Make this car look good
Thread Starter
Trial User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Make this car look good
If you don't like reading, scroll down to the red text!
This is my first car, and i went out and bought a manual Honda
.
payed 1200 for it, was in pretty bad shape. 300k miles, no brakes, blown rotors, busted CV joints, worn tires, dented doors and fender, dead battery, bad belts, etc.
Even thought i understand absolutely nothing about mechanics, i have fixed it up myself to the point where it runs perfectly, changed out the busted doors as well. as you can tell by this, i got love for this car.
Mechanically, it is fine for now ( i am a complete NOOB, this is a 94 Honda civic LX, pretty much weak, but i will make it a demon with time), so i want your advice, on making this look like a ride worth driving.
Maybe you can tell the paint job is bad, which i will get ti painted black (not doing this myself, would hate to end up with a half assed job here), but since i have no idea what are good brands for parts, and what type is best for this kind of car (reasonably priced of course, i don't want 500 dollar headlights for now), i am asking for your assistance!
there are still 2 things i think i still need to take care of in it mechanically, i hear a scrapping sound coming from under the stick when downshifting sometimes, and, it sounds as if there is a loose nut or lug or something in one of the back wheels clanking around, i looked through the trunk to see if perhaps there was a bolt jumping around in there while i drove, didn't find anything so i think it must be one of the wheels, no idea what it would be though
i would like to use mainly e-bay to buy the parts, and i am mainly looking for aesthetic improvements at the moment.
the car is a 1994 Honda civic LX, yes i know its slow, but i intend on spending money on it as my budget allows, help me make it look worth driving!
- by that i mean, unique headlights/taillights (or at least good looking,
preferably blacked out with xeon lights or something) that match,
- maybe a better hood,
- some window tint,
- small discrete spoiler (and by that i mean VERY i almost hate the idea of having a spoiler.),
- some decent looking not too big rims (preferably black or gold),
- good matching steering wheel,
- a decent radio with decent speakers that is ipod-enabled (don't care about cd player, although i guess that is standard nowadays)
- good pedals (preferably black with chrome detail, or vice-versa)
- some good leather matching seat covers for front and rear (interior is brown, but i intend on making it black, so black leather is preferred),
- discrete side skirts,
- front/rear lips,
- interior lighting, with door lights, panel lights, visor lights, floor lights, etc (pretty much lights for everything, i want the interior to be very well lit with either RED OR BLUE)
THE OVERALL THEME OF THE CAR WILL BE BLACK AND RED (or) BLUE!
so, mainly items that match the theme is what we are looking for.
and now, pics.
the beat up doors are gone already, so it doesn't look as bad as it did when i got it, wish i had taken pics when it was screwed up, to show before and after pics
but i guess the outside visual is basically the same as before except the beat up doors, so that's something still.
thanks for your time, this seems like an awesome community i hope someone will step up and help me make this happen!
This is my first car, and i went out and bought a manual Honda
. payed 1200 for it, was in pretty bad shape. 300k miles, no brakes, blown rotors, busted CV joints, worn tires, dented doors and fender, dead battery, bad belts, etc.
Even thought i understand absolutely nothing about mechanics, i have fixed it up myself to the point where it runs perfectly, changed out the busted doors as well. as you can tell by this, i got love for this car.
Mechanically, it is fine for now ( i am a complete NOOB, this is a 94 Honda civic LX, pretty much weak, but i will make it a demon with time), so i want your advice, on making this look like a ride worth driving.
Maybe you can tell the paint job is bad, which i will get ti painted black (not doing this myself, would hate to end up with a half assed job here), but since i have no idea what are good brands for parts, and what type is best for this kind of car (reasonably priced of course, i don't want 500 dollar headlights for now), i am asking for your assistance!
there are still 2 things i think i still need to take care of in it mechanically, i hear a scrapping sound coming from under the stick when downshifting sometimes, and, it sounds as if there is a loose nut or lug or something in one of the back wheels clanking around, i looked through the trunk to see if perhaps there was a bolt jumping around in there while i drove, didn't find anything so i think it must be one of the wheels, no idea what it would be though
i would like to use mainly e-bay to buy the parts, and i am mainly looking for aesthetic improvements at the moment.
the car is a 1994 Honda civic LX, yes i know its slow, but i intend on spending money on it as my budget allows, help me make it look worth driving!
