How to...spend $500

[Lumpskie]

If you were going to spend $500 on your accord, how would you spend it?

[3rdgenhatchDX]

$300 headgasket replaced
Rest of money for New Carb
Rest of that money (if any), Gas.

[getready]

i'd get some wheels, dont have to be namebrand, i'm just tired of these plastic covers. 13"s or 14"s. Any money left, probably upgrade my brakes or suspension a little. Doesnt have to be adjustable revalved struts or anything.

[frankie89]

a decent paintjob...cuz lord knows i need it..

[blahblahblah]

a really REALLY good tune-up

[Cheeseburger]

a really REALLY good tune-up


thats what i was going to say, and if u have money left u can get an alignment done, new brakes, rotors, change all of the belts

[NXRacer]

full suspension tuneup fo sho

[bobafett]

$500 towards my motor and i would only have to spend 250 more to get my beloved motor out of the shop.

or i would buy a stand up tool box and an engine hoist.

buuut since ur probably wanting advice for how to mod ur car, i would be looking at full exhaust with header and an intake for now. or if u are a suspension dude just get some coilovers and save for the revalved bilstein shocks. or get new tires.

[A18A]

b20a conversion (if engines over there are cheap), carb > efi conversion, making the body look good like fixing up any paint comming off or little rust spots and like said before, if any left over, gas :)

[logic]

I'd definatley get me one of those anti gravity pods to avoid traffic congestion and a hyperdrive for increased interstellar travel!!!!

[88accordhb]

1000 taco's at jack in a crack.

[Cheeseburger]

1000 taco's at jack in a crack.


see what happens when u do tooooooo much crack....

[spnrx]

I'd say 500 tacos from Jack in the crack and 250 for some cheap paint ^_^

[Deadhead]

secondary sub frame installed.....

or just buy another 3g

[ZackieDarko]

nAwZzZ

[AccordEpicenter]

Slicks

[Lumpskie]

$500 towards my motor and i would only have to spend 250 more to get my beloved motor out of the shop.

or i would buy a stand up tool box and an engine hoist.

buuut since ur probably wanting advice for how to mod ur car, i would be looking at full exhaust with header and an intake for now. or if u are a suspension dude just get some coilovers and save for the revalved bilstein shocks. or get new tires.

I'm actually just curious about what all of you guys think/need. I'm getting a new clutch and a ring kit for my tranny. I'll have some money left over, but I don't think I'll invest it into my car. I've got an intake, exhaust, springs, shocks/struts, and a decent stereo. Talk about a header or tuneup is getting my attention, however. I do have 220,000 miles....hmmmm...

[Vanilla Sky]

engine rebuild.

[Cant Stop]

brakes then alignment any left over on tuneup parts oh and rebuild the carb

[AccordDX86]

With the DX (Which isnt really mine anymore)... Paint, seats, and a valve cover gasket.

With the LX-i... Paint.

[89accordex4dr]

Spare parts accord

[speedpenguin]

i don't think there's amny projects for me to do that are that cheap...
rear disc brakes or PGM-Fi, i guess

[Justin86]

forged pistons.

[bobafett]

header was the biggest gain, and cam. and cams are dirt cheap (114 shipped from delta cams)

justin might be able to make u a header, or i would look at S&S. ;) but a cam would be great if u have a header to add to the mix

[Acid X]

Finish my exhaust, buy a header.. If i had enough maybe a Delta 272..

[Lumpskie]

header was the biggest gain, and cam. and cams are dirt cheap (114 shipped from delta cams)

justin might be able to make u a header, or i would look at S&S. ;) but a cam would be great if u have a header to add to the mix


You got my attention here, but I have a couple questions.

1. Did the header increase the noise of the car dramatically? I have a catback and intake right now and I don't want my car much louder than it is.

2. What cam do you have exactly, and how did it affect power delivery? How much low end torque did you sacrifice, and how much upper end HP did you gain?

[RiCANACCORD]

buy a job...

