Accord Hatchback in UK

[Hirst]

Hello there! Just obtained a MK1 Accord Hatchback so I thought I'd use it as an excuse to sign up. I own a few other old Japanese cars but this is my first Honda.

http://www.oldjapanesecar.com/accord/accord.jpg

I don't know what trim level it is, I think there was only one trim-spec for the UK market. It's a 1.6 CVCC with a 5-speed manual gearbox, it's very well-equipped for an essentially 70s car and everything seems to work bar the radio which I'll investigate later. The choke pull is a bit loose too, I had to fiddle around with it a bit to get the choke off, will have a look at that tomorrow maybe.

http://www.oldjapanesecar.com/accord/interior.jpg

It needs some work before I can start using it properly, largely some welding at the back. I have to say I'm impressed with what I've experienced so far. It drives very nicely and I like the handling. Looks pretty mean at the front too!

Plans are to leave it pretty much as is (bar tidying up), though I'll probably give the wheels a repaint and a set of trim rings to brighten it up a bit. I notice the mirrors have been changed for some little flat round ones, they quite suit it so I think I'll leave them on I reckon.

Will keep you updated with the progress!

[AccordB20A]

sweet, looks like a tidy 1g and good luck with it

[Hazwan]

:welcome:

Nice hatch you got there. Post more pics!

[Civic Accord Honda]

looks nice! welcome!

[Dr_Snooz]

Pretty sweet man! Welcome!

Be careful with the choke cable. On my 1g it was held into the dash with a cheesy plastic threaded nut. It broke within the first month of ownership and flopped around thereafter until I sold the car 4 years later.

[carotman]

Nice car!

[2ndGenGuy]

Clean hatch! Welcome to the site! Can't wait to see some more pics of your work!

[Rendon LX-i]

nice...welcome aborad

[-$MOKIN-]

nice

[Hirst]

Thanks! All I've really done so far is tidy up the inside and have a bit of an inspection. The rear of the sills need welding but the rest of it seems OK. Unfortunately I've got a lot of other projects on at the moment so this one might have to join the queue, but I'm excited to see it reach completion.

[2ndGenGuy]

Is that an 81? I wanna say that it's older, like a 78 or 79. With the 1600 in the CVCC design, and that older-style grille. But maybe that's just the UK spec grille. Not really sure. Especially the silver with black interior doesn't seem 81 to me. But yeah still could be a UK thing. :)

[Hirst]

It was registered in April 1981, but I suspect the build date is a fair bit earlier - often cars sit around unregistered before they sell, not usually more than about a year though.

Any way of checking the build date for sure, off the VIN or something? I need to know for sure as it needs a front pipe and there are two kinds for sale: 76-80 and 81-82.

Actually I'm not even sure it is a CVCC now, I just assumed it was to be honest. This is all getting confusing!

[-$MOKIN-]

Hirst what other cars do you have? Older japanese cars? Id like to see some pics of them.

And its hard to beleive that dash is that perfect.

[2ndGenGuy]

Check the engine code on the upper radiator support in the left side of the engine bay. It will say EK1-XXXXXXX or EL-XXXXXXXX or maybe EF-XXXXXXXX. That first group is the engine code. I don't think you guys got any CVCC motors over there, but you never know, import laws don't seem to be nearly so anal as they are here.

I'm sure there's a way to know by VIN, but I don't know where to find that information. Maybe 79Cord will chime in here in a little bit and shed some light. He is the vintage Honda human encyclopedia. He knows everything there is to know about any old Honda.

[Hirst]

I'll check that out when I'm with it next (kept away from the house at the moment), on reflection it probably wouldn't need to be a CVCC as the emissions standards weren't very strict here at the time.

Other cars? Here's the rundown as quick as I can make it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3375646217_a4b2008bec.jpg
1982 Colt Galant 1600 GL (daily driver and what I came to work in today, n.b. really a Mitsubishi, but they were known as Colt here until the mid 80s)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2136/2362717474_17377917fb.jpg
1983 Daihatsu Charmant 1300 LE (my absolute favourite, wanted one for years, barely any left, based on the old RWD Corolla)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2009/2361584387_77a3df7122.jpg
1985 Mazda 323 1500 Station Wagon (full length high-roof, off the road as needs welding, this is to be my parts hauler)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3629/3329354062_8993d8ff34.jpg
1982 Datsun Stanza 1.6 GL (unloved FWD obscurity, looks worse than it is, not finished yet)

I have a thing for old cars in general, but Japanese stuff seems to fall into my lap, including the Honda. Old cars are uncommon here so my stuff is pretty rare - I'm told the Accord is one of 16 left registered, but I don't know whether that is just hatchbacks or if it includes the 4-door.

