"JohnDriver -1987 accord stretch limo - Project In Motion"

[JohnDriver]

[A18A]

classy

[forrest89sei]

Nice!

Post some interior pics!!

Does it have the Stock LX Drive Train?

[MessyHonda]

its going to need alot of TLC

[AccordB20A]

needs a bit of work here and there but cool project!

[Tdurr]

wut???? more info plz!

[JohnDriver]

[87roach]

Neat project you got yourself!

[JohnDriver]

rollin on 18" yo

hey just for fun,do the math,if this car weighs 3330 KG wait till you see the lbs

[JohnDriver]

and yes this car is carbed and a FIVE SPEED

[lostforawhile]

you are going to need a FI swap to be able to effectively move all that weight

[JohnDriver]

you are going to need a FI swap to be able to effectively move all that weight

even with a new hd clutch i can make the clutch slip just by flooring it(under 20 mph)

[JohnDriver]

1987 honda accord LX limousine white, burgandy int,carb.4 cyl. 5spd best gas mileage of any limo I have ever owned/driven seats 4 in back 5 if everyone is friendly 7 total,w/driver
barely runs ,but drives well needs a tune up and carb adjustment also.
paint is getting old(its on its second paintjob) but I was going to do a color change stripping the whole car (they make carbonfiber hood and decklid) so I thought darker would be better
nice tires.its a great starting point for a show stopper, needs paint, body, interior,drivetrain work.lol its a 23 year old livery vehicle.you can only expect so much from it.
I am not happy with the springs(the guy I got it from replaced the stock"heavy duty"springs with aftermarket shorty adjustables) I installed full lowering springs(dropped it another couple inches)looks good rides better but I want to build a set using the long multi-rate springs with the adjusters to give ride as well as ride height
I would really like to find a set of air ride struts for this car.
I bought a set of 1989 accord SEI 4 wheel disc brakes and wanted to do all the suspension at once.the wheels are either the chrome 18" or the 2000 civic si 15" that it has now.
to be honest I drove this car EVERYWHERE for 2 years.70 miles a day to work and back. you can not go anywhere without at least one person taking a pic or asking about the car or about renting it.
has an identical 1987 parts car (non stretch)with bad motor. I have the divider(i removed it) it has no ac but the parts car has all the ac stuff.
I did some simple cleanup/detail work when I got it,but it needs to be done right,I tinted the windows,coated the roof with bedliner(looks like vinyl)I was going to redo it with carbon fiber vinyl.
new rotors w/ceramic pads(stops great), replaced the coach lamp housings(still need wiring) hand formed aluminum diamond plate inset panels for the stretch section. replaced the rear ac vents and hoses(also have a secondary ac for the rear needs install)replaced the rear facing bench with stock matching accord bucket seats(I still have all stock parts I removed)

they made very few of these,this car had 14 miles when the company stretched it,a place up in canada(it is very heavy duty)good workmanship.not a backyard hackjob

it has been suggested I swap it over to fuel inj. I think thats a grand idea, but why go stock? Im going to do more research on my choices for a total eng.possibly trans also swap but I really want to keep the standard shift.
just so yall know I am a fabricator,and have spent many years at various body shops and custom vehicle builders.I have a pretty well equiped shop.
bear in mind along with all the honeydoos that come with the wife. I have many irons in the fire ,12 I think."project vehicles".

[JohnDriver]

for those of you to lazy to do the math this car weighs"supposedly"
7341 lbs per the mfg(I believe this to be its loaded weight.lol)
what the he!!,its a seven thousand pound HONDA..
I have to be careful when choosing tires some cant handle the weight.
after blowing 3 18"tires i pulled the rims and swaped for 15" 2000 civic SI wheels
havent lost one yet. and I found a guy on ebay selling the air ride springs for my struts $$$. I readjusted the carb(i have the factory manuals) runs better still barely idles and I figured out the carb is leaking fuel when I shut it off(down the butterfly,filling the throat to the top.wtf,im thinking either the float is sticking or the pressure regulator has failed.do they have a reg?
I think once I figure out this prob Ill start driving it again.

[A18A]

3300kg is a lot more than I thought it would weigh. that's like the weight of 2 accords. it must be reinforced pretty good lol. you should go with a honda motor that has torque. j-series or something?

[forrest89sei]

It looks like a good Project, If you don't want to do a EFI Swap, if your Area of Texas doesn't have emissions testing I think a Weber Kit Would a great Idea, You'd only have 3 Vacuum lines under the hood and gain some more power while still having good fuel Economy

[HON-DUH]

why?

[lostforawhile]

hope he restores it, this is a real 3geez limo by a real limo conversion company, very very rare, this isn't one of the hacked up ones you often see. the body needs to be restored first, to preserve it.

