92 replies to this topic

[hondaguy72]

Well, I'm going to have more than $500 into the car as I had planned. I bought this car locally from a former speed shop owner. The ad was not too descriptive, but I knew what I was getting for the price of $260. I was told it needed a new distributor, but it really just needed an ignition module. She's up and running just fine right now.



My goals are to have a roadworthy go kart/rat rod, no more, no less. I was disappointed to find far more pan rust than I could have ever imagined. While I'm at it, I'll put on some new rockers and wheel arches to give the car some decent structure back. My posts will be sporadic, but will give you an idea of how she's coming along. Here are some current pictures of the stripped interior and areas where rusted metal was removed. Please all listening, do not do any welding on a vehicle before removing the rusted metal and sanding/grinding the areas to be attached!

How previous owners did repairs


How I'm doing repairs




Previous owner had tinned a hole above the gas tank........notice the self tapping screw (into the tank)



She came with a rusty strut bar


What a little sandblasting can do


Wish me luck, because I'll need it.

[86rexx]

yea good luck with that one. you might be better off to get another shell.

[1stgenfan]

yea good luck with that one. you might be better off to get another shell.

yeah its rough, but ive seen worse. good luck with the project, and on behalf of the rpr community i thank you for saving another 1st gen from ending up in a scrapyard

[hondaguy72]

yea good luck with that one. you might be better off to get another shell.

I'm considering it a learning experience. I'd really like to do restoration work in my greyhair years, so I'm practicing up. Even with all the metal gone, when I took it for a ride the car seemed pretty solid. I don't think I'll find another 1st gen for under $500. Even if I do, I'm sure it would need the same work if not more, due to the fact that this car is mechanically sound (the running gear anyhow).

[kaymo]

nice. all those rust locations look just like my HF did, but it is about 25% of that amount! ouch. you drove it with that metal cut out? you are brave!

it looks like you are off to a very good start man. lucky if you have a sandblaster. will save you alot of grinding and wire brushing, plus you get to save as much metal as possible. you might want to look into adding some structural support first, with those holes where they are, it looks as if you would have a very delicate crx. if you dont want a roll cage (you said go cart right?) i would do some straman convertable style floor reinforcements. after that, you could weld in patches for your floorboard as haphazardly as you wanted without having to worry about if its going to be strong enough to hold the car together

remember, its not rust, its forced weight reduction!

[hondaguy72]

Thanks for the encouragement, kaymo. Most of the strength of the car is in the corners, where the car was spot welded and seam sealed (not very strong). I'll do one better and weld up the corners and reinforce the pan with box tubing, not unlike the kakabox supports.

What I've heard is that most racers prefer the pan of the car to be very rigid and the top to be more flexible. That's another result I'm shooting for. I won't be adding any handling improvers other than what is already on the car. I want the natural speed and handling that comes with lightness.

I am interested in finding out how much this car should weigh completely stripped. The only weight adds will be whatever reinforcement I do plus the rear tower brace and front strut brace. I'm assuming I'll be able to get below the hf's curb weight by as much as 100lbs. I'll be pulling out the front and rear bumpers for weight reduction as well.

[hondaguy72]

My new best friend:




Air hammers are very useful tools. The bit I'm using costs $3 at Lowe's.

I just sliced up an old civic hood (messed up) for use in the floor pans. I should be able to get almost all the metal I need from it. Steel prices are fairly steep right now. A 3X4 sheet of 23ga runs about $20, so I saved at least that much in less than an hours time.

Edited by hondaguy72, 04 March 2009 - 05:39 PM.

[hondaguy72]

Well, the project is surely aptly named. I got quite a bit of work done today, removing metal mostly and a little bit of welding. The drivers door support area was completely shot. I really should have taken a before picture, but here's how it sits now with the rusted metal removed and the top patched in, seam sealed and undercoated.



I'm going to cheat with plugging all the holes in the hatch area as long as they aren't structural by using this:


Along with galvanized metal plugs. It turns out like this:


Undercoating is great for making the horrible look passable.


More to come this week.

[jakesi]

Nice job, keep up the good work.

[kaymo]

it looks like you are using the jack to raise and support areas you are working on

BE CAREFUL

with as much rust as you have, the body could be flexing, and if you are welding things into place with one side higher, you could be welding things up solid in a crooked position!

if you cant put it up on a frame machine (who can?) you should put the car up on 4 level jack stands all in same positions to let the car rest in a neutral flat position.

my 0.02

otherwise, LOOKS GOOD! keep going! save that rex!
(oh and nice fart cannon!) lol

[hondaguy72]

(oh and nice fart cannon!) lol

At least I've cut off the tip and put on a turndown. It'll likely be painted black.

I'm watching the corner as the car is raised and lowered, and no flexing is apparent. I'll be working on the floors with the car on the ground. Thanks for the input.

[hondaguy72]

Back to making progress. The rockers from the 2nd gen are not a very good fit, but they'll have to work. No more Fred Flintstone driver's floor.

The worst area is patched.


inner rocker and floor patch.



Outer rocker.


Just these areas took at least 8 hours. I've got at least 20 hrs more before roadworthiness.

Edit: My estimate of 20 hours is sadly understated. I'm guessing I'll have at least 60 hours prior to driving the car.

Edited by hondaguy72, 18 June 2009 - 02:49 AM.

[1styearSI]

bold move i would consider that a parts car. one mans trash is another mans treasure.good luck.i would get a couple cans of PB blaster and soak every nut and bolt on that thing especially the motor whew you live in rust city.

[simplyhonda]

That's a lot of work man! Hope it is coming along well. As they say, a cheap car is the most expensive car you can buy!
Good luck!

[hondaguy72]

I'm making some good progress now. Here are some more pictures of how the pan is coming.
The driver's side is just about finished with seam sealer, self etching primer and some cheap paint that no one is going to see.....just for protection.
Driver's rear pan


Drivers front pan


Passenger rear pan


I'm welding it in from the bottom to the rear support. The rockers are totally trashed and had to come out.




The next step on the passenger side is to construct a tunnel under the seat area for a side exit exhaust. I want to have two larger resonators and I don't think they'll fit under the floor pan without modification. I'll be boxing in the seat supports, cutting out the floor where the ecu is mounted and welding in an arched area.

More photos to come!