View Full Version : Bagged B18 '88 DX Coupe Build!
B0CKS
05-15-2018, 08:32 AM
Hey everyone! I'm Seth! A couple years ago I introduced myself to these forums with a base model two door 88, and sooooo much has changed since, so I figure that even while I have a serious ways to go on my car, I should start up a thread to document what all has happened, and what will happen to my car! Essentially, my pride and joy is a WIP Bagged and Type R B18C swapped 3gee Accord, so everything will be greatly paraphrased for matter of keeping these posts fairly straightforward, but I can assure you, it wasn't nearly as easy as it looks online!
To read in agonizing detail my entire 3Gee experience, visit; B0CKS (http://b0cks.blogspot.com) and work your way from the last tile to the first! It's a pretty exhaustive documentation of two years of my life haha, and I hope it's decent way to spend 15 minutes!
Suspension:
-SEI Full Disc Brake Conversion (Including Prop Valve and Master Cylinder)
-Steel Braided Brake Lines
-Wilwood 4 Piston Front Calipers
-Prelude Front Upper Adjustable Control Arms
-Slotted and Drilled Power Stop Rotors Front and Rear
-Rear Upper Adjustable Control Arms
-Cheddas Front Traction Bar
-OEM optional Rear Sway Bar
-D2 Racing Bags
-1984 JDM 15x6.5 +16 Manaray Turbinas
-Backup set of 1985 Mitsubishi "Cowbell" wheels 15x6.5 +18 wrapped in 195/50/r15 Toyo Proxes R888, filled redrilled and restored to OEM gray
-Wrapped in 195/45r15 Toyo Tires
-Polyurethane Sway Bar Links
Engine:
-Fully rebuilt OEM Spec B18C Type R Swap by Engine Machine Shop in Potterville MI
-YS1 Transmission case with GSR Internals, LS 5th gear, Type R LSD, Full Carbon rebuild kit, built by Tall Pines Racing
-P28 ECU with Hondata S300 V3, Burton Racing Coil on Plug harness adapter and powdercoated housing, along with custom lasercut relocation bracket
-Relocated Fuse Box with custom lasercut relocation bracket
-Rywire Complete tucked engine bay and fuse box with Firewall connector
-Tucked body harness
-Burton Racing Coil on Plug Setup
-Dimension Coil Plate
-S2000 Coils
-Extensively shaved bay
-NOS Type R oil cap
-NOS Fuel Rail Vacuum Pump
-ARP HeadStuds
-Gates Timing Belt
-DC Racing 4-2-1 Two Piece Headers
-Remanned alternator and starter
-Powdercoated Valve Cover in OEM Red
-ACL Bearings
-OEM Clutch
-Full new OEM Timing Cover plastics
-New Oil Pan
-Cometic Head Gasket
-DownStar Full Cosmetic engine dress kit
-Full OEM replacement sensors
-CSF Racing Half Radiator
-16AN Radiator Hoses
-16AN converted lower thermostat housing
-K-Tuned 16AN Upper radiator hose mount
-Custom lasercut upper radiator mount
-Custom fabbed lower radiator inner mount
-New Harmonic Balancer
-Aftermarket radiator overflow tank
-bumper-tucked Optima Red-top battery
-Clear windshield wiper fluid cap! (yes, really.)
-3rd gen Prelude Speedometer Cable
-EF Civic custom bent hood prop+ 3D printed rest
-DC Racing CAI Cone
-AEM Hyrdophobic net
-AEM Fuel Rail
-Custom ran AN style fuel lines
-Innovative motor mounts
-Lasercut throttle bracket
-Fuel Injected Accord Throttle cable
-New Bosch fuel injection fuel pump
-NOS fuel filter
-All excess OEM Brackets have been powdercoated
-WIP Lasercut CAI Airbox
Interior:
-Reupholstered 2G Prelude Seats on Accord rails
-DA Integra Headrests
-Reupholsered optional LX-i Coupe rear folding seat
-Full SE-i Center console with Cupholders and Armrest
-Chrysler Conquest/Mitsubishi Starion accordion shift boot
-NRG Quick Release and Short Adapter Hub with custom lasercut OEM wheel>aftermarket apdater
-OEM 2G Prelude Steering wheel
-Rockford Fosgate 12" Shallow mount subwoofer and Amplifier
-Carrozzeria TSR-800 Cross Axial Four Way Package shelf Speakers
-Rockford Fosgate Component front door speakers
-Airlift Performance Air Management System
-Viair Twin Compressors
-Under dash mounted Fuse box w/ bottle opener
-3D printed cupholder in armrest
-Glovebox mounted Fire extenguisher
-Custom lasercut ECU mounting bracket
-All dash and door brackets powdercoated
-USB & Wall outlet mounted in center front console
-OEM Fog light switch from Japan
-TBD Panasonic Cockpit RM310
Exterior:
-Complete Respray to factory NH-512 Polar White
-2G Prelude SI Front Bumper with custom lasercut quick release setup
-1987 Integra Front Lip
-OEM "Accord" pop up fog lights w/ custom lasercut brackets
-Custom frosted vinyl cut "OK" Rear window dealer inspection stickers
-Custom DOHC fender trim
-JDM front corner/marker lights
-Custom designed and fabricated cowl induction hood scoop
-3D printed spoiler (WIP!)
-All belt-line trim has been shaved down to smooth from the OE noise texture it had
And continuing on to the build list for the (far more stock) daily driver 88' Coupe, that I wrecked once and "restored" on the cheap:
Exterior
-80$ Rattlecan Home Depot spray job
-Plastidip trim respray
-3G Civic hubcaps
-Stickers for horespower
-1987 Front end conversion (that's what they had at the yard, it's a bolt on- but you do have to swap turn signal pigtails!)
Interior
-12" Sub box
-Some junkyard JBL speakers from a sedan
-2G Prelude Steering wheel
-LX Sedan seats
-SEI Arm rest
-Cardboard Head Unit Cover
Engine/Suspension
-Regasketed Engine
-New water pump
-New timing belt
-new oil pump
-new axles
-new front upper and lower control arms
-Polyurethane sway bar links
-Other boring stuff!
So with that said, here's my car as it started life in my ownership!
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I had no idea about the rollercoaster to come, or the people on these forums and stories skills I'd learn when I bought this humble car, but I couldn't ask for anything more, it's been an incredible experience, and I can't wait to have this build completed! :D
B0CKS
05-15-2018, 08:40 AM
I bought this car on July 4th 2016, and it was my first car, the only real knowledge I had of cars was from watching over my Dad's shoulder and every now and then removing a part or two, so I didn't have much experience. But in about a month of my onwership, the clutch on this DX started to fail, and after realizing "it was only 3 pages in the shop manual" and having no idea how tough it could be, I decided that I should try and save money and do it myself. My life hasn't been the same since! So the car went up onto the lift, and after driving hours in between work days I got the job done in about three weeks, with this being my first big encounter with working on cars myself.
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We did-in fact- manage to get it out, which was an incredible high the first time!
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And since it had been some time since we started, I had gained enough funds to purchase my long lusted for coilovers and wheels, which I had picked out moooonths in advance!
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So after a seemless week+ long install the car returned to earth with a new clutch and fresh set of wheels!
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And for awhile, that's just how things were! I knew I had the coolest car on the planet, it already feels like an eternity ago haha
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B0CKS
05-15-2018, 08:48 AM
But, everything good must come to end it seems like, so after attending H20i (a 2000 mile drive, which the car did flawlessly);
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...I drove it into a tree. That split second stupid decision is what changed everything for this car, and these years until now, as I had only had the car how I liked it for around a month, and decided that I wouldn't be done with it so soon.
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The same day I wrecked it, was the same day I decided I would rebuild the car, originally just enough so that I could have my lowered car again, with an new facia. Admittedly, it didn't quite happen like that, but it's good sentiment.
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So after we rolled the now husk in, I got a quote for 1700 dollars to repair the front end damage I had caused. That happened to be 24 hours before I had found a listing for a literal duplicate of my coupe, another base model 88, produced only around 1600 units apart from eachother.
Needless to say I instantly jumped on the phone, and before I knew it, here we were, loading another Accord onto a trailer:
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And so, enter donor car No. I (formally known as B0CKS II)
In the state that I got it:
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B0CKS
05-15-2018, 08:54 AM
This turned my mission from a front end swap into a frame off, as every good part needed to go onto the good car, and everything else could simply be trashed or installed onto the other vehicle, so we got right into it!
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And between the two cars, one had around 100k less on the clock, so we decided we need to take that out of one car, and install it on the other, along with a cradle swap! So, out with the first engine;
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...and cradle;
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And then the other cars engine and cradle;
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And, to paraphrase, the lower mileage engine was rebuilt head up, all new gaskets, new pumps and pulleys, belts, a good first engine build, you know? And was then installed into the straight frame:
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And that was much of the initial plan for the mechanical end of my goals for this car, of which I am still pretty proud of!
B0CKS
05-15-2018, 08:57 AM
And every good rebuild needs a good paint job, so here's my first go at painting a car! Let's just have a quick three months of work happen reaaaal quick:
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...and done! That's 4 coats of primer and 3 coats of SINGLE stage paint, if I chose double, I probably would actually be done by now- I still have to paint the hood and doors of this car! Oh well Maybe on the next resto!
B0CKS
05-15-2018, 09:03 AM
And so, being bored with painting and sanding, I decided I would pull the frame myself on my wrecked car and rebuild it for fun with spare parts we had lying around. So we did. (just want to say again, this is very paraphrased.)
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Then found it needed an engine, so I bought a racecar for the engine which led to this photo:
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tore the spare engine and racecar engine apart and rebuilt them over a weekend;
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...and it still doesn't work, but that's for another thread.
Time to go back to work!
B0CKS
05-15-2018, 09:26 AM
Now all the backstory is out of the way- it's time to get to the good stuff.
During my hours of sanding I got fixated on the concept of airride, and how stupidly cool it would be to bag this car, and so I pinched my pennies until I could afford it;
An Airlift box containing a 34" 7 port tank, two air compressors, and all the wiring necessary. It was unreal finally opening those packages!
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Next was bags;
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And after trying tube bending for the first time, drilling through carpet and sheet metal, tons of packaging and repackaging,sweat (and, admittedly- a few tears) the install was compete, and it came out better than I could have hoped!
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It goes loooow, and can go EVEN LOWER. but that's for once the car is altogether and I don't have to get under it all the time lmao
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Dr_Snooz
05-15-2018, 09:28 AM
Nice synopsis and impressive work! I can't wait to see more.
B0CKS
05-15-2018, 10:09 AM
And so, with a drastic change of goals around the start of the new year, I went down to south bend Indiana and bought...
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A B18B1 engine. Basically, a member from the Facebook page had a good deal on Webers, and no one makes a good intake manifold that I could get a hold of for the A20 for Webers, but I found a B18 intake manifold, that could be used on the A20... or a B18... and I went down the rabbit hole, and came out with these:
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this;
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and currently, this:
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It needs the loom sorted out, and some general maintenance, but 98% of the parts are here and ready to go in! (I'll make a thread later!)
B0CKS
05-15-2018, 10:15 AM
And at this point, it was time to pull the A20 I had rebuilt (and also never turned key on) to make room for the B18.
...And not to brag, but it took me and two friends one literal hour to pull that engine. Boo. Yah.
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And while it's out, why not tear the engine bay all the way down and repaint it? Okay.
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It's getting another coat this weekend, but I'm guessing you can see what it looks like!
B0CKS
05-15-2018, 10:20 AM
And we're nearly caught up! Paint isn't the only thing on the docket for work this weekend, but wheel wells too! Another member of the Facebook group was selling discs brakes, and I was fortunate enough to score those, so here they are!:
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...and after last weekends scrubbing and spraybombing, here's a start for the rears:
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Which will all be hiding behind slotted and drilled disc brakes as well these wheels!: :D
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And that basically brings us to today, where I'll be rebuilding those front knuckles! Awesome! Feel free to stay tuned!
And I forgot to mention it, but we rebuilt transmissions too! My bad!
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B0CKS
05-15-2018, 10:20 AM
Nice synopsis and impressive work! I can't wait to see more.
Thanks a ton Doc! me neither haha!
Real nice build ! I have seen some of your stuff on FB ,but this shows the whole deal. Impressive.This will ensure you of a long lasting joy. Hope it comes out just the way you want it too.Keep it on.
B0CKS
05-16-2018, 10:38 AM
Real nice build ! I have seen some of your stuff on FB ,but this shows the whole deal. Impressive.This will ensure you of a long lasting joy. Hope it comes out just the way you want it too.Keep it on.
I'm flattered! I'm trying to get more active on the FB page as this starts to get closer to a complete to build! And thank you very much, even as it currently sits, its my most prized possession, and I'll be sure to keep it for as long as I can! Stay tuned, and thanks again!
Shane86
05-17-2018, 01:13 AM
Looking good boss
B0CKS
05-17-2018, 04:08 AM
Looking good boss
Thanks much! Can't wait to turn this pile of parts into something functional!
B0CKS
05-17-2018, 08:51 AM
Time for the first genuine thread update!
I picked up some suppper rad prelude seats, they're in good shape and everything is all there! I'll be having them reupholstered to be our good 'ol factory brown(red? Still can't tell honestly) which will make them very unique to our group, but to the regular onlooker, they'll be nothing out of the ordinary, which is perfect!
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And I went home and got my front knuckles picked up from having the hubs removed, so now they're also catching a nice new coat of undercoating and top coat! Looking good!
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So on the docket for this weekend:
Get all the hubs fully assembled and ready to be installed (all the fun brake parts should be in by next week!)
Engine bay gets another coat of paint
Do some work on the B18, since it just kinda' needs work.
We'll see what actually happens!
B0CKS
05-21-2018, 03:42 AM
Well. Plenty certainly happened this weekend! Due to rain, I couldn't paint the engine bay, but the discs are coming along great as most of the parts I ordered showed up extremely early! The christmas list being; all the calipers, new pads, rear rotors (still waiting on fronts), an engine stand, B18 Oil pan gasket, aaaaand a front Cheddas traction bar!!
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So, most importantly; here's the bar:
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There's a minor complication at the moment, as the radius rods are MIA, but Cheddas is doing an awesome job of sorting that out! :D
And so, to prevent rust taking charge, I got to work throwing down some caliper paint, top coat, and undercoating;
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And the front hubs came together! Hadn't used our press much until now, but oh man is it a godsend! And so, here we are, with everything (at the moment) installed! Rears are good to go, fronts need rotors and some lower ball joints and we're good!
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And you might say "Hey, he didn't get much done". I was busy pulling out this engine:
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and doing this cradle drop:
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and neglecting my DD so hard that the floorpan and one of the balljoints failed. Niiiice
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B0CKS
05-24-2018, 04:11 AM
Here's a little more of the same, but we're finally at the stage of install! The Knuckles are pretty much wrapped up, the fronts need lower joints and then we're good to drop them into the car! And the engine bay received it's final coat of paint, so it's all uphill from here, engine install is officially good to start!!
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Dr_Snooz
05-25-2018, 08:05 PM
Nice progress!
B0CKS
06-11-2018, 01:00 PM
Finalllly time for an UPDATE!
So, the car is hasn't changed much between all the other crazy happenings at our barn (transmissions blowing up, 85 Fiero's and 68' Lemans being purchased, gaskets dying and the sort) but the Accord(s) are in fact in making progress! It's just a few strides but it's all good! The front knuckles & cradle are bolted in (and still need to be torqued) but look fantastic!
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The second Accord caught a new battery and some fresh gas and it runs! Really poorly though, I think the carb is super out of tune, so the plan is take my spare carb, prep it for a vacuum delete and then re-tune the replacement. But that's when I have free time, which isn't easy to find these days.
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The B18 is finallly moving forward. Got it off it's tire, a few questions answered and also torqued down a few things, and found out that I have no clue where my new valve cover gasket went! Maybe I should start being a little more organized!
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And the engine bay is starting to come back together! A few bits around the bay, such as the Cheddas Traction Bar, repainted brake booster with an SE-i swapped master cylinder were installed as well as some odds and ends.
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And that's it for now! Some days, I must say, just feel like a video game while moving all these parts around and installing everything, one day it will be cool!
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zedries
06-12-2018, 06:45 PM
Great work - In for updates to see how well this comes up. i'm sure it will be epic.
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Dr_Snooz
06-12-2018, 07:28 PM
Great work!
B0CKS
06-13-2018, 11:18 AM
Thanks a ton guys! I work on this as much as I can every weekend I get the chance, so progress will be slow but steady! Thanks for staying tuned!
B0CKS
06-21-2018, 03:27 AM
Made some headway around the car, and played with the more expensive camera, so here's an update! Went to the garage last night and started working on my rear discs, I have the front installed, but the rear hadn't gone in yet, so the rear drum got pulled;
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And replaced with this!:
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Which looks pretty good, IMO:
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Which led to a rather major issue, that being fitment. The Manarays do NOT clear the inner lip, and my goal is to slam this thing to the earth (whether we like it or not) so I need to figure how to dodge that lip.
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The approaches I can take are 1)modify the upper control arm for extreme camber 2) modify all the control arms and adjust my track 3)Roll/cut out the lip, 4)????- I'm open to suggestions! and I don't really know which approach I like best, since I would like that "fit" look, I'm assuming I'm taking a half inch out of the control arm and rolling my quarter panels, which will- in this state- most certainly lead to rust down the road. :banghead: but that comes with the territory of modifcation, so I suppose I can't complain.
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And I got to reinstalling some stuff in the engine bay, so that's making progress!
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Lastly, here's just some spare imagery:
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'Till next time!
Dr_Snooz
06-21-2018, 05:13 PM
Wide body kit yo.
B0CKS
06-22-2018, 03:18 AM
Wide body kit yo.
:flash: why didn't I think of that??
B0CKS
07-09-2018, 05:58 AM
Sorry the lull in updates, there's been some work around the car, but nothing spectacular worth noting. Mostly just loading the engine bay back up with objects and slowly installing steel brake lines whenever I'm free. I'm still waiting to hear back from innovative mounts about the updated trans mount, so the engine swap is kinda stuck in place, along with the Cheddas radius rods also being AWOL, the Accord hasn't moved much.
The other coupe has been rolling around the driveway a bit under its own power- it starts, holds idle for a little bit, and can stay on with some gas, and I'm not positive if that's a timing issue or tuning, but that project is also on hold, as I just sold my Civic and bought my first Non-Honda DD, the RWD Turbo Widebody edition of a 3gee, a 5-speed '87 Chrysler Conquest;
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So now there's that to get in the way of my finishing my Accord lmao.
Be patient! I'll get there!
Fixedit
07-09-2018, 09:13 PM
Happy to hear it's still going!! Hey man, what exactly is it that you do for a living? I see that you've designed graphics and rims for AEV? (which I'm not familiar with, just saw a post about it on your blog) That sounds really awesome and I'm interested in how one gets a job like that..it may be a route that I take a look at!
B0CKS
07-10-2018, 03:40 AM
Happy to hear it's still going!! Hey man, what exactly is it that you do for a living? I see that you've designed graphics and rims for AEV? (which I'm not familiar with, just saw a post about it on your blog) That sounds really awesome and I'm interested in how one gets a job like that..it may be a route that I take a look at!
Well, the official term is "Industrial Design", which is basically the first step of a product! I spend my days at work sketching and modeling stuff out in CAD, so basically- imagine engineering if it was all fun and games haha, I was fortunate to land this job with a Transportation Design degree from College for Creative Studies (I drew cars for a major! Pretty rad!), and have to say upfront, it's a TON of work, each of our studio classes were 6 hours long, because art is never "done" right? There's only a few colleges to look into if you want to major in car design, Art Center in Cali, Lawrence Tech and CCS are both in Detroit- but you may also consider Product Design, which is much broader scoped, and more employable, it's designing everything from wheels to microwaves and a more common option at schools all over the country. So as for advice for getting into the field? Sketch. Just doodle stuff, it doesn't have to be cars- I was into flying ships when I got accepted to CCS- but start constructing a portfolio of sorts and send it off to a few colleges (or me! Any one else interested in the same major is an instant friend) and see what they think!
You can get familiar with CCS here: https://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu
And you can get a small glance at what I do at work (NDA doesn't let me post much from AEV :sad2: ) along with all the stuff I've made while at CCS here: https://www.artstation.com/pixel-pencil
Let me know if I can do anything!
Fixedit
07-10-2018, 10:50 AM
Wow thank you so much for all the great info and advice, much appreciated! I’ll check out those two links.
I’ve kind of forgotten how much I’ve always wanted to design cars, and designing anything in CAD would honestly keep me content. I’m on sort of a music-path right now teaching myself Music production skills but it’s never too late. Cars are super important to me and I can’t forget about that, so I’ll start thinking hard about this.
B0CKS
09-19-2018, 10:56 AM
Alrriiiight! Time to blow some dust off this thread with an update! It's been a month or two, and I actually have been doing stuff, just not to the right car!
The aforementioned Conquest is on it's way out, it's already getting colder here and I'm realizing that eighties RWD turbo is not the exact best of winter of vehicle, so it's for sale! And in the meantime, I've been patching together the wrecked Accord, and these next few posts will focus primarily on that car (since the main one hasn't moved an inch! :sad2: )
So what's happened? I drove the spare Accord a bit, and found out that the racecar engine I had purchased and thrown together had pretty darn bad compression! So... engine swap!
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...and done! This is the engine that originally came out of this body/VIN and was regasketed all that time ago, so it's back to numbers matching! (...after four engine pulls :nuts: )
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And so, after sorting out a whole bunch of odds and ends, next up was paint! The car had four different colors of paint and crumpled fenders, after purchasing eighty bucks of rattle cans, the car was sanded down;
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And then painted the next day, no primer, nothing, total cheapo job.
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So, it may not look like much, but a weekend spent a week later with four coats of polish says otherwise;
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And so, it needs a tuneup, a few bolts, then a photoshoot! And in the meantime, I've also gotten some pretty good deals on some rad wheelies, so now the choice is between VW 14's, OEM painted Steelies, or Rad era 13's????
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B0CKS
09-19-2018, 10:57 AM
Wow thank you so much for all the great info and advice, much appreciated! I’ll check out those two links.
I’ve kind of forgotten how much I’ve always wanted to design cars, and designing anything in CAD would honestly keep me content. I’m on sort of a music-path right now teaching myself Music production skills but it’s never too late. Cars are super important to me and I can’t forget about that, so I’ll start thinking hard about this.
Heyo! Sorry I never got around to replying to this, but how's it going man? Any updates on the front??
Tread
09-26-2018, 12:42 PM
Amazing work! Very impressed by your spray can skills.
B0CKS
10-17-2018, 06:19 AM
Heyo! It’s been a minute, so it’s time for an update!
My spare Accord is once again my daily driver! It has been running great since visiting the shop, and there’s just a few more odds and ends to wrap up then its done! I’ve put it under the lens once or twice now, so here’s some images of it going places instead of mulling around the driveway!
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B0CKS
10-17-2018, 06:37 AM
This weekend allowed me to get a lot done! I was able to throw in new rotors, pads, upper control arms, tie rod ends (as well as fake an alignment in a car wash stall) and repaint my spare steelies for these new hubaps! I was lucky to find the wrong 3gee in a junkyard, so I'm geeked to make my car more bland with these turbofan inspired discs! The finishing touch (shipping as we speak) will be a 2G prelude steering wheel and this one will be done! Check it out!
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schaff70
10-17-2018, 07:45 AM
car looks great! Nice to see an update and you out driving it.
B0CKS
10-17-2018, 09:08 AM
car looks great! Nice to see an update and you out driving it.
Thank you- me too!! :lol: this weekend should have some updates on the actual project, I can't wait!! Thanks for staying tuned!
Dr_Snooz
10-18-2018, 07:52 PM
I like the hubcaps. Usually I'm not too keen on people putting wheels on the wrong cars, but that works. Nice! Good to see another 3g out and about.
B0CKS
10-22-2018, 07:25 PM
I like the hubcaps. Usually I'm not too keen on people putting wheels on the wrong cars, but that works. Nice! Good to see another 3g out and about.
I agree! Normally hubcaps are a no thanks but I've really come to love the simplicity of these wheels, and I think with the anonymous white paint car to complement them they work rather well!
B0CKS
10-22-2018, 07:34 PM
Updaaaaate!
Well, with no other sincere projects on the docket at the moment, the main Accord is back in the spotlight! I spent the weekend starting to wrap my head around what all needs to be done (once again), and checked off a lot of boring stuff from the list, I.E. torque the suspension, install new rear upper ball joints in the CORRECT direction (if you see my pictures of my rear disc swap, the ball joints in the rear adjustable control arms are BACKWARDS. WHOOPS), undercoat some more of the floorpans, you know, boring stuff. But there were a few cool things! I've finally gotten around to installing the Cheddas front traction bar, and it is one SOLID install. I'm still sorting the radius rod (they're just acting up a little :I ), I stripped down the excess wiring harness from the B18 (there's so little left! It's great!) and started working on my splice from the A20! Oh yeah! And I also installing space tape on the rear firewall! The engine bay paint has a fair amount of tooth to it, so it will absorb grease and oil in the future (sorry future self!) and I'll have to figure that out once it really bothers me. So basically I'm using the tape to act as a shield where I believe much of the oil will be going! We'll see how it does. It's a little Hotboi Stance for the rest of the build, but I like how it kinda' modernizes the whole look of the engine bay!
So, halfway through with that and bored, I decided to lower the car around the B18 (on the stand) and get a sneak preview of what's to come! And needless to say- I'M EXCITED.
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And this is a secret- but I'm hoping to take a week off of work these next few weeks and just hammer out this car! Can't wait!
B0CKS
10-25-2018, 02:09 PM
Tiny update! Mostly just spare Accord stuff, but I like these pictures and wanted to share them! The alternator on the daily driver blew out over the weekend, and so I pulled one off one of the spare engines I have, was able to chuck it in there with... a reasonable amount of ease, and the car is MUCH happier! Sweet! And, as promised, the Prelude wheel is in! It took like a 2mm thick washer to push it off the column enough so it doesn't rub, and it looks, works and feels great! Yay!
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And, I got some matte rolls for my vinyl cutter from amazon, so I "restored" most of my center cap collection- anytime I see one at a junkyard I pull it! And don't mind the orange one- it was a test cut!
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B0CKS
11-15-2018, 07:07 PM
Got a couple of big boxes checked off this week, so check it out! The Daily driver Accord is now all winterized up with a fresh alignment, CV, tie rod end, new tires on 14" 1987 VW GTI 16 valve alloys, fluid checkup, LED headlights to be installed, some rubber floormats, a new shift boot/knob aaaand ( :D :D :D ) I found an arm rest at the junkyard today! It's broke in half as most of them are, but I think I've got a plan to restore this one pretty well figured! Nicer by the day!!
