So! I'm a little late with this, but here is my first car.
94 ls, 128k miles, 2 owner. BONE stock. Literally, NOTHING is aftermarket, which is pretty impressive because the car is indeed a 5 speed. I got it in December!
So my goals with the car...Im a college student, so things are going to come slow. Im def staying NA and want to clean her up cosmetically before I do anything crazy.
You can see some significant rust on the quarters.. which really sucks. But the cars from PA and this winter in NJ was brutal. I'm going to use body filler, sand and paint for a temp fix until I can fix it right. Ill be touching up paint in other small areas as well.
So I removed the rear seats this weekend (cause I felt like it loosing some weight) I also removed my original (blown) speakers along with my spare (with a hole in it). According to my math, lost about 73 pounds. I can definitely feel a difference.
Final result:
Also cleaned up my interior:
Anyways, my 'build' isnt going to be extreme like I said. At least for the next few months. But I will be doing some low budget stuff that maybe people will be interested in learning or even helping me out. Im also doing this to document, so I dont necessarily expect replies :wink:
-Steven
For those of you who have good eyes..in the interior shot of my above post, the left door panel does have the extra speaker on the top half of the panel, while the right doesnt. My ls had a hole in the left door panel. So I picked up a new one for 20 bucks. Of course, me being dumb, I actually picked up a 2000 GSR panel, which had the extra speaker and was all black leather as well. I could not stand the two door panels mis matching. So I removed the trim (I guess you could call it that) by just peeling both of them off. I was careful with the cloth from my original panel. I used a hot glue gun to carefully glue back the cloth onto the new GSR panel. I think it came out decent!
My antenna motor also started making a terrible, terrible sound which I hear is common. Once my long 10mm socket wrench comes Im removing that too. Shedding some pounds..anyways! Like I said panel came out pretty solid and Im happy with it.
So now that winters over, I decided to attack this rust. My goal is to just make it look decent. I'll get around to fixing it for real. I cant drop a G on body work right now.
Will need:
Body filler (bondo) $20
(usually comes with hardener, youll need this)
adhesive body patch (bondo) $10
touch up paint and clear coat (parts bin) $10
sand paper..i already had this
possible a paint gun (not sure yet)
touch up brush
Dont forget the hardener!
Plans are:
Grind (done)
Cut body patch to replace rusted out area
Fill with bondo
Sand
sand
sand
paint
clear coat
pray
:biggrin:
Really hoping this comes out good. If anyone has any tips or tricks let me know
So I picked up some Ground control coilovers a couple weeks ago for a VERY low price. They're on OEM EG struts (lol) I'm actually looking to buy some Skunk2 Shocks to go along with them- they're affordable and are shortened, and knowing Skunk2's springs they should be very durable- the OTS GC's don't even have very stiff springs. If anyone has experience in this setup let me know how they ride.
I was actually about the sell these to a user on here named Fred, a very nice, understanding guy- I changed my mind last minute due to some changes in a deal I was supposed to get and I canceled the sale. He was very understanding. Thanks Fred!
So yeah, just waiting for some shocks & wheels (looking for ls webs) until these go on.
Now that your done grinding... you have any pics ?
If done right the passenger side quarters should have a HUGE chunk taken out (more than that body patch is going to want to take care of .
You should pop rivet some sheet metal in there
Anyway good luck with that , how's it been going
I took a little rust off my quarters on my last integra but it was only dime sized , after I was done grinding it all away it was the size of a dollar so I can't even begin to imagine your situation
Just make sure you bond enough over where the missing body meets the metal and then as you said above sand sand sand , I assume you have the proper grits picked out (definitely not a one day project in front of you)
Have you had the springs off of those shocks ? (To check if their blown) if not you maybe able to use them for a very little while
Lca bolt + anti sieze= WIN
I see your in the city , not to far from me in pa
I just sold my webs with tires for 75 ...****
What part of the city are you from
Hey! Actually those pics of the rust had a LOT of rust taken out completely already...i'd say both sides are 30-50% larger than they first were. I could definitely go more, you're totally right- but I'm just doing a temp fix to last a year or so until I get money to have a body shop do it to completely eliminate my rust problem. That's the plan for now.
