pics of my car

[blackice111288]

I finally got some pics of my hatch. they are nite pics. i tried to hide the crappiness of the paint by taking nite pics, but it didn't work:D . i might put in my speakers and my CD player today, so my page might be updated by later tonight. just imagine the car in all black, thats how it WILL be by this summer.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/684084/2

[VQ]

blacks the worst colour for hot weather, your car will be boiling....

[Frank N. O.]

Listen to the dude, he knows what he's talking about, as do I! Our Peugeot is mirror-black and it is HOT!! And that's in Denmark.

Black is beautiful, but it's not only hot in the sense of style but also temperature. But of course, if that's not a problem for you then go for it :cool: :wave:

Greetings
Frank

[NFSracer]

I don't find black that great of a color. I find it hides lots of details on a car. Especially when photographed... But i would imagine being in florida it would get pretty hot. Winter might not be so bad though. Gets pretty cold there sometimes...

[FeZ]

Black is not a bad color for a car as long as it has a working aircondition :D

[Justin Martin]

Like Fez said, if you have AC I wouldn't worry about black being a "hot" color. Color makes a difference, but it's not the end-all factor. My Celica can get quite hot in the summer, and it's white with a near limo-black tint. Besides, the Florida panhandle doesn't get that hot. ;)

As for paint, I think you'll need a gallon of single stage. When I did the body work on my Celica, I paid about $25-$30 for one quart of paint and the appropriate amount of hardener and reducer. (hardener makes the paint hard and shiny, reducer is like thinner) I painted two doors and a fender. Counting blending, that was probably close to 1/4 of the car, and I had a bit left over. So i'd assume you'd need at least three quarts, probably a gallon. It's better to buy too much than not enough and take a chance on the second batch not being mixed the same.

Talk to the guys at the local paint store, they'll tell you everything you'll need to know.

FWIW, multi-stage paints are supposedly easier to paint and give better results, but if I remember right, it was something like two to four times as expensive. That's why I did single stage, less money invested if I screwed up.

And finally, if you've never done it before, a word of warning. Painting a car is a major pain in the ass. ^_^

[VQ]

I reckon you hand paint it flat black! JDM style! (yes I've been hanging around a drifter forum)

But our Van, which is white, and has the darkest tint you can get, gets hotter then the Golf does which is also white, but it doesn't have tint and is a lot smaller cabin, a good a/c system in the car would be good too (IE vents for the rear seats oh well thats what you get when you can't get a diesel Carravelle at the time....)

But otherwise, hey the car is better then anything I own, considering I don't own a car, but Dad's TDi Golf would still beat you :p

[blackice111288]

only thing i can smoke is ford festivas and small GM economy cars^_^

i do want it "JDM" style, but not flat black. gloss black will go alot better with the rims because they are gloss black w chrome. im not concerend with the car being hot, it has A/C and the windows roll down, i'll get over it. the car will look dangerous when its finished, a 2-3 inch drop is planned after the paint and rims. im keeping all stock bumpers and interior. now that i think about it, you got that from a old Sport Compact Car Magazine, cause they did that!
i still aint decided what swap im gonna do, but im most definatley getting rid of this wimpy 4spd 1.5 liter motor.

on the paint i can agree with it being painstaking. i hate sanding the paint off the worst, followed by checking to make sure i dont cause runs

i have 2 questions, the first happened the nite that it got warmer (form the usuall winter temp of 40,) to 70 degrees. i notice my car was leaking, so i put my finge in it and it looked like motor oil. but it was coming from the transmission area. it has a new clutch, yall think it has something to do with the master/slave cylinders?

question 2 how do i fix this? http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/684084/3

and did one if you boost my raings for my interior and "performance upgrades"(of which i have none)? cause for some reason i have 5 stars in that area............

