dquizten

Hey guys, new to the forum here and new to Hondas in general. This is my first car that isn't Rwd, so there will be some adjustments. Trying to sell my 98 Mustang now (anyone in GA hit me up!) to fund the new wagon, but I've also had a 1980 Datsun 280zx briefly and a Nissan 240sx s13. Hoping these forums will be helpful when I have questions, and in turn I'll show you pictures

Story
Anyway, I've been looking to get into some kind of wagon for a little while now and missed out on a few. So when I saw this one on Craigslist I went to see it the very next day. Turned out the guy who owned was a very small time dealer who had bought it auction a month before. Turns out I'm only the second documented owner: The original title that the guy had showed a purchase date of 5-21-1983 in Decatur, Ga. So the owner had the car for well over 30 years less than 45 minutes away from where I bought it!
Odometer is now showing 172,9** and the car runs like a top. Burns a little oil and smokes on startup occasionally, but nothing bad!
The car isn't the most aesthetically pleasing, but there's very little to no rust.
Right now I have a list of things to address:
Wider wheels/tires (the stockies are scary skinny to drive on the interstate with)
Fix front wipers (rear works )
Killswitch or two
New headlights
Start on suspension refresh
New front seats (want the Recaros from older VWs)
.....?
Profit

Anyway, I like having a place to document what I do so I will definitely be keeping everyone in on this. I also still need to learn what I've really gotten myself into, as I have no experience with Honda as of yet!

Doug

ej1995

Love these wagons! Ok, so this experience with a Honda will be like no other Honda. They arent really modification friendly in my opinion, but they are awesome nonetheless. Changing fluids and filters would be a good place to start. Also sounds like you need a set of valve stem seals.

If you ever have any carb problems, just ditch the stock junk and spend the BEST 300 bucks youve ever spent and buy the Redline Weber 32/36DGEV kit. It is more power when you want it, better fuel economy when youre easy on it, and it eliminates the nightmare of vacuum lines under the hood. This is single-handedly the best modification you will ever make to your carbureted Honda.

Suspension modification isnt easy or straight forward. Pretty much everything has to be custom or modified to work from another vehicle. My 81 sedan was lowered on aftermarket coil springs and sleeves for a 4th or 5th generation Civic on Gabriel struts.

Your brakes should be more than sufficient as long as you use good pads and shoes and keep everything greased and working at its best.

Wheels will also be a nice upgrade but I doubt you will want anything over 6.5 inches wide.

Any questions, let me know!

dquizten

I'm not looking to modify this too heavily. I just need to start by cleaning it up and getting everything reliable, then I will begin investigating mods a little more. I'll be looking into the Weber once I get some other things ready to make sure the car is drivable in all conditions (i.e., rain lol).

Once again, I will have to do some research on the suspension stuff.. I'm in a position where I can have almost anything made that I need though for the next few years, so the planning/researching what will fit will be a large part of that struggle.

Glad to know that about the brakes! I suppose I might as well go through them and make sure everything is good. Also good to know about the wheels, I was just going to go to the Pull a part and grab some newer Honda stockies but I'll try to stay within width. Does over 6.5 not fit the brakes/cause rubbing issues?

Thanks for the advice!
Doug

Stretch7

First off..........cool wagon, man. I had an '83 wagon in the same colour myself. Loved the car, dude.

I quoted the above as there is no need to worry about that wheel/tire combo. I ride, part time, on 185R12 with no hesitation at all. That includes on 100+ mile trips at a moment's notice. There is no reason to think that your 13 wheels would be a problem.

When I lowered mine, I did the old school method and heated the front a few coils. I then removed all but the main rear leaf and flipped it over. Rode pretty good and had a blast in it. The picture below (taken in 1996) also shows it on Prime 13x7 RWD wheels with Euro TAs 175/50-13.

ej1995

Well once you go so wide, depending on the offset, they wil rub. Plus they poke out just a bit too and limit how far you can lower the car.

Stretch7

I'm going off personal experience and there is my proof. Besides, without doing anything more extensive, that is about as low as you're going to get with this car. The rear of this car is leaf, not coil, so you lower this like a truck, hence the removal of leafs, use of blocks, etc. The wheels were for rear wheel drive vehicles which is why they stuck out so much. I had no scrubbing issues. Not in the slightest.

dquizten

I have no problem in staying with 13" wheels, I just want something an inch or two wider so a gust of wind at 60 MPH doesn't send me into the next lane haha.
I do like offset wheels, but I don't have any intention of going anything past flush. I want to lower it but I don't want to dump it. In my opinion, more poke and more camber stops looking good at a point. I want the car to be a fun driver (which it already sorta is) more than a show queen.