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But onto the main reason for this thread, the main Accord is making good headway, I "fabbed" (kinda' an insult to the word fab there, but oh well) a custom radiator mount for the half radiator, and it seems plenty functional! I'm using EK Civic radiator buskings for the time being, I'll see if I can optimize them or something!
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And the trans made some serious headway! From finding it in the mud and bringing it home:
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To primer:
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To paint and detail work:
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TO FINALLY BOLTING IT TO THE ENGINE:
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And I also finally got all of the firewall heat taped as well as modified the engine mounts just enough to fit! Along with a few other things to, but that's all the big stuff!
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So, fingers crossed that the rear engine mount T bracket I got from the junkyard lines up correctly with my split gen Integra drivetrain, but we'll find out!
B0CKS
11-15-2018, 07:27 PM
Oh and one more thing! I caught up with one of my photography friends and learned about a few awesome tricks! Check out the DD looking way better than it has any right to!:
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Rad! Stay tuned!
Dr_Snooz
11-16-2018, 09:35 PM
Sweet!!
B0CKS
11-19-2018, 09:59 AM
Sweet!!
One step at a time! Thanks again! :D
B0CKS
11-20-2018, 11:49 AM
Alright, time show off a little accessory I've been keeping under wraps since June! I'm sure many of you are familiar with this vehicle (and vehicle), the Honda City and Motocompo;
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Well I think you know where this is going (not IN the trunk, obviously.:toilet:)
At the time, I had just been able to hop onto a friend's Honda Elite and realized how much fun that was, so I really wanted to pick up my own moped- which is where I found my bizarre adoration for the Honda Spree. It turns out, 1984 was the only year these bikes came in white (it has to be white! C'mon!) and those were hard to find, but I always carry a rattlecan, so here we go!
So here's what I found, a black 1985 Spree, non-running, but clean and complete!
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So the first thing I got to was tearing it down to the frame:
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No, THE FRAME.
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And replacing the low compression head as well as starting in on the necessary respray:
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I also sourced a few more new parts (turn signal housings, "radder" tread front and back, and a few other misc things)
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And here's where the fun starts, the color scheme and graphics of the black Spree didn't quite match my "White, Black, Dark Red" color scheme (see: Turbinas), so that's when I got started on my custom tailored Vinyl Cut Graphics and Gauge cluster:
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And with that, the Spree was mostly complete- but there's still more to go! See the next post! VVV
B0CKS
11-20-2018, 11:56 AM
So what was next? Reassembly and restickering, here we go!
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Here's the old Gauge Cluster, notice all the blues and greens?
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Versus the graphics custom made to match up with the more angular eighties look and color scheme of a very special Accord:
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And of course, a fully necessary GumBall helmet was found for cheap (and customized!)
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And that wraps up where this project is currently at! All I gotta' do is rebuild the carb, and finally bolt it all together, and of course, I've got plans drafted for the rack that will hold it sideways on the back of the Accord! Lot's of fun to come!
Also, I have plenty more in the way of updates, so onto the next thing!
P.S:
Full Build list:
Exterior
-Full Body Respray
-Wheels Repainted Silver
-Custom Designed Gauge Cluster
-Custom cut Black/Red Vinyl OEM 1984 Side & cowl Decals
-Helmet Purchased (I don't know if this counts haha) w/ Custom "Scoot or DIE" designed and cut
-New Rear View Mirrors
-Repop OEM warning lables
-New Turn Signal housings
-Embossed H O N D A text over chain drive cover filled with OneShot paint
Mechinal
-New Head, Piston, Rings
-Rebuilt Carb
-New Oil Pump
-New Tubes and tires (both wheels)
-New Bystarter
-New bulbs
That's all I can think of!
B0CKS
11-20-2018, 12:24 PM
I mentioned that I scored an armrest snapped in half a few posts back, so here's what I did to fix it up and get it installed! The repair was pretty easy, I made a very simple U shape and flipped that into the bottom of the rest, the U shape locks it in place, and four holes will make room for bolts to come through, and a simple metal plate to hold the bolts steady in the upper!
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And then dropped them in place:
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And booyah! Done! Invisible and Invincible!
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The final layering went:
-Bolt
-Washer
-Metal Reinforcement
-Plastic upper
-Nuts (as spacers)
-Plastic lower
-Metal reinforcement
-Nuts!
Easy!
And so let's install it! (It'll be going on the DD for now!)
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It doesn't perfectly match the interior, so I'll be taking one of my worn out seats and reupholstering the pad with an OEM color match once I have the time!
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Another thing off the list!
Dr_Snooz
11-21-2018, 10:01 PM
Very cool! I snagged an OE armrest from the junkyard a few years ago. I didn't intend to use it, but grabbed it knowing that they're only getting harder to find. Now that I'm daily driving the car again, I want it!! I just need to get the cushion recovered because it's nasty right now. I have a set of cupholders too, but the place they would go is currently occupied by my gauge cluster. They'll just stay safe and sound in my storage.
InAccordance
11-22-2018, 02:32 PM
Very cool! I snagged an OE armrest from the junkyard a few years ago. I didn't intend to use it, but grabbed it knowing that they're only getting harder to find. Now that I'm daily driving the car again, I want it!! I just need to get the cushion recovered because it's nasty right now. I have a set of cupholders too, but the place they would go is currently occupied by my gauge cluster. They'll just stay safe and sound in my storage.
want want want
Dr_Snooz
11-22-2018, 08:57 PM
Sorry. Not today.
Happy Thanksgiving though.
B0CKS
11-23-2018, 04:26 PM
Very cool! I snagged an OE armrest from the junkyard a few years ago. I didn't intend to use it, but grabbed it knowing that they're only getting harder to find. Now that I'm daily driving the car again, I want it!! I just need to get the cushion recovered because it's nasty right now. I have a set of cupholders too, but the place they would go is currently occupied by my gauge cluster. They'll just stay safe and sound in my storage.
Same reason I pulled mine! They're not making new ones! But now that I've had mine in the car for a few days, it makes a huge difference! You have me beat at the cupholder section- still gotta source a set of those!!
happy belated thanksgiving to you too!
B0CKS
11-27-2018, 09:45 AM
Big news! (a little late, but still!)
The B18 is IN PLACE, HALLELUJAH, It's a super tight fit, but it's finally in its new home! This is mostly just going to be a photo post, but in terms of things checked off the list, I rerouted all the sub, air and other misc wiring coming out of the firewall to run along the the passenger side of the interior and now under the PS fender, making it super clean, -I also plastidipped the top of my battery :nuts: -it's an optima red top, and it was just SO RED in there, so now it's nice and muted, letting the gold and brass show through great! Oh yeah and I also started wrapping some of the harness in really good looking mesh loom (taking a note from Anthony Calabek's book)! That said, some other stuff happened too, but here's pictures!!:
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AWESOME. Now to make it work! :nervous::nervous:
Dr_Snooz
11-27-2018, 09:20 PM
Woohoo!!! Go go go!!
B0CKS
01-21-2019, 12:58 PM
Hey Strangers! Time for a bit of an update! There hasn’t been any massive changes to our favorite projects, but enough small things have happened that there’s a handful of things I wanted to document! I’ll start with the-never-before-seen, Coupe parts car! I’ve run into around 20 3geez in junkyards in my three years of wrenching, and so the first time I’ve found a coupe and its an 88’ huge bonus! It’s white with a pretty brown interior to boot! So, I’ve pretty much been the only one pulling from it, but so far I’ve grabbed:
-full beltline trim (quarter panel, door panel, and fender)
-Both Turn signals
-rear driver side taillight
-Rear glass trim surround
-A shorter-than-carb’d- FI Throttle cable (hat tip to Dr Snooz)
-Front shock Fork Hardware
-Chrome Headlight surrounds & hardware (mine are all toast!)
-the plastic clips that hold the lock arm to the door handle, since mine were toast!
- Gauge Cluster surround (mine was toast!)
-Roof filler trim
-And the “I didn’t know existed” rear flip down coupe seat! No one told me about this feature! What have I been doing this whole time!?
So while not all of it is necessary, I’ve been happy to have a lot more coupe specific parts that I couldn’t find anywhere else! So here it is when I first found it:
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To today:
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And so, back to the main show,
The car has been making little steps, I picked up a SE-I Armrest for the rear half of the console as well as a clear windshield washer reservoir cap (just doesn’t match the gold and black of the engine bay, so the blue had to go!)
The core support has been sandblasted and put through primer (time to sand!), the rear seat pivot brackets have been drilled and installed, and the Cheddas Traction bar has finally been sorted out! (the adjustable links I received were too short, so I got ones twice as long and now we’re all good!)
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And so, the last glaring problem? Engine mounts. I have no idea how anyone else had had such luck with the Innovative swap kit, but mine has been rough from start to finish. The engine has three connection points (one for each side and a rear) and while I was able to get both side mounts to bolt up, the rear did not align with the holes, so I assumed that was fine, and tried to install axles, only to find that the whole engine was shifted too far to the passenger side. So I unbolted that side and the whole engine retracted to roughly where it should be, although the rear center mount does not line up with the holes (still) and the passenger side mount needs to extend back that way for it to be able to bolt back up, because it would appear my transmission is somehow too skinny for this to work! I have a plan to rectify this, but for spending $500 bucks on this kit, I have been massively disappointed.
So here’s how the passenger side mount currently looks:
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And here’s how the rear center looks:
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I’m not thrilled about the mounts, but what I am excited about is finally having an engine, bags, and for the first time ever, all four wheels on the car! The vision is sloooowly coming together!
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And so final notes before the next month hiatus, I got a quote to re-upholster the Prelude seats, SE-I armrest, and rear flip down seat, and that is ~1500 bucks, so it’s time to start saving (again!) but that will be massively cool (to me, and I hope you!) in the future.
And speaking of the future, I picked up the first part of a project I’m very (very) excited to take on around May this year, these are 4x100 14 6.5 genuine Volks Rays TE37’s. Cannot wait to do this! Honda for life!
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Fixedit
01-21-2019, 07:11 PM
Awesome! Thanks for the kickass update, nice work getting all those parts from the junkyard Coupe! What's this other project you mention at the end?
Dr_Snooz
01-21-2019, 08:05 PM
Great update! Looks like you have some drill and ream work ahead of you for those mounts. I can't speak to the Innovative mounts specifically, but more generally, isn't it funny how things work these days? When I was younger, you always searched for a solution you could buy, rather than making your own. Thirty years ago, the Innovative mounts would have worked great and costed less than if you bought the materials and tools and learned how to make your own. Now it's the opposite. You could have bought a welder and steel stock, then watched YouTube videos and made mistakes until you had really good mounts for less than what you paid to be disappointed. You're still going to end up fabbing on these to get working motor mounts and you paid a fortune for the privilege.
Bummer deal. Hope you come up with something brilliant.
B0CKS
01-22-2019, 09:09 AM
Great update! Looks like you have some drill and ream work ahead of you for those mounts. I can't speak to the Innovative mounts specifically, but more generally, isn't it funny how things work these days? When I was younger, you always searched for a solution you could buy, rather than making your own. Thirty years ago, the Innovative mounts would have worked great and costed less than if you bought the materials and tools and learned how to make your own. Now it's the opposite. You could have bought a welder and steel stock, then watched YouTube videos and made mistakes until you had really good mounts for less than what you paid to be disappointed. You're still going to end up fabbing on these to get working motor mounts and you paid a fortune for the privilege.
Bummer deal. Hope you come up with something brilliant.
Haha, too true! Everything seems quite on hand these days, matter of fact, we just upgraded our barn with a new welder not too long ago. And all the knowledge on how to do design it yourself and build is a few taps away! Really is an interesting point!
I think I've got a simple fix in the works, but as usual, reality doesn't always line up! We're finally done with our mechanical restoration on our 1967 Olds Delmont 88, so the Accord and the 1965 Corvair hardtop are currently loaded back into the barrel, I hope to keep the updates coming!
B0CKS
01-22-2019, 09:11 AM
Awesome! Thanks for the kickass update, nice work getting all those parts from the junkyard Coupe! What's this other project you mention at the end?
Haha, thanks for staying tuned! I'm doing what I can! I feel more than lucky to have found a coupe, Michigan is not a place known for these cars! And speaking of, the next project is gonna be under wraps, but the idea is a cross country road trip to find a rust free vehicle! I'm impatiently waiting until May!
Dr_Snooz
01-22-2019, 07:37 PM
Oh, you have to post about that Corvair for my sake. One of my won't-ever-happen-in-this-life dream projects is to put a 911 engine in a 2nd gen Corvair. It would be wicked sick.
B0CKS
02-25-2019, 05:52 AM
Oh, you have to post about that Corvair for my sake. One of my won't-ever-happen-in-this-life dream projects is to put a 911 engine in a 2nd gen Corvair. It would be wicked sick.
Hahahaha, hey Snooz! I'll get photos up tonight, I took some awhile ago but haven't carved out some space in the day to upload them! I haven't forgotten, honest! But a 911 powered Vair would be all types of insane, I've grown up in a family really big on those cars, and so I know a handful of people who've thrown midship V8's into them and I can guarantee they're nothing to laugh at! :O
B0CKS
02-25-2019, 06:05 AM
Alright! Seeing Calabek's Aerodeck coming together has me all inspired, time for an update! I'll be starting off with the daily driver, (known as the "B-Cord", with the big huge mega project being the "A-Cord"- its a complex system.) It's been trooping through all kinds of salt and cold this whole Michigan winter, and I only had to rip the whole front end off once to fix the headlight! That's pretty good!
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Other than that, it's actually handled the winter pretty well, while it does have a ton of "old car issues" it hasn't left me stuck once, and jumps through snow surprisingly well! So nothing but good news on that front, my girlfreind and I even ended up taking it on a little photoshoot to celebrate some nicer weather and good lighting, check it out! :D
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And her faaaar better photos! (please pardon the dweeb of a model! ;)
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Next up, A-Cord, what you guys are really here for!
B0CKS
02-25-2019, 06:28 AM
Finally making some serious progress on the B18, my last couple weeks have been spent in the engine bay! We'll start with the final transmission side engine mount, it's been the bane of my existence for months on end at this point, so having this puzzle solved is a huge weight off my shoulders! The mount basically was too short and reaching too far forward in car, so the arms were cut off of the main mount, extended and rewelded together, and then dropped in place, and with a little bit of convincing, the engine is now hanging all on it's own! Wooohoo!
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Another fun project has been relocating the coil pack, as most of you know it sits atop the passenger side strut tower, and is a visually cluttered design. So I've taken the liberty to relocate the pack to the inner-side stamping of the passenger headlight stamping, and with it's close proximity to the radiator, has the potential of getting too hot and misfiring, so we're currently crossing our fingers that the heat shield we fabbed up is enough of a heat sync to keep it happy! And while it was designed to be compliant with the OEM catch can, I found out the Cheddas Traction bar does not allow that one to fit, so I picked up an Ebay Special Overflow Tank (nicer quality than I expected!) and built two brackets to hold it in place, using a already existing hole in the front end and lower valence hole!
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Now, with paint dry and aforementioned coil pack and catch can installed:
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And you might have noticed a little bit of loom wrapping the wires leading to the distributor, and that's because I'm going out of my way to make sure as many harness' I can find Are wrapped up to make a clean monochrome look in the engine bay, another hat-tip to the Gold-Standard that is Anthony's Aerodeck! :bow::bow: And that project is going well, other than the engine side wiring itself, a good amount of it is already cleaned up!
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So that's most of it for this update, there's a couple pretty cool things lined up for the future, I picked up Alex Garcia's (from the FB page) shift linkage from his B-series swap along with a Cupholder and SE-I armrest setup, so I'm looking forward to those, and I'm ironing out the final details to have Apache07x's carbon fiber hood shipped all the way up here, and I'm beyond excited for that. And in that same vein, I think I've cracked the code to upgrading our 3geez to actual hood struts without having to raise the hood, and only minor modification to the body! Sweeet! 'till next time! :flash:
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B0CKS
02-26-2019, 04:41 AM
thats dope!
Haha, thanks a ton! Glad to see other people enjoy my strange obsession! :D
B0CKS
02-26-2019, 04:52 AM
Oh, you have to post about that Corvair for my sake. One of my won't-ever-happen-in-this-life dream projects is to put a 911 engine in a 2nd gen Corvair. It would be wicked sick.
Alright, made it! As requested, here's Corvair photos (on the 3geez forum, blasphemy!) They're two '65 Vairs, the first car is a essentially factory restored blue turbo convertible, with a stick, and sitting on MotorWheel Spyders! And the second is the car that we're working on restomodding right now, the red coupe! My Dad has owned this car since the early eighties, so it's quite an important vehicle! We're in the process of ticking all the new car options, such as a full swap to fuel injection (from quad carbs!), adding AC, power windows, a Chevelle center console, custom package shelf, leather seats, cruise control, and full stereo system, but keeping the look overall very stock so to the untrained eye, it's just a really nice air cooled ride! That said, here's the duo!:
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And here's some details on the blue car;
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And some of the red coupe;
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Some more detail for the center console, the Corvair doesn't come these!!
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They also don't come with this custom package shelf we made ourselves!;
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And in a nutshell, those are two (of... like seven) of the barnmates the Accord(s) keep company with!
Dr_Snooz
02-26-2019, 08:15 PM
OMG! That brings back some memories! I was maybe 8 when my brother got his turbo Corvair. It was his dream car and he had a license plate frame specially printed up that said "I eat Porsches." Sadly, it never ate even one Porsche. It never ran right and he couldn't figure out why. It spent most of its sorry career sitting in his carport while he rode a moped to work. :facepalm: He finally sold it in disgust and has paid others to work on his cars ever since. :(
Thanks for posting those up. Your other cars are looking legit too.
Damn dude, nice corvairs!
I have a 1960 900 coupe ive been working on for (ashamed to say) 10 years. its low priority, and gets stuffed on the shelf for long periods of time. But im getting enthusiastic about finishing it again.
its fully shaved (door handles, emblems, drip rails, front trunk lock, body seams), body dropped, bagged, vent window delete, with a 63 spyder engine thats mated to a PG. They never came that way, so theres a bit of R&D involved to make it run right without detonating between shifts.
seeing how everyone is stepping their game up these days ive been getting some crazy ideas of what i want to do to finish the look.
i want to angle chop the roof 1.5" in the back and 2" in the front to get rid of that weird reverse bubble look they have.
but the crazy idea i have is i want to find a complete donor car and section about 6" on each side to widen the original quarter panels, fenders and rocker panels, but leave the doors recessed to give it a gt touring car look. i also always hated the way the pinch rail looked at the bottom of the rockers and thought it would be sick to recreate the upper body line protrusion along the rockers that also wraps around the rear and front and ties into a molded spoiler.
i know it sounds insane, but thats kinda the image of it i always had in my head since day one. at this point im just saying screw it and gonna go for it. my family owns a collision repair shop and i can do all the metal work, but i know knothing about using filler and sanding and painting and all that.
im looking for a cheap roller to sacrifice for the body panels. they had one at the junkyard near me, but they nickel and dime you to death over there and its cheaper to find someone whos fed up with having a broken down one sitting in their driveway and just want to get rid of it.
i just need to stop dicking around with my 3g so much and focus on it.
however i have too many cars that have a higher priority and it seems impossible to get to sometimes.
my garage right now:
1998 camaro drag car that just got a new motor and needs to be tuned.
1962 volvo amazon. v8, t10 4 speed swapped, LSD canyon carver.
1970 class 11 baja bug that ive been collecting parts to do a subaru engine swap.
1986 shelby charger. working all the bugs out. just want to stance it and cruise it.
1996 land cruiser. low miles got it for free. needs a front end.
2006 dodge ram. needs an engine.
1960 corvair . needs a lot
1987 accord lxi. needs almost nothing, but i want coilovers.
2003 hummer as a daily driver.
as you can see i have a problem. hahaha
Calabek
02-28-2019, 01:52 AM
Wow, thanks for the rep, hahaha.
Sucks about the mount kit, I was actually looking at the same kit but they wanted $600USD for it (which is about $1000 AUD) and then he wanted another $400 for shipping to Australia. :huh: So yeah, we went the same route of custom making our own. Very happy to hear you've got yours hanging now! It looks fantastic!
The golden rule for the engine bay we're trying to follow; 'all business'. Anything that can be deleted/hidden/removed from sight has been. You've done really well with yours. All the small touches you're doing are really bringing it together. GG buddy
So what's left before you're belting it around the block? Linkage kit? ..?
B0CKS
02-28-2019, 04:34 AM
Wow, thanks for the rep, hahaha.
Sucks about the mount kit, I was actually looking at the same kit but they wanted $600USD for it (which is about $1000 AUD) and then he wanted another $400 for shipping to Australia. :huh: So yeah, we went the same route of custom making our own. Very happy to hear you've got yours hanging now! It looks fantastic!
The golden rule for the engine bay we're trying to follow; 'all business'. Anything that can be deleted/hidden/removed from sight has been. You've done really well with yours. All the small touches you're doing are really bringing it together. GG buddy
So what's left before you're belting it around the block? Linkage kit? ..?
Hey thanks man! It's getting there! I remember reading about how you guys fabbed up your own set- seemed so wild how steep that price is! At one point while shaking my fist at that last motor mount I was thinking of reaching out to you and seeing if I could just pay some sort of massive price tag to have the guy who made your (working) mounts fab up one final one, I'm glad it didn't come to that lmao! :nuts: But thanks a ton! So happy to have that problem solved, and a few dollars leftover in my wallet!
Yeah, you've done it so well! Love the look of your engine bay, it's been all sorts of inspiration (and as I'm sure you can tell by now, reference!) You've done such a great job of making an eye-catching and proper engine bay without having to resort to shiny gold tape haha, massive props! But thanks man, can't tell ya how much it means to me that you like it!
I actually have a shift linkage! It's just that I'm going to pick it up from California come May, so I just have to stay busy until then! The biggest hold up is the engine side wiring harness, I'm going to be splicing into an old A20 harness I had so that thing is totally a plug and play operation, and that's the biggest roadblock! I still have to get my two-hose vacuum system sorted haha, but that should be reasonably doable! Past the engine bay is get the brake system to watertight, re-upholster the interior and throw down some final paint! So maybe by 2028 I'll be getting close! :rofl:
B0CKS
02-28-2019, 04:40 AM
Damn dude, nice corvairs!
I have a 1960 900 coupe ive been working on for (ashamed to say) 10 years. its low priority, and gets stuffed on the shelf for long periods of time. But im getting enthusiastic about finishing it again.
its fully shaved (door handles, emblems, drip rails, front trunk lock, body seams), body dropped, bagged, vent window delete, with a 63 spyder engine thats mated to a PG. They never came that way, so theres a bit of R&D involved to make it run right without detonating between shifts.
seeing how everyone is stepping their game up these days ive been getting some crazy ideas of what i want to do to finish the look.
i want to angle chop the roof 1.5" in the back and 2" in the front to get rid of that weird reverse bubble look they have.
but the crazy idea i have is i want to find a complete donor car and section about 6" on each side to widen the original quarter panels, fenders and rocker panels, but leave the doors recessed to give it a gt touring car look. i also always hated the way the pinch rail looked at the bottom of the rockers and thought it would be sick to recreate the upper body line protrusion along the rockers that also wraps around the rear and front and ties into a molded spoiler.
i know it sounds insane, but thats kinda the image of it i always had in my head since day one. at this point im just saying screw it and gonna go for it. my family owns a collision repair shop and i can do all the metal work, but i know knothing about using filler and sanding and painting and all that.
im looking for a cheap roller to sacrifice for the body panels. they had one at the junkyard near me, but they nickel and dime you to death over there and its cheaper to find someone whos fed up with having a broken down one sitting in their driveway and just want to get rid of it.
i just need to stop dicking around with my 3g so much and focus on it.
however i have too many cars that have a higher priority and it seems impossible to get to sometimes.
my garage right now:
1998 camaro drag car that just got a new motor and needs to be tuned.
1962 volvo amazon. v8, t10 4 speed swapped, LSD canyon carver.
1970 class 11 baja bug that ive been collecting parts to do a subaru engine swap.
1986 shelby charger. working all the bugs out. just want to stance it and cruise it.
1996 land cruiser. low miles got it for free. needs a front end.
2006 dodge ram. needs an engine.
1960 corvair . needs a lot
1987 accord lxi. needs almost nothing, but i want coilovers.
2003 hummer as a daily driver.
as you can see i have a problem. hahaha
Hahaha, a classic carcaine addiction! I love your vision for the early Vair, sounds like a chop and a widebody, and that is always a good thing!! And yeah, making that reverse bubble flop around sounds like a lot of work- but a welcome result, the sedan seemed to pull it off better with that rear overhang it had over the glass! It's surprising to hear that you know metalwork and don't do much bondo, it seems like the opposite is true more often than not, although I'm positive that you can pick that skill up with ease, metal is the tough part!
Dude that is a killer list haha, what an awesome garage, I never would have dreamed of that set of cars being stallmates, sounds like you don't have much to do though! :lol:
And hey- got any pictures of that Vair? Might as well make this thread a haven for some air cooled rides!
B0CKS
02-28-2019, 04:49 AM
OMG! That brings back some memories! I was maybe 8 when my brother got his turbo Corvair. It was his dream car and he had a license plate frame specially printed up that said "I eat Porsches." Sadly, it never ate even one Porsche. It never ran right and he couldn't figure out why. It spent most of its sorry career sitting in his carport while he rode a moped to work. :facepalm: He finally sold it in disgust and has paid others to work on his cars ever since. :(
Thanks for posting those up. Your other cars are looking legit too.
Hahahahaha, awwwww- that's the worst ending! I know how that goes, some cars are just doomed to sit, I think my Conquest was parked and broke more than half the time I owned it, and it was far more than I could chew, ultimately just throwing money at a shop to figure it out, only to find out it had rod knock! So is your brother over the whole Corvair concept? Or are there any plans to make a modern Porsche eater?
Dr_Snooz
03-02-2019, 12:00 AM
No, he's loooong over it. He's over cars really. He just buys new Hondas and is boring. He got excited about the new Miata, bought one, hated it and sold it quickly. The Corvair was his first experience with cars and it wasn't rewarding at all, so why continue? He's really good with houses though. He bought this crappy, flea-bitten ranch-style that he spent 10 years fixing up on nights and weekends. When he was done, it was magazine quality. He brought a lot of interest and charm to a boring box house. Of course, he doesn't really do that either since his stroke. I'm not sure how old you are, but I'll tell you, guard your health. It's easy to lose and haaard to get back.