[Justin Martin]

only thing i can smoke is ford festivas and small GM economy cars^_^
Sigh, join the club. ^_^ Oh well, when I get out of college and have some money, i'll get a turbo'ed 22RE built for my Celica. Or a 3SGTE swap, if someone figures out an easy way to put them in RWD cars. But only after I buy a Lotus Elise. :D

i have 2 questions, the first happened the nite that it got warmer (form the usuall winter temp of 40,) to 70 degrees. i notice my car was leaking, so i put my finge in it and it looked like motor oil. but it was coming from the transmission area. it has a new clutch, yall think it has something to do with the master/slave cylinders?
I think hydraulic clutch systems usually use brake fluid for their hydraulic fluid, so they shouldn't be leaking motor oil. If it's coming out the bellhousing area, it could be a rear main seal on the engine leaking. At 15+ years old, that's quite possible. Just keep dumping oil in until you get ready to swap. ;)

question 2 how do i fix this?
Colin! You've dinged your Civic already? ;) j/k

Aside from the obvious, (taillight, etc) i'd replace the metal strip that runs under the taillights. If it's like my Celica, it's probably just held on by a couple of screws. Something like that at a junkyard probably shouldn't cost too much. The part above the taillights, that's part of the hatch, right? Might have to replace the whole hatch unless you're good with bondo. :(

The piece that is behind the taillights, it's normally covered by the taillights and the black panel, right? It might could be bent back close to the correct shape. That piece is probably welded in, so...

I had the same sort of thing on my Celica, just not as bad. Some previous owner had probably backed into something, busted a taillight, then simply replaced the taillight. The metal piece that holds the taillights was pushed in about a 1/3 inch, so the left side taillight didn't line up with the bumper and hatch properly. I pulled the taillights off, (partially to inspect the damage, and partially I didn't want to chance breaking a taillight by flexing it too much) got in the hatch and pushed that piece back out into it's proper position with my foot.

and did one if you boost my raings for my interior and "performance upgrades"(of which i have none)? cause for some reason i have 5 stars in that area............
I voted for a B20 swap, but nothing else.

I was curious what a black Civic looks like, I found this one: http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/28827 Pretty cool, very tastefully modified. -^ That's similar to what you want to do, just with different wheels?

[VQ]

that looks tastfully modified, but, how hard is it to fit 17's? Our Golf can fit 16's easily and the MK4 Golf can take up to 18' easily.

But lowering a car with mcpherson struts means you get more bumpsteer doesn't it?

[blackice111288]

more pics of the damage, http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/684084/3 and no, i didn't do it, it was like that when i got it:D

i think u are right about the way the hatch is constucted. i thought that metal strip on top of the bumper was a nonremovable part of the car body, but after reading your post i checked it out and all that comes off. i might go find a junkyad hatch, i really dont want to tho cause the glass is still good on mine. im decent at bondo, i guess i should just bring it tothe autobody shop and see what we can do.

u can tuck 19s on a civic so 17s will fit easy. 19s are too big tho, big rims only look cool on show cars, not little hatches like mine.

I was curious what a black Civic looks like, I found this one: http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/28827 Pretty cool, very tastefully modified. -^ That's similar to what you want to do, just with different wheels? thats exactly how mine will be, minus the rims. funny thing is i was just looking at that exact hatch yesterday or the day before and thinking how nice it was. i was gonna post it here, but i forgot to.

thanks for all the help and advice you guys, specially 1h8cops-^

[VQ]

Erm, how could you fit 19' rims underneath that?! the stock rim and tyre height would be that of 17 rim with a 35 profile tyre wouldn't it? It's needless to say that car would be high off the ground.

[blackice111288]

stock rim and tyre height would be that of 17 rim with a 35 profile tyre wouldn't it?
205/40/17, or i could get 215/40 or 215/45. i used to talk to a girl who's cousin had a blue hatch same year as mine on 18's.

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/567892
i didnt say it looked good with 19's i said u can fit them. i was talking to a guy that drives a Jetta last week about rims and he said he knows a guy who fit 20s on his civic, he cut the fenders to fit them but i think its overkill. 18's are already over the top.
19s are too big tho, big rims only look cool on show cars, not little hatches like mine.

[VQ]

No I'm saying, the heigt of the stock rims which would be what? 195/55/14? would be the same height as 195/35/17 woudn't it? cos the Golf's 14's were 55 profile and the 15's are 50 and they are performance tyres.

That car is using airbags so it will raise when driving, but when any commodore has 19' rims, you can still get the car to tuck rim with very little ground clearance, just need to pound the inner guards a bit, or even mini tub the rear. heck, even 20' rims fit on Vn onwards Commodores with a low ride height!