[gfrg88]

Lol^^^

[theDougler]

for me i would do the exhaust and carb tune up or suspension

[bobafett]

header definetly inceased the overall sound levels. but DID make it sound better, more agressive. but its certainly a bit louder.

the cam grind i have is the classic delta 272 grind. i dont know any of the actual specs on it. low end is noticably less, it certainly doesnt feel anything like a stock a20 at that point. but the powerband is sooo much more enjoyable. instead of starting out with a good grunt, and dying off as it climbs the powerband, its the opposite, it starts off really sluggish, and as the rpms rise it pulls harder and harder. this is a lot more fun when you drive it hard, but if you are the kind of person who doesnt like to rev the car out to 6000 every day, you may enjoy the stock cam.

personally i like the gains, and you dont really ever need low end power, i can always downshift if i need to move! ;)

with header cam cat and full exhaust, power starts coming on noticably between 3000-4000 rpm depending on gear is when u can really 'feel' it

[88Accord-DX]

Engine rebuild kit, the rest in having the head rebuilt.

[Lumpskie]

header definetly inceased the overall sound levels. but DID make it sound better, more agressive. but its certainly a bit louder.

the cam grind i have is the classic delta 272 grind. i dont know any of the actual specs on it. low end is noticably less, it certainly doesnt feel anything like a stock a20 at that point. but the powerband is sooo much more enjoyable. instead of starting out with a good grunt, and dying off as it climbs the powerband, its the opposite, it starts off really sluggish, and as the rpms rise it pulls harder and harder. this is a lot more fun when you drive it hard, but if you are the kind of person who doesnt like to rev the car out to 6000 every day, you may enjoy the stock cam.

personally i like the gains, and you dont really ever need low end power, i can always downshift if i need to move! ;)

with header cam cat and full exhaust, power starts coming on noticably between 3000-4000 rpm depending on gear is when u can really 'feel' it

I'm getting kind of interested in your setup. It looks like you're up in Vancouver, Wa. Would you be available sometime for me to take a look at what you have? Shoot me an email, as I'd love to take a ride and feel the driving characteristics myself.

My email is:

[email protected]

[gfrg88]

his car isnt ready yet, hes rebuilding the whole engine, click on his sig to check out his project...

[logic]

the cam grind i have is the classic delta 272 grind. i dont know any of the actual specs on it. low end is noticably less, it certainly doesnt feel anything like a stock a20 at that point. but the powerband is sooo much more enjoyable. instead of starting out with a good grunt, and dying off as it climbs the powerband, its the opposite, it starts off really sluggish, and as the rpms rise it pulls harder and harder. this is a lot more fun when you drive it hard, but if you are the kind of person who doesnt like to rev the car out to 6000 every day, you may enjoy the stock cam.

personally i like the gains, and you dont really ever need low end power, i can always downshift if i need to move! ;)

with header cam cat and full exhaust, power starts coming on noticably between 3000-4000 rpm depending on gear is when u can really 'feel' it

That would be prefect for a 5-speed, but it would suck in my slushbox!!!!

[bobafett]

I'm getting kind of interested in your setup. It looks like you're up in Vancouver, Wa. Would you be available sometime for me to take a look at what you have? Shoot me an email, as I'd love to take a ride and feel the driving characteristics myself.
My email is:
[email protected]

sure... im more than happy to give you a ride.

i have a tired 273,000 mile motor with all my bolt ons + a cam...

i have a fully built motor that i hope to have installed in january. no idea what that motor will turn out like, has lots of headwork so i will be in for a suprise with the characterisitics of that new motor.

let me know when u want to meet up... im more or less free this evening and all weekend if u want to swing up to vancouver and check it out...

logic: according to delta, the 272 grind is good power from 1000-5000 rpm, and the 282 (which i have in my built motor) is good from 1500-5500. I am assuming this is on a totally stock a20. with the exhaust intake, and other mods, the powerband is shifted. but if u have a stock a20 with auto, a 272 could be livabe. pm cdscowboy, i think he may have had a cam with an auto motor.

[Lumpskie]

I'm swamped this weekend...how about some evening next week?

I have a 5-speed with an intake and a catback, so it would seem that the 272 would work well on my car.

[bobafett]

sure... no biggie. i just finished up my quarter at school, so my schedule opened up a lot!

yeah a 272 would be a good cam, and you will reap the benifits of a completely flowing exhaust system with a high flow cat and header. then your bolt on engine breathing is pretty much complete. :) but still with catback and intake, the benifits would be amplified over if it were installed on a stock motor.

