Need some modification recommendations.

Hey all,

I have a laundry list of mods I plan on doing to my Del Sol. Right now its pretty much stock. I was wondering...

1. What are some great mods you would recommend doing? Doesnt matter if its cosmetic or performance.

2. And should I start with performance mods, exterior, or interior mods first?

I really dont know where I should start...

Start by defining your goals. Do you want a fast car or one with a wing and neons? After you've decided what is more important, start reading. Google is full of information about modifying Civics.

Since this thread is specific to your Del Sol, I've moved it to the relevant forum.

-Rod

Depends what your goals are, but I would say suspension!

Goals...

-Engine swap to D16Z6 SOHC VTEC
-Suspension upgrade (Sitting on stock suspension)
-New wheels and tires
-New brakes (calipers, rotors and pads)
-Racing seats
-Headers and exhaust upgrade
-Body Kit
-Fiberglass and/or carbon fiber hood, fenders, and trunk
-And LOTS of interior work!

As Bullshifter said, suspension. Not only will it help to get more of the power to the ground, from the engine you're building, but it will also make the car more fun to drive.

I'd venture to say that most people here are going to have the same basic response; performance before visual. But it really depends on what YOU want to do. There's really no wrong way to build it. Which is more important to you, having a car that looks nice, or having a car that drives the way you want it. (Purely a question you only need to answer to yourself)

One thing I'd like to mention though, pertains to whether you're going to paint the car, after the exterior modifications. If you're going to do a complete color change, you're far better off pulling the engine out, to paint the engine bay. Leaving the engine in, and just taping things off can look a little tacky. In that case, it might be a better idea to throw your freshly build engine in at that time. It would save time from removing the stock engine, installing the new engine, removing the new engine to paint the engine bay, and then reinstalling it. On the flip side, if you're going to be installing the engine yourself, you're going to have to watch out for scratching the fresh paint. Either using fender covers or removing the fenders and front bumper will help against scratching up the paint.

As Bullshifter said, suspension. Not only will it help to get more of the power to the ground, from the engine you're building, but it will also make the car more fun to drive.

I'd venture to say that most people here are going to have the same basic response; performance before visual. But it really depends on what YOU want to do. There's really no wrong way to build it. Which is more important to you, having a car that looks nice, or having a car that drives the way you want it. (Purely a question you only need to answer to yourself)

One thing I'd like to mention though, pertains to whether you're going to paint the car, after the exterior modifications. If you're going to do a complete color change, you're far better off pulling the engine out, to paint the engine bay. Leaving the engine in, and just taping things off can look a little tacky. In that case, it might be a better idea to throw your freshly build engine in at that time. It would save time from removing the stock engine, installing the new engine, removing the new engine to paint the engine bay, and then reinstalling it. On the flip side, if you're going to be installing the engine yourself, you're going to have to watch out for scratching the fresh paint. Either using fender covers or removing the fenders and front bumper will help against scratching up the paint.


Thanks! Exactly the kind of response I was looking for. I plan on doing performance and visual modifications to the car but I just want to be methodical about it so I dont have to go back and do something again.

I agree with suspension first! get that thing lower to the ground. Then wheels, then start saving for your swap, but why just the sohc vtec, I would go dohc vtec instead :D

When I pulled off my wheels I noticed my brakes look like sh**. Lots of rust. So I also plan on replacing the rotors, pads, and calipers. Does anyone know of a good online site where I could buy a nice set of blue calipers? Ive looked around and I've seen brake kits but they are thousands of dollars. I have not seen a site where I could buy the calipers individually with an assortment of colors.

You could always just buy some new calipers from a local auto parts store, and get some blue caliper paint. An even better idea would be to get them power coated. It's far more expensive than paint, but it will last a lot longer. The paint tends to flake off after a while, and ends up looking worse than dirty stock parts.

But I've never seen a place online where you could buy them pre-painted or pre-powder coated.