I still think it's stupid, I would only put on 20' rims on if the cars stock rims were 17' and were reletivly tall rubber and I wanted to get it to handle better.

besides, you can make cars lower with less mods with smaller rims! look at low riders! 13' rims!

[blackice111288]

I still think it's stupid, I would only put on 20' rims on if the cars stock rims were 17' and were reletivly tall rubber and I wanted to get it to handle better.


yeah, i agree. they show another orange civic on there sporting 18's it doesn't look that bad actually, but it has a bodykit, so its more car to swallow more rim, i suppose.

195/55/14? i think its 195/70/13

yes, 13:o

[VQ]

well, the golf is a bigger car, and the one i want has 14's still cos it has big brakes for the car, and I won't get torque steer, somthing you don't even know about, torque that is :p The design was for the Audi Fox orignally, apparantly you can drive with one wheel in ice and it won't Torque steer, says Dad, that's how old he is!

[blackice111288]

somthing you don't even know about, torque that is
you'd be suprised at how hard my little hatch pulls with just 90 ish horses. the drive tires spin in 1st when you floor it, its not big and crazy smoking wheel spin, but you can hear the tires squealing. i havent tried diving my hatch in ice, i dont plan to.... oh, yeah, the tire size actually is 165/70(or80 i forget)/13. yeah, 17's might throw off the speedo, but i plan on buying an aftermarket electronic one anyways

[VQ]

ok, I'd just recalibrate my stock one, but it will be analog anyway and if it works why add an aftermarket tacho and speedo you know?

I drove the golf the other day and I was kering on changes and stuff, then I gunned it turning out of our street onto a mian road, got wheel spin and considering we got new rims not to long ago and the rubber is at optimal grip, it's an achivment, that and the fact they are performance tyres.

[Commander]

I agree with Justin that the leak could be a rear main seal. A big job to fix, and harly worth it if you don't mind a messy driveway; nothing a piece of cardboard or wood won't absorb so long as you keep feeding it oil. Another possibilty is that the valve cover is leaking and trickling oil down the arse end of the engine. It's kinda tough to spot on anything but a very clean engine, but in the event you do discover it is the valve cover gasket, it isn't too big of a fix (not generally, some AC systems and fuel injection runners get in the way on certain vehicles). Anyway, cools that you have your ride going. Oh, and don't worry about which cars you can smoke, just get really good at bracket racing. A good bracket racer can go to the track in a AMC Pacer and eliminate a Corvette. 8)~

[blackice111288]

i dont want to sound stupid, but i really dont know what the rear main seal is. taking a wild guess, im thinking its a gasket of some sort, i just dont know what exactly its sealing. is it between the transaxle and the motor?

Oh, and don't worry about which cars you can smoke, oh, im not worried about that yet, im just concentrating on getting the thing to look presentable. as of right now the center of the dash and the stock radio/tape player is on the floor of my car and my Pioneer DEH-P5200 is awaiting to be installed. i would have fished it the other day, but none of the wires match up from the new cd player to my stock speaker wires. i had to search for 2 days for a wiring schematic, but i just found out pioneer has owner/installation manuals for all their product, i pinted the one for mine off and studied the diagram, i plan on finishing it tomorrow.

i've been wondering if i should just severely over bore my d15 vs. doing a swap. only reason i am considering this is to avoid having to buy custom motor mounts, and i really do not want to do any wiring i dont need to. i might try and find a d16a6 head, because 1.5's didnt have vtec, i dont think.

[blackice111288]

ok, I'd just recalibrate my stock one, but it will be analog anyway and if it works why add an aftermarket tacho and speedo you know?
the speedo im looking to buy is digital, most of them are, but yes the Tachs are analog, but since i dont have any kind of tach at all, i desperately need one. well, i dont need one, it just would be nice to have

[VQ]

you won't be able to overbore it too much, even the ls1's bored need to be resleeved, cos it's an alloy block, and you can't bore a iron motor past 40' anyway, it'd have to be stroked and you would need to find shorter pistons, longer throw crnk etc, which'd cost as much as engine mounts, so really, if you doa swap, at leat you get a chance to touch up the engine bay ey?

