Need advice
Civic1200 Discussion Board: : Need advice
>Yup but I have a couple windshields laying around anyways $30 for one... as for a drivers door I might be able to do somtheing there.. I'll have to take alook around tho.. I think I only have wagon doors right now tho<
Well I will definately take the windshield
and if you do have a door or two that would be sweet
Maybee we can get together next week sometime
>I have a Sami
Sweet... i've got a rustota
>I like my avatar on Island4x4 keeps people
>guessing
Ya It took me a while to realize it was a firstgen I just didnt expect to see somthing like that there!
>Also would the windshield out of the wagon work >in my hatch
Yup but I have a couple windshields laying around anyways $30 for one... as for a drivers door I might be able to do somtheing there.. I'll have to take alook around tho.. I think I only have wagon doors right now tho
>we should get together sometime to have a look >at your parts and stuff.
Ya that would be cool..
>You would of seen my civic around its the one >that has fender flares and is very green
>you wouldnt have any mags or stock steelies >would ya?
umm I might have seen it before but I cant remember it right now.. the only mags I have i'm keeping but I can probably get you some 13" steelies of an accord
I have a Sami
I like my avatar on Island4x4 keeps people guessing
AS for parts I need a drivers side door. real bad
Also would the windshield out of the wagon work in my hatch
we should get together sometime to have a look at your parts and stuff.
You would of seen my civic around its the one that has fender flares and is very green
you wouldnt have any mags or stock steelies would ya?
That is the old style seats kurt.. the seats are from a wagon I dont know how good they would work in the hatchback as the front seats doent recline forward and the rear seat looks different... but ya if i'll sell them $30 for all of em no pics right now ill try and take some or you can call me on number listed below and we can hook up for you to look I'm in Langford
"it has some nice black seats old style to!..."
...So is this the old style seat or new style?
Jonny, I'm probably going to need parts as this project goes on, but it needs seats bad like now . would you be willing to part with them for a good price? any pictures? email me at bluedawg@gmx.net .
-Richard
I still have both I have found a place to keep my hatchback so i'm keeping it for now.. as it is my baby i have had it for like 8 years I just picked up a mint shell to and it will probably become my new project as it has zero rust.. the wagon I will be stripping as I want the bumpers and some other stuff off of it for my project but the rear brakes are up for grabs i dont think they are the bigger ones you are looking for as it is a 75 but I could be wrong maybe it was just the front that they chanegd in 76??? but ya all i really want out of the wagon is the bumpers, front springs, tranny, dash , and steering colum everything else is up for grabs(cheap to)it has some nice black seats old style to!... I also have a plethora of other asorted parts around that I will probably just end up throwing out.
I like your avatar on Island 4x4 its cool.. what sort of 4x4 you got?
Hey Jonny are you still selling the wagon and hatchback?
Yup Im on island4x4
so jonny you mentioned parts
Im in the hunt for a header for a 1200 also a roof skin.
I so cant wait to get the body work done.
and wagon rear brakes
I'll definitely sand blast it before I put 2k or single stage on it.. in the meantime, I'm saving my pennies (student life, ya know). but then again, nice paint is for houses The frame doesn't have any patchwork on it and the carpet is original.. so I'm guessing it hasn't been messed with.
-Richard
My advice: If you can, strip it COMPLETELY and get the shell sand or bead blasted. It will certainly be more expensive than just patch-up work in that there's the blasting costs then repainting the whole thing but it'll actually save you a lot of time and possible problems later on. You can completely strip one of these cars in two days if you try. Cleaning all the tar and mack off the floor will take another day, then a day or so to get it blasted (get it zinc phosphate coated after blasting so it doesn't immediately rust) and you have a perfectly clean shell ready to fix. You'll know EXACTLY what it wrong with it in terms of rust and previous repairs and you have nice clean metal to weld onto. No stuffing around grinding back rust and paint to try and find clean metal ... just make new pieces to fill the holes or snip out of another car and weld in. Smooth it all off with a bit of bog and slap some paint on it. Budget a week for putting it back together if working at a sensible pace.
You'll then KNOW what is hiding under the paint and hopefully not have an problems six months down the track when old repairs start rusting through.
Oh and if you can, get yourself a chassis rotator ... best thing ever invented!
I'm so excited I can't even contain myself.. I think it'll be ideal for learning how to deal with cars: nice small 4 banger, all the fasterners, hardware, dash parts, lights lenses, plastic is all there.. I don't have to go searching for stuff that's out of production. I'm gonna see what's around for universal seals and stuff.. I'm big into documenting projects, so I'll set up a little site for my honda work. It'll be a rolling project and then I'll do an engine swap once the engine stops being fun to drive. I want it to give me a reason to restore it first
-Richard
I know how you feel, my rear arch is a bit lacey too.... 
Hey guys its cool to finaly see some other victoria civic guys here... i've felt soo alone here anyhow if you guys need any parts or help gimme a shout jearl31@hotmail.com or 250-818-4538
hey rockprawn are you on island 4x4 to ?
The rust is mostly in the rear driver's side quarter. I'm sure it's gonna need some structural work, but I have a friend or three who can probably help me out. the rest of the body is pretty much just surface rust. i think I may buy some expensive rust in hibitor.. or just spray it with tremclad after some heavy duty sanding.. The body is unibody, so everthing is sructural.. I guess I'll do all of this welding sooner rather than later.. and who knows, maybe I can find a new body later. I've gotta fix that stupid sunroof leak as fast as possible. it's just gonna rot out the entire car if I don't fix it.
