Posted in Reader's Ride on July 11, 2018 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Integra GS): 72,038
I’ve been driving for 20 years. That’s how long it took until I finally spiced things up and landed myself in the driver seat of a stick-shift, right-hand-drive vehicle. And not even two weeks after “learning” to drive a RHD car on my friend Scott’s 1991 Honda Beat, I got to drive a few this past weekend more thanks to my friend Greg who has an incredible collection of ‘micro-cars’ from Japan. Whoa, I could get used to this kind of fun & games!
Kicking things off was my time with the red 1985 Honda City “R” – a 5-speed, 4-seat, 3-cylinder compact that was produced in its first generation from 1981 through 1986. While certainly no drag racer, this car gave more grins per mile than I ever imagined. Following Greg who was in a black 1990 Honda Today, we stopped at a gas station in the southeast part of town and turned a few heads as we fueled up our square boxy econo-cars.
I made the mistake multiple times throughout the evening of approaching the left side of the car as opposed to the right. Fair enough – that’s what I get for 20 years of being trained to drive a certain way! The coolest thing about the City was that it could be equipped with an accompanying (and matching) 50cc scooter called a Motocompo. Greg’s City is of course complete with a Motocompo, and I had a blast tooling around the parking lot on it.
Continuing the game of musical cars, I got to try my hand at all sorts of rarities, including the Today (recently sold at auction), a Suzuki Alto Works, an Autozam AZ-1 (with gullwing doors!), and a Toyota Aristo (which we saw in the states as the Lexus GS300). The Toyota was definitely the big boy of the right-hand-drivers, boasting a straight-6 3-liter powertrain that growled so heartily it sounded almost like a muscle car.
A new addition to the collection is a 1989 Legend coupe 5-speed, not yet pictured, but soon to be. I took it for a spin, and it ran & drove just as it should!
At the grand finale of our photoshoot, Greg and I decided to ditch the non-Hondas in the lineup and add the white left-hand-drive Hondas: a 1991 CRX Si, and a 1989 Prelude Si 4WS. The Prelude tugged at my heart strings particularly aggressively, since it took me back to my roots of 20 years ago when I bought my first Honda at age 17. Greg’s runs and drives even better than mine did back then. My “newest” Prelude had 132,000 miles on it. His only has 33,000. That comes out to only a little over 1,000 miles per year over its nearly 30-year lifespan. Sheesh.
The night was capped off after sundown with a ride in a domestic car for a change of pace: an uber-rare 1987 turbocharged Buick GNX (production #70) with only 22,000 miles on the odometer. Greg demonstrated its tendency to kick the back end out even just under moderate acceleration. And finally I got to spend a few minutes behind the wheel of a 14,000-mile 1993 Mazda RX7 which is a beast in its own way. It demonstrated some NSX-like characteristics but had a feeling all its own. You’ll see it up for auction on Bring a Trailer in the coming weeks.
Many thanks to Greg for his hospitality in opening up his “adult toy box” for me to play with!
The City and Today
CRX & Prelude
Prelude showcasing its four-wheel-steering capability here
JDM RHD lineup
Posh interior of the Aristo
Check out those 13″ alloy wheels on snow tires
Note the single windshield wiper on the Today
Total of 14 engine cylinders present in the below photo: 4, 3, 3, 4
The GNX generates more horespower than probably everything else in the collection combined.
There really is life on (in) Mars. About 1,700 people, in fact, call this little town in Pennsylvania home. And I met a few of them this past weekend. In fact, I had a native Martian who was walking by graciously take my photo while I leaned up against a silver flying saucer in the town square.
Today’s travel journal brings you something a little different. You could even say that it’s out of this world. Not because I went to Mars, but because I got on an airplane for a change instead of driving the wheels off an old Acura! I had an appointment on Friday in Wexford, Pennsylvania which is just north of Pittsburgh.
Getting there was a bit of a chore – thanks to Southwest, my 4-hour flight turned into about a 12-hour day of travel: I arrived at the airport early in typical fashion, only to discover we were two hours delayed for a mechanical issue. Then two more hours delayed for a crew change. And then had to wait while we were re-routed for weather conditions. What an ordeal. Eventually, I was grateful to be on the ground in PA and rented a white Chevy Impala Premier for my short commute to my hotel. The Bose stereo was my favorite part!
On Friday evening, I indulged in some of Pittsburgh’s sights and sounds thanks to my local friend Drew who was a gracious host. We dined at “The Church” Brew Works on Liberty Avenue. Built in 1903, the Roman Catholic cathedral is now home to a restaurant. I highly recommend the buffalo meatloaf – made from bison and accompanied with a side of broccoli. All of the drinks are named appropriately for being served inside a religious institution, including the Celestial Gold Pilsner and the Heavenly Hefeweizen.
Following dinner, Drew and I climbed to the top of nearby Mount Washington which offered up a spectacular evening view of the Pittsburgh city skyline. Our vehicle of choice was his 111,000-mile 1981 Oldsmobile Toronado with burgundy velour interior.
The hood ornament far ahead of us pointed the way and the V8 motor rumbled with a satisfying burble as it put power to the ground through a 3-speed automatic transmission. I especially liked the steering wheel, narrow in diameter with such sensitive input required that Drew could spin the wheel with just a single finger. Things like that reminded me of my first car, an A-Body 1986 Chevy Celebrity.
