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View Full Version : body kit or no body kit?



sxy86accord1
09-01-2004, 11:58 AM
I am sure this question has already been asked.. if so point me in the direction i should be in.. I want to either put a ground dynamics BW bodykit on my 86 accord.. or put a 2.25" drop and put an eribuni kit on it.. I would like to know you guys opinions.. Thank You for any help.. here is my car www.cardomain.com/id/sxy86accord1

PortugalFocus
09-01-2004, 12:07 PM
BW kits look really nice, I am thinking of getting one for my car this Spring.

shepherd79
09-01-2004, 12:25 PM
no matter what kit you will go, you have to drop your car to get that low performance look.
IMO, bodykits are stupid if you can't back it up with what under the hood.

SteveDX89
09-01-2004, 12:47 PM
Erebuni doesn't make their kit anymore. Good luck finding it.

NXRacer
09-01-2004, 12:51 PM
i'd lower it first seeing as how you have wheels on it already. since it looks like you're going for the bling look a body kit would be a good addition.

sxy86accord1
09-01-2004, 02:13 PM
aight.. thats what i was thinking to.. I will be getting a hefty return from school.. so i will post pics when i get something done.. Thanks guys (and girls)

bullard123
09-01-2004, 05:27 PM
What's up man. I'm from Mobile too. Glad to see someone on here from the home town. I see that you have a four door so I would definately go with the Xenon body kit. And as for the 2.25'' lowering springs I have a pair made by Sprint. They are pretty good, but before you lower it make sure you get some aftermarket shocks/struts so you won't bottom out when you hit a bump. Also make sure you can find someone to align it. I've been looking all over for someone to align mine but they all say its too low. What's your name anyway?? I might know you.

SteveDX89
09-01-2004, 05:31 PM
What's up man. I'm from Mobile too. Glad to see someone on here from the home town. I see that you have a four door so I would definately go with the Xenon body kit. And as for the 2.25'' lowering springs I have a pair made by Sprint. They are pretty good, but before you lower it make sure you get some aftermarket shocks/struts so you won't bottom out when you hit a bump. Also make sure you can find someone to align it. I've been looking all over for someone to align mine but they all say its too low. What's your name anyway?? I might know you.

Take your car to Honda. They will do the alignment.

bullard123
09-01-2004, 05:48 PM
I did. They told me that the car was too low to drive up on the ramps. Front end was scrubing too much. Plus they couldn't get the machine under my car. They said that they were going to upgrade to a new alignment machine, one for cars as low as mine but they didn't know how long it will take.

SteveDX89
09-01-2004, 06:08 PM
Must be behind the times. They were able to get mine on the rack.

jonrichert
09-01-2004, 06:30 PM
a handicapped monkey could figure out to drive a lowered car up on 2x4's first, then slide the hoist arms under... find somewhere that has a hoist with the pivoting arms, not the ramp style.

sxy86accord1
09-01-2004, 08:09 PM
my name is justin.. i went to satsuma high school.. i am glad to see someone else from mobile.. i was beginning to think i was the only one.. what after market shocks and struts do you have? what did you have to do as far as cambering?

sxy86accord1
09-01-2004, 09:13 PM
aight.. i think this is going to be my setup.. tell me what you guys think..

tokico shocks all around
sprint 2.25 drop
ingalls camber kit front (-3/4 to +1-1/2) and rear (-2 to +3)

and you can find the erebuni bodykits on nopi.com

LX-i BOY
09-01-2004, 10:03 PM
the only prob witht that is that those sprint springs are way to stiff for the tokico struts which are only valved for about 20% stiffer springs so your best bet would be h&r or neuspeed springs which are the softest and offer a 1.5inch drop

sxy86accord1
09-02-2004, 04:42 AM
do you think that would be a nice looking drop? If you look at my pics.. you will see that i have a decent amount of space around my tires.. will the 1.5 get rid of that?

Bloodlust
09-02-2004, 08:35 AM
Must be behind the times. They were able to get mine on the rack.

