AhYesCB7 : 1993 Accord SE

[AhYesCB7]

First pic I ever took of the car, the night I bought it.

This is my 1993 Accord SE sedan, I bought this car 7 months ago in the middle of December. To fill you in on how I came to own this Honda, 8 months or so ago I got t-boned in my Stratus RT and needed a car badly. For the next month after the accident I searched craigslist with two things in mind; first, whatever I bought needed to be good on fuel, and second it needed to be older than 95 or so. The Stratus was killing me with the premium fuel it loved to burn through like it was nothing, and I have a thing for old cars in general, they have a "soul" or "charm" post 2005 cars lack in my opinion. My last project was a 78 Caddy Fleetwood, so you can kind of guess I am a car guy through and through lol.

Anyway, I grew up in CT so Hondas were and are everywhere and I know they can take some abuse and obviously sip fuel so I figured I'd give one a try and see what all the fuss is about. However I didn't want to go the same old route and get a Civic or an Integra, luckily nothing of the sort in running condition was within my price range whether I wanted them or not. What I did find was this Accord and a 90 Civic hatch with a 5 speed. You can see which I chose

This car was being advertised as a running car but in need of some brake work, struts, exhaust and cosmetic work and a few other things. The car came with new front rotors and pads for all corners NIB. $500 firm as is was the price.

I did everything wrong when going to look at a used car off the street lol. I went and met up at the guys house after dark, in what felt like -20 degree weather. When I got there the car was already started up and running, I took a quick look under the hood and saw that it was bone stock and fairly quiet other than the exhaust being technically gone. The leather was in fair shape and the heat was fantastic, I fell in love with it right there. I needed to at least see it drive and shift before I could jump on it. The seller took me around the block with the car, at that point I could tell the front wheel bearings were severely worn, however the seller figured it was the brakes because the car had sat for a year and a half or so. After the ride and looking at some of the included receipts and paperwork I offered the guy $400 and told him I'd have the car gone that night, as he wanted the car gone asap. Obviously he agreed so I drove home and got a ride back from a neighbor, popped my plate on her and took off. That photo above is her back in my area after its maiden journey, as scary as it was.

Now that you've been bored to death by my waxing poetic about my Honda lets look at it some more. I'm going to post a few older pics and then one as it sits today, then pics highlighting the mods in no particular order in later posts.










Modifications

Engine-
Intake resonator tubing removed, vacuum capped
OEM air filter box gutted, stage 1
Breather on fresh air inlet
Generic header, 2.25" straight exhaust

Exterior-
Legend sedan front lip
CB7 long bar spoiler
VIS Xtreme CF hood, hood pins
Grille removed
Drivers side fender swapped with donor car

Interior-
Custom power drivers seat
Front and rear heated seats
Custom upholstered door panel inserts
Sound deadening stage 2
Custom visor vanity lights
CD5 map light
Ashtray light to match soft blue in dash
Heated mirror switch
Acura CL headrests
LED door courtesy lights

Wheels and Suspension-
Stock SE wheels, new tires
TIEN H.Tech drop springs
KYB Excel G shocks
All new suspension links,balljoints, bearings
Full size spare in trunk

Audio and Electronics-
No radio or speakers currently

Future Plans-
All kinds of stuff, but I always get new ideas and change things
NEW EXHAUST!
False floor in trunk
Custom doors




Thanks for checking it out, more to come for sure! Shout out to you high post count OGs who really know these cars like the back of your hand, you've all been an ocean of knowledge, drowning myself and all those able to use the search function

[AhYesCB7]

The first thing the car needed was wheel bearings, they were rough and LOUD! Heres a few pics to show you my process. Just wait until you see the heat discoloration on the bearings lol...








When I did the bearings I pressed the new ones onto the hubs before bolting on the rotors... OOPS

Nothing a dremel cant handle, they arent so captive after all...

[AhYesCB7]

Few shots of the spoiler install and the engine when I first got the car. It sat for a while, squirrels were living in the air box lol.

[AhYesCB7]

A couple shots of the Legend lip going on.

[AhYesCB7]

Here's some recent repair work from this past Sunday. As you've seen in the pics the rear bumper is falling off on the passenger side. I noticed its finally gotten to the point where the bumper corner was beginning to rub on the tire so I decided to do something for now. I will eventually get some patch panels but for now this is what I came up with. I first scraped away the bubbled paint and flaky rust and hit the remainder with some rust treatment. Napa brand if you're curious. With that dry I mocked up the plastic slide mount, the bottom clip was still in place so I had a reference point. I found that my only option was to take a screw and run it through the plastic mount right through the most solid seeming part of the rust to give the top the support it needed to hold the bumper. It worked out great the car looks so much better. When I get some patch panels all Ill have to do is fill in the hole the screw will leave on the inner fender well.

