Okay so I'm fairly new into the auto tech diying, I'm fairly mechanically inclined and love working on vehicles. A good friend of mine has allowed me use his 94 Civic as my first....I guess project. The only stipulation is that it has stay running and usable. I'm not sure where to start, and could use some advice. I M thinking with a general tune up, plugs, wires, fluid changes, maybe even some gasket changes. What do you think?

 

Does your friend have the maintenance history of the vehicle?
It's kind of senseless to replace seals that aren't leaking or were replaced not long ago.
Same with a tune up, if the rotor and cap are fairly new, changing them is throwing money away.

However, if the parts are old or nearing time to be changed.... The items you listed off are a good start, as well as timing belt and water pump.

Also, a 94.... You might look into doing bushings. at 25 years old, those are rarely new or changed and are in a significantly worn state.
For bushings I'd almost recommend getting used control arms from another 94 civic of the same trim level and doing the bushings in them, then swap out the control arms, then it's just the bolt fight on the weekend.
This tactic allows you to keep the car operable easier even if bolts are seized as all your focus in purely on the bolts and not also on the pressing of the bushings etc.

 

Like TomCat said, check all your bushings. I've heard from a couple mechanics that the trailing arm bushings get bad (proof can be seen on my 1998 civic), and that they're a pain in the *** to replace.

Another straightforward job that doesn't require any special tools are front and rear brakes. Front is pretty easy, and if the calipers haven't been replaced in a while I'd make sure they're still in good shape, and make sure you have money to buy new ones just in case. Rear brakes are a bit more difficult, but once you do one side the other side should be a breeze. Check your wheel cylinders before buying parts for rear brakes and make sure they are still in good working order, as well.

If you're unsure of the maintenance history it doesn't hurt to check the spark plugs and change the fluids. When I bought my car the guy said he just had the oil changed, but I figured I'd change it anyway and sure enough it wasn't changed, and was probably past its due date. Make sure to replace the oil filter. I'd also check your tranny fluid, and replace it if it needs to be replaced. Don't forget to use the Honda-spec fluid!

 

When I started out i was the same way. i saw my friends building cars and decided i was going to do that one day. In the beginning, I started with basic oil change maintenance spark plugs. Then I did the suspension and interior. even though I was nervous of messing something up I started working on small parts like starter water pump and then I went HAM. I did the head gasket then added turbo and ended up blowing the engine(cracked a piston wall). So I ended up pulling the whole engine out and rebuilding it piece by piece. Now the Teggy is a beast but you have to start small my friend and you'll get there.