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I'm SE7ENZEROTWO and I'm an auto enthusiast. Currently a no-name youtuber who just mainly posted some odd and end clips from Mexico. I was a street racer battling others on Gandy Internatonal Speedway in my Camaro, but on a whim I experienced my first Rally in November of last year. It really opened my eyes to what car culture is really about, and it really was a perspective changing experience. I ended up battling GTR's, 305 Swapped 240's, LS Swapped turbo S2K's, and a bunch of others on some crazy backroads, and cruising while making a bunch of new friends along the way. Among nearly 70 drivers in the poker run rally, I won 2nd Prize and it was awesome. Shortly after that, I gave up street racing mainly because it's not the same. I've been attending some meets and cruises here and there and it was pretty cool. This past weekend, I ran my Camaro in the Corsa Rally (Corona Virus Rally) from Tampa to Lamborghini of Sarasota and back. This time I met even more friends who check up and encourage eachother to keep going. One of my friends from the Poker Run was my co-pilot and it really was a blast. Around 2 weeks ago, I've decided that It's time for a project car. Something to take the stress off of my Camaro and something to build and grow with. I've never taken the youtube thing seriously, nor have I really challenged myself in this kind of way.
As of last Wednesday 4/1/2020, I bought my project car. Something that runs and drives, but is rough and really needs love.
This project car is a 1996 Civic DX D16y7 5 speed manual. The only time I ever drove a Manual was when I was 12 or 13 in my dad's crappy 1980's trans am. So I basically showed up not knowing how to drive a Manual to learning how to drive it in 5 minutes to shifting from 1st to 5th in the test drive. I'm still sloppy and miss gears now and then. I can avoid stalling out, but I'm really trying to work on getting into 1st smoothly since the engine revs at the weight of a feather.
The purpose of this car is to become a cool but tame event/rally car. Something to challenge myself, to be recognized at car shows, and to drive in rallies. This is a very budget oriented build.
The work done on this car so far was removal of the big **** and removal of the rear window tinting.
The car looks much better without the rice burner. It's currently in for a new gas tank since a leak spilled gas all over the asphalt and started breaking it down. If you look hard enough in the pics above, you'll be able to see it.
I get the car back on Tuesday and the work will continue then.
But for now, this concludes the creation of this thread and my first post here. I have no talent when it comes to this. This is the start of not only a new chapter for myself, but also a new chapter in the story of this Civic. I hope you stick around and follow me through my Adventures.
The civic has undergone lots of work since I've gotten it.
Unfortunately, the gas tank became a larger problem with the new gas line leaking at the tank and engine. The tube that goes from the gas inlet to the tank was also bad. So it took a while to get everything right so theres no leak. The gas gauge went out, but that was also fixed.
The exhaust is completely blown into 2 where the Catalytic converter is. The rest of the exhaust is really really badly welded all the way to the DC sports universal muffler. (Full detailed thread along with pictures here! ----> https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...placement.html )
Ontop of all of that, the oil leaks from the oil pan and O-ring distributor were taken care of.
The bushings in the shifter were replaced. Shifts alot better, but still has some play when in gear.
Both parking brake cables had to be entirely replaced.
Right now, I have it on jack stands so it can receive a new complete exhaust system tomorrow.
I've been working on the exhaust and it's kind of turned into quite the Ordeal. As you know, I ordered a complete exhaust for $214. Getting the old exhaust has been the biggest pain in the dick for me in a long time and I ended up having to hacksaw parts of it just to remove it. However once it was out, the new one just went right in. However, it looks like even if you specify the year, make, model, and sub model, you still may not get the correct exhaust. For me, it looks like I got the wrong test pipe (catalytic converter replacement) and it ended up not only being a wrong pattern, but it was 3" too short and there was no way to close the gap other than fabrication. The wrong pattern resulted in an o2 sensor pointing towards the ground, unfortunately. I tried to get the car to the exhaust shop asap hoping it wouldn't kill the sensor, but the sensor was destroyed by a bump.
Once the car was fabricated and such, I had an issue with the wheel and it turns out the lugnuts weren't tight enough. I wasn't able to make it home, so I had to pull it into the closest auto shop and they diagnosed it as a bad wheel bearing and wanted to charge $460 to replace. I said hell no and went on a recommendation of a friend to another shop. There I met a fun english man and he only charged me $100 to fix my issue, give it a look around, diagnose a few other things, and then change the brake pads.
Heres a sorta in-depth vid for the exhaust. Due to the circumstances, the video may seem like it's done at the ending, but this is actually turning into a 2 part saga.
No lie, any time someone says "like and subscribe," I purposely don't click videos. That's just me tho.
How's that exhaust sound?
Fixed. And it actually sounded good when it was almost at 100%. Hearing the pops and crackles definitely makes me want to rev it more and even though It's pretty slow by today's standards, it actually became more fun to drive from the exhaust.
Hopefully once I get the exhaust 100% done, change some bushings in the trans linkage, and then do the timing belt, I'll have a real idea on what this car can do. But so far, I had to settle for 90mph and some sketchy shifting.
I'm not good at these videos yet, but any critique is welcome. Getting my train of thoughts can kinda be a challenge sometimes when holding a camera.
Hopefully it paints a good picture of whats going on.
The exhaust was in fine and dandy, however a few bolts that were holding the 4-2 and 2-1 manifolds together somehow fell out, causing the gasket to come loose and basically melt. This caused the engine to run terribly and feel/sound like it was running on 2 cylinders. Ordered a new gasket and hardware for $20 on amazon, got my replacement o2 sensor for $26 on amazon, and got both parts in. The check engine light is gone and the car finally runs and sounds decently. Lots of crackles, pops, and the occasional loud bang when decelerating/shifting gears. It sounds good in person, if you don't mind the fart too much.
