I managed to source a very very VERY clean stock white 89' Civic Si last weekend to start my new project.
For those of you who do not know, the 1989 Civic Si is a ONE YEAR ONLY CAR...
I do not want to reveal too much on the car yet until I make more progress but I will say that it was bought soley for a factory restore project (not unlike many other builds).



Don't worry about the plates, I bought the car out of state so these are no longer the originals.

Number one selling point of the car (a side from it being 99% stock and having a very clean, dent and rust free body) was the almost perfect interior. Now I say almost perfect only because the seats looked to be mint, however the foam was torn on the drivers seat.

To the average person this would be fine because they looked mint and can only be noticed by the driver, however, if anything is worth doing it's worth doing right the first time. Being that the 1989 was a one year only car with one year only fabric pattern, finding a new clean drivers seat in better condition would be next to impossible. So I did the next best thing. I made my own.

A pic of the seat before I started


As you can see, the seat looks to be in almost mint condition, however, the foam was ripped on the side bolster


The tear down begins


I managed to source a mint passanger seat from a 91 civic si yesterday which will work perfect for this. For those who don't know, the 89' and 90-91's shared the same foams but they were reversed. This mean that the part number for an 89' drivers foam is the same as a passenger for the 90-91.
In other words, a mint 90-91 passenger side will make a mint 89 drivers and vise versa.


I started buy taking the seat apart by first removing the allen bolt on one side of the recliner, and the two 14mm bolts holding the cable side recliner (note that the 89 recliner will have to be swapped later so you can use the 89 recliner cable)


Here the top and bottom are separated


Now since I'm only working on the top I set the lower seat aside. I carefully removed all of the hog rings at the base of the seats fabric to get inside.
From the back there are six small springs that attach the front of the fabric to the back of the seat. These are easy to remove and reinstall later.


Then I removed the headrest holder by taking out the small hidden screw on top and then pinching the plastic clips below. I had a lot of trouble on the 91 seat but the 89 was like butter coming apart.

Then carefully, and I mean carefully remove the seat cover from the foam. This takes some time and muscle but it will work. Please note that it was easier to install then take apart.

Here you can see the damaged foam from the 89' si

Here is the 90-91 passenger side. Note that the part numbers are the same.


Next I swapped over the 89' seat recliner to the 90-91 by removing the two 14mm bolts. This is very easy with the fabric off the seats.


The rest was just the reassemble. It actually went so fast that I didn't have time to take pictures. I simply started and finished with this




The seat installed again. Althought they look the same, now I'm happy with how they look and feel.



More to come....

My old car

 

Very nice find! I'm really curious, what do you mean by a one year only car? I did notice the si seats are a little different. Either just less faded or the stripes seem wider. I am obsessed with ef rare stuff etc. ha ha! Excited to see more.

 

I mean one year only because the 1989 Civic Si was a one year only car. Kinda like the 1997 Integra Type-R, everyone seems to forget about it but it's the rarest one.
The seats are not faided but have a different pattern. They are light gray and red striped.
The 1989 was the first year of the Civic Si (fourth gen)
It had different front/rear bumpers, seat belts, lights, moldings, lip, ect.
The 90-91 Si's are much more common. I believe that there were much fewer 89's sold than 90 or 91. Although the 90-91's had slightly improved styling, the 88-89 civic was the original design for style and lines.

 

Ah, very cool. Yeah i can see the differences now in the bumpers turn signals etc. That's interesting, I didn't know that they were different.

That wasn't the first Si, unless you were meaning for the fourth gen specifically. They were there before 4th. Here's a pic, no where near as appealing though ha ha!

 

Nice work! I actually just picked up a pretty mint 89 Civic Si yesterday! I will start a thread once I get some nice pictures taken! Keep up the good work and high-five for being an 89 owner!

 

Also, how are the headlights different? I thought they were the same throughout 88-91? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Yes I know, believe me I have killed a lot of these cars sadly. After you kill them for a few years you get the urge to bring them back to life.

 

Headlights are the same but the tail lamps, fender lamps, and bumper lamps are different

 

89 si was lighter than the 90-91.
In the USA, door panels and seat belts were different along with the bolt pattern on the seats. The combo swtich, cluster, and no seat belt sensor are just a few other differences. I'm sure there are a lot more but I don't need to get into it too far.

 

Totally agree. i went through two ef si's, now the one i have gets treated like royalty and I intended to keep it rolling for as long as fate allows.

 

nice job man!

 

If I get more free time today I might do a writeup on the factory rear speaker install or the accessory console. Depends on what time I have.

 

i want whats left of the 90-91 seat.!!!

 

I have it, perfect cover, headrest, pan, ect. It is for a passenger 90-91 but can be modified to fit drivers side.

 

awesomeness unfortunately i dont have a 89 si its a 89 std but converted and my si driver seat needs this but the fabric is jacked up waiting for a clean one at the junkyard good job

 

Very nice mane I to am infatuated with the 89 si's...excited to see how this turns out.

 

Very nice mane I to am infatuated with the 89 si's...excited to see how this turns out.

 

I picked up an 89 Si with a rusted frame for a parts car, seats are pretty minty considering the shape I usually get these cars in. I've got the same ones you have! /excited

The bumpers themselves are just like the other 88-89 bumpers except they were painted, with a front lip? That's what I thought anyways, didn't think the tail lights were any different... Headlights are different because of the moisture traps?

Canadian Si's came with an armrest and optional audio console, at least, mine did, as well as a couple others I know.

Is your glovebox felt lined, or all plastic? Rear speaker mounts? C'mon, details man!

 

Details will come when I make more progress. Not many in the states came with all of those options but if you must know, yes I do have the audio console, armrest, and rear speakers. None of which came with the car though. I also have a leather wrapped steering wheel and a few other minor goodies but that's it for now.

 

Do you know if the 89 Si have rear mud guards? Or was that only on the 90-91?

 

wtf did you do i quickly scrolled down this page and threw your pics and it looks the same go to joan fabricks or michaels and get you some materials and youtube how to sow and itll look sick cant wait to see yur inished product

 

EPIC FAIL!!!! Go back, read something before posting. This is the restoration of rare one year only seats not some JOAN Fabric specialties

 

bump for oregon.

 

Looks so good man, are you going to do a build thread for the rest of the car? Looks like a great start!

 

Love these seats...I have an 89 dx and I just bought the same 89 si seats for it. I paid top dollar for them cause they are mint (costed more than my used koni yellows and full integra brake conversion) but they are so beautiful. I had to have them as soon as I saw them. Well done!