hey prepreludesh, thats pretty ironic that I see your electron blue side skirts cause I just bought a pair myself. let me guess thats the only color they had left. me too. wwrs side skirts blow nutz. By the way very nice lights but I have to agree on not putting the lids back on.
I know about the eyelids joe, but there is a terrible gap between the carbon fiber hood and the headlights. I would rather have something to cover it up than to see that gap. When I install these, I'll post some pictures up of the headlights without eyelids and the eyelids I plan on putting on (different style) and let everyone voice their opinions about which looks best.
But for now...
I figured I would post up some more pictures while I'm away from the car, not doing the upgrades I wanna. This is an interesting picture location if you've never been... It's the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico (closest town is Alamogordo). This is the world's largest white sand formation with 250 square miles of the stuff. Unlike the sand you see at a beach (quartz?) this stuff is from gypsum. The whole area underneath it is solid gypsum so as the winds shift the sand around and expose the "pillars" of gypsum, the sand will wear it away and add more white sand to the ever expanding area.
The consistency is just like (if not a little softer on the feet) of quartz sand and is like being in a totally different world. The car photographed pretty well against it for being white as well.
The pictures were taken during really interesting weather, where a sandstorm blew through followed by a large thunderstorm that produced multiple rainbows in different locations all over the place. The first picture is my favorite, but I should note they were all taken by my sister, who is also pictured. You can see her actually sledding down one of the huge hills of white sand that reacts pretty much like snow. It's an action shot, so you can actually see some of the stuff flying up as she takes a spill. If anyone wants to know anymore about this place, just ask! Otherwise, enjoy the pics!
Favorite Picture of the car...
It even coats the tirs like snow would... but no mess to clean up!
Sister takes a spill!
These mountains in the background are visible from miles and miles outside of the town of Alamogordo.
Here is what you get when the sand gets wet, it forms somewhat solid on the top and is powder underneath.
I also wanted to add as I was writing this, that although this place is in a really desolate location, that the backdrop is so perfect that I wonder who would be interested in having a Prelude Meet there sometime? The white background would look totally stunning in single pictures or group pictures. Could you imagine shooting a red or green or blue car against the white sand? I think it would look fantastic. Anybody be up for it in the forseeable future?
Dude... I could write the same story as you... In the Military AF here, but always buying parts when Im deployed, car is always having something done to it or broke Im constantly upgrading just about everything....
I noticed that my hood was in this thread, it cools the supercharger very well. It brings outside are inside the hood right over the supercharger. Before I had the hood I couldnt touch the SC after driving it, now I can put my hand and leave it on there after driving it. It really cools it down.
I will be headed out the door soon for Iraq, never been before (Ive always been deployed to all the cush assignments, Germany X2, California, Honduras) any advice for Iraq???
Wow thanks Geramy, that means alot coming from you, the most impressive supercharger build in history, haha.
I believe you when you say your hood really does have a cooling effect on the supercharger. But unfortunately, is it bad to say that I don't like the styling of it? If there was a way to make it look more like the scoop of the old school WRX's I'd do it in a hearbeat, but I think too many people would judge it as non-functional... although that could be used to my advantage?
What I'd like to know is if you see your supercharger belt life's extending because of the increased cooling. I've never had a belt last me over 4000 miles (even the JR claims they should last 10k). I have not yet tried to the goodyear gatorback, because Pep Boys makes a belt that looks similar in every way to it (I'm talking about the grooves cut into it supposedly for increased cooling effect).
I also want to say that I believe I can get a little bit higher numbers once I switch to 10w-40 oil (I'm running 20w-50 right now due to what Honda Bob said the bearing clearances checked in at) and get my exhaust replaced fully. I'll be running 2.5" all the way through. And if I can put a fresh belt on, we'll see how it does with 8 to 9 psi.
I also want to ask about a theory I was reading about on a supercharger website that claimed that you must "sandblast" your pulleys for optimal grip (aka no slip) because a smooth surface is anti-friction which is what our little belt needs the most. Any thoughts on that as well?
And as for advice in Iraq, don't worry about a thing, air force bases have all the luxuries you need. You'll get hot showers every day, get better food in the DFAC than Soldiers (airmen?) eat in the States and get your laundry done and folded for free whenever you want. The heat only makes you hot if you're in direct sun (so shade is your friend) and your day is structured very nicely for you to get some maximum down-time for yourself. This is probably one of the reasons few people want to come back from Iraq, because you have everything made and done for you over there other than your job (but you don't have family unfortunetly). As much as the media says, it's not a bad gig.
