KindaRice91

Long story short dad had the car since the early 2000's, did some paint and body work and it turned into the lovely ricer below. He then got a '98 240sx and I inherited it.


Specs on the car when I got it:
1997 Civic EX
1.6l D16y8 VTEC 5-speed manual
Basic AEM short intake with an Amzoil cone.
Couple of 10in subs in the back with a box built by my dad(I listen to metal though so they're not used for annoying anybody).
Bodykit and paint circa early 2000's.

What I've done so far:
"Upgraded" the wheels and tires to a set of Honda Fit's.
Installed Megan Racing coilover sleeves and went low.
Installed Wink 5 panel mirror.
Bought back bumper off a '99, rocker panels(skirts), front bumper, fender, hood(last three after a wreck).
Primered the front end.
Installed a set of 4-2-1 headers(I must hang my head in shame at these for they are from Ebay)
Replaced some of the seals on the top of the head.
Removed A/C components and installed new Koyorad dual row radiator.

Still need/want to do:
Install test pipe and get the Tanabe muffler fully attached(or find another muffler).
Eventually pull motor and replace all the seals possible.
Get everything repainted and interior cleaned up.
Look at possibly swapping or going turbo.
New shocks, upgrade the sway bars and add some braces and other suspension components.
Replace CV axles(at least driver side)
Fix passenger side window.
Honestly... the list is huge...

KindaRice91

So as a couple people saw I did run out and purchase a set of rims today.

Since posting in the what it's worth thread I did quite a bit of googling and bouncing around on various forums to discover that they are pretty much bbs knock offs made by Enkei.

Specs:
Maker: Enkei's
Model: Unsure (BBS knock-off)
Size: 14"x6" 4x100

Acquisition:
Was browsing around CL this morning just looking for random parts, namely bumpers and seats. Stumbled on a post about a set of rims for $75 bucks figured why not and here I am with them now. They're actually in pretty nice shape with nothing other than a bit of road rash, one cap missing, and a bald tire. Going to spend tonight getting them wiped down and cleaned before getting the tires swapped and the rims on the car tomorrow.



Also within the next month these should be in the car...

Emeraldbomber

good start

beyond305

id say if you dont want to be rice than dont get a loud obnoxious exhaust, they are highly over rated and the stock is exhaust is adequate enough for this car. look into different mods that wont make you look like every other civic at the stop light.

KindaRice91

Well reason I say exhaust on the list of things I want to do is because my header/manifold is actually cracked and overall it needs to be replaced and I'm mostly just keeping my options open for now. I'm in no way shape or form in the hurry to buy some cheap kit with a 4" pipe, most likely a set of 4-2-1 headers, test pipe or high-flow cat, then 2" out the back to a decent muffler.

DAP97SI

iTrader: (2)

I like the rims on the picture better than the BBS knock offs.

teggyluva90

nice start dude!, i too listen to metal too that when i'm driving my 98 ej8 people see a black/white looking hispanic then think oh hip hop or rap then get surprized i listen to screamo an metal lol!. i too am building a ricey 98 ex to look good aka jane, removing the neons an stuff out of her!.

beyond305

once you add a header, remove your cat, and enlarge the pipe diameter, your going to get a hella ton of rasp unless you run a couple of resonators back to back. my last car, i went with the intake, header, full 2.75" SS exhaust. it was really cool for the first few months but then like on long drives the sound used to drive me CRAZY! lol, i ended up buying dynamate and doing the whole rear end of my car, then purchased a nice big resonator which elimated ALOT of rasp and made the exhaust tone alot deeper and smoother.

if you wanna be loud, hey the more power to you but just know that one day your going to want to rip your whole exhaust out and replace it with the oem.

best best, keep your stock header (cause that causes most of the noise and rasp), re pipe the exhaust about a inch larger, remove your cat and add 2 resonators then get one of those thrush power exhaust. I hear they are cheap and not too loud.