I really just need to get my Mustang sold so I can start fixing things! Then I can bring the car from home back up to Atlanta and start cruisin' it.

Stretch - what part of Atlanta are you in?

Stretch7

I'm East of the city, dude. And would love to check out the car when you get up here.

And don't worry about gusts of wind, lolol. My 12x4 wheels have been just fine. But definitely keep this thread updated. But different wheels are always a plus.

NW Classic Honda

Check out our 2g group on facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/31817929925/

GrumpyOne

The smoking is most likely bad valve seals. In fact probably all the seals are probably hard as rocks being that the car is over thirty years old. Valve seals are easily replaced, no need to tear the engine down.

I've been lusting for a S/W for years but one never seems to show up in this part of the world...

GrumpyOne

Oh, and just my 2¢ worth, the original wheels with 175x13x70 tires will work best on these cars. Anything else will throw off the geometry. It looks like an LX wagon since it has the rare passenger side mirror and 110 mph speedo. No tach though, huh?

dquizten

I'll look into doing that. Reasonably easy job to do? I have some experience but I'm no expert. S/W = Second (gen) Wagon? I don't know the lingo..

That's what I've decided to do. The tires on there right now are 155/75 and dry rotted so I do need to upgrade and go wider. Good to know the stock size though, I hadn't found it in the little looking I did.
Again, didn't know the mirror was rare/uncommon! You're right though, no tach to be seen.

Doug

Stretch7

First off, S/W simply means Station Wagon.

The 155 R13 tire is the actual factory tire size which again, there is nothing wrong with. You can't go wrong, though, with doing a quick upgrade to the 175/70-13 tire. I'm not sure of the wheel width, so I don't know if that 70 series tire will fit properly, so have that checked out.

The 2nd gen Civic wagon only came in a base, DX and later, a GL version. This looks to be a DX model. Also, in the last year of the 2nd gen, the passenger side mirror was standard.

GrumpyOne

175x70x13 on the original rims work nicely.

dquizten

Got 4 new 175/70 and a 155 to make sure it would tuck up under the back no problem. What a difference the tires make! The old ones were from 95 according to the place that took them off.
Also got new headlights and an oil change done, but I have a bunch of tune-up parts in the car waiting for the time to get put on!
Grabbed a digital clock centerpiece and a few other small items from a local junkyard with an 83.. Picked up a hood as well, and I will be sanding that down soon for a friend to paint something on!
I'll post up some pictures later, but it looks about the same other than the tires. I even managed to get up to 75 on the interstate, so that's cool. Until I can get the timing belt changed though, I'm a little hesitant to go too far away.

Doug

dquizten

Pictures! A day late but that's ok, I hope. Battery died so I need to grab a new one of those in the next day or two. Anyway, enjoy!
(gotta start with one from the snow!)


New tires






New lights!




Some of the worst rust I've found yet


The only real body damage seems to be along the roofline



Few junkyard finds


Doug

dquizten

Did a quick photoshoot the other night. Used a digital camera though and a bunch of them came out too blurry. Here are some of my favorites.. (ignore the fact that my headlight trim and grille are still out )

MattyIce

I love classic hondas

Stretch7

We'll have to meet up sometime and snap some pics of both cars.

dquizten

I'm down for that! I stay pretty busy, but I'll for sure have a few days when school ends (early May) that I won't have **** else to do. Yours is quite a bit cleaner as well! That'll be fun though.

dquizten

Question for guys who may have been here before - Has anyone wired in additional speakers? Where did you put them?
Looking to add to my stereo (have a radio I need to install anyway) and just wondering what others have done.

ej1995

My sedan had 2 up front and 2 on the rear dashboard. I would imagine you could make a small box and put them behind the rear seat in the cargo area without taking up much space.

dquizten

That's what I'll plan to do this summer or fall.

Picked up my donor car today!
I would leaver a teaser pic but I hate when people do that..
The new (eventual) powerplant


The Car

dquizten

Well, no major updates but I have picked up a few things at the junkyard.

Found a center console out of another second gen Civic, complete with cassette holder and everything! Never seen one before so that's pretty cool, even if it's faded.


I also picked up a pair of seats and a few gauges from an 83 VW Rabbit. Seats aren't perfect but they're cool and will clean up to be in much better shape than mine now. Next step will be fabricating something to mount them!



I think the pattern is super cool


Little hint of what's to come..


That's all for now, as soon as I have more I'll post it up!

Doug

jdmfoose

iTrader: (3)

Hold on to that center console! That's pretty rare from my findings, got one in my second gen. Yours is the first one I've seen other than mine that wasn't a magazine add or n.o.s. pic. Good luck with your build.