Poor whiteywagon civic.. I can hear it's heart breaking from here..

-Richard

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Sunday, November 28, 2004 - 10:03 pm:

Well, I've run out of room and now I'm forced to sell one of my wagons. I got two so one of them has to go. I only have a two car garage and can only fit my 72 N600 65 Datsun Roadster and 78 Wagon, that means my 1979 Wagon is for Sale. It's a shame but I'm sure there's a wagon lover out there that would love to have this car. Here's the Ebay link and photos.












http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4508228669&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 - 09:24 pm:

Hi Dave, nice to see that other people like the Civic Wagons. I used to have two hatchbacks, sold both of them to now have two honda civic wagons. I love them, they are just roomier and you get so much more cargo room when you fold the back seat up. I work visiting my clients all over Southern California and that means at least 120 to 200 miles a day. What better way to enjoy Southern California but in a classic 1978/1979 Honda Civic Wagon CVCC. Unfortunately, I have Hondamatics, so I drive 70mhp most of the time. If I drive faster, my fuel economy drops big time. Anyway, I just found a reputable repair shop in San Diego (Kerny Mesa). They have been working on my 1978 wagon, complete valve job, head machining, new piston rings, new head gasket, new vacuum, new brakes and they've done most of the work in about two days. The shop is owned and operated by an ex Honda Master Mechanic. He worked for Honda from 1975 to 1995. He's now retired from the Honda Dealer, but started his own shop just a few blocks from a dealer. Anyway, this guy still gets some of those newer cars from the dealer when they are full. Pretty amazing how the dealer still uses him for work. They refer all the 70 cars to him. Anyway, I'll post their name and photos of their shop once they are done with my Wagon.

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 - 09:24 pm:

Hi Dave, nice to see that other people like the Civic Wagons. I used to have two hatchbacks, sold both of them to now have two honda civic wagons. I love them, they are just roomier and you get so much more cargo room when you fold the back seat up. I work visiting my clients all over Southern California and that means at least 120 to 200 miles a day. What better way to enjoy Southern California but in a classic 1978/1979 Honda Civic Wagon CVCC. Unfortunately, I have Hondamatics, so I drive 70mhp most of the time. If I drive faster, my fuel economy drops big time. Anyway, I just found a reputable repair shop in San Diego (Kerny Mesa). They have been working on my 1978 wagon, complete valve job, head machining, new piston rings, new head gasket, new vacuum, new brakes and they've done most of the work in about two days. The shop is owned and operated by an ex Honda Master Mechanic. He worked for Honda from 1975 to 1995. He's now retired from the Honda Dealer, but started his own shop just a few blocks from a dealer. Anyway, this guy still gets some of those newer cars from the dealer when they are full. Pretty amazing how the dealer still uses him for work. They refer all the 70 cars to him. Anyway, I'll post their name and photos of their shop once they are done with my Wagon.

By David (Ninetyfivem3) (68.206.0.249) on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 - 09:57 am:

I love the little wagons. I bought one almost a year ago and it has been in the shop ever since. I'm hoping to get it by christmas!!! Having to replace everything from twisty-tied hose clamps to brakes and a new weber inside. Most recently is having the tank acid dipped so it will actually hold the gas the new clutch operating the engine runs on. Anyway, I'm very excited at the mere thought of driving mine around. I've got long shaggy hair and my students at school are getting anxious about hearing of this rad little blue car (a 78 wagon, btw) and never actually seeing it. I think the two of us are a perfect fit.
If you know of any particular quirks or hints about this car....by all means, send them my way. Honestly, I'm having quite the difficult time finding hoards of information on them.

Thanks!

Dave

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Wednesday, November 03, 2004 - 07:56 pm:

The motor on my wagon only has 87600 original miles. Doesn't heat up even in the summers. Change the oil regularly with 20w/50, new coolant, new thermostat, new serpatine belt, timing belt is next. Doesn't leak any oil and doesn't smoke. I have new brakes, new headlights, new windshield wipers, new bulbs on tail lights and side markers, new air filter, new pirelli tires, new spark plugs and new spark plug cables, new axles, new shocks, new alternator, new battery, new water pump, new automatic transmission fluid DOT III. What else can I do besides enjoy the ride on this beauty? I usualy drive 70mph on the Southern California Freeways. That Porche didn't like me keeping up with him though lol. I'm just keeping my eyes open for 5 speed to save more on gas. Wish there was more people near me to help each other out.

