Hi everybody. I'm new to the forum. Been checking it out for awhile now. And now im finally posting my civic story.

So alittle about me. I'm 19, have about no experience with cars but I do plan to pick up quite abit from this forum. I've checked out the DIY and I believe i will be reffering to it a lot. I'm currently a student working part time. so my car is not my first priority but, I do plan to fix it to my full potential.

So before I start changing everything under the hood and interior. My first objective is to fix up my front.

I own a 99 Civic DX. I purchased it not to long ago from a my uncles brother in-law. This was my first time driving/learning a manual car. and to be honest im so glad I didnt buy automatic. The car is really clean when it comes to rust underneath the car. I have 3 spots right above my back window other then that. there is no rust on the car. BUT my whole front has to be changed.

The owner before fixed it up, and slapped on new parts. but never got to painting them/finishing the job. so eventually the hood rusted and the side panels started to rust to. afew dents on them aswell. SO I bought a new hood, side panels, and a bumper. I currently still need to buy a grill and headlights. but im not sure which to buy and from where. I also have no knowledge with taking apart the whole front and installing the new parts. Which brings me to my next point. I currently dont have the money to spend to get the front painted. I have a neighbour willing to install,paint, and give my whole car a clear coat for $630.00 I believe this was one of the best deals i got. Id rather another color then green. but ive seen another similar civic on this forum and fixed up with alittle work done on it, it looked really nice. So I guess my question would be. Should i try to atleast install the new parts as is. I live in Montreal, canada. and winter is comming!....I dont know if i can manage to get the money to paint the front yet. but i believe i can pull it off by september. I was also hoping you guys can give me some tips and stuff. for example what grill and headlights i should get and where. I really liked the black housing headlights i believe thats what theyre called? :s

I also had a question - Being my first car with manual windows and locks. ive really missed my automatic windows+locks lately. and i was wondering. what it would cost to make them auto. and if i need to change anything other then to put a motor for it in the doors. and what if i bought some doors instead from a scrap or something (I found someone near my house who was selling his doors for $150 same color as my car. and they were in great condition) is it worth the trouble?

Btw I do not plan to buy a body kit on ebay, installing it, and then calling it a finished project. I plan to put some work and effort into this car.

So any tips would be greatly appriciated.

Here is afew pics of the car when i got it.







I havn't done much to the car. other then change my brakes, and remove that ugly sticker. Going to remove that tint this weekend when I have time. And its probably going to get its first wash since i got it.

Well thanks to anyone who reads through this and is willing to help out a new member nice to meet you all!

 

Nice base to start with mate got alot of potential and $150 for the doors is a good price if they are dent and rust free otherwise try the scrap yard some good stuff ther good look mate

 

welcome to HCF. damn thats quite rusty. headlights and grill you can get on ebay. with the headlights make sure to get some clear silicone to seal them up to moisture doesnt get through. the front end comes apart with a couple bolts and screws. very simple and straight forward.

keep us updated with this project. btw keep the green i think it looks good

 

i like your start, sell the rusty hood on honda-tech, thats what their all going for.. i never understood why you would want a rusty hood, but i guess thats the new trend.. i would get black stock headlights, mugen grille, and stock everything else. for some reason, the mugen grill only looks good on coupes. i would lower it and get new rims for sure. but definatly a good platform to start learning on! welcome to hcf!

 

Hey welcome to HCF and great start on getting the car. I myself have a 99 Civic DX so check mine out and see fi you like what I have done. First off the headlights get ebay black housing lights they look great on the car.

Don't get HID's waste of money and a ballist is just a darn problem to fit in under the hood, get Xenon H7 lights they look just like HID's.

Also a Type R grill on ebay, and then paint it to match the car like I did looks great.

Get a new hood, paint it if needed.

Also no body kit yes just get a front lip either a Mugen lip, Spoon, or Type R look them up on ebay and see which you like.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

 

haha, no joke. For some reason, the rusty hood look is in style.

Personally, I think that hood is salvageable. You'd have to sand the whole thing down, do minimal bondo work, then prime it. 2 days work max. Your whole front end is probably salvageable. You could sell it for a few bucks to someone willing to put a little love into the parts.

Whats wrong with the headlights? Are they just a little foggy? You should look into restoring them if they aren't damaged. Clean them up and sell for profit, and that'll buy you a new set of black housing headlights. Or if you're on a budget, you can paint the housings yourself. That's how mine are.

 

Well the rust has gone through the hood and all. though i already bought all the front parts except the lights and grille, i plan to get a front and back lip. and my lights are in horrible condition, pins are broken theyre hanging of for dear life on tie wraps. so im hoping to order myself the missing parts this month and hopefully getting them installed. question. do you guys paint your lips and stuff yourself? and my check engine light just came up so im getting that checked out sometime this week. also ive seen your car kingdakota and its a similar idea of what i want mine to be

 

Yes lips and grill's come black so all you have to do is paint them to match. I found a shop called Carquest here and they mixed my paint right in a spray can for $17 not a bad deal at all.

Just either find a hood at a junk yard or pay the money to get a new one, that hood just looks done IMO, and also yes get black housing lights from ebay, seal them again and you will be good to go.

 

cheap on gus hun