# 98 Civic - Son's First Car.



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

My son turns 16 in a few weeks. We picked this up from my brother in law a few weeks ago for $600 and my son is going to install the siding on his house. He's been working on my crew for a few years on weekends. 










It's spent it's entire life in the Buffalo area so it's extremely surprisingly rust free.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

l'm not spending any money on this. Obviously a few bucks but installing stuff I already have. Just giving him a starter system. 

2 way + sub.

Purchased used for $100
Dayton 408 + BT module

Already had this but upgraded 
Samsung Tab A 2019

Bought these to try in my Maxima a couple years ago.
Vifa 1"- basically these but older 








Vifa BC25SC55-04 1" Textile Dome Tweeter (truncated)


Peerless BC25SC55-04 1" Textile Dome Tweeter (truncated) Pre-coated textile dome for improved consistency Neodymium magnet (inherently shielded) Rear heat sink on magnet for improved power handling Ferrofluid cooled voice coil for improved power handling Flange (round part) 70mm (2.76") Flange...




www.madisoundspeakerstore.com





Had these in my Maxima
Stereo Integrity TM65MKII

Bought these for my Astro Van
2 GRS 10SW-2 subs

I already own all the wiring, fusing, and such.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I started with the wiring. Ran the wiring under the door sill trim. No pics we know what that looks like. The added a breaker and upgraded the battery ground.

Found a hole already there. Just added a grommet.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Ran the the door speaker wire. What a pain in the a$#. Probably the worst car ever on the passenger side.

The factory wiring just had grommets at the doors and electrical tape in between. No conduit. I thought that was weird. But I reused the grommets and refreshed the tape.



















This was the hard part. I had to pull nearly the entire HVAC system to get access to passenger door grommet.

The glove box area missing everything


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Installed the TM65's. Just a trim ring and Resonix CCF. Not doing anything extra. I'll let my son upgrade deadening/speakers, install down the road.

Took the door panel off hoping I could just use the factory mounting. Had that rusty looking orange ring on the plastic door panel. There wasn't anything wrong just discolored.

I was able to trim the mounting plastic out of the way so I could sneak the TM65 past it.



















I was able to cut a nice circle with some Wiss hand Snipes.










Used some butyl rope to even out and seal the door to the HDPE mounting ring.










Smoothed in dielectric grease for corrosion protection.










Resonix CCF and mounted up.






















Everything fit nicely.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Tweets are going on the dash in pods. I was going to make fiberglass pods. I started to use some clay to make a mold but I had it in dash I thought why not just make a clay pod. So I did. Finished shaping it, baked, sanded and filled.



















Ready for primer.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

The car came without a trunk liner, mat, and headliner. The trunk was also missing the vent cover so every time it was driven down the road it filled up with a little more dust from the rear tire spitting it directly in to the vent hole. My friend owns a junkyard and he just happened to have three of these cars sitting there. I was able to get acceptable condition everything.

Here's the result of the dusting. Under every trim it was the same.










Cleaned and rattle proofed.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Went on to to sub box. To spare tire was missing so I decided to use that area for a fiberglass enclosure. 










That dingyness is not rust. It's layers of dust. You can see where I threw a piece of CLD over the vent hole. Since I opened up the rear deck it's not needed.










I used Johnson's wax as a release agent. That's what colored the resin brown.

Biaxial mat



















These a little bracket welded in the trunk so I used the block of wood as a mold. I figured that bracket would help hold the box in.










More layers. That other thing is a cup holder for the back.




























Fastened the box to some Baltic birch.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

So after I attached the birch baffle I test fit and it didn't fit the way I would like so I scrapped it. I know it $60 bucks in material and hours of work but re-doing the top would require several more layers which equals a couple days drying time. F-that. I was intent on getting in in the car that day. So I made a new one out of wood. Only took an hour.










The whole reason I wanted the base to be fiberglass is so it could be easily removed by my son. Well I have that same goal with the wood enclosure. I thought of a way to make it one piece, strong, and removable. Hinges.

That's them under the CCF strip. I covered the underside with my leftover SDS CCF and some Resonix. 



















The hinges allow it to fit right in! 










I wanted to cut the lid for the amp bay around the strut towers to help hold it in place in case of and abrupt braking situation.

I love flexible rulers


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I utilized the spare tire mounting bolts. I put a 3/8 plate in the box with some glue and bolted through it. You can also see 1 of the several 1 1/2" braces I used.










Subs wired up. I actually cut a bit of the plastic covering away and soldered the connector to the speaker terminal.










I thought of a way to wire it so I can easily remove the sub and add on later.










These connectors are extremely tight.










Sub mounted and half carpeted. Ran out.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Started on the tablet mount. The factory radio is not symmetrical. Pisses me off. I'm centering the tablet the best I can. Even the small triangleish shapes on either side aren't quite the same size.

































































That summa-of-a-b$#&ch is never coming out.










Almost done. One more milkshake round and ready for paint.


----------



## Patriot83 (May 10, 2017)

Holy ****, that's a awesome project for your sons car. Especially if you had him help out the whole way. Great learning experience if so. He won't forget that.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

He would usually help out but not much on this one because he's been busy next to me in the garage rebuilding his 4 wheeler.


----------



## Bobby_Jones (Apr 9, 2020)

Nice build. Spoiling him haha.


