Souping Up My Honda the Old School Way
My father was a mechanic and I always enjoyed watching him work. And in the last couple of years, I’ve felt the urge to follow his footsteps. Even though my limited knowledge in this field didn’t allow me to start my own car shop, I still decided to start a small project of my own. I found a cheap ’95 Honda Civic and I decided to use that car in my project. Basically, what I wanted to do is use my limited skills to soup up my Honda and turn it into a car I’ll use every single day. Keep reading if you want to find out more about my project!
Why ’95 Honda Civic?
Chances are you started wondering why I went for ’95 Honda Civic when I could have bought something newer. This car is a perfect choice for beginner enthusiasts who want to turn an old car into something extraordinary. Even though trim levels of ’95 Honda Civic are a bit underpowered from the factory, this car actually has an endless supply of aftermarket support which makes souping it up quite a bit easier.
Moreover, there are tons of different styles you can go for when starting a project like this. You can focus on the exterior and make your Honda’s exterior look amazing. Or you can really soup it up and get ready for a race. Since I wanted this car to be something really special, I decided to turn my Honda into every street racer’s dream. It sure took a lot of work but, in the end, I got the car I wanted so much. I decided to tackle the rebuild myself, even tho this car was my daily and I needed it for work next week! Luckily on the interweb I found fast same day shipping and everything I needed. But more about that later.
Getting the car repainted
The Honda Civic I bought was blueish and I didn’t really like the color that much. Therefore, I decided to repaint it in my favorite color – red! Before I even started this part of the project, I remembered that my dad always told me that painting a car is all about preparation. No matter if you’re repairing a chip or you’re going to repaint the whole thing, you have to be prepared.
So, in order to be able to carry out my project the right way I had to apply compound, and sand and prime my car. And this was only the beginning. Luckily, my old orbital polisher served me well and I was able to do all of these things without any obstacles. Once this was done, I spent hours looking for the paint I want and once I found it, it was time to get to work. Luckily, this is something I helped my dad do, and spraying the paint wasn’t too difficult. In the end, I had a car in the color I always wanted.
Rebuilding the engine
Having my new car repainted sure was a great project. Still, since this didn’t have any effect on my Honda’s performance, I wanted to do more work and soup the thing like a pro. First of all, I needed to rebuild my engine, which has certainly seen better days. The timing chain in my Honda wasn’t in the best shape so I decided to have it replaced.
I found a new timing chain online in just a couple of minutes and had it delivered to my home. Of course, this wasn’t the end. I also had to bring in new pistons, rings, gaskets and seals if I wanted to turn my Honda into something I can drive every day. Finally, it was time to reinstall the engine and this took more time than I was hoping for. In the end, I managed to get the job done and finish all the work on the engine.
Ordering other components
Of course, I still wasn’t anywhere near the end when I had my engine rebuilt. Since I wanted this car to be something special, I decided to install a turbo. Since this is something I knew absolutely nothing about, I actually had pros do it for me. While I didn’t know much about the topic, but after doing an extensive research online, I was able to order the turbo kits, parts and accessories I wanted.
Even though it was difficult to leave my car at a local mechanic, I knew I had to do it, and soon I had my new turbo installed. Since my car was already there, I had the mechanic do some more work I didn’t really know much about. After checking whether my engine was rebuilt properly, mechanic helped me find new exhaust, pod filter and spark plugs online. After I had them delivered, he installed all of these for me and my project was nearing its end.
Finalizing the project
When this part of the project was finished, I decided that it wasn’t enough. I was looking up other things I could do and, in the end, I decided to coat my exhaust. Still, I had to do this fast, since according to the plan, I was already supposed to be finished. After a lot of browsing, I was finally able to find the perfect ceramic coat for my Honda and I had it delivered to my home the very same day.
Once the part was at my front door, it was time to get my hands dirty one last time. Even though I never did this before, with guidelines I was able to find online and a bit of effort, I was able to coat my exhaust like a real pro. Once this part was installed, I finally got a chance to take the whole thing out of my garage and run a final test. I have to tell you that driving the car which was my piece of art felt truly amazing. And I was never more excited about driving to work the next morning.
Even though this project took a lot of time and effort I have to admit I enjoyed every single second of it. My ’95 Honda Civic looks nothing like it did when I first bought it. What once was an old street vehicle can go toe to toe with a competitive race car.
David
David, is a car enthusiast and customiser in his free time. He is always on the lookout for good value when it comes to cars and accessories and has recently even started writing! No one knows where his next adventure will lead him: https://atracingworld.com/