B0CKS
03-08-2019, 05:10 AM
No, he's loooong over it. He's over cars really. He just buys new Hondas and is boring. He got excited about the new Miata, bought one, hated it and sold it quickly. The Corvair was his first experience with cars and it wasn't rewarding at all, so why continue? He's really good with houses though. He bought this crappy, flea-bitten ranch-style that he spent 10 years fixing up on nights and weekends. When he was done, it was magazine quality. He brought a lot of interest and charm to a boring box house. Of course, he doesn't really do that either since his stroke. I'm not sure how old you are, but I'll tell you, guard your health. It's easy to lose and haaard to get back.
Huh, goes to show how we each have our niche, it's funny how everyone has talent, it just lands in different places. And it's a sincere loss to hear that someone with a skill has such a burden, I hope he's making progress, even if they're just little steps at a time. Although one thing I don't understand is how anyone could hate a Miata, I've sat on California freeways going 100 miles an hour in one and had nothing but a smile plastered to my face, bummer. At least he's still buying things with an "H" on them, I'm sure you have some influence there, it's a start!
B0CKS
03-08-2019, 07:45 AM
Well, another afternoon well spent makes for another update! We put some time in three main areas last night, the first being the fuse box corner. The goal is to clean up the engine bay as much as possible, so I'll be lowering the battery to Calabek's location in the open bumper square, and lowering the fuse box into the area where the battery lived, opening up the strut tower nicely, and also covering up a whole bunch of cords that run through there at the same time, I like it! The next project was cleaning up the hacked up core support. Since I have a taller radiator that's half as long, I diced up part of the support to make it work, and last night had that piece of metal getting de-burred and cleaned up before paint, nice! Then lastly is the quest to make hood struts work, after a failed attempt at fabricating brackets and 3d printing fasteners to shove a strut where it didn't want to be, we took some advice from a Cadillac STS, and swung the struts forward! They clear a lot better than the previous idea, and the ones that are currently in there are representative of the longer struts I need to source, but the current forecast has them coming from a Hummer H3, so we'll see how that works! Of course, getting the lift force to work for a stock hood and a carbon fiber hood is gonna take some more cash, but I'd love to find an off the shelf part for both! And there's lots of plans to do stuff long term, and that's good news! Here's a solo image to show things freshly mocked up, check it out!
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... I lied, here's one more as a bonus for reading all that text!
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Until next time! :D
Calabek
03-08-2019, 08:52 PM
Well, another afternoon well spent makes for another update! We put some time in three main areas last night, the first being the fuse box corner. The goal is to clean up the engine bay as much as possible, so I'll be lowering the battery to Calabek's location in the open bumper square, and lowering the fuse box into the area where the battery lived, opening up the strut tower nicely, and also covering up a whole bunch of cords that run through there at the same time, I like it!
GG. Depending on how your mounting for it goes expect to have to cut your fender liner. Mine just didn't play nicely which sucks because when we were eyeballing it looked like it was going to sit snuggly into it.
I would also suggest perhaps incorporating a battery isolater switch so you don't have to take the bumper off every time you want to disconnect the battery if you plan on having the car sitting.
Great idea moving the fuse box down into where the battery sat. It's a good spot for it. :rockon: I chose to keep mine in the open so I can show off the JDM fuse box.
Speaking of, has that special package arrive yet? :)
bscanlan
03-09-2019, 09:38 AM
Love the build man! I shouldn’t be too far behind you (knock on wood) with my own custom white 3geez vision. Yes, I am going to steal some ideas. Also, love the Corvairs. My first car, back in 1991 was a 1965 Monza 110.
Keep up the good work!
B0CKS
03-11-2019, 04:10 AM
Love the build man! I shouldn’t be too far behind you (knock on wood) with my own custom white 3geez vision. Yes, I am going to steal some ideas. Also, love the Corvairs. My first car, back in 1991 was a 1965 Monza 110.
Keep up the good work!
Wow, thanks so much! I'm sure you'll surpass me, I'm not a quick worker! :hsugh: But I'm so glad to hear that this build has come influence, I'm glad these silly posts are going to use! I can't wait to see what you create, and that you chose a 3gee in the best color to build! :D
And no way! I'm really impressed with how many people on this page have stories about 'Vairs, but I have to admit that they've certainly got a lot of the same ethos and reputation, a unique and underappreciated economy car with clean, timeless lines seem to describe both pretty aptly, so it's cool to hear that they're "common" stall siblings. And thanks for the compliments on the Corvairs, I'll pass on the word the next time I'm working with my old man on 'em!
Stay tuned, there's a lot more coming down the pipeline, we'll just take it day by day!
B0CKS
03-11-2019, 11:31 AM
GG. Depending on how your mounting for it goes expect to have to cut your fender liner. Mine just didn't play nicely which sucks because when we were eyeballing it looked like it was going to sit snuggly into it.
I would also suggest perhaps incorporating a battery isolater switch so you don't have to take the bumper off every time you want to disconnect the battery if you plan on having the car sitting.
Great idea moving the fuse box down into where the battery sat. It's a good spot for it. :rockon: I chose to keep mine in the open so I can show off the JDM fuse box.
Speaking of, has that special package arrive yet? :)
Haha, still waiting for a special envelope, but it should be here sometime this week! Still geeked to have scored one, can't wait to throw it on!
Totally, I feel bad kinda' burying my fuse box! I think it'll still be enough of a read that it isn't a total loss of a cool touch! And you called it, I've got an isolator and a positive terminal (for jumping it, when I inevitably kill the battery :facepalm:) in an ebay cart right now, and plans to integrate them into the fuse box brackets, I'll be sure to make some callouts in the next post, I've got it (mostly) sorted! I'll pass on unnecessary bumper pulling if I can!
Dang, that's rough! But me and my fender liner aren't on good terms anyways, and could use a good cutting! ...but I'll certainly keep an eye out, did you have to relocate the horn? That's the only thing I can think of that would poise an issue.
P.S, dude, you gotta stop posting food on Facebook, I'm sitting in a cubicle and half my feed is making me hungry for desert lmao
B0CKS
03-12-2019, 04:03 AM
Alright! Updaaaaates!
I'm still doing my best to dodge around the wiring harness, basically doing anything I can to put that off, since it's terrifying! Instead, I put some hours into deleting brackets, cleaning up the engine bay, and other odds and ends. I've got a heap of no longer used parts growing in the trunk, those being: the coil pack support, power steering fluid container bracket, the brake booster vacuum hose arm, the OEM overflow tank (& bracket!), the prop valve heat shield, fuse box rear support, pedal cluster cable management bracket over the engine mount and finally the throttle cable bracket (which is TBD. Might be putting that back on, that mostly depends if I can figure out how to make custom cables! Or, does anyone know someone who can??).
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That said, there's a lot of things I need to make, the biggest one being the support for the fusebox, which is in stage two of three right now! Our first step was to mock something up out of cardboard, just to sorta' get it in the place it wants to be. I utilized the battery tray bolts on the inner side of the frame rail, and made a small bracket that used the cold air intake screw and another OEM hole to match up to the little support that's part of the injection molded fuse box.
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...and after realizing that setup had the box too high, I made another pass and got into sheetmetal, this time making a C-shaped central support bracket and shortened frame side bracket with a slight bend to match up to the existing fuse box screws. I'm not perfectly pleased with it yet, so I'll make one more with provisions for a positive battery terminal lead and isolator, fingers crossed that all the packaging works!
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So that was the main thing, there's some different things here and there, but in the downtime I mocked up a better idea for my hanging subwoofer plan, using a trapezoid shaped box to hang over the tank so that it's still visible, and using all the space that's up there so I can have two subs instead of one in a clunky box! Nice!!
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...and to send off this post, we got a new (super bright) neon blue clock in the barn, which makes for some very Instagram lighting.
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'Till next time! :D
2ndGenGuy
03-12-2019, 02:06 PM
This build is looking so good! I love your attention to detail and how fresh and clean everything is looking!
B0CKS
03-18-2019, 09:29 AM
This build is looking so good! I love your attention to detail and how fresh and clean everything is looking!
Thanks so much! We often toss the phrase "it'll be cool when its done" around as an excuse to dig ever deeper into the pit of modification, so there's always room for improvement, which is ultimately going to drive this car to mechanical completion, then I'll be tearing down the whole car (again) and then repainting the whole thing (again), so that I can finally get everything right. I've realized cutting corners on this snowball of a build just makes more work for me later, so I'm trying to do as much as I can right! But thanks for staying tuned through this huge learning process! It'll be cool when it's done! :lol:
B0CKS
03-18-2019, 09:49 AM
Time to catch up from the weekend, as many of these posts have gone, it was mostly focused on a few little details and trying to get them sorted! Friday and Saturday were spent on iteration three of the fuse box relocation, and all its secrets!
There were a few things I was not happy with with the previous iteration, the main one being a half flange-half harsh edge running across the top, and we hadn't sorted out a location for the remote battery terminal, so it was back to the drawing board! I traced out the previous bracket on a new sheet, made my radius' a bit cleaner, and spot welded the previous screw hole flange onto a new sheet, and dremeled out a hole for the positive post. But pictures describe it easier!
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And you can see how I (purely by chance!) lined up the positive lead with a divet in the frame here:
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Which all explains the first bracket, but what about that other C shaped one? I drilled two holes next to the big hole (where most of my wiring will be feeding through) and then drilled through the fuse box (that was honestly a little nerve-racking!) through a hole that mated the two lower fuse box halves together, and put a longer bolt through it, which will ultimately be our third point of support for the box. (PSA, I haven't tested this method of holding the fusebox on the working car, and I highly suggest you don't do it until years from now when you know for a fact that this thing hasn't burned down in an electrical fire! :) )
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So... that's about where that project is at for the moment! Still thinking about where to mount the isolator switch, but that's for next weekend, and also, huge shoutout for Calabek to ship one of his extremely cool JDM fuse box stickers literally half-way around the world, it arrived just fine, and I cant wait to be far enough along to finally apply it!
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So, among a new radiator fan, fancy PC grade fuel line hose clamps, a new carb for the moped, the positive battery lead and other bits, the first part of the new approach for the strut system arrived! I'm using two EXISTING :eek5: holes and dropping a 17" (compressed) strut onto them for a hopefully low profile strut location that should be around a $40 modification, and let you not have to spacer out your hood! Stay tuned and we may know by next weekend! Fingers crossed!
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So, another couple steps forward! Only six or seven more eons! :D
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conozo
03-18-2019, 09:53 AM
Where is the sub box going. Under the rear deck pointing down?
I build a triangular sub box that fit flat against the back of the seat in the trunk. The top was 3" thick and the bottom was 10" or so. It looked clean and hardly took up space but wouldn't work if you want to fold down the seat to put longer items through the passthrough.
B0CKS
03-18-2019, 10:05 AM
Where is the sub box going. Under the rear deck pointing down?
I build a triangular sub box that fit flat against the back of the seat in the trunk. The top was 3" thick and the bottom was 10" or so. It looked clean and hardly took up space but wouldn't work if you want to fold down the seat to put longer items through the passthrough.
You're pretty much right on the money! I'll be hanging my box from the package shelf (as the tank lives at the back of the trunk) and pointing my speakers up, which will negate the pass through, but still give me access to the air ride control box if I need to make any repairs, along with staying out of the way of the panel that lifts up to reveal the spare. I wanted to use as much space as I could without impeding on the ever so important "Forged by Morons" decal. We'll see how it fits at the end of the day! Here's a shoddy section view sketch to explain my strange sentences!
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B0CKS
03-20-2019, 11:30 AM
So, in the effort of cleaning up the engine bay, I've been trying to figure out to do with the extremely long pedal cluster cables. The carb'd 3gee is the worst offender when it comes to the length of the throttle cable, speedo, and clutch pedal, so I've been hunting down shorter versions of each. I've found that a fuel injected throttle cable from another 3gee is feet shorter than the carb'd one (thanks Snooz!!), and a DA Integra/ EF Civic both use a shorter clutch cable and speedometer, with a couple little fancy brackets wrapping to the back of the engine, rather than spooling around the front! So I was fortunate to find a DA Integra where Conozo was pulling his burgundy dash just the other day, so now it's on to test fitting!
The other rad news is about headrests, I've been getting more and more into EF Civics, and noticed that most of them had doughnut/looped headrests (big hole in the center, is there a term??) and was really hoping to find some to fit into the main Accord build. And it turns out, the DA holy headrest slides right into the Accord seats... which means they'll fit the Prelude seats just fine! Custom on custom, can't wait to get those re-upholstered and see what it looks like!
Holy parts interchange Batman!!
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B0CKS
03-21-2019, 04:55 AM
Well! I'm impressed, things went pretty gooood! The clutch cable fits nicely, and only took a little bit of trick to get done, the DA Integra headrest fits the Prelude seat well, and the speedometer cable is (literal inches) from working, so I've got a Prelude one on order, then we should be good for a writeup! Let's dive in!
Prelude seat? Straight forward as they come! This will get re-upholstered, so don't mind the color clash, what's improtant is that they're see-through!
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The DA Clutch cable conversion was a bit of a pain, but that's fine! The positives of 1) a shorter cable 2) getting brackets to hold it steady in the engine bay 3) it running behind the block as opposed to in front of it make the this conversion worthwhile!
So here, proof of point, you can see how the DA cable (left) is about a foot shorter than factory:
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The only real difference is that the boot for the Integra is too large, so you have to swap those. There's a big flange on the end of each one, so while getting the DA one off is just some wrestling, I had to slice a slit halfway up the Accord one to get it to fit over.
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So here, you can see the size difference- with the 3gee being much smaller!
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Then, since the Inner diameter of the 3gee hole wont happily fit around the large DA metal guide, I trimmed off the end so that it expands easier. I was thinking about cutting it further back up the first bend up, but that's a pretty negligible detail.
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And then boom! It fits over, and will now slide right into where the last one went!
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Next up, speedo cable.
While there's more to it than last nights work, here's a sneak preview! The DA cable wont work, but the Prelude one (should) solve the problem! That said, we'll still be getting a cable that's half as long as factory :nuts:
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And! I'm giving too much away here, but there's a factory unused hole (well, on both my base model cars) that's specifically the same size as the speedometer cable boot, so that's an easy swap. Although you do have to cut a hole in the steering column support framework, but that will come at a later date!
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Booya! Details! More photos and info to come as I continue to nerd out! Gonna make this thread soooooo loooong!
Fixedit
03-21-2019, 11:38 AM
Awesome fitment! Meant to post yesterday about the headrests; definitely wouldn't work in my cars but I think they will add so much to the final look of your ride! Just the whole combination of the seats/interior and the Manarays and the B18...I love this unique build man and you are doing such great work.
B0CKS
03-25-2019, 04:24 AM
Awesome fitment! Meant to post yesterday about the headrests; definitely wouldn't work in my cars but I think they will add so much to the final look of your ride! Just the whole combination of the seats/interior and the Manarays and the B18...I love this unique build man and you are doing such great work.
Haha, thank you! I feel honored! It's been a ton of fun, especially as of late, and I can't emphasis how much it means to hear that! I've really been enjoying looking across the whole range of the Honda lineup and finding all the best looking parts I can find and making them work, there's an odd sense of accomplishment that comes with it!
But thanks again, please stay tuned as more oddball stuff goes down in our garage!
B0CKS
03-25-2019, 04:42 AM
Heyo! Here's a bit of an update! I spent most of it splitting my brother's Equinox in half, so the Accord mostly sat idly by- and there's some big news I'll make another post about in a second, but in terms of wrapping the cable project, here's what got done!
I got the Prelude Speedometer Cable (Search google for PIONEER CA-3073, and buy it from whatever site suits you best) and it fits our car PERFECT. You can see it poking out at the tip of the second velocity stack up, and coming out of the speedometer at the bottom. there's no severe bends, it falls right place and it leaves just enough length that you can extend the gauge-clip end out a little and then plug it in.
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The only hiccup was that I had to make a new hole in one of the steering column stampings, (in this image, the lower part of the image is toward the back of the car, and the top is heading to front.) Like any part of of under-dash work, it's best to stick you head in there and take a look around with the reference photo handy.
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You can see here how there's light coming through the hole when you gunsight the speedometer cable hole to the center of the vehicle. which is where the cable ultimately runs.
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That was the main event! Picked up some cable ends to adjust the end of the throttle cable, and then we'll be done with cable work! Woohooo!!
But, one other thing got done that I think is worth Dr_Snooz's attention as he had a thread about this not too long ago, but I made an odd discovery over the weekend, but I'll start at the beginning.
I was looking for a 1987 Integra lip, the only one I could find was across the US in Washington, and it was beat to crap, but I thought I could somehow restore it. It shipped to me in a one foot by one foot box, giving it all sorts of new bends and folds, and effectively made it look like garbage, no way around it.
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But I took a heat gun to it Friday night, and noticed an odd phenomon, while it had not only done a great job of ironing out bends, it had entirely inverted the sun-dried trim to a refreshing solid black, it's not the absolute perfect finish, but if you have a spare piece of white-out trim, I highly suggest throwing it on the workbench and seeing what some heat does, as I have turned what i thought was garbage into something I'm excited to put on a car!
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(that's the same lip!!! /\ awesome!)
'Till next post!
B0CKS
03-25-2019, 11:31 AM
Okay, time to take the lid off of a little side something something that's been in the works for a little while! To those of you who remember seeing TE37s floating into this thread while knowing there's no way I'd replace my Manaray wheels for anything else, wonder no longer!
I'm crossing off a huge item from my bucket list, a roadtrip across the U.S. in a rad old car! (and it also happens to be with a super cute girl, only to sweeten it up!) The car I mention is this amazingly clean and stock 1988 Honda Civic (DX, with AC, a sunroof, and five speed! Awesome!), I recently remotely purchased it, and its currently sitting in LA at a friends apartment while plates and titles make their way across the country!
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so YEAAAAA! Super geeked to get another parts hauler for the Accord(s!), in fact I was on the verge of buying one of these when I got into 3geez (imagine that timeline!) and have thought they were awesome ever since. So I'm extremely excited for this trip coming up in May!
The current plans are to make LIGHT, REVERSIBLE modifications, the big three being a full disc swap, and some nice Skunk2 suspension work, and the Integra lip that was mentioned in the post above! I'm stoked, had to share!!! Can't wait to once again own three Hondas at once!! :D
B0CKS
03-28-2019, 05:50 AM
Dusted off my favorite program yesterday after cooking up (what I think) is an interesting idea!
The thought started here; my Dad and I were checking out Cadillac seats and were enjoying seat mounted speakers. Which lead us to talk about speakers mounted in the Accord seats, and were thinking about making custom ones out of the stock Prelude headrests, which happened to be around the same time I really wanted to get headrests with holes, so I cooked up a new idea for mounting another set of speakers!
The idea is that you take a factory EQ unit, and remove the main box, leaving the bezel and a large cutout,
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And then take two (in this case) RockFord Fosgate 4" speakers
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And make a custom 3D printed mounting scheme that angles one speaker toward the passenger and the other towards the driver, and wire the left speaker as a right, and the right as a left, so that the angled sound works in stereo for each person. And mount this assembly on the backside of the EQ bezel.
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And lastly, I remembered I have a speaker grill sitting around from the door of a hatch, so I can use that cloth to wrap the front face, and appear like a factory part! I'll also 3D print a surround for it, so that it has a nice finished look.
Should be fun! Certainly an easy way to waste ~$100 bucks!
Fixedit
03-28-2019, 04:33 PM
Awesome shit! Such a cool idea with the speakers, and I love that you have the 3D printing capability! Anything custom for these cars is a win for the community. Also, super exciting about your trip in that Civic, it'll surely be an unforgettable experience!
Edit: Just read the integra lip post too and damn! Good trick to remember. I had two of those and gave them away before I moved out of washington when I thought I'd be living with a (now ex) girlfriend. Stupid stupid stupid!:banghead: oh well I'll find more hahah.
Dr_Snooz
03-28-2019, 05:27 PM
Very cool news! It's fun to see someone so excited about discovering these cars.
I too made my accelerator cable a lot shorter when I replaced it and I'm wondering if that isn't why it's still notchy. I think those long swooping bends keep it from binding up. I'll be interested to see if you have the same trouble with yours.
Nice work on the lip. Keep going. This is exciting!
B0CKS
03-29-2019, 05:21 AM
Awesome shit! Such a cool idea with the speakers, and I love that you have the 3D printing capability! Anything custom for these cars is a win for the community. Also, super exciting about your trip in that Civic, it'll surely be an unforgettable experience!
Edit: Just read the integra lip post too and damn! Good trick to remember. I had two of those and gave them away before I moved out of washington when I thought I'd be living with a (now ex) girlfriend. Stupid stupid stupid!:banghead: oh well I'll find more hahah.
Yeah man, there's a ton of stuff on the horizon I'm looking forward to! The speaker pod will be a fun side project, the carbon fiber hood is shipping as we speak, struts are in the mail, tons of stuff little bits are coming together! Then crossing the continent is coming up this May, and then lightly building out that car will be total therapy, I'm every type of excited! Thanks for staying tuned, I'll try and keep the updates coming!
Awwwww, two of em??? And holy cow man, that seems like quite the story to be told. Sorry to hear that things don't always work out. In terms of finding more... are you referring to Integra lips or girlfriends?? :rofl:
B0CKS
03-29-2019, 05:25 AM
Very cool news! It's fun to see someone so excited about discovering these cars.
I too made my accelerator cable a lot shorter when I replaced it and I'm wondering if that isn't why it's still notchy. I think those long swooping bends keep it from binding up. I'll be interested to see if you have the same trouble with yours.
Nice work on the lip. Keep going. This is exciting!
Thanks a ton! It's been a blast as of late, so I'm trying to ride this wave of motivation as long as I can! :lol:
Yeah, your thread on that swap is how I discovered those shorter FI cables, so we'll see! I'll be sure to report my findings, i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶p̶l̶e̶ ̶y̶e̶a̶r̶s̶,̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶I̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶i̶t̶, and let you know! And I think you're right there with the length, I mean Honda did it for a reason, but I'm hoping that with similar geometry to the FI setup, I'll be able to get away with it.
Right? That lip was a total surprise! Can do, thanks for staying tuned!
Fixedit
03-30-2019, 04:30 PM
Awwwww, two of em??? And holy cow man, that seems like quite the story to be told. Sorry to hear that things don't always work out. In terms of finding more... are you referring to Integra lips or girlfriends?? :rofl:
Hahahaha, definitely referring to the Integra lip there but I sure do hope I find another one of those girlfriends again, too
B0CKS
04-01-2019, 09:39 AM
Hahahaha, definitely referring to the Integra lip there but I sure do hope I find another one of those girlfriends again, too
Hahahaha, thanks for clearing the air! I wish you luck finding each lmao! :D
B0CKS
04-01-2019, 10:00 AM
Another weekend, another couple steps forward!
I've got good news! I've got a near working hood strut system! Its SO close to finally being a thread! But I'll show ya what I've done so far so that you can take notes!
I'm using a SINGLE factory hole (it's a 10mm bolt on both sides of the car) that has m6x1.0 threads, one holds down some vacuum lines on the drivers side, (or you can replace the bolt that holds down a leg of the coil pack bracket on the passenger side) and replacing that 10mm bolt with an m6x1.0 ball stud! Here's what I bought:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Zinc-Plated-10MM-Ball-Stud-RV-Marine-Boat-Strut-Shock-Mount-M6x1-00-Thread/362596802787?hash=item546c7420e3:g:IucAAOSwNnRYh9x q
Then, since we're only using one hole, you cant hold a bracket arm steady for a full 90 degree rotation, so I bought these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nitro-Prop-Strut-Multi-Angle-Shock-Spring-10mm-Ball-Socket-End-Fitting-90-180/372174256756?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
And they swing up quite nicely, feel free to scroll up to find the near duplicate photos, and you'll see how they work.
And now getting to the good part, I bought a pair of Cadillac CTS struts from here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Hood-6249-Lift-Support-Gas-Strut-Shock-Springs-Prop-Fits-08-15-Cadillac-CTS/372627607326?hash=item56c2560f1e:g:iAIAAOSwOztciry b
(IMPORTANT NOTE. You MUST buy these from this seller. The ends (unlike OEM) are threaded on, and that has to be true for this setup to work so you can swap the ends.)
Then, lastly, I'm using a M8x1.25 13mm ball stud from a Ford Taurus for the upper hood hole. I'm not using another m6x1.0 ball stud since we're mounting it in flimsy sheet metal. There's a preexisting hole in the hood near where the struts wants to live naturally, so I'm drilling in new hole near that and (once it arrives) installing a matching Riv-nut there. Ultimately giving you a setup that looks like this:
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It closes nicely even while only being held up with one strut, and lifts the hood with ease. I'm excited to be getting so close to cracking this! Plus, if you buy everything listed, you can build the other one and sell it as a kit to some other dude! Or put it in your spare 3gee!
(In other build news, I got tires for the Rays! They're small and for a Civic, but accidentally showed up on my Accord.)
B0CKS
04-11-2019, 03:49 AM
So, the Accord hasn't been making much serious progress with my brother's Equinox in main project mode, but that doesn't mean I haven't had the itch in the meantime, so I've been distracted and venting that energy elsewhere!:
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basically, I know there's only one complete 3gee 3D model floating around, and that's from Gran Turismo 4. But I've never seen only anyone rip it, so I figured it'd be fun to build myself and dust off some of the old Sketchup skills. And so it's getting there, this is only two days of work! I don't think it's going to be "fully detailed" or game ready or anything, but hey, at least it'll be a model of a 3gee, so that counts for something.
Neat.
Fixedit
04-11-2019, 05:03 AM
That is so cool! I'd love to learn and build the skills necessary to design like that..
B0CKS
04-22-2019, 04:02 AM
That is so cool! I'd love to learn and build the skills necessary to design like that..
Haha, thanks man! All it took for me was curiosity! I downloaded sketchup half on accident in Middle School and I've just been fascinated by it ever since! It's an absurdly easy program to pick up, and a great way to start learning how to design stuff!
