Project Psylocibe 1975 Honda Civic 1200

[Psylocibe]

Just posting an update. Not too much has gone on with the civic due to financial constraints but it has happily been commuting an average of 250-300 miles a week including a few longer trips. Just found a NOS aftermarket replacement antenna for $20 shipped and there is a local person craigslist offering an 8 track player out of a 77 that Im trying to pick up if he calls me back for some vintage tunes.

[Psylocibe]

Cool craigslist find, OEM Clarion reciever!







Hm, that opening looks too big for a cassette. I have an in dash VCR!



And my antenna find on line auctions.

[Psylocibe]

Haven't updated in forever, so I figured I'd check in since last we met.

First batch of parts i bought after my ex and I split. Tiny baggy on the left is swaybar bushings, and the carburetor kit. Lighter for scale on the primary and secondary barrel size.







And a speedo cable and fuel pump. Just to have and install new.






Heh, look at these boxes



PREMIUM ORGANIC (remind me which part of asbestos is organic) PADS



Clutch cable



Oil pressure sender, mines been broken since I bought the car so I'm divided on installing this



Another old looking box









Some work began after that.

Oil still looked like oil for now. The camshaft actually looks in much better shape than I expected for the age.









I even helped tow a friend's pair of project Talons.





Behold, the Little Engine That Could.





Talon number 2 was the parts car, so some liberties we're taken such as having half the recommended number of control arm and steering rack bolts fully tightened, and a damaged tie rod end that in theory should make it 2 blocks with just a cotter pin (it did)







$5 shipped from on line auctions! :D

















Then it broke down.





Now ask me when I realised I never got around to making a spare.

Went to pick n pull on an unrelated run, found an 81 accord that had a night mode flip mirror that bolted right in.



Tiny car packed theater lot supremacy



Then one day in November, i decided to really evaluate my car. It started off decent enough, with the end goal of installation of parts I've had sitting in a pile in the corner of my room for nearly three quarters of a year because my mind has been honed into the most masterfully constructed weapon capable of determining with military precision just exactly how far I can get away with ignoring issues for as long as possible and still have it technically be described as my methods of transportation. I was prepared to settle for "at least it wasn't yesterday" if need be.



This all kicked off when a buddy had a minor crisis of faith over his project car and how long it was taking him to master every nuance of automotive theory,and was idly vocalizing the idea maybe he didn't have much left in his mental reserves to see it the final hundred yards and maybe he should sell. It made me do an honest bullet point list of everything major that actually was a serious issue, and realized that because the goal posts shifted gradually over the last two years I've owned my car, the New Normal actually makes it hands down one of the most ghetto rigged death traps I have ever owned, and the fact that it currently runs at all is likely due to the absolute force of will behind me believing it will work, because it HAST to work.

Threw a cheap set of NGK coppers and a full ignition system parts overhaul at it just under 20,000 miles and 2 years ago and realized I had not once pulled any piece of it off to inspect for issues. If anything I'm worried because that SQUAT! is way too clean.



Even the points look brand new and just need a minor tweak from my feeler gauges ill pick up tomorrow to correct for minor wear on the rider that contacts the distributor lobes to activate spark.



The carburetor though has seen better days.



I think this is the first time I've ever seen an accelerator pump actually do the Seinfeld hand wave peace out gif in real life. Starting to see some reasons I've been averaging 19-21 mpg every tank for the last few months and not have the exhaust blistering my eyes.



Oh it looks like the fuel pump is leaking off the bottom too



And it seems my torque strut has seen better days.



The bushings were solid and intact but despite no obvious contamination or soaking of fluids had gone from hard rubber to squeaky toy firmness. Luckily a trip to the Parts Pile[super][super]TM [/super][/super] proved not only to be fruitful, but concrete proof that Im not lazy I just plan waaaaaaaaaay ahead then forget about it.

Can't say the sediment pile behind the fuel pump thrilled me though.



And I'm just going to assume that's how the camshaft lobe for the fuel pump actuator lever is supposed to look and there isn't a single sweet little lie any of you could tell me that will change that.



While I'm here let's swap out this OEM upper engine mount. Looks fine sitting there but if you twist it like you're accelerating it instantly becomes obvious it's torn wide open.


is SQUAT! is always all over the new parts. Least it cleans up easily.



New pump and torque strut in, needed to get a slightly longer section of fuel line, because while it's not under any tension as is, it also has absolutely no slack so ten seconds of hose replacement could prevent future failure.



Speaking of, I should probably change that fuel filter I noticed on like page one of this thread and then promptly ignored one of these days.



While I'm in there I could probably even tidy up the harness problem I noted around the same time.



Or hell, at LEAST change the air filter I kept meaning to get around to.



I totally forgot I had sway bar bushings. Gives me a reason to finally do the oil pan gasket which I also have.





But if I hadn't gotten down there to do those I could still be blissfully unaware about seeing the water pump leaking at the block seam where I had to tap and Helicoil the two bolt holes (thanks to PO dickery) that coincidentally happen to be approximately just above and below the portion leaking.



So many parts piled in my room, so few hours in the day to keep blowing them off. I can procrastibate with the thoroughness and efficiency of at LEAST four mechanics of a similar skill level.



I'm sure you can imagine how fun bump starting with no accelerator pump on a leaky carburetor with a manual choke and a screwdriver for a key is when its beginning to frost over in the mornings. It's real fun. Especially if you get it moving, and use the choke as a throttle because stepping on the gas too early will cause it to die instantly and now you're either at the bottom of the hill you parked on, or at the stop light with an uphill grade at the corner you'd turn immediately at to head to work.

Then I noticed the radiator leak.



I don't think I'm gonna be able to rebuild this.



That brings us up to the end of last year, I'll finish all the work up till now tomorrow.