Need some advice / help for a GSR I just picked up

Val · Jun 4, 2015

Hello everyone,

I'm quite new to the car scene but I've always had an interest in cars. So I picked up a 2 door GSR off of Craigslist as a project car based on advice from a couple gear heads that I know. The car is stock with 153k on the motor and clutch except for a somewhat loud throaty fart cannon that I may or may not take off.

Right now I have the car in a buddy's shop having it get a large tune up.

What's being replaced - Valve seals, tension pulley, outer belts, valve cover, timing belt, water pump, axles, rotors, calipers, oil pan gaskets, air and fuel filters, and a few other things. The clutch will definitely need to be replaced / upgraded soon.

But besides that I'm looking to get a few other things done -

1. I'd like to put a fuel cut off switch in it to prevent theft, is there a thread somewhere that can show the location of the wire and what wire it is?

2. The paint is in very rough condition, it must of sat out in the cold without a wax for 10 years. The clear coat is trashed and is peeling away. This is similar to what it looks like but my car is much worse -

Note: This is not an actual picture of my car

Some friends and articles I've read say you can do an inexpensive paint job with a sprayer and some canned paint. I'm not looking for this to be a shiny show car, nor do I care much about the polish. But I'd like to have a clean solid color on it. Can I buy decent paint and spray it down without it peeling away for 3 years? If so is there a thread you can recommend for that? I'd like a matte black color.

3. The passenger door handle broke off but is still somewhat usable if you pull up on the broken plastic. I can't find this part anywhere online. Are there after market handles I can get for it? If not what are my options?

4. After market remote lock key FOB? Does it exist? Maybe included with an alarm kit?

5. The sunroof apparently has problems closing, without ripping out the interior to replace the motor *cringes*, what can I do? Grease the rails?

6. I'm way out of touch with current aftermarket speaker brands. What gives great sound for the money?

7. I'm not a huge fan of the bug eye headlights, besides throwing down $1.2k for a JDM front end, are there any other options I can look at?

Any advice is much appreciated.

94RS · Jun 4, 2015

Val said:
1. I'd like to put a fuel cut off switch in it to prevent theft, is there a thread somewhere that can show the location of the wire and what wire it is?

There's a thread around here about wiring up kill switches. It shouldn't be too hard to find with a search.

Some friends and articles I've read say you can do an inexpensive paint job with a sprayer and some canned paint. I'm not looking for this to be a shiny show car, nor do I care much about the polish. But I'd like to have a clean solid color on it. Can I buy decent paint and spray it down without it peeling away for 3 years? If so is there a thread you can recommend for that? I'd like a matte black color.

If you're wanting flat black, cheap isn't the way to go. It NEVER turns out good.

3. The passenger door handle broke off but is still somewhat usable if you pull up on the broken plastic. I can't find this part anywhere online. Are there after market handles I can get for it? If not what are my options?

You'll need to replace the whole handle. It seems like you're concerned about security, so look into sedan rear handles. You'll also need a security system that lets you unlock the door from a fob.

Any decent alarm shop could install that for you.

5. The sunroof apparently has problems closing, without ripping out the interior to replace the motor *cringes*, what can I do? Grease the rails?

If it's kinda chattering/hopping, try greasing the rails.

6. I'm way out of touch with current aftermarket speaker brands. What gives great sound for the money?

Go on either Crutchfeld or SonicElectronix and look up reviews on different speakers. I've got an older set of Kickers in my car (came in it), they sound decent for what they are.

7. I'm not a huge fan of the bug eye headlights, besides throwing down $1.2k for a JDM front end, are there any other options I can look at?

Your only options then are the two different bugeye fronts if you don't wanna spend JDM money.

Mikeh95 · Jun 4, 2015

@94RS you sound like a sour old bitch

94RS · Jun 4, 2015

Mikeh95 said:
@94RS you sound like a sour old bitch

Who are you?

