Accord, A Long-Term Project
Welcome to my fourth-generation Honda Accord! It was given to me as a first car and initially I had planned to scrap it once I could afford a 'real' car, but it has really grown on me. I probably owe that to the community over at CB7Tuner.com, and what those guys were making of what I at first glance took to be a boring commuter car. I now have great plans for mine as a long-term member of my garage. Its combination of practicality and performance potential - at least for my own desires - make it an ideal daily driver and weekend toy.
PAST...
'92 Accord LX sedan
I no longer own the sedan, but the gist of the car by the time I got rid of it in the fall of 2012 was a '92 LX model with an H22A swap and a handful of other minor modifications:
Engine: 1997 H22A (JDM) / AEM short ram intake / Bisimoto thermal intake manifold gasket / Spoon header / resonator delete + Magnaflow muffler.
Suspension: Tein S-tech springs (~2" drop) / Energy Suspension polyurethane sway bar end links
Chassis: Explicit Speed Performance 70A polyurethane engine mounts.
Brakes: Brembo slotted rotors & Hawk HPS pads in front (stock rear drums)
Exterior: mild engine bay tuck with PS+AC+Cruise deletes / Acura Legend hood struts / JDM one-piece headlights with Acura TSX projector retrofit and Morimoto 35W/5000K HID / DIY blacked-out grille / Spoon style front lip / EK Civic EX style red-clear taillights / JDM CD6 Accord "SiR" trunk emblem / USDM EM1 Civic Si "DOHC VTEC" quarter panel decals.
Interior: Kenwood KDC-MP342U head unit / Inifinity Reference 6022i speakers / DIY check engine light switch
As I got more into the CB chassis I began to want a wagon variant. I've always loved wagons anyway, but it's become a life goal to see the 49 states of the US that are possible to drive to. What better car to road trip in than a wagon? So when my sedan started experiencing an intermittent electrical short that would kill engine power, rather than put too much effort into diagnosing the problem, I took it as an excuse to pull the engine for a real build, ditched the chassis, and pick up a reliable daily driver so I could more seriously plan out where I want to go with my project car...
I no longer own the sedan, but the gist of the car by the time I got rid of it in the fall of 2012 was a '92 LX model with an H22A swap and a handful of other minor modifications:
Engine: 1997 H22A (JDM) / AEM short ram intake / Bisimoto thermal intake manifold gasket / Spoon header / resonator delete + Magnaflow muffler.
Suspension: Tein S-tech springs (~2" drop) / Energy Suspension polyurethane sway bar end links
Chassis: Explicit Speed Performance 70A polyurethane engine mounts.
Brakes: Brembo slotted rotors & Hawk HPS pads in front (stock rear drums)
Exterior: mild engine bay tuck with PS+AC+Cruise deletes / Acura Legend hood struts / JDM one-piece headlights with Acura TSX projector retrofit and Morimoto 35W/5000K HID / DIY blacked-out grille / Spoon style front lip / EK Civic EX style red-clear taillights / JDM CD6 Accord "SiR" trunk emblem / USDM EM1 Civic Si "DOHC VTEC" quarter panel decals.
Interior: Kenwood KDC-MP342U head unit / Inifinity Reference 6022i speakers / DIY check engine light switch
As I got more into the CB chassis I began to want a wagon variant. I've always loved wagons anyway, but it's become a life goal to see the 49 states of the US that are possible to drive to. What better car to road trip in than a wagon? So when my sedan started experiencing an intermittent electrical short that would kill engine power, rather than put too much effort into diagnosing the problem, I took it as an excuse to pull the engine for a real build, ditched the chassis, and pick up a reliable daily driver so I could more seriously plan out where I want to go with my project car...
PRESENT...
'93 Accord EX wagon
A bit backward from typical project cars, I tackled the engine before picking up the chassis to put it in, so it took forever for me to get back into another Accord. The big goal for this car is something fun to road trip in, to see the 49 continental United States. To that end, it will need to be comfortable enough inside to endure the long hours on the road, so going for ultimate performance would be pointless. As for the engine itself, living at an elevation of 5,000 ft will make things difficult, but for now I'd like to explore what can be done naturally aspirated while still passing emissions. Much more long term, I'd like to get a small turbo in there for a responsive 300 to 350 whp, but that is dependent on me being able to do that while maintaining power steering and air conditioning. I'd rather the car be comfortable than powerful.
H22A (closed deck)
Power: 202 whp at around 7,000 rpm (no torque figure available at dyno)
Electronics: Hondata S300 / AEM gauges
Intake: K&N Apollo enclosed filter / custom 70mm pipe / 68mm throttle / Accord Euro R manifold / Hondata thermal gasket
Fuel: AEM pressure regulator / Rosko Racing rail / Acura RDX injectors / Walbro 255 lph pump
Head: Skunk2 Pro 2 cams + adjustable gears / Supertech complete valve train with dished valves, except for GSC guides
Block: re-sleeve with Wiseco 11.5:1 pistons / Eagle H-beam rods / ATI crank damper / urethane mounts & traction bar
Exhaust: All stainless: Modified PLM header into a catted exhaust that is 2.5" from collector to just before bends around gas tank, where it steps up to 3".
Progress has been slow, no small thanks to having another car that I can't resist modifying, but as I do progress through the wagon build, these links will eventually lead you to very thorough break-downs of each aspect of the car:
Click to view summary pages:
- Powertrain
- Exterior
- Chassis
- Interior
In-Depth Timeline Progress Pages:
- STAGE 1 : From chassis purchase to dyno tune. Includes auto-to-manual transmission conversion, swapping in a built H22, and other minor mods.
- STAGE 2 : Getting the car ready for comfortable, reliable road tripping.
FUTURE...
Beyond the H22 build, the plan for the project is to continue in large, focused chunks: chassis, transmission, interior, etc. Speed, style, comfort, and reliability, I want it all. I'll be trying to pick up as many skills as possible to minimize outsourcing of labor. Once the engine is built, the car is drivable and in a good enough state to put on pause, I'm going back to school for a proper education in welding to pick up another skillset, so maybe I can settle into a career I actually enjoy and beef up my budget. This entire car is thought out top-to-bottom pretty thoroughly in my mind. I could go on and on about my plans, but I'll try to hold back to keep the updates interesting. I just need time...