pacallen

So many people have been giving up their Legends recently. I plan on doing the opposite, and a week ago drove from Chicago to Kansas City to perform a major tune-up on my Legend (too cold in Chicago and no heated garage to work in!) to get her ready for another 20 years! I figured it had been neglected for quite some time now so it was time to show some love... Thanks to everyone that posted DIYs (a lot of these jobs were covered).



New tie rods/alignment, spark plugs/wires, distributor cap/rotor, oil cooler hoses/gasket, radiator hoses, coolant hoses, thermostat, valve cover/side cover gaskets, pcv valve/breather tubes, alternator brushes, stainless steel brake lines, brake pads, drilled/slotted rotors, speedometer cable, power antenna, HIDs, CAI, interior dash bulbs, dome light dimmer mod

Coolant flush (Acura stuff is blue now... neat ), engine/tranny oil change, brake fluid flush, p/s fluid flush

I decided to calculate my mpg for highway driving on the way there and on the way back. For the last 106.1 miles of the trip I decided to go for maximum fuel economy and set the cruise for 65mph and without stops, used 4.03 gallons, giving me 26.33 mpg, so it is definitely possible to make 450 miles on a single tank. 55mph would have probably given me even better numbers, but I didn't want to make an 8.5 hour trip even longer!

Here are the rest of my mpg values for those that care. I filled up outside the city both ways and was on cruise control @ 75mph the majority of the time, and ran from a full top-off to near empty without stopping.

Chicago - Kansas City
388 miles, 17.089 gallons - 22.70 mpg averaging 71.8 mph

Kansas City - Chicago
419 miles, 16.236 gallons - 25.81 mpg averaging 72.8 mph (quite pleased with the improvement, and I was even averaging 1mph faster!)

If I didn't have ~150 lbs of cargo, had bothered to check my tire pressure and have my tires rotated, and was driving a little slower, I bet I could have made at least 27 mpg... Also interesting is the EPA's mpg figures were 18 city/23 highway which are usually pretty optimistic but I managed to beat them by a significant amount. Not bad for a 20 year old car!

Left to do (had all the parts but ran out of time in KC and have to be at work tomorrow!):
A/C Compressor/Drier and a/c system flush (got as far as replacing the expansion valve before I decided there was no way to finish in time!)
Grounding Kit
Shift boot replacement
Fix the dimmer mod (hooked the wire to the door switch instead of the dome light... same effect and works great but the little red door on the car icon in the dash does the 7 second light/dim thing too
After pics (d'oh)

And finally, a complete DIY (never done a project like this before!) rust removal/dent fill and repaint in the spring! Long live G1 Legends!

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SOLD: '87 Auto Sedan (12/31/2003)

 

IkeRay

surprisingly enough, i have found that you get better gas mileage at 75-80 as opposed to 55-60 it is very odd...

i used to drive from houston to dallas from time to time, and averaging 77-78 mph and would come out with right about 29-30 mpg almost all the time. a couple of times i caught a tail wind for most of the trip and averaged 32-33 mpg and another time i had bad O2 sensors and only got 16-17 mpg. but it seemed that if i averaged about 75 mph i would get about 30 mpg, but if i only averaged 65-70 mph, i would get 26-27 mpg.

neat to see you fixing her back up to start a new life.

sam o nela

Now THATS dedication!!!

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<Monocolor Paint Scheme> <JDM Clear Corners> <Cleared out Rear Turn Signals>
<Acura Caliper Grill Emblem> <Independent Yellow Fog Mod> <15% Tint>
<Iggee Seat Covers> <EL Reverse Glow Gauges> <Dimmer Mod>
<Ford Taurus Cupholder Mod> <CC Tunk Light Mod> <Fut Short Throw Shifter>
<Custom CAI> <AEM Bypass Valve> <OBX Headers>
<Magnaflow High Flow Cat> <Dynomax Super Turbo Muffler>
<Drilled/Slotted Rotors> <Painted Calipers> <Axxis Metal Master Pads>

89HondaLegend

Very good to see Pacallen, I myself would like to perform the same sort of maintenance, however I don't have access to a shed so anything I start will never end.

With any luck in the next year or two we will be moving to a new place that will have a shed so the rejuvination process will be able to begin.

Look forward to seeing the DIY's, how would you compare the car to drive afterwards on a scale of 1 - 10?

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Regards,
Steve

Love to Love the Legend

1989 Honda Legend Melbourne Blue - 203 000 Miles
1991 Honda Legend Maroon - 230 000 Miles



Pictures of My Legend

l4zy415

Man, I'm glad your putting your heart and soul to restore your Legend. I'm glad your keeping it. Same with me, but I want to live in a bigger home so I can work on it in a garage and just get a beater to drive around so I can replace lots of stuff for the motor.

