Hi, sorry if this isn't the appropriate place for this thread, but bear with me!

I'm looking into buying a '77 Civic 1200 5MT (specifically, this one), and was just wondering about a few things:

- What would be trouble spots for rust to check for?
- How hard are parts to come by? Where's a good place in NA to get them?
- Are these cars a safe bet for DIY repairs and maintenance?

And pretty much any other comments or advice that anyone could give would be greatly appreciated!

Also, I would be getting this to be a daily-driver for a while, as I'm not exactly flush enough with cash to do a full restoration right now, so if I'm insane for considering that, please let me know, haha!

Thanks in advance

Pix for clicks

 

i guy in ga was selling one. he is on here too..but i dont know his sn.
sorry ill give you a lil more info in a bit.

 

a buddy of mine and myself just did some work to an 80's model 1500s and it was very simple. They guy we bought it from replaced the motor with a 2.0 liter A series out of an old prelude and got rid of all the extra EGR crap so it was easy to deal with.

 

Thanks guys, keep it coming

 

Look for Rust: Everywhere, particularly under the car/floorboards.

Most (but not all) OEM parts are still available from Honda.

There is a pretty strong 1st Gen Civic club up in the B.C. area, a Google search will find them.

These are fairly simple cars, DIY is definitely a possiblity.

A 32 year old car for a daily driver? That would not be my first choice.

Scott

 

Thanks for the great post.

Yeah, I figured it was probably kind of silly to consider it for a DD, but if it were in reasonably solid condition would it not be okay?

 

Rust areas to check for would be your floor pans, around the fenders, around the hatch (more so at the top), around the headlights. Most would probably be surface rust if any. The car in the link looks really nice.

Parts for the car are irritating to come by, but not impossible. Sometimes it just takes time and patience. I am in the last year of my restoration (of my 79 Civic) and it has been only 3 years. It really wasn't bad.

These cars are very much DIY friendly. Much easier to work on than the newer models with computers and all.

You're probably thinking of me. I was selling mine for a while, but decided to keep it to finish it.

Parts through Honda are very few and far between. But you can find most everything at your local Pep Boys, Autozone and such. I got all my electronic parts at Advance Auto. You can check around with area Honda dealers to see if they have anything lying around, but as far as being able to order parts... not likely.

Also, my 79 is a DD. Not a thing wrong with it, either. OP, if you want to DD the car, go for it. I pay about $10 every 2 weeks for gas in mine and it gets me everywhere I need to go.

All in all, I'd say get that car. $800 is a hell of a deal for it. You won't regret it and you'll be amazed at the reactions you get from people old and young.

Good luck.

 

Thank you for that, Stretch7! I'm glad to hear you're using yours as a DD without trouble. I'm still waiting on a reply back from the seller, but here's hoping that all goes well and that I'll be a card-carrying classic Honda member soon!

 

So I just heard back finally, and this is what he said:

Soo yeah, I'll still go take a look at it, but I'm definitely not as pumped about it as before, haha.

Thanks for your replies, guys!

 

thats a good looking car. a little tlc and it could be a real gem.

 

I would still hop on it if you can. The car still looks to be in good shape. I can see the rust at the arches and mine had that on it. Wasn't that bad to have fixed and treated. All that primer you see down the side is from where someone removed the side moldings and filled in the holes and primed them for paint. My car is done the same way (except mine is painted). If this car is a good running car, then cosmetics is nothing.

 

well i can tell you this. i have three 77 civics and living in Kingston Ontario we get alot of salt. 1 is road worthy. i found floors are the worst in them they always seem to go first. rear quarts get bad too. and i would also watch the rear suspension mounts. as for driving them every day i would say not to. the motors run hot and can burn up the valves.

 

Wow. Not sure what shape yours are in or have been in, but I put about 200 miles per week on mine from March of 2008 to September of this year with only replacing a cut lower radiator hose and a new alternator belt. The dude that lives a few miles away has taken multiple trips from Atlanta (where we live) to Indianapolis and a separate trip to Nashville, TN in his. Only having to replace a voltage regulator. Not to mention all the local driving he did with me. Advice like how much to drive a car isn't really good to give as you can't tell what condition someone else car is in at the time of it being ready to drive, you know.

 

I used to sell Civics in the 70s, and they were an excellent car to drive, own and keep running. The 77 didn't come in a 5 speed 1200 (at least in Canada). They all had 4 speeds, except the 1500.

I had an 81 1500 Civic from new, drove it 265,000 km, parked it several years, and then - as it was still quite serviceable, did the modifications neccessary, and raced it quite happily for 4 years until it was totalled in an on-track incident. I had finished 2nd in my last race in it, in an under 2500cc class populated with mostly 2300cc Mustangs.

So go ahead and buy it. It will make you happy driving it. You will get approving nods from those who know - and those that remember how good these cars were.

 

I am part of the "BC Club" in Canada...its no club though, just a bunch of us up here....we mostly meet through 1stgencivic.com. You will not find anything specific on Google for us.

As for parts.....getting very very difficult...somebody here mentioned most parts available through Honda still....which is way off. There are very few parts left. The local parts shops can source brake parts, gaskets, and some engine parts but anything else is very, very hard...remember there has not been an aftermarket for the 1st gens since the 80's..its the reason I am stockpiling parts now.

If you are needing engine internals, suspension, weather stripping, body panels, interior parts....its going to be very difficult....much iof the reason the racers have moved on to newer models is do to the availability of parts.

In Canada you could get the 1979 Civic 1200's in a 5 speed, but not the ealier ones.

- Kurt
www.roadsailing.com