My first car | slow moving project | Big update! :D

[Perfect Balance]

I took off the original pics since I'll be using this for a place to make a list of upgrades.

Parts list:

Brakes and wheels:
Goodridge Stainless steel brake lines - $120
Satisfied Gransport 5 brake pads - $80
Brembo OEM rotors - $50
Enkei Rpf1 15 x 7 +35 - $860


Suspension:
Buddy Club N+ Coilovers - $1000


Interior:
SIR Guage cluster - $0
Energy Suspension shifter bushings - $20
Ebay short shifter - $11
Memory Fab Seat Rails - $160
Memory Fab S68 Carbon Kevlar Seat - $505
Elantra Shift Knob. - $20

Engine and Transmission:
D16y8 Intake manifold - $0
DIY airbox - $0
DIY Intake - $0
Exedy clutch - $80
Fidanza Flywheel - $150
Mild wire tuck - $0

Exterior:
Championship White color change - $500
DIY CTR lights - $10
Body color side skirts - $0
Body color Mirrors - $0
Body color license plate surround - $0
SIR grill - $0
Mugen style Front lip - $70
CTR style Rear lip - $70

Total: $3706

 

[TopHat]

Hey thats a pretty nice ride! 👍 Now just don't rice it out!

Also, you might want to get a new speedo...

 

[Perfect Balance]

Hey thats a pretty nice ride! 👍 Now just don't rice it out!

Also, you might want to get a new speedo...

The speedo is fine, it will keep me from speeding much, since 35mph looks like 60, and no, I won't be ricing it out, unless you consider NOS stickers rice, but c'mon, they add like 7hp each.

 

[Serge.D]

nice car.👍

 

[-Fred-]

Take those rubber linings in the fenders off ASAP. Water and dirt gets trapped under them, resulting in rusted quarter panels. Which, as we can all agree, sucks.

Si lip, mild drop and some wheels, and you're set!

 

[Perfect Balance]

Take those rubber linings in the fenders off ASAP. Water and dirt gets trapped under them, resulting in rusted quarter panels. Which, as we can all agree, sucks.

Si lip, mild drop and some wheels, and you're set!

Do you mean the rubber trim around the fender, or the fender covers inside the fenders around the wheels?

I'm thinking more like Spoon carbon fiber lip, full coilovers, and a decent set of wheels. This is in like 1-2 years though, I need money.

 

[PLmatt91]

Congrats man! 👍

Can't wait what you will do to it in the future

 

[Keef]

Wow, that's nicer than I thought it'd be! It's pretty cool. And I've heard from a few people on this site and elsewhere that the rubber things on the edge of the fender (which my car has) can lead to rust quickly. Thankfully it hasn't happened to mine yet, but I think I might take them off soon. Also, inside the fender there's a piece of rubber that slips over the lip. My car also has those. If your car has them I suggest you do take them off right away.

But other than that it's a really nice EK and I hope you like it. How does it run?

Oh, and you need to "customize" your ride, or just make it look a little cleaner, whatever you want to call it. Start by taking off the dealer sticker, the "Civic" and the "DX" on the rear. But leave the Big H.

 

[Perfect Balance]

Wow, that's nicer than I thought it'd be! It's pretty cool. And I've heard from a few people on this site and elsewhere that the rubber things on the edge of the fender (which my car has) can lead to rust quickly. Thankfully it hasn't happened to mine yet, but I think I might take them off soon. Also, inside the fender there's a piece of rubber that slips over the lip. My car also has those. If your car has them I suggest you do take them off right away.

But other than that it's a really nice EK and I hope you like it. How does it run?

Oh, and you need to "customize" your ride, or just make it look a little cleaner, whatever you want to call it. Start by taking off the dealer sticker, the "Civic" and the "DX" on the rear. But leave the Big H.

I may take off the DX sticker, but I'm leaving the civic one. I'm not one that feels the extreme need to be "clean"

 

[toyomatt84]

That's a great base for a project. Proven to be a good chassis to work on as well. 👍 Best of luck, and enjoyment on the project.

 

[YSSMAN]

I wouldn't worry about jumping into customizing it too quickly, as there needs to be money to do it. I would certainly agree about removing the "DX" badges though, at least in my case, I don't think they look too good, nor do they say anything good about the car itself.