Patryk_98

Damn, Im surprised your old man got a 240sx!
Anyways start taking all that ricey stuff and sell it too other ricers it painted body kit will sell fast and bring you in quite a bit of money fast, same with the hood.
Good luck with the project Im planing on starting mine soon aswell once I get my dent removed :p

KindaRice91

Just as a short update I have hit a bit of a snag with the rims. Once I got too looking I've found that my tires currently on the car aren't in the best condition but are in much better condition than the new rims so a lot of possibilities are being thrown around right now. All of which are going to require some time, definitely money, and thinking. Good news is that since I am not going to wind up having to spend a huge amount of money on tires for the time being the car will have a few goodies added on hopefully soon.

I will keep updates on the car soon as I figure out the highest priorities first.

dirty19

iTrader: (1)

gotta love your dads taste pretty good for back in the day huh?
keep us posted.
Subscribed

HamzaZ's Tuning

Good start.I'm loving the rims.

KindaRice91

So since I'm going to be holding off on doing anything with the tires and rims for the time being I'm going to actually be instead getting the suspension fixed and somewhat upgraded. Reason for doing this is based off something my dad pointed out to me. Before setting these new rims up I really shoudl try to see how they will ride and function once the car is lower.

Now I know they have gotten mixed reviews and most of the time all I hear on here is you get what you pay for but I did today man up and buy a set of coilovers from Megan. I'm sure I'll get a bit of hate for getting them but after spending close to 4 hours non-stop looking at review after review after review I decided that for a budget built daily driver they will be a good replacement and upgrade. You guys should be glad to hear that I will most likely get a set of Tokico blues, if not some KYB's to match up with the new coilovers.


Anyways putting all that aside here's a pic of hopefully what the car will look like with the new rims and possible ride height.

98civdx

Megan's are junk and so are Tokico blues.

KindaRice91

It would be more helpful if you would give some actual reasoning behind your accusations. Why are they junk? Have you had any experience with them? If you have used them before what sort of driving were you doing with them? Are the roads and etc in your area in poor condition?

Simply saying they are junk doesn't help any.

98civdx

Not accusations. Coating flaked off in less the 3 months. Springs rustled heavily shortly after.
The collars seized to the threaded body very quickly. I broke one trying to get it loose.
Customer service? forget it.
Ride quality wasn't impressive either. Bouncy as hell, even on "good" shock. Wasn't close to slammed.

Tokico blues are a OEM replacement shock, NOT meant to be used on a lowered car, especially one where the spring rates are 3-4 times higher then stock.

Simple daily driver, nothing aggressive. Roads are "fair."


A "decent" shock would be a Skunk2, or KYB AGX. Both will handle the increased spring rate.
Better would be a Tokico Illumnia, or Koni Sport.

KindaRice91

Ok well thank you for the info it will be taken into account. I've already purchased the Megan's so as far as that goes I'll just have to see for myself and make the judgement myself but I will keep the shocks in mind.

KindaRice91

Well I've hit a point of not being sure what to buy. Having already bought the coilover sleeves I'm looking to get a good set of shocks. I've been told I should get everything from KYB to Tien and have no clue to really begin. I've done plenty of research on a lot of various parts and though I've had my eye on the Tokico blues I'm considering the idea of going with an adjustable damper. What holds me back is the fact that the car isn't driven very far considering any form of entertainment for me isn't any more than a 20 minute drive on the highway, and the fact that many of the roads in the area(other than a few fairly steep hills) are considerably new and smooth. So in the back of my mind I'm considering the idea of having the adjustable damper just so I can really dial everything in but with the way I drive and road conditions I don't feel they're necessary. Anyways a little feedback on some of the shocks that have been used would be helpful, I'm looking to spend 350 to 400 max.

Putting that little bit aside I'm also considering buying a set of new bushings. The car is 21 miles away from the big 200k so anything and everything will be an improvement. So any recommendations as far as that goes would be a great help.

