Bad news in my driveway

[Ayeobe]

So, you may all not remember that i bought an accord like 11 months ago. Well, aparently driving it in the winter was a worse idea then originally assumed.

I had someone take a look at the car, and it seems that the rust on the panels (although pretty bad in places) is actually the least of my worries. The big problem now, is the body's structural points, sadly enough. The car is basically rotting out.
One thing i have to say, however, is that im not quite done being the owner of a, or any, 3rd gen accord. Im looking at my options, and i'd like to do the cheapest thing, obviously.. unless i win the lotto. But i dont play the lotto, so that's rather unlikely.

Number one option, i think, is gettin a shell from the states, or Ontario, or where-ever i may find one. The question there i guess would be how much would it cost to import, and inspect a car like that.

Another option would be to fix up mine, but its prety damn messed up.

Anyway, long story short is.. my accord is basically a rollin' corpse, unless anything drastic (and hella expensive) is done to rectify the situation, and im far from being done enjoying owning it.

[Civic Accord Honda]

Take some pictures of the rust

[w261w261]

It sounds like your tinworm problem is real bad. The general advice in that case is bail out now, don't put another dollar in it, and put whatever money you can into one that isn't terminal. I had a Karman-built car some years ago, a '73 BMW 3.0CS (unibody). I loved it, but the rust started coming through the firewall (and other places...the car is notorious for rusting away), and there was no way to fix it. But I loved it and put some money in to keep it going...too much money. In the end I let it go for not much. That's why you see them today for $3k or $50k.

Better let 'er go now and move on.

[Ayeobe]

Yeah, im basically gunna get another one, question is how and where do i find someone willing to give up an 87 accord (or the gen, but i like being the only one near me with an 86-87) and where i find a clean one.. basically, good ol' Quebec and our weather makes it so i'd have to pretymuch import it, or somehow find a clean body i can swap shit onto. Then, if i do that, i gotta get it inspected, which will be a pain in the ass.

Pics to come.

[chillphillyphil]

I see so many "shells" for sale, check ebay, local trader, craigslist and swap powertrains out... looking at 200-500 for a good shell.

[Ayeobe]

Pics are here. heh
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/aob19/DSC09985.jpg
The car sittin on a puddle of PS fluid?! (another problem.. rack and pinion)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/aob19/DSC09986.jpg
Front left wheel well from the top.. you can see the rust creeping up to some important shit.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/aob19/DSC09992.jpg
The inside view of the pic showing the top view of the Front Left wheel well.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/aob19/DSC09989.jpg
Rear Left wheel well at the bottom. Post apoc much? lol

So, how bad is she doc?

[Pico]

Wow that is rust is really bad.
Better off junking the car now and salvaging parts for another 3g if you decide to pickup another one

[chillphillyphil]

what a shame.... lemme know if you want to part-out.

[w261w261]

Hmmmm, don't think that will buff out. Can you import a USA car into Canada without much of a problem?

[carotman]

Yeah, I remember when you posted pictures of your car :D

Honestly, that thing isn't too bad. I would show you pictures of my hatchback and you would just freak out. (I'm repairing it tough)

However, here's the deal. Unless you repair the car yourself, it's going to cost a lot of money to repair properly. At 1st glance, you need both rocker panels and both rear fenders. This costs about 350 in parts alone.

I'm sure there are other places that have some rust too. The front wheel well is a classic on these cars. I can't count the number of times I saw 3rd gens with that area completely rusted out. Are the strut towers in good condition? I have some spare body parts that I'll need to get rid off. Might as well put them to good use.

Your best bet is to import a clean shell from the US. These can be had for close to nothing. You have to go down south tough or the body might be in similar condition as your's is.

It all depends on the budget you have and how much you love these cars.

I've seen good shells in Canada too... you know, the good ol' lady thing that stored the car for 15 years :D. If you want to avoid the hassle of importing a car, you can always buy a car from BC.

Too bad Quebec put a ban on RHD cars 1 month ago (you can't register them for a 180 day period...) I would have suggested to buy this car:

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68513

Fixing yours would cost more than what he's asking.

So, unless they lift the ban after that 180 day period, you're stuck in buying a LHD car.

This one seems to be a nice but it needs an engine.
http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68824
Since it's from SoCal, rust shouldn't be a problem.

[Civic Accord Honda]

that 2nd one is 10-15 minutes from me

[Joay]

There's an 88/9 DX coupe here in Fairmont, WV (I think it's a DX, has black bumpers). Haven't looked under it but the body looks great and the people selling it have had a really nice CB7 for a while. Probably too far for you to consider, but they're only asking like $1200 or something.

[Ayeobe]

Well Im ready to part it out. I would like to buy another one, because in my opinion, as well as im sure your collective opinions, these cars are awesome. Its a damn shame that the body is shitty, because the mechanicals have not given me any reason to worry. The only problem is the O2 sensor, rack and pinion seals, and valve cover gaskets. These alone would be an easy fix, but with the car essencially going away bit by bit, its not worth the effort.

The only bad things would be the break disks, and rack and pinion.. and maybe the rear breaks would not be worth the salvage effort. If any of you near by want to assist in the part-out, that would be sweet. The interior is minty, too, besides some little holes in the front door panels i believe were for little tweeter speaker mounts, and one recent tiny little rip in the drivers side door at the chrome.

