UPDATED! JesseCRX's Space City Shuttle
JesseCRX
Council Member
This is a continuation of a thread I had posted in NEW USER INTRODUCTIONS. What was supposed to be a meet/greet thread slowly turned into my build thread
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=6024" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
...so I am condensing it and updating it here.
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=6024" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
...so I am condensing it and updating it here.
JesseCRX wrote:I been a lurker here for a long time, and i have a friend who is a longtime member and owns an RT4WD Wagon. It's because of him that I set out to find one of my own.... so onto the news!!
I've got some DOUBLE good news.
First, my wife and I are in the process of makin a familySo, being that we only own a CRX, a hatch and a Del Slo we figured we were gonna need a 4 door car. With the economy sucking n all we opted to pull out a small loan and look for a deal and that didn't take long at all.
A lady had posted up an 89 RT4WD Honda for sale in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I called her and asked her some basic questions about the car and she was super nice. My wife and I were gonna drive from Houston to Tulsa but at the last minute I changed my mind and flew up there. The lady was kind enough to meet me at the airport. We drove to a local Denny's where I got to check out the car and do the deal.
The goods: The car had some really nice options! Passenger mirror, optional center console ashtray/lighter, rear speaker pods, rear head rests, roof rack(missing some rails tho), mud flaps, all 4 wheel covers(not in the pics)
The bads: tiny rust spot near the passenger tail light, warped front driver side rotor, code 1 CEL, and the car had the stench of dog piss!! The only interior piece that was fubar was the rear carpet. It was a complete mess, stained and stunk!!!
I was able to talk her down to $1100 and she accepted. I drove her all the way back to Houston. The hwy mpg on this thing is amazing! At the halfway point of my gas tank I was at 240 miles!
Here are some pics..
I'm still a n00b to this site, so take it easy. I am still doing searches for some topics, some with luck and some with none so bare with me.
I've already started taking apart all the interior for a thorough cleaning and OMG this thing is DIRRT-TAAYYY!!! I am talking old coke syrup/dust on top of dust kinda dirty.
JesseCRX wrote:I am cleaning her up now. Noticed some interesting differences between Civic hatch and Wagon parts.
I was just cleaning the interior parts with mild soap and water last night, and the OEM wagon shift boot was NASTY. So, I took my old momo boot off of my civic hatch piece and as I was looking at both pieces side by side I noticed that they are different. The wagon parts are shorter and wider.
Wagon on the left, Civic Hatch on the right
Wagon center console piece on top of the Civic hatch center console. Doesn't fit AT ALL.
Wagon center console piece on top of the Wagon center console...mates perfectly.
And since the back carpet that was in the car was totaled, my buddy Jay told me he saw one at a local scrap yard. I went and picked it up, and even though it's stained it's in MUCH better shape than the one that was in there. I am soaking it with stain remover and shampoo foam now.
and OMG the cigarette gunk! there was tons of it embedded in the plastic. I went through a full can of cleaning wipes to get that shit out. I am taking my sweet time cleaning this thing but damn it's alotta work!!
JesseCRX wrote:More pics of the cleanup horror.
I took out the seats to expose the carpet. Oh, and I just found out the car has oem floormats..
Here is the rear cargo area after clean up. I shoulda taken pics of this before I cleaned it. There wasn't a clean spot of red anywhere. There was a combination of spills and stains back there. By the way, what is that black plastic ring for? The one on top of the tire.
I also noticed that the rear speaker pod on the passenger side was really flimsy. I started to take off the 10mm bolt and noticed that it was cracked. Any quick remedies? I tried to remove the pod, but it felt like something might break if I applied too much pressure. They feel really delicate.
JesseCRX wrote:
Well, I did a shampoo job on both front seats, the rear cargo carpet(I may just have a new one made cuz I am not too crazy about how it looks), the front floor mats, and the rear seats. I also vacuumed and lint rolled the carpet to get all the crap and pet hair out of there. I went through 2 giant lint rollers to get it all out. Tomorrow I shampoo the interior carpet and start washing the interior panels(yay!)
My brother took a pic of me enjoying the cleaning
My cat was watching me bust my ass all day..the bastard.
Interior carpet vacuumed and de-haired lol!
I tried to use epoxy to strengthen the plastic but I couldn't get the pods off. So I used some oversized washers and some ninja foam to add some support! Now they don't budge and you can't see the foam underneath that will be supporting all the weight...hence the name, Ninja Foam
Here are the mats. These are SUPER clean compared to what they looked like before. Yes, I know they are not spotless, but that was the best I could do by hand. Steam clean maybe??
Here is the rear cargo carpet. Again, this thing is super clean compared to what it was before. Not perfect, but it'll do for now.
Spent over an hour cleaning my seats only to have my cats use them as beds(facepalm)
Comments
Finally bit the bullet and bought another camera. My brother and I went out and snapped a few pics at the local grocery store.
Since the last time I posted I was in the process of adding a bunch of stuff to the car so here is a list of what has been done thus far since then.
1. Swapped over my CRX Suspension(Tokico Whites, HR Race Springs, Strut Tower Bars, ST Rear Sway Bar, Lower rear tie bar, camber kit for the rear)
2. Modified DC Sports exhaust.
3. Bass Tube Install.
4. Yakima Bike Rack Install
5. 87 Accord Lip
6. Civic Hood Mask(Bra - anything to take the attention away from the hail damage!)
7. 15 Inch Honda Civic Jordan Wheels/Falken Azenis 205-50-15
8. Complete Drain n Fill on both 4wd tranny and rear differential(Pennzoil Synchromesh for the main tranny, GL5 SAE 90 for the rear). When I drained the rear the gear oil was NASTY!! It stunk FOUL!
