I think the seats are from a 3 door LX (84 or 85). I'm pretty sure anyway...
I think the seats are from a 3 door LX (84 or 85). I'm pretty sure anyway...
Yep, I do believe that's right. That maroon one from last years storm that knocked out power to a bunch of people. I remember because I was working on it while the power was out. That car was pretty clean too!Originally Posted by offthahook
Yessirr. That was a NICE "parts" car that I would love to have had whole. Dude practically gave it away because of a blown head gasket as I recall. Low miles and well maintained-- not all wet inside from sitting for years with broken out glass. John and I did get a lot of good parts from that whip. Well, John got them off and mailed them off to me. Too bad all "parts" cars aren't so usable and cheap. He and I breathed new life into some of those parts from that 3 door LX. I just wonder what the parts would have cost if we purchased them brand new from Honda. ONE seat is probably $600 (and unavailable). Win win win on that deal.
Well, a little more progress this weekend. My mechanic friend gave me the number of his super-secret shop that happened to have the flywheel! Big huge w00t on that deal. I thought for sure that I would have to go to the wrecking yard to pull it. So I get all motivated, realizing that I was finally getting ready to put all this stuff together.
I started gathering all the tranny parts. I installed the new clutch slave cylinder, and went ahead and started on the clutch fork. Well, turns out the #$#@%@#% at the junk yard gave me the wrong clutch fork! ARRGH!! This clutch fork was the right length, but wasn't quite shaped properly.
So Sunday, back to the wrecking yard I went. They had no 1g Accords, but they had this cherry little Prelude sitting there. What a neat car those are.
So I start unbolting the transmission, knowing that it has the clutch fork I so desperately need. When my friend blurts out "Engine Code: EL." He had no idea what it meant, but I kinda freaked out, realizing that we were ripping apart a Canadian car!
I have him check the gauges and it turns out that they're in KM/H instead of MPH. I was stoked, thinking I could snag the EL head for future projects, and I'd have the tranny with shorter ratios!
But the carb looks slightly like a CVCC carb. Not like the simple 2bbl Canadian model... Vacuum hoses everywhere. I pop the valve cover to find this.
Boo! Someone had swapped in an EK1 into this car and got rid of the original motor. Or it was some really wierd-ass Canadian car with an EK1 motor in it. What are the chances though, that I find the one junk yard with a Canadian 1g Prelude, and it's got a damn EK1 in it. Oh well.
The good news is, that I got the tranny and the clutch fork, so now I have two transmissions in case something goes bad with the first one. So this week, It's time to start assembling everything, and hopefully this weekend I will be able to fire it up!!!
that prelude looks sweet!
Man, more of the same "par for the course" on finding parts that you can actually use. You know I feel your pain on stuff like this... I bet your heart skipped a beat when you heard "EL" and saw that EL plate. Then, I bet there was a lump in your throat when you saw that it was "just" a good ol' CVCC engine in there. It's still so much more satisfying when you actually score a part after so much work and disappointment (like that clutch fork). Keep after it man. It's part of the game, especially dealing with salvage yards...
For all of us looking for these older parts. Watch out for guys saying that they have the part, they have the car, they know what they're doing, etc. There aren't too many unmolested early 80's Hondas out there, period. Most have probably been crushed, rusted out, or sat outside for the last 15 years. It seems they all have been "rigged" since most people think that all early Japanese cars were the same. So, a Corolla, Civic, Accord, Prelude, etc are all the same car to these guys. The cars did share some parts, but there are a lot of these cars that just have the wrong parts swapped onto them. I've even done it. You think you're getting a correct part, but the car may be a Datsun or the Accord might have a Datsun part because someone went cheap and easy on a fix. I run into that all the time and people always seem to say "It won't matter... it's close enough." I think that's why some of these older Hondas are in the yards-- someone ghetto rigged them up to save $$$ or time and they ran okay for awhile. Then, the car crapped out and they junked it and moved on to the next daily driver they could find for $300. Just double check everything you can and don't believe everything someone tells you, especially the yard.
Glad you got your proper clutch fork and I am glad you have a spare tranny for parts. Hopefully, everything lines up and you can get down on installing it!
^^^ This man speaks the truth! Who knows, maybe the first clutch fork that I had was actually what was used in the tranny, and it worked OK. Not great, but just OK.
Funny story about rigging stuff to make it "just work" from that same day. While I was pulling that transmission from the Prelude, a dude comes buy and goes "oh a Honda" and he started looking around checking it out. He has a clutch in his hand (a completely worn out one) from a 87 Civic. Dude asks me if the clutch is around, and I had him the Prelude clutch. He starts looking at it, and the clutches are definitely different. But I guess dude decides that he's going to "give it a shot" anyways. I guess the splines are the same, and the diameter is close enough for him. The hub looks like its totally different, but sure as hell not something I would risk. For $25 you could just pick up a new clutch disc, but homeboy decides to risk it for a used clutch disc. People are just crazy sometimes...
