Mechanical ignoramus: educate me on these mods please

[georgetteoden]

Hi-- I know next to nothing about cars and am thinking about buying a 1998 Integra GSR type R which has all kinds of mods. Help me understand what they are and what they mean.

Background: Bought a 1995 GSR brand new and loved her to death. Faithfully cared for her with the help of a genius, loyal, wonderful mechanic who specializes in Acuras and Hondas. This February, with 206k miles on her and still going very strong, she was rearended in stopped traffic and the insurance company totalled her out. Dammit.

I am now on the hunt for a new to me car and found this one on ebay. Don't laugh. It's a "show car" and I don't know what any of the mods mean. Please educate me? I have done searches on the terms but the posts are all written to equally tech-savvy people so they go over my head. (I'm 37, female, a lawyer, not stupid, just ignorant.)

Feel free to editorialize and tell me whether you think the modifications are worth while, stupid, etc. if you can explain why you hold that opinion.

Also-- I am troubled that the AC has been removed. The seller still has it and will include it with the sale but I imagine it was removed to make room for all that other stuff. (He said he didn't do the work, bought the car mostly like this.) Do you think I could get the AC back in there?

Intended use: While I adored the Fast and the Furious for the car scenes, I do not plan on racing this car or showing it. I drive about 40 highway miles a day to and from work, outside of normal traffic hours, and I love having a speedy, powerful little car.

Here's the text of the ad, word for word. Photos make the car look pristine except for the ugly color.

i am selling this 1998 Acura that i dont have use for anymore. The car is garaged It hasnt seen snow. with almost too much stuff to list, I will give the basic

The car is painted Lemans sunset from a 350Z, Front bumper holes are shaved and bumper professionally trimmed to fit the intercooler. The doors, hood hatch sunroof and motor were removed and painted and the side moldings shaved. Newly installed clear bra! New fender wells and window moldings were added after paint.

Some of the things removed include: Antenna (shaved and painted), Rear wiper, motor and Squirter. Ac and power steering has also been removed.

The ORIGINAL B18C1 motor was completly built and only has 7000 miles on it and the paint. The rest of the car has 72000 miles Most mods include:

Je pistons
Eagle rods
Motor was blueprinted and balanced
decked
3 angle valve job
ARP studs
ACL race bearings
HKS cam gears
Edlebrock intake
550c injectors
hks blow off valve
Eagle fuel rail
MSD ignition
Msd blaster coil
Genuine Type R valve cover
Hondata s300
battery relocate
optima yellow top

Turbo: boosting 14psi
Turbonetics T3 super 60 ball bearing
gen 3 drag kit
Atmosphere dump tube

Fiber Images CF hood
Lowered on ground control Coilovers
HP racing big brake kit
17" konig wheels
New falcon tires
Apexi exhaust
Pioneer dvd nav
8"infinity sub
Carbon Fiber Acura Shift knob
Type R side skirts
Type R floor mats
Type R emblems
Type R key

Hid lights and led lights through out the car

The only bad is the power door locks, lighter and horn doesnt work.
And the map sensor needs to be calibrated.

 

[dc2darkness]

hmmm well imo i would stay away from it since having all that stuff done to it and he's selling it prolly for some reason or another. also you don't intend to race or show it I would just find a nice stock teg and just use that as your DD (daily driver).

 

[bradster101]

hmmm well imo i would stay away from it since having all that stuff done to it and he's selling it prolly for some reason or another. also you don't intend to race or show it I would just find a nice stock teg and just use that as your DD (daily driver).

x 2

 

[georgetteoden]

hmm thanks

Well, I appreciate the advice. Nonetheless, I would like to make an informed decision about it. Could someone please explain some or all of these mods?