9. Greased all U-Joints thoroughly, tightened all nuts n bolts securely on the driveshaft.
10. Oiled/greased all OEM bushings.
11. Replaced lower ball joints in the front, and replaced passenger side CV axle.
12. Replaced both outer tie rods.
13. Recharged R12 AC system(Freeze 12)...SUPER COLD!
14. Reinforced the rear speaker pods even more...now no more shaking!
Front lip installed! Check the Jordans
Rear exhaust/Rear Sway Bar
Bike Rack with our bikes
I think that the HR Race Springs drop the car perfectly. Whereas on the CRX the rear was lower than the front, everything panned our great on the wagon..the front being lower than the rear with just enough gap in the back for more passengers. I have yet to bottom out with this combo.
(i have some bandaids covering the little rust spot near the light
Small sub in the back for a little bump...yes it's Fusion...i know they suck but hey it was a gift.
Pikachu and Pac Man along for the ride!
I am still working on getting a rear lip and some visors for the windows but no luck yet.
Also planning on getting a new windshield...mine is starting to crack!
First time I've actually liked those wheels. Good work!
We need better picks. Like of the whole car.
WOW, you know I just realized I didn't snap pics of the whole car!
LOL!
As for the wheels, I got a super sweet deal on them($220-new in the box)from a local guy who works for Honda. I had mounted my old Honda Prelude polished swirlies(CRX style)but the car just didn't look right.
I was reading a thread on here about lowering the car with drop springs and read how some people had to cut 2 coils from the rear to even it out on the wagon.
Well, I had HR Race springs on my CRX and noticed that the front was slightly higher than the rear(designed that way??). So I did a direct swap without modding anything and I am liking the drop more and more because it's so flexible. No rubbing, I still have to angle some driveways but nowhere nearly as bad as other drops I have had. And best of all, the car handles much better now. I really thought I was gonna be bottoming out, but I haven't yet.
The car is set on stock damper settings and I don't wanna turn it up because the local streets are HORRIBLE.
I have the rear sway bar on the stiffest setting too.
I'll get more pics very soon. Thanks for the kind words!
Nice "Touge Buddy" LMAO
It actually says "Honda" on it. I'll snap some better pics tomorrow.
I went to a local meet tonight and saw someone with a 91 Accord Wagon, and that thing had this really nice tug style cargo cover. I was wondering if this thing could work in the USDM rear Civic Wagon area.
I need something back there because you can see straight in there. In fact, the car has ZERO tint. When the glass is freshly cleaned you could swear there is nothing there lol!
Finally took a few of the whole car.
It's gonna need some body work and paint, so I am saving for that now.
me asking???
3rd Gen Accord(87 I think).
I was lucky to find it at a junk yard too - $7
I still have a 1989 GT Pro Series that I still ride to this day...just not very much. I'm 30 and don't need to get injured, but as recently as about a year ago I hit the local BMX track with my old ass on my old bike.
What's that other bike on the rack? a GT speed Series? The boxing makes it look like it's an aluminum framed model?
You have a good eye!
Yeah, the chrome one is a 1987 GT Pro Performer, 99% original(still searching for a mint GT Mallet Stem). I still ride it, but not as hard as I used to.
The other is a GT Fly. More of a flatland style bike. I got a hell of a deal on it back in 2000. Very solid bike.
Now, do I remember your screen name from back in the superhonda days? God I spend too much time on the interwebz...
but lookin good
The whole thing flows together, can't wait to see what else you do to it.
wagon..................4ever......................
15x6.5 OEM Honda Optional Wheels w/205 50 15 Falken Tires
Thanks man. Just trying to do the car(and other wagon owners)justice
Honda-tech(aka Hater-tech)
I joined HT to get more info on my CRX(and I found alot). Now that I've acquired a wagon everyone referred me here for more in depth details.
I was very lucky to find this car. I flew from Houston to Tulsa the moment I saw it was for sale on craigslist. It worked out perfectly because I was trying so hard for months to look for a wagon and found nothing. I decided I wasn't gonna look so hard and hope one pops up on a whim. And it was by complete chance that I found the car too. Talk about being at the right place at the right time, eh?
Yes sir. I was on Superhonda before joining Honda-tech. Damn good memory you have there!
In fact I still think I have mod-status there. I had to leave due to work blocking my access.
Well, I found out what it was. It was the ST Sway Bar bushings. Those things were DRY! I piled on alot of high temp axle grease and cleaned the excess...VOILA! No more squeaking! But I still here a "thumping" back there.
When I look underneath I saw that this cylinder looking piece was loose..it was kinda heavy too...anyone know wtf this is?
Thanks man! I appreciate it! Paint n body are next. Gonna get a really clean OEM spec paint job done, and then finish up with the suspension.
No plans for speed mods...not yet at least. I'll keep you guys posted
Love the car man, keep up the great work!
Are you positive on the lip being from a 86-89 Accord? I like it a lot, but Ive never seen a lip on that bodystyle other than what comes on the 86-89 Integras. However I did just pull a lip very similar from a 87 CRX. Its a 3 piece lip too, but it doesnt say Honda on it like yours does. And I may have missed it, but whats the rear lip from? Its dimentions are freaking perfect for the lines of the car.
The rear lip is from(get this)a 1992 Volvo(front lip)! I came across it at the junkyard and it was hangin by a screw. I took it off and took it to another trashed wagon in the yard and lined up the corners! Boo-ya! Lines up!
It's gonna take some hacking and some eyeballing but it lines up pretty well.
And yes, I am sure it's from a 3rd Gen Accord...see
i love your wagon too.
Ya, I dunno if we ever got that lip here. Its kick ass though. We never get any of the little cool shit like that on our version of the cars. It sucks.
x2 on that accord. I wanted a 88 hatch for a while... before I discovered the 4th gen civics.
Don't you have a gray one as well?