Need advice on what to do with crashed car.

I hope I don't get rocks thrown at me for such a noob inquiry. I crashed my first car (still heart broken, and it died in such a lame way...) and I was wondering how to part it out, or should I, can I sell it on here for someone to build? It's an 89 civic si and it has front end damage. I have a craigslist ad http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/pts/1499436479.html I've never done this before. I don't know if it's reasonable. I wasn't really sure what people would be interested in. Although the seats seem really popular. This is my first "working/project" kind of car. I don't know how to fabricate and all that good stuff. I don't have time or the skill to work on it. Just so everyone knows. Some people were telling me to just rebuild it and I can't. I don't have the money. So tell me what you guys think. I would love it if someone would turn this car into a challenge car or whatever. I loved this car, modern cars just don't fit me well. It doesn't help I'm 5' 4.

That'll buff out

I know nothing about parting out cars, but you've come to the right place to ask. You won't get any rocks thrown at this forum for any "noob" questions like that.

I have been stalking the boards for awhile and I seem to like the site so far. I used to go to Honda Tech and it was really hard to find anything valuable. To be honest I really like reading books. They don't seem as biased information wise as magazines. Books are how I found this magazine. A bit off topic. mtn, aren't you in college also? Shouldn't you be finishing up the semester soon lol.

Final is tomorrow at 7:50. Why else would I be up this late?

goes back to calculus, grumbling loudly about how he's an idiot for being a math major

You might also want to post that in the 2009 classifieds section of the forum, and the classifieds section of the board. Both are free, no harm in trying.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/classifieds/add/ad/

You could hone up your wrenching skills by pulling the engine/tranny out and putting it in a corner of the garage. Yank the seats, the wiring harness and try to sell off everything else. Someday a rust free car will come by that's just begging for Honda goodness in the back seat. Homemade Ariel Atom? Honda 600? Subaru 360?

Welcome to the addiction, your first fix is free.

Dan

Chain the radiator core support to a tree and pull that sucker out! Man, that's not a bad hit at all unless you KO'd the motor. Beat the hood back down (it is amazing what you can do with a few boards and your own body weight. Price so far = free. Buy some cheap hood pins to solve the mangled hood catch problem.

You can't make it any worse, so why not try to bend/force it back into shape?

slefain wrote: Chain the radiator core support to a tree and pull that sucker out! Man, that's not a bad hit at all unless you KO'd the motor. Beat the hood back down (it is amazing what you can do with a few boards and your own body weight. Price so far = free. Buy some cheap hood pins to solve the mangled hood catch problem. You can't make it any worse, so why not try to bend/force it back into shape?

Quoted for truth. Really, you have a lot of decent swag on the car, and from the looks of it, the hit really wasn't that bad, might as well try and salvage it.

and hoods. bumpers, and grills for that car cannot be hard to find used.

You wrecked an 89 Si? Go sit in the corner...

Best. Car. Ever.

That's all fairly easy to fix. Looks pretty clean otherwise, i wouldn't part it out. Start junkyard hopping for bumper, fenders, and hood, and pull that support out/beat it with a hammer until it's straight.

I highly doubt the frame is tweaked.

If you were around here, i'd help you do it all for beer.

@ mtn, yea finals next week, four papers due this week. yuck. I thought about keeping the car like you guys said, but it was a salvage title back in 92. Then this couple in their 40s used it until the head blew up or something, then it sat in their backyard for 7 years and I got it for free. It was stolen last December, 3 days after xmas...after I got a stereo. So, the whole center console is a memorized ziptied HVAC system. After the accident, driving down the freeway trying to remember some stuff for a test and the car in front of me is at a dead stop... epic fail, the engine is what probably saved me, she didn't touch my bumper I went under. I don't really know how messed up the frame is. But the doors don't close any longer and there is a ripple on the roof. I guess I should have mentioned that earlier. I would love to get another chassis, I don't feel that the one I have is worth saving, but I tried to make the car as non ricer as possible. If I did plan on getting another shell, or car, they are kinda cheap, well the non si models. Is there anything wrong with getting a dx and swapping in a d16a6 again, or b18a? The si and other models had the same chassis right? Aside from sway bars the suspensions are identical? Or would it be better just to find another Si and put the suspension pieces I have on it?

Oh... yeah. I wouldn't bother with what you just said...

Just grab any EF, bolt your suspension on, dump in your drivetrain if you want, and forget about it.

Thanks for the idea. Although I love the Si seats. Sorry to change the topic, but I recall you know a bit about Hondas. I read this swap book and they made the d16a6 sound like a turd worthless motor. I read another book, which was more like GRM and they said the d16 is great and with little modification can easily pull on the overrated imo b16. Plus I liked the car because it made decent mid range power and could pull on my dad's 99 miata even with both my mountain bike and his in the back. But seriously, I've always been curious about the opinion of people with practicality and brains. Every honda forum just turns into a flame war and no one really discusses the pro cons of the different swaps. And when I mean pros and cons, I'm referring to useful info. For example I live in California, state refs and all that good stuff. So is it even worth it to swap because much can't be done after a swap it seems? Well as far as I know. Just food for thought I guess.