P.S. I moved the 3D modelling thread here so that this thread doesn't get bogged down and (too) sidetracked!: https://www.3geez.com/forum/3geez-accords/142086-3gee-3d.html
B0CKS
04-22-2019, 04:10 AM
Gave myself a big early birthday present, and decided to get all the parts needed for tunes! I've already got a Kenwood stereo and an RF amp, so I decided to go through and upgrade the rest of the speakers themselves! And I have plans (as mentioned) to build a rear subwoofer box and custom center console setup for the 4" midrange and 10" subs, so that's where those are going! As for those four solo tweeters I'm planning on 3D printing bezels that will match the door handle closeout for those! I've got them designed, just gotta get stuff moving on fabrication! That said, here's everyone's favorite sight- boxes!!!
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And all emptied out:
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And so that's the plan for tunes! In other news the B-Cord got a good cleaning, welded an exhaust leak, fixed a headlight wiring issue and resolved the issues with the subwoofer, it was nice to give that some wrenching time! The DD is much happier!
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B0CKS
04-29-2019, 04:53 AM
Heyo! Check it out! The engine bay is getting close to its final look with this weekend getting almost all the hoses and tubes tightened into place, the the throttle linkage being hooked up, distributor being buttoned up, vacuum system getting built and clutch cable finding it's place home. Most of what's left at this point is taking care of the wiring harness (with a big thanks to Shane86 for making that whole experience look a whole let less intimidating with a few very helpful pointers!) some odds and ends, fluids and its go time! Cant wait to discover some rod knock! :cool:
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(In this picture below, it's pretty easy to see the simple vacuum diagram; one solid larger line goes to the brake booster then on the passenger side there's a T inlet with one end going to the PCV hose, and the other to the distributor advance- leaving the retard just plugged for now, it's a super simple system, I hope it works!)
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We'll do more engine bay cleanup (removing brackets, filling unused bolt holes) when we teardown the car again for its two stage paint, so I'm looking forward to that, but for now we just need to get it running!
And in other news, and after a brief measurement from my old car, I've found out that the Mitsubishi Starion/Chrysler Conquest shift boot fits the 3Gee pretty dang well! I just trapped the boot with the OEM screw in metal surround, and it looks all sorts of stock! Love it! The last touch is to get a DA integra shift knob, and then that'll be done!
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We're getting there! Unfortunately there's going to be a bit of a hiatus here coming up, I've got a lot of booked weekends coming up! But- till next time!
B0CKS
05-08-2019, 04:39 AM
Hey everyone, how’s it going? I got some more minor work done on the Accord, and I wanted to share it with you! It’s about cable management again, I wasn’t quiiiite happy with how the throttle cable was still pretty long when I realized I could just segment out the middle with a Dremel. I had my spare carb throttle linkage sitting around, so I chopped off the barrel then cut out the middle surround, exposing just wire.
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Then I cut the end off the removed sheath, and then used an out piece of conduit (from the middle I just cut out) to join the now drastically shortened end and start of wire. The end of the linkage had sheathing running all the way up to the cut line, so I trimmed it back so the linking sheath could reinforce it.
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And then I used electrical tape to hold the new joint together and blam! The “new” cable is more than half as short as it was.
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And in all honesty, it’s a little too short! It currently covers up the cap of the brake booster/master cylinder, and so I’ll trim down the fuel injected linkage I have just a bit, and it should be perfect! Everything is easy!
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And in other news, I think I finally figured out the look I want for the Prelude seats, I want them to appear OEM, but be enough different from everything else that they’re just extra sharp. So the plan is to use a brown vinyl for the back of the seat (matching the DX) and then a brown cloth for the surround and headrest of the Prelude Seat (also probably matching a DX seat). Then the center being the most different, I’m hoping to find a very dark grey central cloth with repeating horizontal slightly less dark grey stripes, taking influence from EF9 Civic seats. Then I’ll get black floormats so that the floor and central black seat stripe run into each other for each seat. And if none of that made sense, here’s a quick sketch I made for my plans. The rears will obviously follow that same pattern, but the fronts are what’s most important to me!
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Till next time!
B0CKS
05-10-2019, 07:33 AM
The carbon fiber hood is here! @apache07x were finally able to wrangle Fastenal into shipping it, and now it's my problem to sort out! :rofl:
It's certainly got some battle damage, but I paid-2-500 dollars less a new one, so it's what I expected! Plus I get to learn how to fix carbon fiber, and that just sounds cool. I like the look of it more than I should, and I'm debating on what I am/am not going to do about painting it. For now I'm going to be tackling making it smooth, shiny object again, and we'll play the rest by ear!
Here's how I got it:
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And a quick wash to see what we have:
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The worst of it is near the drivers headlight door where someone most likely took a DA and just ground through the clear and a ton of the fabric to try and get the dullness out, and went straight through everything. I'm seeing if it'll be worth it to try and patch, or just learn to accept some things are just the way they are!:burn: But that said, I couldn't express how cool it is to see this project with a hood, it's been so long since this vehicle had any sort of engine cover! I've already took down a lot of the grit with 400, and the damage seems pretty fixable if resin is as easy of material as I think it is!
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So I'm geeked! I didn't realize how much I like the look of carbon fiber on these cars, but this is pretttty neat!
And in other news, a prominent member of the Facebook page kindly gave up his EQ bezel (for money!) for my antics about a custom speaker setup. My Dad- who knows all things- has been concerned about phase and just general oddness from twin 4" speakers next to eachother, so I might end up getting another subwoofer. But for now, it's good to know at least this plan could work!
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:rockon:
apache07x
05-10-2019, 07:50 AM
The carbon fiber hood is here! @apache07x were finally able to wrangle Fastenal into shipping it, and now it's my problem to sort out! :rofl:
It's certainly got some battle damage, but I paid-2-500 dollars less a new one, so it's what I expected! Plus I get to learn how to fix carbon fiber, and that just sounds cool. I like the look of it more than I should, and I'm debating on what I am/am not going to do about painting it. For now I'm going to be tackling making it smooth, shiny object again, and we'll play the rest by ear!
Here's how I got it:
9577
And a quick wash to see what we have:
9575
The worst of it is near the drivers headlight door where someone most likely took a DA and just ground through the clear and a ton of the fabric to try and get the dullness out, and went straight through everything. I'm seeing if it'll be worth it to try and patch, or just learn to accept some things are just the way they are!:burn: But that said, I couldn't express how cool it is to see this project with a hood, it's been so long since this vehicle had any sort of engine cover! I've already took down a lot of the grit with 400, and the damage seems pretty fixable if resin is as easy of material as I think it is!
9576
So I'm geeked! I didn't realize how much I like the look of carbon fiber on these cars, but this is pretttty neat!
And in other news, a prominent member of the Facebook page kindly gave up his EQ bezel (for money!) for my antics about a custom speaker setup. My Dad- who knows all things- has been concerned about phase and just general oddness from twin 4" speakers next to eachother, so I might end up getting another subwoofer. But for now, it's good to know at least this plan could work!
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:rockon:
Man sorry that the hood got to you like that. You saw how I did have it packed up on a pallet. But I'd expect no less from Fastenal after the call asking for permission to ship it. SMH
B0CKS
05-10-2019, 08:43 AM
Man sorry that the hood got to you like that. You saw how I did have it packed up on a pallet. But I'd expect no less from Fastenal after the call asking for permission to ship it. SMH
No worries man! Still excited for it, and happy to have one! Just like anything, it should be able to be fixed! :D
Shane86
05-10-2019, 02:53 PM
That hood is dope sucks it got damaged during shipping
Fixedit
05-10-2019, 08:36 PM
Duuude yes, hood is killer. I wouldn't paint it, looks too good haha. If you need another EQ bezel I have one for sale (with an EQ in it! But I can take that out and put it in the CD player if you ever need the bezel). It's coming together man! Love it
B0CKS
05-14-2019, 04:51 AM
Duuude yes, hood is killer. I wouldn't paint it, looks too good haha. If you need another EQ bezel I have one for sale (with an EQ in it! But I can take that out and put it in the CD player if you ever need the bezel). It's coming together man! Love it
Haha, thanks man! I know! I'm super torn about the hood, I'd really like to start checking off some larger boxes on the car and didn't expect the hood to be another restoration project, but I do reaaaally like how it looks! You might convince me! And about the bezel- while I can't promise anything, I'll certainly keep your offer in mind! I sincerely appreciate you offering, especially when you've got such a cool pair of parts you'll be pulling apart! Thanks!
B0CKS
05-14-2019, 04:59 AM
That hood is dope sucks it got damaged during shipping
Stuff happens! Apache and I both realized we were dealing with a low quality service and so it's not too surprising! But it looks repairable, so I'm sure we'll be good down the road!
Shane86
05-14-2019, 12:06 PM
Stuff happens! Apache and I both realized we were dealing with a low quality service and so it's not too surprising! But it looks repairable, so I'm sure we'll be good down the road!
Yea man it's all good you will have it looking good soon
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 05:48 PM
Alright. It's been too long, and this thread has grown way too much rust, just look at the timestamps from here to now! Lots to catch up on! The Accord fell out of focus, but is now back in the scope, so it's time to get this blog back up and running! I'll start off with the Civic. This is going to be a few seemingly distracted posts, but I think this all comes together quite nicely, lets dig in!
The trip from California was amazing, totally incredible, lived up to every minute of the hype! 11 states, 3000 miles, and 0 mechanical issues from my bone stock Civic, my girlfriend and I could write a novel on it, but that's not quite for this forum, so I'll just show you some awesome bone-stock-Civic footage!
Here's leaving Vegas, day two! Awesome weather, and we were just learning that attacking mountains at 35 mph in third gear at 4000 RPM was as good as it would get!
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Zion National Park was Amazing:
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And I ran into the president of the company I work for on the road at Marble Canyon just outside the Grand Canyon:
9774
And of course, Marble Canyon was so cool;
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The million dollar highway in Colorado lived up to its name, (we made that D15 work HARD for it's way through there!)
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But being limited to my picture limit and being worried about getting off track means that I'll just say everything past the great planes was... less overwhelming than the West Coast! So we got home A-Okay, unloaded the various rare 3G parts I had picked up along the way, and we enjoyed a nice evening finally stretching our legs! But bigger, much bigger plans were in the works, because by the next day, Skunk2 coilovers, Skunk2 Front and rear UCAs and a DA Integra lip, and those TE37s from so long ago had already found their way onto this car. Things were starting to get good!
9777
But what comes next? Keep scrolling!
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 05:53 PM
A painfully reliable D15B2 is cool, but knowing me, I suck at leaving Hondas intact and functional, and thats when a very, very good deal for 900 bucks showed up a mere two hours away, so we grabbed a trailer, and bought ourselves and engine.
Well. An engine isnt the right word for it. This 900 dollar deal happened to be a 1988 Civic Si with a JDM B16a swap LSD trans, and so many little things I had been looking for for my Civic, so I introduce you to my parts car. The frame was more than full of rust, but everything else? Pretty nice condition, and I knew that by removing the one rotten part on this car (the shell), I could help other people keep their cars on the road, and undo the damage I do to my wallet swapping my Civic.
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And the real meat and potatoes of why I bought it, the B16A:
9781
Hash_man_Se_i
12-10-2019, 06:05 PM
I love your Accord build. Glad to see it still progressing.
Just curious, what is the thought behind the speakers in the center console? Why not focus on better door speakers and placement of tweeters etc.? The location of those will not be ideal for imaging of any sort.
Was following your Civic adventures on instagram/fb. That's a nice little hatch! I also can't blame you for picking the b16a donor up... for that price, how could you pass it up!
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 06:05 PM
And so, lets just keep hitting fast forward here and wrap this up; so BOOM, engine restored and all necessary maintenance done, timing belt, clutch, etc etc, and brought back to looking great:
9782
And as the car, to this day, selling parts off of it (I have some I'm still looking to sell), no engine and trans has given me back 1500 bucks, more than what I paid for it, but that's because we tore it DOWN:
9783
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(thanks, 30 bucks in scrap)
But anyways, back fast forwarding, the swap goes in, kicks tons of butt, has a great build list, D2 headers, HKS exhaust, Skunk2 for most of the suspension, Hasport mounts, tons of goodness. The Blue Civic took a few tries to get it all working, but made it RadWood Detroit and made a great impression.
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The car rips, you gallop down highways, get sore legs from a stiff clutch, but I always left the car smiling, and found it a great experience in getting more comfortable with B-Series swaps, and how much fun a project can be with some careful planning and trying getting the right stuff. Even on a bit of budget, this car was everything and more I wished it was!
But, I'm sure you've noticed I'm talking in the past-sense. Its December now, and I'm about two weeks Civicless. That's right. Sold it! I got the car working great, sincerely enjoyed it, but then it came to me, I had finished building it! I like to wrench on stuff, I'm not much of driver to be honest, and I realized my Accord had been gathering dust all this time. The Civic was ultimately a distraction, and I had to get my head on straight. So I did.
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The car sold for $4000. As soon as I listed it, it practically sold itself, but that transaction led me to entertain an Idea I hadn't expected to ever come true. The guy who bought the car included a very special something in the trade I would've never expected, but am very excited to announce...
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 06:16 PM
That I am going to be building, from bottom up, a Type R engine for my Accord!
9790
The Civic left me with a pretty decent fistfull of cash, and a block to spend that cash on. Now, this has a ton of connotations, the first FAQ to be answered is- yes. My B18B1 with twin Webers is unfortunately going to be pulled, and up for sale soon. It's a bit of a kick in the teeth to see a lot of money spent, and getting so close, being so patient, only to pull that block. I love how it looks, but I'm driven for my car to be the coolest thing I can make, and the thought of putting what is most likely Honda's greatest engine into my car is something I simply can't walk away from. This obviously throws my completion date another year down the road, but that's fine by me, I'm nothing but excited! The block will be restored to as stock as possible, 190hp is more than enough than the 92 I'm used to, and as for the big aesthetic choices? OEM (Powdercoated) wrinkle Red Valve Coated, and I've sadly decided to lose the gold firewall in exchange- it would just be too much at once unfortunately. But this is the next chapter of this never ending project, so lets go!
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And so, with the big news out of the way, and stay tuned placed- It's time to migrate to some of the smaller details I've been working on in the meantime!
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 06:23 PM
I love your Accord build. Glad to see it still progressing.
Just curious, what is the thought behind the speakers in the center console? Why not focus on better door speakers and placement of tweeters etc.? The location of those will not be ideal for imaging of any sort.
Was following your Civic adventures on instagram/fb. That's a nice little hatch! I also can't blame you for picking the b16a donor up... for that price, how could you pass it up!
Thanks man! Been too long since I've been around! It was a sweet hatch! Just sold it, and hadn't gotten the word out on social media yet, but dude it was such a fun build!
Haha, I have good news then! The center speaker idea has been scrapped since! After actually thinking about, you're quite right, center midranges would just wash out stereo, and in hindsight not that great of an idea haha, but as you can probably tell from this ADD powered thread, I just enjoy taking an afternoon to design a thing or too, and only after making it I learn I might not be on the right path! And since you follow my instagram page, I think you might already know what other thing I'll be adding to this thread in a second!
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 06:44 PM
So one of the coolest things that happened during September of this year is that I finally found out the name of my favorite eclectic speaker model. I had first seen it on the 3geez Facebook page, someone had spotted a sedan with a set of these, and after doing an impressive amount of googling and asking, I had finally found them, and with an accidental winning bid of 37 dollars on Buyee with half the words on the webpage in Japanese, I won a set of of JDM Carrozzeria TSR-800 Cross Axial Four way speakers. The coolest, weirdest, pair of "package shelf speakers" I could have imagined, and I'm in love.
Check it out, you'll think the same.
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And only 170 dollars later in shipping, they showed up at my door. See? Cool as it gets. Literally the greatest thing to happen to my package shelf. Now there's a few hiccups to address, and I've been making progress on a few issues. Number one being that the angle of the package shelf really makes the speakers point down. So, easy enough, tear down the speaker, scan the base, take some measurements of where we want it sit, and design it in 3D, then print a wedge to fit. Then, once mocked up, make a few tweaks to make it happier, address the design flaw of how large that plane on the front face is, then print out the pair, and get them prepped for paint.
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Now that wasn't too hard, was it? Just taking care of it as it goes. The next issue is that the subwoofer surrounds are shot. As in dust. So after hunting the world (literally called Turkey, India, Japan, and America) trying to find replacement speakers, I... well there's probably other approaches to this, but I just bought another set from the same site a few days ago. New surrounds, and they're much nicer. And they're 200 bucks, with free shipping, so that's kinda a fun twist. They'll be here soon, so I'll rebuild the set I have, then list them for sale for someone who knows how to source subwoofer surrounds!
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 07:00 PM
And since I mentioned 3D printing, I should probably talk about that! While it's hard to print in massive quantities, I'll be using my 500 cubic millimeters of 3D printing that I have to try and make the 3Gee world a better place! The first "product" I've made, as I made aware in older posts is something quaint, and not for sale (yet) since I'm building a fleet of them first. But that is most of the 3Gee lineup, in hotwheel scale! I've been busy modelling, and getting a little inventory started! I had first planned to just model my coupe;
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but after sharing with the rest of the community, a huge positive reaction led me to making another vehicle or two;
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And so I've got around 21 at the moment, but was to print more and more, I'm expecting to sell about 50 as soon as they launch! (probably going to be ~$10 USD + S&H) :omg:
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And then I've also designed something a little special for my car that I'll be planning on selling as well, a 3D printed cup holder insert for the factory armrest!
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This one is designed specifically for me, and the subwoofer controller I'm using in my car, the "mass production" one will have opposing coin trays since that's a more universal feature! :D (probably going to be ~$40 USD + S&H)
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Expect a lot more 3d Printed stuff to show up, or send ideas my way to print! I'd love to do what I can to help!
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 07:17 PM
So wrapping up this distraction driven update to a single close, there's a few miscellaneous details I wanna throw in, then it'll probably be engine build updates for a few months! :D The odds and ends include (what I think) is a clever, subtle way to set this car just a little apart from everyone. I was tempted to buy a set of those super cool DOHC VTEC stickers you see on the sides of Civics for the Accord, but here's the idea that I had instead;
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The DA Integra comes with DOHC in the front fender trim, and so I'll be borrowing (well, I mean hacking) them and then reinstalling one in each side of my fender trim,
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And while this photo is simply it mocked it place, I've since JB welded it in place, and after a few coats of primer and plenty of sanding, it's starting to look like a factory fit. once finished I plan on filling the letters with the same deep red I used in the "S" on my wheels, and will also call to the Red on the Type R Valve cover. I hope it's not overstated!
And I'm also reworking my approach to the engine bay as I prepare for this swap, and reworking my fusebox location. I had made some brackets to move it to where the battery tray sat, but I think I can make it cleaner yet, and so after breaking out some CAD (cardboard aided design) I've found out I can hang it under the dash, specifically behind the glove box. My car doesn't have AC, and thus has a large blank space (the image below is an AC car, the box on the left isn't there, and so I'll be utilizing it's space, and bolt hole locations!)
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And so, after scanning it and rebuilding the cardboard piece in Illustrator, I'm sending it off to be lasercut in Stainless Steel, then we'll be putting it in location hopefully before years end! :D So excited!
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Alright! I promise I'll be back to updating this thread frequently again soon!
Hash_man_Se_i
12-10-2019, 07:48 PM
From our instagram conversation you know you can put me down for one of those armrest cupholders ahaha!
I've always wondered what those carozzeria speakers sound like, though I don't even run rear speakers, so that would be weird lol. I like what you did with the base mounts for them.
Any 3d printed sedan models??
That I am going to be building, from bottom up, the very First Type R powered Honda Accord.
I don't mean to crush any dreams, but I believe wickedaccord had the first one back in the day. That being said it was probably years before you were on the forum, and does not take away ANYTHING from how cool a type R swap is.
If I could afforded it when I initially did my b-swap that would have been the choice for sure!
B0CKS
12-10-2019, 07:59 PM
From our instagram conversation you know you can put me down for one of those armrest cupholders ahaha!
I've always wondered what those carozzeria speakers sound like, though I don't even run rear speakers, so that would be weird lol. I like what you did with the base mounts for them.
Any 3d printed sedan models??
I don't mean to crush any dreams, but I believe wickedaccord had the first one back in the day. That being said it was probably years before you were on the forum, and does not take away ANYTHING from how cool a type R swap is.
If I could afforded it when I initially did my b-swap that would have been the choice for sure!
Ah snap! No worries, that is the glory of these forums, there's always the info out there, just tucked in a dark corner I haven't seen yet haha, I'll go make an edit, any chance you could point me to his thread? I'd love to take notes!
No sedans yet! I've had a couple people ask, but so many of my days are booked, that a somewhat larger modelling project is hard to fit in! I'd like to make one yet!
Haha, rear speakers were a welcome upgrade to my other DX, so anything is better than zilch IMO! But me too, I can't wait to get a battery back in the car and see what they sound like (and how nicely they light up), doors on or not lmao!
And you bet! Just gotta find a second to get those dimensions!
Hash_man_Se_i
12-11-2019, 10:36 AM
Ah snap! No worries, that is the glory of these forums, there's always the info out there, just tucked in a dark corner I haven't seen yet haha, I'll go make an edit, any chance you could point me to his thread? I'd love to take notes!
No sedans yet! I've had a couple people ask, but so many of my days are booked, that a somewhat larger modelling project is hard to fit in! I'd like to make one yet!
Haha, rear speakers were a welcome upgrade to my other DX, so anything is better than zilch IMO! But me too, I can't wait to get a battery back in the car and see what they sound like (and how nicely they light up), doors on or not lmao!
And you bet! Just gotta find a second to get those dimensions!
I don't think jon (wickedaccord) had a specific build thread. This is the last post from when he was selling his car if I recall.
https://www.3geez.com/forum/sale/69730-my-car-$1000-00-a.html
Most of the links to his pictures are dead too unfortunately. Though I'm sure I have some burried on a hard drive at home.
Ooh... I found his cardomain is still live; http://www.cardomain.com/ride/614870/1989-honda-accord/
What dimensions are you after?
B0CKS
12-11-2019, 11:01 AM
I don't think jon (wickedaccord) had a specific build thread. This is the last post from when he was selling his car if I recall.
https://www.3geez.com/forum/sale/69730-my-car-$1000-00-a.html
Most of the links to his pictures are dead too unfortunately. Though I'm sure I have some burried on a hard drive at home.
Ooh... I found his cardomain is still live; http://www.cardomain.com/ride/614870/1989-honda-accord/
What dimensions are you after?
Gotta find the details on the Loonies and Toonies (right?)-I believe you mentioned one of them was a bit bigger than a quarter, so I gotta swap up the model a bit and make a CDM version! :D
Oh snap! It's too bad its fallen out of stardom, after doing some research, I am loosely familiar with his build! Such a cool car, that thing must have RIPPED. Had no idea it was ITR powered!
Hash_man_Se_i
12-11-2019, 02:48 PM
Gotta find the details on the Loonies and Toonies (right?)-I believe you mentioned one of them was a bit bigger than a quarter, so I gotta swap up the model a bit and make a CDM version! :D
Oh snap! It's too bad its fallen out of stardom, after doing some research, I am loosely familiar with his build! Such a cool car, that thing must have RIPPED. Had no idea it was ITR powered!
Oooh right! haha. I'll measure some up for you and send the info!
Yeah, his car was awesome, I know it was a built boosted b18c at one point, and had a b18c ITR motor as well at one point. Was quite epic.
B0CKS
12-12-2019, 07:35 AM
Oooh right! haha. I'll measure some up for you and send the info!
Yeah, his car was awesome, I know it was a built boosted b18c at one point, and had a b18c ITR motor as well at one point. Was quite epic.
No doubt! In that case, I'll gladly take the second place hahaha, massive respect for his ride!
I think the difference is that they're like 28 mils instead of like 25mm, nothing too serious!
B0CKS
12-12-2019, 08:06 AM
And in more updates, its been Christmas for me for a couple months at this point, this represents about 80% of what's coming for this block. I'll update the full build list once the block is complete- but all we're really missing here is bearings, rings, the (shipped) DC racing Header, and about 50+ items OEM bolts and bits from Acura! Pretty exciting to lay it all out!
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Should start tearing the block down on Saturday! Can't wait to get started!
B0CKS
12-18-2019, 10:27 AM
Got some good news from the weekend! With the help of people who know what they’re doing, we tore down the Block! Everything came apart very easily, and we were surprised at how fresh everything looked! The block appears to have been very well maintained, and most likely very low on miles! There was no sludge in the oil pan, no scoring on the piston walls, and nearly everything in the head looked decent! So I’m pretty excited at what we- didn’t- find. In fact, the worst of it was literally the part we pulled, the literal last piston we pulled showed a fairly toasty bearing, it wasn’t failing at the moment, but certainly made this whole teardown worth it, because it certainly wouldn’t have been good down the road!
But regardless of the good news, I’m planning on taking the block, head and crank to a machine shop to get the head rebuilt, and then have them inspect the block for any out of spec tolerances, warping or well, anything that looks out of place, but I’m glad to know I’m starting with a great block, and considering I got it for steal, I more than excited!
Head Looking great!:
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Crank was all good:
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And there's the bare block! Everything is bagged and labelled for (hopefully) short storage! :D
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And in other news, here's $250 bucks of brand new OEM Honda/Acura bolts look like:
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And here's what $300 bucks of DC Racing Ceramic 4-2-1 coated header looks like! :cool:
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Till next update!
B0CKS
12-26-2019, 06:57 AM
Happy Holidays! To whoever is reading this, I hope you had a great Christmas! I got a few extra days off work, which meant I got to put in some wrench time!
Made a lot of progress on something I’ve been putting off for too long, the rear Subwoofer sefup. I bought a pair of 12” R2D2 Rockford Fosgates (not sure why that’s my go to audio brand, but here we are) and was planning to make a huge, complex overhanging box to house a teeth shattering amount of bass- for my tastes at least- but decided to cut to the chase and go with something a lot simpler. I picked up a R2S shallow mount sub in a pre-made box, and saved me a lot of hassle in getting it hung.
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But I’m pretty geeked with how it sits, it really doesn’t take up much space where it is, and doesn’t really mess with the flip down rear-seat mechanism as much as I thought it would (you can see the little rope popping out from over the top of the sub, that’s tied to the little lever to pop the latch at the top of the seat, I thought it was a clever, simple solution!)
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So that was fun, but I had another large checkbox I wanted to square off this week, and that was dropping my current engine to make room for the Type R. While there was practically nothing to disconnect, it was a quick and surprisingly easy task, made pleasant with an easy suspension tear-down, clean bolts, and amazingly warm weather for Michigan in December.
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The next step was tearing down the block for a few components I wanted to pull from it, and a few others I wanted to sell separately. The Weber/Vacuum Setup is for sale as a package for 600 bucks, I paid around 850 altogether for the Webers, B18 Intake Manifold Flange, Custom spliced throttle cable, and 87 Teg’ Vacuum Distributor. So let me know if that’s something you’ll be interested in, since I’m primarily looking to sell it to a 3Gee Member!