...Any photos of the interior? Automatic or manual?

All I would suggest when it comes to later modifications are the simple, subtle ones that so often describe that of the Eurotuner crowd.

I'd probably look into a decent sized set of wheels and tires (thinking 16" or 17", at least H-rated rubber), removing the black side-skirts, painting the bump guards on the sides, etc. Nothing too hard or too expensive. Maybe the big ticket being a nice radio to "pump the jamz, yo" but even then, don't go overboard.

...I went to High School with plenty of kids who thought their stereos were a direct representation of how "fast" their car was. Please don't fall in that trap...

 

[Duke]

Do you mean the rubber trim around the fender, or the fender covers inside the fenders around the wheels?

He means the dealer-added (at great expense to the original purchaser) black rubber strip around the lip of the wheel arch.

It's just glued on and should be easy to peel if you take your time. And yes, it's evil and must go.

I'm thinking more like Spoon carbon fiber lip, full coilovers, and a decent set of wheels. This is in like 1-2 years though, I need money.

No, don't bother with that for this car. Waaaay too much money to spend on it. Are you going to double what you paid for the car? Makes no sense. The joy of Fred's suggestion is that you can get the parts at a junkyard, cheap. Get the Si lip, then get it and the black rocker skirts shot silver to match.

It will dress up the car a bit and make it 'yours', without wasting the cash. Then in a few years you can sell the car for what you paid for it, put that together with the money you saved by not buying the mad tyte CF yo overnight parts from Japan, and buy a better car.

It's a great first car, though, without doubt - light and tossable. What kind of mileage?

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

Nice looking car, especially for a first. 👍

I'm thinking some sweet nipple lights, spinner hubcaps and a Winnie-the-Pooh steering wheel cover.

J/K man. Enjoy it, its your first ride, and your first real sense of freedom. Just make sure to stay out of trouble (its hard, I know, but atleast try).

 

[Perfect Balance]

He means the dealer-added (at great expense to the original purchaser) black rubber strip around the lip of the wheel arch.

It's just glued on and should be easy to peel if you take your time. And yes, it's evil and must go.

No, don't bother with that for this car. Waaaay too much money to spend on it. Are you going to double what you paid for the car? Makes no sense. The joy of Fred's suggestion is that you can get the parts at a junkyard, cheap. Get the Si lip, then get it and the black rocker skirts shot silver to match.

It will dress up the car a bit and make it 'yours', without wasting the cash. Then in a few years you can sell the car for what you paid for it, put that together with the money you saved by not buying the mad tyte CF yo overnight parts from Japan, and buy a better car.

It's a great first car, though, without doubt - light and tossable. What kind of mileage?

I don't mind if it costs a lot. I want the look of the Spoon lip, and I'm not going to go the route of a cheap replica. I'd rather save up and buy the real thing than live with having a "Spoon style" lip. Sure, I am basically paying for the brand name, but I don't want to be some ricer trying to be JDM tyte with "_____ style!" parts. At least I can get the real thing instead.

Also, I don't plan on selling the car unless I crash it. The reason I got this car is because it's an affordable car that I would be willing to put a lot of money into. There isn't a much better car when it comes to light FF cars.

About the rubber thing, is it the one that is on the edge of the lip that curves under the car, since I also have a sort of "trim" around the fenders too.

The mileage is around 74,000 miles. I'm not sure exactly though.

I wouldn't worry about jumping into customizing it too quickly, as there needs to be money to do it. I would certainly agree about removing the "DX" badges though, at least in my case, I don't think they look too good, nor do they say anything good about the car itself.

...Any photos of the interior? Automatic or manual?

All I would suggest when it comes to later modifications are the simple, subtle ones that so often describe that of the Eurotuner crowd.

I'd probably look into a decent sized set of wheels and tires (thinking 16" or 17", at least H-rated rubber), removing the black side-skirts, painting the bump guards on the sides, etc. Nothing too hard or too expensive. Maybe the big ticket being a nice radio to "pump the jamz, yo" but even then, don't go overboard.

...I went to High School with plenty of kids who thought their stereos were a direct representation of how "fast" their car was. Please don't fall in that trap...

Interior pics will come sometime later, although it's just a normal civic interior. It's Manual, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it.

