'93 Hatch DD Build

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jpfeffer
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:49 pm

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by jpfeffer »

So, I figured since I was doing quite a bit to this car, I'd log it in here and hope that it helps, inspires, explains, or at least gives someone something to troll. Never done a build thread before, but I'll do my best.

A little backstory: I'm not building this car to be quick. Not even a little bit. I just graduated with two bachelor's degrees, and have decided I'm going back for a third, so I need a decent DD to get me from home to work and to school. I also just bought a house and I'm getting married in September, so I sold my SRT Caliber to get out of most of my debt, and decided to start building.

The car is a '93 hatch that I bought from Caleb (HardCore97's brother?) as a roller. As a warning, anything I say about this car being rough, or junk, or anything else derogatory isn't intended towards the previous owners. I knew what I was getting into when I bought it. :hug: Here she is on the way home.

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And here she is once we finally made it home (just a few shots for space sake)

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I suppose now would be a good time to mention that I work overnights in the Emergency Room at Mercy (formerly St. John's Mercy), an average of six nights each week, so I don't have TONS of free time, but I make the most of the time I get. I'll update this thread accordingly.

I purchased a radiator support to get the front end straightened out a little:

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But the day I was planning on replacing it, I ended up cleaning out the interior, and stripping the bay of everything I didn't want anymore, taking it from this:

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To this:

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And before/after of the interior:

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Basic plans for the car include a brake tuck, partial wire tuck, a slightly freshened up D15Z1 swap (mpg all the way, and all maintenance items complete before going in the car), new paint in the bay and on the body, a COMPLETE body (fenders, bumper, lights, hood, etc), and either replacing several interior parts, or at least cleaning them up VERY well. We found a mouse in the car when we were loading it up on the trailer. It could use a good cleaning. Lol.

I also purchased my swap and a few 'extra parts' from mike93hatch and x357rq. Last photo is of the shipment I got from Summit this week for the new brake and fuel lines, the battery relocate, and a few other small items. (Sorry for the iPhone shots).

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I'll be tearing into the Z1 next to start getting it ready to drop in. The seller believes it's solid and would be a reliable swap as-is, but I'd rather open it up and see for myself, and I'd like to replace basic things like the timing belt, water pump, F/R seals, clutch, flywheel, head gasket, oil pan and VC gaskets, etc. so that I'm not running into these things right away once it's up and running. After the initial swap is in and I'm partially done with the car (running/driving daily), I'll open up another one of the Z1s and do a complete rebuild with rotating assembly, just to have on hand if/when the original craps out. Right now, I'm slightly crunched for time, money and space with so many other things going on with the car, but I'll get there.

That's about it right now. Like I said, I'll take photos and update as I go. Feel free to comment, give suggestions, etc. I think it'll encourage me if I can ignore the trolls. Lol. Thanks for checking this out!
John 3:16-17
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Phate
Posts: 4601
Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2007 6:12 am

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by Phate »

Awesome. Can't wait to see more progress!! Looks like you're off to an awesome start.
Midmomofo Built.
If you can't take a joke, FU.
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Andrew
Posts: 1000
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:28 pm

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by Andrew »

In for updates!
'93 Honda Civic VX - 35mpg+ Boosted Daily Driver
'93 Acura Integra - In progress, wire tuck, brake line tuck, Budget Built. :gape:

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lurch95hatch
Posts: 455
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:16 pm

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by lurch95hatch »

Wow, that's gunna be a good project! Nice job.
1995 Civic CX Hatchback (work in progress)
2001 Civic LX Four Door (stock as the day she was born)
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sammybammy
Posts: 191
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:57 pm

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by sammybammy »

That's awesome man! Can't wait to see it finished. What degrees do you have? I'm finishing up both my degrees now.
04 ssm em2
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HardCore97
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Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:57 pm

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by HardCore97 »

looking better already! cant wait to see it when its complete!
i may not be "logical" but at least i can change my oil...

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jpfeffer
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:49 pm

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by jpfeffer »

Thanks so much everyone! I actually have BA's in Christian Ministry and Biblical Studies. Thought I wanted to be a full time youth pastor, but ended up deciding I'd rather have a good job and be doing ministry work on the side. So now I'm on the waiting list for nursing school, which is a significant bump in pay from what I make in the ER now. Lol.
John 3:16-17
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jpfeffer
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:49 pm

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by jpfeffer »

Got my gaskets, water pump, tensioner, and timing belt today. Just about ready to go on the engine. Now all I need is time. :shrug:
John 3:16-17
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Anything Honda
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Joined: Wed May 23, 2012 8:17 am

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by Anything Honda »

Excited to see it in the future :laff:
Street racing is not a crime its a life style! :vtec228:
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jpfeffer
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:49 pm

'93 Hatch DD Build

Post by jpfeffer »

Anything Honda;298651 wrote:Excited to see it in the future :laff:
You and me both! Picked up a new (to me) set of doors from 5thgen today when I got off work. Despite being stripped down, and a little banged up, they are a MILLION times nicer than what I'm working with. Plus, they came with glass, which my driver's side door is currently lacking. Thinking I'll swap all of my latches, window tracks, etc from my old doors to these and bolt them on. I'd rather be working with automotive paint when doing body work though than the spray paint on the blue doors. No pics, but it's something new for the car today.

I have a question for everyone here though... I know what color I'm going with on the exterior. It's a very mild color choice, something that won't burn any retinas, and is very neutral (no metallic even!). My initial plans for the car were to do the engine bay in something very bright in order to break up the color scheme a bit, and to really highlight a not-so-common-on-clean/lowered-cars D15Z1. However, after discussing my plans with a friend, he said the bright bays were just a trend and would fade out soon. I suppose I just assumed everyone loved this 'trend' as much as I do. Any thoughts or opinions on this? I still plan on doing the bright bay, just wondering where these boards stand on this.

Thanks again for reading the thread!
John 3:16-17