 

[mirrorimg]

Cylinder BlockThese are parts that are associated with the block. You have aftermarket forged pistons, forged rod, crank and rod bearings, and the deck of the block was milled to make sure it was perfectly flat.
Je pistons
Eagle rods
Motor was blueprinted and balanced
ACL race bearings
decked

Cylinder Head This is the work to the cylinder head. Cleaned the valves and remachined the surface of the head where the valves make contact (valve job), aftermarket cylinder head studs, some adjustable cam gears for tuning, though I dont see why he would have gears with stock cams... and an aftermarket intake manifold, to support more air volume into the combustion chamber.
3 angle valve job
ARP studs
HKS cam gears
Edlebrock intake

And here is your fuel, ignition, turbo related items. 550cc injectors allow flow up until 550 cubic centimeters. A blow off valve to relieve pressure built up from boost, a fuel rail to support more fuel with big HP builds,
550c injectors
hks blow off valve
Eagle fuel rail
MSD ignition
Msd blaster coil

Other stuff. I would not value the "genuineness" of the type r valve cover much over other valve covers. The S300 is tuning software for your ECU. Battery relocated to the trunk to open up the engine compartment and make things a bit less messy. Yellow top Optima is the battery
Genuine Type R valve cover
Hondata s300
battery relocate
optima yellow top

Turbo stuff
Turbo: boosting 14psi
Turbonetics T3 super 60 ball bearing
gen 3 drag kit
Atmosphere dump tube

Appearance items, Exterior.
Fiber Images CF hood
Lowered on ground control Coilovers
HP racing big brake kit
17" konig wheels
New falcon tires (Falken what? Azenis? ZIEX 912?)
Apexi exhaust
Pioneer dvd nav
8"infinity sub
Carbon Fiber Acura Shift knob (Acura never made a carbon fiber shift knob for the integra)
Type R side skirts
Type R floor mats
Type R emblems
Type R key (lol wtf?)

Hid lights and led lights through out the car

The only bad is the power door locks, lighter and horn doesnt work.
And the map sensor needs to be calibrated.[/SIZE][/SIZE]

Locks, horn, and lighter could be fuses. Hope this helps. I would not buy a previously turbocharged car unless I had the bankroll to rebuild it in case something was amiss.

 

[Tam4511]

i honestly would find a stock one

 

[bradster101]

i honestly would find a stock one

yup

 

[Tam4511]

i am selling this 1998 Acura that i dont have use for anymore. The car is garaged It hasnt seen snow. with almost too much stuff to list, I will give the basic

The car is painted Lemans sunset from a 350Z, Front bumper holes are shaved and bumper professionally trimmed to fit the intercooler. The doors, hood hatch sunroof and motor were removed and painted and the side moldings shaved. Newly installed clear bra! New fender wells and window moldings were added after paint.

Some of the things removed include: Antenna (shaved and painted), Rear wiper, motor and Squirter. Ac and power steering has also been removed.

The ORIGINAL B18C1 motor was completly built and only has 7000 miles on it and the paint. The rest of the car has 72000 miles Most mods include:

Je pistons (upgrade internal engine part)
Eagle rods (upgrade internal engine part )
Motor was blueprinted and balanced (they take the engine apart and clean, hone,and make the air flow better)
decked (they take the engine apart and clean, hone,and make the air flow better)
3 angle valve job (they take the engine apart and clean, hone,and make the air flow better)
ARP studs (upgrade headstuds, ideal for turbo cars, the aluminum engines expand alot when hot, which casues the head gasket to blow, these help prevent that)
ACL race bearings (upgrade rod bearings-engine internal part)
HKS cam gears (affect the precision of the engine timing)
Edlebrock intake (a aftermarket Intake Manifold, it lets the engine suck in more air faster)
550c injectors (aftermarket fuel injectors, put out more fuel than stock, for turbo applications)
hks blow off valve ( a part of the turbo system, releases the pressure of the turbo quickly while shifting)
Eagle fuel rail (aftermarket fuel rail, allows more fuel to flow and faster)
MSD ignition (aftermarket ignition, helps on startups and precise firing timing)
Msd blaster coil (part of the msd ignition)
Genuine Type R valve cover (a "commodity" valve cover-plastic cover that goes on the engine)
Hondata s300 ( aftermarket ecu-electrical controll unit-engines computer, this is one of the top of the lines ECU's, they run around 450$)
battery relocate (moved the battery to make space in the engine bay)
optima yellow top

Turbo: boosting 14psi (turbo application presure)
Turbonetics T3 super 60 ball bearing (turbo, good brand)
gen 3 drag kit
Atmosphere dump tube (simple dump tube, releases excess pressure)

