New to me 89. How to rally prep?

Hello.

My namy is Will and I have an 89 Honda Accord. This is my first import I have ever owned. I picked it up free....

It was basically someone elses parts car until his wife said get it out of the yard. So far I repaired the starter and replaced the distributor and coil and figured out the firing order.

So far so good. Car runs! Trans shifts, and the clutch and brakes work.

Body sucks. Which is no problem. I live in a rural area and have a 10 mile commute to work down a dirt road. I normally drive a W150 Dodge to work with a 5.9 and a 4 spd. I am looking to build the Honda to be a reliable little rally type commuter. The road is for the most part pretty flat with some decent sand and some fun S turns and a few good washboard spots. There is a couple of tight spots with some sagebrush. If its not a problem for the truck I figure the Honda should be fine. There are a couple of whoo de doos.

The car wont be registered or insured since it is an non maintained county road. So the car will fall into the off road vehicle category.

What can I do to "race" prep the car? So far I have been tossing interior pieces and trunk trim interior as well as carpet, headliner and the old lights. They were mostly cracked and I have cheap truck lights and a hole saw and plate. Easier to replace. Same with the headlights. They were gone. I have some off road lights to fill the holes.

What can I do for the engine. That is a cluttered engine bay, at least compared to what I am used to working on. What can I remove to have the bare essentials to run the car. What can I do to the transaxle for reliability. What can I do for the suspension. I would like more travel and stiffer... at least I think I do to handle some of the hight spots and washboards.

I am a diesel mechanic by trade so tools and skill should not be an issue. Thanks for any advice and help.

Welcome! You have a unique project there. Definitely post some pics when you hit the 5 post minimum. You ask a lot of good questions and there are a number of ways you can go. Spend time reading some of the build threads and using the Search function. A lot has been done with these cars and they are very rewarding to work on and drive.

Thank you.

It also has power windows and door locks. I want to switch that over to manual. Is it easier to swap doors or can the manual set up be drilled out and riveted in? Anyone in Northern Nevada need some parts or want to trade manual for power?

Right now its not much to look at. It has 3 mismatched rims and tires, 2 13s 1 14 and the spare...

It is a gold color body with a tan interior and an emerald green with patina hood, r/f fender and trunk lid. I have older cars and trucks and really like open clean engine bays. I really need to clean up underneath the hood. Its funny feeling going from a lifted Dodge truck to sitting down in the Honda.

I didn't catch what kind you had?

if its a coupe or a hatch, you can swap the doors from the lower end model to get manual windows and locks *this was my plan and still is* just find a set of doors, I think you could get a pair for less than 100$ with the windows*

as for moving stuff, a lot of stuff under the hood can be moved around. Plenty of people have done it.

:) like the good Dr. said, just check around, you will find a lot of helpful stuff, and a lot of cool things you may not have thought of.

Also welcome to the board.


*picture is actually a 86 lude, but still pretty cool.*
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/4...cingpic004.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us