... ok so in about a week here ill have the mdx mani spacer installed & at that point will have that, full 2.5" exhaust from the catback, torque damper, dc headers, upgraded tires, underdrive pulley, 4" cai. so, i'm ready to take a next step... would my most beneficial, if say it will be my only mod for about 4-6 months, be type s cams & a p&p'd intake mani? or should i swap cams & port the heads & port match the exhaust manifold to the headers? or should i go through with getting the custom intake mani built which can accomodate a 76mm tb (since i am already 100% against doing the 09' mani swap on my 99 - toooooo much of a hassle)? any suggestions will be appreciated & help with my decision of the next mod to do after the mdx spacer.

 

You don't want to deal with the hassle of the 09 manifold but want to deal with a custom one? with an adapter the 09 manifold can take up to a 80mm throttle body. Ported and polished runners are a good option. You need to open up the throttle body, manifold, and runners before you start in the heads. Once you have done that then porting the heads is a good option. Also you can get shims made and run 07 tls cams.

 

well, yea --- for a 99 the 09 mani swap is a pain in the ass with all of the extra parts & labor needed compared to any 2000-03. a custom one, using a stock one and just cutting & reassembling the plenum only to accept any size tb of your choice can be made at a machine shop for $350. so seemingly that's probably what i'll do ... my friend had his done for his 96 RL at a local machine shop which is the only reason i have knowledge of a price - he paid $350 for them to basically cut off his plenum & re-attatch one to fit a larger tb - haven't seen him in awhile but if i recall he's running an 80mm.

 

^ Although that sounds good IIRC the 09 plenum is also; Lighter (Weight), Cooler (Temp Wise) and Bigger (Air Space), So its not only the 80mm TB mod only.

 

yes thats great and all ... but you all seem to be completely disregarding the fact that my car IS A 99 !!! i have read enough to know that enough extra money, time, parts and hassle is associated with the 09 swap onto a 99 - end of that discussion - i will not be doing it. i can get a custom mani made to fit an 80mm tb for 350 maybe less so thats fine with me. ... so what steven has stated seems fine with me which would be to get my custom mani machined/created (p&p'd & new plenum to accept a 76 or 80mm tb), & p&p the runners as a start.

 

Wait.. You have a TL-p I totally missed that...
Scratch everything from your list..
Your next big improvement is going to J32A2.

Insta +30hp there and most of your Bolt-ons work with it.
The engine itself is like -400 bucks..

 

No J32A2, why not a J35A3. You are going to be much better off saving up for a big power mod than spending dribs and drabs to gain smaller amounts of power.

Just save for a J35 and accord trans swap. All your mods will bolt on. The engines are so cheap now anyways.

 

Even if you have a custom one made you can only use the 99 manifold. IIRC to use any other intake manifold 2000 and up you have to switch the following
Fuel rails
Injectors
Injector bases (aka lower IM)
FPR
assorted hoses.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/99-tl-types-intake-manifold-complete-600104/

The 99 and 00-03 tl-p manifold is to small even if you do open the neck to 80 mm.

 

YOU seem to be missing a large point of doing the 09 mani swap. Its not so much that it allows a larger TB, its that it FLOWS better. You CANT get that from your 99 mani even if you port and polish it. The other issue is, is that the lower runners are smaller dia. You will want to get the type-s lower runners. Getting a larger TB running thru your intake, going thru your lower runners is just defeating the purpose of doing anything, even if you port match and polish.

Take the time to find the lower type-s runners, find a 09+ mani (or any that are the magnesium ones, even the honda ones) and do it right.

 

This is the smartest idea. A J35a3 can be found for less than 500 bucks. All that is needed to make it a 3.5 type-s motor is a set of cams. It WILL blot right up to your trans with zero modifications.

 

ok, well i am totally willing to do this ... & just to be sure b4 i purchase a j35a3 , it WILL bolt up to my 4 speed trans 100% with no mods ?

 

Like i said, It WILL bolt right up.

There is NO difference between the 4 speed and 5 speed bell housings. The J35A3 is the EXACT same block as the J32A2 which = Direct bolt up.

 

If you're putting in a new engine, might as well put In a trans that will hold the added power. Or you might be pulling the engine again soon after.

 

... that's , to me, the whole drawback of the 99', as i guess at that point, with swapping a tranny, engine, & ecu, for the parts/money, time & effort, plus my lack of mechanical skills, it seems i would be better off finding a decent 00-03 to where i could then seemingly way-easier swap in a new engine & accord tranny & have no tussle with the ecu.

 

Why????? The 99 trans is far superior as far as reliability vs the 00-03 5 speed. Just do it to your car.

 

He has a 99 which has a 4 speed. Its FAR more reliable than the 00-03 5 speed. Swapping trans will be a big expense and IMHO not needed.

 

Oh I didn't know. Well then, 3.5 that shit up.

 

seriously .... the thing seems bullet proof ... hope i haven't spoken too soon!!! ... but yea even if this trans goes out i would have no prob getting it rebuilt as opposed to looking for another car. 157k & shifts as good as new.

 

j35a3 all the way got mine for less than $400, do you head and intake work before you drop it in... much easier to work off a stand

 

 

ok, just out of curiosity, with p&p'ing of heads, exhaust & intake manifolds, type s lower runners, type s cam swap & 09' mani swap on the j35a3, how much more hp & tq will that yield approximately over the good ol plain j32a2?

 

night and day difference. Biggest thing will be torque. there will probably be 30-50 lb/ft more to the wheels which will change the driveability vastly. In all reality you will be getting very close to the 300 whp mark if all is done right

(and i wouldnt use the 02-03 type-s cam at this point, i would run the 07-08 type-s cam or the 3.7 J37a1 MDX cam (that is what im running) its hollow and has one of the more aggressive specs honda made.

 

... f**k man its awesome just thinking about it haha!!! ... i'ts not even an if at this point just a when. looking so forward to it just waiting for peak season to be over at ups (when my most realistically extra spendable money is made lol) ... & i guess i'll just see how long the old trusty 4 speed can hold out!
... & fsttyms ok so the 3.7 J37a1 MDX cam(s) will be a direct swap fit or will i need shims or any modifying? also, i'm thinking not, but will there be any ecu issues?

 

You will need 2 shims, and no, the ecu will be fine.