Fiber Images CF hood (carbon fiber hood-they are lighter than stock hoods)
Lowered on ground control Coilovers (good brand of coilovers-suspension part)
HP racing big brake kit (larger brakes, more contact)
17" konig wheels (popular brand of wheels)
New falcon tires
Apexi exhaust (popular exhasut brand)
Pioneer dvd nav (dvd/navigational unit)
8"infinity sub (subwoofer)
Carbon Fiber Acura Shift knob
Type R side skirts (side skirts)
Type R floor mats
Type R emblems
Type R key

Hid lights and led lights through out the car

The only bad is the power door locks, lighter and horn doesnt work.
And the map sensor needs to be calibrated.

do you have any pics of it? i personally wouldn't buy a car that has been this extensively moded

and im not trying to be mean or put you down, but if you don't know what any of that above is, you shouldn't buy it, this is a street racing performance car and would not be the best choice for you IMO

EDIT: woooooow i just realized mirrorimg already did this lol

 

[jznsn2u]

Welcome to Club Integra georgetteoden! The honest truth to the car you are looking at is that it is built to go Very fast. What you're looking at is a race car. I got your pm and I will be glad to inform you of some of the basics

" 15 steps to buy a car-
1. Don't look at just the price. You need to look at the car as a whole, not by how much it costs.
2. Is it a Clean Title / Salvaged. if you might think you would resell the car you purchase in the future, try to aim for a clean title. salvaged usually means the car has been stolen, in an accident, vandalized etc hence harder to sell. KBB the value of the car.
3. What is the Mileage? it's a honda it will easily last well over 200k if you DON'T ABUSE IT. I personally would not buy an integra over 150k miles. that's just me.
4. Body condition - does it have rust? dents are inevitable. rust is a major problem.
5. Interior condition? - the infamous crack in the dash board isn't to big of a problem, check the seat - wear and tear, carpet, center console, power window condition, radio/ speakers - are they blown?
6. Performance Now this is a very important. don't think just because it has a super clean valve cover doesn't mean its legit. 8urcivic is a great valve cover painter anyone can buy one from him.
A.The best way to check the life of your engine is a compression test on all of the cylinders.
B.Test the clutch, run through all gears make sure there's no GRIND/ POP OUT.
C.Actually take a look at the block and look at the condition / dirty / clean - this will tell you about how the the previous owner treated the car.
D.Brakes - if the car isn't on hub caps, and has actual rims you can see through like oh say... gsr blades, you can check the pad life. and of course test it when you drive it.
E. Suspension - are the shocks blown? is it a bouncy ride? stock - smooth but high. aftermarket lowered - stiff is good but if its your daily you will get annoyed if your area has a lot of bumps.
F. If the car is modified of course you will HAVE to go through a more Thorough inspection of the car, how it was built and if it was built RIGHT. *Get the receipts for any aftermarket modification.
7. Craigslist is a good way to find cheap cars but you MUST inspect the car. The reason why people use craigslist over autotrader or ebay is because it is FREE.
8. Expect to find money hungry bastards. Cheap ass fools and bullshit posers.
9. When you email a seller be polite even in person. I personally have bought 2 integra's and because I was polite and I knew what I was talking about, I got minor discounts. No this is not called sucking dick. it's called networking. If you could spend 10 mins talking and making a new friend, they could hook you up.
10. Bring someone with you when you spec a car. Not someone that you trust and doesn't know shit about cars, bring someone that actually has your back and has mechanical experience.
11. Be Cautious about scams, that's why don't go alone.
12. Work hard, save a lot.
13. When you buy your car bone stock, imo DO NOT RUSH MODIFYING YOUR CAR. At least take some time to clean it, and admire it how it was made. When the time is right do it. Trust me half of the guys on this thread still remember how there car USED to be and it means a lot to notice how much hard work they put in it, they didn't rush it.
14. Having a girlfriend doesn't help your automotive expenses. & please don't show off, this will get your car Keyed, windows bashed, a target to thieves + more haters. This means ( don't rev your engine @ school, no burn outs, don't be like that 15 year old kid who likes to rip his ebrake, Yes im punking on that kid who does and don't zoooom and bust flybys on your friends/neighbors they'll dishonor you as a friend.
15. Good luck. Oh and by the way, THE MONEY YOU SPEND ON YOUR CAR MODIFYING... yeah don't expect you to get all that back.

lol 15 steps to buying a car made by jayson. i'm 18 and i own 2 integra's

i swear if you become a ricer after reading this fyl.

