Good News and Bad News (my car)

[Moppie]

Bad news first:
After fighting with the insurance company to no avial I have settled on a sum of $4,416.16c yes, thats right thier even paying me the 16c, arn't they nice
Its about $600 less that what I want, and nearly a $1,000 less than the car is worth.
Unforunatly I would never get another grand, even if I took it to the courts, and it could take 2-3months to get another couple of hundred out of them.
I need the money now.

So basicly Iv been left rather shafted and somewhat fucked (excuse me) by an ingorant mistake from someone who never took the time to learn how to drive, and an insurance company that after 8 years I had hoped would look after me.
I can count the number of times I have been seriously upset at something or someone in life, even counting ex girlfriends I just had to start counting on me other hand.

Now the good news!

I found a replacement car
No its not a skyline, its another Honda.
It belonged to a mate who used to be a panel beater but retired to look after his sick wife, hes bought a late model BMW and is getting rid of some of his old cars collected over the years.
I know it well, I used to put petrol in it at my 3rd job, and I work for the mechanic whos done most of the service work on it.
Its not terribly fast, infact its a little on the slow side, but its straight, honest, has all the bells and whistles, and is in extremly good condition.
Its done 90,000kms since its birth, and I got for a very good price of $2,000.

What is it you ask?
Well its a 1991 Honda Prelude XX inx.
Which I think is a US spec Prelude converted to RHD. It looks like a Jap prelude but has an accord style frount end, and a legand coupe style back end, I infact wonder if it might be an old US Spec Legand?
Ill get pics next week and you can tell me as I know very little about US cars, or Preludes for that matter.
Its a 5sp, but unlike all the Japanese cars which use the a Twincam engine, this one is only a single cam twincarb. However its still a 2.0l and Im guessing is only down about 10hp on jap equivilant.
But its a 5sp which is hard to find as most are autos, so while not quick it will be fast enough, as it has no pretentions to being fast.
It has electric everything, including climate control, sunroof and cruise control.
Ill stick my CD player in it that I rescued from the Civic and be back into the world of modern motering.
Should be picking it up this weekend, or monday, just have to sort a warrent of fitness and some registration as its been sitting for a while.

[Melt]

sounds like a first gen lude ... does it look like this?

[Ace$nyper]

good stuff you got a new ride but your lucky insure pays anything ever. (i'll spare the ranting) but they don't make money paying claims. I hope you enjoy your new ride.

[Moppie]

Originally posted by Melt
sounds like a first gen lude ... does it look like this?

Thats actualy a 3rd gen, and yip it sort of looks like that, but with out the pop up head lights. Instead it has a sort of Accord coupe/Legand style frount on it, which gives it a much more mature look.
Its a "nice car" i.e. nice to drive and efficant to run. But not at all fast, even a US Spec Si Civic would run rings around it, its like driving my work truck compared to the old SiR.


and there is no way the insurance company has lost money on this, not after Iv been with them for 8 years. Once they sell the wreck they will have pocketed about as much they have paided out.

[GTA]

Moppies right its a 3rd gen.

this is what a 1st gen looks like

[dirtydx]

slow car...? welcome to the club :o

[Setanta]

Nice Moppie, those have always been my favourite Preludes Is it the 4 wheel steer version? We got them with the Twin-Cam Fi motor - about 140bhp I think off the top of my head.

Nice buy and the price is awesome.

BTW - you couldn't "rescue" your engine mounts could you? I'm trying to find some

[Civic Jim]

Originally posted by Setanta
Nice Moppie, those have always been my favourite Preludes Is it the 4 wheel steer version? We got them with the Twin-Cam Fi motor - about 140bhp I think off the top of my head.

Nice buy and the price is awesome.

We get em here too they r lush, my bro had a 2.0 twin carb one which done 24mpg if u nursed it, but they r SWEET cars IMO

[Moppie]

Originally posted by Setanta

BTW - you couldn't "rescue" your engine mounts could you? I'm trying to find some

LOL!

I cant touch the car now, since it belongs to the insurance company, but it will go up for tender. I can't afford it, but I will do my best to find out who gets it, simply so I can take things like the engine mounts, rear wing etc off it.
And I want the tyres of it! The Prelude has some old hard Bridgestones, and I like my nice 1/3 worn Yokohamas.
Hopefully it will goto Strongs, who I can get a trade discount off, and know the guys well enough that I can walk around the yard and scavange bits.



I would like to know how much hp it has, Im guesing around 130ish with similar peak torque to the twincam engines, but accross a much smaller range.
In September I will get 1st dibs on a friends 89 Si with 4WS, but its an auto. So Im thinking g/box swap an sell the XX as an auto then use the Si as a manual, and if Im feeling keen slip in a B18c, assuming of course that I happen to like Preludes.
If not then I will run this one till it dies, and when I get qualified and start making some money, buy either another EF9, an EF8, EK9 or an ITR
or something completly differnt :sun:

All going well I should be able to pick it up tomorrow, so pics will be up before monday.


oh, and no 4WS or ABS. The ABS I dont want, its not that good on the old Preludes, 4WS would be nice, but at this age starts to need fixing, which = $ I dont have.

[CRX586]

mate who used to be a panel beater but retired

panel beater? what is that exactly?

[Setanta]

Cool moppie - if you can locate parts, I also need the rear lip and the air-con controls... I hate the climate control in mine as you remember But the mounts are a definite.

BTW mate, can you check the part numbers for CV joints and Clutch if possible and see if they are close to any Aussie spec Hondas? I was wondering if the VTiR coupe/hatch might match it, but they run a different gearbox. I think you told me that VTiR Integra bearings and cages can be used on the CVs, but am not to sure.

Cheers

[sparq]

I love it when people say "petrol" :finger:

Sorry to hear about the stupid insurance company Moppie

[Moppie]

Pete, the clutch on all the B16a powered cars is exactly the same.
When I did mine it was replaced with one from a EK SiR/VTiR and it seem to work perfectly.

I dont know about the CV joints though, I imagine the EG ones will be the same but if the wheel base changed when they made the EK then they will most likly be differnt.
Ill have a look for you, but my contacts at Honda have unforunalty moved onto other employment, or gone to work for Honda in Japan.

[Setanta]

Cheers mate - much appreciated

[EF6_CR-X]

Moppie: Does your prelude look like this?



http://www.honda.co.jp/HOT/ModelData...ine_up.html#xx

Nice car.

SOHC B20A

110ps @ 5,800

here are the specs:
http://www.honda.co.jp/HOT/ModelData...711/xx_sy.html



Setanta:

I hate the climate control in mine as you remember

Is your problem that it runs the aircon all the time?
I don't have the climate system myself, but I helped someone overcome this problem, while still maintaining the ability to use the climate control, just be able to turn the AC on/off when you want it.

You just need to build a bypass switch, and mount it near the centre controls, or perhaps get an OEM foglight swicth to use.
If you remove the glovebox you will see a small unit on the right side of the aircon evaporator with a probe that goes into the evaporator (located behind the right side hinge of the glovebox).
It is the thermostat to prevent the evaporator from freezing up. If you intercept one of the two wires and install a switch, it will prevent the aircon from running with the circuit open.

Make sure you still leave the thermostat in the circuit otherwise the evaporator will freeze up when you use the aircon.

Or perhaps I totally missed your problem alltogether, but that seems to be the main problem that people have with them, with it like this you in effect get the same climate system that is fitted to EG's.

Fitting the manual climate control panel will require removal of some servos, and replacement with cables, if the two vent systems are the same.

Chris.