Saturday’s car-adventure gave me a completely different driving experience. Over the years I’ve interacted with hundreds of “car people,” primarily those who are part of the Honda & Acura enthusiast communities. None of those people are quite like my friend Lou. A long-time member of the Acura Legend forums and Facebook groups, Lou is one of the most active and known. I’d met him a couple of times prior, but never given the chance to drive his car. That all changed on Saturday morning at his home about 3 miles from my hotel in Mars.
Lou’s Legend started out life as a 1992 L sedan automatic. But that’s where the familiarity ends and the wildness begins. Every nut, bolt, and mechanical component of his Legend has been drastically modified to squeeze every ounce of power and performance out of the powertrain. And he has succeeded to put it lightly.
I pride myself in the fact that I didn’t stall the car when getting a feel for its clutch, which reaches its friction point near the top of the pedal and has very little “forgiveness” when it comes to a transition between off and on.
The ‘power factor’ is where Lou’s Legend sets itself far apart from any other Legend I’ve ever driven. It will willingly lay down rubber in gears 1, 2, 3, and 4. I didn’t dare give it wide open throttle in 5th because it would probably have done it there, too. The turbo let off a “psssshhh” whistle each time I released the accelerator and I needed both hands firmly planted on the wheel when I gave it some heavy throttle getting on Highway 19.
Lou’s complete build sheet is shown at the bottom of this post. It’s a great deal of content to list out, but it will give you a glimpse of the extreme attention to detail that he has demonstrated with this unique performance Legend.
Thanks, Drew and Lou for the great hospitality and for helping me incorporate some tourism and horsepower into my trip!
Drew’s Olds, & Views from Mount Washington
Lou’s Legend Test-Drive
When you have a 4-hour flight, you get bored & start reading safety materials. This group of people on an emergency life raft looked like they were having a fun summer.
Grilled cheese at my first stop on the trip, a “Eat N Park” diner in Cranberry on Perry Highway. It’s kind of like a Denny’s since it’s open 24-7. G
I enjoyed cruising the scenic backroads in my Impala.
The address provided by Google for the flying saucer did not take me to it. But I got on aerial maps and found it just a little further down the street ahead of me. My location at left, saucer at right, circled.
I liked this old Ace Hardware in Mars.
Great rates available here!
“May Peace Prevail On Earth.”
Supermarket mural.
I sampled the “S’Mars” ice cream at Peach Tree.
Rolling around with Drew in his Toronado. That burgundy interior is to die for!
That suspension soaked up cobblestone streets like nobody’s business.
View from Mount Washington.
The heart of Lou’s machine.
Checking out another Legend coupe he has in the backyard, soon to be parted out.
Lunch spot at Firebirds.
Detail from Lou on his Legend:
This is a 1992 Acura Legend L model sedan originally was a 3.2 (Type 1) with a 4-speed automatic. I’ve since converted the car to a 3.5 with 3.2 (Type II heads) and a 6-speed manual with a custom intake manifold and turbo kit. In short, the only bolts and parts not changed on this car are the ABS system and brake hard lines; every other parts, nut, bolt, and wire has been touched.
Suspension/Brakes/Wheels/Steering
Ksport 36way coilovers
Addco front sway bar
Addco rear sway bar (with poly bushings)
Custom bolts for rear sway bar
Telion rear upper strut bar (rare)
FUT rear lower short tie bar (adjustable)
FUT rear lower long tie bar
90a poly front control arm mounts (1 of 1 set)
Solid front motor mounts (custom made)
Poly filled (60a) transmission mount
SPC balljoints
Mini BBK using RL caliper brackets
300mm slotted brembo rotors (front)
Slotted brembo rear rotors
New type 2 calipers all four corners (2 pistons up front 1 piston rear) all powder coated candy apple red
Goodridge stainless brake lines
Hawk HPS pads
New oem master cylinder
New rear lower control arms
New front lower control arms
SPC front upper adjustable balljoints (3 degrees)
New moog lower balljoints
18×7.5 +45 Akuza Intimidator wheels
Falken tires (rear)
Continential DWS tires (front)
Electronic power steering from a RHD S2000
Engine/Drivetrain
The engine was built by Laskey Racing in California C35A block (completely stripped and redone using all OEM gaskets and seals)
C32A type 2 heads
C32A type 2 cams
Chevy comp cam valve springs
CP pistons 9:1 compression
Pauter Ibeam rods
ACL bearings
ARP bolts throughout
Clutch masters 850 series twin disc (1 of 1)
Clutch masters Aluminum flywheel (1 of 1)
6-Speed from a 93 coupe (rebuilt to OEM specs/best gearing)
Hondaman23 Built 7 spring LSD
raxles OEM rebuilt axles
200 amp Bosch high output alternator
DrDave remained oem starter
Oem clutch slave cylinder
Oem clutch master cylinder
Braided clutch pedal line
Labrat aluminum pullies
Telion aluminum crank pulley
Modified Legend oil pan
Chevy LS Truck OEM coils
Magnacore plug wires (converted from coil on plug)
NGK 7 plugs
PCV system uses 10an vents in the valve covers
Custom all aluminum radiator 2.5″ thick core
SPAL slim line 1500 cfm 12″ fans with shroud
Rangerjoe short shifter
Custom intake manifold with 90mm q45 throttle body
1/2″ custom fuel rails
1400cc Fuel injector development injectors
Stant rad cap
Engine bay wiring was tucked
8an feed line (earls ultrapro e85 black teflon hose)
6an return line (earls ultrapro e85 black teflon hose)
Magnafuel 4303 (or 4301) fuel pump
Turbo System/Exhaust
Everything was fabbed at Chuck Beaverton Automotive. Schedule 40 stainless for the manifolds and cross pipe, aluminum for the intercooler pipe, 3″ stainless for turbo back, all piping and hot parts are ceramic coated bright silver inside and out.