I'm sorry I used aggressive language in this post. "




Please Note that I will be very Broad so that it will be fairly easy for you to catch on

"Some of the things removed include: Antenna (shaved and painted), Rear wiper, motor and Squirter. Ac and power steering has also been removed."
^ Seeing that it has a/c and p/s removed the car wont be comfortable while driving. A/c is a luxury to have. Without power steering the car will be harder to steer. While driving on the freeway w/o p/s it feels the same if not, a lot more responsive. Great for track use. Not so great at all for parallel parking. If you don't want to work your forearms out every single day, aim for a car that has p/s.

After reading your post I went out and took some quick pictures so i can show you how to spot your p/s and a/c -

Performance -
"Je pistons
Eagle rods
Motor was blueprinted and balanced
decked
3 angle valve job
ARP studs
ACL race bearings
HKS cam gears
Edlebrock intake
550c injectors
hks blow off valve
Eagle fuel rail
MSD ignition
Msd blaster coil
Genuine Type R valve cover
Hondata s300
battery relocate
optima yellow top"

Basically this person knew what he was doing, he built his engine to race. Those are All fairly expensive and top brand name parts equipped on his engine. Judging by his parts I can tell you already, this person is has way more that 250hp to the wheels.

"Turbo: boosting 14psi
Turbonetics T3 super 60 ball bearing
gen 3 drag kit
Atmosphere dump tube"

(this will be a very BROAD way of explaining a turbo & how to tell if a car has one.)^ that's basically a very important modification. It makes your car Very fast depending on what other modifications you have. In a nut shell, the turbo is placed on the *exhaust manifold*. Powered by the excess heat from the exhaust manifold, a fan spins at high speeds to push air into the engine *intake manifold*. The more air and gas you get into your engine, the faster it will perform. Make's sense right? Bare with me When the turbo is pushing air into the engine, it goes through an 'intercooler' to cool the temperature air. The intercooler is usually mounted in the grill of the car,

Please search "turbo Integra" on youtube and you'll see and hear the difference of performance with and without a turbo. Turbo's have a spooling sound of air. By shifting you can hear a burst of air caused by the blow off valve.

People usually refer to turbo cars as boosted. "person 1: hey nice car, what are your future plans? Person 2: I plan on boosting. (modifying a turbo). "


easy way to spot a Turbo integra-->

"Fiber Images CF hood
Lowered on ground control Coilovers
HP racing big brake kit
17" konig wheels
New falcon tires
Apexi exhaust
Pioneer dvd nav
8"infinity sub
Carbon Fiber Acura Shift knob
Type R side skirts
Type R floor mats
Type R emblems
Type R key"

"CF"- Carbon Fiber- very light weight and strong.
"hp big brake kit" - obviously beefy brakes
"Ground Control Coil Overs" - stiff/soft/ height adjustable suspension.
All of the 'type r' parts are considered rare because it is the best performance integra ever made. "Type r" parts fluctuate and have ridiculous price tags. Anywhere from floor mats, door panels, rear spolier, side skirts, and the motor, expect to pay a lot.


"Hid lights and led lights through out the car"

you're probably aware of hid's. They are "High Intensity Discharge" made for headlights, they're the ones you hate to see in your rear view mirror. They come in different colors and levels of lighting ranging from 4k up too 12k even numbers only. (yes i know there could be more but i want to keep it basic.) anything over 8k, green and purple bulbs are illegal. Anything 8k and lower(8k,6k,4k,2k) with blue, white, yellow bulbs are legal (cali).

Example of hids, I hope you don't mind me using your car coy -

IN MY OPINION - You probably already have the money to buy this car knowing that you are a lawyer :lol:.If I were to estimate how much the seller wants id say he would price it anywhere from 7k - 15k. Is this a reasonable price? Well... It's good for playing around on the track. I don't think it would be good for daily use. You would be better off buying another DD friendly stock gsr

If you REALLY REALLY REALLYLYY don't mind having NO a/c + NO p/s + LOTS OF POWER then get it. Although a LOT of people will be admiring this car ^, thieves will also. Which ever car you decide to get, upgrade us with pictures Club Integra Loves Threads with LOTS of pictures! This took me a while to write x]

 

[mirrorimg]

I would like to add, the AC was probably removed because of the exhaust manifold and piping would not fit around all of the AC lines and compressor. I doubt you will be able to reinstall it, just like the power steering unit.

