I like cars and stuff - stock 97 accord SE - what should I do to it?
11 replies, posted
Hi guys,
I would consider myself a car enthusiast and I feel I have a pretty good knowledge of cars. I got my first car (a 97 accord) from my uncle who went blind in one eye for $200. Great condition, works good. Ive done some minor stereo stuff (subs, amp, new head unit, tweeters) I dont want to be rice but I dont know where to start :/
I know that Its a 4 cylinder, 4 speed, with no v-tech. :(
My friend keeps telling me to get stuff and I like stuff and want more stuff. My dad used to be an auto mechanic and worked as a sales man in the automotive industry for years selling scan tools. He has restored 2 cars (a 68 mustang and Willis Jeep from scrap to mint condition). We have a lift and a very large assortment of tools in our garage. So all that is there but i have no idea what to do
Basically im asking, what do you guys think I should do?
Sell it and buy something cool. Just kidding though, this is bradleys territory. Imho accords are just fat civics, don't know much about the motors in em though.
[editline]23rd October 2012[/editline]
FYI:
[quote]This generation of Accord is one of the most frequently stolen cars in the U.S.A. with the 1994 model being stolen more frequently than its siblings.[/quote]
Assuming by 4 cylinder you mean an F22
Google gave me this:
[url]http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2829220[/url]
Actually, Civic's are a poor man's Accord.
Not the other way around. I have a completely stock 95 EX, with a swapped in F22B from Japan. It works fine the way it is, and gets me to work just fine, as Hondas are supposed to do. If it's truly your first car, I'd leave it well enough alone and stick with subs, amps, speakers - stuff that doesn't tend to harm the operaton of the vehicle. If you just want to go out and spend money on it, type in "97 Accord" into Ebay, and for $1000 you can buy almost any aftermarket body part that exists for it including your simple I/H/E setup. Or leave it stock, and trade it in later for a car you want more. I can tell you right now, even with 1 billion miles on it, it's worth more than $200.
Yeah I thought about it afterwards, and I actually do like accords. Especially the coupes.
They are fat(and sometimes less ugly) preludes though.
[QUOTE=Del91;38171487]Yeah I thought about it afterwards, and I actually do like accords. Especially the coupes.
They are fat(and sometimes less ugly) preludes though.[/QUOTE]
lmao preludes are the fat accord
look at the 4th gen
[IMG]http://puu.sh/1iplh/b75ab85740f92f6cb6b502f1fe3191c8[/IMG]
remember i own one so i am an authority on the subject
You're wrong, Protocol.
That generation Prelude is narrower (1,765mm) than the same generation Accord (1,781mm).
Accord is the fat Prelude.
Start with a brief description of what you are after, what you think makes a car "great".
[QUOTE=bradley;38172453]You're wrong, Protocol.
That generation Prelude is narrower (1,765mm) than the same generation Accord (1,781mm).
Accord is the fat Prelude.[/QUOTE]
i totally meant that the 4th gen looks like a bulbous blobby thing but if you're gonna be a nerd about it, ok
[QUOTE=Protocol7;38172706]i totally meant that the 4th gen looks like a bulbous blobby thing but if you're gonna be a nerd about it, ok[/QUOTE]
16mm
Can we please get back on the subject please.
heres my accord
[img]http://i.cubeupload.com/NssFGE.jpg[/img]
it go vroom vroom
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVmav2RSoxM[/media]
[QUOTE=Koenigsegg;38172583]Start with a brief description of what you are after, what you think makes a car "great".[/QUOTE]
My friend has a old ford mercur (SP FAIL). And while its a treat to fix it has a turbo and ive driven it a few times. I love the turbo.
Im not into getting the crazy looking spoilers and lowering it 5ft but I am all for performance and efficiency.
[QUOTE=Mitchell4500;38201083]My friend has a old ford mercur (SP FAIL). And while its a treat to fix it has a turbo and ive driven it a few times. I love the turbo.
Im not into getting the crazy looking spoilers and lowering it 5ft but I am all for performance and efficiency.[/QUOTE]
So you want a fun to drive car, mostly?
Tires = Tires are like a cars shoes, the type of tires your car has can change the feel dramatically.
Suspension = Suspension controls how your tires meet the pavement, traction is everything
Turbo = If your looking for quick power, consult someone whose already added a turbo to your car for good information.
Final Drive = Changing your final drive may be a job more for a mechanic, but choosing the right ratio can make the car very torquey if that's what you like.
Find out the Achilles heels of your car : It is important to fix the typical woes of your particular model before you start adding power
Looks : You can change the look of your car with a simple paint-job, new head and tail lights, or a subtle body-kit. There are also some accessories that you may like, also look into tasteful wraps for your interior.
Generally make sure to keep your car clean as well
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Upgrading parts : After some time you can upgrade some parts to lighter stronger and more efficient parts
Here is a good reference website and things discussed apply to most L4 engines, like the one you own : [url]http://www.billzilla.org/engineintro.htm[/url]
[B]Exhaust :[/B]
You can tell your getting a good manifold if you inspect the welds, they should be mostly straight and look strong. Also be sure the pipes are welded in the right order.
For a street car you should go after a 4-2-1 manifold.
4 cylinders have a 180 degree crank and need the pipes to be welded in a 1&4 + 2&3 order.
For manifolds you want the pipes themselves to stay cool while the exhaust gas is hot.
The heat in the exhaust gases keeps the pressure high (as a hot gas expands and takes up more space)
Avoid a fart can muffler, think of your ears.
Not like this :
[t]http://www.billzilla.org/extwrong.jpg[/t]
[B]Intake :[/B]
Avoid cone filters if you can, a direct feed from a bellmouth end into a airbox filter is much better.
The higher surface area on the airbox filter means that the intake gases will have more room to move about and wont be cramped, the opposite of the effect observed in the exhaust.
Remember that for every 1 degree Celsius drop in intake temperature there is a 2% performance boost across the board. (or i might have that backwards, but the principle is mostly the same)
Also upgrading the throttle body to a bigger one would be ideal, but again that is a bit more difficult than changing the intake and filter.
Any time your going from a large volume of gas to a small tube, a bellmouth is always the best shape to use.
Gasses rarely travel in a straightline paralell to your tube so a bellmouth acts as a sort of "net" to draw in air
Without a bellmouth the gasses get pinched at the entry of the pipe and dont enter in smoothly
[t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c5/Velocity_stack_detail.gif[/t]
[B]Raising RPM :[/B]
The standard formula for power in a engine is
2pi (rpm) (t)
2pi is the number of radians in a full turn which establishes that were using power to spin a object
Torque is how much work is being done
Rpm is how often the work is being done per minute.
multiplying the torque (t) by the rpm (rpm) gives us the total work being done per minute
then it is multiplied by 2pi to, as aforementioned, establish that we are spinning a wheel.
The total power can be divided by the standard horsepower coefficient which is 22000 to get the horsepower.
If you can increase the rpm even by a little you can increase the power by a lot, because you increase how often work is done.
Just a general guide, there's much much much more to it than that but that should be good for now.
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