98vtec

I cannot tell you how many people I have lost track of and if you are still around, post up and let me know how you are doing and what you are into now.

I know the glory days are over but I think its time for a reconnect

PirateMcFred

Hola Blake. How's the Fam? I'm working overseas >8000 miles from my Prelude. I bought a house and built a garage for the BA8 project for when I get back.

How about you? How's the metal fab going, did you get a chance to test that super charger header?

-P

spoolinlude

Sup Dawgs,

I'm still around, post once a month or so.

Car runs ok - made 575 lifting the head. Replaced the studs and HG, new throttle body. Runs a lot better now. Debating on getting retuned or just leaving it. Really want to drive it this year. Working on putting the full interior back in it. Have a guy redoing the back seats, got some new carpet, and had some leather inserts from my old daily I'm going to put in it.

My main problem - TIME - and the lack of it. With work and coaching HS lacrosse, I have no time on weekdays, I die after 9pm. Spend weekends with the gf or family, and have gotten into other things like fishing and boating.

My goal for the car is to drive it this year! Even if its to and from work or to and from a cars/coffee.... just drive the damn thing already.

I think I've solved most of the problems (over heating, high idle, to name a few). I just haven't had a chance to really test everything I see if I've robustly solved my issues.

If the car still gets hot I have a few more ideas, lets pray it doesn't though.....

snobordboy

I guess I qualify as "old" as well.

After my car died on the dyno last year, it has been sitting in the garage waiting for me to do something, mainly install a stock H22A I have on a stand just to drive the damn thing. Of course I want to do an ABS delete while the bay is empty first.

Getting in the way of that is life, mainly having a kid this July, and trying to get some renos on the house done before that.

Currently running anywhere from 3-5 box lacrosse practices a week myself, but as a player not a coach, so I am pretty much dead every night as well, and trying to recover and stretch all day, as my 37 year old legs hate running! We drop down to a single practice a week and one game a week starting in May though, so mixing in a day of field with the old guys it will still be easier.

Keep debating selling my WRX and truck, and buying a C63, but it wouldn't be very practical right now, especially if I take a bunch of time off work to raise the kiddo. I need to hit the lottery, if only I bought tickets haha.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

I suppose I qualify too, though I was on preludepower with the old guys- ray, kyle, travis, adam, kevin. Which has pretty much slowly died since 2006 so I came here recently.

I realized when I dropped off the prelude map I wasn't really happy with my life. Quit my advertising job, broke up with my gf and just hopped a plane. Ended up finding some friends (and myself) on the Indonesian coastline surfing everyday. Returned to the states and decided to become a personal trainer. Couldn't have made a better decision. Sure it's not the money that advertising offered, but it's more rewarding in other ways. Have a great gf- well, fiancee actually-now and a 16 month old son together (I got his first Momo shift **** which was thrown at me immediately), along with her 10 year old daughter from a previous relationship. Gotta say- it's never too late to stop take stock and change direction

Anyways. The periwinkle blue 92 si died with a massive horrible headgasket failure that ruined the engine right before I left. I bought a white 96 si when I got back years ago and just kinda kept it but didn't work on it other than a jdm h22 swap. Now I'm full blown back into it, honestly I'm really relearning everything &buying parts left and right and enjoying Hondas again. Funny thing, I grew out of body or lip kits. 4thys look best all stock!

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

Edit: I'm pretty sure I'll keep my lude forever.

snobordboy

Good to hear that you got back into a Lude once you came back this way, and sometimes a nice easy reliable one is great fun.

Every time I think about what happened to mine I get a bit bummed, but it was a cam gear slipping to full retard at 7K on the dyno that did it, no fault of mine or the tuner.

Ever since I got really into my car, I have planned a boost build, which is why I am going to put the stock H22A back in and drive it a bit, saving funds for the BIG build haha.

My wife is nice enough to put up with it all, even if she givs me crap. Right now I have 4 full engines, 3 trans, a full set of front end body panels and doors, 3 sets of wheels and tires, all taking up space along with the full (currently engineless) car.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

Ouch! While I admire your dedication , I don't think think I'll ever throw on boost. I want to build a N/A h22 with my son one day then swap it in. But beyond that, is the world of strange problems and horrible dyno explosions. I don't think my heart could take that.