[lostforawhile]

I say you go FI and do a turbo setup, there is a ton of info on it here and you can make good power, another option in this case, is maby do a D series with the jackson racing supercharger kit, this will cut the weight of the engine and provide torque all across the power band which you desperately need, normally i'm not a fan of putting the smaller engine in this car, but with that setup you have the option of lots of torque

[Dr_Snooz]

LOL. That car is awesome! I think the poll is academic. You have the madman car already. Can't wait to see what you do with it. Takes lots of pics and keep your build thread updated!

[JohnDriver]

why?

I also have a set of texas personalized plates from 1987 the front one says
Y
the other says
Y NOT
Ill post the pics,when I think of where they are,Im gonna use them for shows.
it is the 3rd most popular question among
what is it? , can I take a pic? , WHY? , is that a civic?
oh and the ever popular PIMP MY RIDE,YO,PIMP MY RIDE
now the honest reason this car exists?
in 87 gas was getting higher ,people were looking for a better tool to do a job.
they needed a fuel efficient transport for 4,5,or 6 people to go see the sights
enter the tourist car,custom built in canada by a leading canadian coach builder. who mostly built custom ambulance/fire equip. and they also built limousines. there were several made. I have only seen pics of 3-4 others
and when I applied to a new limo company(im an ex-cab driver/chauffeur)
I told the owner about my unique ride,he replied.white/burgandy int,5-speed?
im like yeah,guess he had seen it before,nope he has one stashed in his personal collection(warehouses) so there are a few floating around,but they are all in private collections or behind crazy uncle soandsos barn rotting away
I want to drive mine ALOT

[MessyHonda]

i like it...got to say its pretty pimp

[JohnDriver]

3300kg is a lot more than I thought it would weigh. that's like the weight of 2 accords. it must be reinforced pretty good lol. you should go with a honda motor that has torque. j-series or something?

hey,since im a big ol noob, what years/model would have had the J-series?

I have logged many miles with the stock drivetrain,It does well,well as well as can be expected.consider your car,with a trailer hitch/flat towing a Honda civic ,all day, everyday. the guy I got it from went thru 3 clutches in as many months(IT IS NOT A RACECAR).now since i have had it( 3+years) its the same clutch he put in it. im a professional driver(on a closed course.lol) the launch takes a lot of forethought.I have to find a spot in traffic that a car/trailer would fit in(the car is the same length as my dads 2000 f250 excab long bed) but I plan well and then feather the throttle to modulate the clutch slip.holding the clutch at the limit of slip.man theres got to be a better way.lol
one of my buddys worked for a place in ft worth called AUTOMOTIVE MACHINE these guys are the most expert bunch,mainly air cooled vw,but also specializing in japanese .he said he remembered the car/previous owner and had a hell of a time finding a clutch to survive,because the guy thought it was the set of fast and the furious.lol I had the idea to swap a late model civic drivetrain. due to the fact my 3rd gen is about the size of the newer civic(why do cars constantly grow larger) it should keep the same track width and have TONS of aftermarket support.now im not opposed to gutting the bay and doing an efi swap,or the webber setup sounds pimp.(i like the simple old school nature of a carb and a standard trans. my home is in an emissions co. but I also have a house out in the country,so it may end up out there so I can have the freedom to mod the drivetrain.
as far as the center section,WOW these guys really went OVERBOARD.in the pics of the turnaround seat you can see the girders they built all the bracing from its unreal,like 1/16 in wall,WTF but im gonna put some holes in that for 12" subs.

[JohnDriver]

LOL. That car is awesome! I think the poll is academic. You have the madman car already. Can't wait to see what you do with it. Takes lots of pics and keep your build thread updated!

as far as the poll,to be quite honest,I have this theory that when it comes to very limited production/hard to find cars.I dont really own them.they belong to the ages.(yes I know i could torch it and dance in the ashes) but I rember as a kid goin to car shows/seeing something unusual in traffic. its inspiring.
so Im tapping into the crowd(thats you guys)that cares for cars long ago thought scrap. when this car passes from my hands I want to know it has a chance to survive.and to be honest,its close to rotting behind soandsos barn.
so I have to do something. being as rare as it is I thought about mostly bolt ons so it could be put back to stock some day.but im a fabricator,and I would like to show up at hot import nights and the only neg comments be WHY??
BECAUSE IT WAS THERE.

[2oodoor]

likes this...
Modernize this thing already, there are some things in these pictures could be lightened up a good bit with modern materials. That is pretty dang heavy.

those wheels look heavy too...

My first thought about FI swap was why, when you can put a weber 38 on there and unleash gobs and gobs of low rpm torque you wouldnt believe... however, the gas smells associated with webers may not be something you would want with customers if this thing is hired out.
When I installed the weber and intake cygnus cut out the dividers on, in the othewise completlyu stock A20a1 five speed DX I had, well it totaly changed the personality of the car. It was mind blowing. I could pull from 25-30 mph in fifth gear without any complaints from the motor or clutch. Not something I would do all the time but just an example of how much better the car ran without winding up the motor all the time just to get momemtum.