96 DX cheap mods...?

[chichirock]

I have a 1996 DX, hand-me-down from my dad. I would really like to do some stuff to it. Any suggestions on what to do to this old man looking mobile?
- wheel covers?...: crappy shinny plastic that will most likely fall off or what?\
- paint/change valve cover: worth it?
- change distributror cap?
- any suggestions will be most appreciated!

thank you.

 

[Billy.]

weight reduction

 

[chichirock]

ok....sounds a bit broad..What do you suggest specifically?
TY

 

[tonyM]

honestly, i would work on the suspention. painting your valve cover would be nice, but kinda pointless. get yourself some decent coilovers and maybe a wheel upgrade. 15s look goo d on your car. you arent going to get alot of horsepower out of that D motor unless you want to pay up, and possibly sacrifice reliability. thats why i'd say go suspention first, you may not be the fastest off the line, but you'll smoke um in the corners.

 

[chichirock]

thanks, obviously a cool looking valve color is just for show but was thinking aobut prettying the engine up a bit. Suspention sounds like a good idea, what do you think it'll run? Also, would a cool air intake really be worth it for the DX?
How do I go about making my windows automatic? Is it a big pain/cost to do this change?
I got a list of s**t to ask but won't be a pain in the ass...
THanks!

 

[tonyM]

thanks, obviously a cool looking valve color is just for show but was thinking aobut prettying the engine up a bit. Suspention sounds like a good idea, what do you think it'll run? Also, would a cool air intake really be worth it for the DX?
How do I go about making my windows automatic? Is it a big pain/cost to do this change?
I got a list of s**t to ask but won't be a pain in the ass...
THanks!

are you asking what it will run in the 1/4? not very good bone stock.
also, about a cold air, i think if you want to pretty up the bay a bit, thats the way to go. yo wont feel much by puting an intake on. although it'll sound cool and look nice. as far as the windows go, if you really want auto windows, you can get them in from donor car parts, but with the lack of power from the motor, maybe think about keeping the manual windows for weight reduction.
as far as any questions, feel free, this is a place to learn. also, if you have something on your mind, check out the search function and read up a bit. thats where i go everyday to answer my questions fast.

 

[chichirock]

If the cold air won't do much for performance, then maybe it won't be worth it; for the look and sound it will be but all depends on my budget.
The widnow motor will really add so much weight? Damn, I guess I'll have to keep on working on my biceps...lol
I was wondering what the cost (how much it'll run...?) as far as the suspention goes...if it's really worth it, I'll invest in it.
I wanna pretty-up the car overall, any suggestions would be great!
THanks !

 

[tonyM]

If the cold air won't do much for performance, then maybe it won't be worth it; for the look and sound it will be but all depends on my budget.
The widnow motor will really add so much weight? Damn, I guess I'll have to keep on working on my biceps...lol
I was wondering what the cost (how much it'll run...?) as far as the suspention goes...if it's really worth it, I'll invest in it.
I wanna pretty-up the car overall, any suggestions would be great!
THanks !

it doesnt add a ton of weight, if you really want them, maybe consider them.
suspention for your car,(depending on what you'd like to do) can be upwards of a thousand buks when all is said and done. buy the coilovers (skunk2s are nice) full coilovers can be about (and im guessing) maybe 500 buks. i'd order lower control arms right off the bat, your lca bolts are probably locked up. instalation ( hopefully you can do this yourself) took me 3 hours to do mine for the first time, now i can get everything bolted in, in about an hour. other than that, some nice wheels, maybe a lip, and you'll have a nice looking car.

 

[Jersey8]

it doesnt add a ton of weight, if you really want them, maybe consider them.
suspention for your car,(depending on what you'd like to do) can be upwards of a thousand buks when all is said and done. buy the coilovers (skunk2s are nice) full coilovers can be about (and im guessing) maybe 500 buks. i'd order lower control arms right off the bat, your lca bolts are probably locked up. instalation ( hopefully you can do this yourself) took me 3 hours to do mine for the first time, now i can get everything bolted in, in about an hour. other than that, some nice wheels, maybe a lip, and you'll have a nice looking car.

 

[Billy.]

weight reduction

to be more specific: remove interior panels, carpeting, rear seats, trunk linings, titanium (or stainless) exhaust, light weight wheels no larger than 15", remove intake resonators, A/C components, P/S components, replace bucket seats with performance driver seats, carbon hood, carbon trunk. if you did all that you could easily pull 400-500 lbs out of the car which would make HUGE performance, handling, and braking improvements

of course that's pretty extreme for a daily driver, but every little bit helps

 

[chichirock]

Thanks people! Love this site!
I'll look into the smaller/easier/cheaper stuff first.
SOrry if I sound retarded, but I really didn't know about the weight vs performance...
How do you remove intake resonator?

 

[AngelMR]

start by getting wheels!

 

[chichirock]

the wheels are on my to do list...15 inchers.

 

[EK|B]

I focus on using my money on gasoline.

 

[wetcmonkey]

i found swapping intake manifold was a good chea upgrade i got a z6 mani got 30 and lil diffrences andllols better but go with suspension its best for the d series its all looks with the dx budget car, maybe you can get a cheap ex cluster just keep lookin for the cheap deals

 

[Trey99EK]

I focus on using my money on gasoline.

True, no matter what you drive. I would just save your money. You can do things for cheap, but nothing that will amount to much.

 

[Jersey8]

I focus on using my money on gasoline.

its so upsetting when you have to set aside $1200 in your budget just for gas for the summer for your daily commute and what not

 

[Beelzebubba]

the wheels are on my to do list...15 inchers.

On the cheap, you can get some 14" steelies, maybe even some 'teggy RS 15" steelies if you look around

Suspension is a mixed blessing.

You really stick the corners but your lack of power from non-vtec D-series becomes painfully obvious.