By John S. (68.91.222.230) on Wednesday, November 03, 2004 - 05:35 pm:

Well,
were's the big deal. When I drove the '78CVCC auto back to Missouri from California two summers ago I was taching right at 4000RPM to run 60MPH. For you to be pushing 80+MPH you were running over 5000RPM.(My car has a tach in the dash). So you can drive it that way, but not for long. I assure you that you would be risking the motor to run at that speed ,with the auto gearing, halfway across the country. With a 5-SP it would not be a problem assuming the motor was in good shape, and most importantly it had a fresh timing belt.

By osminsd@aol.com (208.54.15.129) on Wednesday, November 03, 2004 - 04:57 pm:

So what's the big deal about wagons that not a whole lot of people want them? I love driving mine. I have two of them. Both purchased from the original owners. I've heard that they can't go fast with Automatic Tranny's, but I drive mine fast when I have to.
Check out this pic of me keeping up with traffic.

Wagons are more usefull than the hatchbacks for cargo room also.

Plus, they look so cute when you are driving behind them. There's pleanty of room for 4 and luggage on long trips to the mountains.

Anyway, my next project is to lower one of them and install a 5speed

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Monday, October 18, 2004 - 07:44 pm:

Thanks for the information on the brakes. I'm going to measure and see what other calipers I can install. Thanks again.

By Jonathan (68.193.6.173) on Monday, October 18, 2004 - 11:09 am:

If you use the spindles, calipers, rotors, etc. from the wagons (76-79, '75 wagons had the standard hatchback brakes if I recall correctly), it's a direct bolt on for bigger brakes on the front of any CVCC or 1200 hatchback/trunk model.

By osminsd@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Monday, October 18, 2004 - 12:04 am:

why is everybody after the spindles from the Wagon CVCC's 75 to 79 specificaly? I've read that you can use modern calipers and modern brake pads with them, also, you can do a conversion from 120mm to 100mm, is this true?

By datsroadster@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 03:01 am:

By datsroadster@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 02:58 am:

By datsroadster@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 02:45 am:

Dang connection was lost

By datsroadster@aol.com (68.7.165.149) on Monday, September 27, 2004 - 02:41 am:

Check out my beauty. It's a hondamatic, but I got it from the original owner that was very anal about his car when he took it to the dealer. This baby does 80mph on the San Diego Freeways easy. I did have to pay a pretty penny for this nice wagon, but it's been the best Civic I've seen for sale.

By cvzcwagon (67.181.90.207) on Thursday, September 23, 2004 - 02:01 am:

Thanks for the reply Justin...man, you're hard to get a hold of probably because of all those hondas you're working on =) I found a machinist in the area that would re-drill both my drums for about $70US. Now, I just hope I can find some wheels that won't rub, or hit anything. When you had the SI wheels on your wagon, they fit ok? What size tires were you running. Are those 15x6 with a 45 offset like the GSR wheels?

By Justin (24.83.36.138) on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 07:31 pm:

We thru it on the lathe and indexed the 4x100 pattern, then next was the drill press.. then took a die grinder to the rear and made a flat spot where the hole was.. pressed in the studs and voila.. 4x100 drums
I would figure a machine shop would probably do it for ess than $100.00 cad.

By turboCVZC (67.181.90.207) on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 05:32 am:

Justin,
Where did you get your drums "re-drilled" at, I'm asking around and some people are telling it it's not possible because of the way the inside of the drum is setup. I'm not ready to do the rear disc conversion just yet (not enough $). So if you could lead me in the rigth direction, I'd appreciate it, and please let me know approx. how much I should be paying so I don't get burned =) Thanks.

By Justin (199.60.112.10) on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 10:33 am:

The rear disc conversion consists of:

'90 and newer integra rear hubs with outer portion machined to accept wagon rear outer bearing
'85-'87 prelude Si rear calipers/ears/brackets/pads
'92-'95 civic si rear rotors

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.12.187) on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 10:09 am:

Wheels are Konig Heliums, 15 x 6.5, 10.8lbs per wheel, I can't find the offset. I didn't really have any clearance issues with the front, but I went with shortened openable struts and adjustable coilovers, so I can't say for sure it will fit with stock struts. The rear shocks are an issue, I have to find a shorter bodied shock (its dropped 3") and I may have to cut a mounting hole off and offset it to get the extra clearance, I hope to do this in the next few weeks, so I will take some pics. Also I went with rear disc which I believe you can find info on 1stgencivic.com, if not just ask

By turboCVZC (67.181.90.207) on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 04:31 am:

Kyle,
I have a 78 wagon with the 4x100 conversion up front, I like the way your wagon looks with those wheels, are those Rota Circuit 8's? I was thinking about some Rota's as well, different style though. What did you do for the rear 4x100 conversion. I was thinking about re-drilling like Justin said, but I don't know who to call and where to ask. Also what size and offset are those wheels? Didn't you have clearance problems with the fronts struts rubbing the tires or the rear shocks? Any info would be greatly appreciated, since I'm tired of looking at 13" wheels out back and 14" up front! Thanks.