And yes, the dashboard is fine, doesn't seem to have any cracks or anything, the interior in general is a strong point - the seats are nice and everything seems to be there and work bar the radio, which I'm hoping has just been disconnected.

[-$MOKIN-]

Wow thts cool.. You like old cars like me...Very nice. Welcome to 3geez ...Im for sure youl get the support you need here to do what ya need to do. Im glad that the old fird still flys.

[Hirst]

Check the engine code on the upper radiator support in the left side of the engine bay. It will say EK1-XXXXXXX or EL-XXXXXXXX or maybe EF-XXXXXXXX. That first group is the engine code. I don't think you guys got any CVCC motors over there, but you never know, import laws don't seem to be nearly so anal as they are here.
Just checked things out through the documents, apparently we had two engines in the UK, the 1598cc "EG" and the 1602cc "EL". Don't think either are CVCC.

My car comes up as 1602cc on the vehicle logbook so I'd assume it's the EL, is that good then? 78hp apparently. Seemed quick enough!

[79cord]

That looks really nice, congratulations upon its aquisition.
I like the unusual mirrors, though they look tiny.

I think it looks like an '81 model year (starting oct'80?) guessing from the g/shift console... bit hard to see the shape of the ctr tunnel but I presume it rises up from the firewall to the shifter for the revised shift linkage & '81 EK engines Cat.converter, where earlier it was a consistent shape. You should be able to tell from the chassis number too but I don't know the codes well enough either. Lots of plastic trim pieces will have date codes on them too, & I found some inside my wheels too! The Non- American Accords didn't get quite so many grille & wheel changes over the years - but that didn't mean they didn't get changes every year.
For the 1st gen Accord's final year of '81 they had a unique floor, g/shift linkage, frt seat mountings, frt seat buckles, radiator & its mountings, brake-pipes & proportioning valve, revised crank & flywheel & though interchangeable, slightly revised head-casting, starter, alternator, distributor.... I wouldn't have thought the front exhaust pipe should have needed to change for non-cvcc '76-'81 models but Honda might have revised the mounting hook locations underneath when they reshaped the ctr/tunnel.

The EL 1602 saves the complexity of the USA/Japanese emissions oriented CVCC EK 1751cc with its additional stratified-charge valvetrain & carburettor mixtures without any significant power loss. It has a shorter stroke & wider valve angles than the EG of '76-78 models so it reputed to be is smoother, happier revving & with a broader torque spread. (Some of the lazier after-market service manuals never even got around to registering the change), The later 2nd gen accord '82-3 EL 1602 has other significant differences like bigger valves, swapped intake & exhaust locations & relocated head studs, again aiding flexibility since outright power claims never changed much .

Australia only got one trim level too -midway between the two US spec's, we did get standard stainless wheels trim-rings though, but judging from some scans of European brochures you might have missed out there.

Sad to hear the UK has so few surviving examples... though there'd be few places they'd be common now! Honda reputedly made more than 1.5 million, presumably mostly bound for America, as it set a new benchmark for its class in most markets.

I'm still sad a "friend" recently scrapped a really nice '84 Mitsubishi Sigma 2.6 after he removed the engine & stripped the interior with race/rally fantasies before he lost interest...

[blue_accord]

wow..
nice ride..i like your side mirror..

[Hirst]

Thanks for the info! The mirrors are quite small but provide surprisingly good visibility. I was pondering changing them back to the standard ones, but they do look/work alright so I'll probably leave them.

With regards to trim rings - usually UK brochures show stuff without trim rings, but aftermarket ones were reasonably popular back in the day. I trial-fitted a generic one (off the Stanza) and it looks very nice with all the other chrome, so I'll pick up another set off eBay or something.

