Restoration 1978 Honda Civic and mods

erdace · Post by **erdace** » September 30th, 2013, 5:45 am

wrote:From the outside that 5-door looks WAY too good to use just for parts! The front end is all the same as your 3-door, as are the bumpers and lights, the dash is the same and some of the interior bits such as the roof lining but otherwise much of it is different. The front screen will fit, but the hatch glass is about 60mm taller. Different rear suspension, most of the interior is different, even the back seat and how it latches is different.

The guy who sold it to me said he had done all the welding and repainting 1.5 years ago. So the body is in good nick. One of the pistons is not running properly.Could be just a sparkplug... I really had no alternative but to part it in. As I've allready spent about 4000 USD on the project I'm keen to get it finished. Of course now I'll have to find parts to finish the bronze one. The annoying bit is that it would have needed so little to get it back into it's former glory...

The parts which have been used from it: windscreen, bumpers, dash board, light switch, head lights, front suspesions, header, exhaust system (for now), front grill, air scoop, emblems, badges. And this is how it looks now...

erdace · Post by **erdace** » September 30th, 2013, 5:48 am

Some more pictures...

erdace · Post by **erdace** » September 30th, 2013, 6:18 am

When I received these pics, I was deeply disappointed. I didn't like the interior... It used to be black. The seats, door liners etc. Looked so cool. The silver wheels don't look right either, not to mention the sausage tires... And most of all, why did they have to change the back. They put the plate behind the numberplate, changed the number plate lights, put the Hondamatic logo on it... Why on earth...? After a few days I calmed down (not quite, as I'm puffing even right now). Ok, it's being done over a 1000 miles away. I see it twice a year. BUT. When you rebuild all the seats from scratch, and changing linings, carpets you would ask your customer what colour he wants wouldn't you? I think they just assumed as this was the colour in the '79 Bronze, they needed to stick to that... Ahh.
Hondamatic badge and rearrenging the back: probably they wanted to impress, how different and full it is...
Anyway. They have done a fantastic job so far. Very sad about the finishing 5 %. The seats will have to go into the bronze if they fit, I'll brobably get the lining ripped off and replaced with black. Rear seats should be black, front seats hopefully Honda Crx ones. Wheels painted black, until I can affor some decent alloys. tires changed some more beefy and good quality 175/60 or 70 R13. Instead the Hondamatic I'll have an RS badge. The black back plate and number plate lights will come off and original lights go back. Also bought a stripe to go on from koosjer. Well, at the end it will look quite like his. Influence or coincidence? . Who knows. But I think you can get a green Civic as close to perfection as he did.

I will post more pics when either I receive some or I see my car...

See what I mean about the back?

cs · Post by cs » January 23rd, 2014, 8:59 pm

Never have liked the European Licence plate lights/back plate. Overall the car looks amazing.

erdace · Post by **erdace** » June 11th, 2014, 6:06 pm

Hi there again. The car is finished, well the body is. I should rebuild the engine now. It has an awesome sound. Some folk didn't beleive it wasn't a Sub Imp engine under the hood.
Also we recently (2 weeks ago) got married so we used it as our wedding car.
Here we go with the pics

bob78cvcc · Post by **bob78cvcc** » June 11th, 2014, 7:25 pm

Beautiful pictures. Congratulations on your marriage!

erdace · Post by **erdace** » June 18th, 2014, 2:54 am

Thanks for all the good wishes.
On the wedding there was a proffessional photographer. Just got the pics. He took some of the Civic. Wow, what a difference. I will upload a few of those in the near future.