Hello all. This is my first post and I have been a fan of grassroots motorsports magazine back in the day. It was 24 years ago and 1 day- December 31st, 1990 that I purchased my first car from Honda of Newton Centre in MA- a red 1991 Honda Civic Si. I promised myself that 10 years later I would begin to modify my Civic starting with the suspension and that all the upgrades would be tasteful and serve a real purpose- which was to make my Si simply perform better while keeping her looking as clean as possible.
Fast forward 24 years later and I got only as far as a complete suspension upgrade. Some downgrades, and quite a bit of restoration work.
My Civic SI has served me well after 217,000 miles as a second car. Three cars later I have decided to sell my first car as I recently purchased an FRS and I have 2 VW's that I have to maintain.
The car is in pretty damn good shape. Mechanically the suspension has been completely rebuilt. Last year I had a mechanic who worked at Toyota change out all every single bushing in the suspension and reinstall with a complete pic performance PIC/Suja 1 Motoring Hard Rubber Bushing (HRB) Kit. (The good stuff :)) Also I purchased last year 2 OEM Honda trailing arm rubber bushings and had those replaced as well. These are the reinforced bushings Honda created for these models I think some time in early 2000 as the original design was known to fail at a faster rate. I think they are the same bushings sold by Mugen.
Around 1997 I upgraded the suspension with complete Suspensions Techniques front and rear anti-roll bar. A neuspeed front upper strut tower rod, a rear upper strut tower rod, and a neuspeed rear lower strut rod. When I purchased the PIC/Suja bushings I purchased a stock 91 front anti-roll bar and replaced the Suspension Techniques front anti-roll bar with the stock one (for more balanced handling) but utilized the pic performance bushings in the OEM Honda anti-roll bar. The rear roll bar remains the 22mm ST bar but I replace the rear endlinks last year as well.
The shock absorbers are Koni KYB/AGX (Reds) adjustable about 10 or 11 years old, but holding up very well. I used to have eibach pro-line springs on the car but changed them back to new stock springs when I got married. ( I don't know why I threw them out, but when I built my new home I didn't want clutter- oh well and shucks). Needless to say the car rode like it was on rails and that was a decade before replaced the bushings. I also used to have a stainless steel Thermal Research Exhaust from cat back but replaced that as well back to stock when I got married as well. I replaced the pipes from the cat back to the muffler about 2 years ago, the stock muffler is still in fine shape. I kept the Thermal Research Exhaust and will throw that in as well for free. If you have ever heard this exhaust it is sweet and deep but purrs like a kitten at rest. It has some reverse baffle technology, or something like that, that keeps it quiet.
Restoration wise, the car has been repainted with the original OEM color and clear coated but looks fantastic. There was some rust in the left and right rocker panels that have been repaired, but they are not perfect in my mind, but can easily be replaced. There was mild rust on left rocker panel that required a small section of the floor board to be fiberglassed. I can't tell where the repair was made, but needless to say the chassis is solid. There is mild rust over the brake light areas that can also be rectified easily. The car had new engine mounts and a new transmission mount put in last year. The rear metal bumper stabilizer bar was rusted and was replaced by my mechanic last year as well. There is a new hood that was in fabulous shape and blends in flawlessly with the rio red that was replaced last year and give the car an even cleaner look. The timing belt, water pump, and clutch plate were replaced at least 5 years ago or earlier. The air conditioning is working and the last time I used it was ice cold. I believe there is a small leak in the system but if you evacuate it and reacharge it every 2-3 years it will run very well.
The interior is not bad for a 24 year old car. The usual suspects are there. The driver's side seat bolster is worn out. I have replaced the damn glove box THREE times and after the last one broke again, I gave up. I have the box, but I keep it in the trunk. The sunroof works. Not much to brag about here, but not much to cry about either.
The engine is stock and pulls fine. Burns a little oil as any 24 year old car would but it is still strong and times I swear it runs the same as the day I bought it, but time has a way of confusing one's memory, so let's just say it runs great. I replaced the valve cover gasket, spark plugs, and ignition wires (supposedly surpasses OEM quality- I'm anal) last month before my brother told me about the Scion FRS over Thanksgiving dinner.
So my vision for this car 24 years ago was to improve the suspension using hard rubber bushings, beefed up suspension components while maintaining a balanced comfortable but "tight" handling. There are no stickers, clear corner lights, weird sounding mufflers on this car. It looks like a stock 1991Civic Si. I had planned to either replace the motor with a B16 or rebuild the original motor with oversized pistons. I never got to this step as my business took off and I don't have time for such a neat hobby. I purchased 4 genuine oversized Honda pistons and rings in 2004, but never installed them. I also have most of the gaskets for a complete rebuild ( I bought the package from Honda in my travels to Southeast Asia), and I'll throw those in as well. I also have an unopened Eibach camber correction kit for this car that never got installed as I removed my Konig Monsoons and went stock when I got married. I even have an original Thule bike rack that goes with this car that is in mint condition (pretty cool looking) as it mounts to the rear bumper and hatch door that I will throw in as well.
So bottom-line I have a never abused "original owner" close to stock, reconditioned red 1991 Honda Civic Si with a completely rebuilt suspension using a complete pic performance suja hard rubber bushing set, and new Honda "Mugen" trailing arm bushings, a complete 3 piece neuspeed tower strut bars, a rear 22mm suspension techniques rear sway bar, strong engine with only mild oil consumption (no blue smoke out the tail pipe etc...). Reconditioned/fiberglassed chassis wherever worrisome rust may have accumulated. Air conditioining works. I'm throwing in 4 new Honda OEM oversized pistons and rings, a stainless steel Thermal Research Exhaust with a gorgeous "quiet" deep tone, a Thule Bike Rack, a genuine Honda gasket set for a rebuild, and freshly tuned motor... The car's suspension, engine, and transmission all work like a dream and this is a much better driving experience since I replaced all the bushings with new high end rubber bushings last year. This was a car being reconditioned for a true grassroot motorsports fan.
I'm offering this car at what I think is a fantastic deal for $2700. Cash or credit card only. If you are under 19 years of age, I would prefer if you came with a parent to purchase. I don't know how to provide pictures but I can email some for you if you are interested. My dream would be for the editors of Grassroots Motorsports Magazine to swoop in and take this car and do a proper engine rebuild and write about it. If not, my dream for the next owner would be to replace the stock springs with Eibach Pro-line springs, do the complete engine rebuild with the parts I supply or replace the engine with a B16, do a little paint conditioning over the small rust spots and BE DONE WITH IT then take a picture of your new ride and post it here. That's all the car needs and you have a world beater in your garage. I "think" I would be able to sell this car for at least $1500 more with all the work that was done to it and all the stuff I'm throwing in, but I want to move it sooner than later before I change my mind. You're buying this car not only for how great it looks on the outside, but more importantly for the quality work that was done on the chassis and suspension. Yes, you can try to haggle with me on the price and fail or you can be the first in line a leave with a pretty damn good car. I imagine this car "should" move fast, so make your decision soon. If I don't get back to you as quick as you like it is because I am a busy guy with a busy work life, so please be patient and watch this thread to see if it was sold. I live in the Tampa region.
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