1986 Civic

[Steer^Gimic]

hey guys. i am lookin at buyin one of these bad boys. i will be converting it to b16a in coming months if i was to buy one. but other then being very light, anyone got any info on them like chassis reference, what brakes they came with etc...cheers

here is an example

http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/!cs_content.private_vehicle?vehicle_
id=2290055&current_rec=2&used_rec=1&total_rec=13&sort_type=&total_rec=
13&sort_type=&price_max=5000&make_id=19&model_id=74&state_id
=7&search_distance=25

good idea? ;)

[Kawasaki]

they look abit ugly :D

88+ is better IMO

[Steer^Gimic]

thankyou to the 36 ppl who looked at this and cbf replying

[mikes94]

thankyou to the 36 ppl who looked at this and cbf replying

Easy fella! I saw it at work and was waiting to get home to reply ...

Anyway, in my opinion these are awesome little things …I had one for my first car. Unfortunately they are very much the “unloved” civic. I see very few of them done up here or in the states (check out www.honda-tech.com – there is at least one with a B16A conversion).

The chassis code is either ED or EB (I'll check later). They are very light ~850kg from memory (certainly less than 900kg) – although a conversion from the stock 1500 will increase this a bit. They came in Si guise in Japan with a ZC16 (DOHC 1600 ala CRX Si). Dare I say this would be the best version to get as it may be easier to do the conversion (existing wiring looms, higher pressure fuel lines etc … more like doing a conversion on a CRX). This model would be hard to find in Aus though (there are a few around).

On a negative the stock seats suck, the suspension is torsion bar up front and non-irs rear. The interior is pretty basic too … but that shouldn’t worry you if you’re after a little rocket. Brakes are disc up front and drums rear.

Mike

[mugeneration]

Well whatever style of car you like, if you're replacing the motor. You WILL have to upgrade your brakes etc in order to get an engineers certificate. Pretty much the only stuff that will remain the same are not very important, so just choose your style! Me: my choice is post 92. Good luck with ur choice.

[Steer^Gimic]

thanks for that guys, sorry im a bit eager to get an opinion.
mikes94 the fact that its not irs and has torsion bars up front makes me doubt the fact of getting aftermarket suspension for it.
will need engineer's as a b16 was never available. so that could be another dilemma
just weighing up my options

[ekslut]

Personally I think the '88 ED model up would be better. There is more support for it in America and Japan, and because of the EF9 you will find it easier to find parts. Although trying to find EF parts is still hard. Japan seem to be stopping making parts, but you can still find some around. America has heaps of parts, but it is a hassle to order and get them. I found a lot of companies dont even reply to you. I tried just over 10 places for some coilovers, and got a reply from about 3.


Plus I like the look of the '88 model better too :D

[garett]

when we were talkin about this the other night i thought it would be really cool as i like the look of it when it has 15" jap wheels on it
but the axle rear end and torsion bar setup in the front sucks a bit mate
i rekkon ed/f aswell

[garett]

or get the eg which phil told you about, it doesnt matter about the engine if you are to replace it anyway. look pretty cool side by side

[Steer^Gimic]

i know what you mean bout how hard things can get. until i succesfully ship something over from the us im not convinced! ed shape is nicer. but the novelty would be good of having something a bit older.
but its time to think practical!!

yeh g man, that guy that was selling just got fussy and wants more.
i am much more inclined to an ed right now.

[crispy]

I dunno.. its kinda ugly. Got that, 'Grandma's grocery getter' look to it. Although it would be cool, but personally id go an ed/f. but thats just me. Prolly easier to get the converion dun in the ed/f too. Theres my 2c

[Jarrod]

join the ef club jonny

[mikes94]

mikes94 the fact that its not irs and has torsion bars up front makes me doubt the fact of getting aftermarket suspension for it.
The rear suspension is probably not a big issue ... you could certainly get aftermarket shocks for it. I'd say springs would be available too .. but if not you could get them made up by Industrial Springs (just talk to your suspension shop).
The torsion bar front end can be beefed up by replacing the torsion bars with those from a 1G integra. Torsion bar sussy is adjustable in height too (there is an adjustment bolt that alters the ride height).



will need engineer's as a b16 was never available. so that could be another dilemma

Not sure 'bout this ... since they were available in Japan with 1600 (Si) - I would've thought it wouldn't be a problem. I'd say at a minimum you'd need to upgrade the brakes to the Si level.

Check this site out for more info (dedicated to 3G civics and 1G CRX):

www.redpepperracing.com

Mike

[simon]

wow, that cars pretty immac!

way too old school aint? you gotta have some pride :p

[Steer^Gimic]

thanks for the link mike, came across red pepper the other day. found it quite useful.
found out koni still make suspension components for them so it isnt as hard as i thought. just a matter of looking now. thanks heaps the info.

jarrod, no ef for me, this time round im going to have to be the underdog and chase you guys down ;)

[Setanta]

ALLMTR ran one of these Civics and was cracking 12 second 1/4s in it. Top little car, a lot lighter than the ED/EG/EKs and the 1st gen CRX version looks fantastic. You can do a lot with the 3G civic in terms of power - Jackson Racing in the US would be a good start - have a look at their ice racer version.

Don't listen to the nay-sayers - hell - even try and get the ZC powered JDM Si verion and show them what it's all about.

[Kawasaki]

why not get a honda city, super light, might be able to squeaze a b series in it would fly

[G AE82]

If you want a better power to weight ratio and faster times go for the 85-87, AH model. If you are more concerned with looks and aftermarket support, definately go with the EF or EG.