Giblet & Ali_XF’s 1986 Honda Civic
Discussion
The year is 1992. I’m walking back home from school and spot a maroon Honda Civic parked outside our house. “Whose car is that?” I ask my mum. “Ours” she replies.
That Honda Civic was our first family car. My dad had passed his test and bought the car after it was recommended to him by his instructor at the time. It only stayed with us for a few years before sadly being written off but we had some brilliant times whilst it was with us.
Given that it was the early 90s road safety was still somewhat lax. The Civic had no rear seatbelts so my sister and I would climb about and sit in the boot on long journeys. We had some cushions in there along with snacks to keep us entertained on the trips out. Funnily enough after it was written off we discovered it had been a cut and shut.
Fast forward to 2017. My brother and I are perusing eBay as we usually do and up pops a Honda Civic. Same age, same shape and pretty much the same spec aside from the colour. One owner from new, low mileage and not driven in the past 8 years. It felt like the stars had aligned and divine intervention had brought the Civic to us.
I quickly contacted the seller and shot across the Pennines after work the next day to view it. I feared that any haggling I wanted to do would be shot down by the fact that I turned up in a 4C Spider but surprisingly a deal was agreed at £500.
The car was taken on a trailer to a welders down the road from the seller to be given a once over. The welder came recommended via a few folks on this forum and claimed he would make the car solid for £1200.
A few weeks later the car was collected on a trailer and taken to my mechanic to be made roadworthy. For all the claims by the welder of making it solid the Civic needed further welding to pass an MOT. Expensive lesson learnt. Don’t go with the first recommendation and always get the agreed work written down beforehand.
It took a while to get the car on the road, partly due to it needing a brake proportioning valve. I eventually tracked down a second hand one from across the pond. A full service, strip down of the brakes, welding and MOT later it was ready to go. Not bad for £610 in parts and labour. I picked up a set of steel wheels from a BMW Mini with tyres to replace the tired originals for £40.
The first drive after collecting it was interesting as the speedo conked out on the drive home. A few days later the alternator went. After a few weeks of being parked up on the drive I got fed up and moved it to my mates driveway where it has stayed for most of this year.
After months of looking I found someone to start work on the project. The plan is to overhaul the car and build it up to the spec we want. The bodywork needs to be completely sorted and then resprayed in the correct shade of maroon to match the one my dad owned. Once that’s been done then we can look into engine conversions, interior retrims etc. The aim is to build a completely sorted Civic that is comfortable but still has enough grunt to keep us entertained. It’s not going to be a track car so won’t be all stripped out and silly. Our plan is to do a restomod that mirrors the Singer style but with a much smaller budget!
Our dad passed away last year (a few months prior to us finding the Civic) so the car will be our own personal tribute to him and the glory days of the early 90s. Part of me was tempted to buy examples of the other cars he owned but I’m not sure a collection of a Nissan Sunny, Fiat Uno, Rover 216 Gsi and a Nissan Almera would have the same sentimental value as the Civic. I seem to change cars every 6 to 12 months but this is one I want to keep forever.
The car was moved earlier this week to the fellow PH member (wildoliver) who will be doing the work. After visiting his workshop we were convinced he is the perfect man for the job.
The strip down starts next week, I’m praying the rust isn’t as bad as I fear it is. The fun part will be tracking down the bits of bodywork that are needed along the way. The rear arches are the biggest issue as they need replacing. If anyone has any links or info then they would be a great help.
We are still pondering over the engine choices. Our dads car was an auto, much like this one and we want to keep it as an auto. The easy option is a ~120bhp D series vtec lump but I’m wondering if a JDM H22 from the Prelude would fit.
That Honda Civic was our first family car. My dad had passed his test and bought the car after it was recommended to him by his instructor at the time. It only stayed with us for a few years before sadly being written off but we had some brilliant times whilst it was with us.
Given that it was the early 90s road safety was still somewhat lax. The Civic had no rear seatbelts so my sister and I would climb about and sit in the boot on long journeys. We had some cushions in there along with snacks to keep us entertained on the trips out. Funnily enough after it was written off we discovered it had been a cut and shut.