There is nothing "wrong" with using the shell/body from a non-Si model; there is the benefit of less weight since most DX's don't have a sunroof.

The only "major" differences between Si's and other models is the engine/tranny, a sunroof, interior appointments and body parts. You're not even restricted to hatchback models as the mechanicals are easily transferrable to CRX's and sedans. The Civic EX sedan was basically a four door Si.

If you're going to transplant the "good" stuff from the Si to a DX (or standard), make sure you salvage EVERYTHING and focus on wiring harnesses, the ECU and anything else. I don't remember if 89 Si's featured rear disc brakes. If so, keep them because that's another bolt-on transfer.

Since you're in Cali, performance upgrades may be limited because of smog compliance. But, in SCCA ITA trim, D16a6's can produce up to 125hp. Those rules basically limit changes to an engine blueprinting and I/H/E modifications.

If you can't swing with a transplant project, money can made by parting-out the car.

cyclecam90 wrote: Thanks for the idea. Although I love the Si seats. Sorry to change the topic, but I recall you know a bit about Hondas. I read this swap book and they made the d16a6 sound like a turd worthless motor. I read another book, which was more like GRM and they said the d16 is great and with little modification can easily pull on the overrated imo b16. Plus I liked the car because it made decent mid range power and could pull on my dad's 99 miata even with both my mountain bike and his in the back. But seriously, I've always been curious about the opinion of people with practicality and brains. Every honda forum just turns into a flame war and no one really discusses the pro cons of the different swaps. And when I mean pros and cons, I'm referring to useful info. For example I live in California, state refs and all that good stuff. So is it even worth it to swap because much can't be done after a swap it seems? Well as far as I know. Just food for thought I guess.

A bolt on D16, depending on which one it is, and which transmission it's attached to, can absolutely pull on a STOCK B16.

But that's where it ends. The appeal of D-series is that they're cheap, easy to find, and pretty simple. Staying n/a, there's not a ton of potential there. I have a buddy that built a high-ish compression D16, and in the right shell (it's currently in a show car 98 Civic EX Coupe) it might not be that bad, but at the moment, it gets mobbed on by my stock Escort GT. (Which has a variant of what's in your dad's Miata.)

In a light car like an EF, they're plenty fun.

But if you want n/a power, you gotta ditch it. Up to a certain dollar amount, the D16 is a better bet, but once you start to eclipse the point where you could have swapped a B16 in, instead of buying parts for the D16, you've "lost" the game.

Throw everything i said out if you're looking for boost. Boost is a nice cheap way to get power out of a D-series. Cheap up to... a little over 200whp, which would be a HOOT in an EF.

Being in California, i'm not sure what's allowed and what isn't, but it may be worth your time researching an LS swap. A stock LS in an EF is pretty amazing to drive.

Thanks oldsaw, honestly, I'm okay with an extra 25 hp especially on that car. I need a hatchback though, I'm an avid cyclist so I like being able to put my bikes inside the car so I can keep them safe when going out to eat, or when I want to drive down that awesome road I just took my bike on. I really wanted to do autox but if I get a dx and use the si motor won't that put me in some modified class or something?

cyclecam90 wrote: Thanks oldsaw, honestly, I'm okay with an extra 25 hp especially on that car. I need a hatchback though, I'm an avid cyclist so I like being able to put my bikes inside the car so I can keep them safe when going out to eat, or when I want to drive down that awesome road I just took my bike on. I really wanted to do autox but if I get a dx and use the si motor won't that put me in some modified class or something?

If you install the motor/tranny from your Si into a DX, you're in CSP or SMF.

In CSP you're competing agains various (and faster) Miata; even with LSD, don't expect outstanding results. In SMF, you're competing against cubic dollars as the rules allow turbos, superchargers, LSD, weight-reduction and innumerable other potentially expensive options.

From what I gather, your main priority isn't having a real competitive Auto-x car. That said, build what you can with what you have and have fun with all your interests.

FWIW, don't immediately dismiss the sedans. They have fold-down rear seats and removing the front wheel on your bike may allow for secured transport. Even though I'm the original/only owner of a '90 Civic Dx hatch, I still see the sedans as appealing platforms for fun.

Edit: If you do a Dx transplant and remove various interior parts, you'll likely end-up in a SCCA Prepared class (specifically EP). Then you're allowed all the expensivie options of CSP or SMF rules, plus the uber-expensive engine upgrades and the use of racing slicks.

Trust me (if you like); the cost of a Prepared car is high, but the fun-factor is extreme!

slefain wrote: You can't make it any worse, so why not try to bend/force it back into shape?

Yeah, anyway, I've fixed worse and I suck at bodywork...

1: gut interior.

2: install roll cage

3: call three or four good friends.

4: find nearest LeMons race.

5: enter and have a blast!!!

None of the 89-91 Civics had rear discs, only the 90-91 CRX Si.

If you're going to swap, grab the lower rear suspension arms. The Si's are the only ones that had the mounting point for the rear sway bar cast in from the factory. Grab the upper rear sway bar brackets, too.

and look at it this way.. swap everything into a DX.. keep it looking like a stock DX.. and nobody will bother you until you decide to make it known it is an Si underneath