Mods
 

Hey, i my aunt is giving me her 1992 Honda Accord Lx Coupe and it is completely stock and i want to know what mods can be done safely and cheaply to increase the performance of this car. It does not have that many miles on the tranny or engine so i don't really want to swap it out, yet. Also i was wondering if anyone could give me an idea as to the stock 0-60 times for this car seeing as how i don't have it yet.

Also, i was wondering what can be done to the out side that would not require it to be repainted (I like the current color). Also, in keeping with the cheap theme (i am currently in college and i don't have a large amount of money to put into this car at the moment) what kind of amp and sub would go well with the Sony CDX-F5705X.

As performance wise everyone will say either get Cold air intake, header and exhaust. or they might tell you to save up money for a turbo kit. Also one of the first things to do is suspension. drop it about 1.5-2.0 inches it will handle alot better.

as for the amps and subs depends on what u want and what kind of music you listen to. if you want loud bass 2 12's possibly alpine type r's. if you want something less just to fill the missing sound then go with one 10". amp wise you have a slew of choices just match up the power ratings with the subs and you will be set

Cool
 

Where would i go to find these items? I am a noob and trying to get into this slowly.

There's a wonderful thing......it's called the SEARCH FUNCTION. PLEASE use it and be a good noob! :)

Go to www.crutchfield.com for audio stuff, they've never steered me wrong.

Performance-wise, go get a cold air or short ram intake. It'll give you a nice sound when you rev up and bossts your hp by 5-10. Then drop your car about two inches (that's what our cars need to look good). Learn how to do the work yourself because nothing sucks ore than getting forked on labor charges.

Just wondering, what kinda miles does it have on it? Color? Coupe or 4-door? I own a 4th gen, so I'm always interested in what all the other 4th gen owners have.

Being in college with money tight, avoid engine mods.
I'd say go with suspension mods from www.tirerack.com or www.shox.com

The car will likely need: new shocks, get a cheap set from above and some nice springs like an Eibach or H&R, I wouldn't go too low. You don't really need a Koni adjustable either.

I'd get some upgraded brake pads too like Hawk or Satified Pros, not only is it a maintnence item but it will improve the safty of the car.

Then I'd search for a nice wheel and tire combo.

And lastly if the car hasn't had a serious tune up in a bit, I'd get plugs wires and cap and rotor if needed on this car. Be sure you also don't need a t-belt or any gaskets fixed. It's a waste to mod a car in need of maintence first.

These mods should keep you plenty busy for now.

As for stereo mods Crutchfield is a great start but Ebay can really help you find cheap stereo stuff in not so bad shape if you know exactly what you want especially part no.

the car
 

As for the actual car specs

Honda Accord 1992 LX
Coupe
The light green color from honda which actually looks alright on the car.
37000 miles, Automatic (unfortunately)
stock everything
everything that was rubber has been replaced,
brakes replaced,
tires (replaced 6000 miles ago, rated for 80000)
spark plugs if they are the stock ones i will probably go ahead and replace them with ones like the ones in my dads suv because of there performance.
spark plug wires i am sure of original, i would like to replace them with blue spark plug wires.
it was a typical old ladies car as my aunt called it.

As for a cold intake, everything that i have read has said that they don't really do anything for a car. Also, mechanics that i know say that it might only increase the # of horses by maybe 2 or 3 but not really anything to call home about. One of my uncles has also told me that when he put one on his car all it did was make the engine compartment look better. Does anyone have any real proof?

Yes, i know about crutchfield, but i don't know what i should buy to put in it. So far i am looking at the Sony CDX-F5705X for a head unit, but i don't know what i should think about for the speakers or sub. I want to retain some of my trunk space and not use all of it for stereo equipment. I was wondering if any had any suggestions or comments about how certain systems performed, or any system for that matter. The only stereo that i have ever built by piece was one for my dorm room and i only spent 200 on the whole thing including receiver (not a dvd home entertainment system kit). I don't really know that much about stereos for cars other than the head units (receivers).