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And so, my car is well- once again- a shell. I know it’s been years of step forward, step backward, but trust me, we’re closing in on the trench run! Merry Christmas, and soon cheers to a New Year!
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Dr_Snooz
12-29-2019, 07:30 PM
I moved the 3D printed parts posts to here: https://www.3geez.com/forum/restoration-custom-fabrication/145511-3d-printed-parts-discussion-thread.html#post1217251
B0CKS
01-10-2020, 07:09 AM
Thanks Snooz! I'll keep watch! :D
Got a handful more boxes in the mail, and some smaller updates! :flash: Hopefully moving forward on the engine itself soon, but I'm still getting prepped to have anything (and everything) ready to go as soon as we're ready to assemble! The first couple of bags and boxes that showed up is an exciting upgrade to the coolant system, full -16an fittings for the upper and lower radiator hose! So that meant new thermostat housing with a threaded bung, and also a K-Tuned upper fitting! Still gotta work out an upgraded radiator than the no-name ebay brand, thinking Skunk2 at the moment!
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Then next up, I think I'm finally content with the model I've been working on for around a... year now? Here's a sneak preview of the 3D printed, minor duck-tail spoiler I designed. With the '87 Teg, front lip, I wanted something subtle to compliment the rear, so I arrived at this! I'm already printing the center section and both wings as I type, should hopefully have the whole wing printed by the end of the week for the first off test! Pardon the weird hand, it is mine, and there's only so much I can do to make that more aesthetically pleasing.
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And lastly! With great power comes great need for stopping ability! So I've picked up a very exciting upgrade to my already upgraded-SE-i-Setup, which is four-piston Wilwood front Caliper setup! Gotta mock em up this weekend! Freaking GEEKED.
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Till next update! :D
Fixedit
01-11-2020, 12:52 PM
Wow looking great man! I was excited to hear the carbs but the Type R is worth it!!
B0CKS
01-14-2020, 05:51 AM
Wow looking great man! I was excited to hear the carbs but the Type R is worth it!!
Thanks man! Couldn't have said it better, I never intended to lose the carbs, but there just isn't a way for me to pass up a Type R. That said, Anthony Calabek's Aerodeck is up and running, so at least there's one person with a Weber setup doing justice!
B0CKS
01-14-2020, 07:23 AM
Updates! I caught the flu, which means while I did spend most of these past few days absolutely blasted off NyQuil, I was able to hobble out to the barn and get a few simple things done! Got a lot of hours to pour in, but some more cool boxes arrived, and I got a long way on the spoiler! I’m going to end up re-printing the ends here- they need just a bit more surfacing work to better match the way the corners of the car flow forward, but everything else feels spot on to what I was looking for with this little Ducktail! I’m thinking that once I get version 2.0 done, I could maybe print out a couple for the masses if there’s some interest! They’ll come in pieces and- yes- they’ll take quite a bit of finishing, but if there’s demand, I’d be happy to satisfy! :cool:
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Also, Wilwoods are in place! I was worried about fitment since they’re a pretty bulky caliper, but they clear with plenty of space, thank goodness! That said, anyone want to buy a brand new – never used- set of front SE-I Calipers with Power Stop Pads? :lol:
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Then, got another box in the mail! This is the second awesome box from Japan, and in it are what I need to have a fully functional, super clean set of Carrozzeria rear speakers, as this new pair has full subwoofer surrounds! The one thing I truly needed for the other set, but I think I can swing a way to get the other set into a functional pair still. We’ll see! Time to tear them all down and do some swapping, and then we’ll get to see how they sound! :D
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I also got this little pair of lights- they’re off of a Japanese NSX, the dude swapped his for clears, and I picked em up! I’m still debating on whether or not I’ll use them, as they’ll be directly over the Red DOHC in the fender trim. TBD!
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B0CKS
01-20-2020, 06:07 AM
Heyo! Got to spend another Sunday afternoon around the car, I don’t have much that’s particularly groundbreaking, but I was able to square up a few small things here and there. I don’t have much for photos this update, not a lot needed it! I went through the back end of the suspension and double checked that everything was torqued in place, finished installing my braided brake lines, and blew off a lot of dust! I did the same for the fronts, brakes are pretty much good to go, minus a bleed! I spun data on the spoiler and took a swing at remodeling it, but I’m still not happy with the end! It’s close though! And this is very-very tentative, but I might have a lead on a guy who could potentially 3D scan a whole Accord, which is awesome! It’ll be a bit pricey, but it would be really, really cool to get that in data! It would save me a lot of guesswork, and help me design a lot of parts in the future! And in other 3D news, here’s a little story. Since I’m swapping to a taller half-radiator instead of the factory size full width, the placement of hood prop is totally FUBAR. So, after some pondering, I found a EF Civic prop from a junkyard, and got it to lay pretty close to where the factory Civic arm sat over the strut tower. I rebent the arm to fit the Accord, and needed to hold it in place somehow, so I designed this little guy! It’s just a clip with a m6x1.0 thread on it. Uses a factory bolt location, and after taking a tap to the pretty malleable plastic, holds in place just fine! Cheers to the little things!
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And in other tiny updates, I installed these PTC bulkheads on all my airlines running to each bag (see the shiny thing under the tank?), which means I can now fully removed my air struts for when I tear down the whole car again for paint, or need to do maintenance on it! I was originally running complete lines directly from the control box to each strut, which made them near impossible to remove, but that has changed! Just a little thing to get out of the way!
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Also III: I’m looking for a two piece armrest Upper to BORROW. I have a lower half of a two piece armrest, and I’m hoping to take some time and start building that in 3D so I can reprint those! If anyone has an upper theyd be willing to part with for some time so I can pull dimensions off it, I would love to start reproducing these! This won’t be anytime soon since there’s plenty on my plate (and I don’t necessarily need one, I just want the challenge!) but just to get the idea out there!
Till Next time!
Fixedit
01-20-2020, 08:58 AM
Awesome update as always! Even the little things are as exciting. The idea of having a 3g Accord 3D scanned really excites me, as that would solidify the cars trajectory into the future. I hope it works out!!
rushell
01-20-2020, 03:16 PM
do the hood struts
B0CKS
01-21-2020, 11:41 AM
Awesome update as always! Even the little things are as exciting. The idea of having a 3g Accord 3D scanned really excites me, as that would solidify the cars trajectory into the future. I hope it works out!!
Thanks a ton! Nothing too breathtaking, just some behind the scenes work! But I agree, it would also be a ton of fun to get carried away after this is scanned and design a widebody for these one day :D
B0CKS
01-21-2020, 11:43 AM
do the hood struts
I would if I could! I was never really happy with my solution, but if someone one day figures out the special recipe for getting them to fit without lifting the back of the hood, I'd be all over it!
Dr_Snooz
01-21-2020, 08:50 PM
I might have a lead on a guy who could potentially 3D scan a whole Accord
Say what???
B0CKS
01-22-2020, 08:47 AM
Say what???
Yup yup! Hoping to bring him my spare coupe at some point and have him get a decent exterior scan for us sometime! Only catch is that he's busy and charges $100 an hour, and between saving up for paint, all the machine work that's about to be done on the Type R, and getting a (very expensive) custom wiring harness made for the engine, I might be thin on cash for a little while (even with the help of our favorite car part fund, W2s!) So it'll be a ways out, but he's only about 40 minutes out from home base! It's in the realm of possible!
B0CKS
01-27-2020, 06:15 AM
Heyo!
It’s been another weekend- so why not make a post! Had a lot going on outside of the barn this weekend (my older sister graduated from law school! That’s cool!) , so there’s not a massive update, but got a little done! Most of what went down is that I tore into my Carrozzeria’s! The new set is unfortunately a little bit more jank than I had hoped- the lights in the upper section had been hastily swapped to an LED setup, and pretty recklessly at that, then the subwoofer surrounds are a home-brew latex feeling material that don’t have nearly enough stretch for the sub to make any real sound, so I’ll most likely be 3D printing my own mold and figuring out how to just make my own! How hard can that be?
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And while I could come close to building a nice pair of all original speakers from the set I have, I think I’ll be respraying them to a new, cleaner silver to undo all the scratches! I’m also looking into some sort of filmless decal to replace the text and logo, I’ve already got everything vectored and good to go, just gotta find the right material to print it with! At least I don’t have a lot to do or anything… :toilet:
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And then, as you can tell, I started work on my other DOHC fender trim! The first one came out preeeetty good, it might catch a bit more time with sandpaper, but I’m pretty pleased so far! I had a lot more success with the second one, so I might build one more left side one, just to be safe!
9864
So that’s most of it! Dropped off my block at a machine shop, so now its time to anxiously wait to see what the damage is! And coming up soon- I’m going to get a custom made mil-spec harness made for the Type R, and then maybe also (if the guy is up for it) a custom cabin harness with aftermarket fusebox, and plug and play features to the rest of the engine bay components, which would be very cool-and pricey! Then, hoping to run an hour South to Toledo this weekend and pull a first Gen. Pre-facelift Integra bumper, and then cut that up to fit the front of our Accord. It should hopefully be very subtle change from stock, but I that’s what I like most about this build! No end to custom touches! ‘Till next time! :D
Fixedit
01-27-2020, 09:50 AM
Great stuff! Bummer about the speakers but sounds like you have a fearless plan! Curious to see how the bumper turns out, should be cool in the end.
B0CKS
01-27-2020, 10:44 AM
Great stuff! Bummer about the speakers but sounds like you have a fearless plan! Curious to see how the bumper turns out, should be cool in the end.
Me too! From what I can tell, it shouldn't be too bad to make work, I found this image of one already on a 3g (post facelift, not really a fan of this bumper) :
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So all I have to do is take the bumper in this image and section out this little area (probably only an inch or two wide!) and reglue the wing, and if it sucks, then I won't use it! That easy! :D
9866
And thank you! There's always a way, just gonna have to make a few mistakes and learn some new things!
conozo
01-27-2020, 11:34 AM
You may be able to find a foam or rubber speaker surround on this website.
https://www.simplyspeakers.com/
I had an old JL subwoofer that needed repaired, they didnt have my exact model in there but i got a generic one the correct size and it has worked just fine for quite a while now.
B0CKS
01-27-2020, 12:02 PM
You may be able to find a foam or rubber speaker surround on this website.
https://www.simplyspeakers.com/
I had an old JL subwoofer that needed repaired, they didnt have my exact model in there but i got a generic one the correct size and it has worked just fine for quite a while now.
Thanks for the pointer! That's awesome news they were able to find you one that fit, for some reason rectangular surrounds simply don't exist! I just reached out to them and they didn't have anything for the speaker (which I'm not holding against them! These are horribly rare anyways!), so I think I'll still be building my own!
B0CKS
02-03-2020, 05:01 AM
Man! Already Monday again. This weekend was pretty short and sweet! Not an obscene level of updates, but there’s been a little bit of progress! I ended up going down to a very special junkyard in Ohio on Saturday that has an incredible selection of rad stuff, and was able to score that first gen teg bumper I mentioned in a couple posts prior! It’s in pretty decent shape, one the corners is torn out, but since I’m going to be dicing it up anyways, no biggie! This yard also has three (THREE.) Subaru XT’s in its inventory (if you don’t know what that is, I highly suggest you look it up! They’re totally crazy 80s rides, 100% weird, all that and more awesome.) Which happens to be a friends of mine favorite car, and so I plucked some wheels for him! And, as it turns out, this all fits happily in my Sonic!
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So once I got back to Lansing, we test fit up the bumper, and there’s a chance we might have lightning in a bottle! I sectioned out one of the ends and taped it up, but forgot to take a photo! But I really like the effect this has on the car, it’s a super nerdy mix of totally OEM, and still highly unique. The passenger side corner is a sneak preview of months from now with the remaining chunk of that lip still on it, and OH MAN. I’d really love to make this work!
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Then, here’s some rambling updates- as promised, I grabbed some measurements for the speaker surrounds, and I’ve got a mold ready to be printed, that should be coming up next weekend! I’ve got to ask around about which material is best used- but the 3D side is squared up!:
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And while also at the junkyard, I scored some cool smaller details from one the XTs; these headrest accordions! I’ll have to section out the center section plastic and rebond it to get it to fit the Prelude bars, but I really like the look! I mock fit up just the rubber bits on one seat, and its exactly what I’m looking for! Then we’re going to have to dye the rubber and paint the plastic, and we’ll be good to go!
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That’s most of it! ‘Till next time!
Hash_man_Se_i
02-04-2020, 05:50 PM
And then, as you can tell, I started work on my other DOHC fender trim! The first one came out preeeetty good, it might catch a bit more time with sandpaper, but I’m pretty pleased so far! I had a lot more success with the second one, so I might build one more left side one, just to be safe!
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Great progress as always, any chance you want to make another set of these fender trims? :wave: such a great little detail.
B0CKS
02-05-2020, 11:57 AM
Great progress as always, any chance you want to make another set of these fender trims? :wave: such a great little detail.
Thanks man, I'm pretty geeked with how they're turning out! You'll have to forgive me, but I'm probably going to pass for this favor, the parts are plenty available- any DA integra has the pair you need, and all you'll need is a dremel and an exacto, it's not tough! :)
B0CKS
02-06-2020, 12:56 PM
Alright, I know I suck at keeping this thread on track, but I’m like an adult, I want to make my own bad decisions. I’ll keep it brief, I know 3D printing has been a more common theme in this build, and I wanted to show off a little bit of work I’ve been taking care of on the side! I made that post a few back about modelling a coupe, well I finished up a Hatch and Aerodeck off the coupe base, and might spend tonight making a sedan! And so since the community seemed to be pretty excited about this, I printed off like fortyyyyyyy-six(?) 1/64 (hotwheels!) sized cars altogether and got them ready to ship! Each one has four stok skinny wheels, and then four wider, shorter wheels for laying some frame! I also threw a little addition of a lip into each kit just for fun! It won’t be a massive amount of income or anything, but should make some people happy! :D
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B0CKS
02-10-2020, 10:40 AM
More simple updates! Really waiting on word from a machine shop to know what the next steps for my block are going to be, so while I’m waiting, just keeping up on ticking away at the usual suspects. Got the other side of the DOHC trim leveled out, and close to ready for its first coat of primer, I scanned it in, and built it out DOHC in illustrator, so now I’m good to make a vinyl mask to use so I can shoot the text dark red! I’m excited! Then, the Subaru XT6 headrest centers needed to be sectioned down the center to fit between the skinnier Prelude/Integra headrest pegs, so they’re cut, reinforced with a bit of metal, and waiting their turn to get blacked out! Gonna look so sharp! Then, also in the swamp of detail work that plagues this build, If you look closely in the image below, you can see a door handle bezel, and to the right of that, the current iteration of my tweeter housing! It’ll mount in the empty trapezoid in front of the door handle, I plan on taking OEM speaker grilles and cloth and wrapping the face of them to really give them that OEM look. Gotta make a new iteration of some of the surfaces, then it should come together pretty nice! But this image sums up most of my weekend!
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Lil’ Detail!
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Then, also did some packaging with the Integra bumper and found some pretty positive news! The Accord bash bar (Bumper core? Center Pretzel?) under the bumper fits very nicely and snug inside the Integra cover. There’s a crucial upper bracket that keeps the Integra upper nice, flat and rigid, and it turns out I can probably have it make a hybrid Accord to Integra support with a couple laser-cut brackets, and make it a nice, factory look! Just gotta be really precise in how this ends up placing the bumper, as I know panel gap can easily kill this project dead!
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Then here’s a side view of the sectioned wing, it’s a loose alignment, but you can see that it’s fairly close!
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But yeah, more of the same, once the block is back, I’ll be able to start hammering onto bigger things! Till next time!
B0CKS
02-12-2020, 05:11 AM
Score! There’s a new Accord on the lot at one my local junkyards, a 1987 LX sedan, and while I’m mostly set for parts for my build, it’s always good to go out!
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Because you never quite know what you’ll find, for example, this car had an armrest, but like most of them, the top is blown off. But hey, now I have two, and I bought that lower, a speaker grille, and two bumper side attachment plastic brackets for five bucks. Score! :D
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Fixedit
02-12-2020, 05:22 PM
Talk about score! Armrest anything is hard to find! Looking sweet with that integra bumper cover too, great progress!
B0CKS
02-14-2020, 07:36 AM
Talk about score! Armrest anything is hard to find! Looking sweet with that integra bumper cover too, great progress!
Thanks! Just making my million little baby steps, and I'm really geeked about the bumper, I hope I can make it all work! But yeah man, one man's trash! Always geeked for the junkyard scores!
B0CKS
02-14-2020, 07:39 AM
Carcaine is real. Like the last post, I own duplicates of things! But I just realized I owned five hoods. FIVE. I mean, I can explain, but sheesh. This isn’t really a “build thread update”, but oh well.
This is the hood from my Accord when I first got it- the one that was on the car when I found a tree. It’s got a bend in it, and after realizing I don’t need it, it’ll be going out for scrap this weekend, so see you, space cowboy.
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Then these two are for my actual Project! The grey hood in primer was one I cleaned to laser straight for the main build, and after realizing the Carbon Fiber hood is pretty well pitted and in need of serious repair (and pretty heavy…) I’ll probably be going back to the painted one.
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Then, there’s this hood- when my spare coupe wasn’t in my care, the hood got dinged hard, and needed replacement, so this was the volunteer. Unfortunately at this point, the “B-Cord” apparently has low compression, and to me it’s worth more in parts than running and driving, so it’ll be torn down, which is a sad end to a car that’s been through so much!
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Then finally, another hood, currently on the B-cord, which is also destined to be chucked with its new wrinkles.
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Spring cleaning isn’t fun! I've also got three A20s that need to be torn down and scrapped too- but that's for another day! Happy valentines I guess?
Dr_Snooz
02-16-2020, 07:58 PM
Those bumpers are tricky to get all lined up nice. I did my best with my aftermarket, but it's not quite right, and about a million washers and shims and such. Good luck with yours. I'm sure it will turn out nicer than mine did.
B0CKS
02-17-2020, 07:11 AM
Those bumpers are tricky to get all lined up nice. I did my best with my aftermarket, but it's not quite right, and about a million washers and shims and such. Good luck with yours. I'm sure it will turn out nicer than mine did.
Hahaha, now don't go expecting things from me! And yeah, I'm pretty positive this is going to be a bear! :D But wait, aftermarket bumper? When was this!
B0CKS
02-17-2020, 07:16 AM
It’s already been another weekend? Jeez! I only got about an hour in on barn time, gonna have to up my game!
So, still hammering out the little things, always got six things going at once! The Headrest Accordion joints are firmly held together, and the seam is filled, next step for them is paint then they’re DONE. Next I pulled a couple of parts for the bumper corners, seeing if I need to convert it to Accord clips. I’m not quite positive yet, but I do like how well the seem to be intent on fitting! There’s even a tab for them to clip into, or at least a variant of this corner probably works, so we’ll see!
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Then, the prototyping corner of things is nice and fun, the nerd in me is having a blast! The tweeter housing needs a mesh grille to cover it, and since we’re going for OEM, why not use OEM parts? I picked up a spare grille, cut it up, and then made a male & female mold and pressed it!
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It actually stamped out very nicely, I’m unfortunately going to have to print another (better!) version of this mold since I got an offset backwards, and so this grille is a little too big!
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So then I trimmed out the tabs I wanted, and gave it a fit! It’s too large, BUT, I really like the way it looks! Very much like a real part! I’m going to wrap it in the OEM fabric, but don’t get me wrong, I really like the way the just metal face looks, that radius makes all the difference!
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And so up after that, I was playing with DOHC trim again, I’m hoping to vinyl cut some paint masks for the trim to paint it, but was curious if I could just use the cut out text instead of paint. It’s unfortunately not quite what I’m looking for, but I couldn’t help but see what it looked like. Just opening Christmas presents the night before! Freaking love seeing words on cars.
9908
And speaking of gifts, I got word from the machine shop!! The Type R block has been fully shot blasted (so geeked to see that block clean!) and the crank looks good, just needed a slight polish (probably from that burnt bearing) and then we’re most likely going with ARP Piston studs and ACL bearings. The current cost thus far is a little more than 1500 bucks (I’ve got around 3k budgeted for this, so we’re actually doing great price wise!) but came with an little bummer. Somehow I missed it, but one of the pistons has a good crack in it. Thus, going to get four new ones, so slap that price on top of everything else! But it’s okay, I’d much rather pay the literal price now than grenade a motor a few months out. And they’re hoping to get the head soon, and that’ll be very exciting!
9909
As usual, nothing crazy! In other news, my Weber setup is leaving to a new home this evening, kinda' bummed to close out on this chapter! But the money from it will of course be going directely back into this project, so It'll live on. On a surely unrelated note, anyone have a Type R LSD sitting around? :kekeke:
Dr_Snooz
02-17-2020, 06:34 PM
But wait, aftermarket bumper? When was this!
Aftermarket as in not OE. The kind the dealer warns you from using because they won't fit right. It's a boring replica part l got on eBay a few years ago when I ran into the back of someone's F-150. 😒
B0CKS
02-18-2020, 09:10 AM
Aftermarket as in not OE. The kind the dealer warns you from using because they won't fit right. It's a boring replica part l got on eBay a few years ago when I ran into the back of someone's F-150. 😒
Aaaaah, that's rough. That's no fun, "aftermarket" didn't really sound like your speed for aesthetics, it's a bummer that was a bust. I'm surprised someone even made a replacement for us to be honest.
B0CKS
02-19-2020, 06:16 AM
Oh boy oh boy! I shot out the valve cover to Charlie Moua a few weeks ago for powdercoating, and he just shot me some pictures of the finished part! What can I say?? :eek: It looks sooooo good! Should be here this Friday, today needs to hurry up!
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And just as a reminder, this is the SAME PART.
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Fixedit
02-19-2020, 11:44 AM
That’s going to look AMAZING sitting in the engine bay
Dr_Snooz
02-20-2020, 08:33 PM
That's a nice piece.
B0CKS
02-25-2020, 12:09 PM
That's a nice piece.
Fact! Can't believe how nice it looks!
B0CKS
02-25-2020, 12:10 PM
That’s going to look AMAZING sitting in the engine bay
Right!? Too killer! With my mapped out timeline, I might be able to make this car a driver by mid-summer! Unreal! I know.
B0CKS
02-25-2020, 12:12 PM
Heyo! Got a weekend update!
Picked up a lot of knowledge over the weekend, but not many photos! But I’ll fill you in on all the little things that are happening!
One! Got the valve cover back, and it looks like HEAVEN. It’s so punchy in person, I can’t wait to put an engine under it!
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Two, a roll of PETG filament landed on my doorstep, and so while the model itself isn’t news, this is my first successful print with it! If you’re not familiar with PETG, PLA is the bread and butter 3D printer filament, it’s easy to print with and fairly strong, but not really UV resistant, and will break down and debond if outdoors for too long. ABS is the ultimate opposite, it’s literally what Lego is made out of, and we all count that for invincible, unfortunately it’s a pest to print with, as it loves to warp, and is generally a pain. Enter PETG, not invincible, but far more happy to be printed! Still got a lot to learn, I’ve already made four failed prints with it, but we’re learning!
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Three! While I don’t have any pictures of it, I tore down my GSR transmission, aswell as what I learned to be a Y1 transmission to see how interchangeable the guts are, and they’re not! BUT! I have a good lead for on a YS1 Transmission that I’m hoping to pick up Friday, and I also bought an Integra Type R LSD from Japan , so that exciting purchase is checked off! So by next week I should finally have all the ingredients I need to build my ultimate transmission! YS1 Cable Trans case (bolts up to the Innovative mounts!), GSR Short Internals(So we can handle that ITR power!), with an LS Trans 5th Gear (for lower RPMs while highway cruising!), and finally an ITR LSD, because of course, not sure how I got this deep into the mud on transmissions, but I’m honestly pretty excited to see what this horrifying Frankenstein transmission does once it’s on the road!
Four, in detail work land, it’s time for paint! Painted three of four Accordions, both the joiners, and sprayed one of the DOHC pieces, but forgot to take pictures. Ope.
9917
Then, just to wrap things up, I made a *correct* stamping piece for the grille, but then we cooked up the concept of integrating both the door handle and the tweeter housing into one cohesive part, which would really, really, give it an OEM look- so that project is gonna be a bigger bear than I expected, but the result should be really, really sharp!
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That’s most of it! Also sold an armrest, shipped out eight more model Accords, just having a good time!
Dr_Snooz
02-28-2020, 08:00 PM
:):):):):)
B0CKS
03-02-2020, 09:47 AM
:):):):):)
:flash::flash::flash:
B0CKS
03-04-2020, 08:29 PM
Alright! Nearly missed the weekly update, ope! I know that my millions of fans were super nervous! But, got some pretty juicy things to share! It hasn't been a checklist weekend, but I have been acruing parts for when this car finally comes together, and it's been some REALLY nice stuff. I guess we'll start with the most recent junkyard pull! I'm always watching the horizon for a new parts car and whatever bits that might be on them, and scored some goodies with this one! A 1988 DX Sedan, with all the usual rust and misuse these Midwestern cars normally have.
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But what's different about this one? the mere 80k on the dash! I pulled the Cluster, those hard to find non-AC DX vents and something that's going to fix a minor pet peeve of mine- the E-brake lever! Those chrome buttons are notorious for getting scuffed up on the slide in, and one with mere minimal wear was a refreshing find! Although I suppose they're often nice on automatics!
9925
But that's just the everyday stuff! How about some REAL goodies! Let's start out with a Genuine JDM LSD I scored last week! Got a pretty solid deal on it just topping the scales a little over 400 bucks. I thought I had a good lead on a YS1 transmission over the weekend too, but it was a dud! So darn, I'll be watching the horizons pretty close for one to surface!
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Then, after scouring around, a very kind member shot me a link to something I thought I'd have to wait years to find- a pair of JDM Corner lights! Trying to clean off the interior as much as possible, and these are a great touch if you can find a clean set, which I very fortunately did! They'll be shipping out of Australia fairly soon for a total fee of $150, so I'm geeked! The little details like this absolutely make me buzz. Can't wait for them to get here!
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And in other events, I got to drop off the head for the ITR at the machine shop to let them get started on that! More goodness!
