My Hoopty

[Dr_Snooz]

I had a chance finally to take some decent pics of the car. Here's my hoopty. New engine, new tires, new rearview mirror and freshly cleaned.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2073.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2074.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2075.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2072.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2071.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2066.jpg

The Vinylex really caught the camera flash. It's not that gunky, really.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2067.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2064.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2068.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2063.jpg

The car sat on a blacktop lot in the hellish Fresno heat for years before I got it. The sun really took a toll on the paint, exterior trim, hubcaps and door panels. I'm surprised the interior isn't in a lot worse shape.

[A18A]

that loooks pretty good

[Dr_Snooz]

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2070.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2069.jpg

I've removed a lot of trim in anticipation of painting it. It's in the trunk for now. I also have new Honda emblems for the trunk and hood. The pink tubing is so I can get the windshield washers working again.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2059.jpg

The car was pretty much a mess when I got it. It didn't run and had been abandoned for dead in this shed.

Still on the to-do list:
- New paint
- New hubcaps (or BBS rims, heh heh!)
- MT swap
- New door panels
- New floormats

[russiankid]

Car looks good as A18 said. Is that a 535i I see lerking in the background? If so, what year? I have a 95' 525i.

[greentee76]

Looks good,man.
I LOVE that black and tan dash combo, I've seen a couple in the j/y with it just don't have the dedication to do the swap.
Oh and OEM fogs ftw.

[Dr_Snooz]

Car looks good as A18 said. Is that a 535i I see lerking in the background? If so, what year? I have a 95' 525i.

That's my "miserable German car." ;) It's a '95 540i. It's really beautiful, but it spent the first two years I owned it broken down. I basically dusted off the 3gee because the stupid German car was so unreliable. It's gotten a lot better, but man it was a drag at first.

[Dr_Snooz]

Looks good,man.
I LOVE that black and tan dash combo, I've seen a couple in the j/y with it just don't have the dedication to do the swap.
Oh and OEM fogs ftw.

The car was my sister's for years. I'm pretty sure the dash is OEM. The fog lights are not OEM. They were not working when she got it and I put these Kragen jobs in for her. I was shocked that they actually fit better aesthetically than the OEMs. Just dumb luck really.

[Pico]

Looking Good.
I didnt realize that your 3G was a coupe

[Rendon LX-i]

Clean coupe

[Civic Accord Honda]

wow very clean FTW
now paint all ur trim :D get car repainted in oem color and get some nice 15" rims for it :D

[MessyHonda]

i love the coupe..looks clean...the interior looks mint

[2oodoor]

Looks good,man.
I LOVE that black and tan dash combo, I've seen a couple in the j/y with it just don't have the dedication to do the swap.
Oh and OEM fogs ftw.

X2, looks great Dr. Snooz

[2ndGenGuy]

Cool man! That is the best interior you can get in the Accord. My personal favorite. Glad to hear you're going to get her painted. You should just take a rattle can to those hubcaps, they'll look brand new.

I remember that BMW, doing like 80+mph down the freeway after that meet. You were haulin' some ass. My poor hatch was mashed trying to keep up. :D

[Oldblueaccord]

Yeah red cars in the sun kinda sucks.

If you want to spiff up your black plastic trim on the cheap I use motor oil.


wp

[Hauntd ca3]

bar the dead clear coat, she looks pretty tidy eh
wil be sweet when painted

[Dr_Snooz]

I remember that BMW, doing like 80+mph down the freeway after that meet. You were haulin' some ass. My poor hatch was mashed trying to keep up. :D

Ha! You were keeping up just fine. I'll say that the Germans don't make very reliable cars, but God do they build 'em fast! Eighty is just a nice little jog. I don't hit 3k rpm until 100.

Thanks for the suggestions on the black[ish] plastic. I'm gonna try some things to see if I can get it restored. Painting works well, but it tends to look painted to me. I put Back-to-Black on it just before the pics and it helped a lot. We'll see. Worst case, I'll get some Forever Black dye.

[knarg]

the interior looks really great

good to hear you are going to get it painted :D

[greentee76]

The car was my sister's for years. I'm pretty sure the dash is OEM. The fog lights are not OEM. They were not working when she got it and I put these Kragen jobs in for her. I was shocked that they actually fit better aesthetically than the OEMs. Just dumb luck really.

My bad, that is the OEM switch on the dash though, correct?

[Dr_Snooz]

My bad, that is the OEM switch on the dash though, correct?

Yep. Works great! :thumbup:

[russiankid]

That's my "miserable German car." ;) It's a '95 540i. It's really beautiful, but it spent the first two years I owned it broken down. I basically dusted off the 3gee because the stupid German car was so unreliable. It's gotten a lot better, but man it was a drag at first.

I here ya, I've put on about 300 miles since I got it. I've replaced the front suspension, cooling system, brakes, tires, bunch of other misc stuff.:wave: The 540 is the better of the V8's, so feel lucky.

[Dr_Snooz]

I here ya, I've put on about 300 miles since I got it. I've replaced the front suspension, cooling system, brakes, tires, bunch of other misc stuff.:wave: The 540 is the better of the V8's, so feel lucky.

Yeah, I keep swearing to sell the thing, but the ride is so otherworldly that I always relent. Right now the sway bars links are shot. Not a big deal, but god what a racket when I hit bumps. Sheesh.

[russiankid]

Yeah, I keep swearing to sell the thing, but the ride is so otherworldly that I always relent. Right now the sway bars links are shot. Not a big deal, but god what a racket when I hit bumps. Sheesh.

You sure it isn't the thrust arms? My thrust arms were shot to hell. The end links are easy to replace, you just need a flexible joint because where it mounts to the strut isn't exactly the funnest location to work with.

[frantik]

Right now the sway bars links are shot. Not a big deal, but god what a racket when I hit bumps. Sheesh.

those are super easy to replace and for the front you can even use generic poly bushing endlink kits

or just get an ST bar.. sway bars improve the ride TONS i love mine

[russiankid]

those are super easy to replace and for the front you can even use generic poly bushing endlink kits

or just get an ST bar.. sway bars improve the ride TONS i love mine

He meant his BMW, I think. On the BMW the setup is a bit different. The end links actually have ball joints which wear out.

[Dr_Snooz]

I just replaced the upper control arms today, so the front end is tight now. The windshield washers work and the A/C blows cold.

I painted the trim today:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2209.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2212.jpg

I think my ditch bank oakie tape job beats the heck out of anything 2ndGen can do. ;)

Car goes in tomorrow for paint. Woohoo!!! :):):):)

[mastaofdisasta]

looks great man, same masking system i used to paint my trim XD cept i fucked up and ended up tagging the lisence plate as well. o well

[RamThis]

I have all those trims brand new in the box, front and back windows :rockon:

Just dont have a car to use them on yet.... :thumbdn:

[Dr_Snooz]

I don't suppose you have the little clips that have all broken on mine?

[redaztec]

They do sell them at hondaautomotiveparts.com if you need them. Most of mine were broken too.

[2ndGenGuy]

I think my ditch bank oakie tape job beats the heck out of anything 2ndGen can do. ;)

Car goes in tomorrow for paint. Woohoo!!! :):):):)

Shit man that tape job looks just like what I do. I just use some paper on a roll is all because I'm lazy.

Man I can't wait to see her painted up! That thing is going to look so good! Good work on the trim too man, that little finishwork is what really makes the car look good. See too many nice looking cars with crappy looking trim that just ruins it for me. Gotta do it all up right! Nice work!

[Ichiban]

Shit man that tape job looks just like what I do. I just use some paper on a roll is all because I'm lazy.

Man I can't wait to see her painted up! That thing is going to look so good! Good work on the trim too man, that little finishwork is what really makes the car look good. See too many nice looking cars with crappy looking trim that just ruins it for me. Gotta do it all up right! Nice work!

Link him to the drunk paper job pics from my hatch!

[nswst8]

Looks good but definately get rid of the auto asap.

[2ndGenGuy]

Yep, here's how we do it. With BEER!!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2295112405_8670476c96.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgturk/2295112405/in/set-72157603997411851/)

Looks about the same to me... :D

[Dr_Snooz]

The car is painted and looks awesome! It's totally transformed! Unfortunately, dust blew all over it before I had a chance to take any photos. I have to wait one month before washing it, so you'll all have to wait. Sorry, but it will totally be worth the wait.

After all that time spent taping and papering the back window trim, Maaco sandered it! Doh!

I spent today at Pick-N-Pull, pulling every piece of trim off of every single back window in the place looking for unbroken clips to reattach my trim pieces after my new paint job. I got just enough, so will probably install it tomorrow.

Woohoo!

Still working on the white rubber trim...

[2oodoor]

:nervous: a whole month ??

[Dr_Snooz]

:nervous: a whole month ??

:D

Trust me, totally worth it.

[2ndGenGuy]

Hmm, I'd think you'd be fine washing it. Just use something that doesn't leave any wax or anything behind when you wash... Dish soap works great, because it cleans well and breaks down road grime and grease without leaving anything behind (don't want chemicals in your food?) Best to keep that nice, fresh, uncured paint clean! The rule is usually don't wax it for a month.

[Civic Accord Honda]

id also keep it for away from a pressure washer

[clint999]

I just replaced the upper control arms today, so the front end is tight now. The windshield washers work and the A/C blows cold.

I painted the trim today:





I think my ditch bank oakie tape job beats the heck out of anything 2ndGen can do.

Car goes in tomorrow for paint. Woohoo!!!

[Dr_Snooz]

Here she is, all gussied up and ready to hit the town.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2265.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2268.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2270.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2271.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2273.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2275.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2276.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2279.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2280.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2281.jpg

I'm really impressed with the job Maaco did. Mind you, there are a lot of flaws. There are numerous bubbles, overspray in a couple places and sander marks on my trim and back window. Surprisingly, there are no runs. I'm not going to win any car show awards, but no one sitting next to me at a light will see any of this. For the $600 it cost, I'm not complaining.

I'm still working on my belt line trim. I had it reasonably dark when the rain came and washed it all white again. I might have to break down and dye it.

