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DIamond In The Rough: A CB7 HeirloomWords: Joey Godinez
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Don’t you get tired of the same old thing? Driving the same car and wondering what to do with it? Do I sell it and buy a much newer car or do I keep spending on my money pit of a clunker?
Anybody with a car more than 10 years old has certainly questioned himself this way. The needed maintenance and repairs just keep coming, much less the mods. Enter Ricardo Juarez and his mint 1991 Accord EX, also known as the CB7 chassis.
I met Ricardo and his Accord in 2006. I first laid eyes on the pristine Frost White CB7 rolling down the hill crossing an intersection in Dana Point, California. We were both lost and looking for fellow CB7 owners for a meet and greet. It would be the first of many meets and many laughs over many years with the friends we met there that day.
These are friends who would eventually become the members of the 2SIIC family. These are some of the 2SIIC members circa 2010, Eibach Meet 2010.
Aside from the wheels, engine and transmission swap, Ricardo did not perform any drastic makeovers between then and now, as you can see from the picture above circa 2006 when we first met. The other additions are details that finish up the car like icing on a cake.
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Despite the minimal amount of large eye-catching parts, the car was built with simplicity with an aggressive stance in mind.
There are no regrets in this build, well… except one. We were all once with less wisdom. We now know better. There are things we regret, namely, this Wakaba badge that I sold to him back when it was the JDM awesome thing to display on your back windshield. I regret selling it, he regrets buying it. He keeps it hidden in the car and doesn’t display it anymore. It’s more of a remembrance of days of old he says. We laughed when he pulled it out to show me. I had sold more badges then and now I wonder how our other friends feel buying them…
Part of the commitment to preserving his pride is how he keeps it mint. This CB7 isn’t daily driven with good reason. He intends to keep the car as an heirloom and pass on to his son when he turns 18. Some of us have garages, some have car covers. His CB7 is kept in his secret location. Double gated. Double locked. Double covered. With the help of his dad, it takes an awesome amount of effort, 45 minutes long, to pull the car out. I commend and thank them for taking the time and letting me take pictures of the car.
How many cars do you know that are kept under a blanket and a car cover? Beat that…
How many cars do you know that are kept under a blanket and a car cover? Beat that…
A custom set of Mugen M7s are hiding inside the garbage bag, err… jewel bag of sorts. He gave me the honor of unveiling the wheels to see them in person for the first time.
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As with anything that is deeply hidden, it takes some time to pull them out to showcase to the world. Pulling out of the garage and the driveway, a few planks and angled wooden blocks are puzzled into place to keep anything from the undercarriage from grinding too much or even coming off.
The car’s front lip and bumpers may not seem too low to some, but these Accords have a low hanging undercarriage compared to Civics. This picture below shows just how low the underbody is to the floor even when the front lip is still a few inches off the ground.
Ricardo’s CB7 is an awesome example of a car built with commitment to older body, despite the old-car maintenance pains. His dedication to building a proper CB7 slowly received recognition and he was recently featured on the August issue of Honda Tuning. Congratulations buddy!
Full Spec List
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS:H22
Explicit Speed Mounts AEM cold-air intake Trust/Greddy header Trust/Greddy SP1 exhaust system Auto to Manual transmission conversion H23 manual tensioner conversion BB4 Honda Prelude line and pump Hondata intake manifold gasket Prelude Type S valve cover Carbon-Kevlar spark plug cover Trust/Greddy oil cap Exedy Stage 1 clutch Fidanza 8lb flywheel Suspension & Brakes:Function/Form Type 2 Coilovers suspension
Suspension Techniques anti-sway bars Energy Suspension bushings Skunk2 EF Pro Series A-arms Megan rear camber kit and toe arms Function/Form lower control arms DC Sports front shock tower bar DC Sports rear shock tower bar DC Sports rear lower tie bar ’92 CB7 rear disc conversion Power Stop slotted rotors EBC Black brake pads Goodridge steel braided brake lines |
WHEELS & TIRES:
Custom-built Mugen M7 wheels by Ralph Wright
Fronts: 16x9.5 +20 Rears: 16x9.5 +15 Yokohama S-Drive 205/45/16 Rays anodized lug nuts EXTERIOR Modifications:
Jim & Jacks Auto body complete respray
Shaved badges OEM JDM 1pc headlights with chrome trim OEM JDM foglights OEM JDM bumper with chrome trim OEM JDM side moldings with chrome trim OEM JDM taillights with chrome trim OEM JDM sidemarkers OEM JDM folding mirrors OEM JDM BB4 VIN tag OEM 5th Generation Accord EX lip Xenon HID kit INTERIOR:
All OEM blue interior panels and seats
Nardi 330mm Deep Corn woodgrain steerwing wheel Mugen pedals Trust/Greddy shift knob ’99 Civic Si shift boot NRG short hub/quick release JDM CB7 map light and visors |
