I have a 1995 Civic 5spd DXcoupe in teal.
There is rust on both quarter panels, the drivers door, and some on the side.

I found another 1995 Civic DX coupe in teal, but its an automatic. Would it be easier to swap quarter panels, or would it be easier to just put the 5pd engine into the automatic car?

 

I'd say it would be easier to just swap the quarter panels.
If you think about it, swapping the quarter panels will be much easier than the an auto to manual conversion.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/%5Bfaq%5D-96-00-auto-manual-swap-full-detail-44pics-1337459/

 

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HAH lol

ive done both,

IMO its easier to be a grease monkey than to be a body artist

if you never swapped out quarter panels or have done any extensive body work (like me) replacing quarters panels ARE A BITCH

the smallest misalignment of the panel will show
sanding too far or improperly filling in the weld seams are aggravating

the only bad thing i had with my auto to manny swap was the bolts that hold the automatic shift console in were rusted as ****

but this is my experience, if you choose to replace quarter panel, theres no going back once you start

 

well, I would have a mechanic do either depending if it not that expensive. The parts car is the same color, so I wouldn't have to worry about paint. I would almost swap every panel besides the hood and bumper, so I figured, would it just be easier to put the engine/tranny I have now into the parts car?

 

if the body is good on the automatic hatch (minus what you can swap from your other hatch, it'd be easier, and less frustrating to do the tranny swap

if you do the rust repair job, theres still the matter of how its gonna be painted and by whom

 

the body on the other coupe is in good condition, compared to my coupe. Mine has rust, some dents etc. The parts car has a good body, minus the rusted hood, but I could swap that.

 

Far, far easier to swap the tranny. Body work sucks. I've done a couple of auto to manual swaps on 5th gen civics and they're pretty simple.

 

Quarter panels are easy to swap if you are only using a cut-off wheel and duct tape. Might flap in the wind a little.

On a serious note though...... Body work is an art, and art is expensive. Swap the trans. Dont even give it a second thought.

 

Honestly so true, Id rather pull my motor than have to take my bumper off. Body work does suck haha.

 

AHHH!!!!!!!! Tranny swap is WAY easier than quarter panel repair...especially if you're new to it.

You can do a complete engine swap in a weekend...it'd be nearly impossible to cut the panels...shape new ones unless you have a donor car...in that case...cut the donor car panels out...weld...grind...fiberglass...sand...filler... sand...glazing compound...sand...prime...and paint in a weekend. ESPECIALLY if it's something new to you.

 

the parts car I was going to buy was sold, so I will not be doing either. thanks for your help.

 

dam...... was not expecting this

 

As a body man I've done tons of quarters and I can do them fairly quickly but if you have no experience in body work I suggest you do the tranny. I would even do the tranny over the quarter.

 

Sorry to hear your parts car was sold.

But it's Very easy to swap out the trans

i did the swap in my 95 Del Sol it took about 8 hours total.

but i was also going for a full convertion. i didn't just swap out the trans i also swaped
the trans mount on the fram and the floor pan for the shifter. I also changed throttle bodies
and tucked a pair of wires in the alarm harness as i didn't have the 5 Speed motor
harness to work the Back-up lights. I also took the time to wire in the Nutral safty swich for the clutch pedal and the Cruse Control
So i didn't look like a swap under the hood