Thanks 2ndGenGuy for recommending that I rattle can those hubcaps. They look great! I have a couple more coats, and I can paint the H black again and hit them with clear coat.

[cubert]

looking good!


Maaco doesnt do bad at all for the price you pay...i had my civic painted there and was happy with it.

[Dr_Snooz]

Bump. Not sure whether this got sucked down last night's database error hole or if no one cares.

[russiankid]

Glad you didn't get the trim painted. Looks good!

[Rendon LX-i]

Nice. Not bad at all man. its clean regradless

[Civic Accord Honda]

very nice!!! i like! macco did a great job im considering taking my civic there

[MessyHonda]

clean

[2ndGenGuy]

Man how did I miss this? The car looks great man! All those little details you took care of add up to make the car really look great.

[Dr_Snooz]

Man how did I miss this?

Database errors. :(

[87roach]

Hey very nice, looks like they did a pretty damn good job from the pics. Always a fan of the coupes.

[86ccord]

looks good.. hot from the factory.. :D

[Lil Mike]

car looks great man very clean now.

[MessyHonda]

nice fog lights also

[Dr_Snooz]

The stupid Autolite 84 battery left me stranded (very typical for Autolite's stuff in my experience) so I swapped it for an Optima. For those of you considering an Optima, be advised that it weighs a good 20 lbs. more than the Autolite.

Also replaced my oxygen sensors. The old ones were seriously coked up so it should run a lot better now and get my MPG up from the current 27.

[lostforawhile]

I don't suppose you have the little clips that have all broken on mine?
i was going to use that new 3m trim adhesive tape on mine, i've had people tell
me it's so strong, it will bow the metal if you try to pull it off. as far as the trim, look at eastwood.com, they have excellent trim black paint, it doesn't look painted, it's the same color as the factory semi gloss black. before you paint any trim, go to an auto paint supply place, and get a bottle of plastic prep and cleaner. it's alachol based and will take off all the old armour all and everything. spray some on, scuff it with a red scotch brite pad, clean it again, and don't touch it with your bare hands until you paint it. if the surface has small scratches and scuffs, go to nappa, get a big spray can of their flexible bumper primer. it's a store brand in a black can. best stuff i ever used. it's a building primer that sticks to the plastic like glue. then you can water sand it down to complete smoothness. then it's ready for the paint. and i would swap those gauges,at least the oil pressure,for something with a full sweep. those small sweep ones aren't very accurate.

[fogged]

Holly sheep shit batman!! I have the Dr's twin in the driveway.

[86ccord]

if i ever get around to finish painting my trim, im going to use the 3m emblem tape. and that stuff is STRONG. lol

[Dr_Snooz]

Changed my headliner today with a junkyard special. Mine was decomposing from baking in the Fresno sun for years and it made the car smell bad. While I had it off, I pounded a few small dents out of the roof.

For those of you considering that $15 Permatex vinyl repair kit from Kragen, take heed. I patched a few dings in the new liner before putting it in. I've never matched colors before but I nailed the color on the first try. Unfortunately, the patch compound darkened as it dried, so I have dark spots now :uh:.

I was going to take pictures, but the batteries are always dead whenever I'm ready to use my camera. Sorry.

[Dr_Snooz]

Oh yeah, and I ordered some Forever Black this week. When I'm done, my black trim won't turn white when the rain washes all the Pledge off.

:D:D:D:D:D:D

[lostforawhile]

Changed my headliner today with a junkyard special. Mine was decomposing from baking in the Fresno sun for years and it made the car smell bad. While I had it off, I pounded a few small dents out of the roof.

For those of you considering that $15 Permatex vinyl repair kit from Kragen, take heed. I patched a few dings in the new liner before putting it in. I've never matched colors before but I nailed the color on the first try. Unfortunately, the patch compound darkened as it dried, so I have dark spots now :uh:.

I was going to take pictures, but the batteries are always dead whenever I'm ready to use my camera. Sorry.the best way to fix it,is to strip off the material down to the cardboard base, then reinstall new material, the problem with this is the cardboard deteriorates really bad and it will come apart. i repaired al the torn up areas with fiberglass cloth, before i recovered it. it's quite an involved job. there were no hatch ones to be found,so i had to take a sedan one,and cut it down to fit. how did you get yours in? on the hatch it goes in from the back, but on a sedan or coupe they were installed originally before the glass went in, it's hard to get the one into the sedan or out.at the junkyard,the one i got mine out of had a cracked windshield,so i just busted it the rest of the way out. then puled it out over the hood.

[Dr_Snooz]

The headliner went in through the door pretty easily. I don't know what I'd have done with a sedan where the door openings are smaller.

[Dr_Snooz]

Okay, here are some pics of the headliner repair.

The old and new headliners together. It's not a great pic, but the color difference is minimal.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2283.jpg

Cracking on the old headliner.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2285.jpg

The new headliner. Under the flash, you can see some of the repairs and the color mismatch. Under normal light, you can't tell.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2290.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2291.jpg

[Dr_Snooz]

Dyed the trim today with Forever Black. Here's the Before:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2298.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2302.jpg

And the After:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2304.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2305.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/DSCN2306.jpg

I was halfway through when it dawned on me that I should have taped the trim off. I was doing it freehand! It turned out pretty good, even if I am a noob.

[Dr_Snooz]

Doh! I forgot to do the grill!

[MessyHonda]

looking better

[87roach]

Man oh man does that ever just bring it back to looking mint. Nice job on the liner and trim, once you get the grill done it will be prime.

[86ccord]

looks tight!

[Dr_Snooz]

Woohoo! Working antenna!!!!!

http://s441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/th_1eab842c.jpg (http://s441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/?action=view&current=1eab842c.pbr)

[Pico]

Nice Job.
Did you buy a new or used one? or just rebuild the old one?

[Dr_Snooz]

Nice Job.
Did you buy a new or used one? or just rebuild the old one?

It's actually the product of a lot of junkyard visits and brute persistence. Mine was destroyed, so every junkyard trip involved checking every antenna in the place until I found a functional one. I had to grease it up real good, but it works great.

[2ndGenGuy]

Yeah buddy look at that antenna go! Grandma helping out in the garage, I see!

[MessyHonda]

i never use my antenna.....i got an ipod hook up...no more static music

[Civic Accord Honda]

looks nice bro!

[Dr_Snooz]

After several months, I finally got the manual trans rebuilt and ready to swap in (work has been absolutely nuts). I am rebuilding the rear calipers so I can swap the rear discs in too. I'm taking next week off to hit the engine rebuild hard and hopefully get the car rolling once again. I'm missing it like crazy. The stupid german car has managed to suck up several hundred dollars in the short time I've been commuting in it. I don't have any pics of anything. I know I suck.

Hope everyone else is finding things for their cars to get stoked about.

[Pico]

Glad to hear your getting ready to get the car going, if I was close by I'd be there to give you a hand.
Have lots of fun and take lots of pics of your progress

[Dr_Snooz]

Glad to hear your getting ready to get the car going, if I was close by I'd be there to give you a hand.
Have lots of fun and take lots of pics of your progress

I appreciate that Pico. You probably have your hands full with the 88 right now so I don't feel too bad.

[Dr_Snooz]

I finally remembered to take some pics. Here is the new manual trans, ready to swap in.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00016.jpg

Work area:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00017.jpg

I removed the down pipe and the whole exhaust system fell to the ground. The last shop to work on it left the center support off so I get to fix that.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00018.jpg

Here are the rear calipers in mid-rebuild. The knuckles are in the background.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00021.jpg

Tear down:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00026.jpg

Tearing down on the floor is a drag.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00027.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00029.jpg

Random pics of rural Central California. If you've ever eaten a peach, chances are it came from here. Even if you ate it in Taiwan.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00023.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00024.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00032.jpg

[lostforawhile]

wow you have a real garage, i can't even open one door and the other half way

[Civic Accord Honda]

nice!

[2ndGenGuy]

I was gonna say... nice shop Mister Doctor Snooz. That is a clean looking transmission. Also time for a $20 fold up table. Perfect for engine rebuilds.

[Hazwan]

I want your work area. And thats a beautiful looking tranny you got there :thumbup:

[Rendon LX-i]

I agree with all the guys...i want that space LOL....great work bro

[Dr_Snooz]

Also time for a $20 fold up table. Perfect for engine rebuilds.

LOL, I have one. By the time the engine came out, it was all piled full of stuff! My quads are very sore today though, so I might have to clear a spot.

The shed is my brother-in-law's. He's a real sport about letting me use it. He even lets me borrow his tools. I got the engine out and torn down in record time thanks to his DeWalt battery powered impact wrench.

[Dr_Snooz]

I went to the junkyard today to look for an exhaust bracket. It turns out that the junkyard cuts that off along with the cat so there wasn't one to be had from any car. I did harvest some MT flywheel bolts. I figured out that if you pull a spark pull and drop a 3/8" extension in the hole, you can stop the engine from turning. It works great.

[LXiHatch88]

I have a spare exhaust bracket, if you want it (I assume you're talking about the one that bolts to the back of the block). PM me your address and I'll drop it in the mail Monday afternoon. Keep up the good work.

[Dr_Snooz]

Got the block back from the machine shop today and got a very interesting story to go along with it. I was led to believe I was buying was a low mileage Japanese engine. The truth is that the engine had been rebuilt. I wouldn't mind, but it had definitely not been rebuilt right.

Here are the old pistons:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00034.jpg

All but one had this interesting stipple pattern down the thrust surfaces:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00036.jpg

I didn't know what that meant, so the machine shop explained it to me. If an engine needs pistons, but you're too cheap to buy them, you can punch them like that to get them to fit better. It's a jury-rig and obviously didn't work because there is all the scraping on the sides of them.

The engine took up to thirty seconds to get up to oil pressure at every startup and I still haven't really figured that one out, but suspect that all the silicone around the oil pickup tube (instead of a new oring) had something to do with it. The oil screen was full of so many bits of silicone gasket maker that the machine shop told me to replace the assembly.