The rarity of these cars will be largely down to rust issues and this one is no different, it requires work to the sills but luckily everything else seems fine. I've done some digging and found sill panels available for the 4-door model - I wonder if they could be modified to fit onto this? Otherwise some metalwork will be required.

[79cord]

I don't think saloon sills should be any different apart from the door cutouts. Wheelbase, floorpan (except for boot extension) & front panels were shared so the section shape should be the same ? One-piece body-sides tend to confuse things.

Original chrome mirrors tended to rust out anyway & usually only drivers-side were standard (though '76-8 mirrors weren't "handed").

[2ndGenGuy]

I knew 79Cord would close the case! He is the MAN! I strive to have his knowledge, and huge collection of nice Hondas!

[Hirst]

Worked out nicely hasn't it? I've seen a diagram of said part and it should be all good then, it just has the door cutouts which would need amending. This should make things a lot easier.

However, I've also found 2-door Accord sills on the stock list at some old repository of panels - the list it isn't kept updated very well so they might not exist anymore, but it's nice to know that if not, the 4-door ones should be OK!

It'll probably be a while until I get hold of some sills and have them welded on but it's nice to get things planned out in preparation. Providing the money situation remains OK, it should be nice and tidy by the summer.

[Ichiban]

I actually recommend getting sill panels bent up out of 18 gauge "black iron", as the local sheet metal shop called it. I purchased a pair of europarts brand rocker panels, and besides being tinfoil thin, they barely resembled the originals. For almost a third the price, the local sheet metal shop made me 2 rocker panels, these fit exactly as the OEM had, were thicker material, and easier to weld. In fact, the europarts panels completely lacked a crease that the original panels had.

[1GCustomAccord]

Sweeet car! Wellcome to the forum!

[Hirst]

I could do with replacing the "heavy capacity fusible link" on my car, the one on the side of the engine bay in a rectangular little box. Anyone got one, or a part number? I'd like to replace the whole assembly if possible as it is a bit worn.

[79cord]

Don't have an Accord parts book but found a Civic one which listed
98200-64500 FUSE,45A
And looked about right (there's a spot for a spare in the under-dash fuse box too).

It also lists part numbers of
38250-634-008 FUSE BOX.MAIN
38250-634-660 FUSE BOX.MAIN
not sure which one the Accord had.


edit:

Sorry if I misled: I just went & checked & my Accord claims to have a 55A main fuse...
My Prelude parts book providing:
98200-65500 FUSE G, (55A)

[Hirst]

That is utterly brilliant info - with that parts number I played "Internet detective" and found that said 55A fuse is used in all sorts of Honda machinery (including lawnmowers, boats and bikes). I then fired the parts number into the site of an independent Honda bike specialist who has a load in stock for mere pennies! Going to order a few later so I've got some spare, seems like a fairly intelligent thing to do with them being so cheap.

So in conclusion, many thanks! It has saved me a visit to the dealer, which is my worst nightmare - strolling into a glass-walled palace of cars and asking for a part for some defunct, nearly 30 year old car is a risky business. They always look so unhappy with me.

I probably won't be able to do much on the car over the next few weeks, but it's nice to know that the foundations are there. Even with slightly binding brakes and a blowing exhaust/muffler it drove so well, I really can't wait to see what it is like in good running order, freshly serviced, etc.

[79cord]

Yes Honda motorcycle & even PowerEquipment Parts can be far easier to get & sometimes be shared with cars... like honda life/360 piston rings....

[Hirst]

Any common faults on these Accords with regards to the doors?

Mine has some difficulty on both sides, you really have to slam them with quite some force to get them all the way shut. I've greased up the hinges and that hasn't really done anything, other than stop them being "stiff" in operation. The doors don't appear to be sagging but the strikers seem OK too, wondering whether it's the actual thing inside the door.

[2ndGenGuy]

I think you're probably sagging. Mine are beginning to get that way as well. I would first see if you can adjust the striker, and if that doesn't work, start messing with the hinges. Prepare yourself for some serious work though, lining up gaps can be a mega bitch.

[79cord]

Can't say I've come across problems from sagged doors... & UK doors might not have the substantial
(& heavy), additional side-intrusion bars required in many other markets.

One complaint I had was problems with the rubber stopper inside the latch mechanism wearing & causing the door to rattle, which someone might have tried to eliminate by moving the door strikers?

