.jpg


The last few days I've been cleaning up and painting the calipers and centre/edges of the hub/discs and splash guards. First one is done and I'm part way through the second, the difference is quite satisfying.

Before:

IMG-20200504-171041.jpg


After:

IMG-20200505-195308.jpg


Close-up of the logo:

IMG-20200505-195327.jpg
 
great update, looking good, super clean headlamps really lift the front of the car.

Cheers. It really makes a difference, even though they weren't bad to start with they do catch the eye now.

Nice work, can you give some details about calipers ?

Thanks. In terms of how I did them? Just a really good working over with a wire brush to remove any nasties and then a wipe down and a few coats of red Hammerite. The logo I highlighted with a tiny brush while panicking about having to start the whole thing again. I did them in place so just made sure I masked up the surface of the discs well and proceeded carefully. Would probably make more sense to have them off and apart but I trust my steady hand more than my ability to put my brakes back together.

I did a bit of reading and there's mixed opinions on the Hammerite but I saw a few pictures of it holding up fine after a few years and seeing as I had some already I thought it'd be worth a shot. I think a lot of complaints about various paint usually boil down to the fact that people haven't prepared the surface properly to be honest. Fully prepared to be proved wrong though, so we'll see!
 
Another update... I went for a trip to the shop last week and noticed bit of noise on the way back and a very hot front wheel when I stopped, so suspected there was a brake issue. Once it eventually cooled down I had a look and it seemed like the caliper was sticking a little, so I got it booked in to get sorted and coupled it with a full service as it was past the interval when I bought it. It looked to the mechanic like someone had "rebuilt" the caliper at some point and jammed a rusty piston back in, but it did make me feel slightly better as I'd started to worry I'd been a tool when I was painting them and got paint somewhere it shouldn't have been. He also gave the whole car a good check over and there was no bad news which is always nice, good and solid underneath and very healthy overall. I'd checked as much as I could before I bought it but I'm not exactly a "crawl under a Civic" sized person, and aside from a bit of research and common sense I'm the first to admit that I don't know entirely what I'm looking at.

So a bit more painting has been done as my lovely red caliper was replaced, and I've also had a good go at all of the plastics which are coming up pretty nicely. A few pictures:

IMG-20200516-204246.jpg

IMG-20200516-204225.jpg

IMG-20200516-204317.jpg

IMG-20200516-204335.jpg

IMG-20200516-204355.jpg


It seems never-ending at the moment, the cleaner one thing gets the worse everything else around it looks! But as long as the to-do list is I am enjoying having a car to work away on, I went for something that needs a bit of work rather than trying to find something that was already in perfect condition and it's working out so far. This is how it stands as of last night, my entirely biased view is that it's starting to look quite tidy.

IMG-20200520-200619.jpg
 
Another little update... I've just finished fitting a Double DIN head unit and a dash cam, which was an interesting experience to say the least. But after removing and replacing half of the interior, they're in and working and with the steering wheel controls retained. I'm really pleased with the end result, transforms the look of the dash in my opinion and I'm loving this Android Auto lark.

Picture of the dash before:
IMG-20200604-160806.jpg


The mess half way:
IMG-20200605-170035.jpg


After:
IMG-20200606-100233.jpg


Next on the list is to get the various dings/scratches sorted out, get rid of the front decals and add the stock side ones, and then finally a refurb for the wheels. Then I'm going to try and leave it alone for a while and just enjoy it as it is, although ideally I would like to clean up the arches and seal them up before winter arrives.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Been doing some more work on the car, I thought I'd make the most of the hot weather and paint some parts. The rocker cover was looking very sorry for itself with bits of paint peeling off all over the place and I decided to really go for the black/red theme and paint the spark plug and intake manifold covers as well. I won't put up pictures of the whole process as I'm sure everyone has seen some Nitromors and spray paint before! I went for a gloss finish so it'd stand out a little more. I also painted the intake manifold as it was looking very tired, and cleaning/polishing it up to any decent standard was going to be a hell of a task.

After a load of reading up on all the options and changing my mind multiple times I also ordered a HKS intake. I'm thinking of going down the EcuTek route with a few more mods eventually, but the childish side of me wanted a bit of noise for the time being without the need to map the car straight away. After the first drive out I'm pretty sure I dont regret the choice...

Engine bay as it stands...

IMG-20200627-103245.jpg


Lots more cleaning and tidying to do, but it's getting there.
 
It will be a labour of love but looking good so far.

How about some MJC automotive slam panel bolts to replace those horrible plastic clips?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Cheers, I’m enjoying it so far. After having a van/practical car for so long it’s quite nice to have something a bit more fun to do some work on.

I’ll check out those slam panel bolts, those clips are nasty little things. I’m slowly working on cleaning up and painting all of the various brackets/bolts/fixings so it’d be nice to sort those as well.
 
Back
Top