Anyway, the rebuild was a half-assed, ghetto rebuild done on the cheap and passed off as a used Japanese engine. I'm glad my perfectionism won out and I pulled it to rebuild it myself before more damage was done. I ended up boring it out, though I'd hoped I wouldn't have to.

Here are the new pistons, ready to go in.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00037.jpg

My new $50 Harbor Freight engine stand (so much better than doing the build on the floor).

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00038.jpg

Replacing the pedal box is a unique kind of torture. No guidance in the manual for that one. I had to pull the whole steering column to get the new one in.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00039.jpg

New shifter assembly.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00040.jpg

[Pico]

Looking good
Brings back memories of when I did my rebuild and 5 speed swap

[Civic Accord Honda]

nice!

[Joay]

I've never seen pistons with that stuff on them before... it's kind of hard to believe that a machine shop would let that out the door. Like you said, at least you caught on before anything really major exploded.

[Jimmy_Wheels]

VERY clean accord man! although she does need paint. other then that she looks pretty nice :D

[lostforawhile]

looks good doc, strange on the pedal assembly, I was able to pull one at the junkyard with the steering in place.

[redaztec]

Looks good! Glad you're getting that engine built right.

[Dr_Snooz]

I welcome input on this one. I bought this new flywheel and it's very lovely. However, there is no timing mark. No TDC, no 15 degree mark, nothing. I'm not sure what I should do. I can't really put on the timing belt without knowing where TDC is. Has anyone seen this before?

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00041.jpg

[lostforawhile]

I welcome input on this one. I bought this new flywheel and it's very lovely. However, there is no timing mark. No TDC, no 15 degree mark, nothing. I'm not sure what I should do. I can't really put on the timing belt without knowing where TDC is. Has anyone seen this before?

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00041.jpg
ugg you think they would have put it on there looks like it's time for a degree wheel. you would still have to figure the old marks with it on the old wheel.

[lostforawhile]

snooze if i knew the precise inside diameter of the bolt holes, i could make you some pins to drop in there and line them up for marking the new ones, but I don't think you have a caliper or anything like it. I don't have an extra flywheel or i would do it for you.

[Rendon LX-i]

wow...only thing you can do is put them up close to eachother and have someone stamp it or something..thats wierd.

On the engine WTF...that blows dude. i would just get another set of pistons..geddy selling a set if he didnt sell those already

[lostforawhile]

wow...only thing you can do is put them up close to eachother and have someone stamp it or something..thats wierd.

On the engine WTF...that blows dude. i would just get another set of pistons..geddy selling a set if he didnt sell those alreadythose old pistons would make good shift knobs

[Rendon LX-i]

even a set of feet for a crank....A crank walk....makes me want to make one fro my buddy and set it on his door.....LOL he owns a 2g dsm....KNOWN for crank walking LOL..he would get all buttered up forsure

[lostforawhile]

even a set of feet for a crank....A crank walk....makes me want to make one fro my buddy and set it on his door.....LOL he owns a 2g dsm....KNOWN for crank walking LOL..he would get all buttered up forsure

don't you have an old flywheel around you can measure the bolt hole diameter? if i remember right don't you do machining? if i knew the precise inside diameter of those holes i could make snooze up some pins to line the flywheels up together.

[lostforawhile]

don't you have an old flywheel around you can measure the bolt hole diameter? if i remember right don't you do machining? if i knew the precise inside diameter of those holes i could make snooze up some pins to line the flywheels up together.
never mind, he has an auto drive plate going to bolt it up to the flywheel so he can score the marks

[MessyHonda]

rebuild looks good

[Dr_Snooz]

Doh! I just got my registration renewal notice in the mail. I have to get smogged too, which is kinda hard when the car isn't running. I guess I better get this done.

Did my first Heli-Coil last weekend:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00045.jpg

And finally got the engine in the bay. Didn't get anything hooked up, but at least it's not on the garage floor anymore.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00048.jpg

Registration is due 12/16 so I have to have it running and smogged by then. Wish me luck!

[Rendon LX-i]

i know you can do it bro......

[Civic Accord Honda]

w00t w00t should be plenty of time!

[MessyHonda]

no headers? or after the smog

[Dr_Snooz]

No headers sir. I'm not a huge fan of mods really. I have my fast car. This one is my economical common sense car.

[Civic Accord Honda]

No headers sir. I'm not a huge fan of mods really. I have my fast car. This one is my economical common sense car.

i here you there bro this cb is staying about 98% stock want it to be my comfortable long trip reliable car ^_^

i plan to pick another car up later on down the road to have fun with

[hondafiend]

Dude this is a nice car! I wish the interior in the car im gettin was that color but i'll have to live with BROWN for now. UGH, maybe i will dye it later on. Nice paint too. :thumbup:

[Dr_Snooz]

Thank you sir! It's okay to be down with brown. Don't sweat it. The factory upholstery is really tough, so you'll still be rocking it in good condition when it comes back into style again!

I cleaned up the coolant reservoir today. It's amazing what you can do with a little degreaser, a stick and a paper towel. This thing was funky murky rusty brown with some serious sludge in the bottom and now it's nice again.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00075.jpg

That leaves this right here is the only thing I'm waiting on before I fire her up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/vdubbugman53/IMG_1671-1.jpg

That's it. I've been considering using Evan's NPG for some time for several reasons.

1. It's lifetime so I only have to change it once every 100k miles.
2. It's propylene glycol based so I can pour it down the drain instead of dumping it in some poor sap's field under cover of darkness
3. It's supposedly a lot easier on the engine than ethylene glycol, lower temps, non-corrosive, etc.
4. I recently changed all the heater and bypass hoses (all 8 million of them) and don't want to futz with any of that for a very, very long time again

I was going to go with Zerex G05 and do Evans' later, but Evan's requires the entire cooling system to be absolutely free of the old coolant before using it (or so I've read). I figure that the cooling system, having been open for the last year, with a virgin block is never going to be cleaner than it is right now so now's the time to do it.

I can hardly wait to be driving my baby again. The Bimmer needs some TLC too so I couldn't get the red car running at a better time.

[Civic Accord Honda]

Good stuff!

[Hondamonster]

nice restore you have going. i really want to do all this to a car one day. maybe with a handful of tasteful mods too, but basically just restore something old and original ;)

[87roach]

Hey nice work on the tank there! I also remember doing mine and afterwords being quite excited to be able to see the coolant level!!

Let us know how the evan's works out.

[hondafiend]

What degreaser did you use to clean the reservoir? Looks like it works really well. Nice job

[2ndGenGuy]

Bump for updates! What's up MR SNOOZ!?

[Dr_Snooz]

Hey nice work on the tank there! I also remember doing mine and afterwords being quite excited to be able to see the coolant level!!

Let us know how the evan's works out.

Yeah! I never could see the coolant and it bummed me out. I had to use a flashlight all the time. I have high hopes for the Evans.


What degreaser did you use to clean the reservoir? Looks like it works really well. Nice job

It was Simple Green Max. I try to use the environmentally friendly degreasers. They don't work as well, but they don't hurt my liver either so I deal.


Bump for updates! What's up MR SNOOZ!?

Sorry man, nothing new to report. I'm still waiting on the coolant. It's supposed to be here tomorrow, so I'll probably give it a go over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Pick-A-Part is having a half-price sale over the holiday weekend, starting Thanksgiving Day. I have to make time to go roll in the dirt and get a valve body for the Bimmer. A couple of my shift valves are getting slow and it bugs me.

[Dr_Snooz]

Reading up on the Evans. Looks like this is some seriously awesome stuff!

http://www.custommachiningusa.com/Evans_NPG+.html

http://will.mylanders.com/mc/notes/read.pl?file=64

Apparently, I can run the car with a 0 lb. radiator cap, reducing pressure on the hoses. I can also run it hotter, which increases fuel efficiency AND power. No one seems to know when you need to change it because it never wears out. The only downside is that it is thicker than normal coolant. Operating temps may go up a little as a result, but the cooling is so far superior that it's not a problem.

[Dr_Snooz]

Went to start it up today for the first time and the dash lights do not come on, nor does the main relay click, nor does the starter turn over. The other lights come on and the clock works. I'll be spending some quality time with the wiring diagrams, but if anyone has any ideas, I'm open.

More detail is here: http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?p=987640#post987640

Thanks!

[lostforawhile]

Went to start it up today for the first time and the dash lights do not come on, nor does the main relay click, nor does the starter turn over. The other lights come on and the clock works. I'll be spending some quality time with the wiring diagrams, but if anyone has any ideas, I'm open.

More detail is here: http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?p=987640#post987640

Thanks!
are the three plugs under the dash plugged in?

[Dr_Snooz]

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!! The car runs awesome!! It turns out that I hadn't reconnected the ignition switch to the fuse box when I swapped out the pedal box. I reconnected it and the car fired right up.

I did the motoman break in (http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm), which involves doing a series of WOT pulls from 1800 to 6000 rpm. Fortunately, it didn't blow up. After the first pull, I got a CEL, 17 flashes. Turns out that my junkyard MT ECU was rubbish. Swapped mine back in and all is well. I also had a leaky fuel filter which needed to be tightened. The tranny fill plug leaked because Honda doesn't make sealing rings for those anymore. I just RTVed up the old one and that's fixed now too.

The only remaining issue is that the tranny is somewhat crunchy on shifts and exceptionally reluctant to shift into first gear at stops. I'm hoping it's just a combination of clutch adjustment and new synchros getting broken in. I'm massaging the clutch adjustment, but that crap is getting old fast.

Some minor remaining issues:

1. My driver door speaker no longer works
2. My passenger window no longer rolls down
3. My water pump pulley wobbles

Hope everyone is doing well. Woohoo!!

[2ndGenGuy]

Nice man! So is there a break-in procedure for the tranny? Were the 6000RPM pulls okay on it? When my friend did the breakin on the new diff in his car (it was an LSD, so prolly different), he had to keep the engine out of power while it wore in... I know you're not supposed to do do any high RPM shifting on a new clutch too. The WOT pulls were probably okay as long as you weren't doing the shifts...