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.12.187) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 12:13 am:

HA HA TOO SLOW

By Kurt (205.250.75.226) on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 12:02 am:

Those pictures would be a great addition Let me know if you find them!

As for the trunk, here is what Kyle found:

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.12.187) on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 11:56 pm:

there was treasure!! (and a rats nest) =)

By Tim in Honolulu (4.11.39.77) on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 11:45 pm:

Yeah, it was a pretty ugly sight when I found it. Hey, was there anything in the trunk? I don't think I ever managed to get it open. I'll see if I can dig up the pics I took of it when I first found it. You might want those for the scrapbook!

By Kurt (205.250.75.226) on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 11:29 pm:

Tim,

Figured it was you that found my car. Thanks!! Luckily for me Kyle cleaned it up before I got a hold of it. I here it was quite the sight It is green now but minus the moss...I'll have to send you some pics.

- Kurt

By Bluebot (Bluebot) (66.178.147.173) on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 08:45 pm:

has anyone tried to make a hardtop covertable out of thier wagon? just bought one, want to convert it, everyone says impossible because it's a four door. i don't see why a roll cage couldn't be put it and the door post could be the start of that roll cage. therein keeping the integrety of the unibody and not messing up the back door. any thoughts?

By jms (132.38.190.10) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 11:40 am:

hey stay away from my orange civic! LOL. Actually I do have the title now in my name and everything. Justin hasnt been able to do much. His plan is to get into turn key condition so I can ship her easier, and since he is more knowledgeable, I also hate wiring with a passion. I have some wire/fire stories. Anyway he finihsing up Peters car then its on to mine RIGHT JUSTIN? Im still trying to sell my trunk model though, the cash will assist with the 76. Blue is still around too but its out of my price range.

By Tim in Honolulu (4.11.39.77) on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 01:53 am:

I did transfer ownership of my '76 to a fellow board member, so it's not mine anymore. I'll have to see if he still wants to have Justin finish it. Heck, I still couldn't afford to buy it back and ship it over here anyway. But I do miss the ol girl... I'll have to see if anyone has any plans for it.

Oh yeah, and Hawaii is good, just no old Hondas!

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.12.187) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 11:14 pm:

Timmy!!! hows it going in hawaii? those are actually Konig heliums on my car, but its the same look. If your serious about getting a civic, I don't think anyone has put any money down on your old orange one, its barely moved (although I've been secretly wanting to buy it for a while, my dad would kill me if I showed up with another car) I guess you've seen the 78 that Kurts finishing up? looks a hell of a lot better now eh =)

By Tim in Honolulu (4.11.39.77) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 04:31 pm:

Sorry this is off topic - But I thought I'd say "Hi" Kyle! I just spent the last hour reading through some old posts on the board. I don't think I've been here in about a year. It's nice to see some of my old cars and parts floating around the community. I didn't ever think that '78 trunk model that I found in the woods would get built up!

I'm really getting the 1200 urge again. I think I've seen 3 since in the past 16 months I've been here. I want to get one but it's going to cost me a minimum of $1000 to ship over here. Paying $1000 to ship a $500 car seems a little crazy right now! I'll give it a few more months before I decide what I want to do. Hey, you stole the 13's off my Civic and now it looks like you have the same Rota's I had on my CRX. I better watch out! Good luck with your projects. I might be hitting you and Justin up for some part someday because there is nothing available here and there's no such thing as a "pick and pull" wrecking yard on Oahu.

