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I Saw A Dented Header Panel On A Usdm 1st Gen


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#1
cbstdscott

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I take a daily walk around the local park with my dog. Most people breathe in the fresh air, appreciate the glorious scenery or meditate on the Important Issues while walking. Me, I look at old cars.

In the parking lot of the recreational center I noticed a beat-to-shit '85 CRX. Missing hubcaps, dented, rattle can paint job; it was hardly worthy of a second look. But there was one minor detail that did catch my eye..... the header panel had a fairly deep dent in it.

The USDM 1st Gen used plastic extensively in the front end of the car and the header panel, that stretch of body paneling between the headlights, is usually made of the same stuff. Brittle with age, it is common to see 1st Gen with a cracked or broken header panel. But I had never seen a dented header panel before. Any impact strong enough to displace the original lines of a USDM header panel is strong enough to crack it or punch a jagged hole in it. This panel must be made of metal.

A second look comfirmed that the panel was indeed dented and I could not resist the temptation to touch the panel to assure myself that this was made of metal. Upon closer inpsection I noticed that the headlight openings in this panel were not absolutely correct. Thinking that some one had fitted a metal header panel from a 3rd Gen Civic to this car I looked closer and notice that this header panel had provisions for the JDM "eyebrows" (a hindged metal flap that partially covered the top portion of the headlights of the early Japanese market 1st Gens).

Some way, some how, a JDM header panel had found its way on to this LHD, automatic-equipped 1st Gen CRX.

Has anyone else ever seen a metal header panel on a USDM/CDM 1st Gen CRX?

Scott
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#2
RARECRX

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No but at pick and pull I saw an Aftermarket header panel in great condition...except for a dent near the top center portion.. unsure.gif .The headerpanel was indeed plastic..but was dented so I refrained from buying it.. I thought this was weird also? maybe from the molding process? maybe they can be dented when new and not brittle? who knows..

JDM ones are also plastic, even the ones with pop up lights.

#3
zakats

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buy it
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#4
D Jaws II

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QUOTE (cbstdscott @ Jan 3 2008, 11:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I take a daily walk around the local park with my dog. Most people breathe in the fresh air, appreciate the glorious scenery or meditate on the Important Issues while walking. Me, I look at old cars.

In the parking lot of the recreational center I noticed a beat-to-shit '85 CRX. Missing hubcaps, dented, rattle can paint job; it was hardly worthy of a second look. But there was one minor detail that did catch my eye..... the header panel had a fairly deep dent in it.

The USDM 1st Gen used plastic extensively in the front end of the car and the header panel, that stretch of body paneling between the headlights, is usually made of the same stuff. Brittle with age, it is common to see 1st Gen with a cracked or broken header panel. But I had never seen a dented header panel before. Any impact strong enough to displace the original lines of a USDM header panel is strong enough to crack it or punch a jagged hole in it. This panel must be made of metal.

A second look comfirmed that the panel was indeed dented and I could not resist the temptation to touch the panel to assure myself that this was made of metal. Upon closer inpsection I noticed that the headlight openings in this panel were not absolutely correct. Thinking that some one had fitted a metal header panel from a 3rd Gen Civic to this car I looked closer and notice that this header panel had provisions for the JDM "eyebrows" (a hindged metal flap that partially covered the top portion of the headlights of the early Japanese market 1st Gens).

Some way, some how, a JDM header panel had found its way on to this LHD, automatic-equipped 1st Gen CRX.

Has anyone else ever seen a metal header panel on a USDM/CDM 1st Gen CRX?

Scott



Don't know, but fabricating one from sheet aluminum shouldn't be too much of a problem, I wouldn't think. I'll have to take a closer look at those I have and see.


Cheers.


Donnie


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#5
Sad-Rex

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Most of the 1g parts are now being made in metal instead of the factory plastic. If you are able to find the header panel or fenders for sale from a aftermarket company, they will most likly be metal.

Ebay i know sells the metal ones

#6
zakats

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the last ~3 times someone said that about ebay, they turned out to be plastic/fg
He who dies with the most toys, wins.

#7
bobdragster

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QUOTE (Sad-Rex @ Jan 3 2008, 06:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Most of the 1g parts are now being made in metal instead of the factory plastic. If you are able to find the header panel or fenders for sale from a aftermarket company, they will most likly be metal.

Ebay i know sells the metal ones


Thos e are always confirmed to be plastic, no matter where they are.

No one has ever found a metal one.

#8
OVNi_CIVIC

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QUOTE (bobdragster @ Jan 3 2008, 09:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thos e are always confirmed to be plastic, no matter where they are.

No one has ever found a metal one.


werd, i never ever heard of the ebay ones being metal... to the OP maybe it was just bad bondo work...

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#9
E-AT_me

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maybe plastic got hot enough to "dent"? next time bring a magnet, man! hahahaaa.

all the JDM ones are plastic, though, too.
1986 Civic Si; b16a is in.. just gotta get it running..
longest swap ever..... :(

#10
cbstdscott

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QUOTE (E-AT_me @ Jan 3 2008, 05:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
...all the JDM ones are plastic...


Can we confirm this with our friends in NZ or Oz?

Scott
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#11
Sad-Rex

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hmmm maybe im wrong, but i have seen these parts in metal before, mostly the fenders

#12
RARECRX

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QUOTE (Sad-Rex @ Jan 4 2008, 01:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
hmmm maybe im wrong, but i have seen these parts in metal before, mostly the fenders



There are NO metal fenders for these cars..OR header panels sold in mass on E-bay OR OTHERWISE.. They may have a generic description stating "metal" but they are in fact plastic. If there in fact was.. Don't you think we would all have them?

#13
myheadhertz

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QUOTE (RARECRX @ Jan 4 2008, 12:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
There are NO metal fenders for these cars..OR header panels sold in mass on E-bay OR OTHERWISE.. They may have a generic description stating "metal" but they are in fact plastic. If there in fact was.. Don't you think we would all have them?


Yeah, those are just generic eBay descriptions. The sellers use the same descriptive text for all the body part auctions. It's just cut and paste stuff. The costs to produce the dies to stamp out metal body parts for inexpensive throw-away cars like ours would be prohibitive. Nobody would get rich with that business plan. Now, if some eccentric CRX fanatic with deep pockets came along...

#14
Sad-Rex

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i c,


Ok i was wrong



Thanks for clearing that up

Edited by Sad-Rex, 04 January 2008 - 02:40 AM.


#15
JDT

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I have the pop up lights on both of my JDM CRX's, what interests me is one has a metal header panel.
I have no idea if it came with it from Japan though. I was just about to make a post and ask about it.