B0CKS
03-09-2020, 06:41 AM
So, looks like another weekend is wrapped up! Not many pictures for this time around, spent most of Saturday and Sunday on other projects- (we’re building a home-brew powder coating booth, which is coming along great!) But I was able to square up a task I didn’t realize wasn’t a bolt on swap! I moved my factory Accord rails onto my Prelude seats, and holy cow, they’re deceivingly close! At first glance, they should just bolt across the platform, but I ended up having to drill out a few holes, cut off some brackets, and cheat a few attachments, but they’re in place! I also spent some time emptying out the interior of all the various car parts that had washed up in it and gave it a good vacuum- which really helped clear my head!
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I also spent a few hours cleaning out the rest of the barn, which felt great! Near fifty degree weather is a beautiful thing here in Michigan. Then, last on the interior list, I also finished up the Amp wiring, as well as finally getting the correct subwoofer hardware to properly hand the subwoofer, which included like 8 nylon lock nuts and common thread pitches! Feels like it might as well be welded to the car, but time always tells! Then, there’s an open debate on air filters, not sure what route I want to go, but there’s basically three choices. 1)Running with an OEM ITR box and making it fit the engine bay, which I like for sake of factory look and it’s not the cliche D15 Civic cone that seems to be slapped onto everything but, we don’t really get any sick performance gains, but also end up with a big thing in the engine bay that I was trying to keep clean. Which brings us to 2) the Cliche Cold Air Intake cone, seems like it’s on literally everything, so I’m not really a fan of it, but I’m content with the idea of cutting down a long arm and keeping it simple and short, for a cleaner engine bay. Again, just not really a fan of how much of an overused look it’s become. 3) Custom hood scoop. If we can’t really run to the side or go with a cone, it makes sense to go on out and make a ram air intake, so it’s not just an everyday part. Catch with this is that this would be yet another time intensive project, and one I don’t think I want to take on. Plus, it kinda messes up the overall cleanliness of the exterior I’ve been so keen on keeping, so that also throws a wrench in it. But, mocked up the front end to look at location of where this (functional!) hood scoop would go and I’m not really too sold on it yet. Dunno, I’d love to something clever and unique, but we’ll see what comes around!
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Dr_Snooz
03-11-2020, 07:26 PM
I like the idea of a ram air scoop. l was looking in my bay the other day and realizing just how much space all the intake plumbing takes up. I'm not sure what the reasoning was for that. I'm tempted to do something about that.
Yeah, probably not.
B0CKS
03-13-2020, 04:28 AM
I like the idea of a ram air scoop. l was looking in my bay the other day and realizing just how much space all the intake plumbing takes up. I'm not sure what the reasoning was for that. I'm tempted to do something about that.
Yeah, probably not.
Hahahahaha, sounds like we're about in the same boat. Those factory intake tubes are quite the distance. It'd be cool, but man- the hours it'd take to make an OEM looking setup? Not sure about it.
B0CKS
03-13-2020, 04:32 AM
So if all goes well, work- due to all the apocalypse going on right now- work could close! How great would that be? Just being locked up in the barn for a couple weeks? Amazing. Incredible. Truly fantastic. But that’s not gonna’ happen, but eh- a girl can dream!
Anyways, got some barn time in! And in half an hour- pulled the dash out of the Accord! It might be cheating since all the big stuff was already loose, but I thought it was fulfilling regardless! Now, why would I do such a thing? (considering I JUST got it together?) Well, I’m currently in conversation with Jays Performance Tuning Solutions (JPTS) about having a Plug and Play, Mil-Spec, Tucked, Show Quality harness setup built for this car. So full Tucked Type R harness complete with single bulkhead connector, and then full cabin harness tuck, so the headlights, motors, wiper motor wiring, etc. etc. etc. all look fantastic. Altogether it should set me back two, maybe three Accords, but the concept of a perfectly clean, brand new install would be fantastic!
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So that’s reason one, reason two is a bit more fun! I’ve been habitually loading every compartment with functional details, and so this is pretty self-explanatory- but I’ve modified the glove box compartment to fit a small, emergency fire extinguisher! I really like this car, and if I didn’t have a fire extinguisher, I know the thing would certainly take the opportunity to self-immolate. So by having this around, there’s less of a chance! Basically trimmed out the back of the glovebox, to give clearance to the object itself:
9935
And then, since there was absolutely no way the two self-tappers going into plastic were going to hold that weight, I trimmed out a metal plate and slid it between the dash and ducting, so the plastic is sandwiched between such that plate and the mounting bracket. The final touches are going to be adding 3m double sided tape into that mix to halt vibrations, as well as finding another volunteer glovebox to trim out. This one works well, BUT, I found the area I trimmed out could actually be shallowed up a ton. The height from bottom of fire extinguisher to glove box cutout could be about 2 inches shallower, which would be a welcome change!
9936
And so this photo doesn’t do a good job showing it, but I know you’d think the back of the glove box missing would be a big deal- but nope! It’s actually almost an invisible change once you have it in car position.
9937
DETAILS.
Dr_Snooz
03-15-2020, 09:24 AM
Well, whatever you come up with will be awesome, I'm sure.
B0CKS
03-19-2020, 01:23 PM
I had no idea I’d actually get what I was looking for. It’s almost the end of week one while working from home with the now well spread Corona Virus lands on our shores! But I’m set up to work a grand total of 300 feet from the barn, and I’m pretty content.
I’ve gotten a few hours in to do a few things to the Accord, nothing too earthshaking, but still making steps! The fire extinguisher is well in place, so that’s done at the moment, but still gotta cut out the next glovebox to shrink down that rear distance.
Then, got the doors hung! It’s wild to see this car as a near enclosed for the first time in… three years? Looks like a total starship to me, I know it was four bolts, but I’m so geeked to see this have the concept of potentially coming together.
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Then, tore down my GSR trans (again) to pull the guts out, then packed up all my transmission goodies into boxes, and shipped them down to Tall Pines Racing for an initial glance, then a complete build!
9940
And speaking of shipping transmissions through the mail, my YS1 transmission case showed up! Gonna wait until the internals are considered worthy, then send that down! And they came in a cool box:
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Then, in barn news- with some help- we pushed out all the rides, swept and cleaned up the place, much to the pleasure of my brain cells.
9941
And we also got some fantastic new barn swagger courtesy of my older sister, really sums up a lot of our approach.
9942
Also, I got to find out I’m a hoarder.
9943
Till next time! Stay safe!
Dr_Snooz
03-20-2020, 07:28 PM
That's a lot of corner lights and eyebrows, LOL.
B0CKS
03-28-2020, 09:43 AM
That's a lot of corner lights and eyebrows, LOL.
Hahaha, it matches with my 3 1987 Prelude steering wheels, 4 sets of steelies, 3 brown center consoles... 7 front seats... oh no, what is wrong with me??
B0CKS
03-28-2020, 09:47 AM
Updaaaaaaate! Being back home in the barn has been great, making some pretty decent headway and a handful of big projects!
But let's start with the small stuff! First off, got the second glovebox trimmed down to better fit the fire extinguisher- the if you look on the right, that's the first one I cut, and you can see that lower cutout edge is noticeably deeper then than new one- we got to keep all that material in the back, which will make this very functional, and I think- pretty cool!
9948
Second, tore down the other rear speaker for restoration, got the outer plastics sanded, and sandblasted and repainted the grilles, but we're still looking for the correct color match for the plastic. I have the logos recreated in illustrator, and transfer paper, just gotta get paint!
9949
Third- in barn news, I went through to the dark-musty-storage-container area of the far wall in the barn and cleaned and organized that with some shelving, it's sooooo much better! A huge relief!
9950
And then onto cool stuff, I got a few parts "Vapor-Blasted" at a small shop half an hour away, and MAN. This is crazy! I wish I had better before pictures, this literally takes any part and makes it look absolutely new. everything looks one hundred percent more better, and I'm so pumped!
9951
So I couldn't help myself, I really wanted to get a sneak preview of what all this would look like, so I busted out the valve cover and mocked up a couple parts, and DANG. This I'm absolutely in love with how this is coming out!
9952
I then noticed that the great guy who powdercoated this valve cover did a pretty rough cut when he milled off the letters, so about an hour working from 150, 220 to 400 bringing all the details down to smooth,sharp and glorious, where they should be!
9953
And in the same night, I got to powdercoat my first part! We're just getting our setup up and running, and the results are amazing, we found a fantastic ink black replacement, and there's going to be a loooooot more where this came from!
9954
So come to last night, and I'm taking on a pretty huge task here, ripping out all the noodles out from under the dash! Which is a pretty scary deal, I really hope I remember where everything goes, there's just sooooo much more than what I had expected to be in to this harness. The plan is to remove it and have it stripped of most of the unnecessary plugs, and reassembled with the the B-series harness, to make the whole operation a fully plug and play B-series OBD2 setup. Wish me luck!
9955
That's most of it! But it's Saturday, and I'm itching to go swing a wrench!
Dr_Snooz
03-28-2020, 07:42 PM
Cool!
B0CKS
03-28-2020, 09:58 PM
Cool!
Thanks! :D Glad I'm not alone! Got a lot more done tonight, a handful of Accord brackets went through the powdercoating process (bumper mounts, a few under-dash parts) and I'm hoping to get the pedal cluster restored tomorrow, and any other bracket I can find or think of!
9956
Also, got most of the harness labelled up, feels nice to have a slight better grasp on it!
9957
Fixedit
03-29-2020, 09:48 PM
I am always surprised at the level of detail and care taken to make this build so clean! It's gonna feel unreal when you get this thing all put back together
B0CKS
03-31-2020, 07:29 AM
I am always surprised at the level of detail and care taken to make this build so clean! It's gonna feel unreal when you get this thing all put back together
Thanks soooo much! Been really geeked to have found ways to ramp up the level of clean these past few weeks, and I’m beyond excited to be bringing parts to a true, show quality grade! There’s certainly tons to do, but I’m starting to check off assemblies as all clear for the initial assembly, I’m super excited!
In terms of examples, check this out! I got to keep my word on rebuilding the pedal cluster, tore it all the way down, gave everything a sincere scrubbing, all the metal a good sandblast, and then re-lubed all the springs and bushings, and I’m honestly blown away at how this part came out, this is straight up racing grade, eat-off-of clean, rugged stuff, something I could only fake with rattlecans previously, which means lots (and lots) of respraying is coming up, but that’s a-okay if this is the result! Check this out, here’s the original pedal cluster:
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And then a single night later, it became THIS. Exposure is certainly fighting me here, but the main bracket is this perfect pure gloss battleship gray, it looks and feels flawless, and the pedals provide a contrast I couldn’t be happier with!
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And this exercise has been on a primarily invisible part, which has made it a really great, forgiving experience, and in that vein of learning, I decided to take care of all the metal bracketry under the dash and give all of it that same, pure coating. The results are fantastic, and even if the work isn’t going to be seen, I’ll happily know that I have quality parts I can rely on!
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And the backside of the dash does look pretty sweet with it’s new gray parts. And on that topic, I finally wrapped up the dashboard assembly! Got the new glovebox laid in place and trimmed out an extra notch in the back of it to make the extinguisher release a little more finger-friendly, glued back in the chunk that was knocked out by my buddies knee when I drove into a tree four years ago, and so it’s a wrap! Now, the sub, rear suspension, pedal cluster, and dash are all assemblies I’m happy to throw on the road! I'm excited to keep checking these off!
9960
Yesterday, I also got to take a minute and got the dead-pedal in place! I pulled this little thing off an Accord a few months back, it’s the first one I had ever seen, so I’m super happy I snagged it! As a true option from the factory, there’s a reinforcement stamping that I don’t have, and three weld-nuts that also weren’t included, but I made due with three riv-nuts, and it after giving it a few stomps, it feels plenty rigid, now to take it out and powdercoat it! :D
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Then, in the last update of this wall of text, I caught a message from Tall Pines Racing, they’re halfway through cleaning the case I sent them, and MAN, I can already see this all coming together, and I’m soooo excited at how clean all of this is going to be!
9958
Stay safe and keep wrenching!
Dr_Snooz
04-05-2020, 02:01 PM
Are you paying someone else to do all this powder-coating or do you have a set-up of your own? Cause if you're paying someone, well that's gotta cost some bread.
B0CKS
04-07-2020, 03:57 AM
Are you paying someone else to do all this powder-coating or do you have a set-up of your own? Cause if you're paying someone, well that's gotta cost some bread.
Haha, it's a DIY setup! My Dad and I chopped up a plastic cabinet and turned into a spraybooth, and got a little 150 dollar smoker oven that's been doing great. We have around...800 into all of it? So it hasn't paid itself off yet- but there would be absolutely no way pretty much any of this would get powdercoated if we couldn't do it in our cave!
B0CKS
04-07-2020, 05:02 AM
And hey! Guess it’s time for an update in the weird world of quarantine. Between getting my office hours slashed in half, as well as living and working from home, I’ve been able to get a good amount of barn hours in this past week! This is gonna be a long post, hold on!
I guess let’s start off with all the small stuff- and running from the post overhead about powdercoating, the things that have gone through the cabinet this week were 1)dead pedal bracket, 2)throttle cable bracket and 3)engine bay brake line brackets (and the fun and funky hanger that I bent to hold them! Wee!). On the list of things that are up soon: there’s one more dashboard bracket I missed that needs to magically become gray, and then I’ve got the frame side transmission mount that’s going to be all wrinkly fresh before too long too! Then it’ll be time for the alternator brackets, and power steering pump brackets to get sandblasted and refreshed!
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Then, I’ve unfortunately been really lazy on the 3D printing front, and wanted to dust off a bit of work there, so I got to tackle something that’s been bothering me for a while, the spoiler edge. When I first mocked up my spoiler, the corner wasn’t too hugging the edge as it should be, and left a sliver of air at the top corner. So! Remodeled it based on a ton of guesswork, made a quick print, and I’m happy how this sits! Should be printing a full section soon to see how it all works out, but then I should be done from a modelling side!
9970
Making a big jump from that, I’ve been trying to figure out the rest of what I’d like to vapor blasted next, and it seems that the pumps and motors of the engine bay are the real big items that will be coming up! So both headlight motors, the wiper motor, and power steering pump will all get blasted to look like new, and then the caps of the headlight motors and wiper motor will all get sandblasted and powdercoated ink black. Should be sweet! But to strip down the pump to be cleaned I had to take off the pulley, and why is it that I always learn about reverse threads seconds AFTER I finish absolutely chopping a nut in half and destroying a pulley? No idea. At least it gives me something fun to look for in a junkyard once those reopen.
9971
And, update from out of state! Tall Pines Racing has been still working busily on my transmission, and with the most recent update being in the case, both halves are looking brand new, which I couldn’t be more excited for! And as much that’s happening to the trans, I got word that the Shop that’s been building the motor is down for at least a month for quarantine, so it’ll be some time before the block comes together, darn.
9972
But in the meantime, I’m working on getting the car back to car-like where I can, so the car has recently grown a bumper! And I found all the hardware for the filler panel, so I’m happy to get that in!
9973
And then, in a bold and all around scary move, I’ve finally gotten to see what the car is actually going to look like with the Manarays, and I’ve come to find things just a liiiiittle lacking in terms of dialed fitment. Currently, the rear UCAs are 100% cambered in, so that’s part of this. But there’s about an inch from the edge of the tire to the corner of the wheel well, and I’m hoping to close that up a bit, since I’m that kind of guy. Not some sort of nasty flush or something, but just push the wheels out to where I want them. So it’s going to be a bit of a push all over. I’ll be removing some of the rear camber (you never hear anyone say that! That’s a nice change of pace) most likely getting ~5mm spacers to push it out, and doing the nasty task of making room to come out. But you can kinda see how sub-flush they are right now.
9974
So, I got the grinder and ended the debate between rolling or cutting. I chopped off about 10 mils of material out the flange, felt pretty nasty doing it. The plan is weld the two pieces of sheetmetal that join there back together, and also fix the rust that’s flared up on the inside just off the top of center that I just found while chopping. But man, had to hold my breath the whole time.
9975
You can kinda see where that left us with in terms of clearance in this awkward angle. The flange in was about twice as big at that top as it is now. I also left the bottom edges untouched, because hey, if it aint broke. But this should solve some problems aesthetically, as well as functionally- I can’t rub on it if it’s not there!
9976
And this is going to bleed into two posts, so here we go!
B0CKS
04-07-2020, 05:05 AM
Let’s move onto something more lighthearted and also less permanent than the what’s hanging over this post. Do you guys recognize these little OK Honda stickers in the corner’s of your 3G? My first Accord came with these and I thought they were pretty sweet! If you aren’t, here’s a photo I found to give you the jist:
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Well, the rear glass I’m using in this car did not have those in it! So I actually ended buying a repopped set until I realized I forgotten one of my main rules for this build. NO BLUE. (Just trying to keep everything color coordinated, and so that’s an easy way to remember). So after thinking on it for a minute, I developed a solution I’ve really grown really fond of! That answer is to reverse cut them out of “frosted glass” vinyl on my vinyl cutter! They’re a really subtle touch, and lay on fantastic! More stuff I drool over.
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But of course, why have one when I could have thirty? I decided to use up the whole sheet I bought, so now I have some in stock! I’ll see if anyone is interest and let some go sometime!
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And also on an even more zen note, we decided to empty out the second barn yesterday for some spring cleaning (and dusting) and I decided to pour into my four years of junkyard hoarding to get try and get a little more organized. So this huge pile has been gone through and placed into those shelves, but I also found the box of hardware I found while stripping a certain Red Civic down to nothing, and all THAT also has to fit into these two little cabinets, oh jeez.
9981
And hey, did someone say hoarding? Because while also cleaning the barn, I decided to get my whole collection of 13” wheels together and list em, because I really don’t need… any of these at this point! Goodbye steelies and shop tires! I barely knew ye! :toilet:
9982
Stay safe!!
Fixedit
04-08-2020, 01:35 PM
Damn! Love the details! Really like the frosted OK stickers, are you selling them still? Also, not to negate your entire post and piranha-chop at the wheels, but are you selling those five spoke 13's on the bottom?
Also I agree with the fitment in the rear wheels that you're looking for, that'll look nice push out a little
Dr_Snooz
04-12-2020, 07:04 PM
Haha, it's a DIY setup! My Dad and I chopped up a plastic cabinet and turned into a spraybooth, and got a little 150 dollar smoker oven that's been doing great. We have around...800 into all of it? So it hasn't paid itself off yet- but there would be absolutely no way pretty much any of this would get powdercoated if we couldn't do it in our cave!
That's what I figured. You're doing a lot of small pieces which fit into a smaller setup. I've thought about getting myself one of those Harbor Freight setups, but lots of other things need doing right now.
I love following your build, BTW.
B0CKS
04-16-2020, 08:13 PM
Damn! Love the details! Really like the frosted OK stickers, are you selling them still? Also, not to negate your entire post and piranha-chop at the wheels, but are you selling those five spoke 13's on the bottom?
Also I agree with the fitment in the rear wheels that you're looking for, that'll look nice push out a little
Thanks man! I appreciate it! Really want that to be properly tight!
And haha, no worries, in all honestly my apologies for leaving you hang with a question! I listed the ad a bit before the post, and I've got two local guys I have to wait to flake before I can ship em out- the crap parts of trying to keep your word lmao. But if neither of them follow through, I can get the wheels boxed up!
And yeah! I've got some spare OK stickers! I'll get back once I know about the wheels so I can save thirty whole cents on shipping hahaha
Fixedit
04-20-2020, 03:19 PM
Hah no worries man! I’m not even sure if I can afford them, how much are you asking? Or rather, where’d you list them, just locally?
B0CKS
04-24-2020, 09:56 AM
ACK, been a minute! I’m not dead or sick, so darn.
Progress has been in a bit of hiatus, there’s been equally a lot and a little going on, but I think there’s been enough progress to finally make a decent post! Let’s start off with the smaller stuff, then I’ll let try and get down what’s going on with the bigger stuff in this build! First off, I was lucky to score a pair of JDM marker lights from a guy who didn’t quite know what he had! They looked decent in photos, and better after a quick polish, but unfortunately have a few too many battle wounds to be used on this particular car, so I’ll be passing them on to someone who can put them to use! There’s a crack under the extrusion on the passenger’s side and the lower adhesives have given out, and it looks like the secondary silicone the previous owner packed in also gave up on it, and one at the leading corner of the driver’s side. So they’re not perfect, but they’re certainly not trash!
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Then, still refining the spoiler, the small square that I printed an update or two back was close enough that it justified a full corner print, and I’m quite happy with how it lays. It looks like the initial concept of just 3M isn’t quite strong enough, so I’m going to reinforce the setup with some hardware, both into the trunk, and between each section. And I’m still not quite sold on whether this is going to be body color or black, so it’s been nice to look at each corner and see what it would look like either way. I’m open to opinions, what do you guys think?
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And the big update from these past couple weeks is in terms of wiring, the cabin harness being the main thing in the scope. JPTS, the business I was really hoping to have build the harness ended up flaking out, so I decided to look elsewhere, CJ’s Wiring is booked till infinity, Monotech doesn’t make the correct style harness I’m looking for, Rywire makes fantastic stuff, and offers a near-standalone setup with their fusebox (which sounds great! The less I understand and have to build the better.) Then lastly, Wireworx has a great engine harness with good options, but doesn’t have the same fusebox setup that I’m sold with for Rywire, so I’ve gotta sit and think on it for some time. So with no real option on farming out the cabin harness, I decided I would take care and “tuck” it myself, aka rework the front arms of the harness to be stripped down, rewrapped and simplified. The big change I had to make to was taking reworking the fusebox into its new location under the dash. I didn’t trim out and resolder all the wires, just peeled the harness back and wrapped it back into place to avoid my crappy wiring. Should work decent, and I only had to extend like four wires to make it work! So that was a fun adventure! There’s a few odds and ends I need to find answers to, but eh, some progress!
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Then, with the cabin harness done for the moment, it was time to put it back in place and start working out how to get stuff properly tucked away and mounted. The driver’s side harness fell into place very nicely, with only the windshield wiper motor, brake fluid sensor, and headlight motor poking into the bay, the tucked look on that side is super sharp.
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Then the passenger’s side is a bit more work, the PTC relay was chopped, along with the A20 connectors and old vacuum stuff which made for a lot less wiring running down the side, and I’ve relocated the headlight motor relays to down under the bumper support in front of the battery tray to get them out from beside the radiator. I was going to have them mounted up under the fender, but then I’d have to take off the bumper as well as the fender to get to them, so it’ll be better to just remove a single panel if the need arises!
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B0CKS
04-24-2020, 10:02 AM
Ope, 8 image limit.
And with wiring being most of this post, the next step is figuring out what to do with the OBD2 ECU. The initial plan before it fell through was to custom loom the cabin harness to put the ECU in the OEM position under the seat meant I would need a custom bracket to hold it in place. I got designing and mocked up a decent bracket (on the left on the image below, and being printed out and “tested” on the image below that). Ultimately, I’ll most likely be going to Rywire for my harness, and if I want custom work from them, it’s going to be a staggering 2500 bucks, which I haven’t quite protected for. So I’ll be going with an off the shelf wiring setup for an Integra, and since the ECU location in an Integra is in the passenger side footwell, I’ve designed a bracket/kickpanel that pushes the carpet back an inch, but mounts the ECU to the inside of this bracket, so it’s safe! It uses the same two upper holes that I’m using to mount the fusebox under the dash, then then the lower end will held in with a few rivnuts. The field of holes on the right of it is for the handful of zipties I know I want to put into it to guide the bulk of the ECU wiring in place. And because it looks cool. I really can’t tell if this is tons of fun, or extremely boring.
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(BTW, the image number on the image above is number 10,000! What do I win?)
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And, in entirely-irrelevant-but-has-to-go-somewhere news; I have three A20's for parts! All three have low compression (Because reasons, I'm good at buying dying motors.) I still have two good five speeds hooked up to them, and since no one who owns a 3gee lives in Michigan with me :thumbdn: these are probably gonna going off to the scrapyard decently soon. Anyone need anything? The third one is still the spare coupe, gonna hopefully pull that out before too long.
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So, in this last paragraph of my TED talk, it comes up to updates on the motor. The machine shop found three apparently irreparable cracks in the head casting, which is a bit of buzzkill, but after searching around and clearance from the shop, I ended up dropping a grand on a pre-built head, which may save me actually save me a few bucks instead of paying my shop to build the current one. So it’s on it’s way to the shop and should be there sometime next week, and from my understanding, if the head checks out as a nice piece, I’ll be seeing my motor sooner over later! I’m super geeked for that! And then I’ve been in continuous talks with the transmission shop, while I don’t have any particular updates, they’ve got it cued up, and it sounds like they’re good to hammer away on it pretty soon!
Sooooooo yeah! Gotta sort out wiring, and turn key might be in the next couple months!
P.S. Anyone else suddenly have the urge to buy a 1G CRX or is it just me?
B0CKS
04-24-2020, 10:04 AM
Hah no worries man! I’m not even sure if I can afford them, how much are you asking? Or rather, where’d you list them, just locally?
Haha, I won't be asking for much! Probably like a 100 bucks, and the last I set of 13's I shipped out to California was like 80 bucks in shipping, so it won't be too steep! Wanna work something like that out? And yeah, just locally listed! I've still got em, both the buyer's flaked! And as a head's up, I won't be sending em with tires!
B0CKS
04-24-2020, 10:09 AM
That's what I figured. You're doing a lot of small pieces which fit into a smaller setup. I've thought about getting myself one of those Harbor Freight setups, but lots of other things need doing right now.
I love following your build, BTW.
Hey, thanks a ton! Sorry for falling off the face of the earth right after such a kind complement lmao :o
But yeah man, I hear you! Had the same argument here. I'd love to be able to cook like a 14" wheel, but that's not in the cards. And there's certainly going to be stuff we end up outsourcing, I know I'll be going out to get the rear subframe and both bumper supports done up at least from a professional. But I think there's a ton of merit in having a small setup, things that would nickel and dime you to pieces if you looked to get them all done somewhere other than your garage. And after spray painting stuff for so long, I can't upsell powdercoating stuff enough, it's the factory standard for a reason!
B0CKS
04-24-2020, 10:33 AM
Oh and Snooz, if I can bother you some more, I've got a question I think you'd have some good info on.
I'm looking for a way to restore my DLO trim, all of mine is doing that great thing were it peels up and leaves just the stainless underneath it. My first guess was powdercoating, but on closer inspection, it looks like the rubber/plastic seals are pretty integrated into the part. Any ideas past trimming off the rest of flakes and hitting it with paint? I know you've had a couple good in depth threads and science on trim restoration, just wondering if it has the scope of those parts too.