[wello]

hey VQ you can bore a 179 hp block 60 thou over I know this for a fact as i have had it done to 2 off them

[Commander]

The rear main seal is the seal that keeps oil from getting out of the engine right where the crankshaft comes out at the rear of the engine. You have to split the trans from the engine, drop the oil pan, and either partially take the crankshaft out, or you can sometimes work around it. In any event, it's a major pain in the butt to change and I only ever bother with main seal replacements if the engine is coming right out for a full rebuild.

[VQ]

Well ok, on newer motors you can't bore it out as much, older motors you can, like pre 1980's because of tigher clearances and weight saving in later years.

[Commander]

There is a commoon misconception about oversizing, or "overboring" as VQ put it. Many people think that oversizing increases power output, but the true reason for oversizing is to recondition the cylinder walls to make the engine "new" again. For this reason, you only ever oversize the bare minimum you need to make the block fresh again (if 10 over will do, go for it, if you need 20, or 30, then do that). While oversizing does technically increase displacement, the amount of cubes gained is so minute, that it provides no power increase at all. A 350 chevy small block bored 30 over will only add another 5 cubic inches when all is said and done, so you can see how little material is removed from the cylinders. So unless your cylinders are quite worn through many Km on the engine, then there is no need to oversize anyway.

[VQ]

Yeah, un,ess you neec clearance for those wider pistons or you want to make sure the bore is true.

[Commander]

Increased stroke, on the other hand, does increase displacement, and also offers a mechanical advantage to achieve greater torque, but sadly at the cost of horsepower and RPM. Imagine putting longer pedals shafts on your bicycle. They will allow for more power at low speeds, but your legs will be moving like rabid hamsters when trying to go fast in top gear. It can be a bit of a balancing act with engines, where you'll want to optimize acceleration AND top speed at the same time. To do this, I always prefer the engine do the work at low RPM and let the driveline do the gear math to get both good acceleration and top end. A torquey, low RPM engine with deep final drive gears is a nice thing to pilot indeed ! :love:

[wello]

I agree Commander
The motor I was talking about the Holden 179HP block is a very rare motor even going back 20 yrs when I was playing with them by boring them 60 thou it made them a 192 and with the right go fast bits in them better than alot of V8's at the time
I had a EH Holden wagon 1964 model with a very hot 179+60 thou that was good for 130 mph scary as hell but it would do it thats was 25 yrs ago now wouldn't dream of it now days
I also had a FJ Holden 1953 model which had whats called here a Canadian block do no guess were it was casted they were also a block that were able to be hotted up to the max
but now days both the 179hp and the 138 grey Canadian block are both as rare as rocking horse poo

now just thinking of both these engines I think Australia is the home of making a 6cyl beat the crap out of a 8 and in saying that XU1 is the classic point

So after making you all read this I'm old school and like to keep that if my cars stop I could fix them new cars are great but but any thing after 1990 your stuff now days call the NRMA or RAVQ

[VQ]

Anything after the Vk with it's EFi 202 is a problem, but the XF had EFi in them, not as complex but, the Black motor was a good block and head wasn't it? or was the Vh's 6 the best you could get? Anyway, if I ever become stupidly rich, i want to get a 202, or a 186 and stroke that to 233 or so, and then put that DOHC kit on the top, replacing the OHV setup with a dummy cam in the block, folow that up with a billit crank counterbalanced and everything, with some top spec pistons too, just everything for the motor to be able to scream to 7000RPM, then do a M3 style s6 throttle slide induction setup, it'd look really nice and go well in a Nice light Torana.

Wello, What about the 265 Hemi? Most Americans don't even beleive you can get power out of it, and look at it in the E38 Charger! In the sedan, it was the fastest Australian made car down the quarter till HSV started the stroker motors.

I love the HEMI 6 as well as the Holden 6, and the BA motor is a good thing too, ditto witht he Australian made and asambled HFV6. And the old 3.8 is a favourite with anyone wanting a cheap transplant for their old Holden, mainly because it has EFi and all that making it efficient and the power and torque it makes is impressive.