Precision 6466 (gen 2) Fual ballbearing, billet wheel
2 tial 38mm wastegates
1 tial 50mm BOV (candy apple red)
Bell intercooler core, custom end tanks and piping
1 Wiggins clamp
3″ turbo back exhaust with “high flow cat”
Varex mufler (has a cutout inside he muffler, wireless control for quiet and loud)
The car used to be Type F interior (tan) but now it’s been converted to Type A (black) and then dyed using SEM products to give a modern-day black interior look with black suede headliner.
Diamond d9 7″ components up front
Alpine h701 sound processor
Alpine c701 controller
Alpine dva-9860 headunit
7″ screen inside JDM navi trim in dash
Converted to LS climate control
JDM navi climate control (installed where radio would be ( 1 of 1 install using USDM console)
Suede wrapped headliner
Leather wrapped a/b/c pillars
Hyundai Tiburon leather front seats (super comfy)
Working cup holder!
TL shift knob and boot
Real carbon fiber switch covers
SMD led throughout the car
LED window switches
DEI alarm and remote start with DEI sensors for auto windows etc
Relocated battery to trunk
Knukonceptz kolossas 0ga wiring throughout the car 12 ga for speakers
Sundown 2500w sub amp
Eclipse (2 channel forget the model number) amp for front stage (old school and real watts!)
ProEFI 128 ecu with custom harness
ProEFI flexfuel kit
ProEFI can display (screen)
ProEFI Fuel pressure sensor
ProEFI Oil pressure sensor
ProEFI Coolant temp sensor
ProEFI Air intake temp sensor
Black dash no cracks!
Suede dash mat
Fiberoptic stereo wiring
Black carpet (no rips or tears)
OEM rubber floor mats
Red LED needles installed in gauges
JDM door sills
New OEM vehicle speed sensor
3-4 layers of second skin sound deadener (SUPER quiet inside)
Performance
Car on 8psi pump 93 makes 360whp/399wtq. On e85, it was making 510whp/598wtq on 16psi with some breakup (ran out of Dyno time). It was turned up on some street driving the night before you drove it. It’s on 19 psi with unknown power levels, but probably 550whp and 640wtq judging by the proefi gauge.
Sometimes it’s nice to just get out of town for a couple of hours – to be independent from the urban grid, listening to Sugar Ray or Chicago, checking out some new terrain. That’s why on Independence Day, my friend Jack and I hopped into our Acura hatchbacks and headed for the hills. The small town of Payson is only about 90 minutes away, yet it affords temperatures around 20 degrees cooler than the Phoenix metro area.
Jack’s 2006 RSX took the lead for most of the drive, and I followed him in the Integra GS-R. We went “non-chain” with our dining selection and seated ourselves at the bar at Pinon Cafe, which has called Payson home for the last 45 years. It was a little early to be ordering from the lunch menu, so I grabbed a green chili & cheese omelet, with potatoes and wheat toast on the side. Everything hit the spot.
Payson was bustling with residents preparing for their 4th of July festivities. We stopped by a nearby park on Main Street and they were setting up for the fireworks launch later in the evening. Would have been nice to stick around and check out the display, but we hit the road and headed back home.
Every once in a while I get to share with you some exceptional cars. Here’s one I think you’ll enjoy seeing. In a recent blog post, I talked about a burgundy (Mulberry, actually) 1990 Honda Accord EX that my friend Jeff was entertaining the idea of selling. Jeff has decided to keep the car for the time being, but needs a place to store it, so it will be residing in my garage. He brought the car over earlier in the week.
This car is something truly special: The first model year for the fourth-generation “CB7” chassis Accord, this 1990 EX was purchased new by Jeff’s mother on September 5, 1990 with 18 miles on it from Scottsdale Honda for around $19,000 out the door. Over the next 28 years, she cared for it to an incredible extent – literally, spending over $28,000 maintaining it on spare-no-expense dealership services.
Let’s put that into context: My 2013 ILX turned over 200,000 miles a little over a year ago. Total spent on maintenance from new to 200,000? $7,169. So this Accord has had 4 times that amount spent on it, and still has 64,000 miles to go until the same mileage.
Spreadsheet excerpt including totals at the bottom. It’s had 8 batteries and 3 timing belts.
Unfortunately, Jeff’s mother passed away earlier this year. Her pride and joy Accord has just over 136,000 miles on it. And that’s where we are today, and why Jeff has chosen to allow me to display it on loan in my modest collection for the time being, though it’s deserving of far more.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a car preserved to this extent – even many high end exotic supercars don’t enjoy the pampering this car had. $1,800 alone was spent on periodic details to keep the paint and finishes looking fresh. The car has a dash mat, car cover, steering wheel cover, anything that could possibly be used to preserve its appearance. Enjoy the walkaround video below!
“Midship Amusement” – what in the world could that possibly mean? Sometimes a translation comes across a little funky when crossing continents. When Honda engineers put together the Beat, a 3-cylinder compact car, in Japan 27 years ago, they thought that would be a fun tagline to promote the car with. And I can say with a certainty that this little 2-seat, mid-engined car did indeed provide the most automotive amusement that I’ve had in years!
A friend recently went through extensive efforts to import and register one such car to the states: a remarkably well-kept 1991 model in yellow with only 47,000 kilometers on it (about 29,000 miles). He was in Arizona with the car earlier this week and I got to try my hand – my left hand, that is – at shifting through its 5 gears.