I dont have the short belt anymore... well at least not a ribbed short belt. That is the belt that I have set up with the cogs. Its almost impossible for it to slip and because it is cogged its not required to be very tight. I used gator back belts before, they usually lasted around 6K miles before they would start to fray and I would replace them.
Before I went with the cog setup I was having all kind of slippage problems. We tried everything to correct the problem. Including taking the coating off the pulley. It didnt seem to help at all. Plus the pulleys are aluminum, so if you take the hard anodize off them they will start to wear and eventually "polish" themselves which will really make them slip!
The exhaust will really help. My friend Jason picked up about 8whp by switching to a custom 2.5" exhaust. He had a gutted cat, extra long 24" resonator and used an Apex-i muffler. Its nice and deep sounding.
If only I was deploying to an Air Force Base. I will be working with the Army, training the Iraqi military BMT. Thanks for the info, if you think of anything else let me know. gerald.kramer@usafa.af.mil
I planned on taking pictures of my car yesterday to post (I havent posted any in probably 4 years) but as usual things didnt fit correctly so Instead of putting on my OEM kit and installing my new seats I spent all day making new seat brackets. they should be getting welded up this week so hopefully this weekend I will get them in and get the car cleaned up some and post some new pictures.
I can't see any of your photos. It is telling me to upgrade my photo bucket for "bandwidth". Does it take a certain subscription to photobucket for me to see your posted pictures? Thanks,
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93 Prelude Si resurrection in process....
I can't see any of your photos. It is telling me to upgrade my photo bucket for "bandwidth". Does it take a certain subscription to photobucket for me to see your posted pictures? Thanks,
his account ran out of bandwidth for the month because he's got way too much traffic. it's not you. maybe he could be nice enough to upload to another site or you're going to have to wait.
I know guys I'm sorry for the wait :-( Photobucket told me that my pictures won't be available until the 28th. I kinda don't know much about why I run out of bandwith on this. Do people save my pictures? Or does people opening the webpage take bandwith away from photobucket? Either way, I dunno what's going on, I'm just sad I don't have pictures
My dad and sister did some photoshop the other day of the white sands pictures, I thought it was pretty funny when they texted me the pictures to show me what they were working on!
I will be home in a week from this godforsaken land near Barstow, CA, I can't wait to see the paint that came for me in the mail!
and haha on the comment about the moon, my sister and dad who did this said the same thing but it was just them pokin' around on the photoshop, it didn't have to make sense. In another picture they have Asimo walking around on the surface too, .
Finally, after months of contemplating and alot of **** from everyone who has seen this thread, I have gotten new wheels. I was sick of the look of the front wheels jutting out and I was looking for the ideal wheel that would bolt on with no spacers and take a big brake kit. As luck would have it, I ended up finding that wheel in the form of 5Zigen FN-10R's that I just got yesterday. It was time for the Enkei RSV's to go, and their balding BFGoodrich TA KDW's. Towards the end, the wheels were either off balance or the spacers were finally just becoming too warped for proper torquing to alleviate, so I was happy to take them off.
I decided to switch to a different tire and try out the Falken Azenis 615's, because I've heard so much about them. At $108 per tire (215/40/R17) they were a pretty good deal and they look great as well (performance is yet to be determined). The 5Zigen wheels are 17x7 with a 35 offset. I was curious as if I'd get the right offset or not (they had 35, 42 and 48 to choose from), but they were absolutely perfect. They clear the Wilwood BBK by probably a millimeter or two (ha!) and they do not stick out from the flush line with the fender. I finally look like I have a real wheel setup! And now that I have my ARP wheel studs on all 4 corners with no spacers to cover them up, they look totally gangster (think of the roman chariots and their metal blades coming out to attack other chariot wheels) sticking out. The pictures speak for themselves, so without further ado...
I have yet to put the center caps in... I'm debating which way looks better, so I'll post up some pictures for you all to be the judge. The car is also way dirty and the tires have not been cleaned and had tire shine applied, so bare with this first batch until I clean them up.
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I will be working with the Army, training the Iraqi military BMT. Thanks for the info, if you think of anything else let me know. 
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