jkrout

I've been seeing everyone convert to LED's in their cluster and decided to give it a try.

I didn't get the right bulbs but they still fit so its ok for now. I may end up ordering some more to replace my climate control, dome light, etc. and I'll probably get different ones then. I like the white lighting, but may order a set of amber also to try out.



Before


After

Regardless, I'm still really happy with how this turned out. Besides actually being white, the LEDs give a crisper appearance to the gauges. You can really see the difference on the indicator lights. Photos were taken with the same camera settings for comparison. For $5 and about 20 minutes of time, this is probably one of the best modifications you can make.

I have acquired some parts recently and have a handful of other things I'd like to get done on the car but I am really busy with work this time of year. The little bit of free time I've had has been spent making some changes to my garage. I want to get some things sorted out with that first so it will make some of the bigger jobs on the car a little easier. I recently installed some additional lighting which has been awesome. My dad bought a new air compressor and I got his old one so I'm working on finding a spot for that and running some lines to get that set up how I want it. I'm hoping to make some major progress on the garage this weekend so I can turn my attention back to car and get my suspension installed.

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

^ Completely agree. I went blue, considering going red but i'm very happy with the outcome. White looks great too!

jkrout

Picked up a new pair of seats. I prefer the cloth seats over the vinyl and they are in better shape than my current seats. Plan is to convert them to black with some dupli-color fabric paint.

jkrout

Thanks! Its an improvement but I will probably end up going red or amber at some point.


Well, between yard work and working on my garage changes I haven't done much on the car in the last couple weeks. I did buy some more parts though After reading lots of reviews, I ended up ordering a set of Federal RS-R tires. I also scored a used Nardi steering wheel on eBay. The tires should be here tomorrow but I need to finish painting my wheels before I get them mounted. The steering wheel is coming from Japan and is scheduled for delivery in 4 weeks. I'll probably forget about it by then, so it should be a nice surprise when it finally arrives lol.

I'm hoping to get some more things finished on the garage this week/weekend so I can clear some space and get back to working on the car.

teggyluva90

Very nice start of your build dude I'm in. A db7 build . Good choice in front seats I had those in my tan interior RS I had was converting to black but ended up selling it when I joined the military two years ago sadly(had no where to keep it) but now building my true dream integra my 96 gsr blk interior. These ohio an PA salt man is so joke my gsr has tons of rust I need to fix in my engine bay an a bit on the exterior body but not major like your quarter panel Jesus. Smart too one builds the suspension an body first then performance so fools do the opposite then crash or worse die :/ when the body can't handle power. Anyways enough me ranting lol goodluck.

jkrout

Thanks for the positive feedback! I always liked Integra's as a kid so its fun to have one now. They're fun to drive, cheap, and easy to work on. I've definitely learned a few things over the years. I'll have more fun with some suspension and tire upgrades than with a few extra HP

I added this to the first post as well but thought I would post it here too.

Currently...
To-Do List

• Replace fuel filter
• Replace air filter
• Paint wheels
• 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
• Install steering wheel and hub

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, this list keeps growing as I acquire parts. At this point, I have most of the major components to get the car where I want it to be, I just need the time to get to work on it. There are still I few things I want to pick up but I'm putting the buying on hold until I can catch up with the work I want to get done.

jkrout

Fedex dropped these off today. Pretty excited about trying them out.

jkrout

Ok, updates...

First, my wife hit a deer two weeks ago in her Forester so it was in the body shop for over a week. I wasn't able to get any work done on the car during that time because I was relying on it for a second mode of transportation. Now that we have her car back I was able to get some things accomplished.

My Nardi wheel arrived looking great! I removed all the SRS system and was able to get the hub in place and the wheel temporarily installed.







I have decided to convert my entire interior to black. I've been trying to talk myself into keeping the tan but I've been doing some research on interior paints and it seems people are getting good results as long as you prep properly. So I figure, its a $1200 car, I might as well go for it. Since I now have the cloth seats in charcoal and my new steering wheel is black I would just go all the way. I decided just to dive in and painted most of the dash components last weekend. I'm working on masking and prepping the dash now. That will be the biggest part of the job so hopefully I can get that done this weekend and start putting that part of the car back together. I think I am going to be doing amber LEDs for the dash lighting and while its all accessible I might as well do it now.

I also spent most of my day Saturday, painting my wheels.


Before...


After

After a lot of deliberation I went with white. I love the all white GAB sports and since these are replicas...
I'm definitely not trying to pass them off as real, just replicating the look. I used Rustoleum enamel. 4 coats of color, 3-4 coats of clear. I'm giving them a few days to dry so the paint car harden before going to get the tires mounted.



Next, I'll be finishing up painting the interior pieces and re-do my headliner. I am also finally going to get into the suspension work and get all those parts installed.

jkrout

Finished the dash...