They can either use the drive up ones, or they can just drive it up on top of a piece of wood and it raises it up high enough to get the arms under it. Just a little advice for ya.

bullard123
09-02-2004, 04:31 PM
my name is justin.. i went to satsuma high school.. i am glad to see someone else from mobile.. i was beginning to think i was the only one.. what after market shocks and struts do you have? what did you have to do as far as cambering?


Cool I went to Williamson High. I don't have aftermarket shocks but Koni, Bilstein, KYB, and Tokico are a few vendors that make them. I hear revalved Bilsteins and Koni's are the best but they are pricey.....And as far as cambering thats still in the works. I'm going to start off with the alignment get some prelude control arms for the front and camber kits for the rear. I'm going to have to make it speedy though, I'm in Colorado right now and winter will be here quick.

sxy86accord1
09-02-2004, 05:33 PM
thats cool... i dont live to far from williamson.. yall always beat the crap out of us in football.. What are you doing in colorado? So do you think if i wanted to drop it 2.25.. i would need the bilstein shocks?

DeathRat
09-02-2004, 05:47 PM
Erebuni doesn't make their kit anymore. Good luck finding it.
I've emailed Erebuni to see if ANY of the 86-89 Accords Fascias are still available forsale even though they're no longer produced. I figure they might still have a piece or two around they might want to part with..... :dunno: I'm sure to hear from them soon on whether or not anything is left. :sad2:

sxy86accord1
09-02-2004, 05:54 PM
aight... thx deathrat.. what would be your recommendation as far as what i asked above? let me know what erebuni says..

bullard123
09-02-2004, 07:09 PM
thats cool... i dont live to far from williamson.. yall always beat the crap out of us in football.. What are you doing in colorado? So do you think if i wanted to drop it 2.25.. i would need the bilstein shocks?

I was stationed here in the military of years. I decided to stay here after I got out because the jobs pay better, plus my family can take a vacation to come see me. I'll be coming back to Mobile sometime this month to let my mom keep my daughter for a couple of months. I don't think I'll be able to handle the heat and hudmidity though. As for the shoccks/struts if you can find the bilsteins they are the top of the line. The Konis are not bad either. I think either will work.

DeathRat
09-03-2004, 04:01 AM
aight... thx deathrat.. what would be your recommendation as far as what i asked above? let me know what erebuni says..

I want to either put a ground dynamics BW bodykit on my 86 accord.. or put a 2.25" drop and put an eribuni kit on it..
I've got a "Modified" Erebuni kit already & am planning a 1.6" drop to complement it too (as soon as I get the 89 SEi Rear Disc Swap that is). I'm probabally going with the H&R Coils, but haven't decided yet on what Struts/Shocks to run yet (Due to $$$ & availability). Looking so far at: KYB's or Tokico's. Bilsteins are too hard to get up here & therefore too $$$ as well. ......But that's what I'm doing..... :lol:

sxy86accord1
09-03-2004, 09:47 AM
ok... so if i get the xenon bodykit.. lower it about 2.25 or so.. get bilstein shocks.. and ingals cambering kits for the front and rear.. that would be a good setup?

Robs89LXi
09-03-2004, 10:07 AM
You sure you want to lower it that much? I dropped mine 1.5", and I'm already scraping going into my driveway. Put a body kit on that, and it would be pretty freaking low. You might want to do some measuring first to make sure it is going to be practical for the type of driving you will be doing.

sxy86accord1
09-03-2004, 10:47 AM
ok.. thx.. i am going to southern miss in hattiesburg.. so the roads are REALLY crappy.. so i might just lower it the 1.5 then.. what kind of lowering kit do you have? Will i still need to bilstein shocks and camber kits? I think i am gonna lower it before i put a kit on it anyways.. if it is low i am not goin to worry about a kit.. atleast til i get a bigger engine..