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18" Limited 341 Chrome Rims/\Matador Red Paint/\Weapon R - Secret Weapon Intake/\LED Bright White Dash Lights/Floor/\Kenwood KDC-X590 Excelon Mp3 Deck/\Ford Taurus Coin/Cup Holder/\2 12" Kickers/\1200 Watt Sony XM-2200GTX 2-Channel Xplod Amp/\2 Rockford Fosgate Capacitors/\Power Acoustic Capacitor/\Clear Rear Turn Signal/\Reverse Glow Gauges/\Swapped 88' Headlights to 89'-90'/\JDM Rear Chrome Trim/\Stromung Muffler/
Soon To Come: Rebuild Motor and 5-MT Swap

pacallen

Thanks for the kind words all... I had contemplated getting something newer but then I would be dealing with a car without proven reliability (even newer Acuras don't have me convinced). Honestly I don't even think I could find a car for less than 15k (and a nasty car note to go along with it) that wouldn't be a downgrade in my opinion (with the possible exception of a G2, but headgasket problems have me staying clear). Now that I've performed all of these repairs/mods, it feels and performs like a gently used, mid-00 car. The only drawback is the outdated body styling but it's almost breaking into the realm of a classic car so I think I can get away with it

The tie rods/alignment were the biggest improvement with regards to how it drives (needed both badly). She only just hit 160k before I set out to Kansas City which is still practically brand new compared to some other Legends out there w/ 300k+ so nothing was really broken minus a few cosmetic items. The engine does idle smoother, performs quite a bit better, and sounds a lot meaner w/ the resonator removed. And HIDs make driving at night sooooo much easier on the eyes.

I don't know how long I'll end up keeping it... I know I'll definitely have it for at least 3-4 more years before I'm out of school and have a real job but even then I may hang on (always great to see people's reactions when they hear I drive an '89!)

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SOLD: '87 Auto Sedan (12/31/2003)

telafonic

Right on! Good work/good story.
Did you take the bumper off for the a/c work or the resonator or what?

Don't worry about the cosmetics. G1 coupes seem to defy their age. Now all you need is a nice interior/exterior detailing job, and you'll feel even better about all that expensive maintenance.

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pnoye2

Nicely done Peter... and please keep us posted on your progress!

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294K+ miles; original power/drive trains

pacallen

Bumper was removed to fix the horns, remove the resonator/install the CAI, work on the oil cooler, and work on the a/c system (though I never did get around to it).

Unfortunately while most G1s have withstood 20 years of weathering, mine has spent the majority of the past four years outside and the sun has taken its toll on the paint and the hood and rear quarter panels are showing signs of heavy oxidation (two chalky areas already forming on the hood). I did manage to polish and buff the rest of the car to a decent shine but the rust spots, minor dents, and paint are becoming quite an eyesore. I am fairly confident I can do a fairly decent job repairing the rust and repainting the car myself though... We'll find out in a few months when the weather warms up!

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SOLD: '87 Auto Sedan (12/31/2003)

TO90LEGEND

Nice work - i wish i could give mine as much TLC as you have to yours. Funny someone had to move my car today at work. The first thing he said was how smooth my car was and how nice the clutch felt. He drives a corolla. The car just doesn't show its age that way.

Have you been rust proofing your car? I'm not that far from you, that's been the killer on mine. There are spots hidden behind the rear bumper and in the front area where you would lift the car on a hoist. They are virtually gone. How is your undercarriage?

murderotica

Awesome to hear, man!
How much do you love the HIDs?
=]

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pacallen

I have been lucky on the rust front so far. I have spots of it that just cause cosmetic issues (gas filler door, under the rubber trim in places, behind the E in LEGEND, the strip under the windshield, etc) but most of the actual body parts and undercarriage are solid.

They are spectacular! Only had them a few days but driving to work this morning I did get flashed by one car in the oncoming lanes so I think I may need to adjust the headlights a bit (HIDs were one of the last mods to go on and I was a bit pushed for time towards the end of my trip).

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SOLD: '87 Auto Sedan (12/31/2003)

murderotica

Haha yeah the difference really is night and day. I re-aimed mine after installing the HIDs, it's just the turn of a screw pretty much and it helps immensely on lighting up the road properly.

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89LSCOUPE

i am right with you man, mine is in the restoration process (leather/paint last) mean time just replacing gaskets and getting it mechanically sound.

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1989 Green LS Coupe
218k/5speed/new everything/needs leather!restoring back to perfection...

2006 Blk.Blk. 6speed TL
Comptech supercharged/thermoblok gaskets/shortshift
Type S wheels/21k

GrtOutdoorsAZ

great work buddy...my GS is constantly being worked on. I will NEVER sell this car!

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'94 GS 6MT
Exterior: JDM headlights & rain visors <> paint job <> retro '91-'93 OEM fogs & bumper <> 17" Konigs
Performance: tuned Apexi SAFCII <> Sr5Guy chipped ECU <> Blackend engine damper <> MLS strut bar <> sr79labrat pulleys <> OBX headers <> Custom Y-pipe, Magnaflow Cat & Resonator, Stromung B-pipe & Muffler (All 2.5") <> TB Bypass <> RJ CAI w/ AEM bypass valve <> cross drilled/slotted rotors <> RJ short shifter <> ground wires
Interior: Kenwood DDX6019 w/ NAV & Ipod, 2-tone leather