[Dr_Snooz]

More on the Motoman break in method.

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?p=987959#post987959

[Dr_Snooz]

Nice man! So is there a break-in procedure for the tranny? Were the 6000RPM pulls okay on it? When my friend did the breakin on the new diff in his car (it was an LSD, so prolly different), he had to keep the engine out of power while it wore in... I know you're not supposed to do do any high RPM shifting on a new clutch too. The WOT pulls were probably okay as long as you weren't doing the shifts...

Yeah, the pulls were fine. I shifted gently up until fourth, got on it, let it wind down, then shifted again. I wasn't power shifting or anything. It was a pig even before I did the break in.

[Bass Man]

Sometimes my bung-hole goes "Yadadada!" lol

[MessyHonda]

how do you like it so far?

[Dr_Snooz]

It's really nice to have my red car back. I missed her terribly. The tranny is having some issues that are probably the result of using two trannies to create one by cherry-picking parts from each. It will probably take a long time for all the mismatched parts to wear together again and stop being so fussy.

I still need to wire up the cruise control and I'd really like to have the clutch interlock. I've been driving an auto for so long, there's a high probability that I'll end up rearranging the front end some morning when I go to start it up. :beat: I park behind the Bimmer, so I'll get a twofer if that happens. :beat::beat:

[accordion89]

hell yeah, that looks like my paint!

[kentwat]

Congrats on the rebuild and the swap. It always makes me feel proud when I know I'm the one that rebuilt it. As for start up I just always park it in Neutral and use the E Brake. Post up some fresh pics showing off your accomplishments. Kent

[Oldblueaccord]

It's really nice to have my red car back. I missed her terribly. The tranny is having some issues that are probably the result of using two trannies to create one by cherry-picking parts from each. It will probably take a long time for all the mismatched parts to wear together again and stop being so fussy.

I still need to wire up the cruise control and I'd really like to have the clutch interlock. I've been driving an auto for so long, there's a high probability that I'll end up rearranging the front end some morning when I go to start it up. :beat: I park behind the Bimmer, so I'll get a twofer if that happens. :beat::beat:


Put it in neutral when you start it anyway. Less wear on the thrust bearing on the crank with the clutch out on start up.

wp

[Dr_Snooz]

Well, I suck. The tranny is screwed. It's shifting better, but started making a most horrible growling today. When I take off from lights, it's like ggggggrrrrrrrRRRRRRRROOOOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLL!!!!!! <shift> ggggggrrrrrrrRRRRRRRROOOOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLL!!!!!! <shift>

It made a Pling! Clunk and the growling improved slightly so stuff is flinging itself apart inside there. Not sure what I screwed up, but I'll have to pull it and see what's left of it all. :gun:

This is my first manual rebuild. My first auto rebuild was a bust too. I put it in and it made the most ungodly clattering and blew fluid out the underside of the car to the tune of a quart every few days. :rolleyes: Pulled it out and found that I had not seated an alignment pin properly between the block and bell housing. It bent over and got munged between the two. It put the tranny out of alignment just enough to make the drive plate bolts hit the block. It pinched and damaged the main seal too and allowed fluid to escape. Oh God was it loud and a tremendous mess. I got to throw away the drive plate on that one.

I threw the tranny away too. It was a three-speed that did 4,000 rpm at 75 mph. A four speed swap was available, so I rebuilt the four-speed and popped it in. It worked great and brought the revs down to 3,000 at 75. I loved that car ('82 Accord).

I'll let you know what I figure out.

Good grief.

[Civic Accord Honda]

Damn man that really sucks :(, You never learn unless you try tho

[nswst8]

School of hard knocks, I know it well. Don't give up. If I were closer I'd lend a hand.

Good luck

[89T]

you know i had issues with a bent shift assembly, grinding and growling especially 3rd gear.I ran out of ideas on how or what needed to be replaced. By chance i swapped the out assembly and it runs fine now.

It seems like you're going to toss what you have now for another, but i thought i would share.

[Dr_Snooz]

you know i had issues with a bent shift assembly, grinding and growling especially 3rd gear.I ran out of ideas on how or what needed to be replaced. By chance i swapped the out assembly and it runs fine now.

It seems like you're going to toss what you have now for another, but i thought i would share.

I appreciate the sharing. Thank you. I will definitely open the trans up to see what's going on. I'll check out the shift assembly first though.

[89T]

Thanks, I don't know if it will fix you'r problem, but info is alway's a good thing.
good luck!

[Dr_Snooz]

This is a long post, but well worth the read.

I performed the post-mortem today. There was a LOT of metal in the oil I drained. Everything was assembled correctly but I have another destroyed mainshaft. That makes two transmissions in my shop now with the SAME broken part. I apologize for these pics. Half of the lights are out in the shop and I couldn't get the pics lit well enough to prevent them from smearing. Here's what the mainshaft looks like:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/Presentation1-4.jpg

Here's the trans:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/Presentation2-2.jpg

It's hard to see, but several teeth have been sheared clean off the mainshaft. The breaks are very smooth and very clean. There's no evidence of grinding or chewing or anything else. You can see in the pic that the teeth that are left are perfect. No gouging or messy-ness of any kind. This gear does not change position, so it wasn't destroyed by power shifting or crappy syncros or gear-grinding, etc.

Okay, so :wtf:

I'm a little uncertain what did happen, but I have a hypothesis. My original transmission had a destroyed mainshaft. The reverse gear was missing most of its teeth. They had been gear-ground to oblivion, so I bought a second transmission. After disassembling that one, I had double parts. I carefully selected the best parts from each transmission to build this one. I thought I was being very clever, but I now think that was a mistake. After 200,000 miles, the parts in each transmission had very distinct and very different wear patterns. When I swapped them around, the differing wear patterns did not mesh cleanly and I had gear whine, difficulty shifting and finally, another destroyed mainshaft.

When I was putting the main case on, I had to squeeze the two shafts together to get them to fit through the holes. I thought it just needed some rotation to get things meshed together, but I now think that it was the different wear patterns between those two gears not fitting together. When I forced the shafts together, it put severe stress on those teeth at the bottom end of the mainshaft and eventually popped them off.

It's not the first time I've seen this kind of thing. When I was in high school, I rode my bike everywhere. Every summer, I would faithfully tear down all the bearings, clean them up and re-grease them. It always worked great. It was a very old bike and probably had German or American bearings. Years later when I got a bike with Japanese bearings, I did the same thing that first summer and everything went wrong. It was like the bearings had all turned square. The wheels didn't roll and I couldn't get even tension on the bearings. I came to find out that the bearing cups were not perfectly round. They were slightly oblong from the factory. They weren't off enough to cause problems with the original wheel, but over time, the ball bearings wore to some other shape than spherical. When I pulled them out and rearranged them, it all went to crap. I replaced the old ball bearings with new ones and was rolling again just fine.

Anyway, that's my hypothesis. Let me know what you guys think.

[lostforawhile]

ouch the sight of amputated transmission parts makes me queasy! i'll have to look in my book, but i think you have to assemble the main and countershafts assembled as a unit, are you missing any thrust washers? there are a bunch of end play clearances that need to be checked with a feeler gauge, did you check those?

[Bass Man]

Yep, gears are married and don't like to swing around after 20 years!! haha...

That sucks, man... Should get a teggy tranny and build that!

[Dr_Snooz]

ouch the sight of amputated transmission parts makes me queasy! i'll have to look in my book, but i think you have to assemble the main and countershafts assembled as a unit, are you missing any thrust washers? there are a bunch of end play clearances that need to be checked with a feeler gauge, did you check those?

I'm pretty careful with my builds. I checked as many clearances and tolerances as were practical and wrote them all down in the manual. There were a few parts that were borderline or slightly out of spec, but nothing wildly, gear-shearingly out of spec. I did check both the thrust washers I had for thickness (the same on each) before selecting the one and putting it in.

I followed the manual closely for the assembly and stopped every so often to make sure everything was feeling right. There were no red flags or anything that felt off or not right. That's what has me so perplexed on this build. Usually when something blows up, I know exactly what it was. There was that part that didn't look right, or the bolt that didn't feel right as I was torquing it or that point where I shoved something together that wasn't fitting. This time, I have nothing. Everything was done right. That's why I'm thinking it was the mis-matched parts.

[Ichiban]

Wow. That sucks. The only thing I could see causing that is excessive backlash. And backlash is set by adjusting the center distance of mating gears. In your case, center distance is dictated by the bearing bore spacing, and not adjustable, the only other factor affecting center distance would be clearances in the bearings. Since you replaced all the bearings, this theory goes out the window.

Since the gear looks like the teeth were chewed off towards the top of the small gear (opposite the bearings side) is it possible that the mating shaft is missing a part, causing the large gear to ride too far up and overloading the edge of the gear, rather than riding in line with it? When you tighten the locknuts at the end of the transmission, they actually draw both of those shafts upwards and slightly away from the bearings in the bellhousing. Those end bearings behind 5th gear are what actually axially locate the shafts. Something wrong with either of those gear stacks could allow one to be misaligned from the other. Did one shaft end have a bunch more thread exposed than the other when it was assembled?

Just throwing out stuff here.

[ecogabriel]

This is a long post, but well worth the read.


It's hard to see, but several teeth have been sheared clean off the mainshaft. The breaks are very smooth and very clean. There's no evidence of grinding or chewing or anything else. You can see in the pic that the teeth that are left are perfect. No gouging or messy-ness of any kind. This gear does not change position, so it wasn't destroyed by power shifting or crappy syncros or gear-grinding, etc.

Okay, so :wtf:

I'm a little uncertain what did happen, but I have a hypothesis. My original transmission had a destroyed mainshaft. The reverse gear was missing most of its teeth. They had been gear-ground to oblivion, so I bought a second transmission. After disassembling that one, I had double parts. I carefully selected the best parts from each transmission to build this one. I thought I was being very clever, but I now think that was a mistake. After 200,000 miles, the parts in each transmission had very distinct and very different wear patterns. When I swapped them around, the differing wear patterns did not mesh cleanly and I had gear whine, difficulty shifting and finally, another destroyed mainshaft.

