I'll sell ya a new rebuilt head for a 75 cvcc (won't fit others) I just need to dig it out of my storage.. If you've ever seen my storage, it's gonna be a few weeks..

I got the engine in the trunk of a 84 hatch sittin in a crate. Just a good clean-up should be all it needs..

And there are Headers that come up on Ebay just for the 75 cvcc every so often 'cause they won't fit anything else!

Where ar u?

I'm in Mis-sippy (as they say down here)
Let me know.

By Kevin (Kman) (68.40.184.98) on Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 10:44 am:

Charles, I know you already have a repair manual. I bought about 4 different ones when I bought my civic. The best one by far for the novice was "How to keep your honda alive" by Muir press. I read it cover to cover as soon as I got it. All of the manuals work well to togeather to increase the understanding of your car. I found another on e-bay here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7954791686&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT if you want to get your hands on one. I am in no way affiliated with this seller. I can say that I love the book.

By Kevin (Kman) (68.40.184.98) on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 04:51 pm:

Zippy. With all of the other junk going on in some of the threads in the group, I feel instantly better by your generous offer to Charles. Thanks.

By Zippy (Zippy) (12.106.14.107) on Monday, February 14, 2005 - 03:12 pm:

Charles,
I live near Trenton, NJ and Jonathan lives in north Jersey. Either of us would be happy to help you as it is needed. These cars are a pleasure to work on. The mechanics are simple with good engineering. There is lots of room for your hands. The design is simple. If you want to learn about fixing a car this is a great place to start. Be warned, even though these are great and reliable cars, your baby is almost 30 years old and has not been heavily driven. You will go through a period of breakages. If you are of modest means you need to get a tool set and address the issues yourself as they arise. Peeps here will help you. Don't be afraid to ask.

By bruce (66.20.228.211) on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 11:57 am:

just that friggin exhaust manifold makes it hard to get up under it to get those 2. I have headers and weber on mine now......much easier to get off and on.

By Jarcaf (Jarcaf) (207.55.238.216) on Thursday, February 10, 2005 - 10:37 pm:

Very true...having a weber makes it easy to remove the carb, thus accessing the bolts. With a stock carb, however, that may bot be an option.

By bruce (4.252.131.38) on Thursday, February 10, 2005 - 06:42 pm:

just those 2 middle nuts are a (profane word) to get to

By Jarcaf (Jarcaf) (207.55.238.216) on Thursday, February 10, 2005 - 04:19 pm:

I just put on my header in my cvcc EK yesterday, and found it to be easiest when I did this:
1. Remove carb
2. Unbolt the downpipe from exhaust manifold
3. Unbolt the bolts that hold the two mani's together
4. Unbolt both mani's and slide the intake off a little, then pull out the exhaust mani from underneath.

I found this to be (personally) easier than removing both at once, as I don't have to undo the coolant hoses, but others may validly disagree...

By bruce (66.20.228.226) on Thursday, February 10, 2005 - 10:38 am:

Actually inside all the same, the hardest part is getting the intake/exhaust manifold off the motor while the head is still on, I would recomend pulling the head/manifolds off as one when you do it, don't forget the one bolt in the head under the little cover for the oil gear. it is right in front, you have to pull the oil pump gear too, and the short bolt goes in the front left corner as your looking at the motor. If you think it is the head gasket I would change it now. once they start going it usually does not take them long to go completly. get a book, dive in, it is a day project the first time.

By Rojanko (Rojanko) (24.8.195.166) on Thursday, February 10, 2005 - 07:26 am:

I figure it is a head gasket as well. It smokes at warmup, but the exhaust looks ok after a couple of minutes after the smoke goes away. I was going to pull the engine this year and rebuild it anyway. There's no way I could pass emissions the way it is now, and I don't want to damage the engine by depriving it of lubrication. I want this car to be reliable enough for daily driving, or at least on days w/o any wet or snowy roads. How does a rebuild of this motor compare to rebuilding a B210 A14 engine? More difficult/less difficult? I've dealt w/ Datsuns before, but never a Honda.

Cheers,
Rob

By Adrian (Evocivic) (203.42.97.141) on Wednesday, February 09, 2005 - 02:55 pm:

White smoke = blown head gasket (99% of the time), certainly "burning" coolant.

Blue smoke = burning oil, usually worn out rings.

By Jarcaf (Jarcaf) (207.55.238.216) on Wednesday, February 09, 2005 - 02:39 pm:

If you're smoking white, check for a leaky head gasket/warped head. It could just be sucking in coolant. If it's an oil leak, check out the valve seals too, including the aux. valve o-ring cause that's where my smoke was coming from. With such low miles, I'd be reluctant to blame the rings right off the bat, but it's definitely possible.

By Rojanko (Rojanko) (24.8.195.166) on Wednesday, February 09, 2005 - 07:02 am:

Hey Charles,

I saw that Civic on ebay as well. I'm in a similar situation. I bought a '77 CVCC thru the want adds. It has about 75k mi and zero rust on the body. Cherry interior as well. But the engine smokes (white) fairly badly, so I suspect I'm going to spend the rest of the winter rebuilding the engine, or maybe I'll swap it out. BTW anyone in this group know, which engines will fit in a first gen civic? I've seen codes like 'EN' and such on past civics I've had and I'm wondering which ones are compatable. Thanks!

Rob in Boulder, CO
(1st post)

By Hyper_Dermic (Hyper_Dermic) (69.142.178.34) on Monday, February 07, 2005 - 07:43 pm:

I'll probably have to wait a week or 2 untill i can get the timing done...
I will need the car this weekend for work.. but sometime next week i will probably get it fixed..

as for not driving in the winter, im afraid thats just not an option...
its my only means of transport aside from my bike... and the weather is spotty at best.....
Is there a good product you can reccomend to keep the salt from messing up my car?

