1996 Honda Accord build (my brother's)

[rustycivic2000]

What's up guys, figured I'd show you my brother's car.......1996 Accord LX Coupe. He's the one that got me into modding, and taught me to "do it once, do it right."

When I first bought the car in August 2008 before my senior year of high school (can't believe I've had it almost 5 years already). The paint looked great (at the time), mileage wasn't too bad (145k) and the car had been well maintained.







As a high school kid who didn't know any better, I bought some "JDM" headlights and smoked bumper lights......





Thank god, before I fully hopped on board the eBay rice train, I met some other Accord guys at the 2010 Eibach meet. I joined the biggest 5th Gen Accord forum, and got my head on straight. Then real modding began.

Picked up a 94/95 Accord grill (no H logo) and retrofitted a 94/95 Accord front lip (more aggressive).


My some miracle (and a little bit of luck) I got my hands on a set or rare Honda Access Coupe rain visors (only optional on Japanese Accords).


I next picked up a a set of 94 EX Accord alloy wheels, to replace my steelies. I also ordered a set of brand new Depo SiR Accord replica headlights.


I then won a set of Eibach Sportline springs from an Facebook contest.


After this, I did a mini-Accord shoot with some friends.






After this, I lost my job and was unemployed for almost a year. Even though I didn't have money for mods, the car still performed DD duties like a champ, which was all I needed.

When I finally started my current job, and started having money to spare, the modding started again.

Picked up an AEM SRI, front and rear Arospeed strut bars, Accord SiR clear bumper lights, and de-ambered my stock tail lights. Also replaced my stock shocks (now long blown) with some lightly used KYB GR2s.





Next, I found a set of bnib Tanabe sway bars for my car at a laughable price. I have an LX (no rear sway bar), so I had source an EX rear subframe and swap them. Was a PITA, but totally worth it.



At this point, I was happy with how the car was for the time being. I got myself pretty much completely out of debt (other than school loans). It was a nice feeling, and I just saved my money and enjoyed my car.

Fast forward 6 months (now April 2013), and I was ready to start with the car again. First thing I did was trade my suspension setup for what I really wanted....Koni Yellows and Ground Control coilovers with custom 10k front 8k rear springs.



After hunting on Zilvia for a few months, I picked up some 5Zigen FN01R-Cs 17x8 +35 in titanium bronze. They were a little rough (curb rash, scratches, peeling paint), but for 2 bills I wasn't complaing. I wrapped them in Federal SS595 215/45/17 tires.


Since I had a big meet coming up (Cali Accord Meet, largest Accord meet in the country), I then focused on getting the car looking presentable. First was a full detail job to try and restore my now fading single stage paint. You can see the faded paint in the middle, and the detailed sections on the side.

I decided to plasti-dip my wheels white, to cover the blemishes, plus I'm a sucker for white on black (my dream wheels are Regamaster Evos). The actually came out better than expected.


I also ditched my OEM grill for an authentic one......picked up a Plus1 mesh grill.


All ready for the meet.


And some shots from CAM.

Mod List

Engine:

-AEM short ram intake
-FFC battery tie down
-FFC radiator brackets


Suspension

-Koni Yellows
-Ground Control coilover sleeves w/ custom 10k front and 8k rear springs
-Arospeed front and rear strut tower braces
-Tanabe 30mm front and 22mm rear sway bars
-Energy suspension endlinks


Wheels
17x8 +35 5Zigen FN01R-C
215/45/17 Federal SS595


Exterior:

-Depo blackhoused JDM headlights
-Plus1 mesh grill
-94/95 Accord front lip
-94/95 Accord rear lip
-Authentic JDM window visors
-SiR bumper lights
-De-ambered tail lights


Interior:

-Pioneer DEH-1200MP headunit

In the Works (parts I have, but are yet to be installed)

SiR front lip


front rotor-over-hub (ROH) conversion (Accords are hub-over-rotor for some reason, so stupid) + 1st Gen Honda Odyssey calipers (will be painted black)

Magnaflow dual tip muffler




DC Sports header (CARB legal)



Within the next couple weeks, I'll be piecing together the rest of the exhaust system......new OEM gaskets for the header, 2.5" mandrel bent piping, Magnaflow 18" resonator.


Got my custom extended top hats from my friend.




Future Plans

- 5-speed swap (H22 transmission for shorter gearing with Accord 5th gear for highway driving)
- Polyurethane bushings all around
- rear disc brake conversion with new master cylinder, 40/40 prop valve, stainless brake lines
-Full Fat Four Customs package for my car.....3-point front strut bar, rear strut bar, LCAs and toe arms with poly bushings.


As you can probably tell, all of my future mods are functional......the car will still be my DD, but I want to be able to take it to the occasional track day. So function is the main goal for now.

 

[OGstackadolla]

Looks good

 

[buzzbombtom]

great cheap rims, too bad you dipped them. i think that they are the best in bronze

 

[mymmeryloss]

Nice accord!

 

[Robin...]

...

 

[rustycivic2000]

**rustycivic's brother speaking*

Thanks everyone! I'll make sure to post updates as I do them.

great cheap rims, too bad you dipped them. i think that they are the best in bronze

The Plasti-dip is now gone. I did it for a meet, just to make them look good. I too like the bronze better.

And I was lucky to find the wheels so cheap. Most sets still go for $500-$700 depending on condition. I got a deal since I pieced together my set in 2 transactions.

 

[rustycivic2000]

**quoted from my brother**

Well, not much has changed with the car. I decided to postpone putting on some parts for a couple reasons. First being I have to smog the car in November. I decided it would be less of a hassle to smog without the DC header and exhaust (some smog techs are pretty anal about modded cars). So most of the parts will go on first of the year.

