Awesome 1st Gen Honda Civic Pickup Truck

 Reminder of what my Civic looks like:

Super awesome modification:

This car/pickup is currently owned by Mark Allen of Wheatland, CA. Word is, he picked it up in San Diego, and it was originally from Mexico. Mark is the sacred guru of old Hondas and has an entire warehouse full of parts for them. He's also super cool, friendly, and helpful. I talked to him today and can't wait to get my box full of hard/impossible to find parts (radiator, heat exchanger, steering column cover, timing belt cover…..oh my). 

What Does CVCC Mean?

Motortrend did a nice little write up on the 1st Gen Honda Civic CVCC. Learn what it's all about and a little history on my car here:
Motortrend Classics 79 Civic CVCC

eBay comes through with new pistons

Nobody makes pistons for a 79 Civic CVCC 1500 anymore. What are the chances I could find ones sized +.020" to fit my newly bored cylinders? Thank goodness for eBay. Found these for a 1975 Civic, but hopefully since they are both first generation Civics these pistons will work. The only noticeable difference is these pistons are flat on the top while my original ones are dished in. With any luck, the only change will be slightly higher compression. 

Block Work

If it seems like I haven't been working on my car much lately, it's because I haven't. The block and crankshaft are currently being machined by Scott Reed here in Bellingham. My piston cylinders are being bored +.020 to remove rust and pitting. The crankshaft is just being polished. My master rebuild kit arrived early in the week, but they no longer make my pistons so it's back to eBay for me. 

Step 7. Hoist Engine (VIDEO)

Bolt the engine to a chain hoist using two of the bolts from the bellhousing. Remove any final mounts. Be sure the transmission is supported. Hoist the engine from car. Don't forget a hard hat!

Step 6 & Pro Tip #2. Remove bellhousing bolts

Remove bolts connecting the engine to the transmission bell housing and starter (6 total bolts). Pro Tip #2: Number your bolts. They are different lengths, sometimes minisculey, which can be quite frustrating when you are putting things back together. 

Step 5. Remove Radiator

Remove radiator (four bolts). Disconnect hoses, disconnect fan wires and sensor wires. Remove fan. Radiator will be taken to be leak tested, cleaned, and painted. Refinishing that rusty fan motor and bracket will be up to me. 

Pro Tip #1

Bag and label all your parts. I am using "food storage" bags also known as bread bags. They are large sized, cheaper than ziplocks, and most importantly, I had them in the cupboard. 

Step 4. Remove alternator and coolant hoses

Everything left connected to the engine needs to be removed, except for the engine mounts at this time. 

Step 3. Remove Hood

Remove front grill and hood.

Step 2. Prep car for work.

Step 2.
Put the car on jack stands, support the engine/transmission with a jack, block the wheels.

Honda Civic CVCC's run up 27,686 miles at Motor Speedway in 72-hour high-speed performance test

At continuous full throttle, six 1975 Honda Civic CVCC's rolled up a total of 27,686 miles during a 3-day high speed performance test at Ontario Motor Speedway in California. Twenty-two professional drivers conducted the test under the supervision of Bob Bondurant noted racing driver and operator of the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. The six cars made 11,074 laps around the 2V2-mi\e oval, running day and night at an average speed of 84.2 miles per hour.

A Honda Civic CVCC 5-speed recorded the highest average speed of 87.1 miles an hour while rolling up 5,233.2 miles. Miles per gallon over the three-day period ranged from a high of 20.16 for the Honda Civic CVCC 5-speed to 15.89 miles per gallon for the 2-speed Hondamatic. Average miles per gallon for all six cars was a substantial 18.48. That was under all-out racing conditions. It should be noted that under more normal highway driving conditions in EPA lab tests, Hondas got from 28 to 42 mpg. 

Step 1. Clean Engine Compartment

Step 1. Remove the 6" thick coat of black gunk from inside the engine compartment. You can see in the picture, a previous mechanic has removed my cylinder head. More on this later....

My Little Honda

1979 Honda CVCC
Ready for an engine rebuild and more