just a little background before I ask my question.

I am in the marine corps, have been for going on 3 years now. I have been to iraq once, and I am currently in iraq now. I bought my first prelude when I was a junior in high school. I loved it, I totalled it during my senior year of high school. We all have our horror stories. I now own a 93 prelude that I love dearly. I am 23 years old, and I have had it since I was 17. It has grown on me, and to give it up would be a sin in my case, and I would never be able to forgive myself. After my last deployment to iraq, I came back with a little cash, and decided to dump about 80% in my prelude. I ended up doing a whole h23 motor swap, with a drag 4 turbo kit. I am now pushing about 15psi daily with a great tuner & mechanic helping me out along the way. It ran a 13.0 in 1/4 mile with horrible kumhos and about 30% tread. I don't know how many transmissions I have gone through or clutches, but it doesn't matter because I love this car. Since I am in iraq right now, I have now recently married, and will be coming home with more money this time, and I want to finish my car. Before I deployed out here, I had an r33 front bumper on my car that split in half, side skirts that have been scraped up for years, and my back bumper broke in half doing about 130 on the highway, damn wind. I like the way my car looks regardless, but I would like to stand out from the rest. I don't want to be called a ricer, and most of all, a poser. I make fun of cars left and right that I see trying to be fast and furious. I know that is over-played and out of style. What seems to be in-style is the JDM look, or the clean stock look, and a beast engine. I really want to stand out, and have a prelude that isn't like the rest. I already have a laptop in my car, since I am heavily into computers and it's what I do for a living. I standout in that category, but I'm having issues with my decisions. I have heard, "hey go for the stock, jdm lip, and nice rims look", and met very few people that say I should go for the kit look. I really like some of the kits that are out there, but don't want to be a ricer, or a poser, or f&f. I love my prelude, and admire anyone who buys it and enjoys riding it, but I'm just stuck. I want to hear from some of the members who have owned preludes for years, and truly enjoy this car. If anyone is willing to comment, it would be really helpful. I know people post stupid posts like these all the time, but I figured if I explained myself and where I'm coming from, maybe I will get some positive feedback. Thanks guys.

Jason Woods
Habbinyah, Iraq
Chester, VA

 

My advice is to do whatever makes you happy... you've worked way too hard to settle for something that you aren't satisfied with. The hobby is pointless without a sense of personal fullfillment.

P.S. : If you don't like the way your car looks, you have plenty of people in Iraq that would be willing to plant a car bomb in it and blow it to smitherines.

 

ha, I'll make sure to shoot a few for the prelude community.

 

yeah my advice as well is do what you want. I'm 16 and I got my prelude recently and this is my junior year as well. it has an h23 too, but no drag turbo kit which I wish I had . but I'm gonna get a buddy club replica front lip and wwrs side skirts and rear lip. I really like this combination. mines silver and I'm also gonna get rota circuit 8's in gunmetal to finish the look. but thats my life

ps. I'm thinking about joining the marines my senior year and doing active duty. what r u in?

edit- nvmd, I see that ur in the marines too. my cousin is a major and is currently there as well.

 

I was asking for advice in this post, but try to keep it about preludes.

ps. don't join the marines, this ******* sucks - seriously. I hate it.

 

Active Navy....
been through 4 prleudes

I <3 my car more than ever.

Do what makes you happy. Its your money, do what is right.

Oh yeah I wouldnt join the marines either.....what a buncha pansies

:duckandcover:

 

we have a picture thread.....there are so many pics in there it would take a few days to go through


have a look and take some styling ideas from the ones you like

 

My personal philosophy is that Clean, simple, and fast is better than body kits and the like.

Standing out these days isn't hard though--with the way current trends are, it's much more subtle and doesn't take neon lights and a bigmouf bumper to stand apart.

Personally i think 15 psi is standing out just fine .

I'd get the stock bumpers on it, a nice front lip, some nice wheels, and a good paint job. I think that'd be enough to have a really beautiful car.