But basically, thats exactly how that stuff happens. I thought it was a perfect example of just what you were talking about, Joel. Crazy stuff!
looks great bro!
^^^ Thanks cheese!
I ran into ANOTHER problem today. It has to do with the clutch hydraulic line. Turns out that the slave and master cylinders both have the same threaded fittings on them. I thought for sure I could snag one off of the above Prelude, but it turned out that the Prelude's clutch hose had a banjo fitting on the master cylinder end. I was a little bummed, but at least I had a hose for a length reference.
I took that hose into the local brake shop (Rapid Brake as they're called). And the guy said that I couldn't put the threaded fitting on both ends, if I did, I could screw one end in, but I couldn't screw the other end in without twisting the hose. I told him there had to be some way to do it, and he told me to bring in the master and slave cylinders.
So I went online and looked at the setup, and turns out the Accord has the EXACT same hydraulic line with the banjo fitting at one end. In the master cylinder, you thread in an adapter that lets you bolt on the banjo fitting.
So, now I need to find the damn adapter. Hopefully that Prelude at the yard has one... I guess I'll head back up and see. Maybe some newer Accords will have that fitting too... don't see a lot of newer Accords at the junkyards around here though, mostly just 3gs and a few 4gs if I'm lucky.
Turns out that I'm an idiot. I totally forgot how a banjo fitting works. The banjo bolt just goes through the banjo fitting and bolts straight into the damn master cylinder. I dunno what I was thinking!! Stupid adapter... jeez...
But I got started putting the engine actually in the car. I didn't put the tranny on yet, because in order to properly torque the flywheel bolts, I wanted the engine in the car. And I didn't put the timing belt on yet, because the flywheel has to be on the engine to set the bottom end to TDC. There are no TDC marks on the crank pulley on this motor...
So tomorrow, I should be putting the tranny on, the timing belt, distributor, alternator, wiring, manifolds, carb, and starter. If all goes well, I can start the thing up!!! Here's pics of my progress.
Shiny!
I see a timing belt and a flywheel. Nice progress there, man. It is amazing how we get so caught up in making sure every little detail is exactly right, then forget the simple things. I went to change a marker light the other day and did two steps that just weren't necessary. Not much more time involved, but I felt like such a rookie. I knew better and it wasn't any big deal, but I've done those corner lights a million times! I was just worried about having the right bulb and thought too hard I spose. It's all part of the game. You know you got the motor right and that's the important part; the little stuff that seems easy sometimes escapes us all. Great work.
omg beautful!
1988 Honda Accord LX-i Coupe 123k miles.
awesome. looking good dude!
Where did you get that oil cap? It looks different than mine, which is a 'Stant'. It's brand new and already leaking at the rivets.
looking awesome john
p.s. weren't you supposed to be around the sacramento area this winter?
I believe that's the OEM oil cap on it. At least it's identical to my 81 Prelude's oil cap anyways (which, oddly enough says "Oil" in both English and French lol)....
Yup looks exactly as mine too.I believe that's the OEM oil cap on it. At least it's identical to my 81 Prelude's oil cap anyways (which, oddly enough says "Oil" in both English and French lol)....
Word yo! That is straight up original gangsta oil cap action.
Got a LOT of stuff done today. Got the clutch and flywheel in, tranny in, all the mounts fully bolted in, new timing belt, new starter, new alternator, oil filter, new distributor, all the engine electrical hooked up, and clutch slave cylinder installed...
During the week I have to install the axles, install my new coolant lines and fill with coolant, install intake and header, and should be ready to start! I'm almost there!!!!
Couple pics for your enjoyment!
Looking Good
WOW! Looks GREAT!
2004-2011?
Yeah I was supposed to be, but my friends canceled out of the LeMons race that they were going to run, and I wound up flying to visit my mom down south of Fresno instead of driving, so I didn't have any way to make it up there. I will be down soon though for another sweet 3geez meet!
Whats that thing beside the radiator, in front of the alternator? Oil cooler?
Originally Posted by fullthrottle_man :
I believe that's the OEM oil cap on it. At least it's identical to my 81 Prelude's oil cap anyways (which, oddly enough says "Oil" in both English and French lol)....Originally Posted by Hazwan:
Yup looks exactly as mine too.I thought it would be a replacement. My original cap like that is dead and gone as the rubber seal was hard as a rock. Are you guys seals still pliable? Not trying to thread-jack just wondering.Originally Posted by 2ndGenGuy:
Word yo! That is straight up original gangsta oil cap action.
Good work on that motor by-the-way. You gotta get video of it firing up for the first time.
Mine is recently replaced since the seal was hard and leaking.
Mine seems OK so far, but I guess we'll see if it's actually leaking or not when I get it started...
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