Before I go through with my B20A swap, I decided that I should dyno the engine in the 84 Accord one last time to see what 310,000 miles has done to it. The first time I dyno’d it, I only had a Weber DGEV 32/36 carb on it. The timing was off, due to the timing marks on the flywheel being covered in grease, and I hadn’t done much else to the engine. Stock everything else and she put down 67whp.

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So continuing my project from yesterday. I went ahead and picked up a brand new heater core from NAPA. Along with some Syl-Glide, new hose fittings, and new coolant, the total came out to around $107. Then I stopped at Ace Hardware and picked up a hypo-allergenic furnace filter. I got the nice $20 3M one, since it claims to filter more dust and allergens, which is what I need this-coming spring.

I split the box open to install the heater core. And it turns out that you don’t need to… The heater core actually slides right out of the heater box. Don’t pull this box apart if you don’t have to. The flaps are a huge pain to get all lined back up and operating properly.

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I’ve been super worried about my hatch since it got it’s suspension damage. What kind of value do you put on a car like an ‘81 Honda? It’s obviously worth more to me than to most people. Most people think it’s a piece of crap and I’m sure they’re all assuming that it’s totaled out. I was worried about totaling it out and having to buy it back and repair it all myself. Not because I can’t do the repairs myself, but I’m just too busy with other projects right now and I just wanted to get in it and drive it.

So just now, the insurance company called. The shop gave them an estimate, and the insurance company approved the repairs! That was all I wanted. I didn’t want to come out ahead with a bunch of extra money. I didn’t want to find a bunch of used parts to replace it all with. I just wanted my car back like it was. Thank god it worked out that way. Damages came to approximately $971. Pretty stoked!

So I got to work today doing some revamping of the heater box in the blue car. I have had broken vent doors for so long, and I’ve been too lazy to pull the dash. The arm that controls the main vent inside the box has been broken blocking all airflow through any of the vents. The car still warms up, but it’s slow, and you don’t get a nice satisfying blower.

Also the recirc / fresh air door on the blower housing has been broken too. For the longest time, when you’d shut the passenger door, you could hear it making a slapping noise inside the dash. The arm holding it in position was bent, so it was free to flap about. Luckily it kept the door so it was in fresh air all the time.

Anyways, I decided not to be lazy anymore and get to work fixing all the little crap. Plus, I want to be able to drive the car once the B20A is swapped in! So the first thing I did was pull the dash.

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I know I haven’t written in this thing in a while, but I think it’s time to start doing so again. It seemed like this whole blog thing was going pretty well, but I guess you just get lazy sometimes. Well, that shouldn’t happen again.

A few updates:

I rear ended someone with the Miata. But then fixed it and got it looking all new again.

Then a deer jumped out in front of the Miata and smashed the last original part on the front end.

But now the Miata looks like brand new yet again, thanks to some help from my dad.

My B20A engines arrived from New Zealand for the 84 Accord… finally.

And a lady ran me off the road and screwed up the hatch.

More updates to come soon.

The Old Lewiston Grade was built in 1917 to replace old wagon trails leading into Lewiston and Clarkston. The highest point in the road starts at about 2756 feet above sea level and descends across 10 miles of road, winding back and forth with a drop of 2000 feet. From the top you have an amazing view of the cities below, able to view the landscape for miles into the distance.

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I went looking for something to do after work today, and decided a good drive would be in order. I had the Miata with me today, and thought I’d look for some twisties. I headed out I-90 just past Coeur D’Alene, and took the exit down Highway 97. I didn’t really know where it would go, but at first it just wraps around the edge of the lake. Lots of 20-30MPH corners. There are enough short straights to get in good passing as traffic can be heavy at the start of the road. Take the passes if you get a chance!

Eventually the road peels away from the lake and starts climbing up into the mountains. It makes a few nice sharp 20MPH bends up the side of the hill until you get to the top. Then you’re up in the highlands. The highlands are these gorgeous long, windey roads through rolling farmland surrounded by mountains all around. Corners are rated in the 50’s and the speed limit picks up from 45MPH to 55MPH, and then you’re really soaring. Traffic becomes almost non-existent.

Overall this road is a 9 out of 10. The only downside really being that there are some residential areas along the lake, which can present a hazard. I didn’t see any sign of police along the way (not that I advocate any lawbreaking). All around a fantastic drive! I recommend it if you’re ever in the Spokane area!

So my friend and I made it to the Motoring J-Style show last weekend. It was a blast, aside from getting a bad case of food poisoning before the show. The drifting was a lot of fun to watch. Seeing cars getting sideways always gets me excited. Small selection of Hondas this year. There were more NSX’s than there were all the other Hondas combined. Lots of other fantastic Datsuns and Toyotas though. More photos and link to full gallery after the break.

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Chris and I managed to make it to Visalia in record time. Well, probably not really, since I couldn’t didn’t want to take the hatch over 70-75mph. The car cruised nice and smooth, aside from a little wheel balance issue, and was more than willing to fly at 4,000RPM the whole way. Not wanting to abuse it, I kept it around 3,500, and it returned some gratitude with 32mpg on our first tank, and 29mpg coming over the pass from Oregon to California.

Also tonight I got to take the Miata for a glorious spin. I admit, I was a bit skeptical as to how good of a car it was really going to be, but I can see now why it was such a great seller. The handling is sharp and responsive, and the stainless exhaust puts out a throatier exhaust note than you’d expect. Being that it is a car with 23,000 miles on it, it’s in need of some engine seals, as it’s leaking oil at a pretty good rate. It is more than happy cruising at 100+MPH, but seems it’s gear limited to around 115.

We are departing Visalia around 6:00am and hope to make it to Vallejo sometime around 11ish. Maybe we’ll run into the Jalopnik guys, either way expect lots of pictures from us to be coming on flickr soon.

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My friend Chris and I disembarked from Olympia, WA last night for the Motoring J-Style show in Vallejo, CA. We left last night about 7:30 and by 12:30 we wound up in Sutherlin, OR where I’m posting from. Final destination today will be Visalia, CA where we will BBQ and enjoy some hopefully nice weather. So far, going off the weather, it doesn’t feel much like we left Olympia yet.

Updates coming Saturday with a full photo gallery of cars and fun from the show.