StanceWorks » Style » Builds

[06tiburonofdoom]

Well, I figured I'd finally start an official build thread, so I can have a central location for the main updates.

I guess I'll start from the beginning, since that's usually how it works. I purchased my '92 VX bone stock on July 19, 2009 from a private party in Dallas. It was totally unmolested and ran like a champ, with it's 1.5 liters of fury, putting out 92 horsepower. Besides the normal dents and dings that are expected from an 18 year-old, 160,000 mile Honda, it really was in GREAT shape. It sat high as hell, and looked...well...like this:




Nothing too pleasing to the eyes, but I saw it as a blank canvas.
I said I wouldn't do anything to it while it was my daily, but that plan was quickly disregarded... Haha
The first things I did were straighten out the radiator support as much as possible, buy any trim it was missing, Nightshade the corners and (lightly) the tails, get a TWM short throw, and purchase the OEM rocker moldings. Basically taking back to completely stock condition, plus a few goodies, of course.




After that, the obscene ride height got unbearable, and since I wasn't supposed to be spending crazy money on anything, I just got some crappy eBay coilover sleeves for $40, just so I could bear to look at the car. I also got some 5% tint installed to keep the OK heat at bay.




It stayed like that for a little while, since I was using it to commute to college every day and such, but eventually I had to do something else to it to keep me entertained. I ended up taking the adjustable sleeves out from the eBay setup, so it would just be the springs. This gave me the lowest ride height I could get with this cheapo setup. I also got tired of a dent that was on the hood, so I fixed the dent and painted the hood with chalkboard paint, which added a nice touch of fun and character. To get some uber mad tight JDM flair, I got the JDM lip from the SiR-II and got some 6000k HIDs installed.




At about this time is when I was finishing my second semester of college, and I had decided not to go back for the time being. So the first thing I did was buy the coilover setup I had planned on from the get-go. Koni SP3/Ground Control combo with extended tophats all around, 650 lb. in. rates in front and 550 in back. I set them as low as they could go, and was very pleased with what I saw, except there was a tiny amount of reverse rake. The front upper control arms had bottomed out on the top of the strut tower, so I rolled like this for a while until I addressed the problem.




Shortly thereafter, I figured it was time to go all out and get my stance in check. I modified the strut towers to clear the control arms, and then proceeded to order my wheel and tire setup. Since it was my daily, I wanted something that I didn't have to worry TOO much about, but that would still be crazy and eye-catching. I turned to Diamond Racing for a set of their custom steelies, which have become very popular in the wheel fitment world. So while I waited for the wheels, I took a few last shots of the car before it would be forever changed...




After the usual 2 week turnaround time, my wheels finally arrived. I had the tires sitting in my room, so I rushed to get them mounted. It was too late to go to my usual shop, and I was turned down from several places due to the stretch, so I had the last place just mount the tires so I could seat the beads. I got the fronts seated with ease, but the rears...just weren't happening. The next morning, I went to my usual shop, where they whipped out the Cheetah bead blaster to attempt to seat the rears. It took 5 or 6 tries and several different techniques, but they FINALLY got it. And this was the result...

[06tiburonofdoom]

It stayed this way for a few weeks, gathering a very unexpected amount of attention around the web and blowing everyones mind, that saw it in person. I was asked if it actually drove or if it was on bags on a daily basis by EVERYONE. The mailman, the UPS guy, a Starbucks barista, customers at Starbucks, guys at auto stores...everyone. Up to this point, I had been pulled over 3 times for throwing sparks, once for being too low and the car "coming off of the road", and I had scraped my factory exhaust system completely off, piece by piece, leaving shrapnel at numerous locations on my daily commutes. I was having a blast with this car, but then...the oil pan got smashed against the oil sender, starving the motor of oil. She was down, but not out.

Instead of rebuilding the useless motor it had, I took this opportunity to buy the motor I had wanted all along. A JDM B16A with the LSD tranny and Hasport mounts from H-Motors Online. Why a B16A? To keep it true to its roots. Unfortunately, my 3 year relationship with the girl of my dreams was ended very sourly shortly after I ordered the motor, sending me into a nice little depression, which led to me losing my job. My $800 camera was also stolen out of my car one night, so that certainly didn't help matters.
BUT once the motor arrived, a friend and I took out the factory motor one evening, then installed the new motor the next. The first drive with this motor was a thrill, to say the least. The sound of the motor and V-Tec engaging, the power, watching the factory tach needle go completely off of the 8,000 rpm gauge... It was definitely a great choice.

