My first venture into Honda(Been J-Body for 6 years of my "car" life), and I already love it.

March 1st I sold a non running 96' Sentra for $500, and went and picked this Civic up for $500.
So in theory, it was free.

Previous owner's G/F slid on some ice back in January, bounced off a guard rail and went into a ditch.
And this was the result;


While I haven't had a chance to dig into the car yet, from what we saw from underneath while it was on a trailer there is no frame/sub-frame damage and honestly the control arm doesn't look bent, But something caused the wheel to be pushed back.
But it does move, just not very well with the bent rim wobbling around.
And the windshield is cracked from the airbags going off.

Here's the rest of the car




It won't win any beauty contests right now, but for what I paid I'm not complaining.
Supposedly its lowered on some "good" coilovers, but the brand is unknown, I'm hoping they were being honest and they aren't e-bay crap.

And under the hood;

It needs to be cleaned up, and that wire loom removed(and eventually a mild wire tuck).
It has a generic intake(I can't identify it), some cheap header(rusted bad, just going to replace it when I can) and a front strut bar.


So right now the number 1 job is fixing the damage to the wheel/control arm and the windshield so I can drive it.

Then I'll tackle the smaller jobs.
Won't be able to do anything until this weekend when I move back into the trailer where its sitting(Divorce issues) but I'll keep the thread lively as I get the car back together and to her former glory.

End goal is a good daily driver that is also fun to drive on these mountain roads.

This is the current plan of the build(things may change as I learn more about these vehicles)
Exterior:
*replace broken front bumper
*paint hood, front bumper and right fender
*replace broken door handles on left side
*Smoked foglights
*clear outer turn signal tail lights(tail lights smoked)
*fender marker lights
*15" or 16" rims
*ONE DAY Carbon Fiber OEM style hood
*Remove badges/emblems
*Paint side molding and side skirts body color
*Type R(Si?) front grill(no H emblem)
*MAYBE a front lip

Interior:
*Short throw shifter
*Better seats
*Replace worn/broken parts
*Aftermarket steering wheel

Performance/Suspension/Underhood:
*Replace ball joints and tie-rods
*Full CAI
*Replace header
*Upgrade muffler(gotta be quiet/no rasp)
*Urethane motor/transmission mount inserts
*Upgrade all suspension bushings
*Camber adjustment upgrades(to REMOVE the camber of being lowered)
*Y8 Intake manifold swap
*Valve Cover Repainted
*Rear strut bar
*Rear sway bar

 

not bad for 500 bucks, it runs right?

 

That's ALOT of body damage if you plan to have it fixed professionally you'll be out more then the car is worth you'll get more parting it out. I'm referring to the dents that aren't on replaceable parts like around the gas tank and quarter panels.

 

I agree with him on this, some of this will be more difficult to tackle on than you think, body work is never fun. Other than that I wish you the best of luck on tackling this project

 

Really not that concerned about the body(Well the non replaceable parts).
The right wheel arch area my friend who works at a body shop said he'll help me get it straightened as much as we can.
I'm not that worried about the paint, as its going to be a daily driver.
I can live with the dents.

Anyhow managed to get the fender off and it is a bent control arm.
I'll have some pics up later today.


I'm sorry I thought I said it ran and drives in my post, the wheel is bent so its not possible to drive at anything over a slow crawl, and the wheel only turns a few inches because of the bent control arm.

Once the control arm is replace(and anything else that might of been damaged/bent) and front end aligned it will be on the road(minus the windshield, but the closest windshield place is a 40 minute drive, so it'll have to wait till I can drive it.

 

You might have to look for another sub frame w/lower control arms. Thats pushed way to far back.

 

From what we could tell looking under the car while it was on the trailer, the sub-frame and body looks straight,
Sorry for the bad pic, I didn't have the wheel off at the moment, just stuck my phone in blindly and took some pics.
This is my first time working on a Honda, but I'm pretty sure that control arm is supposed to be straight and not have a sharp curve in it like that?



But I will check the sub-frame for any damage, and replace it if it needs to be.


On a side note, I was told it was on groundcontrol coilovers, but these look to be cheap e-bay sleeves :-/

Because all the e-bay crap uses silver chrome where as all the GC sets I've seen are Red/Gold chrome.

Also how many O2 sensors does a 97' use?
My Z24 used one in the header and one at the cat.
The header o2 is there, but then this one is sitting in the engine bay.
No way it'll reach the cat.

 

Well first things first, got rid of all that nasty yellow wire loom.
(missed the one on the overflow, its off now)


Cleaned up the headlights(Right side is done, but it'll work till I get a new one).



