Ill get right to it. I just bought a 1998 Acura Integra as my new daily driver and this is where Ill be keeping the build log.
Little background on me.... Im 33 years old, helicopter mechanic in the Marine Corps for the last 15 years or so, have been a car guy since I was 14. I have built and modified many different types of cars, American Muscle and Old School Big Bodys, European Sport Compact and Luxury, Trucks and even some bikes. I recently just sold 2 of my cars, a 73 Caprice and an 05 Impala which left me with just my 04 Ram 1500 and my Harley. Well its been cooling down here in NJ recently so Ive been driving the truck instead of the bike for my 45 minute trip to work each day and decided that 11 mpg sucks. I made the decision to buy a daily driver that not only gets good gas mileage but also would be enjoyable to play around with. When I was in high school I wanted either an Integra or a Prelude. I never ended up with either. I have not really had a chance to build a tuner/import so figured this would be as good a time as any. So I started my hunt. My requirements were:
-Integra or Prelude, 2 door or hatchback
-5 Speed Manual Transmission
-Low mileage for the year
-Good mechanical condition
-As close to stock as possible (I didn't want to inherit someone elses headache or have to un-do 5 previous owners worth of half assed, shortcutted jobs.
I wasn't really in a rush so I kept my eyes open. Eventually I came across a 1998 Acura Integra hatchback. It had 100,512 miles, was a single owner vehicle, ran very well, interior was amazing condition, exterior was pretty good, and best of all it was a virgin. Not a single mod to it at all. It even had the stock Acura CD player installed still. I found the car. I bought it and took it home. Below is the list of what I found that needed attention or repair.
-Drivers window does not go down. No sound of motor engagement.
-ABS light on. Was told it was the passenger front sensor.
-Hood does not latch closed easily. It takes about 10 minutes of messing with the latch to get it to hold closed. The lever does not spring back forward when pulled to open the hood.
-Tires will need replacing before winter. I plan to do the wheels at the same time.
-Both sides have some rust on the rear fender above the tire.
-Power antenna does not retract.
So I bought the following parts to repair those issues:
-Drivers window motor.
-Hood latch assembly.
-Hood release lever and cable assembly.
-Power Antenna motor and mast.
-Front drivers and passengers ABS sensors.
And then, the next day while I was driving, the exhaust got really loud. I pulled over and found that the piping had rusted through and broke right after the cat and was hanging down. Perfect timing, it couldn't have happened 3 days prior.... dammit. So I got underneath and the entire exhaust system is pretty rusted out. I had planned to eventually replace the entire exhaust from the header back but didn't plan to do it so quickly. I didn't have much time to research so I went off the little bit I could do. I ordered the following for the exhaust:
-Hytech Style 4-2-1 header
-Skunk2 Test Pipe (will replace with magnaflow high flow cat later)
-Ebay cat back exhaust system with carbon fiber tip (was just looking for a cheap throw on kit until I do enough research to find the one I want.)
As far as the wheels and tires, I am researching and will replace them together here shortly. I just need to ensure that there will be no fitment issues. Im looking at the Rota JMAG wheels, 16x7 +40 offset with 205/45ZR16 tires. I will lower the car about 1.5-2" all around. Camber will be kept as close to 0 as possible. I don't like stretched tires, super negative camber, or the low offset wheels that stick out the sides. I prefer a clean look.
So that's it for now. Ill continually update this thread as I work on the car and do stuff. Feel free to chime in and give me advice or ask advice as you want. Ill post pics in the next comment.
Im sure that Ill find a few other things as I own it and work on it. But that's all good, I enjoy working on cars. That's it for now, Ill add more and update as I work on it.
Little background on me.... Im 33 years old, helicopter mechanic in the Marine Corps for the last 15 years or so, have been a car guy since I was 14. I have built and modified many different types of cars, American Muscle and Old School Big Bodys, European Sport Compact and Luxury, Trucks and even some bikes. I recently just sold 2 of my cars, a 73 Caprice and an 05 Impala which left me with just my 04 Ram 1500 and my Harley. Well its been cooling down here in NJ recently so Ive been driving the truck instead of the bike for my 45 minute trip to work each day and decided that 11 mpg sucks. I made the decision to buy a daily driver that not only gets good gas mileage but also would be enjoyable to play around with. When I was in high school I wanted either an Integra or a Prelude. I never ended up with either. I have not really had a chance to build a tuner/import so figured this would be as good a time as any. So I started my hunt. My requirements were:
-Integra or Prelude, 2 door or hatchback
-5 Speed Manual Transmission
-Low mileage for the year
-Good mechanical condition
-As close to stock as possible (I didn't want to inherit someone elses headache or have to un-do 5 previous owners worth of half assed, shortcutted jobs.
I wasn't really in a rush so I kept my eyes open. Eventually I came across a 1998 Acura Integra hatchback. It had 100,512 miles, was a single owner vehicle, ran very well, interior was amazing condition, exterior was pretty good, and best of all it was a virgin. Not a single mod to it at all. It even had the stock Acura CD player installed still. I found the car. I bought it and took it home. Below is the list of what I found that needed attention or repair.
-Drivers window does not go down. No sound of motor engagement.
-ABS light on. Was told it was the passenger front sensor.
-Hood does not latch closed easily. It takes about 10 minutes of messing with the latch to get it to hold closed. The lever does not spring back forward when pulled to open the hood.
-Tires will need replacing before winter. I plan to do the wheels at the same time.
-Both sides have some rust on the rear fender above the tire.
-Power antenna does not retract.
So I bought the following parts to repair those issues:
-Drivers window motor.
-Hood latch assembly.
-Hood release lever and cable assembly.
-Power Antenna motor and mast.
-Front drivers and passengers ABS sensors.
And then, the next day while I was driving, the exhaust got really loud. I pulled over and found that the piping had rusted through and broke right after the cat and was hanging down. Perfect timing, it couldn't have happened 3 days prior.... dammit. So I got underneath and the entire exhaust system is pretty rusted out. I had planned to eventually replace the entire exhaust from the header back but didn't plan to do it so quickly. I didn't have much time to research so I went off the little bit I could do. I ordered the following for the exhaust:
-Hytech Style 4-2-1 header
-Skunk2 Test Pipe (will replace with magnaflow high flow cat later)
-Ebay cat back exhaust system with carbon fiber tip (was just looking for a cheap throw on kit until I do enough research to find the one I want.)
As far as the wheels and tires, I am researching and will replace them together here shortly. I just need to ensure that there will be no fitment issues. Im looking at the Rota JMAG wheels, 16x7 +40 offset with 205/45ZR16 tires. I will lower the car about 1.5-2" all around. Camber will be kept as close to 0 as possible. I don't like stretched tires, super negative camber, or the low offset wheels that stick out the sides. I prefer a clean look.
So that's it for now. Ill continually update this thread as I work on the car and do stuff. Feel free to chime in and give me advice or ask advice as you want. Ill post pics in the next comment.
Im sure that Ill find a few other things as I own it and work on it. But that's all good, I enjoy working on cars. That's it for now, Ill add more and update as I work on it.