Thread: 1981 Honda Accord

I'm from Taiping.

Relocating the faceplate








Bezel almost done




Still waiting for my touch screen panel

Almost there! Note the relocated faceplate


I'm redoing the bezel as I'm not too happy with the finish (N)


Test run!


BTW this is how the stereo looks like at the stock location and that is as far as it can go

Updates! Received my touch screen panel today. Installed pic:




But then I came to a problem with the screen being non readable at all under direct sunlight due to the added layer of anti glare from the touch screen, so I went ahead and took the original anti glare film from the eeepc's screen






Anyway project slowed down for a bit due to this:


Yes, thats my car's floor if you can't tell. Thanks to me being an idiot driving through a flooded road. I've got my carpet WET and slight electrical glitches but I've got them taken care of. Almost killed my engine too. Changed my oil and got her running again, started on the first try with no funny noises or whatever like nothing happened LOL. Heh thats a good thing considering the engine stalled while I was driving ><

Now still waiting for the carpets to fully dry before I could put them back together again. Oh well.

My interior is back in, all is working fine until I realized my alternator is not charging >< It must have been fried from all the water from the flood There goes my funds into my CarPC setup ><

Anyway, I've added a 4 port USB hub in the armrest. One of the port is on the left side and its blocked, of course.


My external 2.5" HDD and a thumb drive plugged in. The bigger button is for my trunk release and the smaller button on the left is for the power button. Talking about stealth install!


Hacked USB connector as it won't fit in there haha.

Smooth hub work!! lol

Alternator ouch!! lots of $$

Upgrade to an internally regulated alternator if it doesn't have that already.

And I recommend one with an S (Sense) wire so that the battery can be moved anywhere. Otherwise any alternator with 2 or more wires (excluding their heavy +12V output & ground!) - not a single-wire D+ type. (Hondas may use the ND alternators which may be 3-wire - ie, SIL = Sense, Ign, & charge-Lamp.)

It's merely a case (no pun) of physical compatibility (including spin direction & speed) and connecting to the charge lamp (of the old alternator/regulator & dash). Plus the "Sense" to the battery +12V, and B or B+ (heavy +12V to battery +12V). (Fusing is arguably optional....).
You can go as big as you like. My original ~23A generator is replaced by a >70A 1980s or 1990s alternator. It's been an absolute faithsend. (No more over-voltage from bad grounds. No more diagnosing alternator else regulator faults.

Originally Posted by OldSpark

Upgrade to an internally regulated alternator if it doesn't have that already.

And I recommend one with an S (Sense) wire so that the battery can be moved anywhere. Otherwise any alternator with 2 or more wires (excluding their heavy +12V output & ground!) - not a single-wire D+ type. (Hondas may use the ND alternators which may be 3-wire - ie, SIL = Sense, Ign, & charge-Lamp.)

It's merely a case (no pun) of physical compatibility (including spin direction & speed) and connecting to the charge lamp (of the old alternator/regulator & dash). Plus the "Sense" to the battery +12V, and B or B+ (heavy +12V to battery +12V). (Fusing is arguably optional....).
You can go as big as you like. My original ~23A generator is replaced by a >70A 1980s or 1990s alternator. It's been an absolute faithsend. (No more over-voltage from bad grounds. No more diagnosing alternator else regulator faults.

Thanks for the suggestions but I already have a higher output (80A vs 55A stock) internally regulated alternator out of some 90s Nissan installed.

Thing is, I just had that replaced back in September too It was a reconditioned unit though. Ima take the alternator and have it tested and see whats up. I'm pretty sure the regulator is fried and they're pretty cheap to replace

Haha I used to have numerous amount of headaches from the stupid mechanical regulator before.

I could not stop but to LOL so bad by this:


Anyway no real progress yet. Still waiting for my car charger to arrive. Everything else works fine though! I've got the alternator replaced with another rebuilt ones as replacing the regulator itself cost about as much as a new rebuilt unit ><

Originally Posted by ullyeus

... as replacing the regulator itself cost about as much as a new rebuilt unit {{alternator}}

Same for those with external regulators - but imagine their frustration when it's not a fix. And then they replace the alternator and it might still not be fixed! (It it something else? Or did the alternator fault that blew the original regulator blow the new one?)


IMO that alone is a reason to replace with a all-in-one unit. (Yes Virginia, things have come a long way since the 1970s. And Lucas.)
As a bonus, they have better regulation, and their regs don't melt if you lose the ground between the alternator (engine) and the battery or body.
Nor do cabin electricals for that matter.... (Bad battery-alternator ground can increase the alternator voltage until loads blow... eg, my Alpine faceplate.)


I tried Bosch for their commonality and quickly replaced regulators, but soon abandoned them after finding their main diodes blew too easily. I wasn't sure if that's what you had since you referred to an easily replaceable regulator....

But I use stock alternators and hence avoid the unreliability of rebuilt & beefed up alternators (reconditioning is ok).
And at $15 from the wreckers, I find upgrades to 75A, 130A etc cheap. (My original was a 23A Generator! Commutation brushes - not even an alternator's slip-rings!)