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I got started with Honda's back in 2003 and had a 1994 Civic Si as my first car. I spent the next 5 years modifying the car and eventually sold the car 2008. I then moved on to Subarus and got a 2002 Impreza 2.5RS. From there I upgraded to a 2002 WRX. I sold that and drove a lifted Jeep XJ for a few years. Then, just recently got a 2005 Forester XT as my daily driver.
Now, after 7 years, I've got another Honda and am starting this 94 Integra project.
My plan is to build a fun street car that could also see some autox use. I've always wanted to attend a track day so I would like this car to be capable of that as well if/when that day comes. As I said above, I have the Forester XT to use as my daily driver so work on the Integra will be easier since I don't have to rely on it for daily use.
On to the car itself...
1994 Integra LS Sedan
B18B - 5 speed manual
Isle Green Pearl - Tan Interior
Current Modifications
16x7 Drag DR-16s
Type-R replica front lip
Yonaka Catback Exhaust
Upcoming Modifications
Neuspeed Sport Springs
Truhart Sport Struts
GSR OEM Strut Bar
Federal RS-R 205/45/16 tires
To-Do List
Replace air filter
Mount new tires
Install RTA bushings
Install springs/struts
Install GSR strut bar
Paint side moldings
Paint front lip and side skirts
Re-install interior panels
Random body/clear coat work
Work completed
New clutch master & slave cylinders
New inner & outer tie rod ends
Clear coat repair on roof, c-pillar, trunk lid
Steering rack adjustment
Painted valve cover and install new valve cover gasket
Rear quarter panel rust repair
Dye carpet black
New NGK spark plugs and wires
New fuel filter
Paint wheels
Here are a few pictures from shortly after I bought the car... Exterior is fairly clean and has almost no rust. That was definitely the biggest selling point on this car
B18B runs pretty strong but looking a little rough
Tan interior was extremely dirty
Somewhere along the way, someone hacked up the headliner. Not only is the fabric missing but they cut out a huge section of the headliner structure
Washed the car and repainted the stock hub caps that came in the trunk of the car.
Found a pretty good deal on a set of 16x7 Rota DR-16s with Nitto Neogen tires on craigslist. The wheels are in fantastic condition. The tires no so much but they should have a few thousand miles left in them.
That's pretty much how it sits now. With the car being 21 years old, I've already begun to notice things wearing out so I will be upgrading where I can as things began to wear out. The exhaust being the latest casualty. The midpipe came apart due to rust at the flange where it meets the catalytic converter. I thought I was going to have to get a new cat too but I was able to torch and remove the rest of the flange that was still bolted to the cat.
Rust sucks...
I have heard good things about the Yonaka exhausts so I ordered one of their catbacks. It should be here today. Its been about two weeks since I've driven the car due to the exhaust issue so I'm looking forward to getting that installed.
Last edited by jkrout; 05-12-2016 at 07:49 AM.
Reason: updated work completed
Here's a recent shot of the engine bay. Valve cover painted with VHT wrinkle paint. I also did some degreasing and tucked some of the wiring around the shock towers. I am still dealing with a seeping valve cover gasket (despite changing the gasket) so once that is fixed I will be able to clean things up a little bit more.
*Sorry for the poor quality photos. They are all quick iphone shots for now. I will get some better quality shots at some point.
Pretty impressed with the quality just by looking at it. Looking forward to getting it bolted on.
It also came with gaskets, hardware, and a few other goodies...
And just for reference...
I purchased the 92-00 Civic 2DR/4DR fitment and the bends and hangers seem to match up perfectly with the old exhaust. We'll see if I run into any issues during the install...
Perfect fit. All hangers lined up and it bolted on in under an hour. I only took a short test drive but it sounds great from what I can tell. Not too loud during cruising but sounds good when you get on the throttle.
I could be wrong but doesnt it come with a sun roof? maybe it was cut out?
It does come with a sunroof but its still there. The cover was just open in the picture. When I pull the headliner again it will be easier to understand what I'm talking about.
Small update...
I am starting to look at tackling the little bit of rust starting to form on the rear quarter panels before winter gets here. My hope is to put a stop to it before it gets out of control. I pulled the trunk lining to get access to the backside of the panel.
Trunk stripped
You can see a little of what I'm dealing with here
Any thoughts or opinions on the simplest/best way to handle this?
My plan is to clean up this area and use some POR15 to hopefully stop it before it gets any worse. From the outside, sand it down to bare metal, POR15, prime, paint, clear. I'm definitely not an expert when it comes to body repair but I can do a serviceable job of blending the paint into the panel. I'm not going for show car quality just hoping to prevent or at least slow the rot on the panel.
