Restoration Project ('93 Prelude)

[BLACK'98DSM]

This is the Build Thread for Restoration Project ('93 Prelude). Reply below.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Very rare car, has every option you could possibly order in '93. Power sunroof, memory seats, power antenna, power mirrors, key fob, alarm system, alloy wheels, cruise control, 4 wheel steering (which I'm excited about)...

I'll probably toss in some very tasteful and mild mods, but for the most part the car is staying stock. The typical repairs will likely be restoration based. It's one of a few and I'd like it to last a long time.

It has never been abused. The owner kept all maintenance up to date and was a respectful older gentleman. And the car has tires from 2015 with nipples still on them, so it hasn't seen many miles either. The interior is so clean I'd almost say it's prestine. You'd never know it was 30 years old by looking at it. Unless you saw the clearcoat on the roof

 

[Dericsh]

Very nice acquisition!

 

[habitatguy187]

Nice. Preludes drive so well. You probably had to pay 10k to get this thing??

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Nice. Preludes drive so well. You probably had to pay 10k to get this thing??

If I told you what I paid you wouldn't believe me. But similar examples are in that range you guessed.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Picture of the original owner and his son. Also an oil change reminder I found in one of the pages of the owners manual.

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This weekend I'm working on mounting and balancing 4 new tires and getting an alignment.

 

[Dericsh]

Gotta love that nostalgia.

 

[JeffGS-T97]

Glad you found yourself a new project, I'm a sucker for early 90's preludes. Nice find

 

[kingje1]

Sweet ride. I've been a fan of Preludes since I was a kid in the 80's. I can't believe I haven't owned one yet. My favorite it still the 97 to 01 ludes but there wasn't a generation that I didn't like. I'm hoping the timing belt has been done because of age. If you are going to do it you will be really surprised at how easy it is on Honda B and H engines, just make sure to do the crank and cam seals. I would also recommend doing the cam plug on the opposite side as well, those things leak like crazy. Enjoy.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

It's a K series (K23A). Either way, from the looks of it there really isn't any difficult work with the drive train. I've been putting together a decent list of items to replace/repair. It isn't high mileage but rubber likes to rot after 30 years.

 

[JeffGS-T97]

It's a K series (K23A). Either way, from the looks of it there really isn't any difficult work with the drive train. I've been putting together a decent list of items to replace/repair. It isn't high mileage but rubber likes to rot after 30 years.

Fascinating, i had no idea those came with a k series. Or was it a engine swap?

 

[kingje1]

I didn't realize that gen of Prelude had a K in it, I always assumed they ran H probably because all my research was always on the H22 in the 97 to 01. You're right about there not being much difficult work in it, compared to the DSM everything is much easier to get to. A good friend of mine has a 5th gen Prelude that he's been restoring and is keeping it completely stock. He just passed up on some original unopened floor mats a guy was selling on ebay for 850.00. He told him he would give him 700 but the guy sold them two days later for the full 850. Very true about the rubber, Honda makes those belts pretty strong but 30 years is 30 years.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Fascinating, i had no idea those came with a k series. Or was it a engine swap?

Oops. This is the original engine for this model. The base models came with the H series 2.2L and the SI 4WS had the H series 2.3L.

I'm pretty excited to start digging into it but I'll have to remind myself of what I'm working on and stay off the tuner sites

 

[kingje1]

Fascinating, i had no idea those came with a k series. Or was it a engine swap?

Agreed, I always thought the K series started with the RSX and the SI Hatch that had the shifter coming out of the dash.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

My mistake. H series. Had to go take a look because I confused my self a little .

I said K23A but meant H23A.

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[BLACK'98DSM]

One update I do have though. Ordered a custom Barber Motorsports tag at the DMV. This isn't final print obviously. Have one on my DSM so needed one here too. They'll look good next to each other in the garage

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[JeffGS-T97]

My mistake. H series. Had to go take a look because I confused my self a little .

I said K23A but meant H23A.

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Well in your defense it would help if the hondas didn't have 2000 different engines in all their models. I only have experience with the b18 idid a light build on an imtegra back in the day. I hear the H engines do a hell of a job too.

 

[kingje1]

Yes, the H engines were the preferred swap back when I had my Del Sol. If you were going for more NASP power you did an H22 swap from the B16. I miss those Honda engines, they are fun to play with. I was simultaneously looking for either a 2g DSM or a 5th gen Prelude and I found the DSM first. A decent manual Prelude has become quite hard to find.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Changed the oil & filter, replaced the radiator and added fresh coolant, and mounted & balanced 4 new tires. That was enough to get it on the road again. Drove 50+ miles today. It started running much better when I put fresh gas in it. I definitely get some looks in this car. The older folks love telling me about them remembering when it was new

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[CrackedDSM]

So when’s the 4G63 swap gonna go down?


looks super clean. I love well maintained cars with a good story. Keep this thing mint. It’s gonna be worth a pile of cash in the future when everything is computer controlled and able to be shut down remotely.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Been calling around local paint shops and none want to touch it. I was hoping to only paint the panels with bad clear coat but if I want it to match well the whole car needs to be done. Hoping for a minty, show worthy finish. I might end up taking it out of state if that's what it takes to get it done right.
And it's not getting an engine swap in my lifetime

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[JeffGS-T97]

Been calling around local paint shops and none want to touch it. I was hoping to only paint the panels with bad clear coat but if I want it to match well the whole car needs to be done. Hoping for a minty, show worthy finish. I might end up taking it out of state if that's what it takes to get it done right.
And it's not getting an engine swap in my lifetime

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IMO those cars hav are balanced power to weight really well. Oem parts are perfect for the engine. Unless a turbo is going in I'd keep it stock.