Now a last but not least question... revert to stock or front end conversion. My dad and his friend have been constantly pushing the idea of going with a 99-00 front end conversion (namely the Si) however I've been throwing around the idea of going with just the stock 97 parts. Now just because of how many people my dad and his friends know I can do a complete Si "clone" set-up for about 3-400 dollars. This may sound great but in about a month I'm going to have to start paying rent, phone, internet, and if my parents will have their way, most likely car insurance as well so money will very tight. A more cost effective solution for me would be to possibly do a trade for stock '97 parts or at least sell my kit and buy a set(have a friend with the hood for sale already). Would like to point out that my car is not stock paint... it's been clear coated with a light pearl so if I can get parts it will need to be repainted. Anyways thought I would get an opinion of peers as to what may or may not look good since it's something I'm looking at doing in the near future.

I'm sure it's a lot to be asking but considering I've looked for several different "reviews" and very few have given the personal experience factor, or at least not in the long term. As far as the body points are concerned some pics of what has been done with both would be a nice starting point to decide from, most of what I've seen from googling are show/high end cars in magazines so more personal experience/ low-budget showcasing would be great.

Thanks in advance for any help and sorry about the constant badgering, just want to do things right or at least as right as I can.

KindaRice91

So for today's little update I took some pictures of the Megan Racing coilovers which I got in the mail yesterday, still holding out on putting them on until I get new struts/shocks and can afford an alignment for after they're on. I know I'll get a bunch of people saying they're junk and etc so I won't even bother with a review unless someone really wants one. That aside I will say for a really tight budget build they seem like a great option. Personally I'm only going to go with 2inches of drop at most so for me they give me the ability to go a bit lower than just a set of lowering springs without breaking the bank on a full blown set of coilovers.

Sorry about the picture quality... my phone likes to take better pictures in the sunlight for some reason.




And on another note, hit a pretty big milestone today on my way to the movie theaters... 200k+

speedjunkie_g35

It is funny but I built a model of a civic back when I was about 16-17 that looks identical to that first pic. Glad to see a young fellow like yourself de-ricing rather than ricing a honda!!!

97ej8_mitch

yea totally glad 2 see that de-rice I just bought 97 civic ex 5spd coupe and I gota de-rice it as well got a fart can on it and racing seats you have got 2 be kidding me. I live H.E.A.R.T. AKA Honda Enthusiast Against Ricer Trash
im going for the clean like make a sleeper not a fast one but a quick lil civic be fun building il post up dates and see where it goes

DAP97SI

iTrader: (2)

I like both the 96-98 and 99-00 front ends. I did a front conversion on my 97 Civic and it looks a little better than the 96-98, plus I like the 99-00 fogs better than the square fogs for the 96-98 front.

toni_the_kid

Posted from Honda-tech.com App for Android

KindaRice91

Well since work has started to cut back hours, I've decided to go the cheaper route and more cost effective route of hopefully trading for a stock body kit. I've seen several that look good and considering I'm not looking to go with a ***** out custom job on the car I think a nice lip will suite the car fine and dandy.

Currently up on the board of things to do to the car:
-Purchase a set of new shocks/struts
-Install the new coilover sleeves
-Get the tires on my current rims flipped onto the new rims and have them put on the car.
-Get the seal kits installed as well as possibly purchase some miscellaneous parts to keep the motor peppy and healthy.

emoney803

look for stock front and rear bumpers ... and rocker panels ... 99 00 front end goes for around 250 including headlights ... look around on CL ... definitely needs to be lowered ... im running tokico blues on skunk2 springs ... pretty good set up ... doesn't bounce like a pogo stick ... stiff and firm ride ... 2 inches in the front and 1.8 in the back ... rims that are on the car are actually nicer than the ones you purchased ( knock offs ) maybe run a lower tire ... i'd keep the hood ... would look decent on a stock front end ... just my opinion ... will keep checking up to see your progress ...