Also, bought a Pioneer CA-whatever-number throttle cable after re-reading your thread on replacing your cable, here's to hoping it works with a B series!
Fixedit
04-25-2020, 01:48 PM
That is a fantastic price for those but you know what I probably shouldn’t, I like them a lot but I just dumped some change into my hatchback and I ought to hold on to at least a little cash during this pandemic lol. What are those 5 spokes off of? I’m bad about rims lol I already have rims for the hatch project but I keep seeing other styles..it’s a sickness I tell you!
Dr_Snooz
04-26-2020, 10:08 AM
Oh and Snooz, if I can bother you some more, I've got a question I think you'd have some good info on.
I'm looking for a way to restore my DLO trim, all of mine is doing that great thing were it peels up and leaves just the stainless underneath it. My first guess was powdercoating, but on closer inspection, it looks like the rubber/plastic seals are pretty integrated into the part. Any ideas past trimming off the rest of flakes and hitting it with paint? I know you've had a couple good in depth threads and science on trim restoration, just wondering if it has the scope of those parts too.
Also, bought a Pioneer CA-whatever-number throttle cable after re-reading your thread on replacing your cable, here's to hoping it works with a B series!
Just for you!
https://www.3geez.com/forum/restoration-custom-fabrication/146644-your-guide-trim-restoration.html#post1218841
B0CKS
04-26-2020, 12:59 PM
Just for you!
https://www.3geez.com/forum/restoration-custom-fabrication/146644-your-guide-trim-restoration.html#post1218841
You're a legend Snooz! :bow:
B0CKS
04-27-2020, 10:09 AM
This past Saturday was my birthday! :) And the theme this year was RIP AND TEAR. :chainsaw:
My birthday wish was to get the B-Cord’s engine pulled as a big break in on parting the car out, and while it wasn’t my best time, pulling it in two hours wasn’t a bad run! It’s out, and that officially signifies the beginning of the end for this car. And will most likely the last A20 I handle for a good long time, with the A-Cord rather specifically built to be B-Series, and if my daily driver continues to be in decent health. I don’t want to tear down the B-Cord, but there’s no real market for this car around here, and the hardware and parts I can pull off it as I come to build the A-Cord are more useful than cash. So, here’s the last photos of this car in its near completed state, see you space cowboy…
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Engine out!
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And then got to work on shaving the engine bay of the A-Cord, marked out all the holes I don’t need, watched a few youtube clips about cleaning up engine bays to boost my confidence, tore off the space tape, and deleted the initial batch of useless brackets from charcoal canisters and vacuum boxes.
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Then, got to buffing off paint and brought a good chunk of the holes out to bare metal, using many a grinding disc.
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And after that, slagged a whole bunch of the smaller bolt sized holes full of weld yesterday, leaving most of the larger holes open, as the next step is to fab up closeouts for them!
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So I’m pretty geeked! They’re going pretty well, I can’t say these are good welds by any means, but it feels nice to be doing this fairly proper.
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Hopefully going to go and scavenge some new grinding discs and body filler and get back to it tonight! I’m really excited to see how this comes out!
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Fixedit
04-29-2020, 02:49 PM
Ooh, was b-cord an lxi? I’ve been looking for a downpipe from the 4-2-1 system, would you be willing to sell/ship it if you have it? Always sad to me to see a 3g parted out but eh what can you do, it’s worse to let them sit and rot right. 2 hours ain’t bad! Always nice to remove things without worrying about what hoses and wires go where. Looking good man, happy belated birthday hope it was a good one!
B0CKS
05-05-2020, 07:48 AM
Ooh, was b-cord an lxi? I’ve been looking for a downpipe from the 4-2-1 system, would you be willing to sell/ship it if you have it? Always sad to me to see a 3g parted out but eh what can you do, it’s worse to let them sit and rot right. 2 hours ain’t bad! Always nice to remove things without worrying about what hoses and wires go where. Looking good man, happy belated birthday hope it was a good one!
Yo! It was great, thanks for the birthday wishes! :D And yeah man, just pulling stuff at speed is a blast. But I hear you, I'm not geeked to be sending it off like this, especially after putting in so many hours and memories into it across these past four years, but all that's worth saving from the car will be saved! Promise. And unfortunately- its a Carb'd DX, just like my other car! I honestly don't know the interchange on the exhaust setups, if it turns out they're the same, I'd happily ship it out! (and an OK Sticker! I haven't forgotten! :D )
B0CKS
05-05-2020, 08:06 AM
Alright, I have no concept of time anymore, so I have no idea if it’s been a week, or like three days since I updated the thread. Quarantine is amazing.
Got more done in the engine bay, it’s looking plenty messy at the moment, but things are starting to smooth out, with a test run of bondo in a few spots! I’ve got most of the small holes cleared up, but still need to take on plugging the larger chunks; the AC hose locations, vacuum box loom location, then the big large cutouts for the forward loom entrances, and with my welding (lack of-) skill, it should be a nice, painless process!
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And while that was going down, there ended up being some traffic in the barn sector, so this is what kinda bunches up around the barn if we’re not careful where we’re putting cars!
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And speaking of traffic! I spent Sunday polishing out my Daily Driver Sonic after my Dad wheeled up his BMW, and since we liked how those came out, I decided to dust off my camera to try and see if I still knew how to take photos, and it looks like I’m doing decent, gotta have these the camera ability HONED before the main Accord is done! That’s why I bought the camera after all hahaha
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Also! On yet another tangent- you guys might remember from like 6 pages back, I own a Honda Spree! And after doing a whole bunch of barn shuffling, I pulled it out of the mothballs and finally (FINALLY) got it to a shop, should be up and running before too long! I’m not familiar with 2 stroke stuff, had gas, air, spark, compression and everything it needed to run, but just never really wanted to, so I threw in the towel. But that should be back for too long, which I’m really looking forward to as the weather is getting nice again!
B0CKS
05-05-2020, 08:25 AM
And since I ran out of welding wire on like Friday last week, I’ve decided to take a break from the engine bay for a minute and work on a yet another little upgrade to the interior! My sister very kindly bought the 15 dollar power strip I’ve been lusting for, I’m hoping to mount an inverter in the car at some point, since I don’t trust cigarette lighter USBs after they blew the alternator on the B-Cord. So after some thought on location, I figured the cassette deck holder wasn’t going to get much use since I no longer have a head unit that takes cassettes. So time to get chopping! After destroying an inexplicable number of Dremel discs, here’s the chunk I cut out of the bottom of the unit:
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Then, busted out the CAD and made a mockup bracket in the loose shape I was looking for.
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So you can see how the little power supply is going to end up here, the idea is that this is going to be a two piece installation. I made the backside bracket myself, but I’ll be mocking up a closeout plate for the front of this, with room for a switch on either side for an undisclosed option I’m toying about installing. But in short, this bracket is going to be hidden, so no worries how it comes out, the front side one will be lasercut and hide everything behind it!
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So, hop skip and jump, here’s the powdercoated mounting bracket! It’s not going to win any beauty contests, but functionality first! You can see the dog ears on the outside edge are there to wrap outside the plastic so that when I tighten the hardware on it, it doesn’t crimp the plastic, but spreads it out over the metal! Not sure how necessary it is from a true engineering standpoint, but it makes me feel safer. I threw a few extra flanges on it to reinforce the main mounting surface since that's that'll be taking the brunt of the force, and I wouldn't want it to flex!
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Then finally, here it is in location! Four M6 bolts and four flange nuts makes it a pretty easy installation, and felt strong and secure when I plugged a few cords into the socket.
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Oh, and taking a note I stole from Chevrolet’s book (specifically, something my Sonic has coming from the glovebox) are two little notches in the closeout. Just to satisfy a simple craving to make the door flush and closed while running cords from it.
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So, little afternoon project has step A completed, I’ve got an inverter picked out, so I’ll order that and take care of it once I’m less busy throwing all my cash at the engine!
B0CKS
05-05-2020, 08:30 AM
And on the topic of throwing money at the engine, here’s an update from the trans shop! They’re darn close to having the thing good to go, I’m too geeked to have this coming back! Since I’m going to be owning this car for the rest of my life, I’m happy to know I’ll have a wonderfully reliable transmission to row through for years to come!
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:flash:
Edit, like a day after I made this post Just got some more photos from the shop, my transmission got a tattoo (which is dope! I'm for it) and were able to seal on the original barcode!
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Dr_Snooz
05-05-2020, 06:54 PM
So what I'm gathering here is that you haven't been sitting around binge-watching Netflix like the rest of us during this lockdown? Are you even sleeping? LOL. It's looking great as usual.
Dr_Snooz
05-05-2020, 06:55 PM
Out of curiosity, what are you planning to power with the AC outlets? Or is it a surprise?
B0CKS
05-05-2020, 08:24 PM
Out of curiosity, what are you planning to power with the AC outlets? Or is it a surprise?
No real surprise up the sleeve, I'm trying to just roadtrip-proof this car with what I can sort out, so charging a phone or a laptop on the road sure sounds like it could be a nice upgrade! And the only kicker I also want to throw in there is some heated seat switches- I'm planning on getting the seats re-upholstered, and while they're open to some modification, sounds like some butt warmers would be a nice thing to slide in there!
So what I'm gathering here is that you haven't been sitting around binge-watching Netflix like the rest of us during this lockdown? Are you even sleeping? LOL. It's looking great as usual.
Hahahaha, well I just finished watching all six hours of The Stand, so I'm certainly still working on my quarantine beer gut, but being back home 40 feet away from the barn instead of an hour away each way certainly has an effect on my work ethic! Thanks for stayin tuned Snooz! :D
Dr_Snooz
05-11-2020, 07:04 PM
:rockon:
B0CKS
05-15-2020, 08:01 AM
Update! It’s going to be a bit of a trip, so buckle up!
Let’s start off with the ADD powered sidetracking of what’s been falling out of my 3D printer. I’ve kinda come to learn that metal stamping is pretty easy, and it turns out standard 3D printing can make dies strong enough for a lot of the gauge metal we work with. So I got to work and designed my own Dimple die set, with an easy recipe to make up any size I need. I have a ½”, 5/8” and 1” produced right now, but will make more as needs vary! I honestly don’t have a use for them (yet) but I’m sure I’ll find a use as time goes on. Plus they’re just fun!
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Check out these two (1/2” and 1”) doin stuff! Now I want to drill holes in everything.
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And what’s also in that first image is a set of vice jaws- used to hold anything hexagon shaped in a vice without marring the surface. You can buy these for about 20-30 bucks off the internet, or I’ll print my own! These were created for the express purpose of tightening AN fittings, and looks like they’ll be up for the task!
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And in other news, I’ve spend a good amount of time reinventing the spoiler and how it attaches. I’ve found a unique piece of hardware that seems to really solve my fastening concerns. It’s a rod with wood screw threads on one side, then a standard bolt thread on the other. So that means I can have a bolt thread solidly installed into my 3D prints, which makes for much stronger parts. So utilizing this screw and and bolt combo has made redesign the attachment scheme between the spoiler chunks. The new idea is that it’s still a male-female key, but there’s a hole bored out of the part that lets the bolt threads have an exposed thread in the back of the spoiler. So the new instructions would be to fill the key with epoxy, and then slide the bolt through to the access hole, and then use a nut and wrench through the window to fasten the two parts firmly together, giving them a strong chemical bond and clamping force on top of that. It makes sense to me at least, sorry if the words aren’t good!
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Then I’ll also be using those same screws to bolt the spoiler to the trunk, I’m not sure if I mentioned this, but 3M tape was my first choice, but after laying some on and putting it through it’s paces, I’m a little hesitant to say it should be the only choice. So I’m going to add protection for the fasteners just to be safe!
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Then, in the physical realm, a very kind belated birthday present arrived, a 3D printer tent! So in short, to print ABS, you need to slow down how fast it cools to prevent it from warping, so basically, it’s good to keep the air around it warmer, so the relative temperature drop isn’t as bad. Another step close to outdoor resistant 3D prints!
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And also going in actual barn news, I’ve continuing to shave my engine bay! Got a few of the filler panels welded in, and most of the holes done, and I decided to attack some of the AC holes on the firewall, and found myself pretty full of adrenaline when I noticed a pretty decent fire starting to burn on the interior. I had a shield up and the insulation pulled away from the firewall, but some hot spark must’ve made its way into the insulation. And while it’s hard to measure, at it’s worst the fire was about a foot and a half square inside before I was able to snuff it out with my welding gloves! I must’ve cashed in all my luck, because fortunately, the only thing that was really affected was the insulation- the cabin harness and carpet are both fine! But I guess I’ll be pulling yet another odd part from the B-Cord!
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Certainly made me sit back for a minute- nothing better than quick reminder about mortality. :thumbdn:
Dr_Snooz
05-15-2020, 07:07 PM
Yikes! Be careful please.
Fixedit
05-16-2020, 02:02 AM
Dang dude! Glad you (and the car) are okay! Good thinking about the vice - I just got AN fittings for an oil catch-can (they're a little overkill for a ventilation system but hey it works) system and I definitely marred them with a wrench. Good thing they're hidden under the intake! Lol
B0CKS
05-18-2020, 05:10 AM
Dang dude! Glad you (and the car) are okay! Good thinking about the vice - I just got AN fittings for an oil catch-can (they're a little overkill for a ventilation system but hey it works) system and I definitely marred them with a wrench. Good thing they're hidden under the intake! Lol
Oh snap! Been of two minds on a catch can, how's it worked for you? And hahaha, man I might just have to print a wrench too! The aluminum is soooo soft. And thanks! I was more worried about the car! :lol: But I learned my lesson, I'll be sure to proceed with slightly more caution.
B0CKS
05-18-2020, 05:14 AM
Yikes! Be careful please.
That's good advice! I'll be taking it to heart, I'd rather not have to weld all these holes shut again on another engine bay!
Also Snooz, I haven't run into this before, is there an image cap to these threads? I can't really upload much of anything without hitting this error: :nervous:
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Dr_Snooz
05-23-2020, 08:30 PM
Well that's not good. Let me look into it.
B0CKS
05-27-2020, 04:18 AM
Well that's not good. Let me look into it.
Thanks Snooz, add another I owe you to my tab please lmao
Been doing some troubleshooting on this, seems like any computer I use to try to upload images has the same error, and it's the same on any thread. I basically have some image cap tied to my profile, and I guess I've hit it? I'm tempted to make a 2.0 version of this account and just work around it.
Edit- I guess I was right- after poking around under settings, I found this useful statistic (pardon the image quality, I guess I literally cant have a bigger image :redx: )
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And after poking around some more, they do have a 100mb image cap if you go pro, so that's a route. Kinda forgot about this side of the ole' proto internet!
ShiRen
05-27-2020, 05:58 AM
So, I can answer this for you. You are attaching images directly through the forum, it looks like it is giving 50Mb per user for this. This is probably a configurable limit, but it has to be taken into consideration that the same limit is applied to everyone and there is only a certain amount of space rented from the server this forum is running on. Snooz probably knows how much space we have and how much is available, and more can probably be rented, but the cost and capacity are both factors in how long this forum stays living, that has to be a happy medium.
The workaround and probably the better option than uploading to the forum would be using an image hosting site. I have been using imgur because they haven't had a mass wipe like imageshack and its easy to grab the BB Code link. I am a little skeptical about choosing an image host, but rest assured imgur is a mass data mine and doesn't seem to delete photos. Still I have been trying to find a good long term host, I thought you could turn a dropbox link into a BB Code link, that would probably be a good host long term, there is just no resources on how to do that and I need to play with it... its been a hot minute since I have been active on the forums
Anyway, your build looks pretty sweet, I love to work that's going into it. I have been meaning to go through this thread, but once you whip out the CAD and 3d printed parts you've got my attention
B0CKS
05-27-2020, 08:00 AM
So, I can answer this for you. You are attaching images directly through the forum, it looks like it is giving 50Mb per user for this. This is probably a configurable limit, but it has to be taken into consideration that the same limit is applied to everyone and there is only a certain amount of space rented from the server this forum is running on. Snooz probably knows how much space we have and how much is available, and more can probably be rented, but the cost and capacity are both factors in how long this forum stays living, that has to be a happy medium.
The workaround and probably the better option than uploading to the forum would be using an image hosting site. I have been using imgur because they haven't had a mass wipe like imageshack and its easy to grab the BB Code link. I am a little skeptical about choosing an image host, but rest assured imgur is a mass data mine and doesn't seem to delete photos. Still I have been trying to find a good long term host, I thought you could turn a dropbox link into a BB Code link, that would probably be a good host long term, there is just no resources on how to do that and I need to play with it... its been a hot minute since I have been active on the forums
Anyway, your build looks pretty sweet, I love to work that's going into it. I have been meaning to go through this thread, but once you whip out the CAD and 3d printed parts you've got my attention
Thanks a ton! There's plenty of dead ends and tangents in here, so no worries if don't trawl through the whole the thread! But I am proud to be bringing in some 3D to our community, I really enjoy opportunities current tech provide for those of us in the hobby, so I'm glad to find someone else who appreciates it! :D
Ahhhhhhh- that's enlightening! I guess I just found that I could upload images when I first got on here and have just always gone with that, I never pursued linking images, that's a great point. And yeah- I suppose it does make sense that the next question would be finding a reliable image hosting site that should last some time before falling into obscurity. Imgur is a great answer, that makes a ton of sense.
You're spot on! They have a subscription that gives you 100MB for 30 years, for the hefty sum of 35 bucks. Considering the amount of lacquer thinner I've huffed while working on this car, I doubt I'll have to pay the price twice lmao, plus it'd be kinda nice to give back to the guys who've let me learn so much over the past couple years. And I hear you, 50mb doesn't sound like a bunch, but multiply it by 20,000 of us or whatever, and there's some significant reasons to put a cap on space. Just wasn't an issue I had given thought to I suppose.
But thanks for chiming in, the hive mind knowledge on and of this site always boggles my bean. Greatly appreciated!
ShiRen
05-27-2020, 08:34 AM
Well holy cow my guy, I just got through looking through this thread. You are going to be really bad for my wallet, I might have to go beg for a raise. I am going to steal a lot so much of this lol, but I at least plan to body swap into a lude at some point and I am very set on a fast, dailyable, carbed engine with air conditioning. Looks like I need to budget that 400x400mm+ printer I've wanted for so long lol.
B0CKS
05-27-2020, 09:53 AM
Well holy cow my guy, I just got through looking through this thread. You are going to be really bad for my wallet, I might have to go beg for a raise. I am going to steal a lot so much of this lol, but I at least plan to body swap into a lude at some point and I am very set on a fast, dailyable, carbed engine with air conditioning. Looks like I need to budget that 400x400mm+ printer I've wanted for so long lol.
Aw snap! I'm always happy to condone some bad decisions! I got my Creality CR10 S-5 in the ballpark of 600 bucks, which was all but less than half of what I paid for my Makerbot Replicator a few years ago! I've been pretty content with it, its a big clunky item, but it's a pretty solid workhorse!
And hahahaha, I'm flattered! Stockholm Syndrome from this car has its grip plenty tight! Any time I have an hour to kill I'm plotting out some way to make another task I have to model out. :D
B0CKS
05-27-2020, 10:49 AM
Well I’ll be danged. I owe someone, somewhere, something- I just went back and checked my upload cap, and it’s been extended another 25MB! Thank you Anonymous Internet Diety! I think for now I’m going to not learn my lesson and use up that space, then resort to Imgur!
So back on track, let’s use up this precious data with some overdue UPDAAAATES!
How about some awesome stuff that has come through the fantastic postal delivery system! Big Object A being the transmission! It arrived in stellar condition, and it’s killing me that its storage for the moment, as I absolutely cannot wait to put this in the car and churn some gears!
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Then, a bit of story on this, but the ITR head that came with my B18C had cracks in the main casting, so I’ve been on the hunt for that. Found a shop on ebay selling a rebuilt head (1100 bucks for a casting, cams, and valves) so I jumped on that, and then get the word that they found a crack near one of the exhaust valves, and that it’ll take a new core for them to get me one. Unfortunately, this project is kind of hinging on the engine being done, so I didn’t want to spend too much time tapping my foot, so I go back and start shopping around. I stumble across a guy with the same name as me one state over selling an ITR head, and was able to score a great deal! For 1200 dollars, shipped to my door was a: Brand new powder coated Valve cover, as far as I can prove genuine Mugen Oil Cap, ITR Manifold, Distributor, intake manifold gasket, and of course complete fresh head from an importer. I was stunned! The dude did a killer job packaging it, and the parts are FREEESH and clean! It was absolutely nuts unpacking it, it was a transcendent moment owning one ITR head, but having TWO in my possession was pure euphoria! I cannot express how excited I am for all this to come together!
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So here it is, ready to go find a lower chunk to attach to!
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DOS.
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And to wrap this up, here’s an image of the block from the shop, look how clean it is!!!! Massive improvements!
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Then, I’ve finally got a chance to talk with Turkey about getting new foam surrounds for the Carrozzerias! I know how much you were all wondering about it. That project has been on hold due a few reasons, that being the biggest one! So geeked to have that roadblock hopped, now to just sit and wait three months for the planet to open up and let them ship over here!
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B0CKS
05-27-2020, 10:54 AM
And for what else is going on, here’s an unexpected turn!
Like any good car enthusiast, I was browsing through Facebook Marketplace at 4am on Saturday night two weeks ago, when a 2G Prelude pops up for sale, 250 miles away from where I live. Here’s the seller’s photo. And if you’re truly an eagle eye’d nerd like I am (and you haven’t scrolled down another half inch) you’ll see what I did.
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That’s right, there’s a liiiiiittle box catching light from under the bumper. So I shoot him a message at 4am insisting that I wanted to buy the car. It was a grand, I said “Hey, this is going to be a 12 hour day for me to come pick this car up!” And offered him 900 bucks, which I was lucky that he accepted! Why? Because those are ULTRA RARE POP UP FOGLIGHTS. No way was I going to let those slip through my fingers! Plan A is buy the car, pull the fogs, clean it up, and flip it for a profit, it was clean enough! No problem! So I chat with him throughout the day and confirm that yes, it does indeed have what I was hoping for, and that they’re both there. Sunday night comes along, and I get the message that he sold the car to his neighbor- boom, ship sunk. So I sulk for a night, then get the bright idea that I’ll just figure out who lives next to the dude. He kindly gives me his name, and so I’m off to pester that dude. I knew I couldn’t just ask for the car, so hit him with a 400 dollar offer that he can’t refuse (he paid 1000 dollars, no way he could turn it down!) And so we talk, plan a date, and I get to learn a bit more about the parts, as I really didn’t have a lot to go on. Turns out, they’ve been pretty neglected by the years in Ohio, the glass from one is totally destroyed along with the light housing, and the other is pretty rusty, and neither plastic case is in great shape. We negotiate a bit with this new information, and land on 200 bucks for them and the harness. So it was set! I spent last Sunday cruising past ~15 cop cars (there was SO MANY) to a bit South of Columbus, and pulled them myself! BIG SUCCESS.
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I’ll admit it, 200 bucks might still be overpaying, considering the work I’m going to have to go through restoring these, but the hardest part about this project was actually finding a complete setup. I can vapor blast the plastic housings clean, JB weld and reinforce any cracks, powder coat all the metal bracketry to look like new, and clean up the wiring pretty easy. Next, hardest steps will be sorting out whether or not the motors work (didn’t get to test them before I pulled them, it turned out they were unplugged, which is why they didn’t work on the Prelude) and then, trying to find a replacement lens for the passenger side massacre. But I HAVE THEM. That’s what’s crazy!
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Here's the (extremely) destroyed lens:
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And so, what my current hope is, is not just that what I just bought from freaking Latvia not only makes it here, but that Honda was kind enough to use the same glass as the pop up fog light as the normal low hanging one, because I was able to grab this OEM, new in box part for a surprisingly good deal, I feel bad buying a nice part to gut it, but I promise the rest of it will be up for sale if it works!
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I think I’m hitting my image count, so I’ll write about it. As far as the actual interior fog light button goes, the Prelude switch DOES NOT plug into the Accord dash anywhere, and after talking to a buddy from the Facebook side of 3geez, I have been informed that a Cruise control switch has a proper pinning for what we need. Thus, found one that I pulled who knows how long ago and started poking with it, and was able to pop out the little plate that says “Cruise Control”, then scan it, and then redesign a new plate to be laser cut with the Foglight logo in it, so now I have a plan to get that looking like another little OEM detail!
This is gonna be another project that takes me forever to finish, but another thing that I can’t believe I’m fortunate enough to be working on!
Oh! And I powder coated more stuff. Alternator brackets, window tracks, tow hooks, and one of headlight inner brackets, which are all looking great! Good stuff on that front!
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OH, AND The Spree is “done!” it has come to the point of running well, and reliably! So I’ve been zipping around on that and also getting the dopamine through that path too! Genuinely a ton of fun.
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WOO
B0CKS
06-11-2020, 08:00 AM
Ayooo! It’s been like two weeks or something!
So let’s start off with the good news- the Spree exploded! It did a great job eating it’s own ring. So I got a replacement for that one evening, since it can't just be free from its mortal coil yet, but I still gotta’ see if that fixed it. And in other good news, I swapped apartments! Got my own one bedroom that I’m rocking for the next year, and it’s huge, with way too much room to score car parts, which is sweet!
But lets talk about actual build updates! Enough about life about life events! Tore down the other headlight bracket, got everything sandblasted, cleaned and powdercoated, these two chunks are officially ready to find their home in a complete car when the time comes! Check those off!
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And, been working on the engine bay some more, I’m starting to learn how to better at things the more I do it, as all the big patches are filled, but there’s definitely going to be a bunch of bondo work in the near future, followed by about a month of sanding lmao. Really want to get this part over with! :nuts:
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Then, got some Over Night Parts from… Latvia? As mentioned a few posts back, I was able to score that OEM Fog Light in attempts to get my other pop-up fog restored. But man, for a 30 year old part, its SOOOO new. NOS! Crazy to find such a thing. It looks like it’s 95% a good fit, I feel bad for parting out such a quality part, but I promise that the housing, bracketry and everything will find a different, better home and not go to waste!
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But that’s most of it! I know this isn’t news, but it seems like the whole planet is disintegrating, so it’s been really nice to be able to keep the old cranium clear with this project. I took a few last Saturday and got to soak up the cool breeze, nice weather, and project car outside of the normal clutter its always surrounded by, and it really did a number for helping me empty out the noggin and think about the good things that are all happening. Hope you guys are all okay. :)
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Dr_Snooz
06-16-2020, 06:54 AM
Nice score on the fog lights! Does your move impact the workspace where you're doing your build? Is it still available to you? Farther away, etc?
