esolano

Hey guys,

New member here from Australia.

I bought a 78 Civic the other day and I'm very excited to take on my very first restoration project. The plan is to restore her to original showroom condition then we'll see what happens from there...

I thought this might be a good place to share and document my progress, amongst other Honda enthusiasts and seasoned professionals/experts.

Without further ado, here she is in all her unadulterated state.





Pros:

• Complete, nothing missing except for the Civic badge
• Engines starts and runs without issues
• Nice starting colour

Cons:

• Visible rust under the doors
• Looks like its had some panel repairs before
• Until I strip it down, I won't know exactly how bad other areas are with rust
• Dings, dents and uneven panels
• Some ripped upholstery on the front seats

esolano

Engine bay? A real mess at the moment but workable.

esolano

First up.... simple things first. Interior fittings and things which I can easily remove and work on independently. Its also raining here so good to start on some smaller items.

Here are the door fittings.

Let's wing it! Have never done it before but got the idea from a forum member.



Nothing a bit sanding, masking and painting cannot fix. I was quite pleased how it turned out.



On to the next thing!

MrAlexLopez

What was the grit of the sand paper you used? Nice honda btw.

bob78cvcc

looks like a great start to your project!

esolano

I used 1200 on this one because it wasn't that bad to begin with and I wanted a smooth finish. I've had to use up to 600 on some parts.

esolano

Thanks long way to go but I've done most of the plastics already. Will post pics soon.

esolano

Ok so the real stripping begins. Some good news and some not so good news. But for now...

Started with the boot/trunk. These plastic linings/cowls need to be cleaned and re-done to remove visible scratches. Overall I was happy with their current condition.

esolano

Next was the door trims. Looking darn clean on the inside. Very happy!!!



There are some rust on the bottom but still manageable.

esolano

Next up was the floors. Now this is the bad part..... definitely not for the faint hearted. Look away now if you are sensitive to RUST!!!









You have been warned!!! One last chance... look away NOW!!!











Here it is... under the beautifully trimmed carpet and heavy padding, the floor behind the drivers seat.



Rusted the f@%k out. The center has a whole from where the cancer has eaten through the metal.

Lucky for me it was only on this side and no where else. Another good news was I just had a guy come over to quote the repair. He literally has to cut the entire floor and weld in a new sheet of steel to replace it. Will cost about $400 saying to me it was "no big deal". Well that's good to hear.

esolano

On a lighter note here are some plastics that are now looking like new.



Still more to do. Things like door handles, window winders and a few bits and pieces from the dash. Will post pics soon.

esolano

The next bit I will be working on this week amongst other things is the front grill.



Needs a good makeover. Currently looking very worn, with paint cracking and chipping off.

esolano

Not really looking at this yet but here are some close-up shots of the engine bay so you guys can get an idea of what I'll be working with. Please let me know if you see anything that I should be concerned about. Cheers.







The engine runs good with no problems starting up. So far no smoke or oil leaks which is good.

NW Classic Honda

In for the build!

esolano

So the car is scheduled for the workshop this weekend to get the rusted floor sorted.

Meanwhile I've been busy tidying things up with the front grill. I will be respraying the entire grill and refinish the emblem/badge but want to strip it down completely before I start. From past experience, I know paint stripper will damage plastics so I used this instead to see how well it will remove the factory paint and to make sure that it wont eat into plastic.



I sprayed parts of the grill and left it for 24 hours. I then washed it off with water. The paint did indeed come off but most importantly it hasn't affected the plastic.

esolano

I've also been working on removable parts with visible corrosion and dipped them overnight in de-rusting agents. Worked like a charm.

Here is my side mirror and ashtray.

Before


After

esolano

My windscreen wipers are next. I want them looking brand spanking new!!!
Here's how they are now.... we'll see how they turn out tomorrow.

StreetsideStig

Very cool project. You're off to a great start, and I'm in for this one!

esolano

Thanks guys, I do hope it turns out nice in the end. I'm taking my time on this one.

esolano

Just a little update.
Picked her up from the workshop this morning for the floor fix.



The result....

Before


After


So it seems I didn't need to get the whole floor cut out as I first thought. Just needed a little patch up.

esolano

Now time to identify other problem areas and fix them asap to avoid further corrosion. I did the left fender. Sanded down any rust, sprayed the insides with rust converter and the outside with a few coats of primer.

361 accord

wow thats cool you can see the wrinkles for the crumple zone

cool project, neat to start with the little stuff first

esolano

Thanks man. Oh is that what they are..? Had no idea. Just learnt something new

Yeah feels good getting the littles things out the way before the big stuff. But I also can't wait to get started on the engine and body respray.

esolano

Ok remember these???



Well they now look like these......





It took longer than I thought but it sure was worth the wait. It's all in the details.

Sobe_Death

What are you doing for the wiper refills? I'm having trouble finding some that fit properly and will actually conform to the windscreen.