[rx7_fan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm Upgrades: cold air intake -> exhaust -> eibach springs/struts/sway bars -> turbo -> wheels/tires A paint job would be nice, and a conservative body kit can improve the looks a lot. And of course, a good stereo and speakers.

I think turbo and eibach springs will already cost $3000. =D But turbo will improve the HP the most, forget everything else

 

[Jmmmmm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rx7_fan I think turbo and eibach springs will already cost $3000. =D But turbo will improve the HP the most, forget everything else

Hah, yeah. Well, the springs aren't that much.
But, I do agree with the two mazda freaks. I wouldn't spend all that money and effort on the car. Spruce it up a bit, get an intake, exhaust, some nice wheels/tires, tint the windows a bit, get a good stereo.

If you wanted to do some real performance upgrades, you should just get a 'real' sports car, especially something with a turbo. Sell, the integra, buy an 88/89 nissan 300zx turbo (my old car

) for $3k, do $500 worth of modifications and have a 285hp, 14.0 second 0-60 car

. Of course mine did break down every couple of months....

 

[fureshi]

it's a good commuter car but putting on those bolt-ons won't give the car much more power unless you equate a lot of noise with power. i would maybe do some suspension mods to make it funner to drive. some nice light weight wheels with sticky rubber would be nice too...

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmmmmm Sell, the integra, buy an 88/89 nissan 300zx turbo (my old car ) for $3k, do $500 worth of modifications and have a 285hp, 14.0 second 0-60 car . Of course mine did break down every couple of months....

0-60 in 14 seconds??!!

 

[Edwood]

The mods are actually quite good. Better paint job, wheels, and a not so crazy front air dam.

And no spoiler? BRAVO!

You know why they call them spoilers?

They spoil the looks of your car.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

So, did you do anything to the interior?

-Ed

 

[Voodoochile]

Vacuum it, wash and wax it, and keep the oil changed regularly.
Aside from that, the car is a great example as it stands. Almost classic.

Anything you try to "add" will make it look like total ass, IMO. Just what the world needs is another posermobile with a bunch of useless crap stuck onto it. Please don't go there!

 

[Voodoochile]

How about some cross-drilled rotors?

Identity Crisis

Honda never built a Prelude SiR. Not even in Japan.
It's an Si, and there were never any white vtec cars built.

It's a Honda...
no, a Toyota...
uh, ring around the gene pool residue?

Now this IS funny. Super-hot wheel.

CAI ram-tube in action.

 

[Voodoochile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiGHFLYiN9 4. New paint $500

Maybe at Maaco. Aren't they even more than that?

The paint that is there now was sprayed far better than you could get for $500. Buff it and be done with it. Save your money for when the alternator gives up the ghost. Or the fuel pump.

No fun to be practical I know, but what good is a freshly-painted 16 year-old car with a dead charging system? Wasn't this car to be a hold-over? It's a great car, but it is quite old. Just keep it clean and running well, and it will serve you well. At this age anything can fail, and you want to have some rainy-day cash on hand for the repair, unless you love riding in a taxi.

 

[gsferrari]

Mark is always right on the mark

I have decided on the following:

* Cold Air Intake / Exhaust
* Rims and Tyres
* Paint (because the current paint is scratched and one entire section on the left rear is down to the primer)
* Stereo
* Fresh interior (still deciding on specific jobs)

 

[gsferrari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voodoochile The paint that is there now was sprayed far better than you could get for $500. Buff it and be done with it

I'll email you pics of the cosmetic damage. Can you PM me your email address. Give me some advice according to what you see in the pics.

The hardest part is paying for the labor. They KILLED me when they replaced the front L and R CV Boots - $350!?!?!?!

I wanted to fix my blower...$350.00 including labour!!!

AARGH

 

[immtbiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari I wanted to fix my blower...$350.00 including labour!!! AARGH

But you knew that going into the purchase.

And the rated horse power in the first post is quoted incorrectly.

1.8 Liter PFI DOHC
140 Horsepower
B18A Engine

A nice paint job and a new blower motor should set you straight, until you are able to plunk down the money for your dream car.

For all of you that are commenting on the changes done so far, in the second
picture...that is something that GS is showing as an idea, to what he wants it to look like, not what it looks like now.

The absence of the rear 2 doors should have been the giveaway

 

[Mr.PD]

Get good quality parts, and think ahead about what they are going to be like to live with on a daily driver. Cold air intakes that place the filter outside and low to the ground work well, but require more maintenance, and special consideration for rainy weather. Cheap kits like those sold on Ebay can be poor fitting, ineffective, and made of low quality materials.

SAVE YOUR STOCK PARTS!!!

 

[gsferrari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by immtbiker But you knew that going into the purchase

I knew that...still shocked by the % of "parts cost" and the % of "labor" cost. I should give up on Cisco and become a mechanic

The part can be bought for around $50.00 LOL

What I need to do is approach this systematically to reduce the "Labor" costs. For example - I could have added my new Brake rotors and pads when I did the CV Boot replacement. They are linked together in terms of "tasks involved" in doing both the jobs...

Time to do my spreadsheets

hee hee

Quote:

And the rated horse power in the first post is quoted incorrectly. 1.8 Liter PFI DOHC 140 Horsepower B18A Engine

140 at the crank....and there is no way I am pushing my new baby anywhere close to 6800 rpm until I pamper her a bit

This is so much fun! The good thing is that I had initially budgeted a LOT more money towards a car purchase...now I have a lot more money to play with to pimp my ride - but I want to be smart about how I play the "Labor" game...

Any tips?


The Pirellis are awesome...I wouldnt want to change them until they wear out. I ran into a patch of ice, understeered a bit, all 4 tires hooked up and BAM...cornered like rails on the ice.

AWESOME!!

 

[gsferrari]

As Aron correctly pointed out. This is how I want my car to look after the "treatments".

* Fresh Paint
* lowering and suspension
* Tinted glass
* Black rims and tires
* Simple body-kit as the car in the picture below
* No wings / pseudo-aero treatments
* Cold aid intake + Exhaust
* Clear front headlights + stock rear headlights
* Short-Shifter + Clutch
* Interior cosmetic treatments
* Nice stereo

I have borrowed my friend's Ford Focus (he is away for 2 months to Amsterdam) and I now have a Garage....

Car stripping begins today

WOO HOO!!