Ceras Victoria (Honda Prelude), Throttle Position Sensor

So my friend and colleague, Aaron, suggests that he's had similar problems to mine and that I should replace the throttle position sensor. This being a less than $30 part I figure, what the heck, I need the car to run well until mid December, I'll give it a try, the forums say this is pretty easy...

(And that should have been a warning...)

So, it turns out this is a "mechanical screw." Basically it's a screw with a rivet. This was done so that the throttle position sensor was tamper proof.
Further reading on the forums indicates that this should be removed by using a dremel tool and cutting a slot for a screwdriver.
Of course I don't have a dremel tool, and so after trying screwdrivers with hammers, Vice Grips (you should have a pair of these in your garage ALWAYS), pliers, and trying to saw a slot with a set of body metal sheers I resorted to one of my old favorites and just obliterated the sensor with a soldering iron and then used Vice Grips (which now had purchase) to remove the screws.

 See, it all came apart well enough in the end.

Right, another hiccup...
So, I ordered the part from RockAuto.com, it's been hit and miss sometime. This time it was another partial miss. The screws that came with the new sensor were M4 when the thread needed is M5... I had to dig into my box of metric bolts, nuts, and washers. In the end I used a M5 that was way too long (only ones I had), two washers, and two nuts as spacers.
Then I calibrated it so it reads approximately .49-.53 V from the red center wire to the ground on the battery at closed throttle.

 These are the charred remains of the old TPS  after their run in with the soldering iron.

More charred remains.



Sorry the image quality is lower than usual, these were taken with my phone.