What car(s) are you currently building?
For right now, it's my 1989 Acura Integra. Future projects have been put on hold as I just had a little boy, 15 months ago. But I think I still have one Honda project left in me, so something will be in the works in the near future.
What do you love about JDM parts?
Before it was all about trying to be the first or one of the only to own something that was so hard to get. Nowadays it's all about trying to find the things that you couldn't find or afford back then.
Does the part have to be JDM?
Not really, for the most part yes since there weren't too many companies in the U.S. making parts for the 1989 Integra. But the companies that were USDM-Lightspeed, Jackson Racing and DC Fabrications-made excellent performance parts.
Does it have to be a discontinued item?
It doesn't have to be when it comes down to the parts that I look for, most of them are because some of them are 20 years old now.
How long have you been collecting parts?
That is a tough one to answer. I am the original owner of my car and I never thought of the things that I was getting for the car as being part of a collection. Also, I never thought of my wheels as a collection when I had two or three sets. Now that I have seven sets of wheels and a stash of pretty rare parts, I guess you can call it a collection. I have been collecting these parts for at least 15 years.
What's your favorite part that you have or had?
I have a few things in my collection that I think stand above the rest. First is the three super-clean sets of SSR EX-C wheels; Fins, Mesh and Neo. Not only are they clean but they are all 15x7". Finding SSR EX-C are hard, finding them in 4x100 and 15x7" is even harder. Other notable mentions; Mugen sport exhaust for the first generation Integra ('86-'89), full Mugen body kit for same car, full Mugen body kit for the third-generation Civic ('84-'87), brand new Mugen wing for the same car and two complete sets of 15" Mugen CF-48 with aero disc covers.
What part are you still on the hunt for?
I would love to have a set of SSR EX-C aero disc covers. I had a chance to get a set but they were way more than I was willing to pay.
Since you've developed good connections and skills for finding rare parts, are you a bounty hunter for hire?
Sure, money talks.
Do one-off or fabricated parts count as rare?
One-off, yes. Fabricated, it depends.
How do you find information on what parts were available?
Old brochures and Japanese parts catalogs are the best way. The Internet is a good source too, but you have to be really careful what you read as there is a lot of bad info as well.
How do you find all these rare parts?
Before the advent of the Internet it was all about asking around and talking to the guys that you met along the way; calling to see if someone knows anyone selling some wheels or parts and going from there. There wasn't a lot of people in the scene back in the day and if you knew a few people that was good enough. Also, back in the day the biggest parts trader was the Recycler-Southern California's printed classifieds-before things like Craigslist. I scored a lot of really nice things by going through that. Now with the Internet, forums and Yahoo Japan are my shopping grounds.
Conclusion I'm not much of a person who hangs onto souvenirs or collects memorabilia, and I never really understood why some do. But after realizing how many automotive goodies I've accumulated, I now get it. Also, now when the girlfriend says she wants to spend what seems like a ridiculous amount of money on a brand-name purse or something for her jewelry collection, I stop and think about how it's so similar to how I spend absorbent amounts of money on car parts. There is no end hopefully.
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