B0CKS
07-09-2020, 11:21 AM
Nice score on the fog lights! Does your move impact the workspace where you're doing your build? Is it still available to you? Farther away, etc?
Thanks Snooz! Really excited to get those restored for this build! So much nerding out! And as for the move, it doesn't really affect it much! I moved kitty corner from my old apartment, basically to bury my head in solitude and get more car stuff done, and it's been pretty effective so far! Still the same hour away from the barn, but no worries!
B0CKS
07-09-2020, 11:24 AM
Hey, it’s been like… a month? Maybe more? Maybe less? Since I posted here last, that’s because I’ve been e̶t̶e̶r̶n̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶d̶a̶m̶n̶e̶d̶ or working hard on shaving the engine bay, and it’s taking forever. Other projects such as restoring my Dad’s pontoon, doing summer vacation type things and furnishing my apartment has been taking up bandwidth, and I’ve been spending a lot of time waiting for packages to show up, and things to come together. I mean, I’ve spent said time in the engine bay, but it’s not going quick, and still looks like a Pollock, so I think we’re going to skip those photos for now. But we’ll start with the small stuff, then kinda crescendo into the bigger news.
Small thing number one? Picked up some foam tape, and threw it down around the HVAC system, much better than all that the grey/green dust of what had come with the car.
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Two, Been reworking the brackets that are going to be my electrical center under the dash. The ECU bracket got some new clearances for my positive firewall lead, and the Fuse box bracket is getting reworked to become home to the OEM fusebox, the standalone one (see next images), a power bus, as well as a battery kill switch. (Reason being, since I have the battery relocated in a place in the front bumper, I don’t want to have to pull off a panel whenever I want to disconnect the battery positive.) It’s still a bit of a mess, and still needs work, but it’s going to be packed with features!
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Also, about a month and a half ago, I gave some dude in the Netherlands some cash, and surprisingly enough, I got a box for it! Scored a super clean set of JDM corners, the one’s I had just weren’t up to par, these certainly are. They’re MINT. Wish I had more car to put them on!
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But anyways, time for some meat and potatoes.
Block is back from the shop. That’s right! That means it’s time to put this thing TOGETHER, so enjoy the montage of all the stuff of I’ve been piling up finally finding its home where it belongs! One of the best feelings!
Here’s our initial chunks from the shop, freshly bagged!
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And, thrown up on the stand, night before build time!
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Freshly surfaced block:
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Heads’ on:
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B0CKS
07-09-2020, 11:27 AM
Camshafts in
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Test fitting:
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And WAIT. Interruption! Check this ouuuut! A full standalone freaking RYWIRE Harness. :flash::flash: Fuse Box, quick disconnect at the firewall, all the good stuff, literally the top of the line in terms of Honda harnesses, and it is a pleasure and honor to be able to put such a quality part on my build, saving me tons of headache and replacing it with dopamine, I can’t wait to get this all home where it should be in the car!
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So, carrying on, here’s about where it stands. Spent some time dropping on more sensors, hoses and bits, but all the large components are in place on the motor, and I am totally obsessed with how it’s turning out.
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Definitly going to flood this with more images as this block gets further, but I can't contain my excitment! Also, as mentioned a few posts prior, I’ve already got the transmission here, and all it’s a matter of it assembly and sorting out a few final systems, then it’s time to fire it! Really want to put this project on the afterburners and make some big progress!
Dr_Snooz
07-10-2020, 02:20 PM
So exciting! Looks like you cleaned those air boxes too. They look epic! But are you really going to put it back together with no AC? l guess you can get away with that in Detroit.
It's really looking awesome.
Fixedit
07-10-2020, 06:39 PM
ooooh juicy! That engine is real nice on the eyes...hell yes!!
B0CKS
07-12-2020, 01:32 PM
So exciting! Looks like you cleaned those air boxes too. They look epic! But are you really going to put it back together with no AC? l guess you can get away with that in Detroit.
It's really looking awesome.
Yeah, I'm sure I'm going to have days I regret it- but the list of reasons to live without it are long enough that I don't mind letting it go. I'm packaging a ton of the electrical components where the evaporator would've gone, it cleans the bay up (I'm actually just finishing sealing the holes in the firewall for that today), and my daily driver has AC, so I can get by if I need it. And you bet! Gave them a thorough clean, wouldn't want dirty parts going back on this car! And thanks a ton Snooz, always appreciate that you keep track here!
- - - Updated - - -
ooooh juicy! That engine is real nice on the eyes...hell yes!!
It's been stellar having it come together, I've been on Cloud 9 so long I'm going to start having to pay rent, I'm elated! :D
B0CKS
07-12-2020, 02:34 PM
Alright, not the usual time for an update, but I've got a second to type here, and I'm geeked to share! Making huge steps in getting everything together, definitely coming to some sort of crescendo!
Continuing on with the normal posting theme, here's the smaller stuff first! Here's that "Electrical Center" as just mentioned. Both fuse boxes are going to lived nestled in this position, then a kill switch and power bus to the right. The Ecu will be "under" the fusebox bracket against the firewall.
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And more content in that same area, here's what the engine bay side of that wall will show- the main Rywire bulkhead connector, and then under that- a positive bulkhead connector, leading to the starter and alternator. And yes, don't worry, that bondo pile is not final, and is getting reduced as soon as I'm done typing!
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Then, back to what we've all been waiting for, the B series assembly! Got to put in a few hours over the past few nights, and we're making good progress! Here's the last image of it on the stand, there's a few things to still button up, but wanted to get onto bigger things and then fill in the final gaps.
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Once it was set on the earth, got the new clutch, flywheel, bearings, pressure plate, bolts and throw out bearing all tidied up (didn't want to scuff that fresh new paint!)
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And brought it together! Got to throw on a few final goodies like the AEM Fuel rail, a select few final powdercoated brackets, lots of little hose clamp goodness, starter and shaft! Looks fresh from the factory floor, too geeked to have this coming together! I'm tempted to bust out the nice camera for a few shots tonight! So excited to have this all in one piece, everything feels great, and the small stack of things I'm missing are all on order and coming soon. There's a few odd bolts, hoses, a some of those valve cover bolt plugs a belt that need to get here, then we'll load it up with oil and hammer it out! Big push!
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Dr_Snooz
07-16-2020, 07:58 PM
Ack! I can't wait!!!
B0CKS
07-20-2020, 07:19 AM
Ack! I can't wait!!!
Me neither!!! :flash: I've "unfortunately" got some vacation plans to keep my word these next couple weeks and a handful of other projects to take care of, but we're still in for the big push! So PUMPED.
B0CKS
07-21-2020, 11:12 AM
Alright, time to cook up another batch! Things are in just a bit of lull with being out either around the office or doing some and R&D! Hopefully I’ll be around to keep putting in my hours!
So to crack this off, here’s some glorified photos of the engine block! Busted out the nice camera for a few shots, and as always, I love what that shutter sees! Just good stuff. So there goes half of the image uploading storage I have on this site, lmao
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Then let’s move to the engine bay! I made more “progress” by pulling the rear subframe last night, making this car the ultimate in project status, but allowing me to get to the final few holes that have been protected by their nearness to other parts.
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And, while I was poking away in one of the corners, I got to discover yet another thing that beckons, time, attention, and money- more rust! I’ve been grateful that this car has been so solid (considering it was a 400 dollar Honda!) but there’s always caveats, and so this has to be dealt with, as with anything!
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But DARN.
PS- rust photos are sideways, the drivers side forward frame hitting the firewall, right where that fuel line pops up, under the brake booster!
B0CKS
07-21-2020, 11:16 AM
But let’s avoid that concerning issue, here’s what I’m here for! Got some nice big boxes in the airflow category to amend the currently single Magnaflow High Flow Cat that is my intake and exhaust system, the big filter and the back end muffler!
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Went with a D2 racing CAI, or, considering my bay is shaved… HAI. Did a lot of back and fourth in my head about this, really didn’t want to do the basic thing of going with one of these common cone filters, and liked the idea of doing a stock box, but with the bay shave, all the natural air inlets were sealed, which limited my options. So here we go, bit of a settle, but it’s still a quality product, and fits well!
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Then as for a muffler, going with an OBX-R 2.5” Universal Honda Muffler. Supposedly it’s fairly deep (for a 4 banger) but that will also weigh on the Vibrant Resonator I’m looking at. Really wanted twin tips, 2.5” exhaust, and from a decent name. This checked enough boxes, and also landed in a good price point. It’s definitely larger (and inherently, probably more ricey) than I expected, but it’s growing on me pretty quick. I mean, it’s just so shiny! :D
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Dr_Snooz
07-25-2020, 07:41 PM
Eek. That rust is in a tough spot. How you gonna handle it?
B0CKS
07-27-2020, 05:29 AM
Eek. That rust is in a tough spot. How you gonna handle it?
It'll be dealing with rust. I'm going to leave it open and as is for now and get the engine and car together first, then once it's back to a body in white I think I'll strike! I've got an air powered spot sandblaster (just an open air gun) I can use to hit the well, then I'll cut out what's left around the hole. I've still got my spare coupe, and if it amazingly doesn't have rust there, I'll be able to trim out that piece and use it as the weld in patch panel. Hit it with something to prevent rust, then refill it with seam sealer. Maybe. If anything goes according to plan lmao
B0CKS
07-27-2020, 06:06 AM
Hey! It’s Monday, time for the regularly scheduled post, because I’m kinda on time for once!
Took a great vacation to the upper halves of Michigan this week, and will be doing the same thing again part of this week and (and weekend) so I’m not sure how much I’ll be getting done then, but we’ll see! I was able to sweep into the car this weekend and wrangle the tasks at hand at moving the car forward, and they’re going well! Definitely not hitting the Running-by-end-of-July-goal, but the horizon hasn’t vanished, so I’m good with still making the progress that I’m making. The big thing this week was that I finally cashed in my lasercut parts! Got some pretty cool Stainless Steel parts! I recut my upper radiator bracket, as the one I hand built just didn’t match up with lasercut quality. Still got a little bit of bending to hone it in with, but looks good for now! Might powdercoat it, might not.
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Then, got another cool big chunk, my ECU Kickpanel! This photo is taken down in the passenger side wheel well. This panel will mount the ECU on the backside of it and be covered with carpet so that the computer is protected from stomping and general debris brought in with being in a footwell. You can see the amount of clearance from the firewall post mount, and I’ve also left clearance for the USB hookup for the Hondata I’m hoping to obtain at some point! Pretty functional.
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Then, the big chunk, the main electrical junction. I’m packaging three fuse boxes in there, 1)The factory fusebox for body electrical systems 2) The Engine Fusebox for… well the engine. Then 3) A smaller power bus for my accessories, so air ride, the amp, heated seats, and a powerstrip! Then the other added feature is main battery kill switch. I was worried about its packaging around the blower motor, but seems to be all good! The main 4awg lines are built and I’m happy with them, still gotta run the smaller stuff, and wire the engine in! It was some work to shape up and spot weld it well, but it’s good enough for the girls we run with!
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Then, took on the final boss of the bay shave, the torque arm center mount. It was an unprofessional mess to get off, but hey, it’s off! I’ve been of two minds on it, but it was a big, unused shape dead center of the engine bay, and also a pretty nasty crimp on the brake lines and the B-series mount. So, I figured it had to go. :( I’ll be lasercutting a replacement HVAC coolant valve mount after some cardboard aided design, but that’s all I need from it!
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So here’s what it looks like after etching primer over a bunch of welding and grinding, I’m still super nervous about welding on the firewall after lighting my car on fire once. Don’t want to do it again!
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Sooooo, yup! That’s currently covered in cured bondo to fix up my grinding marks, then there’s a few more spots to fill in, then it’s time to give an engine a home! :omg:
conozo
07-27-2020, 06:24 AM
Great work.
Thanks for posting on the website too.
B0CKS
07-27-2020, 07:20 AM
Great work.
Thanks for posting on the website too.
Hey thanks a ton for following! I really appreciate these forums, way tighter knit bunch (and better info) than the Facebook page. :)
Dr_Snooz
07-28-2020, 08:46 PM
Yay for more progress!
B0CKS
08-14-2020, 07:48 AM
Thanks Snooz! Here’s a couple good sized steps for the build!
I know it’s been a couple weeks, but I’ve been keeping at it trying to make progress! It’s just been an hour here, an hour there, but the big stuff is all finally coming together!
But let’s start on a smaller scale! Like 3/8’s of an inch or smaller. The fuel lines for the A20 run from the driver’s side to the passenger side, and the B-series runs opposite. So after studying both, I found that the fuel lines in my parts car were better (the main car had some rusty on the main line, not good!) so I cut those out and will be using them as extensions of the fuel lines I’m swapping in. I’m also going full AN fitting from the firewall forward, so that’s another little adventure I need to sort!
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Then, here’s something I’m personally really excited for- I’m not going with an aftermarket wheel! I figured out how make a quick release OEM wheel fit (specifically a 1987 Carb’d Prelude wheel)! I know I’ve touched on this before, but I just pulled the steering column out of my parts car, and chopped off the very end of the spline and threads.
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So I’ve already got a design made that bolts onto the removable part of the quick release, and then I’ll weld that spline onto the plate, then bolt the wheel to that plate, and BOOM! Sorted. Super nerdy stuff.
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And, made a pretty large purchase and bought a P28 ECU chipped with a Hondata S300 V1, which pretty much completes the bulk of the electronic brains of the car, and gives me reasonable tuning ability, which is pretty killer! I think I’ll powdercoat the ECU covers just for fun.
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But let’s go onto the bodywork, for the most part, the bay shave is COMPLETE. I unfortunately found a matching rust pocket in the other corner of the engine bay, :banghead: so that now has to be dealt with- I’m bummed, but I’m trying to count my blessings and be glad I found it now, before the car had a fresh coat of paint over it!
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That concludes bodywork! I laid down a quick coat of etching primer to cover all the bare metal in the engine bay since I have no idea how many weeks this will take to get to the bodyshop for color. Started bolting stuff up, and drilling the final holes for any wiring and lines I missed. Stuff like the hood prop cable needed a fresh hole since it originally come through the side of the firewall that has since been filled! But now it sits much higher in a nice tucked away corner! :D
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So if the bodywork is done… what’s next? Well that’s easy, finish off the few final things that the Type R motor needs and Bring it all together!! I was pretty well prepared, and had most of the big chunks that I needed on hand. So here it is being bottom loaded, which I believe is the best way to get a B-Series into an Accord. And this isn’t a “flex” but holy cow the lift was a useful tool in this process. Pro tip, when mounting the motor, put it on a caster so you can rotate it around the engine bay, lower the car around it as much as necessary, then load the rear T mount in first but pulling the motor forward, then once you wrestle that into place, then do the passenger side trans bracket, then lastly, the driver’s side motor mount. We tried every other way and had no luck lmao
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And so, last night’s goal was to get all the big chunks packaged, and we were able to! I have go back through and torque EVERYTHING, but that’s fine! Just seeing the car as a cohesive unit was a big deal! Plus, with the exception of cables, a few hoses, the brake booster, wiper motor, and a power steering setup, the engine bay is loaded! Nothing left in the passenger side frame rail area, not a ton on the firewall, so happy with how far this has come!
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Now we’re just left with details, the day of heavy lifting is CHECKED OFF!! :eek5:
Dr_Snooz
08-15-2020, 07:11 PM
Great progress. l don't get the quick release, but l know it will be cool.
B0CKS
08-24-2020, 11:46 AM
I've got a good batch of stuff to lasercut building up, so I'll be sure to just show it off soon Snooz! It should be kinda sweet!
I know it’s been a minute, but there’s been a ton of little boxes checked off! Let’s start with the project I was really dreading, the fuel lines! I had to pull the lines out of both cars, which meant bringing the B-Cord out of it’s outdoor nook for a little and tearing even more stuff apart on that poor car!
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So anyways, I cut up one set of lines and used the other set as a map of how to bend the new ones. The Return line wasn’t tough in all that it needed was a chop and flare (the end with the hose and AN fitting on it in the picture) but the main line was extended to come out of the original return line position. They’re both now fitted in car and tightened to place! WOO. It wasn’t a task I was looking forward to, but I it was pretty rewarding to get done!
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Then, while the B-Cord was in the bay, it got some holes punched in it! With my new taller radiator, the OG hood prop doesn’t work. (Which lead me to try and sort out hood struts a long time back, with no avail), and eventually decided to rebend an EF hood prop (fits really well TBH) and do some test fitting to see where or if this would work with our Accord hoods. In short, fits, there’s a place for it to land, but it’ll need reinforcement. No problem, just a simple template, some lasercutting, and then it should be properly reinforced to handle that position! Win!
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And, in minor tasks that take time, here’s one. New washer fluid tank from the junkyard, because this is what good car guys do.
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Oh! I didn’t mention it, but the fuel lines in the fire wall need special locating washers to fit them in the holes in the firewall, so ten minutes of design and a 3D printed PETG part, and done! Those little H braces behind them are for routing the air ride lines through seam welds in the wheel well. I trimmed out a little gap for each, then, I’ll add some some sealant and glue them in, and then the air lines are safe from vibration and puncture!
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Then, next stuff, once the fuel lines were in, was getting some of the first chunks of the “interior” back in. Pedals, brake booster, clutch line, steering column all had to find homes. And, with those in, I’m getting my first feelings for what needs to be dialed in, the shift linkage feels super loose, so I might go and swap in aluminum “bushings” to try and lock that up, and the clutch feels CRAZY heavy, just like the Civic did when I first swapped it. Any ideas???
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So, there’s still a decent amount of homework that needs to be done in the engine bay, but things are getting crossed off, so I’m pretty geeked! Also gotta add a custom throttle cable to the list of things to design and lasercut with this Prelude cable. So much to do!
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But yeah! That’s it for now. I spent this weekend on a huge, ultimately useless 950 mile trip to go check out another 3Gee Coupe that was for sale, I was hoping to score it for things I’d really been trying to find, but it just wasn’t worth the hassle. Pretty bummed. Would’ve loved to put the time, gas money, and labor into this ride, but that’s sometimes just how it goes! I’ll try and make up for it later!!
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B0CKS
09-09-2020, 07:01 PM
Late on updates? Well that’s just par for the course here! Shoulda’ typed this all up a few days ago, whoops!
Hope everyone had a good labor day weekend, I somehow found myself alone with a barn, list of chores, and a full weekend. I’m absolutely in the weeds with the car, so don’t expect any breathtaking updates in the photos! But I’m getting a lot done, just the millions of small things you wouldn’t show on camera if this was somehow the most boring build channel.
Here’s what I got that I can recall. Big thing, rebuilt the shift linkage. It was feeling pretty sloppy- turns out the lower dust cover/sealing bushing had disintegrated and fallen out, and yet again, I somehow have another part sitting just across the way in my parts car. Things I’d never guess. I tore it down, gave it a good cleaning, swapped in all the bushings and re-lubed it, and it feels much better. Still a little bit of slop, but I can sort it out once the car is body in white. So that’s one chore checked off.
Only real change that’s noticeable on the exterior is that the car has eyeballs again! Got the headlight bucket retaining brackets powdercoated in zinc primer (and the vertical core support), so those can be sanded and painted, and installed. Feels good! I’m tempted to get all the plastic and sheetmetal together just to make them look less bare!
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Also sorted out a bunch of little wiring projects, the fan on/off and temp switch both had to be rewired to my silly brain doing things wrong, so now that’s checked off. Got one of several engine ground straps made (ran out of 8awg!), built a positive and negative line for the OEM fusebox, crimped some connectors onto my antenna signal lead for the radio since that was all one line beforehand. I dunno, STUFF. Just making a list and crossing things off.
This won’t make any sense to anyone without photos, but I also redesigned my air line seam pass-through brackets, 3D printed those and siliconed in, and they do a great job protecting my air lines from any potential damage of living in a wheel well. Another thing on the 3D printed front was these AN fitting… uh caskets? So feeding the hose into my AN fittings was (and is continuing to be) and huge struggle, the outer braided hose loves to flare and refuse to feed into the female part of my AN fittings. So, these little containers hold the AN fitting in and have a long, acute angle of a slope that guides and crimps the hose into place, making feeding these hoses in a doable task, as opposed to grating process. It was enough for my fuel lines, but for some reason my 16AN radiator hoses are putting up a huge fight. So it’s still on the list of things to be sorted. (and, editors note, but the caskets are printed in PETG and are currently the nicest prints I’ve gotten out of that material, which is great!)
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More things that happened? Uhhhhh, cleaned out a bit of the interior, mounted my radiator fan, found out that when my Starion shift boot actually has a shifter in it, it acts a little short and really wants to shift the center console, so there’s another thing that had to be sorted, but it’s good now, and isn’t too strained. Also got around to drilling and riv-nutting in my ECU bracket, which turns out to be fitting pretty nicely and actually looks decent! Also finally got around to sealing in my valve cover gasket, I had put that off for no particular reason and now it’s done! STILL GOTTA DO SPARK PLUGS. Don’t let me forget! And more stuff, found a location for my drivers side horn (had to delete the factory bracket to fit the battery tray) and bolted that in, which was something I also just hadn’t done. Man I dunno. Just doing stuff.
I also dropped the dash in place. Didn’t take any pictures. Ope.
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But here’s something super cool! I know I’ve dropped their names before (and am currently excitedly waiting for parts from them, i.e. throttle cable brackets, tow hooks for the traction bar, quick release adapter) but SendCutSend is my go to lasercutting service that I love and adore, and I humbly submitted this car in a small contest/giveaway they were running, to showcase the abilities and projects their parts land in, and I was amazed to find out that I am the very lucky winner of a 100 dollars worth of free parts!!!!! :flash: So, SendCutSend, if you are reading this, I promise I’ll be burning through that with ease, and happily continuing to do my best to bring the recognition you deserve!
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Well I sure typed a lot. Whoops.
B0CKS
09-16-2020, 04:29 PM
Got a handful of things done, these next few images aren’t “necessary” for getting the car started, but I just got this thing in the mail, and it had my attention. In short, I finally got my inverter to energize the power strip for the center console, and got to figure out how to mount it. It packs in like a little jet pack at the front of the console and lays down on the carpet, and under that dash/steering column support brace. The bracket uses two of the OEM mounting holes at the back of the cupholder support, then I had to spot weld a little strip in place to make the whole thing reinforced (which meant sandblasting and powdercoating the whole cupholder brace, woo) and stop it from vibrating.
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The whole unit definitely adds some weight to the console, and I have to manually switch it on and off (since it’s currently hooked up to a direct power source as opposed to switched power) but all feels to work well, and fits nice! I think it’s a neat feature!
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These images will be a little pedantic, but I also got to fitting most of the dash up, and do a big fitment check on my main electrical panels. In this image, you can see how the lower ECU panel fits up, and how far it lives back in the passenger side footwell. Looks nice and tucked!
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Then, looking up from under the dash, here’s how accessible the upper panel is. It’s pretty nice and out in the open, but hides under the dash well!
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With the footwell losing some room to the ECU panel, the carpet runs a bit higher up onto the main electrical panel, I may trim it out, tbd, it fits well now, and doesn’t appear to want to run around much.
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And, final check of packing the fire extinguisher over the area most-voted-to-catch-on-fire, and impressively, it all fits! Score!!
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Also, I got to package up most of the driver-centric side of the interior. I’m leaving out all the HVAC tubes for simplicity sake, since this build is purely a mechanical function test to get unknowns test fit and sorted. But seeing the car with a complete gauge cluster and steering wheel just gets me going. I’m excited to keep getting closer!
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I also got another batch of lasercut parts in, but that may wait till next update, since that’s tonight’s project! Spoiler alert, one of the chunks is a new throttle cable bracket, and that’ll be the last pedal sorted out! I’m geeked to have all three! Till next time!
B0CKS
09-25-2020, 10:10 AM
Okay, super geeked about this. I've got some other little updates on the car, but this comes first!
Got a super sweet package from SendCutSend, one of them is the final piece for my OEM quick release setup!
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So, it’s pretty simple, the upper right of this image bolts to the steering column, then the bottom right is the removable part of the quick release, it uses the spline I cut off and mounts to the back of the wheel.
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As such:
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Then, putting them both together and putting them in the car here. You can see the lasercut adapter is that sliver of silver there. I’ll be powdercoating it black once I get the spline welded to the adapter. I still have to sort out how I’m going to get the horn to work, but I’ve got an idea or two! The release itself feels great, and I've actually found a pretty comfortable seating position even with the wheel kicked all the way back like that. (I give up, I have no idea why 3geez wants to flip my images around, but it likes to- I got nothing lmao :facepalm: )
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And a few other small things came in that shipment, as mentioned in overhead, I got my throttle cable bracket(s)! The reason for there being four in that package is that I had a few different measurements I wanted to play with, and then went with the best fitting one, powdercoated it, and got it in place! There’s unfortunately just a little play in the pedal at the top end, I can dial it back, but then it hits the WOT point too early. I’ll think of a fix eventually, but in the meantime, that’s my third pedal sorted! Sooooo geeked to have all three pedals being functional though! On a side note, turns out the right rear caliper had been overcompressed when I bled the brakes, so I gave that a quick tear down, and now the car rolls again! (I was worried there might have been something wrong with the trans wanting to stay in gear, but! It was just a caliper. Crisis diverted.) So I can now move it around the barn again. Glad it wasn’t something serious.
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Coming back with a general overview here, I hit the point in the night where I was still in the barn, but ran out of productivity juice, so I just started bolting on parts I know I’ll have to take off in like a week. Those being the headlight trim and panels, and JDM corners! They look so good, I really wish I was putting everything together for the final time, but it feels good getting all my ducks in a row.
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So that’s most of it! There’s a long list of small stuff that got done, doors and trunk now have latches, which means they actually CLOSE. Which really helps if feel like a car. Driver’s side seatbelt is in- which feels cool, I found, cleaned, and wrapped a transmission reverse switch harness (I had an older one hooked up to the trans with a generic male and female connector, and the Rywire harness uses a newer unique connector, and it turns out I the correct harness just sitting around from all my transmission gathering a few years back. Score!) And, it wasn’t necessary, but I’ve been looking into re-sealing my window edge trim- every chunk I have has this crappy seal that’s been chipping up and crumbling, and I think I’ve found a 3M seal replacement, which may work well, it’ll need to be carefully applied, but looks like it’ll do the trick.
I’m out this weekend, and then flying to California next weekend to hopefully score a few parts, so I doubt I’ll have any updates for some time. Should be neat though! Till next time!
Dr_Snooz
09-26-2020, 08:31 AM
Are you going to H2O when you finish?
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