- by that i mean, unique headlights/taillights (or at least good looking,
preferably blacked out with xeon lights or something) that match,
- maybe a better hood,
- some window tint,
- small discrete spoiler (and by that i mean VERY i almost hate the idea of having a spoiler.),
- some decent looking not too big rims (preferably black or gold),
- good matching steering wheel,
- a decent radio with decent speakers that is ipod-enabled (don't care about cd player, although i guess that is standard nowadays)
- good pedals (preferably black with chrome detail, or vice-versa)
- some good leather matching seat covers for front and rear (interior is brown, but i intend on making it black, so black leather is preferred),
- discrete side skirts,
- front/rear lips,
- interior lighting, with door lights, panel lights, visor lights, floor lights, etc (pretty much lights for everything, i want the interior to be very well lit with either RED OR BLUE)
THE OVERALL THEME OF THE CAR WILL BE BLACK AND RED (or) BLUE!
so, mainly items that match the theme is what we are looking for.
and now, pics.
the beat up doors are gone already, so it doesn't look as bad as it did when i got it, wish i had taken pics when it was screwed up, to show before and after pics
but i guess the outside visual is basically the same as before except the beat up doors, so that's something still.thanks for your time, this seems like an awesome community i hope someone will step up and help me make this happen!
Last edited by vincam; May 24, 2011 at 03:25 PM.
Re: Make this car look good
Mostly Ebay parts? If you don't respect your car or yourself enough to buy quality parts, both inside and out, then just leave it stock.
Next take a look over in the Appearance and Group forums to get the ideas you want.
Next take a look over in the Appearance and Group forums to get the ideas you want.
Thread Starter
Trial User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Re: Make this car look good
i believe i can find on e-bay probly anything dude, i didnt mean i would be buying **** parts, just a place where i can find all kinds of stuff, if you know a better place to get the parts, let me know, i am open to suggestion. i just dont see the point of buying overpriced stuff just because its a brick and mortar
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From: Edmonton, AB
Re: Make this car look good
too be completely honest with you with that car you should just keep it clean, dont rice it out... youd be wasting your money if you went and bought seat covers and floor mats and stuff... just keep the car origional looking, but modified if you catch my drift...
keep your interior tan man, try and find someone locally that has a written off GSR...
this one guy i know had a Tan interior in his civic and he swapped out his ugly seats for these tan GSR leather seats (both front and rear) from what i know they bolt up... and it made such a big difference...
maybe order some lowering springs online and drop your car down a bit, try to find some cheap em1 wheels or maybe some GSR blades, and if you want to smoke out your tail lights... there is this film spray you can buy at any car parts place.. take your lights off and give them a few coats. then for a paint job you should just rattle can your car... mask off the windows and stuff and spray paint it... there is a post on this site just dedicated to people rattle canning their cars.
hope i was somewhat helpful... post pictures and let me know how it goes.
keep your interior tan man, try and find someone locally that has a written off GSR...
this one guy i know had a Tan interior in his civic and he swapped out his ugly seats for these tan GSR leather seats (both front and rear) from what i know they bolt up... and it made such a big difference...
maybe order some lowering springs online and drop your car down a bit, try to find some cheap em1 wheels or maybe some GSR blades, and if you want to smoke out your tail lights... there is this film spray you can buy at any car parts place.. take your lights off and give them a few coats. then for a paint job you should just rattle can your car... mask off the windows and stuff and spray paint it... there is a post on this site just dedicated to people rattle canning their cars.
hope i was somewhat helpful... post pictures and let me know how it goes.
Re: Make this car look good
Pardon me for saying but it looks like you want to be spoon fed everything little thing. There's more than a decade of experiences on this forum to draw from. A simple search for each item on your list should get you the result you want.
Some people are going to tell you that some of your "design" choices are very much on the rice side. The red and/or blue lighting every where in the interior for instance. The seat covers being another.
Go to the Appearance forum and take a look around.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/appearance-build-threads-122/
https://honda-tech.com/forums/group-threads-123/
https://honda-tech.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=28
Some people are going to tell you that some of your "design" choices are very much on the rice side. The red and/or blue lighting every where in the interior for instance. The seat covers being another.
