OK. I messed up. We finally got to actually see the car over the holidays. It's a 95, not 93. It's a 4 door Accord LX with a V6, not a 4 cylinder. It's got power windows, etc. I have added some pics to my gallery so take a look. I'm still looking for input and most of what I have received so far still applies.

It helps to know what we're dealing with

Thanks.

 

Coolest father ever award. haha i wish my parents did that for me...

 

As for wheels, dont go over 16" no point of wasting money on expensive tires, since they tend to get more expensive as the wheels get bigger. Plus the fact that since the car is not lowered so it would look awkward.

Try detailing the interior first before buying a new carpet. They can be a hassle to put in. Sometimes a deep clean is all they truly need. I personally have a 95 Accord LX wagon with 220k. My interior is pretty mint considering that I, along with a friend, shampoo it on a yearly basis. Maybe new OEM mats will help.

 

Thanks for the good input shahriar. I will try cleaning the carpet, but sister-in-law drove it a few times and managed to totally trash the interior. Spilled coffee and let it dry, food left for days, mustard and ketchup stains ground into the seats and carpet. She even managed to squirt ketchup onto the headliner. Sadly, I'm doubtful any amount of cleaning will get that stuff out. But you're right. we should try before spending the money on new.

 

You think your interior is bad? You should see mine!!! It's disgusting!! Well, it was. One of the previous owners had a dog also. I have been slowly cleaning it up. Pulled EVERYTHING out. It's cleaning up nicely, too!

Anyway, I am a big fan of 94-96 Prelude Si/VTEC OEM sawblade wheels on 4th Gen (90-93) Accords. They are 15" and slightly wider than the OEM Accord 15's. I have a set that I am putting on my car. It's a nice subtle upgrade.

http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showpost...11&postcount=1

 

For the headliner try some vinyl conditioner if it is vinyl. I use it often and keeps it moist, so its easier to clean too.

Personally you should have seen the carpet in the trunk area of my wagon, some heavy duty degreaser and carpet cleaner can do wonders. Trust me the trunk was almost brown from all the oil spills and car parts I used to get. Need a professional to clean it. Not those one at the car washes but someone who knows their carpets.

 

Thanks for the input. I think we'll try a major clean before ordering any interior carpet and such. It will definitely need some seat covers. Any recommendations?

Also. Any thoughts on how to spiff up the engine bay? Maybe a turbo addition?

 

As far as the engine bay, just get it cleaned first. A quality intake/header/exhaust setup will add some fun to the car while being subtle.

Next, I'd make it a point to go through the suspension and brakes for all worn bushings and do a rotor over hub conversion. At over 15 years old, the bushings have enough slop to degrade the handling. Then look to upgrades like better sway bars, performance springs and struts. Then I'd really look into doing some upgrades on the brakes. They are underpowered for the car.

I almost bought a 93 back in 93, and I know it would have been a great car. I bought a 93 Altima instead and it too has been wonderful. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Drop it. get some lowering springs for like 50 bucks, new grill is inexspensive and still looks cool. maybe interior Neons if she likes that kinda thing. just fun to mess around with.
btw wanna come be my dad? i could use some parts

 

Samir, Thanks for the input. I hadn't thought of the rotor conversion but I had planned on going over all the bushings, etc so since we will be there it makes sense to make that switch.

Bakerskater: Thanks but I have a hard enough time being a Dad to my daughter. Thanks for the input.

 

You're welcome.

The rotor conversion can be a pain. A friend and I just did it on Christmas Eve. Inspect all the ball joints and bushings on the knuckle and upper/lower control arms. If they're gone, replace those while doing the conversion. Then you can get the bushings/ball joints in the parts you took off replaced with polyurethane.

 

do u have any pixz of yall accord?

 

though it wouldnt seem like it...a can of brake clean will be your best friend with this....got soda out of the ceiling in a friends car b4


and basically just do all maintenance and care for the car and itll love you forever...and when the engine does go swap in a jdm f22b to keep it as close to stock as possible if it comes to that

 

See the first post. It's been corrected.

I have added some pics in my gallery. Take a look.

 

Okay, so it's a 95...and a v6...and an lx.

Well, it looks to be in pretty good shape. I'd steam clean the engine bay and go over everything there for brittle hoses, lines, etc. Next, I'd wash and clean the body. Buff and wax it if possible. And get rid of the pinstripe.

If you're going to have the fender painted, see how much it would be to also have the lower skirts on the front and rear as well as the side skirts painted. It will give the car a lower look without actually lowering it.

For the heater, I'd check if it's the switch by seeing if the fan works on any setting. The heat can also relate to the cooling system, so a thorough check of the radiator and coolant is important. Check the coolant bottle for residue. If it's dirty, there's a good chance so is the rest of the rest of the system...and the heater core. Check the cigarette lighter too as I believe there's some relation between that circuit and the fan switch.

The interior seems like a good cleaning can bring it back to life. I'd try that first. If replacement parts are necessary, check forums for cars being parted out. Those are cheap parts compared to factory new, which are still available if you want to go that route.

Being a v6, you've already got better brakes, which saves you one step. Although it still is a hub over rotor setup, so you may wish to change this to a rotor over hub setup for ease of maintenance. It's especially easy if you're already having to change the wheel bearing. Also, powerwise you're already in good shape since it's a v6. Upgrades were rare for the v6, so no need to really go there.

A set of 17" wheels won't hurt to make it a bit sportier and give you better tire options. You can't get many performance tires in the stock sizes. Tires are one thing I never skimp on. They can make a 5' difference--and 5' can mean the difference between an accident and avoiding one.

A detailed inspection of the suspension is a must for any worn rubber parts. And if the springs and struts are worn, replace them with performance parts which will lower the car a bit adding to the sporty drive and look.

That's all I can think of right now.

 

Thanks Samir. All good input and a good plan. Now that we have the car home we are working with a local mechanic shop to go over every inch of the car and create a punch list and prioritizing that list from "must do for safety and reliability" to "cosmetic want to do's".

 

Sounds like a good plan.