Second time's a charm - 93 Accord SE Coupe

[Yodamaster]

Yeah I made sure to remove all of the AC components, I'm probably going to do a manual rack conversion too while I'm at it. The seam sealer around the trunk gutters is drying out and cracking, though I haven't seen any signs of moisture from the backside there, only the seals that I've replaced and no longer leak. The really terrible part about the surprise leaks in the trunk is that all of the interior panels in the trunk were absolutely toast due to mold, but it means that I can see everything that's going on body-wise.

I'm really trying to find a red coupe for sale to take the grey interior from, but since it's 2022 that's probably going to be impossible. That's one of the things that I intend on doing no matter what, whether I find original grey parts or not, is ditching the tan interior.

[daovangphotos]

Yeah I made sure to remove all of the AC components, I'm probably going to do a manual rack conversion too while I'm at it. The seam sealer around the trunk gutters is drying out and cracking, though I haven't seen any signs of moisture from the backside there, only the seals that I've replaced and no longer leak. The really terrible part about the surprise leaks in the trunk is that all of the interior panels in the trunk were absolutely toast due to mold, but it means that I can see everything that's going on body-wise.

I'm really trying to find a red coupe for sale to take the grey interior from, but since it's 2022 that's probably going to be impossible. That's one of the things that I intend on doing no matter what, whether I find original grey parts or not, is ditching the tan interior.

There is a guy who makes manual converted racks.
He is on Instagram as chiznizzle_cb7.

I've though of going manual rack myself too. Let me know how that works for you.

[Yodamaster]

Spent my time after work setting up the wiring for the JDM headlights, I decided to wire them in permanently instead of making a jumper because.. well, I don't like jumpers. I also fixed the taillight wiring which the previous owner messed up, so now everything works now and is therefore street legal.



The only other piece of wiring that I need to tackle somewhat soon is removing the car alarm system, as it's malfunctioning by locking the car automatically when I don't want it to, it came with the car so I have no qualms over removing it entirely. (It's also the likely culprit of a battery drain that is infuriating) I also tried to clean the seatbelt where there is a section of mildew with a bristle brush and soap + water, though it didn't really remove the staining. (Pic is before cleaning)

[Yodamaster]

Today I finished up most of what I needed done to drive the car, and I insured it. I started by removing the old alarm system that wasn't working correctly and undoing the ungodly mess that the installers made, now I don't get locked in the car! I noticed that the P and D4 lights were both on solid at the same time when it was idling, and in drive there was "no power". I decided to do the logical thing with a 28 year old car, unplugging the TCU and plugging it back in again after blowing out the connectors like an N64 cartridge. Suddenly everything worked after putting it back together, so yay. The test drive didn't highlight anything strange other than the car needing an alignment, the steering wheel was about 5 degrees off center but it drove and braked straight.

Old alarm system where it belongs;




Me being excited about not getting trapped anymore;

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZqszauvuGCI

[Yodamaster]

So I've just been tinkering here and there, I've essentially narrowed down the issue with P and D4 (limp) and ordered the replacement caps for my TCU. I can get by with disconnecting the TCU to reset it until those get here. Yesterday I rolled my front fenders (with an actual fender roller) in order to not have them destroyed by my tires, the metalwork turned out well even though the paint unfortunately chipped on the edge. The paint on the car is not fabulous by any means so that wasn't really a bummer. On another note, I noticed that the left rear wheel has more offset than the right rear in relation to the chassis, and I'm suspecting that there's something wrong with one of the trailing arms. I have new upper camber arms and new lower control arms with refreshed/new rear knuckles, the only thing I haven't bought new are the trailing arms (car has no accident history). Here is how it sits as of this morning;

[daovangphotos]

Yo, that Directed module and the fobs and antenna harness are highly sought after.
You'd make some bling back selling it instead of chucking it. (chip shortage)
I work in the alarm/remote start industry and those antennas are super sought after.

As for the seat belt.... the secret I found to cleaning any upholstery in the vehicle:
Rug Doctor products as intended with warm/hot water. Works magic (obviously you still have to put in elbow grease too)


Car is looking good!

[Yodamaster]

Yo, that Directed module and the fobs and antenna harness are highly sought after.
You'd make some bling back selling it instead of chucking it. (chip shortage)
I work in the alarm/remote start industry and those antennas are super sought after.

As for the seat belt.... the secret I found to cleaning any upholstery in the vehicle:
Rug Doctor products as intended with warm/hot water. Works magic (obviously you still have to put in elbow grease too)


Car is looking good!

Thanks! Well, it's a bit late for that haha, all I knew is that I had a personal vendetta against that system and chucked it, since I don't intend on running any aftermarket alarm.

On another note...

Since most of the pictures relating to this subject are long since dead, I figured I'd ask in a more specific way if there is an easier way to salvage my audio system without running a horrendous clump of aftermarket wiring. The skinny is, I've installed a Pioneer double din deck in my 93 SE, and the deck itself functions perfectly using the factory wiring with a nice patch harness I made. The issue, as I'd read before I even did this, was that simply using the factory wiring orientation produces a hum when the deck is not in use, but is powered on by the ignition. I should add that the speakers in my car are all pretty much dead, with the notable addition of having next to no control over the bass.

What my modest goal is, is a factory level setup that just works, I'm not looking at "upgrading" anything, I just want a functional system using an aftermarket deck. To my understanding, to accomplish this I would have to use another amp or bypass the factory bose amp, but I would like to do this without running gaudy blue/red/transparent aftermarket wire up and down my interior. I have no issue using an under-powered (by today's standards) amplifier to avoid this, more closely matching the factory 35w bose unit. If I buy generic, base level speakers all around to replace my busted ones, what more do I have to do to make them work as my system currently sits? I know it would be a terrible increase in effort, but would simply ripping the entire factory harness out of an LX be a better solution to retain a factory harness?

Ideally if there is a way to bypass the bose unit by making a jumper harness in the quarter panel location using the male connectors that are already there, that would be ideal.

Basically I just want to listen to my Spotify playlist on a bone stock level system.

[Yodamaster]

Parked this for a long while, recently put it back on the road and I'm slowly fixing random things, like everything to do with the engine. It's not an overstatement to say that everything is leaking, but I've got a big bag of gaskets ready to go, just waiting on a timing belt kit. I purchased and installed a Yonaka catback, a generic test pipe, and a new j pipe to replace the hideous ebay exhaust I had previously. It sounds way better now, but I'd rather not have it all be coated in oil, so I've got work to do. I also snagged a pair of proper facelift outer taillights to correct the hilarious mix of pre and post facelift lights on it now.

[Turbo617]

any updates?