When I was putting the main case on, I had to squeeze the two shafts together to get them to fit through the holes. I thought it just needed some rotation to get things meshed together, but I now think that it was the different wear patterns between those two gears not fitting together. When I forced the shafts together, it put severe stress on those teeth at the bottom end of the mainshaft and eventually popped them off.


:slap:

Wow this sucks!!!

I do not really see the "cherry picking" of parts as the worst problem. Parts have to be machined very precisely in order to make them fit with another gear when doing the initial assembly in the factory. I remember watching on TV how they assemble auto trans and the operator picked each gear from a box without any particular order other than the required by the assembly itself

True, some whining noise will be present after mating say a new gear with an older one, or like here where two different (used) ones were employed. But proper machining (which is done with this kind of gear stuff) should not cause self-destruction. Incidentally, my dad knew how to make gears and told me about this several times (he did repair work involving machining gears) so he would make all the necessary parts new (if possible) to avoid noise. But he also told me about how the machining (and the materials) for automotive applications were done differently than the regular stuff he would make (in his day anyway).

So I am not really into believing your pick and choose was the problem. I would instead think on the transmission case.

Did you use the original case (the one that blew the reverse) or the second transmission case you got?
The fact that you had to squeeze the shafts together to fit them into the case is telling that center distances between gears was off.
If the shafts were, say bent then in certain positions they would be so tight and in others so loose.

Sorry for the long post. Bottom line: I would take a look at the case. I have heard of transmissions blowing themselves up due to misaligned/defective cases; not factory-defective but perhaps over time (and abuse) a case may deform in slight ways.

Another suggestion would be placing the shafts on a lathe to check for off-center. Lost will know better about this as he knows his way around a lathe.
My 0.02...

[ecogabriel]

Thinking on the trans case, I was thinking on why that particular gear exploded and not any of the other ones. The answer: gear ratios

Say the gear ratio between the destroyed one and the larger one is 3:1. That means the small one turns three times in order for the large one to turn one time. This meas that teeth in the small gear work three times more often than those in the large gear which explains why they blew themselves up first.

I would bet that they broke the way they did because the part that broke off was the first one to see "load" when turning

In reality, gear ratios are never exact because otherwise the same teeth in the small gear will work with the same teeth in the large one. when the ratio is not exact (say, 3.29:1) each teeth works with all the others in the other gear thus minimizing the formation of wear patterns.

[Ichiban]

Thinking on the trans case, I was thinking on why that particular gear exploded and not any of the other ones. The answer: gear ratios

Say the gear ratio between the destroyed one and the larger one is 3:1. That means the small one turns three times in order for the large one to turn one time. This meas that teeth in the small gear work three times more often than those in the large gear which explains why they blew themselves up first.

I would bet that they broke the way they did because the part that broke off was the first one to see "load" when turning

In reality, gear ratios are never exact because otherwise the same teeth in the small gear will work with the same teeth in the large one. when the ratio is not exact (say, 3.29:1) each teeth works with all the others in the other gear thus minimizing the formation of wear patterns.


:slap:

Wow this sucks!!!

I do not really see the "cherry picking" of parts as the worst problem. Parts have to be machined very precisely in order to make them fit with another gear when doing the initial assembly in the factory. I remember watching on TV how they assemble auto trans and the operator picked each gear from a box without any particular order other than the required by the assembly itself

True, some whining noise will be present after mating say a new gear with an older one, or like here where two different (used) ones were employed. But proper machining (which is done with this kind of gear stuff) should not cause self-destruction. Incidentally, my dad knew how to make gears and told me about this several times (he did repair work involving machining gears) so he would make all the necessary parts new (if possible) to avoid noise. But he also told me about how the machining (and the materials) for automotive applications were done differently than the regular stuff he would make (in his day anyway).

So I am not really into believing your pick and choose was the problem. I would instead think on the transmission case.

Did you use the original case (the one that blew the reverse) or the second transmission case you got?
The fact that you had to squeeze the shafts together to fit them into the case is telling that center distances between gears was off.
If the shafts were, say bent then in certain positions they would be so tight and in others so loose.

Sorry for the long post. Bottom line: I would take a look at the case. I have heard of transmissions blowing themselves up due to misaligned/defective cases; not factory-defective but perhaps over time (and abuse) a case may deform in slight ways.

Another suggestion would be placing the shafts on a lathe to check for off-center. Lost will know better about this as he knows his way around a lathe.
My 0.02...



You've got some great points here, some that I forgot to mention in my original post, and a couple I might differ with. You are exactly right in assuming the smaller gear sees more wear than the larger one will. In applications where there is an extreme difference in mating gear surface speeds, such as worm drives, you will often see different materials being used for each gear. For example, a hardened steel worm being mated to a phosphor bronze worm wheel.

However, in terms of load, the larger gear will always have more. Remember that the small gear always turns faster, at the expense of torque.

I also agree that the "worn in together" aspect of the cherry picking parts issue is not the problem. Automotive gears are generated, hardened, ground and finally lapped to exacting tolerances. Sure one box might wear a bit different than another one, but stick them together, they'll whine and run hot for a while, but eventually simmer down.

I do disagree that the cases may be a contributing factor. In terms of being distorted, at least. .005" of deformation in a bearing bore would cause obvious signs of, well obliteration. Also, these tiny Honda box's are no where near long enough to twist or sag like large castings can. Enough deflection to cause problems would simply shatter the case.

Here's something I didn't think of before: Remember how Honda likes to change little shit?

-Suppose they changed the pressure angle or module of those gears sometime between 83-89, or whenever those parts could have possibly been made? Mating gears MUST have the same pressure angle and module (or DP for standard gears) Pressure angle in simple terms relates to the shape of the involute curve of the gear tooth, while module and diametral pitch refer to the actual size of the gear tooth, using a roundabout method of # of teeth/pitch diameter or vice versa.

What if a gear spec change was subtle enough that you didn't notice on assembly? I kinda doubt it though.

-Also suppose Honda did something stupid like made a gear .03" thinner, and a spacer .03" longer. I already know that the bearing actually pressed into the bellhousing came in different sizes, I had to machine a .079" thick spacer to make my only salvageable bearing fit. Any number of things could have changed. If there were a change like this it could affect the length/position of your shafts once the locknuts were tightened down.

Also, checking shaft runout on a lathe between centers is simple. All of those shafts are center drilled, simply mount a center in the lathe spindle, stick the shaft in, and ram the tailstock center up its ass. Then check for runout with a dial indicator on any of the ground bearing surfaces. Make sure the part spins when you turn the headstock, or of course it will read 0 runout.

By the way, how hard did you have to squeeze these shafts together to get them to fit? Gears have to have a certain amount of clearance and backlash, or they WILL fuck out. My case went together without any squeezing whatsoever.

[Dr_Snooz]

I had to squeeze pretty good. Probably around an 1/8". Enough that if a few revolutions didn't loosen it up, then with heat and load, that pressure would be enough to pop teeth off a gear. Especially if the gear bearing the brunt of it was a little one acting as a fulcrum on the very end of the mainshaft. That does indeed look like what happened.

I'm also not liking my mix and match hypothesis. If anything, those parts should get sloppier over time, not tighter. So that's rubbish.

Areas for further inquiry that I'm gathering from your posts are the following:

1. Look for missing thrust washers. There are two. One on the mainshaft and another on the countershaft.
2. Bent mainshaft. Should be easy enough to check.
3. Bent case. Should be easy to measure the distance between the two shaft bearings in each case. The case didn't leak, so it can't be too far off
4. Figure out why I had to squeeze those shafts together. This is probably the most likely and I'm not sure how to tackle it.

One other thought: I managed to overtorque the mainshaft lock nut quite dreadfully as I was assembling. I thought I had a torque wrench that clicks in the reverse direction, so I was torquing with all my might when I realized that I don't. :stick: I backed off the nut and re-torqued to my best guess of 65 ft-lbs. I don't think that really did anything in this case, but it's a thought.

Thanks so much for the feedback. I appreciate when the smart guys here weigh in on the stuff I've managed to screw up. It helps me learn.

:rockon:

[2oodoor]

snooz says..."i like to take hammers, and just break stuff, just break stuff."


:d

[lostforawhile]

BUTHEAD IT BLEW UP !! IT'S THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!! http://terryfrank.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/beavis.jpg
I figured you might need some comic relief :D

[Dr_Snooz]

:d

[ecogabriel]

You've got some great points here, some that I forgot to mention in my original post, and a couple I might differ with. You are exactly right in assuming the smaller gear sees more wear than the larger one will.

However, in terms of load, the larger gear will always have more. Remember that the small gear always turns faster, at the expense of torque.

I also agree that the "worn in together" aspect of the cherry picking parts issue is not the problem. Automotive gears are generated, hardened, ground and finally lapped to exacting tolerances. Sure one box might wear a bit different than another one, but stick them together, they'll whine and run hot for a while, but eventually simmer down.

I do disagree that the cases may be a contributing factor. In terms of being distorted, at least. .005" of deformation in a bearing bore would cause obvious signs of, well obliteration. Also, these tiny Honda box's are no where near long enough to twist or sag like large castings can. Enough deflection to cause problems would simply shatter the case.

Here's something I didn't think of before: Remember how Honda likes to change little shit?

-Suppose they changed the pressure angle or module of those gears sometime between 83-89, or whenever those parts could have possibly been made? Mating gears MUST have the same pressure angle and module (or DP for standard gears)

What if a gear spec change was subtle enough that you didn't notice on assembly? I kinda doubt it though.

-Also suppose Honda did something stupid like made a gear .03" thinner, and a spacer .03" longer. I already know that the bearing actually pressed into the bellhousing came in different sizes, I had to machine a .079" thick spacer to make my only salvageable bearing fit. Any number of things could have changed. If there were a change like this it could affect the length/position of your shafts once the locknuts were tightened down.

