'91 Civic Hatch Test drive, need advice

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KRockS

'91 Hatch DX
Hey all,

I have a chance to buy a 1991 Civic Hatchback DX mdl. Car has 52 k original miles, and was really owned by a LOL , "little ole lady" . I do not know any other history. It has a rear window wiper, no rightside mirror, 5 speed, am/fm cassette and AC. I know its needs 60 k maint. belt, water pump, etc. It hasnt been used much in the last 3 or 4 months,maybe longer, and needs to be CA smogged. This Saturday the owner is going to let me drive it to get smogged, what should I do to help it pass ? theres is no smoke on start up, and it seems to run real well. Anything else to to look for or be aware of ? price is 1400 $ and will need tires also. It has a clean title. Thanks for the help,and any info, tips,

regards
 
I say it's a steal, I bought my 91 CRX DX w/ 32K original miles 7years ago for $5k
 
Got it, I did the test run, smog check, it passed no worries. I spent today cleaning things up, little wash/wax, I think its a Barrett /Jackson wannabe, swear it had that new car smell when I was done. The ashtray/ cig lighter have never been used. So, two things,needs rubber, can I go one size up from stock ? if so, will it help in any way with cornering ? got enough power (for now) just want to turn a little tighter with better direction ...
thanks HS

Roc

BTW.. is my thread in the right place for future advice ?
 
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If you are talking about just getting bigger tires then it will hurt performance. The smaller the sidewall the less flex meaning you will get better handling. I would upgrade to 15 inch wheels with 195/50 tire or 205/50 tire depending on the size of the wheel. If you really want it to handle better get a bushing kit, some nice shocks and springs, and strut bars front and back.


NO, your thread should be in the EF area. I would repost in that place for a better return of advice.
 
or just ask one of the mods to move the thread for you instead of making another one.
now theres an idea.
 
Moderator help / move thread please

Great idea, at the risk of being stupid, how do I go about that ? I have never had a post moved, so, would " please move this thread to the EF section" get it done ?
thx


Roc
 
CKW,
Thanks for the book tip, always ready to do a little reading, just put in an order from Amazon, should arrive next week

First up for the '91 hatch will be 60 k service, next I would like to improve handling and cornering . All the power in the world is worthless to me if you come into a turn and drive off the cliff ....

Are there stock Honda 4 lug 15" wheels around the dismantalers, as suggested by 91_civic_si in the above post ? I live in a higher than I like area for auto theft,
it would be real nice to make this a stealth project, all go, not so much show. I actually am okay with the stock look..
thx
Roc

One other thing, there are "Made in Canada" stickers under the hood,on the motor, is this good, bad or no big deal . there appears to be undercoating on the chassis also.
 
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get some si's,front and rear strut bars..maybe even the under car brace..and it really doesnt matter if the car says HONDA OF CANADA..my si says the same thing..it just means it was manufactured in canada??and also make sure to get locking lugs to protect your shit
 
the best way to improve your handling as a first step is to lower the car, and it is actually not that hard to do. since you are keen on reading about your car, also get a repair manual which will help you no matter if you are taking apart the guage cluster or changing the springs. i used chilton's for my car but some might argue others are better.

because these civics have no camber or caster adjustment, you can change out the springs without throwing your alignment way off. however if you do lower the car you should check the alignment for tow in/out which naturally changes slightly when the suspension sits at a lower than stock position.

changing the springs can be done at home with basic tools, however there is one step when you have to remove the old springs from the spring/shock assembly. at this point i would recommend taking the units down to a tire store where they have a tool to do this professionally. or you can point the assembly away from you and carefully unscrew the nut until the spring explodes off the unit. dangerous but doable... anyway keep your thread updated with the work you end up doing and have fun!! i'm happy to hear you ordered that book...

:)
 
Improving the '91 Hatch DX handling

I ordered the book, but got an e-mail today saying they refunded the $$, after an email inquiry, I was told there is an updated one, no more 1st edition, so I will look into that,then try again.

Tommorrow I will be headed out to a Honda salvage yard for the rightside mirror.

I would like to pick-up the basics for the handling improvements, or at least gather some info.

Will 15' wheels from an Acura, or (suggestion), have any problem with rubbing or fitment.

So, shocks/ springs/ bushing kit, struts, etc, I know some of this should be new,are there any swap parts I can look for tommrrow, struts maybe ? if so, from what range of Honda
I really want it to stick in a turn, but can it be done w/o the lowering ?

Thanks

Roc
 
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your best bet for stealth wheel upgrade would be to use civic HX 14" wheels (painted black) and put stock civic Si hubcaps over them, they are the lightest stock honda wheel (except maybe VX which are 13's) at 11.5 lbs., and with the hubcaps it doesnt even look like you have rims at all.

you have to use OEM honda hubcaps because they fasten by the lugnuts.
 
Sounds like an awesome find man, a car that nice and low of mileage - i'd leave it stock minus a few Si and SiR parts, but thats me...


Weird that it has a rear wiper and is 5spd but doesn't have a mirror on the rightside....does it have a tach?

My std. doesn't have a mirror on the right but it also didn't have the rear wiper, and had the 4spd. Everybody asks me why I haven't got a mirror for the right, after 5yrs of driving the car, I don't ever even look over there for it, lol, i'm used to just not having one.
 
No tach, but does now sport a right side rearview mirror, 30 usd and a 1 hour ride. Everything I own has a rrearview, on the motorcycle I would probably be dead w/o it lol.

I like stealth, so the wheel combo from an Hx would be great, I asked the salvage
yard about them, he said "what year" well I didnt have a clue to that, so can someone enlighten me on yr, and model, if needed.

Also should I look for struts from the salvage or aftermarket ? same for shocks and springs ? Man I cant wait until the book arrives

thanks to all, such a great resource here


Roc
 
congradulations.

you are the first n00b to not get flamed on his first post.
that is quite the accomplishment.

dont get your suspension from a salvage yard, chances are its already trashed.
get new. you can go with many choices just depends on how much you want to spend.
 
err, because its Christmas ?

n00b , does it show ? lol, been sorta expecting it, its just a car , or is it ? I once owned a 1962 Toyota corona or a maybe it was called a crown,( i think) didnt know a damn thing about it either, had a VERY loud horn

i am more excited about this Hatch than I should be, I have a book or two on the way, but dont reallly want to wait. The only thing not working is the winshield washer, from the looks of where it is, may stay that way

I really dont yet know where else to find help, seems everyone here has Honda factory experience or something...i do thank everyone for the help




Roc , fully functional n00b
 
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