About the shocks- I'm almost positive the back two are blown, and I'm about to take them off now actually! I really don't want to have to swap my shocks more than once though, so I'm avoiding riding on stock shocks.
And DANG. 75? Geez...I would have taken those off your hands in a heartbeat. I'm actually in Jersey, even closer. I was born in the Bronx. But I'm up in Bergen County. Wbu?
Oh okay! (My car is from PA) Cool cool..yes man, it's so true.
Wow, did you buy yours from the south? I feel like EVERY Integra up here has rust.
I've seen some rust protectant stuff online- I think I'm going to try it for next winter.
My car is originally from Jersey
It was totaled and the whole rear was replaced (I think that's why there's no rust)
That undercoating spray is ok but I found the only real way to keep it safe is to garage it in the winter and drive something else (I don't have a garage or something else lol) if I had something else I would nt even drive the Teg in the rain if I could help it
There's always time in the future to get something else, restore it and do everything right once someone like you and I could have another car and a garage
That's my future plan
Or could just always stay dedicated to the ones we have
Good luck on your project bro ! And yea rust is common on our cars especially ones from the east coast ! Remember considering the cars 20 years old , that rust is nothing ! But as we all know bondo is like throwing on a bandage . I just recently sent my car to the body shop and what my body guy said was , " you don't have to get the whole car painted and fixed." He said that you can just have sections fixed little by little. If I knew that I would have had them cut section out put new sheet metal and sand and prime ! Just food for thought, shop around and good luck !
Oh really? Interesting.
Yeah It's my only car- but I do have a garage. Lol.
Hey! Question: I'm having trouble getting my GC Coils off the stock struts..any ideas? I tried soaking in WD40. I might have even stripped the allen wrench socket.. ):
Hey! Question: I'm having trouble getting my GC Coils off the stock struts..any ideas? I tried soaking in WD40. I might have even stripped the allen wrench socket.. ):
Ahh i remember this struggle, mine was the opposite though, they were spinning when i was trying to get them on. Try the vise grip technique, (not using the grips in the center of the strut to clarify) if not get an impact gun on it, and if that doesn't work, you can do what i did and go to a pawn shop, and buy a bigger impact gun for $20 if i remember correctly that's what did it for me.
A little change of gears...
I decided today was nice enough out to tackle my rust. I got 2/4 areas done today, and I'm quite satisfied. My goal was nothing more than to get it to look decent.
I started with this spot. I did the other side as well, which look almost exactly the same (shape, size) except the hole was a bit smaller.
I removed the interior rear panel so I could stick my mesh on from the inside.
This stuff was suprisingly hard to control...I ended up just using my fingers to get it to the shape I wanted.
After I got a good amount on there, I started sanding..I should have taped the bottom plastic. I ended up accidentally scratching it, and I had to use some sharpie to cover it up. The sharpie ended up being really bright and obvious which was annoying. You'll see in the next pics.
After about 5 layers of paint and a couple of clear coat, this was the result! (this pic is after about 3 layers of paint)I definitely could have sanded more. But that would'nt have gotten rid of the spots.. I know this because I applied the filler, sanded, re aplied filler, sanded, and they would appear in different areas. I researched a bit and saw that bondo also sells spot filler or something. I saw people had really good success with that. If I could do it again, I probably would have gotten in. Overall, I'm very happy how this side came out. Its very hard to notice when you're standing. It's really at like ~3 ft you can tell.
The other side was much easier. The hole wasnt as big. I think I got a little lucky as far as spots go too, there werent very many. Still I had to sand a lot just to make it all even and smooth. Keep in mind I sanded each side for about 30 minutes. Unfortunately this I finished this side and tried to take a picture but it was too dark. I'd say it came out about 20% better.
Can't forget the room shot..it's becoming a problem..
In regards to the Allen screw stripping try what "myb18A1" said . A pair of channel locks or vice grips will get that off in 2 seconds ! If all else fails and u have access to a welder, use a old useless Allen wrench that fits the stripped screw and spot weld the Allen wrench to the screw. Good luck!
