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Hi, MrWhos aka Wes here.

A little bit about me and why I registered:
I am a 30 year old who returned to school to work on my PhD in Econ. Part of going back to school meant sacrifices, so I sold my 07 silverado z71 4x4 (with a carpc/sound I put in it) and bought this civic instead. My motivation was better gas mileage and less expensive maintenance but also in a lot of ways the civic is easier to drive around in and to work on because it is so much smaller (other than a much more cramped engine bay).

I just registered on the forum after cleaning the carpets with a household carpet shampooer. After buying the car in January I've had to do a number of maintenance related work on it and thought it would be a good idea to register here. Hopefully, I can get help in the future as I dig deeper into customizing the car and get feedback on projects as I plan them and after completion.

My experience working on the car:
What I've done so far:

• Replaced the exhaust.
• Cleaned the oil pan and put a new gasket.
• Replaced the passenger window regulator.
• Spark plugs and wires.
• New radiator, hoses, and termostat. An aluminum rad should be here friday--currently it has a free radiator from a D series engine a fellow civic owner gave to me out of his parts car... it worked fine for a while but now is having some issues. Also, added some head gasket leak fix as there was some oil in the overflow res (no coolant in the oil though).
• Removed the sunroof pan and painted on a heat/noise reducer and installed a new sun shade.
• Replaced broken wheel studs.
• Replaced front bumper/fog lights after it sustained damage from a hit and run while I was in class.
• Replaced the water pump and timing belt on another civic but I've yet to do that job on this one yet because of time constraints.
• Probably a dozen other small jobs I am forgetting.

What is on the todo list:

• Install Window 10 CarPC + Sub and Speakers.
• Have the car repainted and dents removed.
• Install a roll cage for additional safety if there is ever an accident.
• New alarm, remote start + keyless entry.
• After I graduate and get a job I will look into doing a K20/K24 swap.
• and much more...

Final thoughts:
I'm a bit of a car novice in some areas but have knowledgeable friends and good attention to detail. Also, I am hoping to take care of this car and own it for life since there is a bit of an emotional attachment--I gave up a lot to go back to school and going from the truck to this car is a reminder of that.

Just because it's a lot less expensive doesn't mean I can't make it just as nice as the truck was and something I can fall in love with driving.

 
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Welcome to the forum!

 
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Good to see all the stuffs you figured out, you will get more of ideas here.

 
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Thanks guys!
Just got it all put back together after replacing cooling and exhaust and got to work through some gears on country roads. Was fun

 
Rep Power: 512

Is it safe to say you're in Canada? If you're not, and you're rocking a B16 under that hood, I'd mod the crap out of that after you get your PhD. That engine is kind of a badass.

In any case, welcome!