Fast forward to 2017. My brother and I are perusing eBay as we usually do and up pops a Honda Civic. Same age, same shape and pretty much the same spec aside from the colour. One owner from new, low mileage and not driven in the past 8 years. It felt like the stars had aligned and divine intervention had brought the Civic to us.
I quickly contacted the seller and shot across the Pennines after work the next day to view it. I feared that any haggling I wanted to do would be shot down by the fact that I turned up in a 4C Spider but surprisingly a deal was agreed at £500.
The car was taken on a trailer to a welders down the road from the seller to be given a once over. The welder came recommended via a few folks on this forum and claimed he would make the car solid for £1200.
A few weeks later the car was collected on a trailer and taken to my mechanic to be made roadworthy. For all the claims by the welder of making it solid the Civic needed further welding to pass an MOT. Expensive lesson learnt. Don’t go with the first recommendation and always get the agreed work written down beforehand.
It took a while to get the car on the road, partly due to it needing a brake proportioning valve. I eventually tracked down a second hand one from across the pond. A full service, strip down of the brakes, welding and MOT later it was ready to go. Not bad for £610 in parts and labour. I picked up a set of steel wheels from a BMW Mini with tyres to replace the tired originals for £40.
The first drive after collecting it was interesting as the speedo conked out on the drive home. A few days later the alternator went. After a few weeks of being parked up on the drive I got fed up and moved it to my mates driveway where it has stayed for most of this year.
After months of looking I found someone to start work on the project. The plan is to overhaul the car and build it up to the spec we want. The bodywork needs to be completely sorted and then resprayed in the correct shade of maroon to match the one my dad owned. Once that’s been done then we can look into engine conversions, interior retrims etc. The aim is to build a completely sorted Civic that is comfortable but still has enough grunt to keep us entertained. It’s not going to be a track car so won’t be all stripped out and silly. Our plan is to do a restomod that mirrors the Singer style but with a much smaller budget!
Our dad passed away last year (a few months prior to us finding the Civic) so the car will be our own personal tribute to him and the glory days of the early 90s. Part of me was tempted to buy examples of the other cars he owned but I’m not sure a collection of a Nissan Sunny, Fiat Uno, Rover 216 Gsi and a Nissan Almera would have the same sentimental value as the Civic. I seem to change cars every 6 to 12 months but this is one I want to keep forever.
The car was moved earlier this week to the fellow PH member (wildoliver) who will be doing the work. After visiting his workshop we were convinced he is the perfect man for the job.
The strip down starts next week, I’m praying the rust isn’t as bad as I fear it is. The fun part will be tracking down the bits of bodywork that are needed along the way. The rear arches are the biggest issue as they need replacing. If anyone has any links or info then they would be a great help.
We are still pondering over the engine choices. Our dads car was an auto, much like this one and we want to keep it as an auto. The easy option is a ~120bhp D series vtec lump but I’m wondering if a JDM H22 from the Prelude would fit.
I think it’ll probably be a while before it’s back on the road. 
The old 1.3 engine was running sweetly when it was on the road, and the car was surprisingly big inside for its tiny proportions. Pic with my old XFR for reference:
The thin rimmed steering wheel, non power assisted steering and a manual choke all took a bit of getting used to but once I mastered them it was a very rewarding way of getting around town.
As has been mentioned we are looking to Singer for some inspiration. My hope is that we can get the interior something like this (in terms of the colours/materials rather than the pricey old recaro seats!):
Having owned several D16 engined cars in the past, most notably an EG civic esi, I think it would make for a good engine for this but if there is a way to shoehorn a H22 in that would really be a hoot. At least in a straight line!
The old 1.3 engine was running sweetly when it was on the road, and the car was surprisingly big inside for its tiny proportions. Pic with my old XFR for reference:
The thin rimmed steering wheel, non power assisted steering and a manual choke all took a bit of getting used to but once I mastered them it was a very rewarding way of getting around town.
