SSMAccord : 1992 Accord EX

[SSMAccord]

A lot going on here. Can we get a drop off day 4, 5, 6

So you are having a shop do all the body work and paint it? Same color?

The plan was that the shop would do the paint and body work as they had already begun the process with the rust repair.

The intent was a complete color change to replace the faded Seattle Silver OEM color. Machine Grey, a current Mazda color, is the intended final color.

I love me some bodevision! Looking forward to exterior part 2.

I do too! He's really fun to watch and he teaches the in's and out's of what he does really well.

i really like the climate control retrofit. this is a super nice build!

Thanks, that is high praise. I appreciate your remarks.

Exciting stuff! Very tasteful parts on it already; the body work and paint is really going to transform this into something special. Congrats on all the progress.

Thanks. Your build is also make really good headway in a short time! Can't wait to see where it goes. I've tried to make the process of this all make sense so far. 2019 throws me a curveball though.

[CyborgGT]

Exciting stuff! Very tasteful parts on it already; the body work and paint is really going to transform this into something special. Congrats on all the progress.

[cp[mike]]

i really like the climate control retrofit. this is a super nice build!

[Grumpys93]

I love me some bodevision! Looking forward to exterior part 2.

[Raf99]

A lot going on here. Can we get a drop off day 4, 5, 6

So you are having a shop do all the body work and paint it? Same color?

[SSMAccord]

Exterior 1 Continued

I knew going in that the rust on the quarter panels would have to be addressed sooner or later, but I had been putting that off. The past couple of summers had been spent doing all of the previous projects and by 2018 it was time to look into getting the body work done to at least stop the rust from getting worse.

Driver's Side Rust


Passenger's Side Rust




After setting a budget and making a document to define the scope of the repair, I went to get estimates for the work. I came across a bunch of places that wouldn't tackle a rust repair, which is fine. I did finally find a place to get the rust repaired. Instead of doing full quarter panel replacements, the shop left most of the original metal in place and welded in small patch panels. Surprisingly, there was no rust hiding behind the side skirts on the rocker panels.

After the repair







The result was a little rough looking, but it also totaled 1/2 of the estimated cost. Before getting to the rust repair I had walked through the intent for the exterior bodywork with the shop and knew that the rust repair was part of a larger bodywork job that would finesse the rust repair areas. To stay on budget, the rust repair was the first step in the process; it was to be followed by a full repaint at a later date.

Following the rust repair, I gave the car a once over and discovered that it was also having some severe rust on the fender that I had previously installed that couldn't be seen with the inner fender installed. So I spent the rest of the summer trying to locate a rust-free OEM fender in the rustbelt. A fool's errand in hindsight.

Fender off, trying to locate a replacement



After striking out a few times, I decided to pull the trigger on an aftermarket part and just deal with the odd fitment that could entail.




Since the rust had been repaired, it seemed like it was time to attempt to roll the rear fenders to prevent tire rubbing if a wider tire ever got fitted to the rear.

Fender rolling





By that time it was already late fall in Michigan and I figured I would just have the car painted in the spring of 2019. To save a bit of money I did the bulk of the disassembly of the trim and easily removed parts so the bodyshop wouldn't have to.

Disassembled Front End





Since I was trying to save money, I tried my hand at plastic welding the license plate holes in the front bumper to keep the shop from having to do it. (Thanks to Bodevision for doing a DIY on his youtube channel)

Bumper with filled holes





After that it was a matter of getting all of the parts labeled and placed into the car and then dropping it off at the shop.

Drop off 1



Drop off 2



Drop off 3

[SSMAccord]

Managed to find a fender in the same color and replaced the damaged fender that came on the car. That was fairly straight forward. The color match was ok. Transferred over the TSX wheels, headlamps, and taillamps. The window graphics and stickers were removed. The rear bumper and antenna would also need to be replaced as they were both damaged.

JDM One Piece Headlamps
E46 Projector Retrofit
Red/Clear Taillamps
CL9 OEM TSX Wheels

[SSMAccord]

I missed that last update; was the steering wheel a direct fit in terms of the airbag wiring? I remember reading that Honda changed its system at some point, so newer wheels aren't directly compatible with older SRS systems. I'm wanting that style of wheel as well.

I bought that wheel from overseas via eBay. It came without the airbag module due to shipping restrictions, which is fine I guess. I jumped the circuit at the connector on the steering column to make the SRS Warning Light go out. The horn connectors are also connected there to make it operate correctly. The CB column shroud has to be modified as the rear of the Euro-R wheel is deeper and collides with the shroud.

[CyborgGT]

I missed that last update; was the steering wheel a direct fit in terms of the airbag wiring? I remember reading that Honda changed its system at some point, so newer wheels aren't directly compatible with older SRS systems. I'm wanting that style of wheel as well.

[SSMAccord]

Content Update #9

Content Update: See post #9

KA Legend Automatic Climate Control
Chrome HVAC Toggles
Honda Titanium Shift Knob
Leather E-Brake Handle / Body
White LED conversions
CRV Window switches with LED mod
Mirror Mount Tweeters
CD Intermittent Wiper Conversion
KA Legend Stalk Boots
M139 Stainless Steel Carpet Protector

[SSMAccord]

Content update: See post #8

Sunvisor
RL Grab Handles
CD5 Steering Column
CL1 Euro-R Steering Wheel
P-Spec Short Shifter
FFC Shifter Bushing
TLX Frameless Mirror

[SSMAccord]

Damn, you're giving NH-503P-3 a run for his money. Very nice.

What paint do you use? Is it pretty sturdy stuff, not wearing from being touched too much, or if you accidentally scuff something against it?

Thanks.

Originally I was using SEM Color Coat Satin Black. I sanded, prepped, primed and painted the parts. I found that it wasn't the most durable finish and the gloss wasn't as matte as I wanted it to be. The console image in the post is Rustoleum Universal Flat Black. I followed the same process as I did with the previous SEM product. The gloss is more matte and the durability seems to be more robust as I haven't had any noticeable wear and tear.

[CyborgGT]

Damn, you're giving NH-503P-3 a run for his money. Very nice.

What paint do you use? Is it pretty sturdy stuff, not wearing from being touched too much, or if you accidentally scuff something against it?

[SSMAccord]

Content Update: See post #7

Door panel vinyl wrap
Suede upholstered SE door inserts
Suede upholstered door lower to replace carpet
Leather wrapped door armrests
Sanded / painted map pocket trim
Transparent Red painted courtesy lights
eBay black door handles (painted black for gloss)
Suede wrapped A/B/C pillars/headliner

[SSMAccord]

Content Update:

Interior Tear Down
Recaro Euro-R seat install
Recaro Seat Rails
Aftermarket seat brackets
1991 Black Instrument Panel
90-91 Accessory Armrest
BB6 Prelude Cluster Swap