Slammed vans are bitchin’. But like a good dog or a Harry Potter wand, you don’t choose the van – the van chooses you. Now I’ve got a deeper life-lesson at the end of this article, but first I wanna talk about the backstory of this minivan. This is Ryan Allen Scott’s 1st-gen (1995), JDM, lowered Honda Odyssey.
Backstory on the van: JDM Honda Odyssey…
Ryan and his dad run a hometown shop in Cookeville Tennessee. They do general maintenance/service, and one of their regular customers was a postman with an old Blazer mail delivery truck. You know – the kind you see in small towns, where the carriers just kinda drive regular cars. It had one of those belt-driven right-hand-drive conversions. Well – one day the postman stopped-in sporting this 1995 JDM, true right-hand-drive Honda Odyssey. AND… it was Mugen’d out!
“WTF is going on here?!!”
Is probably what Ryan said when he first saw it. This Honda Odyssey had practically the entire 1995 Mugen catalog! Even Mugen lowering springs! Now – Ryan’s a Honda-head through & through (check out his gold CRX). So obviously – he was all hot & bothered over this Mugen-spec JDM Honda Odyssey mail truck.
“How did you end up with this?!”
Basically – the post office had given the guy a budget for a new vehicle. And he nonchalantly went to a Japanese importer to buy something right-hand-drive that could carry mail. They had this Honda Odyssey on hand… and that was that. For the postman, all the Mugen stuff was just kind of ‘a nice touch’… but nothing more.
Carrying on with his routes & routines, he’d bring the Odyssey by Ryan’s shop for routine service, and Ryan was always like, “Hey if/when you ever sell this, let me know.” Well, one day…
The JDM Honda Odyssey mail truck arrived on a flatbed…
It had been in a front-end collision. Now look – you know how it goes with typical insurance companies. To them, it was just a 30-year-old Odyssey. AKA – pretty much worthless. If you’re going to buy a JDM vehicle, it’s almost crucial to contact a dedicated enthusiast/collector auto insurance company like Traction. They understand the true value of these cars, and will steer you in the best direction… often saving you money, while simultaneously taking much better care of your vehicle should an incident occur.
Anyway, the box insurance company totaled-out the JDM Odyssey, and the buy-back price was a whopping $1200. The postman forwarded that deal over to Ryan, because he knew Ryan had a weird thing for the van. (Also kinda weird.. this is NOT the first retired mail vehicle we’ve featured.)
Notice: It still had the unpainted front bumper here, and Infiniti G wheels.
So Ryan did what any Honda Goonie would do…
And ran to the coffee-can on the top shelf for cash! He then ordered a USDM front clip from Beavers Auto Salvage, performed a little redneck PDR, and beat the front-end out until fit right. Then he installed a new radiator & sent it! The Odyssey became a fun, no-strings-attached ”rolling project’ of sorts. And it really became a game of…
“What else could I do to the daily?“
The Odyssey came to the states on Mugen lowering springs, but they were tired. Dope for a mail truck… but not quite slammed enough (enuff) for Ryan’s standards. So he retired the Mugen springs for a set of BC Racing ‘Extreme Low’ coilovers. He also performed some crafty work to the suspension (see modlist). And thankfully, the Mugen front lip escaped any harm from the collision. Bottom line – these golden-era Honda boys are resourceful, and actually more green & sustainable than most 21st century wannabes. Maybe that’s because sustainability comes from repurposing, longterm ownership, and the art of simplicity… not buying into the latest corporate fad. But I digress…
The engine in this Honda Odyssey is still stock/original…
It’s an F22 single-cam, but the van’s got all-wheel-drive. Ryan wouldn’t be opposed to some hotter VTEC swap down the road, but for now it’s a damn good cruiser. And honestly, with a van like this, there’s a solid argument for not overcomplicating it. Or maybe that’s just the minivan’s sensible aura kicking-in already lol. Just to cover his rice-boy bases though, Ryan did an AEM cold-air, Mugen header, and Mugen cat-back.
Ryan lucked-out on the Volk wheels…
These are Volk GTCs in 19×8.5 & 19×9.5. He was rocking some OEM G37 wheels or something like that – clean but nothing special. When somebody selling a G was taking it all back to stock… and was willing to swap his Volk GTCs for Ryan’s stockers straight-up! Who wouldn’t take that deal!?