-Richard
Lots of people think i crazy for wanting/driving a 78 civic
Yah a coffee to chat about the rides would be great
Greetings Richard
I've found that hondaautomotiveparts.com isn't any help. I tried to order body parts they had listed on their site and they cancelled it saying Honda had deleted it. As I recall it was an EB3 front lower valance I was after. They've got some good pics though if you don't have a parts book of your own. Also, where on the car are these two bad rust patches?
I get plenty of people thinking I'm crazy over here! Especially when they see how much welding I've got to do to mine!
I'm pretty sure I'm buying this car tomorrow.. It needs some love.. the rust is bad, but I'm thinking this is how most of them are.. it'll need some patching, but I just really like the car, and I'm sure it's no impossible task, even if I have to pull out some pannels and form my own. Oh yeah.. and it fits me fine.. i'm 6'4" and it seemed great.. when I buy replacement seats, I'll offset them so that my knees lie a bit more flat. I've just gotta dig in and do it. Maybe some of the victoria people could get a coffee or something and shoot the breeze about our rides. Thanks for all the knowledge guys. Hey, I've noticed all my friends think I'm crazy for wanting one of these.. anyone else get that attitude?
-Richard
I just started strpping my 78 here in Victoria as well
I am replacing the roof as the vinal top has done a number to it. and the drivers side seat mount has fallen through the floor.
Very fun cars Im so glad that I got this one back.(I sold it to buy a sami over five years ago. I now own em both)
I will be repainting the car It is currently Island Farms Green I just dont know what color yet. Needs to be something that will go witha tan interior.
So will a few mig welded patches,a grinder and some bondo do the trick for the bad rust? I have a friend that can probably help me with it, but it don't want it to end up looking silly. there's only two really bad spots.. the rest is just kind of surface.. I guess I'll find more once I pull all the carpeting out, but they don't have to be hidden as well. The front door clunks when it is opened.. I'm guessing that's just the door being a little off center, and that it can be fixed by loosening the hinge and retightening it. the body seems straight.. the passenger door is good and the hatch is good.
-Richard
As for NOS quarter panels, they are nearly impossible to find. Honda Automotive parts lists them but I believe they are $500 a side and I don't know if they actually stock them.
It had a dead battery, so we jumpstarted it and removed the jumper cables. The car idled quite happily with just the dead battery attached. would that suggest that the alternator is okay and the battery is just toast?
Yes, dead (or at least not charged) battery.
Does the condensor have anything to do with the alternator circuit?
No.
how have you guys restored the rubber trim in the past, just used something from another make or universal?
You can get most of the rubber trim from Spectrum Rubber (it's here in Australia so postage to you can make it quite expensive).
Does this sound like a dead clutch to you (I've never experienced it in a car): I can shift gears easily with the clutch disengaged, but I have to let out the clutch pedal out a long way before I feel any engagement, but once engaged, the car seems to roll okay.
Sounds like the cable just needs some adjustment. By the sound of it it's been adjusted up too much and needs to be loosened off. There is either a little circlip at the firewall end that you can move to different grooves or a screw adjuster at the gearbox end.
It had a dead battery, so we jumpstarted it and removed the jumper cables. The car idled quite happily with just the dead battery attached. would that suggest that the alternator is okay and the battery is just toast? Does the condensor have anything to do with the alternator circuit? I'm still waiting for the Haynes manual, so I don't have electrical diagrams. I'm a goob, because I didn't see if the lights were on or not. I can probably get trim made up by a guy in cali, how have you guys restored the rubber trim in the past, just used something from another make or universal? I think I'm going to ditch the stock motor in the near future for an 80's integra motor if it fits in the engine compartment, so I may just want to use the clutch until I can pull the engine.. Does this sound like a dead clutch to you (I've never experienced it in a car): I can shift gears easily with the clutch disengaged, but I have to let out the clutch pedal out a long way before I feel any engagement, but once engaged, the car seems to roll okay. It seems like a much much shorter friction point than the Saturn that I also drive. Is that normal for these cars or can I adjust the clutch somehow? I guess I'll have to hit the open road instead of just reversing and moving forward in the driveway to really tell. Is it reltively easy to buy NOS quarter panels, or should I refer it to a body shop for patchwork? I think I can get a lot of the surface rust out just above the door trim line but the lower part has me a bit concerned. hehe.. bear with me.. I'll catch up soon
-Richard
charging system....make sure battery is charged, start the car, disconnect the neg. side of the battery, if it dies it is the alternator. Since your in that area, Justin might have a radiator. They came with a hondamatic, 4 spd or 5 spd trannys. Rubber for the exterior, almost impossible to find. Not sure about the sunroof. If it needs a clutch, buy a clutch kit, comes with disc, pressure plate, throw out bearing, clutch alignment tool, spend the money, pulling the motor out for a clutch job is not hard, just time consuming, so if your gonna do it, do it right the first time. Ticking from under the valve cover? Valves might just need adjusted. Not sure about new motor mounts, have not had to deal with those yet[knock on non-rusted metal]
I've got a line on a 1977 honda, but the rear quarter wheel well is rusty, it needs a battery or the charging system is kaputt (Can anyone give me an easy test to vefiry this while talking to the seller? Alternator, generator whatever) radiator has a hole, but can likely be fixed. probably needs a new clutch. Then engine ticks over okay, ticking from inside valve cover. 125 psi in all cylinders. Did these things come with factory sunroofs and 4 speed? how hard is it to get rubber seals for the car exterior and motor mounts? anyone know a good place to buy a clutch that won't set me back $200 cdn? Poor little car.. is it worth buying, and can anyone help me with parts? I'm in Victoria, BC. I'm sure I can wait, but I love them too much and I want a spring project..
-Richard