Dan_F

Here are pics of the upgrade process of my TLS - did the sways, springs, CAI, & wheels/tires all at once. Let me know what you guys think - I'll get around to taking a few pictures of the final product once it stops raining down here in Austin.

'02 SSM TLS

Dan_F

Oh, forgot to mention it's been debadged as well, although it's probably fairly obvious .

Longhorn TL

WOW. I'm @ UT for school so maybe I'll see your car around sometime! The whole car looks SWEET (Especially the Engine). A few questions for ya. How did you do the engine like that? Are you going to sell your Type-S rims and tires? (I'd probably be interested if you did) Where is a good place around Austin to buy parts for your TL or did you get them from ACP? As I already said, I go to school down there, but have not had a chance to scope out any shops. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

-Burt

Dan_F

The engine was really easy to do. The engine cover is composed of two plastic parts that bolt on, and the battery cover just rests on top of the battery. The trickiest part was the connecting bar, and that was just a matter of removing the clasps, threading it out through the cables, and then putting it back in.

The paint is just Ford Blue spraypaint from Wal-Mart, I believe. It's engine paint, so good up to 500 degrees. I've got about 8 coats of blue, and then two coats of ceramic clear coat (Wal-Mart as well).

My stock tires/wheels are going to VDo - I decided not to buy my new tires/wheels until I got a buyer, and he's it. If he changes his mind, I'll let you know though.

All the stuff was ordered from ACP - David McDavid wanted way too much for installs, and Colvin Automotive (near my house) wouldn't install unless they bought the parts. It's worth it - all the parts are on, no rubbing, handles great, and gets lots of looks. I was cruising in Houston this weekend and noticed lots of heads turning in cars that I passed by, checking it out .

jz983

much respect. good job. how long did it take all together?

Dan_F

Let's see.. the parts came in Monday from UPS (the guy just pulled his truck up to my garage and unloaded all 10 packages or so), I got the car from the bodyshop Tuesday (they installed bodykit), and the car was jacked up from Tuesday to Wednesday evening. It was the first time I'd done any major work on a car, so it'd probably go quicker if I had any prior experience.

All of the instructions on this website were very helpful, so much thanks to everyone who posted their installation guides. I printed out the instructions for spring install, sways, & CAI - used them for most of the process. Only tools I needed were a screwdriver, hex set, socket set, spring compressor (rented from Autozone), and a torque wrench. All in all a very rewarding experience. I definitely recommend doing it yourself if for no other reason than that you'll appreciate your mods that much more !

Dan_F

Of course, I had a little bit of fun by sending a couple of pics of the car up on jackstands w/o wheels, springs, back seats, and front bumper to my girlfriend and parents. The responses ranged from "Oh my god, what did you do to your new car?!?!" (parents) to "Well, I sure hope you can put it all back together.... and you're crazy." (from my gf).

Red Hot TL

nice! I am going to do the same thing to my next car, buy the car, put on every mods I want at once and that's it. Good job

TL Daddy

Hey Dan_F - I hope you figured out that you do not need to knock the ball joints out on the front. That step can be skipped. Need to amend those intstructions.

Dan_F

TL Daddy, I tried to knock them out, but that didn't work so I decided to do it with them in . It was pretty simple actually - I had my friend pull up and out on the rotors, which gave me enough room behind the joint to wiggle out the spring assembly.

Red Hot TL, that's a good idea to do it all at once - I'd have done the headers at the same time as well, but couldn't afford that all at once. That'll be my next, and probably final mod.... unless that supercharger comes out!

Bitium

Nice work.....

I did everything on my car as well. I do not like the blue paint just a personal opinion. NEXT BODY KIT. I wich I had a garage I'm buying a house next year and a TL type S. Hopefully I'll be able to work on my car in my own garage.

What springs are those?

Dan_F

The springs I put on are the Comptech ones, 1.5" drop in the back, 1.75" drop in the front. I considered red for the engine, but I didn't think that would look too good with the silver. There was also a lighter blue (Chevy blue), but it was too much like powder blue - I don't want to be driving the Dallas Cowboys' car .

Mstyle

Nice job!!.... What are you doing with the tires off??

Dan_F

I took them off to put the new sways, springs, & tires on.

Longhorn TL

Dan F-

Thanks for all the info. I do not know what I will be doing to my TL yet, but you've sure inspired me! Anyways, lookin' sharp and I hope to see your car around Austin sometime!

-Burt

thescoundrel

Quick question. After you install the comptech springs. Is there a camber correction kit for tire alignment?

Newbie with acura performance mods...thanks in advance

Dan_F

I believe there is a camber kit, but I didn't need it at all. I had the alignment looked at when I was at my Acura dealer and they said it was all within factory specs, so no need to get it realigned. Others have had different results, though, so it's always a good idea to have the alignment checked as soon as possible after any suspension modifications.

songoku

No Offense....nothing personal........but I don't really like that engine cover & battery cover... specially, the color....
SKY BLUE doesn't even match with SILVER
Try to spray with different color...
Other than that......I like the ride.......