For brakes, Ryan got Fat Four Customs caliper brackets to use Acura RL calipers up front. He then got 350Z Track Edition rotors, and bored them out to Honda-hub sizing.
It would be unholy to slam a minivan and not have some bump in the trunk…
So Ryan had a custom box made for two Scar Competition SVR 10in subs (with fat magnets). The box sits flush in that gully where the 3rd row seats would typically fold down. Moving forward, there are Kenwood speakers throughout the cabin, and a Kenwood head unit.
This old-school Odyssey still has the original 1995 Japanese navigation. Yes – apparently navigation existed in ’95. It’s obviously very rudimentary by today’s standards, and lately (sadly) it’s been glitching-out. But when it works, it shows Japanese maps exclusively. Ryan and his fiancé were able to pinpoint ‘home’ on the old navigation, and it seems (not guaranteed) to have come from a tuning shop in Japan. That’s their best guess, since they looked-up the shop & there was a newer customized Toyota minivan out front. Either way – it’s a cool nostalgic feature to have OG navigation in this JDM Odyssey. Which kind of leads me to that deeper conclusion I mentioned earlier…
You ever feel like nothing new has value anymore?
I’ve come to realize that value has become a major void in this decade. You know… value: The sense & satisfaction that something is worth it. Value is a simple-enough concept, and you’d think it would be demanded by the consumer… but something’s changed.
It feels like in the modern age of hyper-inflation, subscriptions-over-ownership, tap-to-pay, & automatic-withdrawals, we’ve lost the value in new things. Corporations stopped putting the customer first, and they started software-trapping the customer, rather than old-school earning them. And simultaneously, consumers are also to blame… because they’ve gotten lazy, incapable, and apathetic (look no further than DoorDash). We’ve either lost and/or forfeited “the good deal”. And perhaps more critically, we’ve lost and/or forfeited ‘that good feeling’ that comes as a bonus to a good deal. You really can’t undervalue that feeling. A genuinely good deal gives us purpose. It calls us to action. And gives us a natural surge of energy, motivation, and a feeling of possibility.
Honestly, it’s that surge that’s missing in modern-day lazy consumerism. People want instant gratification, but they’re bypassing the spirit of true/earned gratification! Tell me – what’s so exciting about a Chevy Tahoe or F-150… that’s worth spending $1,200/month on it… for 6 years or more! We’re talking about generic, uninspiring transportation… for record payments… on a heavily depreciating vehicle! With more problems than ever before. The value is no longer there! Just like a $10 coffee. It’s just – not.
Good values bring great experiences…
Like Ryan’s rad, JDM, salvage-title ’95 Honda Odyssey. There are no strings attached to the ownership of this car. It’s just fun, experimentation, and creativity… with a healthy side of utility. And the fact is: Ryan gets more giggles driving this $1200 slammed minivan, that a lot of people get with their $1200 PER MONTH new vehicles. That’s what value looks like – slammed lol. Invest into your experiences; invest into fresh possibilities & moments. Pay for healthy laughs, good times, and broader perspectives. It’s worth it when it brings you that kind of joy.
SUSPENSION / WHEELS / BRAKES
BC Extreme Low coilovers with 14k springs in front & 18k rear (can support cargo)
Modded rear buckets to mount the standard ID springs in rear
Megan Racing front upper control arms (from Accord)
Front upper control arm mount bushings from EG (heim joints to adjust high/low mount points)
Shortened spindles
Cut knuckles
Cusco front/rear strut tower braces & Cusco camber arms in rear
Volk GTCs in 19×8.5 front & 19×9.5 rear
Fat Four Customs caliper bracket (for Prelude/Accord) that adapts the Acura RL 4-piston calipers
350Z Track Edition rotors w/ the center bored-out to Honda hub
ENGINE
F22B single-cam (Accord motor basically)
AEM cold air intake
Mugen header & cat-back exhaust
EXTERIOR
Mugen front lip, grille, aero covers for mirrors, skirts, rear lip, and wing
Monsoon rain guards
Auxito lighting – hi/low beams, fogs, brake light strobes, & marker lights
Altezza taillights
Paint-matched headlights eyebrows
INTERIOR
Personal steering wheel from ’80s Porsche
NRG short hub
Mooneyes trinkets
Kenwood headunit & door speakers
Custom cub box
Scar Competition SVR 10-inch subwoofers (QTY 2)
Taramps HD3k amp
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