That's prob the smart thing, just take some time off from the car, drop in a simple reliable engine and just enjoy it. That is, after all, the goal

I think the only reason my fiancee hasn't pushed my Prelude off a cliff yet is the simple fact that she knows we all need a hobby. Even if it's a dirty, mildly expensive one. Haha. Cheers to good women!

thirsk66

iTrader: (2)

Honestly backinbluelude92 you are one of the lucky ones who has a "good woman" who appreciates the fact that the you have a hobby that involves cars. All I ever got from my girlfriend who was my fiance at one point was "why do you always work on your car?" I always said because "it sets my mind free and honestly it never bitches at me and does not ever talk back to me, plus I am always learning new things about it every time I get near it." I praise women who still love and support their man through whatever they choose as their hobby, or hell maybe who even enjoy joining in the hobby and you can share that together as a couple but that is me just giving you a super RARE circumstance, almost like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I will never put down a wrench, the day I do is the day I am on my death bed.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

Amen to that. You think maybe she's not your fiancee anymore cuz u said well the car never bitches at me? Lol jk. I hope u found a good girl who appreciates u for who u are, and the fact that cars are your hobby even if she doesn't share it.

My fiancee watches every motogp race but won't let me buy another cbr, not after what happened with the last one I had. Nor after one of her boyfriends died on a bike either. I have too much to lose now. And I suppose that's just the compromises we make to keep them happy

I'll golf when I'm old. Ha! Actually I love golfing. But I can't golf and work on the car all day. I'll never get any that way. Lol

98vtec

my red prelude is getting ditched and i am moving to an unmolested 5th gen chassis to put my PH2B turbo setup in.

just too much involved in bringing the red car back to a street car that i would be happy with.

thirsk66

iTrader: (2)

Whatever makes you happy Blake do it. I think that is a damn good idea, what are your goals for the new 5th gen chassis just a nice turbo setup with H2b kit? Are you keeping AC and all the other goodies for a full street car or leaving some things off the car?

98vtec

Makenzie is doing great! She's almost 7 months now. My goodness how the time flies. She's been saying daddy for the past few weeks and it's something that's so priceless to hear.

The fabrication is going slow. Really working on concentrating on the basics. Getting a groove and working on sticking with it. I've gotten so much feedback, both positive and negative. It is getting pretty irritating having people compare what I am doing to 10-15 year professionals who do it for 12-16 hours everyday.

My tri-y is currently at H-CAR garage. I entered it in a header shootout. I did not enter it to win. Just data collection. It's a bit different with the cylinder pairing but I wanted to see how it did before the change I wanted to make then send it back after the modification for more data collection. If it happens to do well, great, if not, I have other plans. And if those don't work like I want, try something else. All about data collection for me.

I know if it does bad there are going to be the guys who don't want to see me succeed come out of the wood work and say negative stuff but oh well.

The jrsc header is also getting tested whenever he gets time. He was in the middle of buying a house and then moving in and we all know how stressful that is.

98vtec

Yea, complete one-off design with a BW s366.

The short block is about as built as it can get with crane roller cams.

AC will come off the car for now but I'll be keeping it around just in case I want to build a setup around it. I have a daily so it's not really important.

thirsk66

iTrader: (2)

You should know by now though that more then half of those people saying negative things and questioning if you will succeed, they probably never have picked up a welder and created a header by themselves with only the image in their brain like you have done. I would be super proud of what you have done and just keep doing it for yourself and ignore all the negative bullshit. Let them hate and keep excelling forward with all your designs. I know I could not make a header like you have, so just sit back and see where this all takes you.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

I'm pretty sure anyone who has haters is doing something right.

So u joined up with Rosko, Blake? Or ur just doing it all on your own?

crazes

Well after spending the time and money of working to try and get the car into 11's and blowing my transmission after a few passes I just got fed up with the car for drag racing. I ended up getting a civic chassis but still have the original motor in the new car minus the trans.

I really do miss little red and driving her around. It was the 4th gen Si Vtec so came with all the nice requirements and was fun to drive. I still have some of the basic suspension parts for the car. I still talk to a few of the guys especially roger and man when you guys see the stuff he is building on that car, you're going to be amazed. That car is going to run low 9's maybe 8's

snobordboy

Those of us that have supportive women in our lives are great. I always tell mine that i could have much worse hobbies than cars, like hookers and blow!

My wife actually motivated me last summer, when I had done a ton of work in a week, went to drive the car, and it wouldn't move. I was devestated and really down on myself, going to miss the dyno tune I had waited months for. She calmed me down, told me that she had faith in me getting it fixed, and offered her help. 4 hours later I had dropped the tranny and installed another clutch, and had the car driving.