However, i did have an original plan for the stereo. I was going to build a small computer system powerful enough to play dvd movies, mp3 & visuals, temp and other miscellaneous information. The only reason that i had even thought about this was because of the mass amount of mp3's that i have stored. But this option became unpractical because of where i will be parking the car and the cost at which it will take to do this, when compared to the price and or worth of the car.

Thank you for your posts, any idea of a good turbo kit to save up for? and What exactly are the differences between the LX and the EX 1992 Accord and how much better is the one over the other?

Between the EX and LX, engine-wise the EX has f22a6 while the LX has an f22a4 (I THINK). The only real difference is an EX has about 5 more hp. Also the stock manifold on an EX is essentially a 4-2-1 header. So if you're looking for a little bite of hp at a fairly cheap cost and don't want to go for headers yet, go to a junkyard, find a 4th gen EX and take the exhaust manifold off of it and put it on yours!

On the CAI thing, like I said it'll give you SOME hp but not much. I think I said 5-10 but it's around 3-5. It's SOMETHING and when it's used together with headers and a cat-back exhaust you see some decent gains. That's when it gets up around 15 hp. DRAG makes a turbo kit for our Accord but beyond that I'm not too sure. That's in my plans for a few years down the road. :naughty:

For speakers, I'm pretty partial to Rockford Fosgates. They can get a bit pricey, but they're worth it. Pioneer is another good one to look at, but only for stock size speakers. Their subs are less than perfect. I'd say that if you're just looking for some nice bass to fill out the sound a little more, go with a 10" sub in the back and some nice aftermarket speakers inside. The 10" won't take up a whole lot of room and you should get good response out of it. Actually, funny thing, right now I have my combo amp for my bass guitar in my trunk. It's a huge 15" single sub in a nice sized box with a small head. HEAVY AS F*CK AND HUGE TOO. I still have about half of my trunk space left. 4th gens have monster trunks. :thumbup:

ebay. . .

AEM Cold Air Intake used - $77
DC Header used - $170
Helix - $15
NGK Iridium IX Plugs - $20
NGK Wires - $30

For about $300, I've almost completed the basic boltons. Trying to find a good used catback :D

Is that a typo?? A 4th gen w/ that many miles is ****ing crazy!

This is no typo my aunt never had a need to drive that much, It is the typical old ladies car. Used to to from home to church and church to home on sunday. And even then if her husband was home they would take his car, so for my aunt this is not "****ing crazy"! It was just there if she needed it.

yes that is correct...



TURBO that beast, automatic will reduce turbo lag :dunno: anyways everything should have a turbo... start saving it will be the best investment down the road, none of this little crap you will have to chuck later when you switch to a turbo then. :D

so about that color, is it like the light green or the real deep green

If you want a really nice subwoofer for your car...

JL 10w7 or 8w7 even... those will be MORE then enuff, but they are pricey...

Those are very pricey for subs, not to mention the amps needed to run them.

I think a 12w0 or 10w3d2 are clearly more affordable first time subs, not to mention a cheap used or new amp to run them is much easier to find and afford.

cam
 

Ge the cam reground to 272 and it will increase about 15 hp. With the pipe, CAI and cams, you will also need to richen up the fuel with a FPR or something of that sort. I would guess around 20-30 hp gain in all. Not too bad. It will run you around $500 out the door.

the car
 

One Pic of the car from my aunt.

Nice pick up. The 4th gen was a great car, and youve got one that seems to be in great shape.

Like MrChad had said, Id concentrate more on the suspension if you want to make this car more fun; especially if a few ponies per mod is not that impressive to you, but if you want to do power, Id definitely say a used CAI & Headers will give you the most bang for the buck with a budget of only a few hundred. After that sways, springs, etc will make the 4th gen a real fun ride. I Loved my 92 Accord EX, even more than my 96 EX. It was a fun car.