Chris_Lum's Mugen build
07-24-2012, 08:25 PM
#312
Thread Starter
Small update 7/24/12
Picked up a little something last night after i sold my OEM hardtop. Going to get paint quotes this week...will definitely do a new photoshoot when it's painted!
Also did something that i've been wanting to do for a long time, switch my AP2 Door panels to Ap1 panels. Most of you will probably thing i'm crazy for doing that (i'm NOT selling my Ap2 panels, still keeping them to change back if i want), but the reason i did it is because i can't stand the AP2 door panel inserts. I don't like how in 2004, Honda changed the direction of the stitching in the leather insert. In this respect, the AP1 panel always looked better to me--sure the Ap1 tweeter isn't as nice and the storage pocket is smaller, but i can live with those more than i can live with the Ap2 insert. The best of both worlds would be the Ap1 insert with the Ap2 tweeter, but sadly they aren't interchangeable.
One of the S2ki vendors, makes the alcantara inserts that mimic the AP1 forward stitch pattern, but you can still see the OE backwards stitching once the alcantara is glued down. The best method would be to pop the Ap2 insert off, strip the leather off and have a custom piece of leather added that mimics the AP1 stitching. That is a lot of work and cost, so i'm sticking to the Ap1 panels for now!
Picked up a little something last night after i sold my OEM hardtop. Going to get paint quotes this week...will definitely do a new photoshoot when it's painted!
Also did something that i've been wanting to do for a long time, switch my AP2 Door panels to Ap1 panels. Most of you will probably thing i'm crazy for doing that (i'm NOT selling my Ap2 panels, still keeping them to change back if i want), but the reason i did it is because i can't stand the AP2 door panel inserts. I don't like how in 2004, Honda changed the direction of the stitching in the leather insert. In this respect, the AP1 panel always looked better to me--sure the Ap1 tweeter isn't as nice and the storage pocket is smaller, but i can live with those more than i can live with the Ap2 insert. The best of both worlds would be the Ap1 insert with the Ap2 tweeter, but sadly they aren't interchangeable.
One of the S2ki vendors, makes the alcantara inserts that mimic the AP1 forward stitch pattern, but you can still see the OE backwards stitching once the alcantara is glued down. The best method would be to pop the Ap2 insert off, strip the leather off and have a custom piece of leather added that mimics the AP1 stitching. That is a lot of work and cost, so i'm sticking to the Ap1 panels for now!
07-25-2012, 05:15 AM
#315
Registered User
07-25-2012, 10:48 AM
#316
Thread Starter
thanks guys! i had the OEM top for about 4 years, so it was time to switch it up. I've always liked the sleek profile of the Mugen top. And the design element i love the most is the sculpted channel running through the center. 
07-26-2012, 05:23 AM
#317
Registered User
Yeah, that channel is nice, I wish someone would do an OEM style top with the Mugen channel. Has the difference in window size been hard to get used to? One of the reasons I want the OEM top is for the big window.
07-26-2012, 10:54 AM
#318
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Chris_Lum' timestamp='1343242115' post='21888550
thanks guys! i had the OEM top for about 4 years, so it was time to switch it up. I've always liked the sleek profile of the Mugen top. And the design element i love the most is the sculpted channel running through the center.
The smaller window size hasn't been much of a problem for me. it's comparable to the OEM soft top glass window. Just have to back out of parking spots slower than usual, and during driving, i rely heavily on blind spot mirrors. So yes, the huge window on the OEM was nice, the OEM top just didn't look sporty enough for me.
didn't realize how much extra headroom there is w/ the mugen top too, since it's not as thick as the OEM top. Not a problem for me since i'm short, but something to consider for tall people.
07-26-2012, 11:31 AM
#319
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
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Nice man! Very jealous. I've been wanting to switch to a Mugen top too.
The roll hoops seem to always block the far sides of the OEM hardtop window (for me at least), so I can't imagine the Mugen is really that much of a loss in the department.
The roll hoops seem to always block the far sides of the OEM hardtop window (for me at least), so I can't imagine the Mugen is really that much of a loss in the department.