-Tim Harding

By Kyle Thomson (24.86.10.243) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 02:22 pm:

thats my bling, it attracts tha ladies, and girly-boys like yourself =)

By Justin (199.60.112.10) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 10:03 am:

WOW!!! That's sure a shiny steering wheel

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.12.187) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 07:44 am:

Man that pic quality sucks =) I gotta learn how to get the pics a little smaller but without having to lose all the detail

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.12.187) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 07:41 am:

Nope, thats an old pic with my old wheels, and it was raining out (see the pavement). Here's a new pic, new wheels/brakes/3" drop although you can hardly notice the extra inch, I think its just an illusion because of the larger wheels

By Kurt (64.180.55.246) on Saturday, August 14, 2004 - 12:26 am:

Kyle, your car is shiny now?

By Nitrousaddict (Nitrousaddict) (64.12.116.204) on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 04:29 pm:

i did the mono leaf mod u know take all the leaf springs off exepct one it rides alright just like my slamed 97 civic but i have high dollar suspension on it so im happy i think im going to bag the wagon what do yall think

By Quikrick (Quikrick) (63.204.16.66) on Friday, August 13, 2004 - 06:53 am:

Kyle, Brilliant minds think alike! That is exactly what I was thinking.
Nitrous... here's a pic of the blocks and U bolts. I also drilled holes in the blocks to line up with the original bolt that comes out of the bottom of the axle. I cut off about 3/4" from that bolt. I put a nut and bolt at the bottom of the block to the leaf springs. I just aquired a new set of 2 1/2" blocks.
I got the springs from a local suspension shop that does trucks. Same as Kyle, took my old originals in and told him how long I wanted them, came back a few hours later and they were ready. Cost about $40.00 US

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.12.187) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 11:07 pm:

Quikrick - Its pretty hard to explain without pictures, but what I did was take the shock mount from the one side of the vehicle, flipped it upside down, notched it so the leafs fit flat, and used it for the other side. I'll try and take pics tomorrow for you, it'll make more sense I'm sure

Max (for future reference) - 2 inches is a happy medium, you loose a lot of wheel gap, but still get a decent ride. My car is now dropped 3" in the back (different wheels/brakes/everything) but even with cut bumpstops, you need to find shorter shocks. My car bottoms out the shock going over pebbles, there's only about 1 1/2" of travel left on the rear shocks. I'm in the process of finding some shorter bodied ones

Nitrousaddict - the U-bolts were custom made at a local shop, we took the old ones in, said we wanted the same diameter but longer, I think the cost was 40-50 cad?

By Nitrousaddict (Nitrousaddict) (205.188.116.204) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 04:30 pm:

where did u get the u bolts from and how much where they

By Nitrousaddict (Nitrousaddict) (205.188.116.204) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 04:30 pm:

where did u get the u bolts from

By Max (Max) (24.1.205.198) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 12:52 pm:

well, might as well cancel this post!
the guy i was buying the wagon from backed out!

By Max (Max) (24.1.205.198) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 11:20 am:

i was just wondering if anyone has used larger lowering blocks? (everyone says use 2")
will larger ones make the car ride on the bumpstops or what?


thanks
max

By Quikrick (Quikrick) (63.204.16.66) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 09:14 am:

Kyle, I have a question. I put the two inch lowering blocks on my 76 wagon last weekend.
At the bottom where the U bolts connect to the spring clamp bracket, the lower shock mount on the bracket hits the wheel. I tried both 13x5.5 and 13x6 wheels and they both hit the peg where the shock mounts at the bottom.
What did you do? I have a couple of ideas, but I don't want to "reinvent the wheel"
I'll post pics soon... that'l explain everything.

By Kyle Thomson (24.83.12.187) on Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 12:00 am:

This is a wagon with a 2" drop and stock tire size (or close to it)

By Max (Max) (24.1.205.198) on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 11:12 pm:

well technically yes but the appearence no.
we dropped my dad's 79' civic 2" "so the coilovers say" but the car looks about 4-5" lower

i dont quiet understand that!
max

By snuffau (147.109.250.31) on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 11:08 pm:

Max:and exactly how low a 2" block (between the axle and leaf spring) would drop the rear of the car?

Wouldn't this drop the car 2 inches???

By Max (Max) (24.1.205.198) on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 11:07 pm:

is it chrome?

thanks
max

By Kurt (207.6.118.157) on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 11:04 pm:

I have one, but its really pitted. I'm in Hope, BC Canada

- Kurt

By Max (Max) (24.1.205.198) on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 10:55 pm:

can someone with a wagon do me a favor?
i would like to know the dimensions of the hatch area behind the back seat, and exactly how low a 2" block (between the axle and leaf spring) would drop the rear of the car?

thanks
max
p.s. i would like to know where to get a chrome trim ring for the 12" wheels but i only need one!