Thank you! I've really grown to like it as well and it feels peppier (maybe that's just the sound playing tricks on me) after resetting the ECU (it looks like the easiest way was to pull a few fuses for a few seconds)
The hits just kept on coming though!
about a month ago we left on our summer cross country road trip.
At the first refuel in Tucson, we drove over a filler spout and our axle got caught on our hastily fabricated rear spring mount for the Bilstien struts. It bent the axle enough that the whole back of the car vibrated like hell (OEM axle. rest in pieces) We made it to Dallas for the night and got it fixed in the morning.
The next day we lose our water pump shaft and blow the engine. I just didn't catch that the accessories were out until it was too late. We were just humming along going 70 over rolling hills and the engine got hot.
The car ran, so we take it to a shop and they throw a water pump in it. $$ it runs when they test drive it, but when I pick it up its gargling and running weak. Take it back to the shop and the cylinders are pressurizing the water system. Shop says it may be a head, but they won't touch it because no one local will machine warped heads and they don't want the disappointment of someone spending another grand to have a still broken 16 year old Honda.
They are surprised when I tell them to price an engine swap. (which leads me to look up my other options.)
Long story short(er) we end up getting an engine importer in Atlanta to toss a low mileage CRV engine in it and send us on our way (70k non verified, but fawk it. It's pulling stronger than the 235k mile engine we blew up.)
So now Miss Fitz is a little bit more Japanese than she used to be and leveraged all of our summer money before we even got half way across the country.
Lucky for us we've got a network of deeply generous friends and followers who respond to our request for help by covering all of our car repairs for the trip in under 24 hours. If you'd like a more long form read of this experience, check out the (completely funded) GoFundMe
here
So now, we're in VA for a bit working on our drive back to AZ. We had to close our shop badcraftmotors.com because I was trying to force it into being what paid our bills and it just isn't yet. We've got a new website in the works (done, but the developer needs us to go over everything before he presses go and we haven't had the time with all this mess to look at it yet.)
The change is that I'll use the site to launch our limited production runs of OEM style parts and offer a few merch items that will help me pay for further development. I've got a LONG list, but it doesn't move forward without a few weeks of thinking and doing time and enough money to buy the materials or hire local small businesses to manufacture things for us.
On the back burner in no particular order:
Rock Armor/Side steps. (my buddy got a CNC tube bender so fawk everything right?!)
Full Roof Rack (👆🏼 right?)
iRoc-Z style rear window visors
rear bumper insert cover (with work light/backup light integration option)
laser cut windshield sun visor with the option to customize the graphic.
pliable OEM look lower door trim (door pillows bro)
integrated work-light roof rack fairing
add a battery, battery mount (house and start you animals)
full spring lift with off-road shocks (off road/stock/heavy loads as spring rates)
Cat Security Scare Light (with camera option) (under car strobe to scare cats out from under your car . . . or folks who like to steal cats)
electric conversion
2020 facelift headlights (I want to play with ELpanels and it looks like the affordability is there.)
OEM replica lower seat covers
I'm probably forgetting a few things, but you get the picture.
Not enough time; not enough money; plenty of know how and tools to make it all happen.