The wheels will probably be 15's or 16's, with 15's being the most likely. !7's is crossing the line into the show car territory.

My car has a cd player, a stock unit, besides having no power windows, locks, or mirrors. I find that odd.

Also, what's wrong with the black side skirts? I think it will look much better with them than without.


EDIT: Thanks for all the positive comments people:tup:

 

[skip0110]

Nice car 👍 A lot like my second car (1990 Civic Hatch), but a lot newer.

Also, I don't plan on selling the car unless I crash it. The reason I got this car is because it's an affordable car that I would be willing to put a lot of money into. There isn't a much better car when it comes to light FF cars.

In 5 years you might find yourself commuting 45 minutes to work and a small Civic hatch might not be your idea of a great car anymore

 

[Perfect Balance]

I see what you mean skip, although I think I would just buy another instead of selling the hatch. Theres no way I'm going to make any money off of it if I start tuning.


Today it snowed around 4 inches, and I'm gonna try out my all season 5 inch wide tires, they should be good in the snow, considering how thin they are.

 

[Tommi]

Nice car its got potential.👍

 

[xXSilencerXx]

Nice car dude. 👍

Today it snowed around 4 inches, and I'm gonna try out my all season 5 inch wide tires, they should be good in the snow, considering how thin they are.

Hahaha, we got 6 inches where I'm at in Viirginia. So I'm stuck.

 

[Perfect Balance]

Thanks for all the nice comments, and yea, the 185/60/14 all season tires are great in the snow, 4 inches of snow and no problems at all.

EDIT: Although they do suck very badly for performance driving, which sucks.

 

[skip0110]

Thanks for all the nice comments, and yea, the 185/60/14 all season tires are great in the snow, 4 inches of snow and no problems at all.

EDIT: Although they do suck very badly for performance driving, which sucks.

If you are thinking about new tires, Bridgestone Potenza G 009 are good all season tires with pretty good dry handling (good cornering, mild tramlining) and a nice thick tread depth so it'll be a while before they get rounded over.

EDIT: Also they are good to 130 mph.

 

[Diablomonkey]

Congratulations dude, hope you have fun in it

 

[YSSMAN]

Interior pics will come sometime later, although it's just a normal civic interior. It's Manual, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it.

The wheels will probably be 15's or 16's, with 15's being the most likely. !7's is crossing the line into the show car territory.

My car has a cd player, a stock unit, besides having no power windows, locks, or mirrors. I find that odd.

Also, what's wrong with the black side skirts? I think it will look much better with them than without.


EDIT: Thanks for all the positive comments people:tup:

1) Happy to hear about the manual. I worry sometimes about folks who go without, particularly in Civics. I like the transmissions in those, they work rather well. Driving VWs is a bit different, but I've been driving my brother's '91 Sentra once in a while... Lets put it this way, I haven't found too many manual transmissions that are that vague when it comes to shifting.

2) Good point on the wheel sizes. Settling for 15" would do fine, as there are plenty of great-looking options out there.

...On the subject of rummer for the moment: I have to recommend the BFGoodrich Traction T/A in the H-Rating. They are rated very high for dry, wet, and snow performance, and the good news is that they are pretty cheap as well. I would have gotten them on my Jetta, but I got screwed into some different tires (it is a long story...).

3) Hey, don't worry about the interior. My last two cars have had no power locks, windows, etc, and I love it. I love watching my friends trying to use the crank-down windows, as many of them have never been in a car like that before.

4) The skirts aren't that bad I suppose (now that I've looked at the photo more). However I don't care much for the black strip down the side. My car would have had that, but because of the Wolfsburg edition, mine are painted... It definitely makes the car look better (IMO).

 

[Perfect Balance]

...On the subject of rummer for the moment: I have to recommend the BFGoodrich Traction T/A in the H-Rating. They are rated very high for dry, wet, and snow performance, and the good news is that they are pretty cheap as well. I would have gotten them on my Jetta, but I got screwed into some different tires (it is a long story...).

3) Hey, don't worry about the interior. My last two cars have had no power locks, windows, etc, and I love it. I love watching my friends trying to use the crank-down windows, as many of them have never been in a car like that before.