 

i think a set of stock bumpers is a starting place, there are very few aftermarket prelude bumpers that look any sort of good and non-ricey, and they are incredibly hard to come by....

my post is probably unnecessary because i agree totally with bad-monkey, make your car stand out in a subtle way with looks, and a formidable way with performance

good luck with it, and i hope you make it home safe man

 

I also agree with what everyone has said. Do what you want, a car is a canvas waiting for you to express your thoughts. And if u did a ricer body kit, i wouldnt call you a poser, how man ricer cars do you see doing 15 psi daily? I personally love the stock/jdm look with like a kaminari lip kit, especially if its championship white (have a thing for CW cars lol). I also like the buddy club front lip, but who cares what i like, its what you like/want.

 

Having owned my lude for the past 6 years i knew from day one what style my car was going to be, long before the JDM ****** jumped on the bandwagon. As access to JDM cars is easy for me, i only chose the bits on my car that i knew would enhance the style as it should have been, theres nothing more sad than a 'Lude trying to look like a Skyline or a Supra. You have worked hard and your in the position to make your car a true expression of yourself, whats a more fitting tribute to that ethic than a sweeet looking car with its secret only being revealed when your foot hits the go pedal! My philosphy is it takes as much time to do a bad job than it does to do it right.


Modified by skinnyboy at 10:49 PM 9/10/2006

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DIRTYsouthBB6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My advice is to do whatever makes you happy... you've worked way too hard to settle for something that you aren't satisfied with. The hobby is pointless without a sense of personal fullfillment.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Duff Beer Man &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I also agree with what everyone has said. Do what you want, a car is a canvas waiting for you to express your thoughts. And if u did a ricer body kit, i wouldnt call you a poser, how man ricer cars do you see doing 15 psi daily? I personally love the stock/jdm look with like a kaminari lip kit, especially if its championship white (have a thing for CW cars lol). I also like the buddy club front lip, but who cares what i like, its what you like/want.</TD></TR></TABLE>

well put.

the way that i like to get ready to restyle my prelude is to look and see what is out there and what people are doing. look at lots of pictures and take in all of the major and subtle things that can make or break the look of the car. then go out and look at my car and think to myself what i would be happy with. if you are worried about being a poser then just don't go and make an exact copy of someone elses car. and like duff beer man said, your car is your canvas, only you can deside what is going to make you happy in the end. so just take it slow and do it right. also, if you like the "ricer" look then go for it, don't let anyone else tell you how YOUR car should look. because in the end thats what really matters.

 

It sounds like you really love your Prelude, so just go with what you like. That's really all that matters.

 

Exactly, ignore trends. Your car should be built how you like not based on the opinions and tastes of others. I don't view my car as a device meant to set me apart and get me attention. I am transforming it into the ideal sports coupe that I would have designed from the factory. Just a thought.

 

hey im also 23 and have owned my 93 since i was 17...i swear ive looked into every mod for this car including body kits and IMHO the 4g doesnt need a body kit. its not just that i cant afford them, the stock lips just look the best, esp. when painted the color of the car.

but the bottom line is, you gotta think it over and do what you think is best for your car...simple as that

 

im thinking you should go clean and simple.. but its up to you....all the money you mostly spend for the kit can be used to perfect that 13 second car to perform even greater...do wat you like...its more of asking yourself..do you feel comfatable driving your car how it looks.

 

do whatever you like and dont pay attention to anybody else. thats your car. whats rice and whats not? its up to your taste.

P.S. if i were you, i would stick with JDM look with small lips and with realy nice lightweight rims with white finish (dependins on the coloro of the car), thats realy racy and nice

 

Thanks guys for the great advice. I checked into the kaminari kits, they don't look too bad, but don't seem too appealing. Anyone else know of any other lip kits? I would love my prelude to stand out, all that good stuff. I am leaning more and more towards the clean, stock, lip look. Any ideas on where to find good stuff to get me started on the right path?