[AhYesCB7]

I should mention this car looks rough because of the awful maaco job on it but its originally Geneva Green and that's pretty much the only bit of rust on the car. It only has about 175k or so on it. Id have to check the math, the cluster was replaced when the speedometer broke according to the seller. I was given the original cluster with the original mileage. Runs great, I did a valve lash on it like two weeks ago and that really made it happy (after it blew a spark plug). Once the oil gets nice and warm the engine is damn near silent now. I need a new exhaust asap so I can really hear it under the hood. Damn flex pipe leak...

[Fleetw00d]

When I did the bearings I pressed the new ones onto the hubs before bolting on the rotors... OOPS

Nothing a dremel cant handle, they arent so captive after all...

You had to dremel out the profile on the inside of the rotors? Most are designed to fit over the bearing mounting flange (every one I've replaced has been).

[apalileo]

Nice start. It may be rough, but a little elbow grease will go a long way! Body is in decent shape overall (minus that rusted quarter and the fender which you already replaced) and it seems you only need to address the areas that normally wear out. I'd say it was a good purchase overall!

[PakaloloHonda]

I don't see pictures ... lil x's ..

[AhYesCB7]

Thanks guys, its been a great little car so far and Ive already put quite a bit of miles on it.

Yes for some reason the rotors would not slip over the back of the hub, it was off by a hair.

And yeah the body isnt too bad, still need a passenger fender but I promised to sell the other fender and door off the donor car so Ill search the yards for another. The doors have a few dings but honestly I dont want to get crazy fixing the body, Im going for a clean and quiet interior and a smooth ride as my first order of business.

Pics are working on my end, I'll have more up later to reall show of the car as it sits right now.

[AhYesCB7]

So I teased in another thread about power seats implying that I wanted power but I was NOT going to lose that awesome captains chair armrest on the stock seat. As we all know the later model Accord and CL seats will bolt right in, I was suspicious of other similarities between them and our stock units.

I believe what I have in my car is a one off joint that no one has attempted. I haven't read a single word about it and I've read a whole lot since buying this car.

Stock seat next to bottom half of CL power seat.



Bottom pan was a perfect fit.



Top half of frame was also a perfect fit however notice how the recline motor is squeezing the foam.



The solution was simple, cut some foam out.







Bottom pan has dual stage heat like the top.



Here it is in the car, in need of a serious cleaning. I might open it up again and fix that wrinkle in the bottom corner near the recline motor but either way I like it a lot. Also a shot of the CL headrests, gives the seats a sportier look in my opinion. Gonna sew up some tan covers for them to match the leather soon.

[AhYesCB7]

Heres a shot of the car next to a newer Accord, you can still see a bit of the styling cues in the new one.



And here are a few shots of the day I bought the hood. I actually saw this in the junkyard on a sedan that was rattle canned blue literally inside and out with a body kit and a huge wing. I had a laugh but kept walking initially but a month or so later I was at the yard again and saw the car, this time pretty much engulfed in a mud puddle up to the front wheels. This was unusual since this yard swaps out cars weekly. I figured I'd take a closer look at the car and saw that this was in fact a legit carbon fiber VIS hood. I had to have it, I laugh every time I see the car now. I luckily had a ton of zipties in my trunk and was able to rig them around the radiator support and holes in the hood to keep it closed during the ride home.







The CB7 has a certain early 90s Skyline look to it in my opinion, and now the hood really gives it that dangerous look lmao. I want a set of all amber corners for it, that solidifies the sporty front end IMO. That and the factory fogs too, I gotta find a set.



I just wanted a little gas saver and within a few months that's what I'm cruising around in lmao.

[GTRON]

I wouldn't have put that hood on my car if you would've paid me

But to each his own.

[dhill_cb7]

Really looks good sir. I like all the work you have put in so far. I am surprised no one took the hood for the cb from the yard sooner. Around my area the CBs are usually molested in a matter of a few days
Considering how old the car I am shocked the leather is still in pretty decent shape. Looks good so far. I have the same rusting on the rear quarters like you have. I guess we all will at some point

[AhYesCB7]

So I've been driving this car since I bought it on blown shocks and worn bushings/joints, now I'm finally able to fix her up properly. Bought a few things so far. Clearly the shocks being blown and the alignment and camber being wonky has wreaked havoc on the car and I'm guessing the original springs arent as snappy as they once were even if I installed new shocks lol.

So I've ordered and received a full set of KYB Excel Gs, and I'm about to order a set of TIEN H.Tech springs to match them. I'm looking into a bushing set for cheap but we'll see.

I've also ordered a cheap ass full exhaust system, the 4-2-1 flange kind, not that sleeve and spring crap. The straight pipe dumping by the rear tire is fun but I want this car to be quiet inside lol. I've ordered some fiberglass header wrap too because why not?

Gotta scrounge around the junkyard... I want to do the ROH swap and beef up the front brakes...

So I have to install the new suspension and bushings and see what the alignment, particularly the camber, is looking like. I'm hoping the blown out shocks and old tired springs are why the car had uneven camber. If not I'll have to get a camber kit... hoping not though. The shocks and springs alone are a little more than I paid for the car itself lmao.