The video goes over everything in detail and gives you an idea on the sound in the end. The serious, more in depth driving won't be for a few weeks since I got other things to work on before I get to that.
Next update will be going over a list of parts that I ordered, which I'm still waiting on and before/afters with hopefully a few more details on the car. I had a buddy strike me a deal on getting these parts in since I won't have the proper tools and knowhow for this.
and I currently have the update after that in the works too. It has lots of fluids.
holy crap that's way overkill for a D16. It's even overkill if you're planning on boosting like 12psi. I'd seriously consider going 2.25", 2.5" at the most..
While I'm still waiting on all of my parts to come in, I decided to rent an interior rug doctor and bought a $7 tint removal kit.
Total cost:
Rug Doctor Rental - $30
Deep Cleaning Solution - $10
Window Tint Removal Kit - $7
The interior was gross, full of stains and awful smells that came to life whenever a spec of cleaner touched the interior of the car. The water coming out of the back seat was dark brown!
Most stains were removed, however some just won't go. It's a 24 year old interior after all.
Anyway, this is kind of more an update video on the car's progress and an idea on how the clean went.
Here's a hint for the next vid! I ended up having to invest into some things that I don't have the proper tools for, so this next bit will be a 2-part. Alot of nessecary stuff will be getting done with this!
I've been slowly but steadily getting a bunch of parts for the Civic for the last 2 weeks. Over time, the civic has shown it's mechanical integrity and it honestly wasn't good. Lots of oil leaks, parts are failing, etc. The purpose of this car is to be a cruiser/car show/rally car that can drive reliably and get on it when needed. As of right now, I have anxiety when I take the car out anywhere mainly because I know many parts are at the end of their life or are not functioning correctly.
The list of parts (WITH Pricing!)
4x Denso Platinum TT spark plugs ($17)
2x Autoround wheel bearing ($37.98)
1 Evergreen Timing belt kit [Water Pump, Belt, Tensioner, seals/gaskets] ($89.95)
1 MostPlus Ignition Distributor ($67.99)
1 Bando Serpentine Belt ($9.08)
1 DB Electrical Alternator ($72.42) [No Core]
1 NGK Wire/Coil set ($43.12)
1 Red Manual shiftier stabilizer bushing set ($10.99)
2x Power Stop Drilled/Slotted Rotors ($59.79)
Right now, the car is at a buddy's getting these parts since my tool collection is limited to a basic wrench/ratchet/screwdriver/pliers set. This vid is a walkthrough/unboxing of these parts along with a better understanding of the condition of the car.
Just an FYI for future parts. Honda's can be particular about the parts you use on them. OEM or OE brand is best followed by a junk yard pull depending on the part. On important parts like the distributor, timing belt and wheel bearings inferior parts can cause more trouble then the money saved.
Edit: Yes especially the alternator like Colin42 said
Never heard of Evergreen before. I wouldn't risk installing that kit (or belt at the very least). Get a Gates belt.
Maybe it's just my apprehension but I'd be wary of ordering parts from Amazon (unless it's very clear on who manufactured it). RockAuto has the most competitive prices I've seen for quality parts, plus they're a site sponsor.
Never heard of Evergreen before. I wouldn't risk installing that kit (or belt at the very least). Get a Gates belt.
Maybe it's just my apprehension but I'd be wary of ordering parts from Amazon (unless it's very clear on who manufactured it). RockAuto has the most competitive prices I've seen for quality parts, plus they're a site sponsor.
Evergreen is actually a good brand for timing. I got the complete timing kit on my lexus ES300 without issue before i got rid of it. If you look them up, great reviews all around and honestly the best alternative for 3rd party replacement.
The odd thing is that my buddy's shop gave me a call today. The one thing that I ordered from rock auto (and i got the GOOD part) didn't work with my car, even though all fittings submodel, etc was correct. Everything else went in and works without problem.
Kind of makes me want to avoid them now, knowing how painful the shipping and RMA process will be.
In the short reading I’ve done, there have been a lot of premature failures when using this kit (around the 20k mark, some a bit lower and some a bit higher). Perhaps you’ll get lucky but I certainly wouldn’t use it.
I’m also interested in what part was messed up. I’ve been ordering from RA for years and I’ve never had any issues.
In the short reading I’ve done, there have been a lot of premature failures when using this kit (around the 20k mark, some a bit lower and some a bit higher). Perhaps you’ll get lucky but I certainly wouldn’t use it.
I’m also interested in what part was messed up. I’ve been ordering from RA for years and I’ve never had any issues.
The search I've done shows 2 different rotor sizes that will work. The smaller one works for the smaller Honda's (Civic, CRX, Del Sol) while the larger rotor kit works for the larger Honda's (Integra, Insight, EL, but the Del Sol and Civic are also in this list). Both seem to work.
I believe it could be the later with larger rotors.
The car is actually a big mystery to me still in some ways as it has a SI gauge in it. I ended up learning where the redline is the hard way as it has an improper tachometer.
Still gotta figure out which is what, and the engine/ecm will be getting a deeper look soon. I may be doing a OBD1 with a tune in the future since I found some good options. It's a project, but that's why I'm here.
New update soon!
Oh damn, really? Dealership should disclose things like that... someone can go into more detail on the legality of it but I remember a thread recently discussing the exempt status of mileage.
Only way to get a vague idea of mileage would be to buy a carfax and pray it’s been maintained.
SE7ENZEROTWO Project Civic 
