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Samhain's 91' ALB Lude

3rd Gen_ 
16K views 90 replies 25 participants last post by  01civy 
#1 ·
This is the first build thread I have ever written, but not my first build.

The reason I purchased a 3rd Gen Prelude is because of some of the great 3rd Gen's that I have seen over the years, as well as, the fantastic support of this website. After seeing MUlrich07's Prelude years ago, I knew I wanted to build something very similar. I was looking for a project car for years, but could never find anything worth purchasing. MUlrich07's Lude is not going to be the only car inspiring this build. 4ws Ryan's Lude was showcased in Honda Tuning the month before I purchase my car and is one of the best import cars I have ever seen in my life. I love the stance of IsThataV-tech's Lude, and work that DonDominican did to his car in his garage has been a real inspiration.

I purchased my 91' ALB in July of 2014 for $600. I found the car locally, off of Craigslist. The car had to be towed to my house because the clutch did not have any pressure. Once I got it home, I filled the system with fluid, bled all the lines and was able to drive the car around my neighborhood, despite the leaking slave cylinder. The car needed a tune up badly, but instead of spending time and money on getting it going I decided to start taking it apart. My goal was to remove everything I knew I would not be keeping (AC, PS, CC, windshield wiper fluid reservoir...ect) and start working towards pulling the engine so I could have the car sent off to be painted.

After about 10 months of the car sitting in my garage, (I also have a 2012 Civic SI, and a 2012 KLR 650 motorcycle, which get most of my attention) I decided to change my approach. I'm going to start putting the Lude back together, enough to drive it around, and then continue upgrading it until it's finally time to send off to paint.

I have big plans for this car, and fall more and more in love with it everyday. It's going to take a lot of time and money, but I'm in it for the long haul. I have recently started a new career (real estate agent), so money is currently tight until I get things going. However, the new job will give time to put into building the Lude correctly.

So enough of the back story, let's get to some progress pics...

Here is the car the day I purchased it.




Here is how the car has been sitting for the last 10 months. Time to start doing so work to it.




Here is my Password JDM universal battery relocator. I hope to eventually move this closer to the fender, but some body work will be necessary to accomplish that. For now, this location will do.





Here is the intake mock up.
 
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#66 · (Edited)
Ok, big update. I finished the interior, well almost. I still have to install my speakers and head unit, but that should be pretty easy. Anyway, I got my steering wheel installed along with NEW carpet! So, let me start off with the steering wheel because it was an adventure.

Long ago, I read somewhere that the NRG hub that works with our Preludes are the EG Civic/Integra hub. So last year I bought one. Well, my Personal Pole Position steering wheel finally arrived and I quickly learned a lot about NRG hubs and Nardi style steering wheels.

To start, the NRG hub for EG Civic/Integra (Part #SRK-110H/RG) is NOT the hub you want. Here is why.



It doesn't fit!! You can get about four threads on the nut and it doesn't fit the steering column well. Plus, that white rim is ugly.

So what do you need? The one for the 3rd Gen Honda Prelude! Yes, NRG actually lists the one you need on their website. So now that I figured that out you would think it's time to bolt on my steering wheel, right? Nope. NRG hubs are drilled for NRG or Momo style steering wheels. Nardi (Personal) need a hub adapter. And if you want "quick release" you need another attachment. Here they all are.



Ok, now let's talk about carpet. I never thought I would find something I hate more than removing bushings, well I found it. Installing automotive carpet!! I did a ton of research before ordering. Almost every company has horrible reviews because installing this stuff sucks so people blame the company. I went with Auto Custom Carpet from Rockauto.com. It was $150 shipped without the mass backing. I read lots of people having issues with the mass backing making difficult to cut and it adds about 15lbs to your car and shipping! So i went with the standard carpet and added some insulation that was recommended on one of the websites I was reading. I bought it at Lowes and it is super light (I don't even think it weighs a pound) and it was cheap.




Before I started I removed some old tint off the rear window. It sucked.


Now it's time for the carpet install. As you can see, the carpet does not come with any pre-cut holes. You have to do it. The carpet is also over sized, so it needs to be trimmed all the way around. It's nerve racking to cut into your brand new carpet, but you have to do it.



It took forever (probably 10 hours), but I got it done and I'm happy with it. I should mention that I cleaned and vacuumed everything while I was installing the carpet, which definitely added to the time. I will be ordering matching floor mats next week and that will really finish the look. It's so nice to have my interior back.

 
#69 ·
Interior looks sweet. I'm not sure if you posted already but what brand/style headunit and speakers are you going with?

More questions! How tall are you. The reason I ask is because that steering wheel looks like it sits out way farther than the stock wheel. Does it feel awkward at all having it that close? Is the shifter to wheel position good?

Other than that keep it going!
 
#67 ·
Nice! I got lucky and found near perfect carpet at the junkyard and it only cost me $10. As far as mats I love my LLoyds mats. I have pics of them in the 3rd gen F.A.Q. They are about a $120 for 4 piece plush set. You can get them from http://autoanything.com and that website has coupon codes at all major holidays searchable by google.
 
#68 ·
Thanks! I have had Lloyds mats in the past and have been happy with them, however, I'm going to try ACC's mats and see how I like them. They are a little cheaper than Lloyds and have pretty good reviews. We'll see how they turn out once I get them.
 
#71 ·
Here is the new head unit and speakers. I still need to get a pair for the doors.

Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr

Out with the old, in with the new. My new speakers were $29 shipped on Amazon. I think the head unit was $89. That's a far cry from the $400 Alpine CD player head units I used to buy 20 years ago.

Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr

Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr
 
#73 ·
Gosh that is one beautiful bit of resto work you are doing. I love the before and after pictures you give. Gives me the warm fuzzy feeling without having to do the work myself lol. I hope to get the chance to go through a 3rd gen like this one of these days.
 
#74 ·
I started reassembling everything today, but didn't get to finish. However, here are some pics of the parts you are going to need if you want to redo your rear end.

Your biggest hurdle is going to be the lower rear inner control arm bushings. You have two choices, 1) Super Pro's SPF2133K or 2) Prothane's B3130, which need to be trimmed and cut.

Since I don't like the idea of butchering brand new things, I went with the Super-Pro's.
Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr

They fit perfectly.
Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr
Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr

Next up are the rear upper ball joints. Here is what you need. Make sure you get a left and a right. You can see the part numbers in the pics.
Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr

Finally, here are the rear toe rod replacements from Megan racing. They are a direct bolt-on replacement, however, they only work with 2WS Ludes. Sorry 4WS guys.

Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr
 
#76 ·
No problem. As awesome as this website is, it has taken me a long time to figure everything out. My hope is that when my build is done, people can use it as a reference for a lot of obvious upgrades all of our cars need, as well as serve as inspiration like so many of these builds have done for me.
 
#77 ·
I got a front lip off of a DA Integra last year, but never showed the pics of it installed. It need to be modified a little bit, but I love how it looks.

Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr

Here is an idea of what I'm working with. Nothing is set in stone, but you get the idea. It's come along way. One more corner to go.

by samhain526, on Flickr
Untitled by samhain526, on Flickr
 
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