I love how this car rides, how it handles. Honda got it dead on. The ride is super smooth, but still firm enough to take a corner like nobodys busyness. Controlls are easy to see and use, the car is a nice size inside and out, and the pop-up lights are just sick.

Well, If i find a nice shell with an AT in it, ill need to swap it out. Im not one to drive Automatic.. Especially after driving the same car in manual for a year. Also i hope the next accord is as reliable as this one was when it comes to the power to start up every time, aswell as having no major problems.

Also! That RHD accord is listed as 1987? Did the man change the bumpers, deck lid, hood, lights, and corner lights?

[carotman]

I could help you with the part out. What do you want to remove? The best thing to do would be to keep it until you can find another shell and transfer what you need.

The car is an 87 just like my 89 was made in 88 and my 87 was made in 86 :D

In Japan, they list the "real" date the car came available to the market. This 1987 is in fact our 1988 model

[carotman]

This is a sweet deal for you. Clean body, no engine.

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69029

[Ayeobe]

400$ aint bad at all! lol. But i'd need to start collecting all my pay checks for the transportation and registration. I wonder if hauling my engine down there would be a good idea? haha. Damn i wish i lived ferther south.

[adams86lxi]

400$ aint bad at all! lol. But i'd need to start collecting all my pay checks for the transportation and registration. I wonder if hauling my engine down there would be a good idea? haha. Damn i wish i lived ferther south.

lol.. I wish you were closer too. Im not sure how all the shipping would work.

[Ayeobe]

So im thinkin of doin a bit of work on the underside, to make the car last longer, and be safe. If any of you guys in QC wana help, that would be sick. First order of busyness is the front breaks, though. Next week, when i get payed.

[Ayeobe]

Alright, update!

I hapened to drive my 3g to a gas station where a friend of mine work, and being the car obsessor that i am, i walk out back to where the cars are parked for work in the garage.
What did i find?! None other then an 88/89 Accord EX-i! Its uh.. painted some stupid flat ...dark gray color, but its champagne under, and brown interior.
It needs new rear fenders, and under the gas door is all messed up, but the actual body, as far as i can tell, is clean. Im thinkin of fixin it up enough to be road legal (lol) and then i wana move over all the awesome parts of my car i got all used to and what-not, over to this new one. Depending on how the engine checks out, ill decide on mine or the new one, but its AT, and that wont fly...
It needs an altornator, as far as i know. The interior is the velour broun. Sittin on 14" Steelies, somewhat rusted.
So, if you guys wana basically restore an accord, id love it if you coud help out! Plus, there will be mad parts at the end, cause i got two cars to make into one. So far i know for sure the Automatic tranny is gunna be on the list.. lol. Aswell as an entire interior, and such...
Itll be a prety massive undertaking, though. If anyone wants a part in it, what lives around Montreal, let me know!

[1ajs]

transmision swap is a breas on these cars thell u could just pull the motor and trany outa ur curent one and just plop it in that otherone

as for the gas door rust eww to bad its not 86 87 then u could take it into the dealer and get that fixed for free as they had a recall on that spot.

but befor u do anything pull the trunk plastic out and have a look if itas all rusty beind it find another car

[Ayeobe]

Yeah, ill check it out all over, before buying. Its ither mine or scrap, so itll be likely prety cheap ither way. I hope its clean under there, too, cause im prety excited bout this one. B)

[carotman]

Check this one. I know someone from the local Accord club was interested in it (mostly for parts) but if you want to take a look at and use it as a project car, this might be a nice one.

http://www.lespac.com/search/detail.php?a=9357470

[Ayeobe]

Damn, thats hot. haha.. I cheched lespac last week and there wasnt anything.. but, unfortuenetly, if i get the 4dr, its pretymuch the exact same thing in most cases as my car, so i'd be better off..
How many things change from the 87 to the 88?
I'd imagine, the computer, the breaks, the stabiliser bars, the rear lights, and the rims.. but is there anythin else that wont bolt from my car to an 88/89?

[carotman]

The most important thing is the body. That hatch looks clean.

This is in fact an LX-i hatch (not an LX) so you get EFI and other stuff.

[Ayeobe]

You make me happy. Haha..
well, ill call the man! and who wanted the parts? Ill let him know about the 4dr.. or does he have a hatch?

Shit, it may cost more, but itll be alot more awesome if it turns out good.
I was worried about the EFI, though it needs a manual tranny anyway.

Also, i didnt get payed quite as much as i had hoped this pay.. so ill need to wait another two weeks, so who-ever wanted it for parts should go ahead.. and ill take the shell or something. At any rate, i'd rather have a hatch, and i have a whole car full of parts.. but i cant afford the hatch right this minute.. as sad as that sounds heh.

[Ayeobe]

Well aparently the hatch is no longer an option lol..

So, heres a question! What makes the 1988-89 accord have 10 more HP? Is it just the computer tuening? Can i just swap the engine and transmission in one peice from an 86-87 into an 88-89 and keep the same computer in the 88-89?

I hope so, cause thatll make things intresting..and then i can have an engine and transmission in one for sale..