Jason

 

man you could be 100% stock and youll still stand out: a 13 second prelude is going to stand out pretty easily.

Like everyone said get what makes you happy. My only advce would be to NOT GET FIBERGLASS. Whatever your tastes are from stock to "what-the-hell-is-that-that-just-pulled-up-next-to-me" fiberglass will break, and you will have to pay more $$ to get it fixed or replaced. Just my two cents.

Also, you could keep the body the way it is and throw some more $$ into the engine and have it built, maybe throw on a vtec head while youre at it (What I did quite some time ago and she feels 200% better than stock.)

In the end its up you you. Just keep your head down and your powder dry. Good luck and good wishes.

Jason.

 

I have owned my 92 Prelude Si since I purchased it brand new in July 1992. My previous car was an Accord LXi coupe on which I only put a set of American Racing 5-spokes wheels on and some tint, and the car before that was a VW Rabbit GTI I purchased used with 15,000 miles on it with a set of Porsche wheels that had been mounted on the car when I purchased it. Here's a funny story related to that ride:
I was at a Mickey-D's drive thru and I noticed a car drive by then suddenly hit his brakes and swing a hard right into a parking lot just down the road. He actually circled back and swung into the M/D parking lot and pulled up next to me at the drive thru just to ask me where I got my wheels. Then he told me he had been trying to spot me around town for a while just to ask me- seriously! I guess that got my tuning jones going for the cars down the line.

When I got the Prelude I knew I wanted to go further than just wheels, then I did the intake, exhaust, headers, etc. under the hood along with the suspension and brake and interior upgrades- but I left the exteror alone other then the optional Honda spoiler and a set of PIAA fogs. I go for the clean look with a nice stance and a nice set of wheels, but I had trouble finding the kind of subtle kit to just add to the lines of the car a touch and not try to make it look like something its not. I finally spotted a Lude with the a kit in the look I was piocturing for my ride, and it was the Kaminari lip kit- but it's not mounted yet since I'm in no hurry.

I see so many imports with the slammed suspensions (usually via cut springs) and seriously negative camber on the front wheels, wacky combos of "Z3" fenders and whatever other body scoops and additions that end up looking like the equivalent of someone getting dressed in the dark- how DO they come up with those combinations?? I always laugh (not in their faces) when they ask about my Lude and they have all this heavy stereo equipment and exterior "stuff" but nothing at all under the hood. I did admire the white custom PVC intake on one car with two 90-degree bends and a cobbed up filter placed in the hottest section of the engine compartment; I guess he never heard of COLD or COOL air intakes!

Everyone has their own opinions and tastes and I appreciate a nicely done ride, no matter if it's a Euro, Japanese or American- none of that Euro vs. Japan stuff for me like I see in the "Letters" sections of some of the tuning magazines. If I see some ride that is well done I'll give them their props. Hey- if it's nice, it's nice.

Look around, read magazines, and take bits and pieces of what you like and adapt them to your ride. Work with the nice lines of the car you have and make subtle additions to tweak it the way you want it to be. The mods don't need to be huge to make an impression; I live in a small town and most people know me via my car since I started on it way before the wave of "ricers" ever came along. A number of people have told me they like the look of my ride, and I've even had a surprising number of older European marque drivers ask me about my Prelude. At first they are surprised that it is even a Honda, and second that it is a '92. When the guys in Porsches, BMWs and Audis ask about it I guess that means I've been doing something right.

Basically, do what YOU like! Subtlety will get you anywhere...

BionicKris- Sorry the post is so long!

 

yeah, you guys are all right. It's all on personal taste, but it's hard to find what you REALLY want, even if you have a picture in your head of what you want it to look like. I will continue to look around and see what I find. Maybe some of you guys have ideas?

Jason

 

^^not the time or the place dude

but playing around with guns and killing people "for you prelude guys" completely makes me sick too

 

well, if you read closer, it states that they would be iraqi insurgents. I am killing them for better of life in this country.