Go to the Appearance forum and take a look around.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/appearance-build-threads-122/
https://honda-tech.com/forums/group-threads-123/
https://honda-tech.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=28
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: Chicago, IL
Re: Make this car look good
Dude you are going to spend way too much on parts that dont matter or have no use or that noone sees like peddals, To make it look better i would lower it, that would be #1. bassically this is what i would do:
LOWER IT
window tint
some used 15 or 16 rotas off craigslist and tires (3-500)
and then tastefull little maybe amber corners
thats just my 2c, i would avoid any spoilers ect
LOWER IT
window tint
some used 15 or 16 rotas off craigslist and tires (3-500)
and then tastefull little maybe amber corners
thats just my 2c, i would avoid any spoilers ect
Trending Topics
Re: Make this car look good
i would like to use mainly e-bay to buy the parts, and i am mainly looking for aesthetic improvements at the moment.
the car is a 1994 Honda civic LX, yes i know its slow, but i intend on spending money on it as my budget allows, help me make it look worth driving!
- by that i mean, unique headlights/taillights (or at least good looking,
preferably blacked out with xeon lights or something) that match,
- maybe a better hood,
- some window tint,
- small discrete spoiler (and by that i mean VERY i almost hate the idea of having a spoiler.),
- some decent looking not too big rims (preferably black or gold),
- good matching steering wheel,
- a decent radio with decent speakers that is ipod-enabled (don't care about cd player, although i guess that is standard nowadays)
- good pedals (preferably black with chrome detail, or vice-versa)
- some good leather matching seat covers for front and rear (interior is brown, but i intend on making it black, so black leather is preferred),
- discrete side skirts,
- front/rear lips,
- interior lighting, with door lights, panel lights, visor lights, floor lights, etc (pretty much lights for everything, i want the interior to be very well lit with either RED OR BLUE)
THE OVERALL THEME OF THE CAR WILL BE BLACK AND RED (or) BLUE!
the car is a 1994 Honda civic LX, yes i know its slow, but i intend on spending money on it as my budget allows, help me make it look worth driving!
- by that i mean, unique headlights/taillights (or at least good looking,
preferably blacked out with xeon lights or something) that match,
- maybe a better hood,
- some window tint,
- small discrete spoiler (and by that i mean VERY i almost hate the idea of having a spoiler.),
- some decent looking not too big rims (preferably black or gold),
- good matching steering wheel,
- a decent radio with decent speakers that is ipod-enabled (don't care about cd player, although i guess that is standard nowadays)
- good pedals (preferably black with chrome detail, or vice-versa)
- some good leather matching seat covers for front and rear (interior is brown, but i intend on making it black, so black leather is preferred),
- discrete side skirts,
- front/rear lips,
- interior lighting, with door lights, panel lights, visor lights, floor lights, etc (pretty much lights for everything, i want the interior to be very well lit with either RED OR BLUE)
THE OVERALL THEME OF THE CAR WILL BE BLACK AND RED (or) BLUE!
1. Get the car repaired and repainted the original factory color. This would prevent the dreaded un-painted floor pan and engine bay look. Also, keep the interior tan colored. Its far too common to see people ditch tan for black. Tan interiors can look just as good, and sometimes even better than their black/gray counterparts.
2. Invest in some proper suspension components. Try to avoid cheaper Chinese garbage or eBay brand coilover sleeves. A good combination, that is also financially smart, is Ground Control sleeves over Koni Yellow dampers. If you want to lower the car a lot, get the Ground Control extended top hats to go with them, as well.
3. Invest in some good brake pads and rotors. If you can afford to get a brake upgrade (like DC2 Integra brakes), then you'll want to improve the brake master cylinder.
4. Repair/replace any broken interior trim.
5. Install some replacement speakers that fit in the OEM locations. I enjoy Alpine and Infinity speakers, but that's a biased opinion.
6. Install an iPod interface from LogJam Electronics to maintain your factory head unit. I've always liked the look of a factory head unit, hiding added functionality. Aftermarket head units always look like garbage to me.
7. Invest in some nicer wheels and tires. If you can source something that isn't a knock-off (Volk/Rays, Work, Enkei, Weds, Advan, SSR, etc...) more power to you. If not, aim for a knock-off company that is reputable (Konig, Rota, XXR, Axis). Match the new tires with your car properly (use a tire size calculator).
8. Add an exterior lip kit for flare. If you must have different headlamps, I'd lean towards the Depo units. But, the factory ones are typically the best choice out there since they're most durable and fit the best.
9. Enjoy a clean, subtle car build that has tasteful modifications.
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 451
Likes: 2
From: CALI
Re: Make this car look good
Well, I'll throw my 2 cents in on this project, even though it may not flow well with your overall thoughts.