One of about 33,000 total cars produced between model years 1991 and 1996, the car is a total grin-machine. It turned heads from the second we backed it off a trailer, on every street corner, and in my own driveway. Speed demon it is not, but the handling is precise and the shifter operates with typical Honda flawlessness.
I was able to get comfortable in the small cockpit and got acquainted with the controls. Everything is the same as a left-hand-drive car except for the turn signals & wipers being reversed. So the pedal layout, shift pattern, and everything else is exactly as you’re already used to. My friend and I blasted through the gears in urban Phoenix for a few miles and by the time I’d gone a couple of blocks, I was already comfortable managing it.
That zebra-patterned interior is really one of the best parts!
Here’s a video of my experience trying the Beat out.
I spent some time over the weekend performing a leather seat conditioning on the Legend sedan. It has original seats, and they’re in nice shape but have some cracks on them. The process involved a product called Fiebing’s Neatsfoot Oil from the local Tractor Supply store. It’s a regimen usually reserved for other saddles, boots, and other leather items but I’d heard from a few people it was good for car interiors.
What I discovered is that it does a nice job of moisturizing, but on lighter seats like mine, it will permanently stain the cracked areas darker so they become more visible. I only recommend this process if you have black seats or they’re still in nice condition. This is a picture from when the oil was soaking in.
Midway through ‘soaking’
And here’s a video capturing the start-to-finish process, including a few scenes from other things like a 72,000 mile Integra GS milestone.
Since you’re already on YouTube, check out this video montage capturing the most recent 220 submissions to my “spy shot” collection. I don’t have time to crop and upload all of them like I’ve done in spy shot blog entries in the past, but I did put them into a video which I hope you’ll enjoy. Thanks to all who have contributed!
I have a few more links to share as we close out this week’s updates.
Darren from IDrewYourCar.com finished the latest piece of artwork for the gallery in my garage. Check out his rendering of the 1992 Integra sedan.
And Pat from Honda Vintage Culture has started releasing T-shirt designs that revolve around Honda motorsports heritage. A couple of weeks ago, his first 3 designs came out on Blipshift. Subscribe to his website, VintageCulture.store and follow his page on Instagram at @hondavintageculture for more information!
My friend Kai has listed the 1989 Honda Accord SE-i that was being stored at my house for the last 6 months. It only has 43,000 miles on it. The 7-day, no-reserve auction began on Monday. It’s a great car and I hope it finds a good home.
A few shots I helped Kai with ended up making their way into the auction. Here is the listing. He’s off to a strong start already. At the time I type this, it’s been online for only about 1 day with bids in the low $2,000s, 156 watchers, and over 3,400 views.
Here’s the 72,000-mile readout on the Integra GS.
My friend Michael visited from Chicago last week and we met up for a bite to eat. He has a gorgeous Vortex Blue TSX.
I also met up with my friend Daniel who has an awesome TLX A-Spec.
Thought you’d get a kick out of this license plate on a Civic Si.
I know, only 25,000 miles to go on Matt Farah’s old 1996 LS400! Some of you may remember when I put a couple thousand miles on that car back in October 2015 when it only had 922,000 on the odometer. My friend Adam ran into the car (well, not literally) in Colorado this weekend at a rally event. I told him to check and see if my log book entry was still present in the glove compartment, and it was! I wonder when and where the big event will take place. Thanks for the update, Adam!
I’m a sucker for Mexican food. Breakfast burrito in the morning, quesadilla at lunch, and tacos for dinner. I could do that. So every Taco Tuesday is a bit of a special day for me. And check out these beauties I found:
Sometimes we get so focused on traveling beyond home that we forget to appreciate the destinations that are within arm’s reach. I was just talking the other day with a friend about wanting to do a “staycation” sometime in the near future for those reasons. For now, I satisfied my literal and figurative cravings for something new by trying a restaurant that opened last year in the lobby of the historic 1928 Hotel San Carlos in downtown Phoenix.
Now dwarfed by modern skyscrapers on all sides, the elaborate San Carlos was once one of Phoenix’s most elaborate and high class destinations for the elites who visited the area. Some say it’s haunted – and for good reason. An actress plunged to her death from the rooftop not long after the hotel first opened, and to this day it’s said that her spirit inhabits the premises. I didn’t go in search of any ghost-hunting. I went for the tacos – and they were worth it!
I parked my 1994 Vigor about a block east of San Carlos along Monroe & 1st Street for $4 (photo above taken at the top level of the garage) and wandered around the downtown district a little. “Centrico” is accessed from street level and has a small bar inside along with a few tables. I seated myself at the bar – as the only person there – and ordered up a set of 4 chicken tinga tacos for $10. They most definitely hit the spot.
Here are some other updates for the week: Recently, I was featured by Brian Driggs of Gearbox Magazine on an hour-long Podcast discussing this and that about how he and I got into the automotive hobby and what we are doing with it. If you want to check out the ramblings, here’s the link! Thanks Brian for the opportunity.
The Integra GS got some lovin’, including replacement of this discolored passenger sideview mirror with a replacement unit which I got from a friend (off a junkyard car) and had repainted at Fix Auto Phoenix for $96 in the correct Torino Red paint.
This car is looking mighty fine! From a dinner outing last Friday evening:
Here’s the latest on it from my YouTube channel:
I took the other Integra, my GS-R, up to Flagstaff, Arizona yesterday afternoon to beat the heat. In just a 2-hour drive, the temperature drops about 20 or more degrees. The car did great for the 300 or so mile round trip. I’m at around 248,700 on that one and anxious to see it crest 250,000.
