Honda Prelude Forum - PreludeDriver.com

HI Iv recently become an owner of a 88 AWS prelude. I picked it up for what I call a little of nothing (400) because the motor was presumed gone. I have tore it down and besides the 1 lifter that was missing and the scar it left on the cam I cant find anything that would make it "Blown". The new belt someone installed didn't have the up marks on the cams in identical locations. My questions 1 could the timing belt not properly installed cause a lifter to pop out ? 2nd what would be the most valuable approach to getting this car back on the road.? I had a fiat X19 back in the 80s and it was fun driving, but this prelude has the potential of putting the fiat to shame by adding power that wasn't available at that time. I am going to use this as a daily driver but I don't mind putting a little extra money into it if the return (performance) is significant (noticeable). Thanks in advance for any info that will be helpful.

To get the car back on the road, the only essential thing you need to do is get that engine fixed.

Prelude engines are interference engines, meaning that if the timing belt breaks or is incorrectly set the pistons will slap the valves. That's probably what caused the rocker to shatter. You'll need to replace and damaged parts and either replace the timing belt or at least set it correctly to avoid future problems.