Fast forward to mid-2011, a few mods and mishaps later... I FINALLY got the body work process going. We shaved the antenna, hatch keyhole, washer nozzles, emblems, and front license plate tabs, replaced all exterior moldings, got the car straighter than straight, and then sprayed it with Aston Martin Morning Frost White. It a very bright white with a fine blue pearl in it, which was PERFECT.




Of course, I can't ever leave well-enough alone, so in December of 2011, I ordered some of my dream wheels: Work Meisters, sized 15x8.5/10", -8/-5, respectively. After a few months, the wheels arrived, followed by the tires a few weeks later! So after I mounted the tires, it was time to make those babies fit. What I hoped to be a walk in the park turned into more of a nightmare. BUT, it was all well worth it. Feeling so victorious about nothing hitting or rubbing, I got it aligned and then cleaned it up for Cupcake Meet 13 in OKC. The reception was better than I ever could've imagined... Here's some fitment shots from the meet:





After that, it basically sat for about a month while I rounded up some one-off center caps from a guy in Australia. Once I got those on, I decided to whip the ol' camera out and FINALLY take some of my own shots of the car, which came out pretty nicely, given the crazy sunlight that day.











I then got a brand new set of the discontinued Vision MC mirrors (pretty rare find!), after discovering that the Spoon mirrors were long discontinued, as well. And that's were the car is today. Mirror installed (yes, I kept it single-mirrored, like a pimp) and looking good. Next up on the list is interior and motor! It'll be a lone black suede Status Ring seat, black leather Nardi wheel with white anodized spokes, UKDM VTi cluster, and then a brand new black dash, door panels, and center console, with literally everything else gutted. Then it's motor time!

[AccordKnight]

Shit looks amazing man, sry to hear bout the lady and all the other stuff defently sucks it had to end bad, but as I have been trying to tell myself things happen for a reason and just gotta go with the flow, and while I say it I still think its much easyer said then done. Have you considered getting a steel skid plate made? After I saw the new jeep commercial made me think I should get one since I'm getting ready to go even lower and ur a ton lower then me. You have any motor shots? Keep up the good work!

[runningpanda]

Jealous. That's gorgeous.

[06tiburonofdoom]

Originally Posted by AccordKnight

Shit looks amazing man, sry to hear bout the lady and all the other stuff defently sucks it had to end bad, but as I have been trying to tell myself things happen for a reason and just gotta go with the flow, and while I say it I still think its much easyer said then done. Have you considered getting a steel skid plate made? After I saw the new jeep commercial made me think I should get one since I'm getting ready to go even lower and ur a ton lower then me. You have any motor shots? Keep up the good work!

Thanks a lot, man. For the compliments and sympathy. Haha
Yeah, it's been over 2 months since all of that happened, and it's still hard to believe... I'm trying to think like you said, though.

Yeah, I'm definitely wanting to do a skid plate when I change my oil/oil pan/header (routine maintenance... ), but I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do it. I don't want it to sacrifice a ton of ground clearance, but I want it to be as stout as possible, so it's win-some lose-some situation, I guess.

No motor shots, unfortunately. My camera was literally stolen out of my car the night I was going to take pics of it. It blew some fat balls, to say the least. Haha

[DragginWagon]

whilst scrolling-reading-scrolling-reading, i hit the point where you showed the last pics on the stockish wheels, then i read, and scrolled to the shots of the diamonds. i literally said "holy fuck" out loud. this car is insane man. i absolutely love it. keep us updated for sure! im subscribed.

[andybob]

Sorry to hear about your camera and woman set-backs, but your car is winning on an epic level. The fact that you commute everyday with that much camber is mind blowing. Not to mention it looks like your front lip literally sits 1" of the ground. I'm not a big Honda guy, but I would proudly rep this beast everywhere.

[mk3]

love it

[Oxer]

You know how I feel about this car dude

[projektzwo]

DOPE! What's the plan now, i'm so interested...

