Average Joe's First Project Car & Childhood Dream Log

[I_M_Legend]

Here you go!

91505-SL0-003

Thanks!

 

[Andr3w]

Time for an update as I am almost two years behind on this thread! I have also decided to host the images on Google Photos going forward. A nuisance I discovered when I occasionally fill up at the gas station is that I have to hold onto the opening mechanism and pry open the gas cap simultaneously. Not only is this annoying but it also makes it awkward since I have to nonchalantly get into the following position:

It appears that the misalignment of the cap has chipped and cracked the paint since the cap is continuously pushing against it.

So I went ahead and placed an extension socket under the latch to keep the cap unlocked. Then I loosened the bolts just barely enough for the cap move so I can impatiently make fine adjustments to it.

I used numerous pieces of paper to achieve various thicknesses to evenly space it out.

I marked the areas of the bolt with a marker and placed washers under them as shims to get the cap to line up (not shown).


Here is the before:

Here is the after, much better IMO:

 

[Andr3w]

Next I ordered six oem NGK PFR6G-11 sparkplugs from Nissan as they were cheaper than to buy from Honda.

 

[Andr3w]

Next I ordered and replaced the air cleaner (air filter). I was told by my Honda dealership that this was the last remaining unit in Canada and it was shipped from Vancouver city.

I referred to the 1991 service manual to access the air cleaner. It was fairly straight forward.

After I removed the lid, I wiped the inside of the air box with a damp paper towel.

The new and old units were different colours but the markings on both were the same (I think the original filters that came with the car were white?).

The old filter was pretty filthy since one side was white and the side exposed to the ambient air was grey.

I reinstalled the hose clamp the way I uninstalled it with the bolt at the bottom. It was a little tricky to get to it by feel so I used a mirror to find the exact location.

 

[Lamini]

Hard to believe you did not have much mechanical experience before hand. A late grats on the car and thank you for your documentation. Hopefully I will do some of this myself. My experience has been its never as simple as do this or that, always some research involved. Maybe thats just my excuse.

 

[Andr3w]

Hard to believe you did not have much mechanical experience before hand. A late grats on the car and thank you for your documentation. Hopefully I will do some of this myself. My experience has been its never as simple as do this or that, always some research involved. Maybe thats just my excuse.

Thanks, Lamini!I agree 100% that it's never as easy as it looks haha. The difficult part is allocating time to do research then performing the actual work between family, friends and multiple hobbies.

 

[Andr3w]

While I was browsing the forums, I came across a thread in the detailing section about leather treatments (Link: Best leather treatment I ve ever used!!).

The amazing results in that thread reminded me of how much I neglected the leather bits in my interior. I scrolled through the thread and bought something similar or equivalent on Amazon.

The package arrived safely in the following state:

I used some leather wipes and cleaner first to prepare the leather for the conditioner.

This is what I started off with.

After cleaning.

After applying the conditioner with my (left) hand.

After waiting 20+ hours and wiping off the excess with a microfiber towel.

Final results.

The leather felt noticeably softer and looked darker but there was still lots of room for improvement, therefore I will repeat a few more times and report back.

 

[Andr3w]

I replicated what I did with the door inserts on the steering wheel.

This is the before - notice the worn out leather between the 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock section.

The steering wheel was pretty dirty as expected...

Applying the conditioner:

After waiting 20+ hours again and wiping off the excess:

Remember the worn out area between 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock? The worn leather appearance, however, did return after a month with minimal driving.

 

[MotorMouth93]

To really get the best possible results with leather conditioner on leather that has been neglected (99% of our cars, TBH) you have to let it sit for days or months. The urethane coating on the leather makes it a very slow process.

 

[Andr3w]

To really get the best possible results with leather conditioner on leather that has been neglected (99% of our cars, TBH) you have to let it sit for days or months. The urethane coating on the leather makes it a very slow process.