The new 2019 RDX selection was on sale at the local dealer when I stopped by as well.
You all know I’m crazy about car literature. I can get lost going through my boxes and boxes of car magazines from the 1980s and 1990s. Below is a pic of envelopes with just a handful of the items. In all I have 57 pieces of literature or brochures specific to just the Acura Legend. I also have 151 items of ‘generic’ Acura interest, in about 6 boxes in my laundry room. Yes it’s all categorized in an Excel spreadsheet too. Shocker.
I came across a few cool pieces, including an article from February 1992’s Road & Track where six sedans were tested against each other: Acura Legend LS, Audi 100, Mazda 929, Acura Vigor GS, Lexus ES300, and Mistubishi Diamante LS. I loved a few phrases in particular about the Legend.
This is the instrument by which the other sedans in this category have been setting their watches… Still the dictionary definition of smooth, refined, and reliable, the new Legend LS remains the benchmark. Consider a zero-to-60-mph time where the next best competitor is more than a full second slower. The others begin to close the gap at the quarter-mile mark, but by that time, the big Acura’s powerplant has established itself as the powerhouse of record, without a hint of strain.
Love that! From a 1994 “New Cars” magazine issue:
Did you know that across the entire model lineup, there were 22 colors offered in 1994?
And I thought this was kind of interesting. On January 6, 1998 – just a little over 20 years ago – I pulled a Kelley Blue Book valuation of my mom’s then 1993 Legend L sedan with 64,000 miles on it. Suggested retail was $21,200.
That’s it for the archive preview today. Few more shots from my Vigor / taco outing:
After 97 days without rain in Phoenix, the streak was broken last Saturday – on the very day that about 15 friends and I had a group drive planned. While most car clubs would be devastated by a little bit of moisture in the air, we loved it!
While seated at lunch at the Horny Toad in Cave Creek, Arizona, we peeked outside and saw our variety of vehicles getting drenched. And a wide variety they were! From a Toyota iQ to a Mercedes-Benz 500SL, we had all our bases covered. Roomie James presented us with a vivid blue Kia Stinger. I rolled in the Integra because, as my daily, it’s usually closest to the ‘exit row’ in the garage and I didn’t mind it getting wet.
Things have been busy here at the Auto Spa. In anticipation of having the car club folks over, I did some arts & crafts at the local FedEx Office. I photocopied some of my cars’ window stickers (and made them all a standard size), then laminated them for display on each vehicle. I’m still missing a sticker for my Integra GS-R but the rest of the cars either have originals or reproductions thanks to help from fellow Acura owners.
I also finally had the chance to hang up an acrylic plaque with the May 2017 article from Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car on the Integra. I was able to make room for it along the west wall of the garage.
The “new” Integra GS is coming along nicely. Last week I was able to ditch the clunky, flat-spotted, 17-year-old Goodyear 195-60-14 tires and replaced them with new Falkens at Discount Tire. It ran about $400 out the door and the car rides 100 times better now.
New floor mats are on order (aftermarket, for now) and a friend helped me source a passenger sideview mirror to replace the existing one since it’s a bit mismatched and has the wrong mirror glass in it (it doesn’t say anything about “Objects In Mirror” and the image is distorted). Stay tuned! I dropped off the replacement mirror for paint today.
I spent a few hours last week stripping off the dealer add-on plastic wheel well moldings (and all the tape/glue that they left behind). Time lapse video still pending. You’ll see it here on the next blog entry.
Wall art – currently awaiting the next picture to go along with the other 5 on my wall from IDrewYourCar.com.
Hemmings article on display
Window sticker copies!
Also showing off this brochure with my custom aluminum wheelstand my brother made me.
Looking clean after removing the pin stripe and moldings.
Current passenger mirror on the car – mismatched and pieced together with glue I guess?
Lastly – continuing the trend of posting a car here or there when I know of great opportunities, here are a few selections for you today.
If you’re looking to get into the NSX game relatively inexpensively and with a really rare car, check out my friend Todd’s 1996 NSX in Brooklands Green. It needs some cosmetic TLC but might make a good entry level NSX for someone out there. The configuration is 1 of only 25 cars produced in its interior & exterior color combo.
If family sedans are more your thing, you might want my friend Asmar’s 1993 Accord Special Edition with only 50,000 miles on it. It’s all original minus the tires, so plan on doing a little preventative maintenance. But the price is right. He’s located in Seattle. Message me for details and I’ll put you in touch with him.
And another CB7 Accord, this one a 1990 EX in a stunning burgundy color (“Mulberry Red Pearl,” if you want to get technical). This one is being offered privately to only qualified buyers as it’s not listed on any sites. In other words, a “good home” is an absolute must. Contact me for details. It’s a 136,000 mile automatic for sale by the original owner, located here in the Phoenix area.
In a little over a month, the 14th annual National Acura Legend Meet will kick off in Colorado. As a member of the 5-person planning committee, I attended meetings there this past weekend. Unique to most other NALM events, this one is being planned almost entirely with efforts from “outside” the local area so it was critical for us to visit the sites and make sure they will work for our group. We achieved success!
I flew to Denver on Thursday evening and spent 2 nights in the area, arriving back in Phoenix last night. Sorry, no road trip write-ups to share this time!
The NALM event will kick off on July 18 at the Country Lodge in Woodland Park, Colorado, about 20 minutes up Route 24 west of Colorado Springs. It’s a scenic, twisty highway that gains elevation in the pine forests to over 8,000 feet in elevation. Our host hotel has a nice back deck with plenty of space for soaking in the views and scenery. On Thursday, we have a scenic drive to Breckenridge with lunch at Legends Grill. Fitting, right?
