Hey everyone. I’m back from the dead. I figured I’d update this thread to let you know that this project is still alive. Sorry if I haven’t been consistent with this thread. Anywho, I’ve performed a variety of things to this car lately. I’ll attach photos to illustrate.
Deleted the wing and patched up the rust spot on the trunk.
Patched up the wheel well rust.
Patched up the quarter panel. Deleted the antenna and plugged the hole.
Removed the front bumper and turned out that it could use a replacement reinforcement.
All the bolts were rusted and seized. So I went to Home Depot and bought a cheap electric angle grinder and put a cut-off wheel on it and got the damn thing off.
Ordered a used reinforcement off eBay in good condition and free of rust. Carried over the styrofoam absorbers and reassembled the front bumper with some bolts I’ve gotten from a hardware store. Now it sits in my garage awaiting installation after I get the fender fixed.
The bodywork is an ongoing procedure and the car will eventually be prepped, primed, and painted with the original Frost White (NH-538) color. I’d like to paint the side moldings black to complement the white and black panda look. And yes, Initial D has influenced me.
Lately I’ve shifted the emphasis on engine work. No internals, since I’m a noob, but some basic maintenance and bolt ons.
I ended up removing the power steering reservoir, belt, and pump. I still have to remove the lines and alter the rack apparently but for now I just wanted to remove weight and any parasitic drag on the engine. I also will remove the AC compressor since the AC doesn’t even work anyways.
I stopped by O’Reilly’s and bought me a brand new battery since the old one liked to keep dying.
I’ve removed the stock airbox and intake, replacing it with a DC Sports short ram intake. I’ve taken off the valve cover, cleaned, and sanded it. I should’ve painted it but I was eager to pop the thing back on (new gaskets of course.) It’s good enough for me as of now. After all, I don’t really pop my hood for anyone.
Decided to go all out with DC Sports and ended up ordering their 4-2-1 two-piece header.
Had an ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE experience with Nutrend. I thought I was getting the best price for the header, but they ended up shipping it without the necessary hardware. I was missing the O2 sensor extension, the crush gaskets, and the bolts to put the two pieces together. I emailed Nutrend and turns out that it was all they were selling and they didn’t forget anything. It really ticked me off because that wasn’t specified to begin with in the print. They offered me $8 in store credit, which I’ve declined. Never again.
I ended up spending more in the long run and ordered Honda Genuine gaskets, got the bolts for the header from the local hardware store, and contacted DC Sports directly for the O2 sensor extension (shoutout to Andy @ DC.) I also ordered a new header gasket. Honda Genuine, of course. I would like to thank G2IC, as a thread back from '04 proved extremely helpful by providing the necessary part numbers.
I used the angle grinder with the cut off wheel to hack off my catalytic converter and midpipe, which left me with the OEM open header. The replacement with the DC Sports header from there was a straightforward process.
While the exhaust system was off, I figured I’d take care of the loose shifter. Turns out that it was the linkage. I’ve had Prothane polyurethane stabilizer bushings but neither of them alleviated the issue, as the problem was elsewhere. I ended up buying Honda Genuine bushings and installed them. It was a pain in the ass to line everything up but I eventually got it. It made a night and day difference. Now I’m more confident in shifting quicker. I would’ve invested in a short shifter, however the bolts to remove the assembly were corroded and seized like hell. So I stuck with the OEM shifter. I replaced the knob with a cheap Mugen replica for aesthetics purposes.
I also went on eBay and found a guy up north in Michigan who was selling a chipped ECU. I bought it and it was hands down the simplest performance modification I ever done. Plug and play, literally. It maintained the stock fuel air ratios and added no additional horsepower. However, it added two-step launch control at 4,000 RPM and removed the speed limiter. It also supports data logging.
I’ve bought an adjustable testpipe from 1320 Performance. It came with all required mounting hardware. It is awaiting installation at this time.
I’ve cashed out on a Tanabe Touring Medalion. I was debating between this and the HKS Hipower, but eventually settled on the Tanabe. It retains an OEM styled look, is quieter, has larger diameter piping, and was cheaper. It is also awaiting installation at this time.
There’s two other pipes and the installation hardware that I haven’t taken photos of since I was too lazy.
Well… I think that’s it for now. I know I’m forgetting something but there will be other updates. Stay tuned. Any feedback will be appreciated. Take care and best regards.