I would like to bring the car to an autobody shop to get the rust repaired soon... but time and money are big factors...


[charles]

By Jarcaf (Jarcaf) (207.55.238.216) on Monday, February 07, 2005 - 09:24 am:

Y.A.S.C.O.!!!!!
(Yet another satisfied civic owner)

By CVCC x 2 (209.167.61.189) on Monday, February 07, 2005 - 07:39 am:

Don't drive it in the winter!!!!!!!!
These cars did not last very long when driven in areas that had road salt used to keep the roads clear. Where I live in Ontario, 3 to 5 years was all the early first gens (up to 1978) were good for before they were rusted beyond repair.

By Jonathan (12.98.156.194) on Monday, February 07, 2005 - 05:32 am:

Charles, where are you located? That was the car in New Jersey, right? Are you in New Jersey as well? If so, shoot me an e-mail. I'm not too far from where that car is located.

By Dave (206.172.136.229) on Monday, February 07, 2005 - 04:48 am:

Yes the timming needs done asap. These cars can be troublesome with the head gasket.
Your welcome by the way
This site is a first gen oasis. Everything you need is here.

By Hyper_Dermic (Hyper_Dermic) (69.142.178.34) on Sunday, February 06, 2005 - 09:27 pm:

Oh i forgot to mention, the guy who sold it to me did almost all of that before selling

He mentioned one of the "boots" being replaced, and he also gave me a spare "boot" (i dont even know what this "boot" is).
There was a small oil leak from the sensor, but he fixed that for me.
I noticed the reverse bulb was out, so he gave me one of those as well...
he also gave me a spare gasket set (not that i have any idea what to do with it)
and the honda shop manual...

matter of fact, i need to go get that box of parts he gave me and look over it...
the previous owner took such good care of the car its amazing... he even gave me the original brochures, window sticker, and newspaper clippings from the car.

He installed a button that opens the rear hatch, and put in the better instrument panel (the CVCC version i think)

only thing wrong with the engine (aside from that sensor leak) was a valve tap.
he said the timing is a little off...
is that something i should take care of right away?

thanks again!

[charles]

By Chaffneue (Chaffneue) (66.183.190.188) on Sunday, February 06, 2005 - 09:06 pm:

Just to start. Change the oil. replace the air filter. check the level on the radiator fluid and brake fluid reservoirs. check for cracks in the CV joints (the little boots under thear next to the front wheel hubs. tighten the handbrake if it's loose. check the brake pads. replace all the cabin fuses (they rot away). Look for leaks on the engine and radiator, stray wires and give the electrical systema good once over for dead bulbs or non working items. Give your tires a good once over for tread and air pressure (tire pressure is on the door.. and buy a manual off amazon.com . They're solid cars.. mine's older than me and probably has around 240,000 km's on it.

-Richard

By Hyper_Dermic (Hyper_Dermic) (69.142.178.34) on Sunday, February 06, 2005 - 08:05 pm:

Hello everyone!

Im a new owner of a 1975 honda civic.
Some of you may have seen it up for sale on EBAY.

It was the white civic with 42,000 miles...

It seems fate drew me to this car.
Heres the background...
Im more of a motorcycle person, i recently purchased the bike ive always wanted, a BMW R1200GS. This bike cost me a pretty penny.. but i had been saving, and the payments were within reason. Since its winter, the dealers are more than willing to strike a deal, i figured my old le-baron would make it through the winter...
But sure enough, about a month after i purchase my bike, my car breaks down.
Had this been spring or summer, i probably would have just rode my bike untill the next winter..
but snow ice and rain in 40 degree weather is just asking for an accident.

So here i am strapped for cash, and almost NO time whatsoever to find a car...

I was casually browsing ads on ebay at work.. i had NO intentions of buying anything, i was really just intersted in seeing what i could afford with 3k dollars...

thats when i stumbled across it....
1975 honda civic, 1 owner, garage kept, upgraded to 5-speed, and only 42,000 miles!!!
too good to be true im thinking... with 1 hour left in the auction i give the guy a call... after 5 min of talking to him, i decide he knows far more about cars than i do, and hes an honest joe... now i was going to sit back and think about the car for a while... but the "BUY IT NOW" button scared me... what if someone snatched it up while i was thinking?? And just then, i recieved an emergency call (im a paramedic). So with only 1 hour left, i had to decide right then and there if i were to buy the car... 1 phone conversation, and i never even got to take a look at it....

well, obviously i took the plunge and bought it.

After seeing the care and love the previous owner had for the car, i feel OBGLIATED to learn as much as possible, and keep it in the same if not better condition. aside from a small bit of rust here and there, the car is PERFECT...

sadly i dont have a garage, but i keep her under a cover in my driveway...
she will be splitting the miles to and from work with my motorcycle...

i wanted a commuter car, and thats exactly what i got... and so much more!!!

thanks dave for sending me the link to this sight.... there is a wealth of information here, and thats exactly what i need...
like i said, i dont know squat about cars, but this honda civic has sparked an interest in me!

Now i have some questions for all of you.....
1st off, how well built are these cars? how many miles can i expect out of it?

Are there any special needs or considerations i should know of while driving or matinence wise?

are there any known problems that i should be aware of?

i have another question about rust, but i will dedicate a whole thread to it instead....

I guess thats it for now... man, now i just want to go for a spin in my new baby

thanks again!!

[charles]