Friday, we summit the almighty Pikes Peak at over 14,000 feet – one of the country’s most famous and picturesque highways. That afternoon, we’ll be exploring the historic mining towns of Victor and Cripple Creek. We have a pizza dinner planned for that evening. On Saturday, Pikes Peak Acura in Colorado Springs will host us for an open house and food, including the chance for a few “feature” Legends to be parked inside the showroom. That afternoon, we’ll have our judging for the awards and later on, a closing dinner, awards, and raffle prizes at the Country Lodge.
We are greatly looking forward to this year’s event and have attendees coming in from 9 different states. Here are a few photos of how our planning activities went this weekend. Registration is still open here.
Chris enjoying the deck at Country Lodge
Our rental was a 2018 Nissan Altima SL. Not too bad! 611 mile range!
View of the peaks from Highway 24
Pikes Peak Acura in Colorado Springs
Evan, Chris, Alex, Alan, Tyson
The RealTime Race Team happened to be prepping the TLX-GT for this year’s hillclimb event, slated for June 24
Riding back up the mountain in Adam’s 1988 Toyota Celica. Adam is a local Toyota / Lexus owner but former Legend owner, and he’s been giving us a hand with local insight.
Do you know what a hoodoo is? The name to me sounds a lot like “voodoo,” and according to the Internet, can be used interchangeably with it. But there’s an alternate definition you may not have heard of. A hoodoo can also mean a column of weathered rock. Check out this view of a vast number of hoodoos that I saw on Friday at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. Now you know!
This past weekend’s 4-day, 1,000-mile road trip took me through Bryce as well as some of Utah’s other scenic wonders. It was the perfect escape from the day-to-day grind. I’ve visited Bryce a few times in the past, including when my friend Peter’s TSX rolled 200,000 miles three years ago and a trip to “Hell’s Backbone” in the ILX five years ago. Still, I can never get tired of seeing that amazing landscape. I took for granted that I grew up with so many beautiful national parks virtually in my own backyard in southern Utah.
My tried and trusty Legend coupe was the chariot of choice for this backroads adventure, and it delivered perfect reliability as I knew it would. The idea for this trip came about because two friends were competing in the Bryce Canyon Ultra Marathon – a “50K” (32-mile) trail run that would subject them to some of the region’s most challenging terrain but also some of the most rewarding views. I think they’re nuts, but then again my own sanity is a little questionable too.
Bryce is one of five national parks in Utah and perhaps one of the least traveled – just the way I like them. The way we got there was pretty straightforward, with a night in my hometown of St. George on Thursday, and then northbound to Cedar City. From Cedar, that’s where things got interesting. We climbed nearly 5,000 feet in elevation on Highway 14 eastbound over the course of 18 miles – windows down, sunroof open, and soaking in the glorious temperatures.
From there, we hooked north on Highway 148 past Cedar Breaks National Monument. By that time, we were at 10,000 feet in elevation – high enough that even on June 1, we saw snow on the roadside. Cedar Breaks was awe-inspiring. We were also delighted that there was next to no traffic. The road is closed from November through May so it had just recently opened back up for the season – literally, the visitor center opened the very day we were rolling through.
Our destination for the next two nights was Panguitch, Utah – a tiny (2,000-resident) town on Highway 89 and home to the Blue Pine Motel, which has been there since 1901. While the accommodations weren’t first class, they were definitely warm and inviting. It’s a family owned atmosphere and a step back in time. We loved our stay. My friend and I visited Bryce Canyon later that first afternoon, some 20 minutes away, and soaked in some of the views from Rainbow Point and Sunset Point. Cars are $35 but we picked up an $80 annual parks pass for admission into any of the National Park units for an entire year. Seems like a decent value!
Bryce Canyon National Park was established 90 years ago and covers about 55 square miles. Navigating it is easy since there’s just one main 18-mile-long, north-south road with a loop at the end. We hiked 1.3 miles round trip on the Navajo Trail loop at Sunset Point before hitting up the restaurant inside the lodge for a delicious bite to eat.
The runners rocked their event, which started and ended in the foothills east of the small town of Hatch on Saturday. The level of difficulty was pretty extreme, with a 7,000-foot elevation change over the course of the 32 miles, along with high temperatures, rocky or sandy footing, and windblown dust. Our friends came in at 9 and 10 hours – exhausted but feeling accomplished. We treated them to Diet Cokes on ice, just as they’d requested.
The small town vibe continued when we made friends with the owner of Cowboy Smokehouse back in Panguitch, who gave us a free order of bacon-wrapped sweet potatoes for our appetizer. It tasted better than it sounds.
By Sunday morning, it was time to make the trek back home, so my friend and I headed out southbound on Highway 89 under a bright blue sky. We stopped just once in Utah – for fuel in Kanab – but decided to lollygag a little at the Arizona/Utah state line in Page. We happened to arrive at the Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell just in time for a 10:30 a.m. tour (and it would only cost us $5 each). Score! I’ve always wanted to take a dam tour. It was a dam good time.
For 45 minutes, we were part of a group of 15 people listening to a tour guide teach us about the dam and its history. We got to ride in two elevators, down a total of over 700 feet to the base of the canyon where the Colorado River runs below. The dam was completed in 1966 but the lake behind it, Lake Powell, took 16 years to fill up! Today there are 8 turbines capable of generating 1.32 gigawatts of power. When I read that on one of the signs, it made me think of Doc Brown’s quote in Back to the Future about needing “1.21 gigawatts.” Great Scott!