Still ended up with a dead car that night, but she was supportive through the whole thing, even when I was mentally done and had given up, she got me back into the game.

crazes

Thats awesome to have a woman like that by your side.


I believe having that kind of support staff is important, especially when we become more serious with our cars and modifying them.

thirsk66

iTrader: (2)

I can second that a woman who is supportive and respects what you do and all the time plus blood sweat and tears into your cars is a damn keeper and a gold mine. Kind of drives me insane that I still have not found a woman like that I guess I like my women like I like my cars a fixer upper which does not work out and ends up driving me nuts. I just need to work on myself and my career and when the time is right I pray an amazing women comes into my life.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

My mantra has always been if ur looking for her, you'll never find her. It's what u least expect.

I met my fiancee online dating. I was training clients 60 hours a week and work dating isn't my style. My crowd of friends in a small town leaves much to be desired. Everyone I know has dated every girl at some point. So I had no social life. She was working 50 hours a week at verizon with an 8 year old at home. We lived a town apart and never would have met otherwise. I wasn't even looking for anything but some dating fun. Neither was she. We've both been divorced. And yet. It falls into your lap. Even though shes the mother of my son..I couldn't imagine my life without her. We're complete opposites. We drive each other crazy. But that's also what makes it so perfect. It's all about keeping it fresh and exciting. That's my the at least. And a whole lot more than I intended to share. Lol

98vtec

my wife is a trooper. Back when i was racing, she pulled the transmission from the prelude herself. All i did was hand her tools and tell her what to do. she had it out in under 2 hours!

We have both made some pretty poor financial decisions which we are regretting now and its hurt the ability to get a build up and going faster on top of having a little one in the house now. But great things come with time and patience. One day we will have all these debts paid off and I can build something other than a honda. (I really really really want a RX7 to do a LS1 swap but i would settle for an unmolested 2002-2004 ZO6).

i need to get into a car where i can make some parts where the customers arent so quick to hop on ebay and buy a bunch of junk for cheap.

eyelessH22

Wow, my first time on this forum in years and I see this thread by one of the only Prelude guys I remember. I was mostly on Prelude Power and a couple other places, and I probably never posted a lot, I can't remember.

Anyway, this July I'll have had my '98 for 10 years! In 2010 I bought an '05 Grand Cherokee to have a reliable daily for grown up life and took the Prelude off the road. It sat in the garage for a couple years, I would start it every once in a while and drive it around the neighborhood to keep things flowing. Then in 2012 I moved again and put it back on the road. In fall of 2013 the bike fever I've had for 4 years at this point finally broke me, and I bought a 2007 Kawasaki ZX6R. Then last July I moved again and the Jeep was getting rough so I traded it in for an '09 Silverado which I ******* love. The Prelude needed a lot of work for VA inspection, and having just moved, well you all know how that affects your savings. I took it off the road again but hope to have it back soon.

Long story short I haven't really prioritized the car in a while. My Prelude was my first real "my" car, and I've put so much money and time into it I just can't bring myself to sell it. I love the car and one day it will be tip-top.

PirateMcFred

You and me both.

I was ignorant about the FD3s until about 1997 when I saw one at a local car show. It was just gorgeous with twin turbo and its "8000 rpm" redline (silly wankels, it's half that really). I prayed the price would come down, but they never did and with drifting growing popular they went up even more for a nice one.

By the time I'm willing to pay a premium on a quality gen3 RX I can afford something nicer anyway. Maybe someday though, until then I've got my Preludes.

snobordboy

From what I have seen, the price did go down a bit, and then people discovered the LS swaps. Now the ability to have a gorgeous car like the RX7 with gobs of reliable power has made them very desirable. Even here where we have JDM imports all over the place.

backinblue92

iTrader: (1)

And here I was thinking it was Dom Toretto who made RX7s cool. Lol

Actually, to add onto that thought. I was 16 when F&F first came out. And a month later I bought my first prelude with dreams of neon lights under the car and big spoilers. I grew out of that part quickly. But I fully credit F&F with planting my love for cars and especially Hondas. But I love how they made it about family too. Even as the series progressively got crazier... it always remained about family. As a father now, I can look back and appreciate the values in the franchise. And that's why F&F means what it does to me. I would wager it affected many people in the same way.