HomerJay's 2001 Accord Coupe EX (56K) [UPDATED 9/30/2018!!]

[HomerJay]

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!!...

It turns out she's going to be just fine...I'll be driving her again in no time... ...well, I don't know how soon. The parts are on order and work is starting, though...

I'm glad to know all those parts I ordered only weeks before this happened won't need to be returned...

Now to track down a 97-01 Prelude P-Spec short shifter...does anyone know where these can be found?

 

[HomerJay]

WOW!! That didn't take long!!

I'm not talking about the repairs. That seemed to take forever. I dropped her off 4/2 and only just got her back this past Friday (5/4). I'm talking about how long it took to change things around...

I figured I'd do the most difficult change first. I started with the an LED conversion. I chose blue for the icons and gauges and white for the indicators (cruise control "ready" light and climate control select LEDs).

The part I most dreaded was installing the LEDs on the climate control circuit board. Well, that and desoldering the ones that were there already. I bought a little board and some chip sockets to practice with. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I wasn't so sure until all the LEDs I installed worked, though...they all work!...

I think it turned out nice. I have a few issues I'm working out (or at least trying to) but overall I like the change...

I like how well the blue and white combination matches the stereo...

The only remaining button to be changed is the driver's side window switch (the "AUTO" that lights up):

Yeah, not so steady, huh?...

The list goes on, though. In the plans I'm thinking I'd like to...

1. "Fix" the polarization on my odometer and clock so that the numbers are illuminated instead of the background.
   
2. Black-out the headlights
   
3. Install the intake and tie bar that are sitting in my dining room. I'm planning on that this coming weekend...
   
4. Install a P-SPEC short shifter...Hey Pete, where are the Prelude 97-01 shifters??...
   
5. Install anti-sway bars. Or have them installed. Unless they can be managed with jack stands??

I know I need to install lowering springs and shocks. I'm most likely going to have this done. I don't have the facilities should something to wrong...oh, plus it would be the first mechanical work I would be attempting on my car. I'm guessing it's probably a bit too ambitious. The springs and shocks are my next big purchase. I'm just debating how they'll be installed.

 

[ryan s]

you also need a tripod since cameras > you jk man

did you go through all the work of scraping off the stock filters for the led conversion?

 

[HomerJay]

you also need a tripod since cameras > you jk man

did you go through all the work of scraping off the stock filters for the led conversion?

I have a tripod but I think my camera settings need adjustment anyway. The blurry one was me just holding up the phone while driving...

I read all about scraping off the filters. I wasn't prepared to deal with broken needles (I wouldn't know how to properly adjust them). Since I went with blue LEDs, I didn't bother with the filters. It didn't look so easy, that's for sure! I did remove the filters as suggested in the instructions for the climate control. It's easy to tell why certain ones were removed (they're the farthest from the LED proper).

I bought all the kits from www.ledautomotive.com since I don't know anything about how to size LEDs, etc. Everything provided by them worked well so I can't complain. I realize that there was some additional cost for that knowledge. I bought additional LEDs from www.superbrightleds.com to see if a different style LED will light the temp gauge better (one of the "issues" I need to resolve). I sure hope so as the dim temp gauge is my only real issue with the change.

 

[ryan s]

oh ok...whats your plan for the temp gauge?

 

[HomerJay]

oh ok...whats your plan for the temp gauge?

I'm going to try a few different length LEDs from superbrightleds.com...they should hopefully be here soon. They're all shaved and based on photos I've seen, the further back the LED is, the better the coverage. The LEDs from SBLEDs also have a clear plastic shroud around the LED which I'm thinking might help to disperse light better.

Other conversions that I've seen here look like they're brighter in the temp gauge than mine...and since they sourced their LEDs from SBLEDs, I figured it was worth a shot (especially given the prices!!). I figured I'd start with a possible simple solution...I hope!!...

 

[HomerJay]

So I "finally" (I have only had the car back for a week) got around to installiing a couple of parts I had ordered before she went under the knife...

I installed an Injen intake and a Neuspeed tie bar. The hose that connects to the header cover was so loose that I had to devise a way to keep it connected long enough to drive to the part store for a proper hose clamp. Well, I had a pipe hanger that worked perfectly... ...it wasn't that tight but at least it would hold for 2 miles:

This is a photo of my no-longer-stock... ... Accord's engine bay:

 

[HomerJay]

oh ok...whats your plan for the temp gauge?

I got the new LEDs from superbrightleds.com...this time I ordered various length LEDs. The shorter ones have yielded better results both in eliminating the hotspot on the odometer (see second picture in post #22 above) and providing more light on the temp gauge...

The LEDs are shorter than the originals that I tried. The ones that I got were B8.3D Instrument Cluster, 12 Volt, 1 LED. The LED in the upper right of the diagram on this page: http://www.superbrightleds.com/specs/74_t15.htm

 

[Twobit]

damn bro nice turn out!

 

[HomerJay]

damn bro nice turn out!

Thanks! I'm probably going to take it easy after the suspension (within a few weeks...or so) since that's setting me back so much. I know I've been having a blast...

I've been waiting to put the tie bar and intake on for about a month. It sure is good to have her back from the body shop...