I've only recently entered the hobby of auto restoration, and for my first project I decided to tackle a badly-rusted 1988 Honda Civic (not exactly a classic, but this particular car has sentimental value to me). The degree of repairs needed is beyond what any sane technician or restorer would...

Looks like I've run into another potential headache with this restoration job. After having the vehicle covered for a long period of time, today I finally removed the tarp so I could turn the car around. I was very upset to see that some of the body fill (Bondo), applied months earlier, had...

After months of bugging you guys for help with this old thing, I thought you might like to see the supposed progress I've made. These are just a few of many before-and-after pictures I've taken over the past 10 months, and they don't come close to showing the full scope of the work...

If auto work is going to become a hobby, it's clear that I need to invest in a decent impact wrench. Using a breaker bar is just too physical, too awkward, and has too high a chance of breaking bolts off. But how much power and what drive size do I need? The worst fasteners I've encountered so...

Does anyone know where to get aftermarket rear fenders for a 1980-83 Honda civic? I recently acquired a nice old 1500GL and one of the rear fenders needs replacement. Somebody told me you can get these as aftermarket parts, cut off what's left of the old one, and weld the new one on. I did a bit...

My '89 Civic project is almost ready to paint, but I've been putting it off because of a prolonged period of humid weather. The humidity typically stays around 70-90%, and seldom goes below 50%. How low does the humidity have to be before I can apply primer, base, and clear coat without getting...

Over a year after I started rebuilding this '89 Civic, everything appeared to be in order so I had it towed to the nearest garage for inspection. The inspector found a few loose nuts and bolts, and charged a ridiculous amount of money to go over the vehicle and double-check my work, but...

I need some help with another aspect of this 1980 Honda Civic project. This time I need to replace the two outer CV joint boots; one is cracking and the other has torn open. The grease inside is not contaminated so I assume this happened during the time the car sat unused (at least 4 years)....

I've run into some more problems with this 1980 Honda Civic project. When I first got it going a couple of months ago, it seemed to run pretty good. Then it started idling poorly, and now it won't start at all - it just sputters a few times and gives up. I pulled a couple of spark plugs, they...

It will soon be time to paint my old Civic, and being new to this work also I'm going to be needing plenty of advice. A neighbor has kindly agreed to let me use his empty garage, and now I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to set everything up. Here are a few of the most important things I...

This will seem like a dumb question to most of you, but how am I supposed to use a torque wrench on a brake nut when the brake line is installed? You can't put a socket over it with the line in the middle, so I assume there must be some additional tool I need. Oh the humility of being a...

I recently bought this bushing extractor/installer set on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=350133791365 Perhaps it's just my inexperience, but I can't for the life of me figure out how this is supposed to work. I bought this with the hope that I...

Does anyone know of a parts dealer who carries a complete line of Honda parts, and is either located in Canada or will ship here for a reasonable price? I haven't had any luck in finding anyone so far. Many of the parts I need for this '88 Civic are not readily available - control arm bolts,...

This may seem like a stupid question, but I'm new to this hobby so bear with me. What kind of spray lubricant is best for rustproofing the various cavities on a car chassis, including critical things such as inside the crossmembers? The guy in the automotive section at Canadian Tire said to use...

Me again with this '88 Civic project. This car has been parked for about 8 months now, and a mechanic recently told me that this is very bad for the brake lines. He said I should replace all the steel lines to prevent problems down the road. This involves a lot of extra work though; is it...

I posted a message a while ago, regarding the best lubricant for rustproofing the interior of various car body cavities. I decided to go with Rust Check, which is commonly available here in Canada and comes highly recommended. But today I discovered that there are two different grades of this...

One of the main goals during this '88 Civic restoration, was not only to remove as much existing rust as possible but try to prevent it from returning. One theory is to take things like the controls arms, strip the loose rust and wire brush the rest, apply a rust primer to any bare metal, then...

The 1988 Civic CX I've been working on all winter is finally nearing completion, but there are still a few more parts, most non-essential, that I either want or need to find before I can wrap it up. Things like ball joints etc. will be replaced with new parts, but some things - like door...

After almost nine months of painstaking work on my '89 Honda Civic, most of the work is finally done and now my focus is on putting everything back together again. Most of it is pretty straightforward, but I need some advice on what to do about a certain piece of the fuel line - specifically,...

A couple years back I rebuilt my grandmas old '89 Honda Civic. She doesn't drive anymore, and I rarely drive due to health problems, but my parents have been use it quite often. A few days ago my Dad informed me that it wasn't steering properly, and I noticed the front right wheel was visibly...