97_Built

Been on the forum for a little while and have talked to a few of you guys already about this build I've been working on. I'll just start from day one.

Starting from Rice, er, scratch i mean.
Oct. 2008




Decided to do a few mods since the timing belt shredded up. I thought for sure that the motor was done for so I kinda jumped the ball on a good offer for a complete built head and block that consisted of:
Full Race H22 head by Endyn
Skunk2 Tuner 2 cams and gears
Skunk2 springs, retainers
Supertech Nitride coated flat-face valves
Darton MID Sleeved block by ERL (89.5mm bore) 2.3.
Wiseco Pistons
Crower I beam rods
Knife-edged crank
Pro Drive oil pump
OBX pan
ACL Bearings
ARP fittings
Greddy Extreme Timing Belt
ACT Pro Light 9.9lb flywheel
4 puck clutch

I obviously couldn't even think about completing this task alone, so I went to Mike Glaser, who soon became a really great friend of mine. Having extensive experience in the automotive world, I knew I had nothing to worry about when I asked him for the favor. And a big thanks to Jeremy for all the complicated wiring and tuning.

This is where it all started.




Picked up a Skunk2 IM, DC Header,




A little bit of rewiring for the change from OBD2 to OBD1 as well as the addition of a genuine P72 and Hondata S300.


No more chrome!


This is how she was after the build that completed on 5/31/09... and a good wax later.







4 thousand miles later, And.... this is how she is still sitting today...







....Yeah. By now, you're probably wondering what the hell happened. So, let me enlighten you.
My brand spankin' new ERL Darton MID sleeved block decided to crack due to improper sleeve installation.
At least, that's what ERL told me until they decided not to warranty the block and screwed me out of 2k. Apparently, they don't even have an established warranty system at all! They even had the kahunas to say "We can build you a new one if you like for around 2300". Uh, no.
So, with a completely useless block, and an incapacitated prelude, I was forced to leave her parked until I could come up with the cash to get her rolling again.
Well, that time has finally come. I decided to flip ERL the birdie and went searching for a reputable company that knew how to keep customers and kept a high level of quality in their work. With this in mind, I discovered Race Engine Development out of CA. Steve is the real thing when it comes to the Darton MID sleeve. After all, being the guy who designed, and holds the patent, his words made complete sense. "If I can't sleeve it right, nobody can".
Currently, he's working on the new block. I decided to use the same pistons and rods, since they were in great shape minus the #2 rod that suffered some scorching when the block cracked. The new block will be almost identical to the first one, other than having the 55mm mains that only came in the 98-01 H22A4's. This required a new crank, obviously.
Luckily, 98Luder, from the forum, had a low mileage H22 crank that was in excellent shape and for an unbeatable price. Thx again 98Luder. +1!
I sent the crank to Steve so he can do his magic.
I'm happy to say that I got my hands dirty on the prelude today for the first time in quite a while. While waiting for the block to be finished, I decided to work on the appearance.

This is what we did today. (4-7-2010)

I decided to do quite a few other changes that were way past due.
Went with the Extreme Dimensions Type M (Mugen Replica) duraflex kit.


After a couple of hours, we finished all the trimming and adjustments required to get the front bumper to line up nice. The pic below is of the bumper just kinda propped, not bolted on, which explains the huge gap.


We'll be working on the rest of the kit soon, I'll keep this updated as much as possible.

mouab18c1

iTrader: (5)

Good Luck! Check out my Thread as well.. Just look for my username

beaner_vtec

Nice job picking out a (replica) Mugen kit. How's the fitment?

ogshokka

Damn good job so far.

97_Built

Thanks guys. Definitely took some work and measuring to get the front bumper to fit. But I suppose all kits aren't going to come in the box ready to paint and bolt on.

ken9

What did you do with the chrome rims?

Kyle R

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear about your engine trouble. Good luck with the build.

sillyboi

When i saw the kit n the chrome i was 0_0.. haha good luck with build. keep it up.

97_Built

I sold them a few months back. Like I said, I was a complete newb to the import world when I bought the car. At that time I was going from a 2003 standard F150 to a prelude, so I wasn't too picky. Now all I can think of is how unique, but stylish I can get this prelude without making it gawky. I know the RSX wheels and Mugen Kit aren't super unique, but to be honest, the only preludes driving around my area are either riced out completely, or bone stock. So, at least there wont be any ludes like mine within 100 miles.

dc4teg95

Always good to see a 97+ prelude build from time to time

97_Built

I gave Skunk2 a call today and ordered my Skunk2 Pro 1 cams, valves, springs, retainers and spring bases. They should arrive by mid next week.

