1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
09-22-2012, 12:45 PM
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1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
I am picking this up next week, it is a 1976 Accord hatchback with 70,174 miles.
There was an article in Motor Trend showcasing the oldest known Accord, however according to the VIN, this may very well be the oldest surviving 1st generation Accord. Because it hasn't been registered in years, it has been off the radar.
The body is in pretty good shape, there is no severe rust. The rear hatchback gate is rotting, the inside of the door seams has some rust, and the bottom 6" of the fenders are toast.
I do bodywork by trade, so this is all easy straight forward repairs.
I plan on modifying the engine cradle and buying another H22A swap off hmotorsonline. The plans for this car are to spray it Championship White, put it on air cylinders, reckless wide wheels...basically just make it badass.
Hemming Motor News will be following the build because of this car's significance as being, as stated, probably the oldest Honda Accord in the world.
Wish me luck Honda-Tech.
There was an article in Motor Trend showcasing the oldest known Accord, however according to the VIN, this may very well be the oldest surviving 1st generation Accord. Because it hasn't been registered in years, it has been off the radar.
The body is in pretty good shape, there is no severe rust. The rear hatchback gate is rotting, the inside of the door seams has some rust, and the bottom 6" of the fenders are toast.
I do bodywork by trade, so this is all easy straight forward repairs.
I plan on modifying the engine cradle and buying another H22A swap off hmotorsonline. The plans for this car are to spray it Championship White, put it on air cylinders, reckless wide wheels...basically just make it badass.
Hemming Motor News will be following the build because of this car's significance as being, as stated, probably the oldest Honda Accord in the world.
Wish me luck Honda-Tech.
09-22-2012, 04:26 PM
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Re: 1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
Thanks James. It won't happen over night, I'm spraying the engine bay and working on the swap this winter...once it's running under it's own power I'll be able to do a lot more to it quickly.
It's a dead duck as it sits, it has a cracked exhaust valve and the head is off. So it's kind of a PITA to do anything to it at this point.
It's a dead duck as it sits, it has a cracked exhaust valve and the head is off. So it's kind of a PITA to do anything to it at this point.
09-24-2012, 01:52 PM
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Re: 1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
Yeah, too much work. Everything sits opposite, accessory wise, on a J than it does a K, so there'd be a ton of relocation which just broke the camels back for me.
I am building a K20A Type R motor for it but it won't be in for a bit.
I am building a K20A Type R motor for it but it won't be in for a bit.
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09-25-2012, 01:18 PM
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Re: 1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
I'm towing it to my storage unit October 2nd to join my Civic in a perpetual state of uselessness.
12-01-2012, 12:09 PM
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Re: 1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
The car is being towed to my buddys 2600 sq foot garage next weekend to begin the teardown process. We are literally stripping it down to nothing.
We wrote up an estimate like we would at my work and are figuring 750-800 hours of labor in bodywork. It's basically going through a $60,000 restoration.
We're doing a lot of shaving...side markers, bumpers, rear hatch lights, roof moldings, etc. This car will be done 1000% correctly. We plan on spraying the underside of the floor, the underside of the roof, frame rails, jambs, bay etc.
Still sticking with Championship White but I've decided on a B18C or B16A for the powerplant. An H22 might be doable but with the amount of work I have ahead of me I don't want to be tied up forever trying to get an H22 to fit.
Stay tuned, this is getting underway very shortly.
We wrote up an estimate like we would at my work and are figuring 750-800 hours of labor in bodywork. It's basically going through a $60,000 restoration.
We're doing a lot of shaving...side markers, bumpers, rear hatch lights, roof moldings, etc. This car will be done 1000% correctly. We plan on spraying the underside of the floor, the underside of the roof, frame rails, jambs, bay etc.
Still sticking with Championship White but I've decided on a B18C or B16A for the powerplant. An H22 might be doable but with the amount of work I have ahead of me I don't want to be tied up forever trying to get an H22 to fit.
Stay tuned, this is getting underway very shortly.
12-01-2012, 05:03 PM
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Re: 1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
It would be, but I'm not paying for it. 
That's what it would cost if our labor wasn't free. Trust me, if I didn't do what I did for a living, I wouldn't be paying that kinda coin to do it, I couldn't afford it!
It'll probably cost me $6000-$7000 worth of glass, grommets, moldings and prepping/paint supplies all said and done. 10% of the cost is manageable.
That's what it would cost if our labor wasn't free. Trust me, if I didn't do what I did for a living, I wouldn't be paying that kinda coin to do it, I couldn't afford it!It'll probably cost me $6000-$7000 worth of glass, grommets, moldings and prepping/paint supplies all said and done. 10% of the cost is manageable.
05-08-2013, 04:02 PM
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05-09-2013, 07:51 AM
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Re: 1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
Being this may be the oldest accord still in existence, I feel you're ruining the cars historical presence. I wish you would find one that is possibly less significant, but the choice is yours. Either way I'm hoping to see some updates soon, sounds like a fun project.
05-18-2013, 07:50 AM
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Re: 1976 Honda Accord Restomod Project
Car is a 3rd of the way in primer, I'm waiting on time and parts allocating at this point. Plan on some major updates by end of Summer.