Or maybe that time I had accidentally refitted my door handles with the adjustable rod from the latch to the handle incorrectly adjusted.

[2ndGenGuy]

Hmm yeah I misread this thread. My 81 doesn't have sagging doors, my 84 does though. So my story doesn't apply here I guess. :beat:

[Hirst]

Could someone take a close-up picture of their door strikers? Mine seem to have a weird metal "blob" on each like someone has taken it upon themselves to weld onto them or something, doesn't seem very "factory" given the neatness of all the other stuff. The plot thickens.

Anyway, things are moving again, got a nice set of Honda fuses. Also found a place which has a load of old stocks of panels, so I can get a new set of sills at a low price, terrific!

On top of that, found various cheap exhausts/mufflers on eBay - just need to have a close look at mine to compare as 1981 appears to be a cross-over year, the later ones have slightly bigger silencers. Think it is just the front pipe, the back box seems OK.

Do clutches tend to need adjusting on these? On the way back, mine was slipping a tad, though it was manageable on hills and unnoticable on flats. Doesn't seem that bad, so I'm wondering whether it just needs adjusting rather than replacing. Though if I require a new clutch that's not much of a big deal.

Anyway, it would be nice to get boring stuff like that out of the way, then I can start messing around with the killer sound system (stock LW/MW radio) and cruise around like Vanilla Ice. I miss driving it.

[79cord]

http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3327/241/33315120021_medium.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3327/241/33315120020_medium.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/3327/241/33315120020_large.jpg
Hope these will do & nothing changed by '81

Note there is a small rubber stopper within the latch behind its 'claw' that I mentioned earlier

[Hirst]

Cheers for the pics, mine have definitely been tinkered with. I suppose the best approach would be to get rid of the tack-weld or whatever it is on mine (both sides!) and see what happens without - probably rattling like you say. Hopefully a new rubber or whatever will cure it properly and then I won't have to bang the doors shut at 2am and wake the entire street up.

[Hirst]

Replaced that fuse at last, was a bit dicey because the screws were getting rusty. Had to do it with a really big screwdriver and take it easy. As an incredibly unexpected side-effect, the radio now works! Make of that what you will. It's a stock tinny mono thing, but given the sort of cars I drive around in, I feel lucky to have a radio at all - let alone one that has both LW and MW bands.

To celebrate, I ran it for a bit and did a brief video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lcQqZc3Gd4

The exhaust has a bit of a hole, hence the slightly raw sound. Will replace that at some point soon.

[Daddy]

Nice find man! i love it

[speedpenguin]

You have a lot of interesting cars, sir. It's nice to have one more project to subscribe to.

[79cord]

Spotted this thread on the 1st gen Civic forum & thought it might apply to your door problem.
http://www.1stgencivic.org/world/c1zr/m1/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9877
http://www.1stgencivic.org/world/c1zr/m1/forum/files/silencer4_674.jpg (might need to sign up to see posted pictures)

And I meant to say how you missed out on the more unusual (if noisy) 'period' leaf-style digital clock. I gather it might have been an upper-spec clock in some markets though I think Australia got them standard after '77.
Glad the radio's OK too... they are an oddly shallow size.

And I played around adjusting my clutch for a while & managed to hold on to it for about a year in a flat area (driving it more on revs than torque since brother couldn't drive it cleanly with habits from his horrible but slightly torquey '79 Toyota Corona 2l), before slippage became absurd @ 252,000 km.

[Hirst]

That's excellent, I'll save that and keep it handy. Even has part numbers!

Yeah, I like those weird flip clocks. Seems like the UK didn't get them. As far as I know there were two specifications of Accord here - there was an "Executive" version which had electric windows and a few other bits, maybe that got one of those clocks, not sure. Only ever seen 4-door Executives though.

Anyway, I was having a bit of a play with it yesterday and took it for a drive round the yard, what a superb bit of kit. Hasn't left a spot of oil anywhere which is pretty impressive for something under my ownership. I also discovered the button which checks the tailgate/brake/door lights in the dashboard. I hadn't even noticed that until now - very classy.

Will be ordering parts in come payday.