Also, checking shaft runout on a lathe between centers is simple. All of those shafts are center drilled, simply mount a center in the lathe spindle, stick the shaft in, and ram the tailstock center up its ass. Then check for runout with a dial indicator on any of the ground bearing surfaces. Make sure the part spins when you turn the headstock, or of course it will read 0 runout.



The issue of a change in specifications crossed my mind after posting; maybe the only way to check is with a parts number catalog.

We are assuming in this discussion that what was in the boxes was OE Honda parts. Maybe it was not the case; if any box had seen a repair shop before it may have received its gearing from a third party source. In that case, any slightly off specification parts would not cause a problem because both were cut the same way. When "mixed and matched", the harmony (and the transmission) broke

[lostforawhile]

I can tell you who to contact, call Mantrans in Tallahassee Fl, they are expert manual re builders, they also can get any part you need. they work through the mail too. A lot of people at Panhandle gear heads used to use them. http://www.mantrans.com/?q=node/1 they have a good rep around here

[Dr_Snooz]

I can tell you who to contact, call Mantrans in Tallahassee Fl, they are expert manual re builders, they also can get any part you need. they work through the mail too. A lot of people at Panhandle gear heads used to use them. http://www.mantrans.com/?q=node/1 they have a good rep around here

Thanks for this. I'll give them a call and see what they think. It's so hard to find trustworthy shops.

I ran my pictures past an airplane mechanic buddy at work today. He suggested "sudden stoppage" (ie: a crash) as the culprit. He thinks that the trans came to an abrupt stop and stress fractured those gear teeth. He thinks the shafts didn't align because they were bent. When I put the bent shaft back in the box and started using it, those stress-fractured teeth gave up first. I noticed a lot of vibration after the swap, indicating a bent something. That explanation makes the most sense so far.

It should be really easy to see if the shaft is bent. I'll just rig the two halves of case together to hold the shaft (I don't have a lathe) and then spin it. It will have to wait till this weekend though.

Best thing to happen all day: the tranny is still under warranty. I just have to take it in and wait for them to ship the replacement. Woohoo!

Stay tuned for more.

[lostforawhile]

I think you are right, if the transmission stopped as in a wreck, the old one you got parts from, it would have put a lot of load on those teeth, and possibly bent the shaft, if the transmission suddenly stopped all the load of the car will be transferred to those teeth through the differential

[Civic Accord Honda]

even tho i didn't want to come on here much anymore i still like to check threads and thought i would post in this one,

I was just wondering if both transmissions were from LX-is, and had the same gearbox number(someone could of swapped in with a DX/LX one in a lxi at one point) and the DX/LX one has diffrent gear ratios then the LX-i one so was just thinking maybe that could be a problem why the gears didnt fit right

[Ichiban]

Yeah, if bent, a shaft would cause some sort of issue. But wouldn't the damage be greatest in the middle, where the runout is the worst? The bearing at either end means that at either end, the shaft runs relatively true.

I've had plenty of bent shit in a lathe. Runs good at the chuck, runs decent at the center end, the middle, mmmm not so good.

[ecogabriel]

even tho i didn't want to come on here much anymore i still like to check threads and thought i would post in this one,

I was just wondering if both transmissions were from LX-is, and had the same gearbox number(someone could of swapped in with a DX/LX one in a lxi at one point) and the DX/LX one has diffrent gear ratios then the LX-i one so was just thinking maybe that could be a problem why the gears didnt fit right

I agree.

I am not a technical person regarding gears, but in order to have different slight ratios one needs slight different gears. Adding/substracting one single teeth on the larger gear will made the trick but in order to fit given the same axle distances one would have to change slightly teeth measurement and the overall diameter of each gear so they will fit in the same axle distance.
Technicians please help!!!

I have seen the website Lost suggested; in fact I believe he mentioned it a while ago in another thread. It looks like a (very) serious place

[Dr_Snooz]

Another long post. Sorry.

I was able to spend some time working last weekend. The shafts were assembled in the correct order and direction, etc. Thrust washers were where they should have been, were the proper thickness, etc. I checked runout on the shaft visually by spinning it in the case and there was no wobble. The case does not appear to have been bent or distorted in any way.

My brother is here for Christmas and he is wise in the ways of auto mechanics. I had him take a look at the mess before we carted it off for warranty replacement. Here is the final hypothesis:

1. The gear blew out because it was mated with a gear that had a different wear pattern. A total of 4 teeth were lost all around the shaft, so that rules out a bent shaft because all the teeth on one side of the shaft would have blown out if that were the case. The teeth all broke at the top outside edge of the tooth, indicating that load was not distributed evenly across the gear face like it should have been. Putting the heavy load of engine break-in on the outside edge of those teeth could easily have broken them.

2. My difficulties shifting were most likely assembly error. The shafts were assembled correctly, but when I put them in the case, they got jumbled and might not have seated correctly. This was indicated by the shafts not being parallel. I had to re-assemble the blown trans for the warranty core and after I put the shafts in, I was putting the top case on when my brother said "something's not right." Sure enough, one of my syncros had come out of the syncro sleeve and was sitting against it, instead of in it. Consequently, the gears on the mainshaft were offset from the countershaft by about 1/8". I re-checked my post-mortem pics (below) and the syncros all look right. I don't see any offset, but it's the only explanation that makes sense. This kind of problem could easily have resolved itself after the gear exploded.

Anyway, I'm not entirely satisfied with this, but the trans is gone now and I'm moving on. I will definitely, never ever be mixing and matching gears again. Yikes!

More post-mortem pics:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00083.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00084.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00085.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00086.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00087.jpg

[ecogabriel]

A while ago I stumbled across a book about Honda transmissions.
It explained different things about them but one thing I remember is a disassemble-reassemble explained in it including photos. About the book I only remember reading it in Barnes and Noble and that it was not expensive; it might be useful if you would consider rebuilding another one.

I hope you get your ride soon on the roads again.

[Dr_Snooz]

Well the replacement trans arrived and it's the worst of all by far. Everything inside was coated with thick black grunge that the degreaser failed to remove. The oil looked like this:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00098.jpg

I'm sure this one went 200,000 miles and never once had the oil changed. Everything was out of tolerance and there was so much friction that every wear surface was scored, polished and in some cases, blue. If that wasn't enough, the splines on the countershaft were toast. I called the wrecking yard and they don't have any more of my trans. Because I'm still under warranty, they are going to refund my purchase price though. Yay!

Lostforawhile recommended Man-Trans and they claim to have the trans. I notice that they don't build one until you order it, so it's possible they have a bunch of cores that are as destroyed as what I've seen so far and will call after I've ordered and tell me they don't have it after all. Anyway, I'm going to go that route and keep my fingers crossed. The only alternative is to spend every Saturday dropping trannies at the Pick-N-Pull until I find something that isn't complete garbage. That's highly improbably and I definitely am not interested in wasting much more time than I already have.

I'll keep you all posted on my experience with Man-Trans, www.man-trans.com

[Civic Accord Honda]

damn 3g trans!
a fresh rebuilt one should be nice tho!
i loved my rebuilt one until i blew it up lol

[Rendon LX-i]

damn that blows. My im suprised how mines hanging it had 200 thousand on it and i hear the main bearing screaming at me when i first run it...so i know its going to need a rebuild soon.

[lostforawhile]

the only complaint I could find was one, and it sounds like they attempted to do everything possible to fix the problem but just had a bitchy customer was all. He was complaining because the car was down and he had to drive 60 miles to the nearest depot to return the bad transmission, and he was complaining about losing his job because the car was down, In his case I think he should have gone local if was rushing that bad. I know they have a good rep around here and they've been in business for a long time, hopefully they can get you straightened out. :rockon:

[lostforawhile]

here's the BBB rating of them, according to the BBB they had complaints, every business does, but they have a very good rating on trying to do everything reasonable to solve them. they are still rated an A+http://northeastflorida.bbb.org/codbrep.html?wlcl=y&id=160444139

[Dr_Snooz]

the only complaint I could find was one, and it sounds like they attempted to do everything possible to fix the problem but just had a bitchy customer was all. He was complaining because the car was down and he had to drive 60 miles to the nearest depot to return the bad transmission, and he was complaining about losing his job because the car was down, In his case I think he should have gone local if was rushing that bad. I know they have a good rep around here and they've been in business for a long time, hopefully they can get you straightened out. :rockon:

I read that one too. I thought, man, they were going to take all his stuff and find out what was up. Any other shop would have told him to pound sand.

[2ndGenGuy]

Man, you have some bad luck with transmissions. Or maybe I've just had good luck. My A18 trans, I got from some guy for $100 on Craigslist. Also, got a junkyard transmission in my 1gee. Though admittedly the 3rd gear syncros are worn, but it's been fine for 2 years otherwise. But I've got a spare in the shed that I'm going to put in. Look for a car that's been hit really hard. Because obviously it was driving when it got totalled out.

[Dr_Snooz]

IT'S ALIVE!!!! My car runs and is better than I remember it. God I love this car! The new trans is awesome, shifts like a dream and is so much lighter and peppier.

The new trans arrived from ManTrans carefully packed in a sturdy box. The trans was completely encased in expanding foam, which is great.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00119.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00120.jpg

The expanding foam got into the diff case and that was slightly a drag.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00123.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00126.jpg

The workmanship overall was very good. The tech used form-a-gasket of some kind to seal the case, instead of the paper gaskets that Honda used. There were no stripped out threads in the case or any other cheesy crap like that. The only gripes I have about the overall build is that the rubber boot over the shift lever was left off. :(

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00127.jpg

And the reverse light switch they sent was mangled.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00129.jpg

None of this was insurmountable. Most importantly, IT WORKS!!! Woohoo!!!!




I don't mind telling you that it was an Olympian struggle for me mounting that new tranny to the block. I fought for one solid day and failed to get it installed. I left the shop with the tranny sitting on the ground next to the car. Then I went and bought one of these.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/03100-03199/03185.gif

I fought for another solid day and failed again. All my powers of swearing were useless. Again, I left the shop with the tranny sitting next to the car. :chainsaw: Finally, on the third day, I got it right. I couldn't have done it without the jack but figuring out the right way to do it took a lot of trial and error.