[HondaBoy]

if i had $500 to drop on the accord, i guess i'd first order the header. probley get another carb rebuild kit and open up the kehin a little bit and polish the bores out. maybe get a high flowing cat converter. then maybe modifiy the air cleaner or make a new one. as for right now, i'd use $500 to pay for the insurance.

[3gn86lxi]

the cam grind i have is the classic delta 272 grind. i dont know any of the actual specs on it. low end is noticably less, it certainly doesnt feel anything like a stock a20 at that point. but the powerband is sooo much more enjoyable. instead of starting out with a good grunt, and dying off as it climbs the powerband, its the opposite, it starts off really sluggish, and as the rpms rise it pulls harder and harder. this is a lot more fun when you drive it hard, but if you are the kind of person who doesnt like to rev the car out to 6000 every day, you may enjoy the stock cam.




Yep, I've got the 272 grind also, WELL worth the money. I've taken it to 6500 and finally shifted......it was still pulling up there.:omg: When I get my Gude stuff on my car will be crazy!
Anyway, cam is a good investment. For sure.

[logic]

logic: according to delta, the 272 grind is good power from 1000-5000 rpm, and the 282 (which i have in my built motor) is good from 1500-5500. I am assuming this is on a totally stock a20. with the exhaust intake, and other mods, the powerband is shifted. but if u have a stock a20 with auto, a 272 could be livabe. pm cdscowboy, i think he may have had a cam with an auto motor.
I thought you all were talking a torqe decrease at low end, if it's boosting power more than just a little, then the 282 should give me better performance because with the torqe converter, even when it doesn't downshift like it should (when it's cold), it should at least jump to 1500 rpm...
B.T.W. I'm stock except my muffler fell off after re-designing the front end of a porsche 911, and I didn't bother to put another on, I just straight piped it with a muffler tip from the output of the cat on back....

I am thinking of doing some work on it, I'd like to port and polish everything and get a header and hi-flow cat and larger pipes, but I'm pretty strapped right now. I'd have to buy new(used) head and intake to polish since it's my daily driver and I can't be without it for more than a day or two at a time..

[phrenology]

500 Lotto tickets, or some hookers and blow, oh wait this is a "family" forum, I mean take the kids to Disney World and buy them a $200 tee shirt and a $50 pair of Mouse Ears.

$500 could buy some nice new tires, and maybe a cheap set of rims if you're lucky. That's what I do first if your ride is at least running okay. New tires will do alot of good for your ride!

Or if you can't make up your mind you could buy yourself a nice new lightened OEM flywheel and a couple more for your friends here at 3Gs...
I know I'm shameless...:slap: me. LOL

[Lumpskie]

sure... no biggie. i just finished up my quarter at school, so my schedule opened up a lot!

yeah a 272 would be a good cam, and you will reap the benifits of a completely flowing exhaust system with a high flow cat and header. then your bolt on engine breathing is pretty much complete. :) but still with catback and intake, the benifits would be amplified over if it were installed on a stock motor.


Do you want to get together some time this week? If so, what days and times are good for you? Also, is there anybody else in Wa. that wants to get together and talk cars?

[bobafett]

logic: just because delta says the 282 has power from 1500-5500 doesnt mean that it does. keep in my my 272 which claims power from 1000-5000 has an actual power band of 3000-6000 or 4000-6000 depending on the gear, it doesnt pick up as hard until 4k in 3rd gear, but in 2nd u can feel the pull earlier.

unless you are prepared for a miserable lowend, i wouldnt get the 282. the more mods u have, in general, they will shift your powerband up. u will lose low end grunt but make up for it in peak power, usualy found higher up in your powerband. :(

lumpskie: i work during the week, but after 6pm i get home... so i can do something then.... but im leaving on friday to go up to shelton. so thursday or earlier is the best time.

where are u coming from? we just started getting hail and freezing ice, so i may not be driving up to longview for work heh :( keep me posted if u wanna chck out the car. my email is [email protected] and i check it frequently...

