Hendo's EF hatch project

[Hendo]

Yeah yeah, it's an ED7.

This is the inaugural post starting what will probably be a two year-long process (or more) getting my heap to where I want it to be. I bought a '91 Si 5 years ago for $1,800 and have done nothing but elective or maintenance work on it other than three items (front axles, igniters and an ignition coil).

Current mods:

Pacesetter header
Megan Racing test pipe
Tsudo catback
D2 coilovers
Cheap ebay short ram intake
Carbing front strut tower bar
DC shift knob
Stainless and rubber pedal kit

Plans (in no particular order):

D16Z6 swap
GReddy 15g bolt-on turbo kit
Name brand catback (WS2)
Interior carpet -DONE
New driver's seat
Professional rust remediation (you'll see)- DONE
New OEM taillights -DONE
OEM SiR spoiler -DONE
OEM SiR steering wheel
OEM light up center garnish
15" vintage (1989) Enkeis -DONE
Better coilovers (undecided)
S2000 front brake calipers (10.9" rotors) -DONE
Rear disc brake swap -DONE
New LCAs
Lower tie bars

It's good to be here, this process should be hilarious.

 

[Hendo]

More pics

Yeah, that's a covered bridge back there.

Other side.

The inside.

The problem end.

Thankfully that piece can just be replaced. Still gonna cost to get the rest handled though.

So that's it. Comments? There just aren't many of these around here, and with all the snow and salt we have, finding a clean one isn't possible for a decent price.

 

[maximusmda]

thats some crazzy rust!!! those coilovers were probably a pain in the AZZ to install huh? (cause of all the rust)

 

[Hendo]

Would an 88-91 JDM SiR rear bumper panel filler fit the rotten gap where mine used to be?

 

[Hendo]

thats some crazzy rust!!! those coilovers were probably a pain in the AZZ to install huh? (cause of all the rust)

Fact of life living in Michigan. If it's more than 10 years old, it gets rusty. The rear bumper gets snow sitting on it and gets piled up on that filler panel, and there's so much salt on the roads it eats the metal away pretty fast. Wasn't much different when I bought it, I wouldn't have let that happen to begin with.

 

[Hendo]

thats some crazzy rust!!! those coilovers were probably a pain in the AZZ to install huh? (cause of all the rust)

And not really. It's not all rusty like that. I wouldn't bother working on it if it were.

 

[Hendo]

Found the OEM replacement part for $34 new. Sweet.

 

[Hendo]

At the risk of sounding like an informercial: Mother's Back to Black trim polish did some amazing things today. And looks like $80 between front and rear bumper fillers. Not terrible. We'll see if I can put some flat black on the nearly bare metal wiper arms this week. Depends on how cold it is.

 

[Hendo]

Baby steps while money gets saved. The next automotive $500 goes to getting my Jeep back on the road for winter, though. Always something.

Shiny (blinding) wiper arms, no more.

No more giant advertising sticker on the rusty behind. (Thankfully there was no additional rust under there XD)

And all the freshified black trim.

Whitetail season opens the 15th, so gonna be out of town. I have an SiR rear wing with the LEDs in the mail. Have to get it modified a little (I've heard), and painted so that gets lumped in with "body work" lol

Next up, attempting to clean up the bay. I may destroy the engine by degreazing it; it could quite possible just disintegrate XD

 

[Osiris19]

Hahaha. Nice one. That rust looks really bud. I would've seen that and got back in the car and drove home without even saying a word to dude who was selling it. Haha. Nice though. GL with build.

 

[Hendo]

No luck involved. Just time, money and effort. That rust-destroyed bumper piece is $35. Not a big deal, whole thing needs new paint anyway. Thanks for the well wishes.

 

[Hendo]

3 hours of cleaning the inside of the hood and anything else I could put a degreaser wipe to without unbolting or breaking the twenty year old plastic. It's better, but not great. The motor looks like crap. There's a half-inch thick mat of grease down the front of it on the passenger side. We'll see how this degreaser spray crap works later this week. Replaced the air filter too, don't remember last time I replaced it.

Few things that don't work that need to be addressed: dome light (has never worked), passenger side corner light, rear wiper arm (motor is fine).

 

[Hendo]

Ordered a valve cover gasket set as mine seems to be leaking a little at the front by the distributor, right where it looks like some tards took a screwdriver to it to try and pry it off. Might have to replace it if the new gasket doesn't fix it. Maybe the new spark plug tube gaskets will keep the oil off of the plugs. One was practically floating in it a few weeks ago when I changed them.

 

[Osiris19]

Damn. Would oil in the spark plugs cause smoke out the muffler? Or would that be a valve seal?

Also, get some more pics up man. How bout some interiors?

 

[Hendo]

Well, it'll soak into the spark plug wires and foul them up. That'll weaken the current going through them and make it run worse than it already does. I've recently started losing compression on the freeway and getting LOTS of oil in the #4 cylinder. The piston rings have been going downhill ever since I bought the car, but it's a Honda, so it'll keep running as long as I keep feeding it oil. I had to use a ring sealer product, one of those "last ditch effort" bottles of liquid plastic junk. At least it seems to be working, I just drove to Chicago and back (160 miles each way) and it took it like a champ. I'm not worried, it's just I've gotta make this motor run until the spring when I sell my old BMW and use the money for a swap. If I'm still broke, probably just a ZC at that time.

 

[Hendo]

Smoke from the tailpipe can be a few things. As far as I know, coolant can get into the oil usually via a bad head gasket and make you blow white smoke, or oil can come in from around the piston rings (like I'm pretty sure my car is doing), or the valve guide seals and get burned up in the combustion chamber, giving black or blue smoke. Other stuff, like too much gas in the air/fuel mixture can make you blow smoke too, though. Other people here have more technical knowledge than me, maybe they can add something...?

 

[Osiris19]

Well, it's not coolant, although I seem to be leaking that somewhere in the block, cause it never refills the reservoir, but the smoke smells like oil and is white. I was thinking valve seals or piston rings myself.

 

[Hendo]

Sorry no updates for a bit. Whitetail season, ya know. Got two does, 105 and 112 lbs field dressed, good eatin' sized. One Monday, one Tuesday. Gonna dig in the depths of my garage for parts. There's a pile back there and I bought them all 4-5 years ago, and I can't even remember what I have. Pictures later this week, weather permitting.

 

[Hendo]

Done. Got a 200lb 8 pointer. Back to reality now.

 

[charlie brown]

Done. Got a 200lb 8 pointer. Back to reality now.

Awesome on the 8 pointer. kinda followed the thread a little, do you have any plans for the body on that EF? its beautiful if you get that body together. the interior is hella clean from what i have seen. any news?