That jack from Harbor Freight pictured above is awesome, by the way. The platform is nice and wide and the hooks keep the tranny from sliding off the end. The chain lashes the tranny to the platform. The best part is that the platform pivots in all four directions via those screws. That way, you can get the twist and rotation just perfect on the trans before you try to slide it in place. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I'm all good now, driving around with a big goofy grin again. I can finally do all the stuff on the Bimmer I've been putting off. Stuff like getting the windows to roll down again, the seats motors to stop twisting the seats, the door locks on the driver's and right rear passenger's doors to work again...

...and the heater core. *shudder*

[lostforawhile]

I'm glad everything worked out for you with it!! i would contact them and tell them the reverse switch was mangled and they will probably send you a new one.

[nswst8]

What was the charge for this rebuilt trans?

[Civic Accord Honda]

Very win!!! Congrats man!

[2ndGenGuy]

Oh man yeah getting the tranny mated to the motor is a pain. I always do it by hand, but have two people doing it. Someone up top to line it up and get the first bolt in, and someone underneath to muscle it up. I can't imagine doing it by myself. Nice work man. Tough stuff!

[fallen40379]

i will be doing this soon too, but we got an auto shop with all the engine stands, jacks and what not i could ever need. Wish me luck. Oyea, i need a good place to get a rebuild kit or a rebuilt tranny

[nswst8]

I did it by myself in the drive way. But I did have the Rad and condenser out for total front access. And I used a regular car jack. I am very agile =-)

[lostforawhile]

I did it by myself in the drive way. But I did have the Rad and condenser out for total front access. And I used a regular car jack. I am very agile =-)

i've always done it myself th same way, if you take a long bolt with the transmission bolt threads and cut the head off, then screw it in, it acts like a pin to slide th transmission into, this is how i put on some chucks at work, some of them weigh as much as the engine. put pins in and slide it on to the pins.

[Dr_Snooz]

What was the charge for this rebuilt trans?

It was $650 to my door, including the $150 core charge. Not too shabby considering the junkyard trans was $140, the rebuild kit was $160 and the rage was priceless.

[nswst8]

$650 for a fully rebuilt manual trans, hell thats great. You didn't have to send in a core? And if you endorse them, I guess I'll be ordering one soon. I like to keep one on hand.

Thanks for the update on this.

[Dr_Snooz]

$650 for a fully rebuilt manual trans, hell thats great. You didn't have to send in a core? And if you endorse them, I guess I'll be ordering one soon. I like to keep one on hand.

Thanks for the update on this.

Some people keep Y2K kits. Some people keep extra toilet paper. You keep spare transmissions. :facepalm:

[lostforawhile]

If I ever get the money I can drive down there and pick it up at the counter, I'm only an hour and a half away. no shipping and i'll bring the core with me. it works great but the case seals are all leaking and it leaks out the shifter seal, which involves taking it apart. probably a lot of miles left in it though. they are cheaper I believe because all they do are manual transmissions, no autos

[MessyHonda]

looks good

[nswst8]

Did the $650 include shipping?

[Dr_Snooz]

Did the $650 include shipping?

Yes. $650 total. Shipped to my door. How can you go wrong?

[nswst8]

Just let me know if it craps out on you, before I order one. =-)

[Dr_Snooz]

I've driven a few hundred miles now. The engine is running great. Acceleration is smooth and strong, oil pressure is running consistently in the high 60s. Vacuum is dead steady at 20 Hgs at idle. Temps are steady. The idle is a little crappy. I suspect it's junk from the almost 2 years it spent sitting on jackstands. I'll monitor it, but expect it to go away.

The car barely passed smog. It came in just under the max limits for HCs and NOx. I had just reconnected the battery for the first time a couple days before, so I'll chalk that up to the default maps in the ECU.

The trans is really, really nice. The shifting is flawless. It has a very predictable feel, snicking into gear perfectly every time. There's no slop in the shifter, no herky jerky in the gears, no leaks, no struggle or extra effort in its operation. Man-Trans' website mentions that they use a lot of new parts in their transmissions and I didn't believe them when I bought it. I believe them now. It's a first-rate transmission and I feel good recommending it to anyone.

The flywheel cover I got was a little bent (it's hard to find any left at the junkyard). Sure enough, it rubs the flywheel when I have the clutch pedal down and lets off the most terrific clattering. I will fix it someday...

On the agenda:

1. Integrate a clutch interlock. I start the car each morning with fear and trembling lest it lurch forward into the Bimmer. Double epic fail!
2. Get the cruise working. I have to find whatever wires I need to connect to get that working again.

Good times!!!

[nswst8]

Thanks for the info.

[MessyHonda]

thats good to hear...i wonder if i can send them my trans so they can rebuild it the right way

[Dr_Snooz]

Correction: the $650 price of the trans did NOT include the core charge. They just called me this week to tell me they are going to charge me another $150 if I don't send back my core. Sorry about the inaccuracy.

[nswst8]

Hell, it's going to cost you $150 to send it back.

[lostforawhile]

Correction: the $650 price of the trans did NOT include the core charge. They just called me this week to tell me they are going to charge me another $150 if I don't send back my core. Sorry about the inaccuracy.

can you ship it greyhound or something?

[Dr_Snooz]

It shouldn't cost anything. The new trans came with a shipping tag. I just have to assemble the wreckage of the last one, pop it in the box and send it away.

[Dr_Snooz]

Notes on the Evans NPG+ Coolant I'm using:

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72085

Long and short: it's great!

[MessyHonda]

It was $650 to my door, including the $150 core charge. Not too shabby considering the junkyard trans was $140, the rebuild kit was $160 and the rage was priceless.

I just called them today but he said it was 685 for just the trans and 180 core
who did u talk to to get them to lower the price

[hammer3rd]

I called and talked to them and they told me they would build me a hybred accord/intregra trans for 1100.00. A little high but if you are doing a swap to start with you have to buy both tranys anyway so it is really not a real bad deal.

[Dr_Snooz]

I spoke to Sam I think. You're probably paying to buy the broken mainshaft I sent them. I don't think they have a lot of cores on hand so you'll probably get my old broken trans. Sorry about that. :dunno:

[MessyHonda]

I spoke to Sam I think. You're probably paying to buy the broken mainshaft I sent them. I don't think they have a lot of cores on hand so you'll probably get my old broken trans. Sorry about that. :dunno:

they told me i can send in my own trans to get it rebuilt for the same price...thinking about doing it

[Dr_Snooz]

Got the cruise working.

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72098

[Dr_Snooz]

Here's a fun new bit:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00172.jpg

I want a cancel button on the cruise, so I pulled the switch out of a 1st Legend. After several hours with the Dremel tool, I was able to get it mounted and fitted properly.

The Legend switches had the exact same connectors and the exact same wire colors. I expected it to be plug-and-play. In retrospect, that was naive of me. The Set button works great as do the Decel, Cancel and Accel buttons. The Resume button, however, does not work. I don't know why.

???

[Dr_Snooz]

I also found this awesome 3g in the Target parking lot. Then I realized it's mine! Ha ha ha ha!!

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00170.jpg

[Civic Accord Honda]

car looks so fresh man! you should keep an eye out for some sei rims at a jy or something, they would complete the look of your car :)

[Dr_Snooz]

So I wrecked the car a few weeks ago.

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72732

Here's the latest update. I bought a hood from the junkyard. It needs some work. It has a few dents and is pulling away from the frame. I bought a new bumper online. Here's the test fit:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00197.jpg

The bumper cost $12. That's not a typo. It was twelve dollars. If you're in the market for a bumper, I don't think you can beat this. http://www.car-stuff.com/carparts/hondaaccord19881989replacement12561.html

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00201.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00203.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00202.jpg

I need to do some shimming and bending to get the perfect fit, but I'll do that after I have everything painted.

[MessyHonda]

wow for that price i might pick up a bumper too

[Civic Accord Honda]

how much was shipping on it? new bumper looks sex... im pretty sure you will disagree with me but i like the bumper better black then when it was body matched

[A18A]

can you slam the main part of the steering wheel for the horn to work, or do you have to press the horn buttons? car looks pretty good

[lostforawhile]

can you slam the main part of the steering wheel for the horn to work, or do you have to press the horn buttons? car looks pretty good

you have to push the button, snooze is your cruise not canceling from tapping the brake, or pushing the clutch?

[Dr_Snooz]

how much was shipping on it? new bumper looks sex... im pretty sure you will disagree with me but i like the bumper better black then when it was body matched

I like the body matched, but I'm weird.


can you slam the main part of the steering wheel for the horn to work, or do you have to press the horn buttons? car looks pretty good

I have to use the buttons, unfortunately. If I have a complaint about the car, it's that. I have enough on my mind in an emergency that I shouldn't have to go looking for where Honda hid the horn. :duh:


you have to push the button, snooze is your cruise not canceling from tapping the brake, or pushing the clutch?

I still have to wire up the interlock to get the cruise to release when I press the clutch. I'll get to it someday.



Here's what my tires look like after the wreck. There are patches on at least three of them with striations like this from sliding across the roadway. The tires are all out of balance now, but that's better than the frame being out of balance, I guess. I remember pressing on the brakes with all my might trying to get the car stopped faster and some quieter part of my brain saying all the while, "you know that stops working after a certain point, don't you?" It was all very strange.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00196.jpg

[2ndGenGuy]

WTH? Is that from sliding sideways?

Those are definitely flat spotted though. No balancing will fix that. I think all you can do is get them shaved, or get new tires. That sucks man, your car was so pimp. Hope you get it looking like it was very soon. You're doing a good job getting it back there for sure!

[Civic Accord Honda]

haha u should see my tirres the front edge of my tire has camber wear that has the trade like this

___----_________------______-----------------____----- all wavy and shit there will be like 3 chucks that are bald then one spot that has good tred then another bald spot... dunno how it even got like that...........

[Dr_Snooz]

Well, shock of all shocks, the tires balanced out okay! Love those Michelins. I found my trans oil leak. I just needed a new crush washer for the filler bolt. I have the new panels on and lined up nicely. I'll try to get it painted here soon.