I think that other stuff is called spot glaze
I used it on my last integra
Red stuff, takes forever to dry
Anyway not bad for ur first time and yeah all the necessary sanding is ridiculous lol(mine looked the same my first time) good job though
Was it worth getting it? And thanks! I'm def happy it didnt come out horrible. Came out pretty decent imo and honestly anything is better than rust so I didnt have much to loose.
Back to the coilover/strut removal issue..
I ended up giving up and bring the coils to a mechanic.
Off we go! In a K sport box in my 'trunk' lol. My rear half interior is gutted from my rust fix and radio antenna removal. Also had to do some cleaning.
So I went to Fairview Auto in Westwood, NJ. These are the NICEST mechanics I've ever met in my life. Seriously, they shatter every stereotype often attached to mechanics. They fixed my bent LCA for a 3rd of the price of other places and called B.S when another mechanic told me I bent my frame..
A couple of hours later, I got a call to pick them up.
Walah!
Total expenses= $0.00
I really appreciated the fact that they took time out of their day and did this for me for free. Keep in mind, I'mm not buddies with these guys- I had only been there once before several months ago. After I thanked the guys, one of them started talking to me about his wife's integra, and how they had swapped a Type R motor into it. My face --->
So yeah, finally got these things apart, ready to order some shocks. Thinking Skunk2. Any recommendations? Sorry, don't have the funds for $550 konis. Although I know the 'ultimate set up' is the GC Coils + the Koni Yellows. Anyways, if any of you guys are in Bergen County NJ, def recommend these guys.
A couple of updates. This weekend, another member on here, "RiceBurnerRebel" hit me up with some free parts to make room in his shop. Thanks again! What a nice guy.
Here they are:
No name exhaust (Depending on how loud, I may not be using it. Might give it to a friend)
AEM CAI
He was driving a SICK boosted blue Teg.
Anyways, I ordered a plug from Honda since I removed my antenna. Took forever to get here!
Andddddddddd this...
Wrong part. :frown:
If anyone wants it, I'll be selling it for $10 shipped (5 less than what I payed)
So my goal was to buy some LS Webs with good tires, and buy my Skunk2 Sport Shocks. I have GC Coils already.
I drove about an hour and a half to pick these up really early in the morning before class. The ad said about 25% tread. Psh. When I got there, the first tire I saw was at most 15%. I assumed the rest were the same, so I quickly loaded the car with the wheels, gave him 300 cash and drove home to just make it to class on time. Little did I know that 2 tires were almost bald :/
Despite this, the wheels look GREAT. Gunmetal Ls webs. I payed a little much for them though :/ It's frustrating. I made a stupid mistake not to take my time and thoroughly inspect. But I learned.
Here's how she sits now.
Can you say 4x4?
Because of the whole tire situation, I had to order new tires. I consider Yokohoma S Drives, BF Goodrich G-Force Comp2's, and Dunlop Direzza DZ101's and 102's.
The Yokohomas were a tiny bit above my budget, and I did not feel I would need such high performance from a tire. (I don't auto x)
The Dunlops got tons of mixed reviews, some good, some okay, some awful. I also heard they are terrible in rain. I had a bad incident in rain, so that really turned me off. (Still scarred :frown: ) So I went with the BFG's, and I'll be reviewing them as soon as I get to drive on them.
This, though, means that I spent my shock money on tires. Hopefully I'll be able to purchase the shocks by the summer.
While I removed, patched and painted the lower parts of the wheel well rust, I had left the largest piece of rust for last. This was located at the top of the rear wheel wells, just like every other Honda. I figured I would leave the largest and most visible for last because by then, I would have hopefully gotten the gist of how to make it look decent.
Here's the original rust. :thumbs_down:
(The top portion)
After a ton of bondo, I prepped it for sand. I got carried away with the tape. :biggrin:
Here's my helper Jillie!
After about 45 minutes of sanding...
5-6 layers of paint, 2 layers of clearcoat
Overall, I'm really happy with the way it came out!! :biggrin:
Of course, it could always be better. But I'm improving.
Thanks so much! Really appreciate it. I find that just like anything, you get better and better with practice. I have SO much improving to do.
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