But while the parts were just sitting in the garage, I figured I might as well get them to my liking.

I first decided to refinish my DC header. As most people know, they have a problem cracking at the primaries. This one was no different. Previous owner had repaired it though, but it was ugly. Also the header was just all around beat up with scratches. Decided I didn't want it looking like that on my car. Sanded down the header with 600 grit sandpaper. Then sprayed it with high heat primer and VHT flat silver ceramic header paint. Pretty happy with how it turned out, looks brand new minus the deep scratches.

Before:


After:





For my Magnaflow muffler, it had a little bit of rust and some scratches, so I figured I might as well paint it as well. Plus I wanted the muffler to look more low key (no shiny stainless steel flashing in the light) and stock-like, minus the larger dual tips. I again used high heat primer and this time along with high heat flat black paint. Just need to polish the tips a bit.

Before:


After:





I also repaired and restored my JDM window visors. A couple of the clips had broken off, so they were re-attached. From years in the sun the outer finish of the visors had become dull, so I had them polished back to their original finish.






And lastly, I did some thinking, and since I was planning on upgrading the brakes, I figured why settle for just a single piston caliper upgrade? Why not go bigger.....say a 4-piston caliper?



They are OEM Advics calipers off an '05+ Acura RL. I bought them from a friend of mine, along with the brackets to mount them to my car. The calipers were fully stripped and rebuilt, along with the blue powdercoat finish. And I already confirmed my wheels will fit with no clearance issues.


Be on the lookout for another update in Dec/Jan, when most of these parts will go on the car.

 

[CO671]

Wow... i'd daily the s*** out of that accord, looks amazing! An according done right!!!
The new mods are just getting better and better. That blue will stick out behind the white. gahd damn

 

[rustycivic2000]

Thanks, his wheels are actually back to their normal bronze now, but the calipers will still definitely stand out. And overall, the brake setup is probably the cheapest 4-piston one you can get.....in total, it is going to cost him about $600 for everything.

 

[rustycivic2000]

'lil update for you

Bought my brake rotors last week, and got them back from getting re-drilled today.....did a quick mock up just to verify that everything would go together with no issues (i'm the first doing this caliper/rotor combo that is 4-lug). Will be getting installed next Friday or Saturday.

 

[rustycivic2000]

.

Update!

Threw on the DC Sports header I re-finished



Since I was able to drop the exhaust doing the header, I threw on the Tanabe 30mm front sway bar I've had sitting around forever lol.



Also threw on the Timmy Tuning extended top hats


Also ended up replacing the Master Cylinder, since that was the cause of all my braking problems.


And a few more pictures of my favorite piece.....




Finally got this swap done. Couldn't be happier with the result. Looks good, and performs even better!

For those wondering what the brake conversion consists of....

'97 Acura CL hubs
'06 Acura RL calipers
FatFourCustoms caliper brackets
350Z Track Pack (aka Brembo equipped) rotors

 

[CO671]

Gahd damn, this excites me for so many reasons, i love it.

 

[rustycivic2000]

Gahd damn, this excites me for so many reasons, i love it.

Hahahaha....Not gonna lie, I really like his Accord. He's who inspired me to start working on my car.


He told me its pretty crazy how much more attention you can get by building a pretty unpopular chassis. He even gets guys thinking he has a JDM front end Integra lol.

 

[Dominick]

That looks awesome! props to your brother man!

 

[buzzbombtom]

wait he didnt use a different prop valve, or master cylinder? and stock lines worked?

 

[rustycivic2000]

wait he didnt use a different prop valve, or master cylinder? and stock lines worked?

The master cylinder was replaced with a new OEM one, since he had been having brake issues prior to swapping the brakes. Also, the prop valve was not changed, because that will be done when he does his rear disc conversion (the car is an LX), so it has rear drums). And the stock brake lines were used and worked fine. They will most likely be swapped for SS lines when the rear disc is done.

 

[buzzbombtom]

does that mean this thing stops funny?

 

[rustycivic2000]

Not at all. Its a big increase in braking power over stock, but the balance really doesn't feel off. I'm sure the bias is forward, since it still has the rear drums, but its only temporary. Once the rear discs go on, the correct prop valve will be installed, and the brake bias should even out. I think Accords come with larger MCs than Civics, so I have yet to see anyone swap to a larger MC when upgrading to the RLs. Guys have even tracked their cars, and haven't had any issues.

I really don't think it would be much different compared to say the Wilwood 4-piston kit that a friend has on his Accord. He didn't need to upgrade the MC for that either.

 

[rustycivic2000]

Recent shot of the car for you guys....





And really the only new part on the car.....an OEM Honda Access Accord SiR lip. I actually picked this up so I could copy the mounting bracket design for when I mount my heavy duty fiberglass replica. This authentic ABS one is too fragile to daily lol.

Oh, I raised the car back up.....its now the highest I've been on these coils. I absolutely love driving it now, because I can beat on it, and not scrape or rub.





monster truckin'



And a shot with one of the best Accords out there, and my good friend Scanlessfool. I need to get on his paint level......someday.






That's it for now.....but stay tuned. Lots of stuff coming down the pipeline. Also picked up a rear disc conversion that will be installed later this year, when I give the whole rear suspension a refresh.

And finally, the auto tranny finally started slipping.....which now means I have a legitimate excuse to go 5-speed. Most likely going with an h22 transmission, with an Accord LX 5th gear fitted to keep RPMs down under 3k at highway speeds. I'll be so glad to get rid of this horrid slushbox.








Oh, and I'll just leave this here....the R&D has begun

 

[young_]

Looking good! I bet he's digging that functional style in for five speed!