Waiting on new LED bulbs to arrive before I install the climate control and cluster. I have the center console done also. I just need to do the door panels now and then get new fabric for my headliner and get that covered also. I definitely prefer the look of black over tan and will be glad I did it when its finished. However, it is A LOT of work to paint your interior, if you're taking the time to prep everything properly. Make sure you are 100% committed to making the color change before you paint anything.

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

Love the white wheels. I'm such a sucker for them. I'm about to paint my Buddy Club wheels white too. Digging the steering wheel.

jkrout

Thanks! I like the look of white but I've never had white wheels before so we'll see how much work they are to keep clean

I'm hoping to get the tires mounted this weekend and finally start on the suspension. I've been sidetracked with the interior and re-configuring my garage space the last couple weeks so it keeps getting put off. I've wanted to get the garage setup a little better before tearing into the suspension though and I feel like I'm there now. Hope to have more updates soon.

REPTAR

what did you use to paint the dash? since I cant drive until February anyway, im pulling my car in the garage and fixing all the little things I haven't wanted to take it off the road for (oil pan gasket, refinish wheels, more wire tuck, etc) and id love to do this and the carpet while I have it apart

jkrout

I used duplicolor vinyl and fabric paint on the dash. I have a can of SEM flat black trim paint also that I tried on the kick panels and it seems to be a bit more durable. I would recommend going with SEM over Duplicolor if you have that option.

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

Honestly they aren't that bad. You have to really neglect them for a while before they become obviously dirty imo. I would recommend getting a low dust brake pad if you can though. They help quiet a bit.

jkrout

Any recommendations for brake pads? Ideally something low dust that would still perform well in autox

_decker

iTrader: (15)

Browsing through this thread and those seats looked familiar.

I've had success using Hawk HPS for Autocross. They are relatively inexpensive, work well when cold and the dust isn't excessive.

jkrout

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check those out. Seats are working out great by the way

jkrout

I started on the suspension this weekend and have been chipping away at it since then. I pulled the old springs and struts. I also wanted to paint my calipers. Nothing flashy, just want them to look clean.

Disassembled...



Ready to be re-assembled



I figured while I was going through the trouble of disassembling them, I may as well just replace the seals as well. So those are on order. I also noticed a torn outer boot on the driver's side axle. I remembered noticing it a while ago, but it never made any noise so I actually forgot about it. I have a new axle on order so I can replace it while everything is accessible. The sway bar end links looked a little tired too so I have some new end links ordered also.

Installed my OEM strut bar.


Gave the daily a little cleaning too...


Just waiting on parts at this point. Then I can finish putting the front end back together and start on the rear of the car.

Prudz_lude

iTrader: (1)

Looking great man!

jkrout

Thanks! It's slowly coming together


I got my tires mounted today...


I couldn't resist temporarily mounting one to get an idea of how they'll look.


I'm pretty anxious to get the front of the car back together so I can get it on the ground and see how it looks with the drop and new wheels. Hopefully over the next few days I'll be able to get at least the front suspension sorted.

jkrout

I was able to get some things done with the 4 day weekend even though I worked most of the day Saturday.

After some struggling, I finally succeeded in changing the seals on the my calipers. I tried a couple methods for getting the outer seal seated and the only one I had any success with was compressed air. It took me a while on the first caliper but once I established my method the second one was relatively easy. I also cleaned up the hardware and regreased the caliper pins. Anyway, they are finally done...


Got the new axle installed. It was my first time changing one of those and I was surprised at how simple it was. The biggest challenge was breaking the axle nut loose but nothing a little heat and a breaker bar couldn't handle.


I also got my sway bar endlinks installed. The calipers are back on the car but the brakes still need to be bled. I'm going to rebuild the rears as well so obviously waiting until that's done so I can bleed the whole system at once. I did start on the rear tonight and as expected the lower strut bolts are seized to the metal sleeve inside the bushing. I'm going to have to end up cutting that bolt, removing the control arm and either replacing the bushing or the whole arm. I'll probably just go ahead and the get the energy suspension bushings and just deal with that process while I've got it apart. I didn't have time or energy to work anymore on that tonight so that will be my next few days or so of work. I find it much more enjoyable working on the car when I have another to drive everyday. Whenever I get frustrated with something I can walk away and work on it another day.

Here's a quick shot with the front suspension done and the wheels back on the car. Even got the stars and stripes in there on Memorial Day.

miguel aguirre

Great build/restore. I'm doing something similar and its not easy. Looking great so far!

jkrout

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. Working with older cars can definitely test your patience sometimes. Just keep at it!

Chrisfrom1986

iTrader: (1)

Looking really good, I'm trying to get my rs to that point soon. Keep up the good work.

K20A3F00L

If you can share what all you are doing to your audio system with the delete plate and all? I would like to know more about it as I am restoring/refreshing a 97 DX Coupe with 336K on the clock and I don't want people knowing I have a small system in the car or at all lol.

Definitely liking the sedan since they are often overlooked, loving the green/white look.