'77 Civic 1200 questions

[nickthaskater]

Hi, sorry if this isn't the appropriate place for this thread, but bear with me! I'm looking into buying a '77 Civic 1200 5MT (specifically, this one), and was just wondering about a few things: - What would be trouble spots for rust to check for? - How hard are parts to come by? Where's a good place in NA to get them? - Are these cars a safe bet for DIY repairs and maintenance? And pretty much any other comments or advice that anyone could give would be greatly appreciated! Also, I would be getting this to be a daily-driver for a while, as I'm not exactly flush enough with cash to do a full restoration right now, so if I'm insane for considering that, please let me know, haha! Thanks in advance Pix for clicks

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[r_Senik]

i guy in ga was selling one. he is on here too..but i dont know his sn.
sorry ill give you a lil more info in a bit.

[AbitAvenger]

a buddy of mine and myself just did some work to an 80's model 1500s and it was very simple. They guy we bought it from replaced the motor with a 2.0 liter A series out of an old prelude and got rid of all the extra EGR crap so it was easy to deal with.

[nickthaskater]

Thanks guys, keep it coming

[cbstd]

Look for Rust: Everywhere, particularly under the car/floorboards.

Most (but not all) OEM parts are still available from Honda.

There is a pretty strong 1st Gen Civic club up in the B.C. area, a Google search will find them.

These are fairly simple cars, DIY is definitely a possiblity.

A 32 year old car for a daily driver? That would not be my first choice.

Scott

[nickthaskater]

Originally Posted by cbstd

Look for Rust: Everywhere, particularly under the car/floorboards.

Most (but not all) OEM parts are still available from Honda.

There is a pretty strong 1st Gen Civic club up in the B.C. area, a Google search will find them.

These are fairly simple cars, DIY is definitely a possiblity.

A 32 year old car for a daily driver? That would not be my first choice.

Scott

Thanks for the great post.

Yeah, I figured it was probably kind of silly to consider it for a DD, but if it were in reasonably solid condition would it not be okay?

[Stretch7]

Originally Posted by nickthaskater

- What would be trouble spots for rust to check for?
- How hard are parts to come by? Where's a good place in NA to get them?
- Are these cars a safe bet for DIY repairs and maintenance?

Rust areas to check for would be your floor pans, around the fenders, around the hatch (more so at the top), around the headlights. Most would probably be surface rust if any. The car in the link looks really nice.

Parts for the car are irritating to come by, but not impossible. Sometimes it just takes time and patience. I am in the last year of my restoration (of my 79 Civic) and it has been only 3 years. It really wasn't bad.

These cars are very much DIY friendly. Much easier to work on than the newer models with computers and all.

Originally Posted by r_Senik

i guy in ga was selling one. he is on here too..but i dont know his sn.
sorry ill give you a lil more info in a bit.

You're probably thinking of me. I was selling mine for a while, but decided to keep it to finish it.

Originally Posted by cbstd

Most (but not all) OEM parts are still available from Honda.

A 32 year old car for a daily driver? That would not be my first choice.

Parts through Honda are very few and far between. But you can find most everything at your local Pep Boys, Autozone and such. I got all my electronic parts at Advance Auto. You can check around with area Honda dealers to see if they have anything lying around, but as far as being able to order parts... not likely.

Also, my 79 is a DD. Not a thing wrong with it, either. OP, if you want to DD the car, go for it. I pay about $10 every 2 weeks for gas in mine and it gets me everywhere I need to go.

All in all, I'd say get that car. $800 is a hell of a deal for it. You won't regret it and you'll be amazed at the reactions you get from people old and young.

Good luck.

[nickthaskater]

Thank you for that, Stretch7! I'm glad to hear you're using yours as a DD without trouble. I'm still waiting on a reply back from the seller, but here's hoping that all goes well and that I'll be a card-carrying classic Honda member soon!

[nickthaskater]

So I just heard back finally, and this is what he said:

yes the car is available for viewing but after 530pm weekdays until dark. alll day on the weekends with prior notice. call xxx xxx xxxx 9 til 5 pm

additionally, the wheel arches have some rust. the floor is sound and the engine works very well. the cv joints are good and make no clicks. the battery is weak but it has been sitting for some months. it should be serviceable with regular driving. The body looks a little ugly as i tried to start the body work but realised i am not qualified. The interior is clean and the drivers seat needs some stitching but is still good. the carpet is clean and the back seat is in very good condition. Also it is a 4 speed not five.
it is not aircared but should pass as it did last year.

Nothing is wrong with the car mechanically and i was driving it up until about march 09.
Every thing works and works quite well for its age.

Soo yeah, I'll still go take a look at it, but I'm definitely not as pumped about it as before, haha.

Thanks for your replies, guys!

[zrostr]

thats a good looking car. a little tlc and it could be a real gem.

[Stretch7]

I would still hop on it if you can. The car still looks to be in good shape. I can see the rust at the arches and mine had that on it. Wasn't that bad to have fixed and treated. All that primer you see down the side is from where someone removed the side moldings and filled in the holes and primed them for paint. My car is done the same way (except mine is painted). If this car is a good running car, then cosmetics is nothing.

[Skipto]

well i can tell you this. i have three 77 civics and living in Kingston Ontario we get alot of salt. 1 is road worthy. i found floors are the worst in them they always seem to go first. rear quarts get bad too. and i would also watch the rear suspension mounts. as for driving them every day i would say not to. the motors run hot and can burn up the valves.

[Stretch7]

Originally Posted by Skipto

as for driving them every day i would say not to. the motors run hot and can burn up the valves.

Wow. Not sure what shape yours are in or have been in, but I put about 200 miles per week on mine from March of 2008 to September of this year with only replacing a cut lower radiator hose and a new alternator belt. The dude that lives a few miles away has taken multiple trips from Atlanta (where we live) to Indianapolis and a separate trip to Nashville, TN in his. Only having to replace a voltage regulator. Not to mention all the local driving he did with me. Advice like how much to drive a car isn't really good to give as you can't tell what condition someone else car is in at the time of it being ready to drive, you know.