New girl with a hatch

[Karynne]

Well, thought I might as well introduce myself. My name's Karynne and I just recently acquired an '87 LXi Hatch with 235k for a whopping $800. My last car was a 1988 Chevy Cavalier with 380k on it, so I guess you can say I'm moving up in the world. Anyways, I'm already in love with my Honda and I look forward to many good years with her. The hatch drives great other than a couple minor oil leaks and a mysterious issue that's causing my catalytic converter to smoke (you can check out my post in EFI Tech if you're curious), but all in all she's a great little car and certainly well worth the $800 I paid. So, without further ado here are the pictures from when I picked her up...




I've already spent about 10 hours cleaning up the interior so I can now check that off my to do list, but the exterior is my next project and I certainly have my work cut out for me there...

[ShyBoyCA6]

:Welcome:
Nice looking Hatch you got there Karynne, i also have a minor oil leak but would get to it eventually. Please post more pictures of the hatch i'm sure everyone would like to see more

[Karynne]

Thanks! I removed all the window decals but other than that the exterior pretty much looks the same. I really wish I had snapped some before pictures of the interior but I didn't think of it. I'll try to post some pics this afternoon of how the interior looks now but it's really cloudy so the lighting will be crappy.
My to do list for this week:
Paint side mirrors to match the body and clean out the whole power window setup while I have the door panels off.
Repaint side moulding and bumpers black.
Get some black out tape so I can cover the exposed stainless steel window trim (the rubber coating was flaking off so i just finished removing it).
Remove all the pinstriping stickers (18 of them on each side *headache*).
Thoroughly wash, clay, and wax the exterior.
Adjust headlights (they're crosseyed right now, lol).

I think all that should keep me sufficiently busy

[bscanlan]

Karynne, that sounds like a fun few days there. We are getting the edge of a stupid hurricane, otherwise I might we washing a car also. Not my 3G of course since its in pieces, but damnit I would like to be washing something.

[Rendon LX-i]

welcome aboard. clean looking hatchy.

[allaces]

nice hatch

[Karynne]

Thanks everybody for the welcome. Before I got this car I was originally planning to save up for either a late 90's Volvo wagon or a W123 Mercedes, but then this Honda kind of fell into my lap and now I'm hopelessly smitten with it. I guess it's official I'm a Honda convert.

Well, I went downstairs to snap some pictures of the interior and somehow ended up giving her a quick wash just to see what she looks like clean. Turns out there is actually a white car underneath those layers of grime! We're coming into the rainy season here so the clean won't last, but oh well, at least now I know what I'm working with in regards to paint condition.

[HON-DUH]

Your car looks surprisingly minty

Welcome!

[obdriver6]

Welcome! Looks like a good find. Hope the rust isn't too bad

[2ndGenGuy]

Looks clean! I dig the graphics on the side!

[Dr_Snooz]

Car's looking good! Welcome!

[Karynne]

Thanks again for the welcomes! I'm really glad I found this forum, it's already been a huge help.

Yeah, the fact that it's in such good condition was a pleasant surprise since I bought it sight unseen. My aunt had taken it on a test drive and said it was running great, so I figured what the heck even if it's a beater it's an $800 car that runs, not too shabby.

So far the only rust I've found is a couple of tiny spots on the rear fenders and some bigger rusted out holes on the rear panel underneath the tail lights. The car definitely isn't perfect but with a little elbow grease I'll have it looking great in no time.

As for the decals, I think I must be alone in my hatred for them. So far everyone I've showed the car to loves them, but they're really not my style at all. Personally, I prefer a clean and simple stock look. I guess to be fair I only had a mild dislike for them in the beginning, but now after spending a couple hours trying to remove them (to no avail) that dislike has blossomed into contempt.

A couple nights ago I was a little drunk and really frustrated so I actually tried painting over a rear portion of the pinstripes to see if the paint would hide them. I don't recommend it...


I tried to get a good pic showing off how nice the interior looks, but for some reason all the pictures make it look gross and oddly colored. I swear it looks really good in person though...

[import racer]

Welcome,nice looking hatch.And going from a cavalier to a honda is definitely an upgrade.

[derolph]

So far the only rust I've found is a couple of tiny spots on the rear fenders ...

I suggest you remove the black strips on the rim of the wheel wells and repair those spots. And then, leave those black strips off. They tend to hold moisture and just contribute to more rusting.

[Skellington]

Clean hatch. Humm that white paint looks good.

[Karynne]

Well, I was able to borrow an extension cord from a friend so rain be damned I'm removing the rest of those pinstripes today. I have a full rain suit, a hairdryer and some bubble wrap to fashion a tent over the area I'm working on, wish me luck!

Clean hatch. Humm that white paint looks good.

LOL, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not but either way I'm planning on eventually sanding down and repainting everything under the moulding and bumpers, so I figured I didn't have much to lose. In person it's actually a really close match in color.

[Karynne]

I suggest you remove the black strips on the rim of the wheel wells and repair those spots. And then, leave those black strips off. They tend to hold moisture and just contribute to more rusting.

Thanks for the tip! Moisture is something we definitely have a lot of here in the Pacific NW so I'll add that to my to do list.

[Civic Accord Honda]

nice looking hatch! white hatchs are the best

welcome to the fourm

[Karynne]

nice looking hatch! white hatchs are the best

welcome to the fourm

Thanks! I have to agree about white hatches being the best

[charliekuney]

Washington, whoop whoop!

[Karynne]

Washington, whoop whoop!

Haha, I'm so accustomed to Facebook that I was looking for the button to "like" this. Are you in Seattle proper or one of the surrounding areas? I spend quite a bit of time in Renton since my mother lives there.

[charliekuney]

I actually live in Renton by RTC, hahaha.

[Karynne]

I actually live in Renton by RTC, hahaha.

Small world, LOL!

[2ndGenGuy]

Bring your car to the Seattle meet coming up in a few months!

https://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79007

[Karynne]

Bring your car to the Seattle meet coming up in a few months!

https://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=79007

That sounds awesome! Is there a date yet, or is it still in the early planning stages? I'd love to see what other local members have done with their cars, hopefully it will give me some good ideas for my own.