Accel.speed · Jun 4, 2015

Mikeh95 said:
@94RS you sound like a sour old b****

94RS said:
Who are you?

I died.

I just fucking died.

:rolf: :rolf: :rolf: HAHAHA

Val · Jun 5, 2015

94RS said:
There's a thread around here about wiring up kill switches. It shouldn't be too hard to find with a search.

Sweet, thanks.

If you're wanting flat black, cheap isn't the way to go. It NEVER turns out good.

Okay, I'm not looking for supper cheap but also not super expensive, what's a good general ball park estimate?

You'll need to replace the whole handle. It seems like you're concerned about security, so look into sedan rear handles. You'll also need a security system that lets you unlock the door from a fob.

Any decent alarm shop could install that for you.

I saw a few sedan door handles on eBay, but I want sure if they'd work on the passenger side since it has a lock on it. It looks like a pain to replace.

If it's kinda chattering/hopping, try greasing the rails.

I'm pretty green to the car mechanic scene, general grease should work right?

Go on either Crutchfeld or SonicElectronix and look up reviews on different speakers. I've got an older set of Kickers in my car (came in it), they sound decent for what they are.

Will do, thanks for giving me a starting point. Are there aftermarket speakers for the small ones on the door?

Your only options then are the two different bugeye fronts if you don't wanna spend JDM money.

Do you have a link to the two bug eye fronts? I don't think I've seen those. I can't mount a civic front end to it can I?

Thank you very much for your reply.

94RS · Jun 5, 2015

Val said:
Okay, I'm not looking for supper cheap but also not super expensive, what's a good general ball park estimate?

See what a place like Maaco would charge. Not the basic paint package ($299 I think), but the next one up. It should at least hold up better than that basic shit.

I saw a few sedan door handles on eBay, but I want sure if they'd work on the passenger side since it has a lock on it. It looks like a pain to replace.

If you plan on getting an alarm that unlocks the door, it shouldn't be a problem :lol:

I'm pretty green to the car mechanic scene, general grease should work right?

White lithium grease. It's dirt cheap at parts stores.

Will do, thanks for giving me a starting point. Are there aftermarket speakers for the small ones on the door?

The ones next to the door handles? They're 3/4" tweeters.

Do you have a link to the two bug eye fronts? I don't think I've seen those. I can't mount a civic front end to it can I?

94-97

98-01

Idk about the Civic front though... I'd think it would look pretty terrible :lol:

Besides, Civic's are a poor-mans Integra :mrgreen:

DB7ish · Jun 5, 2015

I've seen Integra fronts on EG hatches so its probably possible, but it may be a ----ton of work and require fabrication/welding. If you were to try it, I would suggest either a 5th gen Civic front end or maybe even a 5th gen Accord front end (since it kind of resembles a JDM front). I've also seen someone put a JDM Integra front on an Accord, so I'm guessing Accord front end might be possible. Honestly though, with enough time, effort, and money just about anything should be possible.

Civic hatch with Integra front end:

Civic front end conversions:
http://civic-eg.com/viewtopic.php?t=6720

Civic 5th Gen Front:

Accord Front:

Val · Jun 6, 2015

94RS said:
See what a place like Maaco would charge. Not the basic paint package ($299 I think), but the next one up. It should at least hold up better than that basic s***.

Okay so about 350-650? That's not too bad.

If you plan on getting an alarm that unlocks the door, it shouldn't be a problem :lol:

Thanks, I'll have to get some quotes.

White lithium grease. It's dirt cheap at parts stores.

Is this worth a shot? http://wd40specialist.com/products/white-lithium-grease/

The ones next to the door handles? They're 3/4" tweeters.

Thank you, those look pretty easy to replace.

94-97

98-01
Idk about the Civic front though... I'd think it would look pretty terrible :lol:

Besides, Civic's are a poor-mans Integra :mrgreen:

Haha, thank you. The bug eyes may not look so bad with decent angel eyes and some DRLs.