4) The skirts aren't that bad I suppose (now that I've looked at the photo more). However I don't care much for the black strip down the side. My car would have had that, but because of the Wolfsburg edition, mine are painted... It definitely makes the car look better (IMO).

I'm not planning on getting new tires, I was just pointing out that they sucked. The name is something like Hercules MR IV if I remember right.

I love the fact that is has no power windows and such, It's just more weight saved!

I don't care much for the black strip on the side either, but I really don't care if it's there or not or if it's painted. I have WAY too many other things to fix before I worry about paint.

For one, the left rear wheel bearing needs to be replaced, you can hear a sort of droning sound while driving all the time, I don't notice it anymore, but I'm trying to drive more "normally" around corners and things, because I'm not exactly sure how bad it is, or what can happen if I mess it up even more. The rear speakers are blown, probably because the owner before me had the bass turned up the whole way on the speakers when I got it. The passenger seat isn't bolted down very good, and moves around. And the throttle cable need to be replaced or oiled, because a lot of times the gas sticks a little at the beginning, making for very un-smooth starts and shifts, and makes me look like I really suck at driving.

The windshield wipers work very badly, and where the lisence plate bolts on on the front bumper, the bolts are rusted, and I can't get the off. I cut one off, but its attached to something on the inside, and I need to take the front bumper off to get it off.


Basically I need a job, and I know where I can get one easily, but I can't put any money into performance on the car for a good while.

 

[azevedojose]

Nice ride. Glad you got yourself a manual gearbox EK. I would go for this look, without the spoiler, even if it took me longer than desired!!!

 

[Keef]

That car does look pretty good, but I have a suggestion that I think would make it look better. The side skirts should have been left black, as well as the front lip. It makes the car look thinner and lower, as well as matching the wheels. It's more practical for the front lip because once the car is lowered, no matter haow careful you are it's bound to get scraped on something.

As much as you want to and as much as people are suggesting, keep the modifications off for a while. I want to do so much to my Sol and it's making me crazy, but I have other things to worry about at the moment.

 

[Vonie]

Nice car, Alex.
It's always good to have a fun car. 👍

 

[toyomatt84]

That car does look pretty good, but I have a suggestion that I think would make it look better. The side skirts should have been left black, as well as the front lip. It makes the car look thinner and lower, as well as matching the wheels. It's more practical for the front lip because once the car is lowered, no matter haow careful you are it's bound to get scraped on something.

As much as you want to and as much as people are suggesting, keep the modifications off for a while. I want to do so much to my Sol and it's making me crazy, but I have other things to worry about at the moment.

Well, I disagree on your opinion of EK's. And, I don't know how you can say it'd look better, since it's down to personal opinion. The image in question is a fine example of how the car can look with minor alterations that bring out the car's true heritage. Non-painted lips, side skirts, and side moldings don't look all that great to me. It's like an unfinished paint job, they just look tacky. And, I don't know how you can say that people are going to scratch the lips on their car regardless. I know plenty of people who ride 2" or less off of the ground, that have yet to scrape their lip kits. It all comes down to driver patience.

 

[Pupik]

Take those rubber linings in the fenders off ASAP. Water and dirt gets trapped under them, resulting in rusted quarter panels. Which, as we can all agree, sucks.

Not to mention, if there's adhesive used to keep them in place, it tends to melt after a few years, which takes hours to remove, and stains the paint. We left them on our CR-V, and regretted it after 3 years. It wasn't until we had hurricane repairs done last year, was that junk was finally gone for good.

 

[Perfect Balance]

Thanks for all the comments. So far I got the license plate on, took off the rubber things in the wheelwells, took off the plastic trim around the fenders, and took off the "DX" sticker off the back. I also oiled up my gas pedal and cable, it was sticking a bit, making it hard to give throttle smoothly. It still needs work though. Tomorrow I'm going to tighten the bolts on my passenger seat, and from then on I'll just be saving up for my wheel bearing.


I need some suggestions though. I really hate how the hubcaps look, and I don't know if I should paint them flat black, or take them off and just refinish the steelies in flat black, just because they are chipped and rusted in various places.

 

[Revheadnz]

Nice car, I like the EK Civics. If you don't want to buy new wheels anytime soon you should get the steelies repainted in black. The silver (or white) car on black steelies works much better if the car is lowered though, so that the wheels look less out of place in the massive wheel wells.