Hi, my name is Barny and this is my first post here. I have a 1987 Civic GT that I am currently restoring, (for the last two years!!!) but I have a general obsession for retro motors and particularly Japanese tin. I have been an avid reader of Retro Cars for a while now and thought it about time I got my backside on here although I am unsure as to how much love this may or may not get on here, but hopefully it will attract some interest.
This car is to eventually be my daily driver. Cheap tax band, classic insurance and 40+ mpg with some pokey performance thrown in. If you know these cars then you will appreciate that they pull like a train and are very nippy weighing in at under a tonne if stripped with, (when modified), hopefully 125bhp, (100bhp as standard), making the power to weight ratio pretty aggressive and certainly enough to surprise the odd boy racer when you have to and bags of fun around the twisties of Northumberland where I live.
I bought the car for £400 on ebay in late 2008 and it had a little bit of its MOT left and one days tax to get me home. Quite how it had an MOT I do not know as it was shot underneath and had certainly been like that for some time. Since then I have been busy and the car has actually been on the road for about 4 months of the two years I have had it!!! Below is a fairly concise pictoral project diary of where I have been so far with the car, enjoy.
IN THE BEGINNING
THEN IT WAS TIME TO GET TO WORK AND EXPOSE THE RUST!!!!
AND THEN FIX UP THE DRIVERS SIDE.
AND A MACHINE POLISH TO FINISH THE DRIVERS SIDE
AT THIS POINT, IT WAS OCTOBER 2009 AND MY MATE NEEDED IT OUT OF HIS WORKSHOP AS HE HAD SOME BIG JOBS COMING IN, (TIMBER WAGONS FROM THE FORRESTRY COMMISSION), SO I ONLY HAD TIME TO PATCH UP THE FLOOR PAN AND PASSENGER SIDE ALTHOUGH THAT GOT IT THROUGH ITS MOT. I THEN PREPPED AND UNDERSEALED IT READY TO USE AS A DAILY DRIVER UNTIL THE SPRING WHEN THE RESTORATION COULD RECOMMENCE.
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i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae274/87civicgt
THE NEXT JOB WAS TO LOWER THE CAR FROM ITS RIDICULOUS FACTORY RIDE HEIGHT, WHICH ALSO HELPED TO DIAL OUT A LITTLE OF THE UNDERSTEER. I ALSO MANAGED TO GET SOME OEM REAR MUDFLAPS AND AN ADJUSTABLE PANHARD BAR TO RE-POSITION THE FIXED REAR AXLE
THEN THE RAINS CAME AND IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE SUNROOF WAS LEAKING, SO THAT WAS SEALED IN AND THE CARPET STRIPPED OUT. I ALSO FITTED SOME MINT SEATS THAT I GOT FROM A BREAKING 1990 HONDA PRELUDE AS THE ORIGINALS WERE SHOT. CUSTOM BRACKETS WERE FABRICATED FROM THE ORIGINAL'S AND THOSE FROM THE PRELUDE.
I THEN REPLACED THE WHEELS AS TWO WERE BUCKLED BADLY, NEW TYRES ALL ROUND AS WELL. BARGAIN SHOES FOR £35 ON EBAY!!!!
I have also done the following to the car over the time I have had it:
Engine flush, oil and filter
Fuel filter & fuel pump
Reinstated airbox with new air filter
Spark plugs, HT leads, dizzy cap & rotor arm
Valve clearances adjusted
Injectors cleaned
Rocker cover gasket
Anti roll bar links
Track rod ends
Balanced & tracked
New rear brake shoes incl new fitting kits
Brake fluid system blead
New rear shocks
Fully undersealed incl arch linings and stone chip protected sills
Rear bumper mounts rebuilt and new number plate holder
I then took the car to Chris at mitsu-mech in Darlington earlier in the year to get the passenger side sorted once and for all as I had only patched it up when I had originally dealt with the drivers side. The reason I mention Chris is that some of you may know him from possibly this forum, (but more likely others), as 'Driveby' who has a gold 3g civic with a ZC engine conversion, a mitsubishi starion, a Mitsubishi celeste SR, a Datsun laural and loads of other cool stuff bascially. He is a bit of a 3g legend as well, (IMO), and suffice to say once it got there this stage of the project turned into a 'lets basically strip her down and do the lot in one' phase !!!
This is the current state of play therefore:
I always knew that the passenger side was crusty under the patch up job done so there were no surprises there. Looking to get the inner wings sorted, the sunroof and a few other bits then she can have some paint, a load of waxoyl and some more underseal.
I have also sourced some adjustable shocks from the USA. They are discontinued now so I did well to get some in such good condition. I also have a hedman manifold from the states and a lightened flywheel that just needs balancing before it goes in, (no pics of those on my laptop however for some reason).
I have picked up some period MIM BBS style alloys as well, they need a refurb, new rubber and are also missing two centre caps, (SOS coming in the wanted section!!!), but should suit the car down to the ground IMO and give it a bit of a 'Euro' theme.