[wello]

Good point VQ about the 265 Hemi one of the best if not the best 6 cyl motor made in OZ just ashame about he bodys they were put in too (rust wise)
you have to forgive the yanks :p :beer: if it ain't a 8 they don't belive ya

they don't know it wasn't till the late 60's that we had a V8 powered car on the market that a working man could nearly afford

[VQ]

Yeah, but they will beleive it when a car wtih a turbo or supercharger of a smaller then 5 litre capacity is fast......

The Valient were the first to put out a V8 in their cars, that was in 1964 wasn't it? then shortly after Ford did it, then holden finally did on the HK.

[Justin Martin]

What about the 265 Hemi? Most Americans don't even beleive you can get power out of it, and look at it in the E38 Charger!

"Most Americans don't even believe..."

WTF VQ? ^_^ I'd wager that very few Chrysler enthusiasts in the US have heard of either that engine or the Aussie Chargers. Neither was ever sold here. I had never heard of them until I met Rob.

I don't think i've ever heard an American talking about that engine or car. I've certainly never heard an American say you "can't get power out of it".

[Commander]

In 1987, GM put the 3.8 Litre turbo V6 buik engine in the Grand National to make the fastest accelerating U.S. production car that year. In 1989, the same engine was refined and put into the 20th anniversary Trans Am, which, if not mistaken, is still the fastest F-Body ever made. The Grand Prix GTP is hella fast too, and it uses a V6. So yes, North Americans are fully aware of V6 potential.

[blackice111288]

There is a commoon misconception about oversizing, or "overboring" as VQ put it. Many people think that oversizing increases power output, but the true reason for oversizing is to recondition the cylinder walls to make the engine "new" again. For this reason, you only ever oversize the bare minimum you need to make the block fresh again (if 10 over will do, go for it, if you need 20, or 30, then do that). While oversizing does technically increase displacement, the amount of cubes gained is so minute, that it provides no power increase at all. A 350 chevy small block bored 30 over will only add another 5 cubic inches when all is said and done, so you can see how little material is removed from the cylinders. So unless your cylinders are quite worn through many Km on the engine, then there is no need to oversize anyway.
well, its got 160,000+ miles on it. but my main reasoning for overboring because i thought it would produce more torque, and along with the overbore i would get a stroker kit also. i knew after a certain bore, it would have to be resleeved, what that exact measurement is, i dont know.
but should i get high compression pistons if i plan to turbocharge it later on? if i did, how would i drop compression? i heard something before about stacking metallic headgaskets to drop compression, but i dont know the exacts of it.
how much would i have to overbore to increase the displacement to 1.6-1.8 liters? i know there is no way i can overbore it to 2.0 liters.

yeah, a swap would let me clean out and repaint the engine bay, somthing i need to do, but having a clean engine bay isnt worth all that hassle; i'll get a high presure hose and hose it off i guess. i think my car will look funny with the outside all black and clean when i paint it, but the engine bay all red and old, but oh well, i dont care.

now just thinking of both these engines I think Australia is the home of making a 6cyl beat the crap out of a 8 and in saying that XU1 is the classic point Japan and America have been doing it for years, just with 4's and 6's, with the MKIII 2.5l Supra Turbo and the 240sx being prime examples

[Justin Martin]

but should i get high compression pistons if i plan to turbocharge it later on? if i did, how would i drop compression? i heard something before about stacking metallic headgaskets to drop compression, but i dont know the exacts of it.

Thicker headgaskets won't make much of a difference. Teej could tell you for certain, but I don't think thicker gaskets will drop your compression much more than a couple of tenths.

I'm no expert on the topic, but i'd be hesitant to run stacked gaskets with a turbo. It would seem to me that would be a blown gasket waiting to happen....

how much would i have to overbore to increase the displacement to 1.6-1.8 liters? i know there is no way i can overbore it to 2.0 liters.

Bore on a D15 is 75mm, stroke is 84.5mm. Without changing the stroke, you'd need a 78mm bore to get 1.6l, 83mm bore to get 1.8l. That's 0.1" overbore for 1.6l, and 0.3" for 1.8l. When Teej says 30 over, that's 0.03", a third of what it'd take to go from 1.5l to 1.6l. Just change the engine. ;)

[VQ]

Erm, Colin, this was in 1971 just after the American Muscle car peak was over, the little Torana went out and complellty beat the XY GTHO's with their 351 Clevo's and huge horsepower. So the Japs used the idea a tad later then the Aussie's did.