I have some interior changes/repairs to make and those will probably be next on the list after I make some progress on the rust issues. I also received my new to me Neuspeed sport springs and 40/40 prop valve in the mail. Those two upgrades aren’t high on the priority list right now so they will have to wait. I’m entertaining the idea of pulling the engine this winter and replacing the clutch, fixing some leaks, tune-up, cleaning, etc. I pulled the motor on my ‘85 MR2 and it was a bit of a pain but from what I understand it’s a fairly straightforward process on Honda/Acura’s. So we’ll see...
Here's a quick shot of the headliner for those that were asking about it before... Here's a shot of the headliner currently. It's better but you can see where the material is coming loose
Also wanted to post a couple better photos of the car…
And I thought I’d add a shot of my daily driver.... 2005 Forester XT with catless TBE running Cobb Stage 2 map
Minor update...
The clutch started slipping this week
I know this isn't that big of a deal but it does have me reevaluating my plans a little bit.
Originally, I was considering swapping in a GSR or B16 transmission. Now may be the time to do that since I'm going to have to pull the transmission anyway. I wanted to pair that with a high comp B20 so it would be easiest to pull the whole engine/trans and do the whole swap at one time in an attempt to avoid doing things twice.
Considerations:
1. Buying a GSR for parts. I've seen a couple around with engine trouble. I could swap the transmission and either rebuild or part out the motor and part out the rest of the car to recover some funds
2. Shifting gears completely and finding an EG civic hatch to build and using the Integra as a donor car. I had an EG before and would love to have another. I just happened upon this car and its much cleaner than most Hondas/Acuras in the area so I thought it would be a good candidate for a build but I'm not overly attached to it.
I know a clutch replacement isn't the end of the world but I'm trying to be as efficient as possible with time and money so I'm trying to avoid doing and buying things twice. I'm just thinking if I'm going to make any major changes, now may be the time before I get in too deep on this car.
Well first off, that's probably not the car I would use as a donor car. That's actually a nice car, if you aren't attached to it, sell it. Use that money to buy a clean EG shell and the rest of the money for a shittier integra to use for parts.
BUT, that's a really good start you have there. 4dr integras are the ****. From there you can toss on a 5-lug, get some nice wheels, snag a b18c and a b16 trans, a decent coilover, bam. You could even keep it the same and run the b18b with a b16 trans to make it a lot more fun to drive.
There's Eg's all over, how often do you even see a 4dr integra, let alone a #cleanspec one. Just putting that out there.
Well first off, that's probably not the car I would use as a donor car. That's actually a nice car, if you aren't attached to it, sell it. Use that money to buy a clean EG shell and the rest of the money for a shittier integra to use for parts.
BUT, that's a really good start you have there. 4dr integras are the ****. From there you can toss on a 5-lug, get some nice wheels, snag a b18c and a b16 trans, a decent coilover, bam. You could even keep it the same and run the b18b with a b16 trans to make it a lot more fun to drive.
There's Eg's all over, how often do you even see a 4dr integra, let alone a #cleanspec one. Just putting that out there.
I agree its rare to see a clean 4dr integra and they look so good when done right. In all likelihood I'll just continue building this car. It can be discouraging searching for clean EG's around here anyway. Any other car is going to require as much or more body work than this one.
If anyone has a B16 or GSR tranny they are looking to sell let me know!
You can sand and por-15 that all you want it's past the point of "stopping it" I had less and did the same thing you thought of it still came through. That area is extremely hard to save, you can prolong it but I would be more than willing to bet if you cut that out you would see it's INSIDE the metal too. That wheel well is past the PNR sorry to say it will be coming from the inside out.
Build it, learn and try your best that's what I did with my first car way back just watch what you spend you'll get a fraction of what you put in.
You can sand and por-15 that all you want it's past the point of "stopping it" I had less and did the same thing you thought of it still came through. That area is extremely hard to save, you can prolong it but I would be more than willing to bet if you cut that out you would see it's INSIDE the metal too. That wheel well is past the PNR sorry to say it will be coming from the inside out.
Build it, learn and try your best that's what I did with my first car way back just watch what you spend you'll get a fraction of what you put in.
When I had my civic I had the rust repair done professionally and even then it began showing up again. I suppose that is the unfortunate reality of living in an area with snow and salty roads.
I'll still continue with my plan for the bodywork in an attempt to at least slow the process. Its not going to be a show car after all.
I am definitely watching my budget closely on this one. Car builds are unfortunately not a worthwhile investment lol. When I built my civic, I ended up selling the car for about 1/3 of what I had into it. Mostly because I was young and dumb and ended up changing directions with the car a couple times. I ended up doing a lot of things two or three times on that one.