My favorite part of the tour was learning that for 1 year only, traffic did flow over the dam itself. I asked our tour guide about it because I could see the the faded remnants of a double-yellow line on top of the concrete. She told us that for just 1 year (1978) traffic was directed across the dam, because construction was taking place on the adjacent bypass bridge.
For lunch, we hit up Fiesta Mexicana in Page, then worked our way to Flagstaff on Highway 89 and connected with Interstate 17 for the final 2 hours of downhill slide into the Phoenix Valley. If only we could have brought some of the cooler temperatures back home with us! The oven has been preheated and we are ready to bake here until October or so. Gotta love it!
Thanks for coming along!
Glen Canyon Dam Tour
Here’s something new for the blog. I have 3 readers who are selling cars and who contacted me about listing them here. Does anyone have interest in these? Let me know and I’ll put you in touch with the sellers.
Brandon’s 1990 Legend L coupe for sale
Automatic
155,000 Miles
San Diego, CA
$ Make Offer
Matt’s 2003 CL-S for sale
6-Speed Manual
255,000 Miles
Phoenix, AZ
$4,300
Srikanth’s 1991 Legend L sedan for sale
Automatic
151,000 Miles
Providence, RI
$ Make Offer
More trip pics – snow along Highway 148, in June
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Pond near the starting (and finish) line of the 50K race
Hanging with mom at the finish line
Sandy’s Audi Q5 got dirty while my Legend stayed clean back at the motel
Small town talk: I had to ask someone what “chicken lights” are.
Blue Pine Motel parking
Hanging at Glen Canyon Dam. Watch your step!
View looking toward the bridge over the Colorado River
Alas, my adventure from the purchase of this 71,215-mile Integra was not over yet. This new (old) Integra GS wasn’t quite ready to break free from the cobwebs of long term storage: Just as I started getting comfortable on my return trip to Phoenix, roughly 100 miles into my trip, the motor started cutting out intermittently on the interstate.
At first it didn’t interfere with my ability to keep momentum, but eventually, even with my foot on the accelerator at full engagement, I was dropping speed – and quickly. I was about 20 miles north of Las Vegas on I-15, in about 100 degree temperatures, on the shoulder.
I was able to re-start the car a couple of times and limp along southbound in the emergency line, but meanwhile I was doing my research and figuring out next steps. I HAD to get back to Phoenix somehow that night, still over 300 miles away, for important work meetings the following day.
So, was my best option to tow the Integra home somehow, rent another car, or try and catch a flight out of Vegas? I got the car to a Love’s gas station and bought a bottled water while waiting for a neon green tow truck, so I had a few minutes to do my research and collect my thoughts. Look at this call history!
Not how I thought the day would go!
What I discovered was that rental car agencies are not friendly to work with on the phone – and that’s if you can even get someone on the phone at all. Many were closed at 6:00 p.m. One wanted to charge me a $300 one-way drop-off fee if I picked up a car in Vegas and drove it to Phoenix. Another refused to rent to me at all without a round trip flight ticket. WTH? I met one slammed door after another.
Southwest Airlines came through for me. Luckily, there are about 8 departures per day between LAS & PHX. I was able to snag a seat on the last flight out for the day – departing around 10:30 p.m. – and make my way to the airport after leaving the Integra at the Acura dealership on Sahara Avenue. My nerves were shot when I got home around midnight. But by gosh by golly, I made it to those work meetings.
Description of the problem that I wrote on the envelope with the key when I night-dropped the car.
Flying home!
Meanwhile, the Integra GS sat for a week at the dealership, 300 miles away from my home. Its diagnosis? A bad fuel pump and a leaking fuel filler line, which of course was discontinued. It’s a good thing I have friends in high places. My friend Hy found a used part on Ebay which I promptly ordered and had shipped to the dealership.
I received word on Tuesday that the part had arrived and would work, then awaited an ETA on the car’s roadworthiness. On Wednesday, I learned they had the wrong fuel pump and a new one would be arriving the next day. Thursday, they got the right part. And Friday, it was tested and confirmed good.
After what seemed like forever, I was able to fly back to Las Vegas and retrieve the car. I took a 7:05 a.m. flight on Southwest on Saturday (really racking up those Rapid Rewards loyalty points!) and was on the ground a little after 8:00, picked up by my friend Dane in his Lincoln – Starbucks in hand for me. Bless his heart.
We headed directly to the dealership on Sahara and I met up with a friend who works there, Louie, as well as my service advisor, Mitch. It was a relief to (again) be heading out in my new car and I was optimistic about this latest fix taking care of the issues. I grabbed breakfast with my Dane and Brandon at the Egg & I before hitting the road.
FOOD!
And smooth sailing it was – I kept things really easy on the car, low RPM, easy acceleration, kind of holding my breath that nothing else would happen in the 300 miles that remained. When I finally got to my house at 3:00 p.m., I breathed a sigh of relief.
So here’s how the overall purchase timeline worked out.
