Old Radiator Drain Plug inspection

Well its no wonder my radiator is leaking. I took a good look at my drain valve/plug, and see that it had obviously been through some use. This is good news because that could be a chance that my radiator is not  faulty. If my radiator is faulty, I am screwed because Honda don't make those for my Civic anymore.
The o-ring is dried up and cracking, the threads on the plug are striped. Looking at the black coating, the last owner must have had held the radiator together with some anti leak-silicon.
I took an image of my plug:

Ordered parts from Redline Motive

Since my last purchase for parts had been turned down for out of stock, I have not had the chance to find replacements for radiator parts. But Redline Motive sells a radiator valve drain. So I bought some goodies.

Shipping Status   Qty  Item   Price     Shipped  2 1979 Honda Civic 1.2 2Dr/3Dr Ishino Oil Drain Plug Gasket (ISH-A6120-23416) $1.24      Carrier: Other - Tracking #: Thank you for your order!  1 1979 Honda Civic 1.2 2Dr/3Dr Ishino Water Pipe O-Ring (ISH-G2026-41269) $1.32      Carrier: Other - Tracking #: Shipped from South Brunswick, NJ  1 1979 Honda Civic 1.2 2Dr/3Dr Ishino Thermostat O-Ring (ISH-G4030-87824) $1.58       1 1979 Honda Civic 1.2 2Dr/3Dr NPN Oil Filter (NPN-A6000-27696) $5.34      2 1979 Honda Civic 1.2 2Dr/3Dr Radiator Drain Plug (OHN-G1060-17922) $7.62      1 1978 Honda Civic 1.2 2Dr/3Dr Sankei Filters Fuel Filter (SAN-E1000-28213) $4.29      1 Redline Motive Comprehensive Shipping Insurance $0.00    Shipping & Handling (UPS Ground) : $8.95   Tax (CA) : $2.09   Total: $32.43

Relook with images from a proper camera

As a professional photographer, what is it without a proper photo session with the car. So here it is!

I taped the backseats with gaffer's tape. This will hold the torned fabric together until the time comes to upholster the interior.

I have put on some seat covers to the driver's and front passenger's seat. Now the car looks really clean. I sprayed chalk loads of "Armour-All" solution  on all plastics and let it soak for a full night!

A huge scratch on the hood. Its rusty  under the paint.

Radiator out of stock!

Today, Honda tells me that they are refunding my order for the radiator because it is out of stock.
My best bet right now to keep my car running is to hope that the old radiator only needs a new valve drain plug.

I read online that people who need a new radiator would use one from a Honda CRX or a newer generation Civic. As radiators from newer cars are made different, this would mean that someone would have to machine a custom mount to bolt those in.

Actually, I was thinking that switching to a more modern designed radiator may be better for longevity.

Radiator leaking after drving up a steep hill!

Yesterday, while driving up a steep hill, on the way to work, my radiator started leaking.
I can see that it leaks out at the drain plug/valve. I cant tell if the radiator is broken or that the plastic drain plug is just old. Hoping that the radiator is still good but planning for the worst, I bought a new radiator and new o-rings online.

Oh, I also bought some parts that I think I needed to replace to get my driver's door working again.

First OIl Change

Smog Results

Here is a scanned Smog printout:

Its clear that this car produces a clean exhaust! 554/1538 is better than most cars on the road made new today!

New tires

I changed the tires on all four wheels for $200. Compared to my G35's tires at $250 per tire, this civic makes a happy time at the tire shop.

Car is running well

Its been my 4th day taking the civic as my daily driver. So far no problems. However, I noticed that pick-up speed is really slow unless I pump the gas pedal a few times in intervals of 1 second. I wonder if this is normal for cars made in the 70's.

Today, 2 strangers commented on my ride. One in the parking lot as I entered the car, and another while I was driving home , from a bunch of low rider gangsters. It seems like old cars get alot of attention from the muscle car crowd too.

First look:Car's condition

Here is a quick lookwith pictures from my iphone.
The body is in fair condition. Only one ding on the passenger's door. Everything looks good!
The paint is peeling at some places.

The interior needs loots of work. It is not terrible, considering it a 31 yr-old car. The seats are torn-up and  the dash board is cracked.

The tires have to be changed because the looked dry and cracked. Too dangerous to drive at high speeds.

Just got a running condition Honda Civic 1979 CVCC

Ahah! I got a 1979 Honda Civic CVCC model for 300 dollars. This petite ride used to be a legend in California. From what I gather by reading, the CVCC is todays modern-world hybrid-car, Honda Insight.
In the 70's, if you dont race this on the street, you can get 47 miles per gallon of gas. Ofcourse I dont expect that kind of gas efficiency out of this roller, its really old.

The picture above shows the car. The guy inside is Yuqi, my friend whom drives a BMW Z4. It was an amazing experience in contrast when he drove the civic. Why? Because the poor civic only gives 50hp!

So.. now that I have the car, whats next you may ask? Work-work work! Time to put some tender loving car onto it! There are'nt a whole lot of these rides around town. Most of them ended up for used parts in a junk yard in the last decade. The 79 Civic a classic retro vintage to its look in both interior and exterior. So if I bring this car back to life, I will be the only person spotting this ride in town.

Here are some pictures from the 70's