Robs89LXi
09-03-2004, 10:54 AM
I'm using Tokico springs on KYB struts/shocks, but as you can see from this thread, there are several setups available. I will be using mine as a daily driver over normal city/highway roads, and this setup is stiffer than stock, but not rough at all. I'm real happy with the handling, and I think it will be okay for the added mods I plan to do. You can't hardly go wrong with any of these combinations mentioned in this thread, but just be aware of your clearances (several points on the car to ground, wheel to fender - straight + turned and under load, etc.). You will be fine if you don't go real radical. Be sure to get the camber taken care of, and alignment too. Good luck.

sxy86accord1
09-03-2004, 10:59 AM
can you tell me where you purchased your struts/shocks from? What lowering kit did you use? Mine will be an everyday user to.. can you explain what you mean about my clearance? Do you mean like not taking corners to fast and all of the common sense stuff? Or something more complicated?

Robs89LXi
09-03-2004, 11:07 AM
Can't remember where I got the hardware. Sorry, it's been awhile. Car is naturally lowered with the shorter "lowering springs". As far as clearance goes, like I said earlier, you have to watch how much you leave under the car (front bumper when approaching an incline like a driveway, exhaust system for speedbumps, etc.). You also have to watch your wheel clearance from the fenders. You have bigger wheels on your car, which will already decrease your space between tire and fender. They also seem to stick out a bit more than stock, so rubbing on the outer fender lip may occur with a hard bump. When you turn, your wheel will of course stick out and will be closer already than stock because of your increased wheel size. Add to that lowering, and all these things come into play. If you hit a bump, while cornering, hard, then you can see that these all add up. Not to scare you away now, because stiffer springs will not allow it to hit so easily, but just stuff to keep in mind when you change from stock.

sxy86accord1
09-03-2004, 11:11 AM
aight.. thanks for your help.. i will post pics when i get this done

bullard123
09-03-2004, 02:02 PM
You should be fine man. Rob is right about the clearance factor though. With my 2.25 in drop and 14in rims my car sits extremely low. I have to avoid certain driveways and ramps etc. Just stay away from Prichard though, last I remembered it was pothole heaven.

sxy86accord1
09-03-2004, 04:43 PM
prichard? I usually stay away from there anyways.. dont wanna get shot or anything.. ha.. I do have chrome rims.. but i was thinking.. my rims are 17".. so wouldnt that give me another 4 inches of clearance? Since i went from 13" to 17"? would the 2.25" drop really be that low?

DeathRat
09-03-2004, 05:24 PM
aight... thx deathrat.. let me know what erebuni says..
Well I got my answer today from Erebuni! :rolleyes:
Here's my response by them, followed by my original email to them.


Please check our Clearance Item pages, if we have anything left it would be listed there.


Good day. As a present owner of a Erebuni ground fx kit myself, I would like to enquire on the possibility of your company have any front fascias for the 86 - 89 Honda Accord still left. I am presently the owner of a small online performance parts store & a member of the 3Geez.com car club for 86 - 89 Accords. I've modified your basic kit into a different design (see attached pic) & have some interest from some fellow club members to build/modify your basic front fascia for them as well. I've basically added a mesh grill to the centre portion of the fascia, as well as added 5th Gen Accord clear lights in the fascia & fiberglassed over the original OEM front bumper lights. I have heard that your company no longer produces the 86 - 89 Accord kit though. If your company does have some of these front fascias left, how much would you be willing to sell them for? Also if you could give a S&H quote to: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6C 0M9 as well please. I thank you for your time & consideration regarding this matter.

Sincerely, Alan Ralston
--
Owner of Pure Performance Fever (Your FWD Performance Parts Store)
http://www.pureperformancefever.com/store/

88accordalltheway
09-03-2004, 06:02 PM
if i were you id get a paint job before a body kit. Then id lower it and maybe do somthing under the hood. I dunno guys, the body kits for our cars are looking more and more ricy to me every day. :ugh:

bullard123
09-03-2004, 07:28 PM
prichard? I usually stay away from there anyways.. dont wanna get shot or anything.. ha.. I do have chrome rims.. but i was thinking.. my rims are 17".. so wouldnt that give me another 4 inches of clearance? Since i went from 13" to 17"? would the 2.25" drop really be that low?