Motor was blueprinted and balanced (they take the engine apart and clean, hone,and make the air flow better)
decked (they take the engine apart and clean, hone,and make the air flow better)
3 angle valve job (they take the engine apart and clean, hone,and make the air flow better)
ACL race bearings (upgrade rod bearings-engine internal part)
Genuine Type R valve cover (a "commodity" valve cover-plastic cover that goes on the engine)
Hondata s300 ( aftermarket ecu-electrical controll unit-engines computer, this is one of the top of the lines ECU's, they run around 450$)
Fiber Images CF hood (carbon fiber hood-they are lighter than stock hoods)
17" konig wheels (popular brand of wheels)

Just a couple things I would like to correct, Tam. The blue print and balance is usually specific to the Crank shaft. You sort of put a generic description across the few machining jobs in the beginning. They are all separate from one another and should be noted as such.

The bearings apply to both rod and crank bearings, and would also come with thrust washers.

Not sure what you mean by a plastic cover? Valve covers are aluminum. Maybe youre thinking timing belt cover?

CF hoods may be lighter than stock hoods, but they are just fiberglass hoods with a CF overlay.

Konig is a company that makes replica wheels for the most part. Saying they are a popular brand doesn't mean too much, as they took a preexisting design and replicated it.

Dont mean to lecture you are put you down, but I figure doing this here instead of PM's would help get the information out there.

 

[jznsn2u]

I would like to add, the AC was probably removed because of the exhaust manifold and piping would not fit around all of the AC lines and compressor. I doubt you will be able to reinstall it, just like the power steering unit.

x2

 

[ACJett]

Honestly, this doesn't sound like the right car for you. If I were in your shoes, I would be looking for another GSR, well maintained and in good working condition. Good luck in whatever you choose

 

[Tam4511]

I would like to add, the AC was probably removed because of the exhaust manifold and piping would not fit around all of the AC lines and compressor. I doubt you will be able to reinstall it, just like the power steering unit.



Just a couple things I would like to correct, Tam. The blue print and balance is usually specific to the Crank shaft. You sort of put a generic description across the few machining jobs in the beginning. They are all separate from one another and should be noted as such.

The bearings apply to both rod and crank bearings, and would also come with thrust washers.

Not sure what you mean by a plastic cover? Valve covers are aluminum. Maybe youre thinking timing belt cover?

CF hoods may be lighter than stock hoods, but they are just fiberglass hoods with a CF overlay.

Konig is a company that makes replica wheels for the most part. Saying they are a popular brand doesn't mean too much, as they took a preexisting design and replicated it.

Dont mean to lecture you are put you down, but I figure doing this here instead of PM's would help get the information out there.

yeah thanks haha, it was late :lol:

you should be able to reinstall power steering but for a/c you would have to get a new turbo manifold and down pipe.

like i suggested earlier, i don't think this is the right car for you, and even if you did plan on racing, i still wouldn't recommend it, its usually not good to buy someones else's project. (i found that out the hard way)

 

[georgetteoden]

You are all awesome and I really appreciate the time and patience and effort (most of) you all have taken to educate a complete noob. Agreed that I probably should not buy this car, and I probably won't! The ego side of me would love to have a super-fast car that shouts to people who know "hey, someone really put effort into this car!" But the honest side of me would then have to admit "but it wasn't me and I'm clueless about cars" which then makes me the next best thing to a poseur.

The ebay listing for this car has ended, so I emailed the owner for the pictures again; when I get them I will repost here. It looked absolutely pristine and from what I could tell, the photos were consistent with the claimed mods (wheels, intercooler, brakes, hood, etc.)

He is selling due to divorce; the car has 72k miles on it and the engine has about 7k. His starting price on ebay was 6500 and the buy it now (which included free shipping in the continental US) was 10500.

*sigh* Back to looking for the hard-to-find stock, well-cared for GSR with low miles.

I'll post pictures soon.

 

[Tam4511]

it sounds very nice, but you never know how long cars like that will last, they are simply not as reliable as a stock car would be. if you find a car with just basic bolt-on's, then thats fine, but when the engine internals are messed with, you have to make sure everything was done right.

im just concerned that you will buy it, and some poor work and shortcuts taken on the engine will show and you will have to spend a lot of money.

if you find another car that you consider, post it up here and well help you with your decision and try to point you in the right direction