[06tiburonofdoom]

Thanks a lot for the comments and support, guys. It's greatly appreciated.
And you're about right with the lip clearance! The jacking points were 0.7" off of the ground. Haha Now they're like 1.4", but shit happens.
Since it's got a little more clearance, I've been thinking about getting a carbon fiber Spoon lip. That thing would be like half an inch off of the ground... I just don't know how long it would last!
As for what's next, it's always a surprise. I might throw the rears on the front, but since these wheels are so heavy, I might just get some 15x8" -12 offset wheels up there, to keep the rotational mass down as much as possible with these things. I'm really wanting to get the paint and body stuff done, also, but I'm not too sure yet.

[Krish...]

soo niceeee,

when i first saw a pic of it my jaw dropped and when i found out it wasn't on bags my jaw dropped even more lol,

love it

[Johnny5]

wow thats bad ass!

[brsteinbach]

Your car is amazing dude. Ive seen some pics of it with the steelies and actually rocked the passenger side ass shot as a wallpaper for a while. I love Hondas and slammed cars so that combo is sex. Keep us updated man.

[Vegas13]

omfg the 3rd pic is awesome. nice job man

[JasperThomas]

What where your axle angles like when you still had the d15? Have you ripped open any CV boots yet?

[06tiburonofdoom]

Originally Posted by Krish...

soo niceeee,

when i first saw a pic of it my jaw dropped and when i found out it wasn't on bags my jaw dropped even more lol,

love it

Haha, that's usually the reaction I get every time someone talks to me about it. Thanks!

Originally Posted by brsteinbach

Your car is amazing dude. Ive seen some pics of it with the steelies and actually rocked the passenger side ass shot as a wallpaper for a while. I love Hondas and slammed cars so that combo is sex. Keep us updated man.

Wow, awesome! Thanks, man. I'll definitely keep the updates coming.

Originally Posted by Vegas13

omfg the 3rd pic is awesome. nice job man

The 3rd pic in the first post, with my two babies, or 3rd pic from the bottom? Haha And thanks.

Originally Posted by JasperThomas

What where your axle angles like when you still had the d15? Have you ripped open any CV boots yet?

They were crazy. Haha They notched the frame for me, if that gives you an idea!
The CV boots never ripped, though. One of the new axles on the B16 had a little pin hole in the boot, I guess, which slung shit everywhere for a couple of days, but no problems otherwise.

[06tiburonofdoom]

With the upcoming Cupcake Meet, several things are going to be purchased and installed in the next few weeks! Hopefully it all gets here on time... For those who are curious as to what is coming:
New windshield and moldings
New door garnishes
Spoon CF duckbill spoiler
Spoon CF mirrors
P28 ECU with Hondata S300
MAYBE a Spoon CF lip, which would sit basically on the ground
And I might substitute something out for a new 5Zigen header or something...

But other than that, she's still rolling hard. Hopefully I'll have some goods to show before long!
I'm also waiting for shops to receive 165/50 Formozas, since they're on national backorder. Once that happens, I'll get my 15x8" -12 wheels and install my front camber arms. It's also about time for some new rear tires (3,000 miles later...), but I'm hoping I can get a couple thousand more out of them, although it's doubtful. Haha

[doug118]

those 165's are a pain in the ass to find and once everyone gets them in stock, they sell out in a matter of days! I sold mine for what turned out to be about $40/each brand new. I should have held onto them

[JasperThomas]

Originally Posted by 06tiburonofdoom

It's also about time for some new rear tires (3,000 miles later...)

Haha, stance life... Change your tires with your oil

[das]

looks so good, love it man!

[Janskude]

Car looks so dope!! Awesome pics also!

[doug118]

what's going on with the new rear wheel setup?

[06tiburonofdoom]

Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by JasperThomas

Haha, stance life... Change your tires with your oil

And your oil pan... And your header...

Originally Posted by doug118

what's going on with the new rear wheel setup?

I'm not too sure at the moment. Right now I'm just gonna wait until I can get some 165/50s. I might just leave the rears, since they tuck on barely pulled fenders.


In other news, I got my new ECU with the S300 installed a few days ago. It's pretty snazzy! But here's the good part... When I went to partition my Mac to run Windows for the tuning software, EVERYTHING on my laptop got erased. Music, pictures, documents... All gone. Including a 23 page (and still growing) "journal" in progress that I was going to send to the girl mentioned in the build story once I was ready. So that really sucked, to say the least...

[eskimopunk]

Damn.