I don't know man if I bottom out with my 14in rims, I'm pretty sure you'll bottom out if not scrub with your 17's. I think it will work if you had some kind of offset with it. As for Prichard that's where I was raised most of my life. And believe me I don't miss that place one bit!!

sxy86accord1
09-03-2004, 07:35 PM
i thought about doing that to... i want to shave off the side moldings and my door handles.. do you know how the front bumber would look painted? since its kinda plastic? I am thinking of going black.. with a crap load of clearcoat.. Tell me what yall think..

DeathRat
09-04-2004, 07:10 PM
Looks like Erebuni still have some Ground FX kits & Spoilers left though.......
Erebuni Clearance! (http://www.erebunicorp.com/clearance/hoaccord.htm)

sxy86accord1
09-05-2004, 09:19 AM
thx deathrat.. I really appreciat you looking into that for me.. hopefully i will be able to do something here soon.. do you think a 1.5" drop will be low enough and look good? If so will i need the camber kits still? and what about using tokico shocks instead of bilstein?

DeathRat
09-06-2004, 06:09 AM
thx deathrat.. I really appreciat you looking into that for me.. hopefully i will be able to do something here soon.. do you think a 1.5" drop will be low enough and look good? If so will i need the camber kits still? and what about using tokico shocks instead of bilstein?
Any lower than 1.5" & you'll NEVER clear a speed bump let alone a curb!
Some shops can make adjustments w/o the use of camber kits.
As for shocks/struts......it basically comes down to how much $$$$ you want to spend.

Robs89LXi
09-06-2004, 06:44 AM
..but i was thinking.. my rims are 17".. so wouldnt that give me another 4 inches of clearance? Since i went from 13" to 17"? would the 2.25" drop really be that low?

Not quite. When you went to 17"s, didn't you also go to a lower profile tire? If so, then you did not gain 4" as your math assumes. Simply enough, get down low, look under your car, and measure from the lowest point to the ground. If you think you can lose 2.25" and still safely clear normal road conditions, then maybe so. Keep in mind though, that is with no load on the car. When braking, cornering, hitting a hole etc., the car is going to be under load and will drop even more, thus lowering your margin of error.

Consider too the clearance of your wheels with your fenders. It is not just from the top of the wheel to the underside of your fender, but from the top of the wheel to the outer lip. Remember, when your turn the wheel, it will be sticking outside of the fender, and if you are again cornering, braking, hitting a bump, etc., the car will be under load and will rub/hit the wheel. You have already reduced that space with your larger wheels. Look at the second picture in this recent post by another member, and you will get a visual of what I'm talking about.

http://3geez.com/showthread.php?t=37714

sxy86accord1
09-07-2004, 09:05 AM
ohh..ok.. i gotcha.. so if went with a 1.5" drop.. i would definitly spend the extra money on some bilstein shocks then.. well i will try and get this done soon.. i will post some pics when i am finished.. thanks to everyone for all the help you have given me..

DeathRat
09-08-2004, 04:01 AM
Looks like Erebuni still have some Ground FX kits & Spoilers left though.......
Erebuni Clearance! (http://www.erebunicorp.com/clearance/hoaccord.htm)
Well I re-sent an email to them AGAIN! :rolleyes:
This is the "new" response.

To check prices on separate kit components, availability of products, shipping costs, for further discounts off of our web prices or to place an order or to find the dealer nearest you please note our part numbers and call our sales department Toll Free at 888.EREBUNI or 800.624.0040 or 718.387.0800 ext. 203. Please note that Clearance Items are sold as listed therefore kits can not be broken up and there are no further discounts off of those products. :thumbdown

sxy86accord1
09-08-2004, 11:35 AM
aight.. thx deathrat.. i appreciate your help.. i will post pics when i get something accomplished..