That's part of the reason I wanted to get another Honda/Acura though. So I could build one now that I'm a little older and wiser than I was when I was 16
When I had my civic I had the rust repair done professionally and even then it began showing up again. I suppose that is the unfortunate reality of living in an area with snow and salty roads.
I'll still continue with my plan for the bodywork in an attempt to at least slow the process. Its not going to be a show car after all.
Same with a SUV I had rust started coming back in a half a years time before the winter even, the rust belt is brutal. Yup sounds just like me switching a buying things 3 times over as a teenager.
Originally Posted by Tight-R
That is NOT past the point of saving it IMO.
You must live in sunny CA where rust is a myth, that inner quarter right in the pinch is not going to be saved by sand paper and por-15. You get to know rust well if you live up north, prolong it sure but it's well INSIDE the meta by now nt surface rust.
Clean sedan previous owner must of garage keeped it. had to bondo my quarter panels witch isn't as strong as sheet metal. Those look like dr16 matches car great. At first thought sunroof was aftermarket installed. Me owned 5 integras the motors reliable and easy to fix. Thanks for posting the progress nice to see another entusest building it unique. Most ac integras are coupes it's fabulous to have quality parts put on a sedan. Have you thought about putting a carbon fiber defuser on that?
The weather has gotten colder here in the last few days so that has slowed my progress down a little bit. Fortunately, I have a heated garage but the wife has priority parking in there so I don't usually leave the car in there for more than a day or two at a time. I really wish I had a place to store the car inside for the winter.
At the top of my list right now is the rust repair. I want to at least get the surfaces prepped and POR-15 put on before winter hits to help slow things down. I did have NAPA mix up a few cans of G-71P (isle green pearl) paint for me the other day so I have that on hand whenever I can get to the finish work.
Its looking like I won't be driving the car for a while so I'm probably going to pull the motor and trans so I have easy access to the clutch over the winter. The engine has multiple oil leaks as well. The plan is, rather than spending the time and money to replace seals, gaskets, etc., I'm just going to swap a B20 in its place this spring.
Lots of Volkswagens put swade or silk on interior, be careful with chemicals especially spray paint if spend a lot of time in car, grey interior is an option and they have red carpets avalible but extremely rare. my thought on motor is take it apart rebuild it as a learning experience. It is complicated and needs certain tools and torque pressures. It depends on preference, you could build a lsvtec.. I'll post pictures of my car could get a idea to use. Parting it out has b20 with standered transmission if interested mississauga area.
Lots of Volkswagens put swade or silk on interior, be careful with chemicals especially spray paint if spend a lot of time in car, grey interior is an option and they have red carpets avalible but extremely rare. my thought on motor is take it apart rebuild it as a learning experience. It is complicated and needs certain tools and torque pressures. It depends on preference, you could build a lsvtec.. I'll post pictures of my car could get a idea to use. Parting it out has b20 with standered transmission if interested mississauga area.
It doesn't make sense to me to rebuild the B18 when I can upgrade to a B20 for less time and money. I'm not really interested in going ls/vtec either because of increased cost and potential reliability issues. Thanks for the post though!
11/24/2015
I was able to get the car in the garage yesterday and got a good start on the rust repair.
Stripping in progress...
Amazing how much rust is actually there considering its just begun to bubble through the surface, and this is a "clean" car for this area
Cut out some of the really bad metal. I'm not too worried about how the lower section looks since its going to be under the bumper cover anyway. Just trying to slow the rust as much as possible
One coat on the back of the panel
I'm not planning on putting any new metal in place of these holes. I'm hoping the POR15 will seal the edges well enough that I don't have to worry about new rust forming there. Should I be worried about that at all? Hoping to be able to get some more done on Friday.
I believe your answer to the rust issue was answered above, yes it should be a concern but if you don't have the funds to properly remove it than here's to hoping por15 extends the life of the car.
That looks really gone I didn't see holes at first but there's no stopping that, you can buy some time with por-15 but it will start to show through the new paint you apply after a few rainy drives. If a car was that rusted I wouldn't even keep it, the whole idea of por15 is to protect non-rusted areas like the wheel wells before they even begin oxidization or buy some time but a few drives on salted roads/rain it's pointless. That's just the truth of it
Just an idea but for those tough to reach spots I use a soda blaster it's easier than trying to cram in tight spaces, since you'll use it in the open if you use it sparingly you can reduce the mess, and they sell them pretty cheap and baking soda is fairly cheap too. Just a suggestion.
Nice progress... Looking forward to seeing where it goes... I miss the prelude I sold (as I am sure you understand with the civic...). I had neuspeed sports... I think you will really like them.
10-30-2015, 05:40 AM
94 LS DB7 build
