CyborgGT : 1993 Accord EX wagon

[SSMAccord]

I think the red for the badges that Honda used for that generation is R-81 Milano Red. It's possible that you could order it online as Dupli-Color makes it in a spray can. Or visit a local auto paint shop who can make an aerosol of the color on site.

[CyborgGT]

Thanks. A new grille is in the works, modifying the stock one for OEM fitment, I'm trying to find the right red to re-color the emblem. It's already sanded down to a clear background and ready to paint. I bought a couple cans of red at Wal-Mart that I thought were close matches to the DC2R red H I picked up for the tailgate, but I'm not happy with either one, so the hunt continues...

[Daheavyking]

Loving that front end!!!! Muy Bueno!!!

[Grumpys93]

I can't speak for exhaust clearance (the one in the car isn't routed like stock, and I've got a completely custom exhaust system waiting to go in with the new engine), but because of the urethane bushings, that long bolt connecting both arms to the knuckle is a real pain to get back in. Connecting the subframe ends first, I had to go back and forth between compressing and completely dropping the suspension with a jack to wrestle it as the bolt passed through each part. Maybe it would have been easier if I had started with the knuckle ends of the arms first, but then I imagined it being just as much of a fight to twist the arms into the subframe. Now that it's all together, and considering my custom exhaust, I'm not worried about the arms coming into contact with anything. Plus, I didn't weigh them but they do feel a bit lighter than the cast arms.

I’m running those control arms right now and when the car is jacked up they hit the 3” exhaust but when on the ground with weight on them I have a good inch or 2 of clearance and my exhaust is routed through the stock routing.

[SSMAccord]

Ha. I also had to buy one of these recently also. I tried to harvest one from an old grille and it crumbled in my hand as I tried to free it from the old grille. It's always very curious how these items end up en masse on eBay.

[CyborgGT]

Discontinued from Honda, but not from eBay! Found a brand new, perfectly mint front emblem for when I do the DIY grille. From what I read in some thread on here, you can sand off the black from the back side to paint it a different color, so that's what I'm going to attempt. Just need to find the right red to match my DC2R rear emblem.



Maybe I'm just a nerd for this stuff, but I'm really liking the older looking Genuine Honda tag, too. It's not even a sticker on the bag, it's a separate slip inside. Definitely going into my big binder of records for this car. The seller still has 9 available, if anyone wants to freshen up their '92/'93 grille: https://www.ebay.com/itm/383237691241.

[CyborgGT]

I can't speak for exhaust clearance (the one in the car isn't routed like stock, and I've got a completely custom exhaust system waiting to go in with the new engine), but because of the urethane bushings, that long bolt connecting both arms to the knuckle is a real pain to get back in. Connecting the subframe ends first, I had to go back and forth between compressing and completely dropping the suspension with a jack to wrestle it as the bolt passed through each part. Maybe it would have been easier if I had started with the knuckle ends of the arms first, but then I imagined it being just as much of a fight to twist the arms into the subframe. Now that it's all together, and considering my custom exhaust, I'm not worried about the arms coming into contact with anything. Plus, I didn't weigh them but they do feel a bit lighter than the cast arms.

[SSMAccord]

This looks like good use of forced isolation time. How is the fitment of the FFC parts compared to the stock wagon arms?

[CyborgGT]

And now, the dramatic second installment of "How Many Times Can the Same Person Hit Their Head on the Same Stationary Upper Control Arm?"...


New OEM toe adjustment bolts came in.




What remains of the old:




I did my best to keep the alignment correct. Copper anti-seize was applied liberally to every bolt that went back in, of course.




Seems the last no-muffler shop this car visited didn't care to put the effort into replicating factory exhaust routing, since the stock control arms are so generous for space. Will the FFC arm fit?













Now to re-mount the ABS sensor wires. Either I got the wrong arms, or FFC's "relocation kit" is just that poorly thought out. I got some P-clips from Home Depot, and used two of FFC's little L-brackets to secure the wire out of the way of possible damage while allowing slack for suspension movement.








All done. Just need to pick up a clamp-on turn-down for the exhaust as a temporary fix so I don't spew soot all over those shiny arms when I move the car. I see now why tie bars are worthless for these cars: the sway bar doesn't bolt to the rear face of the subframe like it does in other Hondas, so there's no real stress on it. If you're going to rip the sway bar bolts from the car under hard use, it'll be from those little brackets, and custom fab would be needed to beef those up.






There's so much work under there I wish I could do now. The bushings that the bottom of the dampers bolt to need to be replaced, but if I'm going to have them out, I want to get the knuckles and everything else powder coated, so I'm not removing them twice. One of my future plans is to have all of the suspension hard parts color-matched to my traction bar. My eventual 5-lug conversion is the best time to do that, though; just go through all of it at once, front and rear. Wheel bearings, lug studs, ball joints, bushings, new bolts where possible (...brakes?), and have everything powder coated while the parts are stripped bare. That's probably a couple-few years out, though.

[NSCB15]

I have a prelude shifter if you're interested. give me a pm, im in nova scotia canada.

[CyborgGT]

I've been looking around for Spoon-style lips, but it's weird how no one seems to be making them anymore. I would have thought they'd be more popular than the Mugen style that you can still get. Hm.


Anyway. I went to install the FFC rear arms today, but ran into the usual problem with the inner toe adjustment bolts. One actually came out as it should, after I dropped the whole subframe to give myself space to really wrestle with it, but the other side's just tore up the bushing and I ended up having to cut it off. The nuts didn't put up a fight at all, but the bolts themselves were seized into the bushing sleeves. No amount of rust penetrant or impact gun was helping. New bolts are on the way from Honda, so I'll update on that later...




While that project is halted, I finally broke out the intake manifold again to resume polishing it. I've pretty much got the whole thing up to 1200 grit now. I sped through some more steps (which will be revisited and done more thoroughly) up to final polishing on the plenum to see if I'm actually in for a nice finished project. Yeah it's a bit wavy, but this is my first attempt at polishing something so complex.

The sanding marks are making for some weird photos...










Until next weekend... I'll try to minimize nickel-and-diming my budget away in these boring days of sitting around the house.

[CyborgGT]

I can be overly picky a lot of the time.

[Grumpys93]

I was talking lip, not grille.

The saggy grille I have in the photos is just that cheapo "Type R style" that you can find anywhere. Chargespeed has the eyelids (on that red wagon there), which I'm not a fan of; I doubt that one sags, though. Jack Lee's is a replica of the G-Square grille, but i don't like that one either. The way it doesn't sit flush makes it look like it was designed for another car that people 'make work' on a CB... like back when people were putting CD5 grilles on CBs. Ick.

Hey! My CB has a g-square grille(replica) with the G-Square eyelids(legit). You better watch it buddy!

I totally agree though with the G-square, I honestly go back and forth between the OEM one and the G-Square. Only reason I like the G-square is because its Carbon Fiber, which ties in with the hood.

[CyborgGT]

I was talking lip, not grille.

The saggy grille I have in the photos is just that cheapo "Type R style" that you can find anywhere. Chargespeed has the eyelids (on that red wagon there), which I'm not a fan of; I doubt that one sags, though. Jack Lee's is a replica of the G-Square grille, but i don't like that one either. The way it doesn't sit flush makes it look like it was designed for another car that people 'make work' on a CB... like back when people were putting CD5 grilles on CBs. Ick.

[Grumpys93]

Also finding a legit chargespeed is probably next to impossible to find now a days. I think jack_lee makes replicas.