April 27: Notified of the car being for sale by Jeff
April 30: Cody test drove
May 1: Made offer, which was accepted, booked flight
May 2: Scheduled 90k maintenance with Honda dealer
May 7: Flew to Utah
May 8: Picked up car, had maintenance, started driving home, broke down, towed to dealer
May 9: Identified issue
May 10: Found discontinued / used part, ordered on Ebay
May 15: Part arrived
May 16: Notified of incorrect fuel pump
May 17: New pump installed
May 18: Fuel system passed testing
May 19: Returned to Las Vegas & drove the car home
After getting the car home, I spent dug in and started getting things cleaned up in the same fashion that I did it with my LS. In fact, it was deja vu. (I just spent 5 minutes looking at the etymology of that phrase. Turns out it’s French, and it means “already seen.” You’re welcome!). Even the local emissions check station agents looked at me a little funny as I arrived in a new Integra. “Weren’t you already here?” they asked me. “Where do you keep finding these cars?!” was the next question.
So here I am, one Integra sold, one purchased, and taking a break from running a used car dealership for a little while now. Here are a few episodes on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Get lots of popcorn ready.
Part 2: Transport Home
Part 3: Cleanup
Part 4: Engine Cleaning
Home and part of the family!
That front plate was the first thing to go.
And of course – the next day – a few pics in the backyard.
Engine bay – before
Engine bay – after
Thanks for following along on yet another of my crazy automotive adventures!
Posted in Integra, Utah on May 30, 2018 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend Coupe): 560,344
Odometer (Legend Sedan): 158,148
Odometer (Integra Hatch): 248,095
Odometer (Integra GS Sedan): 071,778
Odometer (Vigor): 111,181
Odometer (NSX): 111,553
Yes. The answer is yes, I’m insane – I don’t need you to put it in the comments, but please do it anyway.
I’ve fallen so far off my rocker I may never be able to get back up. But that’s okay. I thought I’d spice up this blog with an unexpected twist and buy an Acura Integra nearly identical to the one I already had. Why not, right? I already have twin Desert Mist Metallic 1994 Legends.
So here we go again. This time I have a 1992 Integra GS sedan 5-speed. Now let me help give context with some trim level breakdowns:
RS: Basic as basic comes!
LS: RS trim + color matched mirrors, power mirrors and locks
GS: LS trim + anti-lock brakes, power moonroof, alloy wheels, and map lights. Ooooh!
All 3 are powered by a 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter dual overhead cam 4-cylinder motor. No VTEC here: The sedans did not get the same engine technology that the GS-R 3-door hatchback did.
I was definitely NOT in the market for a replacement Integra when this one came along. To the contrary, I was greatly enjoying restoring my 1992 LS that I went to great lengths to buy,transport. and clean up. But luckily, thanks to my Bring a Trailer auction, I was able to find a new owner for that one who will really enjoy it. Ken flew in on Sunday morning and drove the car home to Denver, Colorado.
Short video of the drive-away:
As much as I enjoyed that LS, when a one-owner car comes along with extensive ownership history and all the goodies of a top trim level, you bust a move. So thanks to my friend Jeff for sending it my way, and to my friend Cody for driving over to check it out – including a FaceTime session with him and with the owners. Here are the photos from that day.
Screen shot of the original craigslist ad.
71,212 on the odometer!
FaceTime sesh! Yes, I did. Chris, this pic’s for you.
This car comes to my collection from a sweet gal named Maxine who lives in southern Utah. She bought the car brand new off the showroom floor in the Seattle area 26 years ago at Bellevue Acura.
I caught a flight to St. George, Utah on Monday evening, May 7, and spent the night at mom’s place before heading over to Max’s on Tuesday morning for the transaction. I was a little apprehensive, as is always the case in the hours leading up to the purchase of a new car. It was about a 30 minute drive to Max’s place in Ivins. The car was already pulled out of the garage and ready to roll when we arrived.
Max was understandably a little emotional about the event – and for good reason. She’d owned the car for maybe half her life? It’s a big deal to part with something so sentimental. After taking a few traditional key handoff photos, we went through a folder of paperwork dating back to when the car was new. You all know how excited that gets me. She had the original window sticker, service receipts, even a slip of paper indicating the commission amount that salesman David Wright made on March 12, 1992. It was $285.00.
Oh, and I also found a Vehicle Service Contract dated March 30, 1993 at 26,741 miles that was good for 84 months or 100,000 miles. By the mileage standard, the car is STILL covered! Haha.
First stop before even getting the revs beyond about 2,500 RPM was the Honda dealership a few miles away. I’d pre-arranged with the Service Department to take care of a timing belt & water pump change for me – not one to risk driving 400 miles on an old belt in 100+ degree temperatures. The oil change was also far overdue – with the last sticker from Jiffy Lube on the windshield dated 2009, nine years ago!
The service technician reported that the timing belt was “yellowed and crispy” (yikes) so I was glad I had it changed.
I set sail on my homeward trip, feeling accomplished at picking up a minty little car. But something still made me uneasy in the driver seat. Was it the ancient Goodyear tires? Flat spotted and cracked? I didn’t exceed 65 miles per hour because of those. But even beyond that, I was unsettled, and for good reason. I soon found out why. Come back next time to read the next chapter…
First Episode:
Departing from Max’s place
Interesting – this car was marked up $2,000 from the MSRP! $19,275 instead of $17,275.
Toasty day to be heading out!
Just for kicks – check out this 6-minute video my friend Hy and put together last weekend of his immaculate Accord SE as I was invited to roll a milestone with him.
And a video of my friend Jim taking delivery of a 2018 Accord 6-speed:
And a video of my friend Kyle arriving home with his ‘new’ 2009 Pontiac G8 6-speed:
And one more, from just this past weekend. I went junkyarding with my friend Michael – check out his really nice 1990 Legend L sedan with only 60,000 miles on it.
That ought to keep you all busy for a few days. Have a great one!
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drivetofive 