might wanna look into getting an LS 5th gear put in. Easier to save gas on the freeway. nice parts so far

 

More misc. parts came in today:
-OEM Radio Block Off
-Zealous License Plate tilt
-OEM ITR Shift Boot

 

Swift 4-Point Shock Tower Bar, sprayed flat black and installed today (PM me if your interested in one):




NRG Style H Brace, also sprayed flat black...still need to apply several more coats:


When all was said and done:




Suspension As Follows Thus Far:
-Eibach Pro Kit Springs
-Eibach Pro Struts
-4-point Swift Shock Tower
-NRG Style H Brace
-BWR Lower Tie Bar
Total suspension cost thus far $560...love it.

With all of the above, and the combination of looped PS and the tires Federal RS-R 595's its handling real well at the moment. Its surprisingly responsive thus far. I've saved the rear sway bar for last, knowing that'll be my most satisfying suspension mod. My last DC had the ASR Subframe/24MM rear sway/endlink combo, love myself an over-sized rear bar.

 

Dude, that's pretty killer. My first car was a 88' Integra (yes, with the popup headlights) and I kick myself for getting rid of it every time I see a cool Acura build like this. Do you have a swapmeet in the area? There used to be guys that would fab up interior carpeting replacements for your car and have it ready in a week at the swapmeets that I would go to(this was in Az, and Ut, so I assume they're everywhere now...) Did the BWR tie bar do anything at all, or is it just the rigid welded lower tie bars that actually do anything?

And why does everyone make fun of Megan tie bars, what makes them so bad? I thought 6061 aluminum was pretty heavy/rigid stuff?

 

The BWR bar is an exact replica of the Spoon/Skunk bar and I like it because it didn't hang down too low compared to something like that of the Beaks bar, just helped with clearance a little bit.

Lower tie bar, I can't sit here and bull$hit...I didn't feel a difference in any way from before/after the install. I think its definitely more of a placebo factor, you feel like it makes a difference...but it really doesn't. I got the bar for $30 shipped though..and its going to look excellent with the 22mm ITR sway bar.

As far as Megan is concerned, I actually took a Megan tie bar off of the car and replaced it w/this BWR bar. I think everyone tends to make fun of them because Megan hasn't produced the best name for themselves and everyone hates the eBay knock off brand stuff.

I think all in all this is what I've learned so far in my experience. I'd never settle for a sub par companies suspension. No eBay coilovers etc etc, this is what you have to drive in on a daily basis so I spent money there. For the sway bar I also believe the same, I was thinking about going w/an ASR SFB/Sway bar combo again but the truth of the matter is that it was totally overkill on my car. And its just too flashy for me.

Here is what I've learned from reading, and peoples perspectives:

-Shock/Strut Tower Bar- Ebay shock/strut tower bars can be just as effective as the expensive ones, but look for something with a "beefy build" and no pivot points.

-Rear Shock/Strut Tower Bar- DOES NOTHING except brace a subwoofer box.

-H Braces- Hurt ground clearance, but an excellent mod if your not too low and totally cost effective. I wasn't able to find anything bad about this mod in any way. NRG used to sell theirs for like $40 and then as they got bigger their prices were bumped to $70 so I bought a knock off one, same construction, build and quality.

-LCA's- I personally wouldn't touch one unless it was OEM or Function 7, which is pricey. More importantly LCA's are too flashy for my taste, there is no true function other than looks and some unsprung weight. The looks don't outweigh the cost and functionality... They're kind of busty too...I don't want any hassle from the local PD. Attracts too much unwanted attention. Just my $.02

-C Pillar Bars- No opinion here, they appear to be flat out dangerous. I won't install one, I've got kids in the back seat...can you imagine what could happen to a rear passenger in a car accident? Bad news written all over this.

-Sway Bar- Other then shocks/springs and/or coilover this is one of the most effective mods possible.

Hope these opinions help you out a bit in your build.

 

Do you have the link to that H brace? I can't find one that looks quite the same

 

PM'd...FYI, not recommended at all if your car is lowered more then an inch. I expect to scrape every once in a while with that being said but remember, I have a conservative drop, plus I'm lucky w/good roads where I live. If your in the city, dealin' w/pot holes and what not, or if you like to be "hella" dumped this is definitely not the right mod for you!

 

 

Still cant believe these cars are 15 years old. <3 Integras



Cant wait to get the new hood and get this bumper to paint.

 

Are those tires pretty grippy? Glw build
You've got a good start

 

looks really good with the front end conversion.

 

Thanks man, long way and lots of cash to go though. HAHA

These tires are mega grippy. Like I mentioned above, I ended up finding these tires for a pretty good deal but I knew nothing about them and neither did the other HT members. I didn't have the cash for Re-11's or any other high brand tire. Wanted to get this car rolling so I started Google searched and kept stumbling upon Lotus forums talking about these tires. This may sound a bit off, but in my mind: If they're good enough for the Lotus guys they would work just fine for me, and they definitely do.

I also wanted to try something new to report to the HT community. If you can find these tires in stock anywhere they're an excellent choice at about $75 a piece. I had to call around 3 places before I found a set... 205/40-16's were on nationwide backorder. I expect about 25k miles which is fine for me, and the road noise isn't so bad either IMO.



Always loved the JDM front-end DB's.