[2ndGenGuy]

Here's those door silencers. I see them on eBay all the time when doing searches for parts:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-Door-Silencers-Civic-or-Accord-CVCC-1976-to-1981_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a2Q 7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a1205Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q 3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZite m4a98364d87QQitemZ320381275527QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5f TruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[fogged]

Nice collection of old cars. Welcome.........

[ESDEEZ]

Hey. Nice to see another uk old honda owner. Nice car. Infact nice collection of cars, its so hard to find somone in the uk with a love for these cars while the government hates all cars older than 10 years.

Keep up the good work.

[A18A]

yup cool cars, old ones are so win

[Hirst]

Here's those door silencers. I see them on eBay all the time when doing searches for parts
I'll do you a favour and get rid of them, thanks!

Thanks for the comments also, the UK is a strange place when it comes to ordinary old cars. A combination of disinterest and snobbery has pushed most old cars into the ground - no one really has to drive anything older than about 10 years old, so most don't. In addition, a lot of people assume that an old car is going to be expensive/unreliable to run, which is certainly not the case for me!

As a result, things like old Accords don't tend to be around now. I'm told mine is one of 16 first-generation models left here, if anything that might be optimistic. I'm not massively worried about the first generation Accord going extinct though - they're a striking-looking car so there'll definitely be some enthusiastic owners amongst that bunch. I'm more concerned about bland stuff like the Quintet, they could all be dead now. Hope not.

[GraniteLXI]

:welcome: and nice clean 1gee you got there. Must be quite interesting knowing you have 1 of 16 of the first generation accords where your at.

[Hirst]

Thanks, yeah, it's a bit of an odd situation. Most of my stuff would have those sorts of survival figures I think. Found out in a classic car magazine yesterday that there are 40-odd Quintets left, bit of an unexpected surprise. Would love one of those - MK1 Accord mechanicals in a slightly ungainly chassis, sounds great to me!

Anyhow - got those door silencers, will get round to fitting them at some point. Got other cars to do at the moment so Mr Accord can just chill out with his obscure buddies.

[79cord]

Found out in a classic car magazine yesterday that there are 40-odd Quintets left, bit of an unexpected surprise. Would love one of those - MK1 Accord mechanicals in a slightly ungainly chassis, sounds great to me!
.

Ha! Sounds like the Quintet had the last laugh there!

Australia only got the Quintet from '83 since Honda Australia didn't think them worth the bother...& then we got them badged as Rovers since Jaguar-Rover Australia couldn't get any Maestro's made for them!
By then the local media didn't think they were as good as the 2nd gen Accord since like the 1st Prelude were still based upon the 2nd gen Civic sedan (& Triumph Acclaim) floorpan.

I guess they are that bit newer though having staggered along into '85 until the Integra came out, giving them a longer lifespan & making them the last model to use the EK/EL engines.

I recently bought some driveshafts from one thinking they would have adopted the new driveshaft spline pattern the Prelude got for '81 & the Accord in '82.... but no they still retained the early Accord design! (guess that makes them good for 4x100 conversion parts)

[Hirst]

Just a quick update, not a lot happening on this at the moment, though I'm driving it around on private land every so often to keep it in good order.

I really like this car!

[ESDEEZ]

Keep her going... :)

[Hirst]

Here's a good one for you - I need the name of a panel, it's the one on the front of the car directly underneath the headlights/grille surround, mostly hidden away so you can only really see it just under the headlights. Seems to hold up the rubber apron behind the front bumper, it's quite hidden away so you only really see the edges of it under the headlights.

Mine's a bit rough and whilst it could be repaired, I want to check out the possibility of just getting another before I spend a lot of time sorting it.

Also you can play "Spot the Accords" on this old pic of a road near me:
http://www.twixtaireandcalder.org.uk/TAandCImages/fullsize/xl06714.jpg

Might be able to recreate this scene at some point, I drive on this most days. It hasn't really changed much.

I've never been that bothered about having a clean and shiny engine bay, but I've been trying to make it look a bit more presentable. At the moment it looks like you'd expect an engine bay to after 25 years, with bonus brown stains from where the radiator blew at some point (was re-cored a few years ago). I had a bit of time spare and some silver paint so I repainted the airbox cover, it's a start I suppose.

[ferlo]

nice car ! good conservation !