1. Get the car repaired and repainted the original factory color. This would prevent the dreaded un-painted floor pan and engine bay look. Also, keep the interior tan colored. Its far too common to see people ditch tan for black. Tan interiors can look just as good, and sometimes even better than their black/gray counterparts.
2. Invest in some proper suspension components. Try to avoid cheaper Chinese garbage or eBay brand coilover sleeves. A good combination, that is also financially smart, is Ground Control sleeves over Koni Yellow dampers. If you want to lower the car a lot, get the Ground Control extended top hats to go with them, as well.
3. Invest in some good brake pads and rotors. If you can afford to get a brake upgrade (like DC2 Integra brakes), then you'll want to improve the brake master cylinder.
4. Repair/replace any broken interior trim.
5. Install some replacement speakers that fit in the OEM locations. I enjoy Alpine and Infinity speakers, but that's a biased opinion.
6. Install an iPod interface from LogJam Electronics to maintain your factory head unit. I've always liked the look of a factory head unit, hiding added functionality. Aftermarket head units always look like garbage to me.
7. Invest in some nicer wheels and tires. If you can source something that isn't a knock-off (Volk/Rays, Work, Enkei, Weds, Advan, SSR, etc...) more power to you. If not, aim for a knock-off company that is reputable (Konig, Rota, XXR, Axis). Match the new tires with your car properly (use a tire size calculator).
8. Add an exterior lip kit for flare. If you must have different headlamps, I'd lean towards the Depo units. But, the factory ones are typically the best choice out there since they're most durable and fit the best.
9. Enjoy a clean, subtle car build that has tasteful modifications.
1. Get the car repaired and repainted the original factory color. This would prevent the dreaded un-painted floor pan and engine bay look. Also, keep the interior tan colored. Its far too common to see people ditch tan for black. Tan interiors can look just as good, and sometimes even better than their black/gray counterparts.
2. Invest in some proper suspension components. Try to avoid cheaper Chinese garbage or eBay brand coilover sleeves. A good combination, that is also financially smart, is Ground Control sleeves over Koni Yellow dampers. If you want to lower the car a lot, get the Ground Control extended top hats to go with them, as well.
3. Invest in some good brake pads and rotors. If you can afford to get a brake upgrade (like DC2 Integra brakes), then you'll want to improve the brake master cylinder.
4. Repair/replace any broken interior trim.
5. Install some replacement speakers that fit in the OEM locations. I enjoy Alpine and Infinity speakers, but that's a biased opinion.
6. Install an iPod interface from LogJam Electronics to maintain your factory head unit. I've always liked the look of a factory head unit, hiding added functionality. Aftermarket head units always look like garbage to me.
7. Invest in some nicer wheels and tires. If you can source something that isn't a knock-off (Volk/Rays, Work, Enkei, Weds, Advan, SSR, etc...) more power to you. If not, aim for a knock-off company that is reputable (Konig, Rota, XXR, Axis). Match the new tires with your car properly (use a tire size calculator).
8. Add an exterior lip kit for flare. If you must have different headlamps, I'd lean towards the Depo units. But, the factory ones are typically the best choice out there since they're most durable and fit the best.
9. Enjoy a clean, subtle car build that has tasteful modifications.
Keep it as clean as possible.
Honda-Tech Member
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,183
Likes: 0
From: panamanian flavor, ga, united states
Daughter not possible
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,742
Likes: 3
From: In a lake of vaginal juices
Re: Make this car look good
you should get rid of tan. if you want to do tan GSR seats and a wood grain wheel then fine, otherwise it wont look good with any other kind of stuff. No Recaro, no other sterring wheel, ect.
Re: Make this car look good
Honda-Tech Member
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,183
Likes: 0
From: panamanian flavor, ga, united states
Re: Make this car look good
Thank you, it was nice while it lasted.
Damn, wasn't aware there was a guideline to doing tan interiors, my interior looked perfect with my spoon wheel and drivers carbon kevlar back black memoryfab seat...
See, that looks sooo good!
op, look around for ideas, do some research, save and buy good things so you won't have to turn around and buy some other **** when it breaks, do what you think will look best, everyone on here will have an opinion on how you should build your car, whats yours?
Disagree entirely. Case in point: http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/w...ecaroSport.jpg
op, look around for ideas, do some research, save and buy good things so you won't have to turn around and buy some other **** when it breaks, do what you think will look best, everyone on here will have an opinion on how you should build your car, whats yours?