No wonder! I'll let it sit longer this season when I recondition the leather again. Might even do it a second time before storage this year, so it can settle in during the cold winter months.

 

[Andr3w]

My car came with the OEM fat-fives when I bought it, so I decided to install them and try to sell off the aftermarket Fikse wheels that were installed. I also wanted to experience what Honda had intended with the OEM wheels.

I had stored these wheels away in my basement when I got the car and haven't touched them since.

Gave them some good scrubbing!

The difference in front tire width from OEM and Fikse.

Although I haven't rubbed with the Fikse setup, it looks like there was some rubbing at one point and it took off the undercoating (maybe rub at full lock?).

Discovered that aftermarket extended studs are installed on my car, so I couldn't install the OEM wheels since my ball-seated lug nuts are close ended.

 

[Andr3w]

A number of weeks after I had replaced the battery, my battery died again. Reason being that I didn't touch the car for 3-4 weeks and also accidentally left the dome light turned on.

I decided I wanted to go with an AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) battery since I read that it is better than flooded lead batteries in terms of reliability, durability and weight. There was a sale going on at one of my local auto and hardware store so I bought a Group-35 AGM battery. I also returned my old battery and bought an AGM Group-24F battery (no Group-35 for sale at my location) from Costco. I couldn't decide which one to go with so I bought both, since the sale was ending for the Group-35.

I test fitted both batteries in the battery tray and connected the terminals to it. I noticed the Group-24F from Costco fitted better in the battery tray and the terminals weren't loose when connected compared to the Group-35. The battery cost me $180 + 13% tax = $203.

In the end I went with the larger and heavier Group-24F from Costco and returned the Group-35, since it fits better and also because I wanted the higher CCA and RC. So far I have left the car untouched for as long as 5 weeks and the car still starts up no problem, even in the cold when it's 0 celsius.

While I was at it, I cleaned the battery terminal cables with baking soda and very little water.

There was some surface corrosion on the battery bracket, so I applied electrical tape to it. Will either sand and repaint down the road, replace the bracket with new unit or even CAD&CAM a new bracket out of a different material.

 

[Andr3w]

Keep in mind everything thus far had already taken place in 2017 since I am slow on updating my journal. Have been too lazy with my updates since I have to transfer the pictures from my phone to computer to google photos to nsxprime.

Anyhow, continuing with July of 2017 - I attended my first car meet with the NSX at the annual Toronto Subaru Club Hyper Meeting. This annual event is sponsored by Subaru of Canada and also by several vendors. I have read somewhere that this is the largest Subaru meet in Canada!

 

[Andr3w]

My taillights had water in them that wasn't noticed until a few months after I had owned the car and my trunk had a musty smell. I suspected the taillight gaskets must have failed from age. So I ordered a set of aftermarket DMT taillight gaskets from Ebay as recommended by many members. The gaskets were significantly cheaper than OEM, thicker and seemed to be made out of a different material.

I started dissecting everything according to the 1991 service manual by first unfastening the CD player brackets and removing the trunk liner.

The CD player seemed to have been installed after the car was bought and owned for a few years since the year on the back of the CD player is 1995.

The people who installed the CD player drilled 2.5 holes at the bottom of the trunk (two and a half, because the half didn't go through).

I also cleaned it up the trunk while I was at it.

After I wiped down the trunk with a cotton swap, microfibre tower, bucket of water with a bit a laundry detergent.

The water inside the bucket was actually a bit murky... nasty...

 

[Andr3w]

The center piece had to be removed first. This piece also has four small gaskets on each of the studs.

Left side out.

The existing gaskets were caked onto the housing so I had to rip them off in pieces.

Dead spider and a hairline crack on the housing.

Signs of water coming through the taillight studs.

Sealed off the openings so pests don't get inside.

 

[Andr3w]

Next was cleaning.

They cleaned up pretty nicely.

Still dripping water.

These cleaned up nicely, too!