Progress pic's, I guess...Bodywork etc.

[Ichiban]

In the past week or so I've been working on wet sanding off the hi build, sorting out paint, sanding all the details, and sealing the floor/bodywork/welds/interior with seam sealer and POR 15.
In here is the shaved hatch, doors and quarters with shaved trim, the floor, and some other random pic's




I did have the floor spotless of that asphalt crap and sanded before I applied the POR's, I used my pre-wash solvent to melt off what the heat gun couldn't get.


The subtle line about 4" up from the bottom of the door and 3" down from the belt line is a major bastard to get straight.

Notice the A20A3 sitting in the corner?

Here's the hatch, notice no wiper, trim, or other holes!

[A18A]

mm nice

[oldschool3g]

wow...nice work!

[Ichiban]

Thanks! Check the 1st post again, I edited out the screwups.

[Civic Accord Honda]

SEXY u did a really really god job on the body lines mine never looked like that and when i sanded my old paint off thay went away with alot of pink dust lol

[Hazwan]

Yay for more progress!

Looking at those pics makes me feel tired..

[2ndGenGuy]

Man rockin! That shit is lookin good. I forgot how shiny that POR15 stuff was. My friend used it in his '65 Bug. Holds up good! Progress is coming along! Sweet black dash, you should snag me one of those! Curious about the red wheel though. Is that how it came?? Or did you snag that from somewhere else?

[Ichiban]

That red wheel has history. When I had the 83, I got an 84 parts car for the interior, and it had that wheel. I liked it better than the 83 wheel, and I swapped it, but the 83 also had a red interior so it matched. The 84 burnt to the ground while I was rallying it out in the bush, and I ended up driving across the country and back with that steering wheel. When I chopped up and threw away the 83, I grabbed that wheel for the 82 and installed it the first day I got the car, back in 05 sometime.

[offthahook]

I don't see any rust on your floorboards in the near future or ever. Man, you are starting from scratch on that beast. Looks good.

[SZfiftyfour]

Nice! I've never seen a red 2g before now. you keeping it that color? cant wait to see it done.

[Pico]

[Ichiban]

More progress:

In the past day or so I sanded and POR 15'd the front of the rad support, fixed up the top of the rad sup, and wetsanded the other side and door. The rad support looks sweet, such a gloss black with the POR's. Pic's tomorrow.

I'm also doing the undercoating, using a product from Pro-form called "chunky stuff" It's asphalt undercoating with bits of shredded tire! I shit you not!

[BITESIZE]

That's alot of work. I know! Congratulations on the production!

[Ichiban]

My door to rear quarter gap is seriously sucking. Passengers side is about 8mm, while the drivers is almost 10mm. The door is back as far as it will go. Also, the chinese front fender is fucked, it doesn't follow the edge of the door and the gap also looks retarded, only on the drivers side though.

[Hazwan]

My door to rear quarter gap is seriously sucking. Passengers side is about 8mm, while the drivers is almost 10mm. The door is back as far as it will go. Also, the chinese front fender is fucked, it doesn't follow the edge of the door and the gap also looks retarded, only on the drivers side though.

I know how it feels like aligning the panels. Mine isn't 100% perfect either, requires me to grind them to make them near perfect. And thats one of the reason why I hate 3rd party body panels..

[2ndGenGuy]

Man we will get that stuff knocked out this weekend. Saturday should be good. I can probably work Saturday, and part of Sunday on that with ya. We should at least shoot that baby in primer while I'm there! Man, 16 hours of driving this weekend for a 2g... Fuckin awesome! Guess what else, I just spent my evening pulling the engine out of an 83 hatch like yours! Those auto tranny's are huge...

[knarg]

wow, good work dude, looks really good!

[Hazwan]

Man we will get that stuff knocked out this weekend. Saturday should be good. I can probably work Saturday, and part of Sunday on that with ya. We should at least shoot that baby in primer while I'm there! Man, 16 hours of driving this weekend for a 2g... Fuckin awesome! Guess what else, I just spent my evening pulling the engine out of an 83 hatch like yours! Those auto tranny's are huge...

Sounds fun! I wish I know someone who share the same interest like me nearby.. or maybe willing to drive 16 hours!

[79cord]

Also, the chinese front fender is fucked, it doesn't follow the edge of the door and the gap also looks retarded, only on the drivers side though.

I went through that as well first time I did up my '79. Some of the Non-Honda panel are a real mess fit wise. Eventually I gave up on them & sought out some second-hand originals. My '81 Prelude also has one with similar gaps so mis-shapen it would take a welder & filler to close them. So I'll be repairing an original there too.

I know the early Hondas had moderately large gaps @ 5-6?mm, & relatively large bend radii on the edge of the rr-1/4 for ease of pressing which tends to exaggerate the gaps but they were at least nice & consistant. & the frt panels are pretty light & floppy which doesn't ease fitting if they've ever been damaged... The cheap non-gen Frt panels were actually a thicker gauge steel !

[Ichiban]

I just fitted the drivers fender, my god what a mess. I'll probably end up replacing it, the gap to the door is so wrong, as well, where it follows the hood is about 2mm high in the middle and 1mm low at each end. How does that happen? The bolt hole to fasten into the rocker panel was about 12mm too far back, so I had to notch it out and now the bolt only grabs on one side of the notch. Brutal.

Oddly enough the passenger panel fits OK, just the drivers is way wrong, the one I get to see every time I get in and out of the car.

[offthahook]

I just fitted the drivers fender, my god what a mess. I'll probably end up replacing it, the gap to the door is so wrong, as well, where it follows the hood is about 2mm high in the middle and 1mm low at each end. How does that happen?

I'll tell you. The company that made those fenders were cheap as Hell when it came to exact measurements. If you saw the original "box" the fenders came in, it probably looked like a box you would see Dollar Store stock or stuffed animals for a carnival game. Those boxes looked so gay and unprofessional. I remember looking at a set of aftermarket fenders, in their boxes, and thinking "this will never fit right." Every decent body shop will tell you the non OEM Honda metal parts are a hit and miss, usually a miss. It seems the aftermarket panels work well on most cars, but not on Hondas. Every body shop I ever used always insisted on OEM Honda body parts for the reasons you just stated. I think with the CAPA fit or certifit parts they have now, it's a much better product. The older Hondas and the aftermarket never seemed to mesh.

[xvok]

thanks agin for the help john. Good work on the body, are you gona spray it your self ? because that down the line for mine allthough i probley will just ignre the interior. cant wait to see it finished