Just Bought First 'vintage' accord

[dedens]

Today I purchased a 1983 Honda Accord with 228K for the original owner. The car is in good shape. No real rust and is clean. My plan is to do a restoMod. Suspension (lower), 14" or 15" wheels, maybe some JDM (vigor) touches such as headlights etc. Interior is in good condition but sun faded. Maybe a refresh is available.

In looking on the net, parts are not easy to find. Where do you all recommend parts?



https://photos.app.goo.gl/B9HCekoDDCeoqPD73
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xn9aG6d5RtrsA6w47
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SVwfAPQdFztooJyo2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HwAhVsggeN5Nsqux2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8HCttj1b6a7Z1zqA7

[dedens]

Any help would be much appreciated. I am having a hard time finding brake rotors (front) at any local parts house.

[Honda#1]

Welcome to the club! Congrats! I love that vintage Honda creamy yellow color. First before you do any type of mods, do maintenance first. Because what good will the mods do if your engine and other stuff get beat up and break down. Focus on those first. And for parts. It is extremely difficult in local stores but RockAuto.com is a good source. They have warehouse closeout deals from big name brands and such and I never had a quality issue with them. They also have parts that ship from the same warehouse to save you shipping costs. Also some parts may pop up on ebay from time to time. I've eyeballing the Honda when it was listed even though I wasn't going to buy it, but just because the color is so rare. And whatever you do, don't rice out the Honda.

[dedens]

Thank you for the response. I just happened to find that car while jogging with a friend. How rare is the color Desert Tan YR-54? The interior is color code Type - R (Brownish). The car has been well maintained but I am going through it anyway. My plan is to pull the motor and trans and rebuild this winter. Keep stock not hot rod. I'd like to lower the car a bit (not slammed)n and some retro wheels. The interior is faded but not ripped. Would love to replace or maybe just leave it. It has a little rust (just starting) at the bottom of the window. I am going to have the fixed professionally. The more time I spend with the car the more i'm falling in love with it. Want to treat the old girl to a refresh but not ruin the cool old school look.

Did you see the car listed on craigslist (Portland/Vancouver)? What are your thoughts, suggestions, etc. I am new to this and am looking for thoughts..

[Honda#1]

Yes, I saw the car on craigslist. Even though I'm situated half the country away, I would check craigslist from the Pacific Northwest to southern Cali for vintage Hondas just to see what's out there left and for ideas of how to make minor upgrades to the interior. Sometimes I would see certain floor mats or other accesories and I might like the look and want to make mine like that. Sometimes to see if there are Hondas like mine out there and what the mileage looks like. Basically I look for them in states where I know there are survivors. And that's why I can say the color is rare. Hatchbacks weren't even offered that color. The sedans I would see would either be gray or light blue or maroon. This was an interesting era when Honda offered so many colors each year and replacing the previous colors. Interesting enough, once you memorize all the colors for the years, you can be spot on telling the year of the Honda without knowing the actual year. The brown and caramel metallic orange brownish shades that Honda had were beautiful and hardly seen these days of all the vintage Hondas left.

That's even better how you found the car in person. Plans for the car sound good enough. The interior I would keep as is unless there is a good upholstery shop around that can find facric to match the original texture. A rebuild is great for the engine and tranny if it is absolutely necessary. Keep in mind that it has to be done right because many times it can make the engine worse than it was at the beginning. It is a very detailed job requiring lots of patience and you do not want to waste money on a poor job. I would not drive it in the winter. Dn't know how bad it gets with snow out there but I would store it and start it up weekly and let it run for a good amount of time to prevent condensation building up in the engine. Make sure the oil filler cap doesn't feel too loose to allow extra moisture in the engine.

[dedens]

Yes, I saw the car on craigslist. Even though I'm situated half the country away, I would check craigslist from the Pacific Northwest to southern Cali for vintage Hondas just to see what's out there left and for ideas of how to make minor upgrades to the interior. Sometimes I would see certain floor mats or other accesories and I might like the look and want to make mine like that. Sometimes to see if there are Hondas like mine out there and what the mileage looks like. Basically I look for them in states where I know there are survivors. And that's why I can say the color is rare. Hatchbacks weren't even offered that color. The sedans I would see would either be gray or light blue or maroon. This was an interesting era when Honda offered so many colors each year and replacing the previous colors. Interesting enough, once you memorize all the colors for the years, you can be spot on telling the year of the Honda without knowing the actual year. The brown and caramel metallic orange brownish shades that Honda had were beautiful and hardly seen these days of all the vintage Hondas left.

That's even better how you found the car in person. Plans for the car sound good enough. The interior I would keep as is unless there is a good upholstery shop around that can find facric to match the original texture. A rebuild is great for the engine and tranny if it is absolutely necessary. Keep in mind that it has to be done right because many times it can make the engine worse than it was at the beginning. It is a very detailed job requiring lots of patience and you do not want to waste money on a poor job. I would not drive it in the winter. Dn't know how bad it gets with snow out there but I would store it and start it up weekly and let it run for a good amount of time to prevent condensation building up in the engine. Make sure the oil filler cap doesn't feel too loose to allow extra moisture in the engine.

Do you have photos of your car?

My other garage queen. Low miles but needed a bit of love. Too much invested to admit but that not really the point. In the back ground is my daily driver a 04 MDX (survivor). Its like new! As you can see...I like older cars. My hobby is getting older cars and restoring them to their former glory. I get a little disheartened and think I made the wrong purchase because trim parts, some suspension, bumpers, and such are not readily available or not available at all. Its not about the money... Maybe I have to accept that I can only do so much and leave it at that.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sFCNCgDNkuyNdDQ19

[Honda#1]

Older cars make us think when parts are not easily available. And sometimes we have to make up our own solution to a replacement part. The challenge is fun in a way as long as the car is not your daily driver and you have time to fix it up. And definitely there are times you have to accept it and leave it as it is.

[Honda#1]

I want to post pictures of my car but I can't find the attachments button when I go into the advance reply option but here are some on the forum

https://www.3geez.com/forum/classic-honda-pics-videos/137944-83-accord-hatch.html


https://www.3geez.com/forum/classic-honda-pics-videos/135564-my-1983-accord-lx-hatch.html

[dedens]

Great looking HB! Very nice!

[Honda#1]

Thank you!!