DB7ish said:
I've seen Integra fronts on EG hatches so its probably possible, but it may be a ----ton of work and require fabrication/welding. If you were to try it, I would suggest either a 5th gen Civic front end or maybe even a 5th gen Accord front end (since it kind of resembles a JDM front). I've also seen someone put a JDM Integra front on an Accord, so I'm guessing Accord front end might be possible. Honestly though, with enough time, effort, and money just about anything should be possible.

Civic hatch with Integra front end:

Sounds good, thank you for the information. That civic looks nice.

Accord Front:

I like the Accord front end, I'll see if I can find more information on a swap.

Thanks for your help.

For anyone interested, here's a great complication of recommended AV equipment - https://www.reddit.com/r/CarAV/comments/2gbuwv/carav_approved_gear_aka_forum_boners/

And here is a car audio sizing calculator - http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/CarFitGuide.aspx

TegSox · Jun 7, 2015

I had to replace a broken outer door handle myself, on the driver's side. There's used ones on Ebay, but they're usually really beat up and people want way too much money for them. I just wound up getting a brand new one from Acura for barely more money than people wanted for trashed used ones.

Cost me about $60 two years ago

It was a bit of a pain to install. Some advice, drench the key lock cylinder in WD40 while you have it out of the handle. Mine was sticking pretty bad, real tough to turn, now it's like new. Or, as mentioned, just get a rear door handle without a key cylinder. Looks smoother and cleaner, and makes it tougher to break into the car, maybe, barely, heh.

xjdmxbnr34x · Jun 7, 2015

Val said:
Hello everyone,

I'm quite new to the car scene but I've always had an interest in cars. So I picked up a 2 door GSR off of Craigslist as a project car based on advice from a couple gear heads that I know. The car is stock with 153k on the motor and clutch except for a somewhat loud throaty fart cannon that I may or may not take off.

Right now I have the car in a buddy's shop having it get a large tune up.

What's being replaced - Valve seals, tension pulley, outer belts, valve cover, timing belt, water pump, axles, rotors, calipers, oil pan gaskets, air and fuel filters, and a few other things. The clutch will definitely need to be replaced / upgraded soon.

But besides that I'm looking to get a few other things done -

1. I'd like to put a fuel cut off switch in it to prevent theft, is there a thread somewhere that can show the location of the wire and what wire it is?

2. The paint is in very rough condition, it must of sat out in the cold without a wax for 10 years. The clear coat is trashed and is peeling away. This is similar to what it looks like but my car is much worse -

Note: This is not an actual picture of my car

Some friends and articles I've read say you can do an inexpensive paint job with a sprayer and some canned paint. I'm not looking for this to be a shiny show car, nor do I care much about the polish. But I'd like to have a clean solid color on it. Can I buy decent paint and spray it down without it peeling away for 3 years? If so is there a thread you can recommend for that? I'd like a matte black color.

3. The passenger door handle broke off but is still somewhat usable if you pull up on the broken plastic. I can't find this part anywhere online. Are there after market handles I can get for it? If not what are my options?

4. After market remote lock key FOB? Does it exist? Maybe included with an alarm kit?

5. The sunroof apparently has problems closing, without ripping out the interior to replace the motor *cringes*, what can I do? Grease the rails?

6. I'm way out of touch with current aftermarket speaker brands. What gives great sound for the money?

7. I'm not a huge fan of the bug eye headlights, besides throwing down $1.2k for a JDM front end, are there any other options I can look at?

Any advice is much appreciated.

You can do plasti dip it's cheap and you can change your colors and can last a bit with proper care

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Need some advice / help for a GSR I just picked up

Val

New Member

94RS

No fucks given.

Mikeh95

New Member

94RS

No fucks given.

Accel.speed

basically, i like fast!

Val

New Member

94RS

No fucks given.

DB7ish

New Member

Val

New Member

TegSox

Super Duper Moderator

xjdmxbnr34x

New Member