Yay!

[Dr_Snooz]

I took the parts in to get them painted. The hood came back good and a very close match to the existing paint. They painted the bumper grill red, so that remained behind to get fixed. I'll get it Monday.

I have all new non-oversprayed window trim ready to go on. I've replaced the corner lights with non-weathered/cracked ones. I pulled the heater controls tonight and re-soldered the LED lights so they work now.

I think I've figured out a fix for the seat levers that always fall off. I'll work on that some more and post it if it works.

[Xaisk]

Thats looking great! I never seen this thread. I think the bumper looks pretty badass solid black like that. I am debating weather to body match mine or keep it black though. I dunno.

Props man props!

[Pico]

Glad to see it coming back together

[87roach]

Sounds like some good common fixes!

Are you just going to fill the handle with epoxy and jam it back on? haha

[Dr_Snooz]

Sounds like some good common fixes!

Are you just going to fill the handle with epoxy and jam it back on? haha

The way my luck works, as soon as the epoxy dried, I'd have to take the seat apart for something. I'll need to get the handle off at some point when I reupholster, so epoxy is a no go. I'm going to try drilling a little hole through the side of the handle and into the metal arm. Thread the hole in the metal arm and use a little countersunk screw to hold the handle to the arm. It should work if I can drill the hole in the right spot.

I picked up some of these el-cheapo fog lights from Wal-Mart tonight.

http://www.etrailer.com/merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/Q/H/QH-88CD_1000.jpg

The old ones are so yellowed and weathered that I can't stand them anymore. The new ones are pretty impressive. The bodies are metal and the lenses sound like they are glass. They take Hella replacement bulbs too. They stink like toxic Chinese rubber, but the construction is really solid.

I get the bumper back tomorrow! Yay!

[87roach]

Ah, the screw idea is even better! Good thinking.

As for the yellowing fogs, I was going to say try to get something glass this time around and it looks like you are far ahead of that.

Make sure to show us how they turn out. Where were you thinking of mounting them?

[Dr_Snooz]

I was thinking in the stock location. I did a brief test fit tonight and they look waaay too small. There's just too much bumper hole around them so I'm probably going to return them. I might go after the old fogs with some polish to see if I can clean them up. They really fit the bumper openings perfectly.

[Dr_Snooz]

Woohoo! The Red Car is back to her old self!!!! The paint isn't a perfect match, but you'd have to look real hard to notice. Yay!

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00318.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00319.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00325.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00324.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00321.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00322.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00323.jpg

I have a little more fine tuning to do on the driver's side there, but it's still so nice to have the car back to normal.

New washer nozzles are on the their way from Majestic too. More yay!

[-DWM-]

This is a beautiful Accord. I'm pretty jealous.

We should all totes be j.

[Dr_Snooz]

Thank you! I think it's mostly because I just don't know when to give up. I've had to endure a lot of ribbing from the family about it. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "why don't you sell it and get a newer car?"

Please.

[Dr_Snooz]

Took after the old fog lights today with some wet sanding. I finished up with some Zymol polish to get the last of the cloudiness out. Here's what I have so far. That's all by hand as I don't have a power sander. :hmph:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00330.jpg

[lostforawhile]

have you tried the mcquires plastix yet? I had really good luck with it

[-DWM-]

Sand them down, working to fine grit, then spray clear coat on them. The PlastX won't do anything for the deep pits, unless you want to sand/polish for days.

[lostforawhile]

Sand them down, working to fine grit, then spray clear coat on them. The PlastX won't do anything for the deep pits, unless you want to sand/polish for days.
right it's the final item, but it seals them. We went through this on the 98 civic, I had the lights clear, then my wife wrecked it and ruined them. Had to buy new ones

[Dr_Snooz]

The lights have "halogen" stamped in the lenses. LOL. Remember when Halogen bulbs were the new cool thing? That's how old these are. And cheap plastic too.

[Dr_Snooz]

Woohoo! Rear disc swap!

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/SNC00391.jpg

[ShyBoyCA6]

wanna trade coupes?! lol looks good man :cool:

[Dr_Snooz]

Thanks bro. I need to get some good pics here soon. I just shined the car up with my good wax and she really gleams now. I'm even surprised how good it looks.

[Pico]

Woohoo! Rear disc swap!

:thumbup:

[87roach]

Great swap!

[Greg Dawson]

Car looks awesome, Snooz.

[Dr_Snooz]

Thank you! That reminds me that I need to get some good pics posted.

[2ndGenGuy]

Looking great man! That rear disc swap looks good too!

[TotaledTL]

Dr Snooz- which brand of fogs did you find that fit those openings well? Did Honda make a kit at one time? I need to find some. Found some of the covers at Pull A Part but they don't fit my bumper.

[YK86]

I just went through the whole thread since I didn't see it originally. Wow, it was a nice read. Car looks great once again too! Great job!

[Dr_Snooz]

Thanks again everyone! The fogs are Kragen el cheapo jobs from about 15 years ago. I believe the dimensions are 6" x 2" (possibly 6" x 1.5"). It's a really hard size to find but worth the search.

[Dr_Snooz]

As promised, here are some updated pics.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0545.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0547.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0548.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0549.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0550.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0541.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0540.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0539.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0538.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0537.jpg

[Dr_Snooz]

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0551.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0544.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0543.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0542.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_0552.jpg

[lostforawhile]

looks great, I'll try to get busy on that shift boot, I didn't forget about it :)

[jesus_charger]

Super Clean!... nice car man... loving how ur fogs fit.. how big r those?

[87roach]

What a minty ride, she's looking great snooze! I'm jealous of your matching floor mats, and obviously the cleanness haha

[Dr_Snooz]

looks great, I'll try to get busy on that shift boot, I didn't forget about it :)

LOL. Take all the time you need. I'm excited about it but I can wait. Thanks!

[fullmonte44]

looks awesome. I'd want that over a new car anyday.

[Dr_Snooz]

Well, the Red Car just turned over 200,000 miles. Woohoo!

[MessyHonda]

cool stuff still running strong

[obdriver6]

Nice! Looking at the interior, it reminds me of how mine used to look but it wasn't as clean as yours! lol

[Greg Dawson]

Car looks Great!! I remember when mine turned 200k!

[kentwat]

Nice looking Coupe Snooz.

[Skellington]

I checked out your cars progression. The town you live in looks a lot NOT like fresno... more like a small quiet town about 30 mins south east down the 99. My wife grew up there and I lived there for college. -anyway
I like the work that you have done to your car. I love the paint color. And I agree, the painted bumper looks better.

[Civic Accord Honda]

car is still looking good snooz!

skellington your from coarsegold eh? i grew up in oakhurst ^_^

[POS carb]

Nice work!

[2ndGenGuy]

Looking minty fresh as always!

[Dr_Snooz]

I checked out your cars progression. The town you live in looks a lot NOT like fresno... more like a small quiet town about 30 mins south east down the 99. My wife grew up there and I lived there for college. -anyway
I like the work that you have done to your car. I love the paint color. And I agree, the painted bumper looks better.

Doh! You caught me. I tend to use "Fresno" as shorthand for the entire Central Valley. It's the place that everyone has heard of.

I've since moved up into the hills. It looks a lot like where you live now.

[2oodoor]

Minty fresh is what stuck in my head too , beautiful car.

[Dr_Snooz]

A couple months ago, I did an oil change on the truck. As usual, I drained the oil into my special, over-priced, plastic drain container. Then I loaded the container into my trunk. The oil recycling place is several miles away, up and down narrow, windy mountain roads. The trunk was nearly full of other crap when I placed the oil container on top of it all. When I arrived at my destination, I found to my horror that the container had toppled, the lid had not merely leaked, but shattered into pieces. Consequently, the entire contents of the container had emptied into my trunk.

This is what ground zero looked like with 5 quarts of filthy oil sloshing around in it.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1274_zps42a75bc7.jpg

Fortunately, all the crap in the trunk (including several sheets of additional protective cardboard) soaked up a lot of the oil. If it hadn't, I'm sure the oil would have sloshed into the cabin, onto the back seat and carpet.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1275_zpsfb22267a.jpg

Sun shade, blanket and car cover all destroyed.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1277_zps0b109105.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1276_zps42b78437.jpg

The double-thick cardboard that I carved from a lawn furniture box specially to protect the carpet took the worst of the hit, thank God.


http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1278_zpsa59491c5.jpg

A goodly chunk of the precious Honda manual was defiled, including the fold-out wiring diagrams at the back. :gun:

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1279_zpscb1e9c7f.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1280_zpsde87245f.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1281_zpsc2fd99dd.jpg

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1282_zpsc67f4ee6.jpg

Step 1 in the remediation operation.

[Dr_Snooz]

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1283_zps7aa8d020.jpg

The flimsy, paper thin trunk floor was never worth a darn. As you can see, I tried to add support to it a couple times previously, in my less than elegant way, but it was always crap.


http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1284_zps38284f39.jpg

Having it covered in dirty oil was the impetus I needed to fix the problem properly.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1286_zpsb5069fe0.jpg

I had some nice 1/2" plywood sitting around, so I traced out the outline of the old floor on it and cut a new floor.

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/dr_snooz/IMG_1285_zps1a8800a3.jpg

I even re-attached the plastic anchor clips.

I'd like to say that the trunk has been completely restored, but it hasn't. The plastic panels lining the walls of the trunk still have ugly stains. I took the carpet to the car wash, but the soap was on the blink, so I just sprayed it with water. Did nothing. I'll probably end up dousing it with Simple Green and using the carpet shampooer on it, but until I get around to that, this slimy mess isn't going anywhere. Instead, it will be another of those projects I nibble on over the years until I get it back to perfect. Until then, I'm very not happy. :hmph:

[gp02a0083]

good stuff here, man that spare wheel well looks like blood smeared everywhere lol

[lostforawhile]

simple green to clean the plastic, if it will clean that grimy oily mess off the machines at work, it should clean that fine