Got the front bumper off, friend is gonna help me fix that lower radiator support.
(no picture yet) but I am VERY happy with the underside of the car, no rust on the body at all... the exhaust, is a different story all together. Aside from no muffler, its all rusted out and will need replacing.


And at last, the offending control arm.

Picking up a lower control arm, steering knuckle and upper control arm next weekend, with fairly new ball joints and bushings on them.
with option to get the sub-frame if for some reason mine cannot be aligned.
Still need a dipstick(it came broken off in the tube, I'm not driving it till I can check the oil level) and the windshield replaced(hoping for my last paycheck in March, on the 28th).

My goal is to have it tagged and driving by beginning of April.
Then I can begin the task of tackling the side jobs such as exhaust, left mirror, front bumper, right fender, door handles, etc

 

Plus one for another sedan builder!

im workin on my 97 black lx sedan too, i forsee it not runnin for another 2 weeks lol ;/

e: that is ebay coilovers indeed

 

What's up with the double post build thread?

 

Double post? I only see this thread?

And because there's nothing else to really post till next weekend.
The dirty but rust free underside.

 

I miss my ej6 sedan. Will be cool to see where this goes. I'm really digging that filter for the intake (sarcasm)

 

Yeah, its a great filter isn't it?
Well its surprisingly clean, and besides being ugly its not causing any issues so it'll stay till I get a full CAI and can get rid of the airbox.

I'm really excited to get her back on the road and slowly get her back together.

 

You were into Cavaliers? I would never admit that in civilized conversation, man

I don't see where anyone answered your O2 sensor question, so here ya go. The LX and DX came stock with the catalytic converter in front of the engine. The primary O2 sensor went right on top, and the secondary went right under it. Since the PO decided to "convert" to an EX-style exhaust, your primary O2 sensor should go into the #4 or #3 runner, and you'll need to buy or fabricate an extension harness and run the secondary O2 sensor down under the car to sit behind the cat.

 

Your tierod boot is shot you'll want to fix that soon, the rad support has a nasty dent too. I'll give you credit for tryin to fix it tho . when you can ditch those coil sleeves and get new struts and springs as the current ones will be blown from how low it was.

 

The header really needs to be replaced, is there a DX/LX style header I get get that will already have the o2 locations?
Or will I have to extend that O2 sensor to the car ether way?

And I'm sure no one here cares, but this was my Cavalier Z24 before the motor decided to blow.
Plan was at tax time this year me and my friend were going to fix the body work and give the whole car a respray, but plans changed.
(yes wrong size tires, also planned was for the right size tires)






As for the tie-rod boot, my first major "upgrade" after the windshield is replaced(can't drive the car till its fixed, as it won't pass inspection) is new tie-rods/boots and upgrading all the front suspension bushings with urethane, including motor/tranny. Rears will follow shortly thereafter.

The damaged radiator support, is that going to effect how the car drives?
I had planned on getting it fixed, but it was going to be a month or two from now, can it wait till then or is it something that will compromise the chassis?

Already have stock strut/springs line up to replace the e-bay coilovers till I can afford to upgrade, going to miss the low, but I don't want to wreck it.

Thanks for all the info, advice and feedback
Its going to be a long road, but I can't wait to get it back together.


And on a few side notes...
*Is a y8 intake manifold swap worth doing?
*are there any aftermarket mufflers that are rather quiet?
*Are the stock mufflers really bad performance wise? does a after market add any increase in performance?
*Do the coupe/sedan tail lights swap out?

 

Almost forgot, this week I'll be checking the timing belt and doing some minor engine bay wire/hose tucking and cleaning out the best I can(no outside hose )

 

Well finally got a few updates.
Tuesday I attacked the engine bay for a few things.
*got the broken dip stick out, checked the oil(looks great)
*Checked the timing belt(looks great)
*Checked the spark plugs(needs changing bad, will be before it gets back on the road)
*tucked a few wires/hoses and removed a few unused brackets


And the tuck that took the most time, separated and wrapped each injector harness so I could run them under the fuel rail


And the update after today's part haul;
I'd say the control arm was bent 0_0

Aha before and after

(strut not installed yet, still have to get the stubborn axle nut removed so I can swap the axle over)

And the fender to replace the banged up one

And the free bumper that came with the fender till I find a new bumper.

Its slowly coming together, there is still a little less than a 1/2" difference between the right/left wheel from the frame, I'm pretty sure its where I had to swap over the back part of the control arm because the one I bought today didn't have the hole for the end-link. But it shouldn't cause any driving issues after its aligned until I can replace it as well.