We didn't have much time tonight so we almost got the front bumper perfected. However, I did get a few more pics of some parts that will be going on the lude soon.

This is the new RMF replica header that seems to have no part number or anything to identify itself by. The work looks pretty high quality and the ports/runners are definitely big enough. Has the 2.5" collector. I suppose we'll just have to see what kind of numbers it'll produce later on.






Apexi WS2 universal muffler.


I decided to go with the Integra Type R cluster because of the 10k tach vs the stock prelude 8k.


The same 2006 Acura Type S 17" wheels with new 225/45R Falken Azenis tires.


A quick picture of the rest of the body kit that will be the next step.

FTNW

nice build

97_Built

The package arrived today, finally!
And it had a lot of goodies inside...

Skunk2 Pro 1 series cams...




Skunk2 Pro series valves... flat face, stock size...






Skunk2 Pro series spring bases...




Skunk2 Pro series springs...





Skunk2 Pro series titanium retainers...




Hopefully, if I can find a baby sitter, lol, I'll be installing all of this into the Endyn head tomorrow. More pics to come!

97_Built

Installed the OEM rear bumper, did a lil bit more fabing on the mugen front, put on the RSX Type S wheels with new Falken Azenis tires, and contemplated how the hell we're gonna try do do the sides and rear addons.

Nate13

Great progress man, I like where this is going. plans for suspension work?

97_Built

Thanks a lot!

I probably won't be doing any suspension or height modifications until the break-in miles are done. Then I'll be slowly getting the turbo kit, a lil bit at a time. Haven't really decided on the type of suspension yet. I'm just mainly concerned about getting the car back on the road, and everything under the hood complete. I got a lot more suspension research to do...

97_Built

Took a break from the body kit for a lil while and disassembled the clusters to figure out the best way to utilize the features of the Type R cluster while keeping it stock looking.


Decided to roll back the odometer since the car's getting a new block along with several other parts.

Just like new!


Here are a few more pics of the progress we've made on the front bumper so far. I'll be heading out later this afternoon to attempt the remaining parts of the kit.

ken9

Look alright, but you gonna get the stratches fix infront..

1slo22cl

I like the Type-S wheels on there

97_Built

Mike and I started fabricating the ITR cluster to fit the preludes dash and cluster housing. I've never done any work with fiberglass before so all this new to me. I'll show this step by step for anyone who may be interested. If you know what you're doing, you can really make just about anything. Talk about making your ride unique...

First, we needed to remove the gauge housing from the rest of the housing that goes on the front of the prelude cluster. We did this simply by heating up a hacksaw blade, or a kitchen knife if you like, by torch, then running the blade along the inside trim.



Then we ran it back through again to clean up any imperfections.


After some filing, this is what it looked like...


Next, we traced out the space inside and used that to trace out a section of material, which could be anything from a T-shirt to a towel. Whatever material you use will effect the strength and flexibility of the fiberglass once it dries. You would want to use something thin for a small project such as this one, and something thick for a project such as body panels/repair.


Next was to apply the resin with hardener added, and spread it out evenly, saturating the material. This must be done quickly because if mixed properly, this will start hardening while you are working.



We then added another layer of material, and coated it with the resin as well.




After it was dry (around 30 minutes in front of a heater) we traced out the openings from the ITR cluster and started removing the unwanted fiberglass.





Next, we mounted it onto the bare ITR cluster and used a razor and file to trim the edges in order to make it flush.


The we taped the new face to the housing we trimmed earlier, and used more material and resin to mold the two together.



And, that's when we ran outta time today lol. I'll keep this updated asap.

upgrayedd

excellent work i LOVE these cars, and i love what your doing to this one. keep up the good work!

97_Built

Here are a few pics of the Endyn head from yesterday. We seated the valves and were planning on installing the rest of the head until we realized that I needed new valve seals. We forgot about the Skunk2 spacers that replace the stock spacers. The head looks a little dirty, even after the wash, but we're gonna clean her up really nice to get all the carbon and valve grinding compound off.

marc-111

iTrader: (1)

sick build bro! i like it

DrZFiNeSt

iTrader: (1)

Good job on saving this prelude's life

VDCdatatech

Very nice work!!!