 

dude nice project bro with nice parts, very good luck with the db.

 

Thanks man, slowly slowly....

 

Oh snap, gorgeous car. Don't see enough 4 doors with that conversion.

I'm really tempted on the bar. Looking at it I don't see it fitting around the ultra high y7 intake box.

How do you like the H brace?

 

Thanks bud, coming from an HT senior thats always nice to hear. She definitely has potential... I'm pretty sure I hate this car more then I love it...but every time I open the garage it makes me smile. I'll never make my money back, but I'll probably never sell it either. HAHA

Honestly, I have to say I agree as far as the y7 intake box...I'm trying to fathom that fitment... I suppose if your up for the hassle you could alway pick it up and resell if it doesn't work but thats always sucha pain in the ***.

As for the H Brace, I stand behind this mod 100% and I always have. My first car to have this was my '06 Soobie, now I have it for the Integra. I sprayed for the stock look the week before last and I'll probably do the install this week. For cars w/ground clearance (I have the ITR lip, and can pull over a curb w/our scrape) this is the single best mod for the money IMHO.

 

I may have to get an NRG one, a review I saw said it had pretty good ground clearance. And they're like $60 shipped.

 

Ordered Today (and over the weekend,) tons of $hit en' route. Finally making some good progress...with my largest concern being transmission related. Time to get rid of the third gear grind.

Transmission Related:
-Exedy Standard OE Clutch
-Resurfaced OEM Flywheel
-3-5 Carbon Synchros (third gear grind)
-ES Suspension Shift Bushings

Suspension Related:
-USDM 22mm ITR Rear Sway Bar
-OEM Bushings/D brackets (rear)
-OEM Endlinks (rear)
-Beaks Subframe Reinforcement Kit
-'98 Spec JDM 25mm Front Sway Bar (to replace the 22mm RS front sway bar, homie hook up)
-OEM Bushings and D Brackets (front)
-MAS Industries OEM GSR/ITR Front Endlinks
-MAS Industries OEM GSR/ITR Rear End Endlinks

^Suspension is complete, everything will have been replaced after the above is installed.

Odds 'n Ends:
-Some random OEM-style Intake (to replace the current nasty one)
-OEM Stock Intake Box & Snorkel (PO ditched it )
-OEM "A" Trunk Logo
-Fake ITR Shift **** w/locking nut
-ES Shifter Bushings
-Short shifter (eBay one, PO stripped the stock shifter...see how that goes *scratches head*)

'N prolly some other stuff I can''t remember at the moment...was an expensive day.

I'll install most of everything listed minus the clutch and tranny stuff...that'll be done at the end of the month as well as hooking the PS, and AC along w/a fully recharge etc...

After everything gets installed it'll be time to start spending some effort toward several layers of security (hood relo, kill switch, removable steering wheel/hub lock, slimmy jams...etc) Even though it sits in the garage for the most part you can never be too safe. When proper security is complete I'll begin the interior...Lots of work to do here.

 

1st wave shipment came today:


Couldn't believe how surprised I was w/the quality of the shift ****, honestly, I expected worse. You never know what your going to get when you order something from eBay...CNC machined from 6065 aluminum with laser etched numeric 5 speed gearbox symbol. It scaled in at 150 grams and came w/the locking nut. Definitely has some quality weight to it, I really like that. At $22 shipped I call it a win.

 

150 grams? That's really light. My skunk2 is like 440grams. I bet it feels like a feather. To each his own. Some people really prefer lighter shift *****.

You're reminding me I need to lube my sway bar bushings really badly

 

Holy crap seriously??? Holding it in my hand I was like "wow." Had I known the actual weight of the Skunk **** I probably would have gone with that. Just goes to show I need to be a little more patient before I pull the trigger.

I prefer a "heavy" feel to be honest. The PO had this carbon fiber shift **** on there, I couldn't stand it, the fitment was horrible, it felt like a child's toy....since I've had to purchase so many parts in the last week I must admit I've had to cut some corners, but spend money where it was absolutely needed. You know how it is...

I ordered all the sway items from acurapartswarehouse, the 22mm bar was only $70 but they're shipping process seems horribly slow. I ordered last Thursday and I've heard nothing since. Thats what I get for trying to save a buck.

How often do you lube your swaybar bushings btw??? You do it to prevent unwanted noises I assume or just common practice? I keep reading about the teflon tape trick, figure I'll give it a go.

 

I remounted my swaybar when I installed my Function7 brace and it's been noisy since. I think I just need to put some extra on there as I probably didn't put enough on there to begin with. It could also be my endlinks too. I'll tighten them up too to be sure.

Another annoying noise I'm getting is my driver's side recaro seat rail is a little squeeky when the seat moves. I haven't the first clue what to do except take the seat out. Spray them with WD40 with the seats covered and reinstall them.

http://www.skunk2.com/catalog/s2finetuning.pdf

Pretty good catalog. I would buy almost any skunk2 product except their shocks/coilovers.

 

Wait wait....little squeeky but only when someone moves the seat? Or at a constant while driving? Your more of a perfectionist then I am. Good god.

 

No, like over dips in the road it squeaks. Almost anytime I move in the seat it squeaks. if it was only when adjusting the seat I wouldn't give a rats ***.

 

Unacceptable, that would drive me mental.