But if I was you, I'd pull out the welder and smooth the engine bay out when you get around to painting, including stripping the interior. At least thats my plan, regardless of how long it takes.

I remeber wrriting somewhere "people won't beleive anything under 5 litres is fast unless it has a supercharger or Turbocharged bolted to it" the exception is of course German cars, but for Aussie and American cars, how often do you see the hi-po motor being a 6 that can beat a lot of 8's? thats what the Charger did, and also I wasn't refering to just the 265 that Americans wouldn't beleive were fast, I was talking about N/A S6's in general.

On the RB30, for a tubo conversion in the VL's people do put a thicker head gasket in, but the only other problem with that is that it's not as good as the low comp pistons.

[Commander]

Yeah Colin, you're not going to be able to bore the cylinders in hope of getting more cubes, you'd need another block altogether to do that; one that is already 1.6 or 1.8 liters. If you want to freshen up the cylinders, oversize them, but don't do it thinking you will make the engine bigger. A stroker kit, if one exists for your engine, is a good step. You'll get more torque, but less HP and a lower redline, so you kinda have to balance the rest of the driveline to make this work in your favor.

Anyway, if you plan on installing a turbo, just keep your compression as stock as you can. You'll also really want to make sure you use an intercooler too, otherwise the turbo will make a LOT of heat.

As far as the head gaskets go, you don't really want to be stacking gaskets. I don't know why you'd want to lower C ratio anyway, just keep compression stock for drivability.

[VQ]

Cheaper to buy a 1.6 or 1.8 and the conversion kit for it, there should be one.

[blackice111288]

i want to do a engine swap, but i dont have the money, and i dont want to do all that wiring that goes into engine swaps. i feel i can get similar power ratings from my 1.5 as from a 1.6, im going to get the 1.6 cylinder head anyways.


So the Japs used the idea a tad later then the Aussie's did.
i doubt they "stole" the idea, as much as needing a soulution to haveing to use monster sized gas guzzling motors for a performance car
(not a shot at muscle cars in any form or fashion)

[VQ]

Is that why a VL Turbo which is a much smaller RB30 motor, which is more "efficient" uses more fuel and makes less power and is slower then a EFi V8.

[blackice111288]

still wouldnt take a Supra Turbo GT 2.5 of the same year (i imagine you are taliking about the late 80's, early 90's)

the vl turbo was a heavy car, a rb25det powered Skyline GT-S would burn that .

[VQ]

it weighed all of 1300kg's and the V8 VN weighed more.

Of course a car that is designed specifically for GT is going to be faster, a Commodore is primarily a passanger which, like every other Australian made car since the 60's is easily able to be improved in power, thanks to the racing rules during the 60's and 70's basically.


Considering they ran 14's and both can run 13's with about 3 grand or so, it's pretty good.

[blackice111288]

true. i wasnt trying to imply the commodore was slow.

i might be gettin some 91 integra wheels w/ new tire relativitaly soon. i know a boy who is installing his balck widow kit on his integra and he is getting bigger wheels soon, so i offered $200 for the 15inch aluminum 6 spoke wheels he has know. but thats if i dont buy a set of the 280zx wheels off aonther one of my friends, i dunno if he is including tires with it i keep forgetting to ask. it will hold me over till i can get my 17's. im focusing on the cosmetics and suspension of my car first before i start worrying about the engine performance and stuff. its more important to have a well handling respectable looking car to me than a super fast little beater, like a sleeper or something.

[VQ]

you could just have for the 17's straight off and leave them stock till then.

[blackice111288]

but i need new tires like, soon anyways, and the 17 and tires i want are $700, i cant get that much untill probably the end of this summer at the soonest. the integra wheels at least make my car look presentable, and 200 bucks is a good deal I could probably sell them and make the $ back. on the other hand, since all season tires are on the wheels, i could keep them for the winter months.

EDIT: that should have said Black widow, not balck widow in my post above.