Well i have been reading a LOT on HT for the last couple weeks since i just purchased my first car, a 89 EF, and figured i'd start a thread to show my progress and seek some opinions/tips. I am 16 and go to school and work a part time job so money is tight but all that i do get is going straight into it. I bought it for $800 it had no body damage at all, it did run although poorly im still trying to figure out the problem with it. So ive had it for a few weeks now and have never drove it except in a circle around my neighborhood and had to push it home lol. It starts only sometimes and when it does its like running rich or something because it just poors at stinky a$$ fumes and just kind of dies. Anyways im in the middle of painting it white via the $50 paint job thread its coming out very nicely ill post some pics. My plans for it so far are just to get it back to stock, get springs or coilovers whatever i can find a good deal on, 15x7 either drag or rotas. Clean up my d15 do intake headers exhaust, and go from there. Let me know what you guys think and ill keep you updated along the way .

the pics i posted are the first couple days i got the car. ill put updated ones up soon.

 

interior..

im completely concentrated on the exterior and engine right now but when i do get to the interior my plans are,

for some reason the previous owner took gloss black spray paint to everything in the interior even the roof, im planning on gutting it and repainting everything since now everything it blue and gloss black im not too much a fan of, as you can see in one of the picks theres some gay like auto zone peddles im planning on just taking them off and getting stock ones i already have 2 just need the gas one. it came with a winkmir which is kind of cool, but im just going to put the stock one back on.luckly the ac works great so that was a plus, it had no radio which i plan on picking one up soon,seats are like nastly pleather with disgusting seat covers ive already got new seat covers but plan on getting new seats and seat belts asap cause the seats like are messed up one doesnt slide back and forth one doesn't recline the seat belt buckles are tapped together and dont recline so yeah, it had no center console but i found one at the junkyard i need to paint and put in there,it had no glovebox which i already ordered,the dash is a bit messed up im currently looking for all new vents since there all like busted, im planning to redo the headliner, as well as re carpet it just with like a charcoal color, it had no hatch struts when i got it ive already installed new ones ill put up pics of later had to do some fabing.

but anyway like i said im not getting to the interior yet. for the outside im in the process of painting it, i already ordered new amber corner headlights and new amber side markers, right now it has stock suspension and 3 14" wheels and a 13" wheel 2 have one type of hub cap and 1 has another and 1 has nothing so it looks a bit ghetto wheels are on the top of my list. and ill post more as i upload pics .

 

here the struts we installed had to fab em in there because it looked like the old one was just ripped out as you see in the pic, so we drilled a whole smaller then the piece we had to put in there and managed to thread it in and they work perfectly,

them in action.

 

replaced 2 of the pedals, for the third one i was trying to find the stock gas pedal but i think actually the stock one may just be under it so ima take it off and see lol.

also theres a pic of my new seat covers and greddy grex shift ****. (thanks josh)

we also moved it into the garage

 

good luck with the build. i also have an ef hatch si that im restoring... takes time. dont do any short cuts and will come out good...

 

Your off to a good start.

If I were you though, I wouldn't waste time on the intake header and exhaust for that engine. You should buy a 88-91civic/crx si or civic ex intake manifold, distributor, and ecu and convert your engine to mpfi. You will gain more hp with that over I/H/E on that engine. Plus, the mpfi will respond better to modifications.

 

no way dude ive heard about the mpfi swap but never really though anything of it so thats what that is, man that sounds like an awesome idea, thanks for the tip. have you done this swap yourself?

 

have you figured out the running problem???

pulled the plugs yet??

 

i have no figured out the running problem and am really frustrated ive replaced the spark plugs, spark plug wires, O2 sensor, fuel filter, and its still the same grr i was going to take it in but would much rather try to figure it out on my own. no luck yet. so frustrating that i can get it to run after trying to start it a couple times but it runs so rich and i can drive down the street then it will just die.

 

does your check engine light come on? if so check your cel at the ecu.

 

nope check engine never comes on, the battery one always comes on even though i got a brand new one and the oil one comes on some of the time.

 

have you checked the timing?

 

Probably your alternator, go get it tested

Good luck with the build!

 

good luck on the build!!!

 

He's right I used to have a dpfi, they are very hard to get horsepower out of. I knew a guy that ran nitrous and still couldn't get out of the 16's with it. Like he said you sould try a mpfi conversion or maybe even throw an old d16 in it. Nice build good luck with it.