As has been mentioned we are looking to Singer for some inspiration. My hope is that we can get the interior something like this (in terms of the colours/materials rather than the pricey old recaro seats!):
Having owned several D16 engined cars in the past, most notably an EG civic esi, I think it would make for a good engine for this but if there is a way to shoehorn a H22 in that would really be a hoot. At least in a straight line!
Tear down is about to commence. Initial inspection has shown the sills are solid and only need some cosmetic attention, front wings, roof, floorboards and engine bay are all thankfully nice and solid. Rear wings will need a bit of work as expected and repair panels are NLA so that will be a challenge. The body work parts list is confined to a pair of wing mirrors and the front and rear bumpers.
It’s time for us to start doing some research on the engine choice. There are H22 mount/conversion kits available from across the pond but these all seem to be for the later EF civic/ mk2 CRX and since ours is a generation earlier we can’t make out if they will be compatible with our engine bay. D series kits for our car seem to be easier to come by.
I think a call to a few of the more established Honda tuning houses will be the way forward. It may be that the H22 swap is too much of a leap into the unknown but if there’s a chance we can stuff it under that bonnet I wouldn’t mind giving that option a go.
Re suspension/brakes- there’s an off the shelf coilover kit for this car and I’m sure the brakes could be updated with later civic discs and pads without too much trouble. Engine/box/ECU, shafts and loom will probably the biggest challenge. Have been promised some pics so as they come through will add them to the thread!
It’s time for us to start doing some research on the engine choice. There are H22 mount/conversion kits available from across the pond but these all seem to be for the later EF civic/ mk2 CRX and since ours is a generation earlier we can’t make out if they will be compatible with our engine bay. D series kits for our car seem to be easier to come by.
I think a call to a few of the more established Honda tuning houses will be the way forward. It may be that the H22 swap is too much of a leap into the unknown but if there’s a chance we can stuff it under that bonnet I wouldn’t mind giving that option a go.
Re suspension/brakes- there’s an off the shelf coilover kit for this car and I’m sure the brakes could be updated with later civic discs and pads without too much trouble. Engine/box/ECU, shafts and loom will probably the biggest challenge. Have been promised some pics so as they come through will add them to the thread!
Another week, another set of pics of rust. Dashboard is out, floor pan is worst in the front but from this point all the rot has been identified/ cut out and good metal will start to be put back in its place.
I think we’ve settled on a H22 from a Prelude so we’ve got about four weeks to find one as that is the point when the shell will be in good enough shape to move on to taking the old engine out.
I think we’ve settled on a H22 from a Prelude so we’ve got about four weeks to find one as that is the point when the shell will be in good enough shape to move on to taking the old engine out.
Made a trip to East Yorkshire to have a look at this today. Unsurprisingly It’s still having the rust cut out of it 
drivers side A pillar and rear wings are the worst bits left now.
Bodged previous sill repair has accelerated the rot around the base of the a pillar and the rear wings are in bad shape. But other than that the shell looks quite good for something 30+ years old.
Lots of research on the engine front has shown us that although a H22 from a prelude may technically be possible, it will require very deep pockets. so we’ve settled on the sensible choice of a d16 VTEC from a mk3 CRX or eg era civic. The under bonnet space is definitely too small for anything more exotic.
Plan is for us to source a suitable donor car this side of Christmas, with the rust treatment on course to be finished by the end of the year. Then the focus will be on transplanting the engine and drive train in before the paint and interior is tackled.
drivers side A pillar and rear wings are the worst bits left now.
Bodged previous sill repair has accelerated the rot around the base of the a pillar and the rear wings are in bad shape. But other than that the shell looks quite good for something 30+ years old.
Lots of research on the engine front has shown us that although a H22 from a prelude may technically be possible, it will require very deep pockets. so we’ve settled on the sensible choice of a d16 VTEC from a mk3 CRX or eg era civic. The under bonnet space is definitely too small for anything more exotic.
Plan is for us to source a suitable donor car this side of Christmas, with the rust treatment on course to be finished by the end of the year. Then the focus will be on transplanting the engine and drive train in before the paint and interior is tackled.
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