Plenty of work left to do, (and parts left to get), but its getting there and she's in capable hands with Chris. Looking to get her on the road again for the spring and focus on engine work come the early summer to get her ready for a couple of shows hopefully . . and meets possibly.
Cheers all.
This car is to eventually be my daily driver. Cheap tax band, classic insurance and 40+ mpg with some pokey performance thrown in. If you know these cars then you will appreciate that they pull like a train and are very nippy weighing in at under a tonne if stripped with, (when modified), hopefully 125bhp, (100bhp as standard), making the power to weight ratio pretty aggressive and certainly enough to surprise the odd boy racer when you have to and bags of fun around the twisties of Northumberland where I live.
I bought the car for £400 on ebay in late 2008 and it had a little bit of its MOT left and one days tax to get me home. Quite how it had an MOT I do not know as it was shot underneath and had certainly been like that for some time. Since then I have been busy and the car has actually been on the road for about 4 months of the two years I have had it!!! Below is a fairly concise pictoral project diary of where I have been so far with the car, enjoy.
IN THE BEGINNING
THEN IT WAS TIME TO GET TO WORK AND EXPOSE THE RUST!!!!
AND THEN FIX UP THE DRIVERS SIDE.
AND A MACHINE POLISH TO FINISH THE DRIVERS SIDE
AT THIS POINT, IT WAS OCTOBER 2009 AND MY MATE NEEDED IT OUT OF HIS WORKSHOP AS HE HAD SOME BIG JOBS COMING IN, (TIMBER WAGONS FROM THE FORRESTRY COMMISSION), SO I ONLY HAD TIME TO PATCH UP THE FLOOR PAN AND PASSENGER SIDE ALTHOUGH THAT GOT IT THROUGH ITS MOT. I THEN PREPPED AND UNDERSEALED IT READY TO USE AS A DAILY DRIVER UNTIL THE SPRING WHEN THE RESTORATION COULD RECOMMENCE.
THE NEXT JOB WAS TO LOWER THE CAR FROM ITS RIDICULOUS FACTORY RIDE HEIGHT, WHICH ALSO HELPED TO DIAL OUT A LITTLE OF THE UNDERSTEER. I ALSO MANAGED TO GET SOME OEM REAR MUDFLAPS AND AN ADJUSTABLE PANHARD BAR TO RE-POSITION THE FIXED REAR AXLE
THEN THE RAINS CAME AND IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE SUNROOF WAS LEAKING, SO THAT WAS SEALED IN AND THE CARPET STRIPPED OUT. I ALSO FITTED SOME MINT SEATS THAT I GOT FROM A BREAKING 1990 HONDA PRELUDE AS THE ORIGINALS WERE SHOT. CUSTOM BRACKETS WERE FABRICATED FROM THE ORIGINAL'S AND THOSE FROM THE PRELUDE.
I THEN REPLACED THE WHEELS AS TWO WERE BUCKLED BADLY, NEW TYRES ALL ROUND AS WELL. BARGAIN SHOES FOR £35 ON EBAY!!!!
I have also done the following to the car over the time I have had it:
Engine flush, oil and filter
Fuel filter & fuel pump
Reinstated airbox with new air filter
Spark plugs, HT leads, dizzy cap & rotor arm
Valve clearances adjusted
Injectors cleaned
Rocker cover gasket
Anti roll bar links
Track rod ends
Balanced & tracked
New rear brake shoes incl new fitting kits
Brake fluid system blead
New rear shocks
Fully undersealed incl arch linings and stone chip protected sills
Rear bumper mounts rebuilt and new number plate holder
I then took the car to Chris at mitsu-mech in Darlington earlier in the year to get the passenger side sorted once and for all as I had only patched it up when I had originally dealt with the drivers side. The reason I mention Chris is that some of you may know him from possibly this forum, (but more likely others), as 'Driveby' who has a gold 3g civic with a ZC engine conversion, a mitsubishi starion, a Mitsubishi celeste SR, a Datsun laural and loads of other cool stuff bascially. He is a bit of a 3g legend as well, (IMO), and suffice to say once it got there this stage of the project turned into a 'lets basically strip her down and do the lot in one' phase !!!
This is the current state of play therefore:
I always knew that the passenger side was crusty under the patch up job done so there were no surprises there. Looking to get the inner wings sorted, the sunroof and a few other bits then she can have some paint, a load of waxoyl and some more underseal.
I have also sourced some adjustable shocks from the USA. They are discontinued now so I did well to get some in such good condition. I also have a hedman manifold from the states and a lightened flywheel that just needs balancing before it goes in, (no pics of those on my laptop however for some reason).
I have picked up some period MIM BBS style alloys as well, they need a refurb, new rubber and are also missing two centre caps, (SOS coming in the wanted section!!!), but should suit the car down to the ground IMO and give it a bit of a 'Euro' theme.
Plenty of work left to do, (and parts left to get), but its getting there and she's in capable hands with Chris. Looking to get her on the road again for the spring and focus on engine work come the early summer to get her ready for a couple of shows hopefully . . and meets possibly.
Cheers all.