Here is the to-do list to get it road worthy.
*windshield
*spark plugs
*new T-line for the FPR/Cruise control vac lines as it broke
*muffler(got a stocker to get put on for now)
*new 14" steelie to replace bent rim
*replace tie-rods and boots
*front end alignment

If things go according to plan I'll have the fender and hood painted thanks to a hook up from a friend at the shop he works out(I buy the supplies, he will paint for free).
And the bumper, if I have it in time.

Because of some unexpected bills, it's gonna be mid/late April before its on the road.
But its getting there.

 

Getting the axle removed from the old steering knuckle(hub) this morning when I get off work, then one day this week I'll get the axle installed and get the strut back on and get everything buttoned up.

Picking up a stock muffler and some second hand black headlights(stockers are busted) this weekend.

I also updated the first post in the thread with my proposed build plans for the LX.

 

Few updates.

Since I haven't had any up till now, interior pics.
Excuse the mess, its acting as a temporary storage unit while it sits.




Aside from needing a lower balljoint hex nut the suspension is all buttoned up.
Headlights reinstalled(WILL be replaced in a few weeks, right side is a goner)


H and Civic emblems removed from gas door


So not too much longer and it'll be on the road again, still needs;
*windshield replaced
*replace bent steelie
*front end aligned
*fresh spark plugs
*front marker/turn signal plug/pigtail
*one headlight bulb
*muffler(I could "pass" inspection without it, but the drone is horrible)
*dip stick

And then I can start the part I'm looking forward to, beneficial upgrades and replacing all the cosmetic flaws.

 

For the wheel I recommend the NRG quick release hub+wheel a nice edition to the interior, the set ups pop up used alot in my area or it's 340$ new for the hub/wheel/adapter. The wind shield is the only thing that can't really be done your self and will cost the rest you seem to be chipping away at which is good to see.

 

Got a few updates.

Had an issue with the back right drum(E-Brake) locking up, after some gentle persuasion with a hammer... nothing, so I slapped the warped wheel on the drum, and drove the car back and forth in the drive way till it finally freed itself, although I still have slack in the e-brake handle, gonna pull the drum next week(weather pending) and try to free up the cable.

Once the wheel was freed, I took it down the road for a test drive.
Didn't have any steering issues like I thought I was going too, didn't pull or anything(still going to get it aligned though). back struts are obviously BLOWN to kingdom come, it bounces horribly.
Got it up to speed(55) and turned around and came back home.
No weird/odd noises, no shuttering or shaking.
All was good ^_^

Although I noticed the wheel is sitting farther back than I thought it was.
I think the rear section of the control arm I had to swap over for the sway bar end-link hole is bent and throwing it off, will replace ASAP.
Also need to adjust the coilover up a little.


Also, since I've never ran a A/C in any vehicle I've owned since moving from Florida to NC in 2002, I pulled the A/C system.


Gonna sell the (working) system or trade for more parts.
Compressor is also off now, I didn't realize it ran on its own belt from the alternator.

Got a great deal on some black housing headlights today.


EVEN got a free spotless OEM set that I'm trading for a replacement DCSport header, stock muffler and dipstick WOO!

Got paid Friday so on top of the headlights I grabbed a set of NGK sparkplugs, front brake pads, brake fluid so I can replace the bad caliper and bleed the system, replacement 9003 bulb since the right side only had low beam, got a set of amber 3157(or whatever size the corner bulbs are).
And managed to get the broken bulb out of the right side socket, which I thought I was gonna have to replace.


Everything is coming together nicely, if no surprise bills come up between now and 2 weeks from yesterday(Friday) I'll have it back on the road.

 

I might regret asking this...why is there a band clamp on your #4 exhaust runner?

 

I thought it added personality?

Actually it was like that when I bought the car, I'm guessing it had a crack/hole where its all rusted out like that, reason I traded the extra set of headlights for a new header so I can replace that one.

 

Well decided to test fit the black housing headlights.
What a headache.
Not sure if the headlights are just a crappy fit, or if the front support is warped, but they refuse to line up correctly.

Got the left side adjusted enough that it looks OKAY.
But the right side is being a PITA.

I compared them to the stockers, and I honestly don't see any difference in them. so I don't know whats going on.



Now the right headlight that was already on the car was broken pretty bad, making me wonder if something is bent/warped to where it wont sit flat.
Going to play around with it this week and see if I can't get it to fit.


Most likely be the last update for a few weeks, as there is not much else major to do but to save up for the windshield, muffler welded on, front end alignment and the title/tag to be taken care off.
I estimate 3 weeks from Friday I should have it on the road and can start replacing the suspension bushings, tie-rods, balljoints and anything else that comes up as I'm driving it.