[logic]

logic: just because delta says the 282 has power from 1500-5500 doesnt mean that it does. keep in my my 272 which claims power from 1000-5000 has an actual power band of 3000-6000 or 4000-6000 depending on the gear, it doesnt pick up as hard until 4k in 3rd gear, but in 2nd u can feel the pull earlier.
unless you are prepared for a miserable lowend, i wouldnt get the 282. the more mods u have, in general, they will shift your powerband up. u will lose low end grunt but make up for it in peak power, usualy found higher up in your powerband. :(


O.K., so if I want to keep my slushbox and port and polish my intake and head, add a header, and mayby later add a cat back and low restriction cat, what cam would be the best trade between peak possible performance and good driveability and response with the automatic? (thanks for the help!!)

Keep in mind that if I am looking for power(pedal to the floor), the auto does a great job at keeping the rpms between 4 & 6k as long as it's moving and warm...(cold it doesn't want to down shift or upshift till it warms up) but I don't want to loose the torqe I need to drive normally and have to drive in performance range all the time...

[bobafett]

headwork, from what i hear (i can tell u in a month or so for sure) gives up a lot of driveability in exhange for peak power, but it all depends how you do it. i have heard that ported heads can make a car a bitch to drive unless you are in the specific powerband that the headwork was designed to optimize.

for the cost of headwork, vs the cost of exhaust system, i would get exhaust stuff taken care of first, see if you like the feel of increased topend and decreased torque in the lower end. the difference that an entire exhaust system (muffler, high flow cat/test pipe, header) is probably much smaller than the gains, and changes you would find with headwork. if you jump into that, you may find the car is less enjoyable to drive, with a powerband that is harder to enjoy with the automatic. plus headwork is more expensive than exhaust work.

2.25 catback is $100 usually from a local muffler shop.
get a muffler online for around $75 or less shipped to ur door.
get a paceshitter header (cause thats all thats available lol) for like $200 shipped? i havent checked the prices
high flow cat $50 shipped?

so you are looking at around $400-$450 for a full exhaust system. this will give u a taste of direction u are headed. add a cam into the mix and u will lose lowend and gain peak power in the topend. but add headwork too ,and u are starting to deal with real mods, which is where u need to be careful in dialing in the car the way you want it.

start small. u will still enjoy it.

[logic]

headwork, from what i hear (i can tell u in a month or so for sure) gives up a lot of driveability in exhange for peak power, but it all depends how you do it. i have heard that ported heads can make a car a bitch to drive unless you are in the specific powerband that the headwork was designed to optimize.
I was going to do the port and polish myself (with a friend who knows how making sure I don't screw it up :) ) so I'd only be paying for better valves and the machine work to seat them and pressing in the new valve guides..
I won't be doing anything 'till it warms up in the spring, so let me know what you find!!!
Thanks!

[AccordEpicenter]

you arent gonna go fast with a slushbox

[Selfmindead]

Probably put it towards my next engine

[logic]

you arent gonna go fast with a slushbox

My objective isn't a good 1/4 mile time, it's the ability to climb the steep mountain (I-70 west of Denver) that I drive home every night with some power to spare instead of just being able to hold my speed when I'm floored in the power band, but I want to maintain good driveability...

It really pi$$es me off when I'm doing a good 70-75 in the 65 zone up the hill and some moron pulls right out in front of me at 45(left lane minimum is posted 55 but nobody cares) so I have to slam on the brakes to keep from rear-ending them, then I'm stuck at 45, blocking traffic, because I don't have enough power to accelerate on that steep hill at nearly 8000 ft. elevation, while the moron that slowed me down to 45 walks away from me because they have a newer vehicle with much more power....

[Pister]

id start the year off with new tires

[TdotWarrior]

i'd use $500 to pay for the insurance.


^^:lol: :ugh2: ^^ excellent way to spend 500 bux

[ZackieDarko]

w00t w00t old thread REVIVAL

[A20A3quippedbeast]

hmm..prolly have the car resprayed in OEM color, before my clearcoat gets torn up real bad

[crazykamper]

wow, im getting sorda interested in the cam all of a sudden!

i think i would probably get suspension done, some sway bars, maybe drop an inch or 2,

or, obviously the header, or the cam!

it all depends on what ur lookin for in ur car, i wish i had 500$ to spend on my car right now! lol.