----------



## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

that's a nice install!!


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I ended up using Toro Rage micro amps. MR2 + MRx4. The amp tray lid will be hinged and wires cleaned up once I get some more carpet.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Threw the pods in for now but I don't like the shape. I didn't finish painting because my SEM texture cost clogged from the last use and wouldn't spray. I had to order more. I'm kinda pissed. It's to expensive to throw out most of a can.










These amps are small.



















The amp they replaced


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

User2 said:


> So bluetooth from tablet to DSP?
> 
> Looks like a fun project!


Yep. The Dayton bluetooth works good however part of the plan the remote is just adding to much noise. Other than that sounds good so far.


----------



## mrmill (Feb 11, 2013)

As I cruise over to Amazon to take a look at those amps....what is your impression of them?? They'd fit under my seats


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Can a Hot Pocket fit? Heck yeah they can. So far they are the most impressive piece of audio equipment I've seen in years. Especially since I only paid $79. Obviously I don't know about longevity yet but they don't feel as cheap as some other low cost amps have.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

User2 said:


> I FCKING love hot pockets!


Mmmmmm. Ham and cheese.

Well this is the first look in the dash.
This is not the iteration of tablet mount I posted. Had to redo it.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Yeah.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

2019 version.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

The carpet came in the mail. Got to clean up the amp are a bit. Still need some different wire ties but it's starting to look like something.

A reminder










The area to the left is going to hold the spare tire. A can of fix-a-flat. 



















The notch in the top lets the frame of the fold down seats fit. I left the center open for air flow.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I didn't want all that extra RCA cable so I made my own custom length. I hate making RCA's but I didn't know another way to get 10" cables at 8pm. I went with blue because the plug wires, cold air intake, etc are all blue. It just happened that all the electronics I installed had blue lights too.










I also re-pinned the Toro 4-channel harness with the car's speaker wires. They just looked bulky having to put a connection near the amp.










Like I said still some more cable management supplies but you get the gist.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I made a different cup holder as well. The fiberglass one was great but that was the problem. It looked really out of place in this old beater. So for once I threw something nice out. 
Sometimes simple is better. Still made it easily removable. Added a couple USB ports. You know 8 teenagers will be in here. Secured with some E6000 and the cupholder with Quiksteel.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I got the tablet installed. I permanently installed the ram mount ball in the dash bezel. I love ram mounts. Besides driver safety the first rule is phone mounted at all times. If I pull up on the car and the phone isn't in the holder my son loses the car.










I had to cut the lines myself in the trim to keep the factory appearance. It turned out ok.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

All that's left is a serious cleaning, hinges on the amp box, and final wire management.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I modded the Dayton remote for this install. Here's the link. 









Dayton 408 Remote Mod


So everyone pretty much agrees the Dayton remote backlighting is ridiculously bright. Even though I bought the 408 a couple years ago I never got the remote. Well I just got one for an install. All I can say is damn! To me it's unusable. When I look at it in the light on the test bench it still...




www.diymobileaudio.com


----------



## RobbieSan (May 30, 2019)

That looks like a nice fun project! Your son is a lucky dude!
I love the policy:

"If I pull up on the car and the phone isn't in the holder my son loses the car. "

Kudos to you!


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

RobbieSan said:


> Your son is a lucky dude!


Naw he works hard. He's doing highschool and college at the same time, played in a couple baseball leagues, football, basketball for school ( and about 15 tournaments), box lacrosse, and works with my roofing crew on weekends he's available. So he earns it. Full disclosure he doesn't do all his school work but high intelligence definitely does not equal academic prowess and fortitude!


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

It sounds ok. No tuning. Just initial ta, level , and crossovers set. Brilliant stage which did surprise me. Vocals dead center and by the windshield. Bass is excellent and amazingly stout for $20 subwoofers.


----------



## RobbieSan (May 30, 2019)

Theslaking said:


> Naw he works hard. He's doing highschool and college at the same time, played in a couple baseball leagues, football, basketball for school ( and about 15 tournaments), box and field lacrosse, and works with my roofing crew on weekends he's available. So he earns it. Full disclosure he doesn't do all his school work but high intelligence definitely does not equal academic prowess and fortitude!


Then he has earned it!
(Sorry if it sounded wrong, I meant that in a very positive way! And of course he's lucky to have you  )
I also think that high intelligence, specially for active people, does not equal academic prowess!

I like the tweeter pods results, they can be transplanted to future cars/builds. 
I'm getting the hunger of a Dayton now!


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I didn't take it wrong. And yeah he doesn't want anything to do with school work. It's easy for him but not so easy for him to self motivate.

I actually just redid the tweeter pods. Not quite done. Made them a bit smaller. I'm mean it only takes about a half hour to form them with clay!


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

So we switched to some Tectonic BMR full range. They were only $6. They are excellent. We were asking to much of the tweeters and I knew it had to be remedied when I installed them. We're probably still asking to much of these Tectonic but they handle the 2 way much better.



















Toro amps are still running perfectly.
The best part is about 2 months ago we added a third sub which means the amp is running at 1.67 ohms (or so). Handling it like a champ. 

All my son's friends love his system and car. That's a win.

The classic Civic is timeless


----------



## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Great build, man!

I would be really tempted to put the tweeters in those vents that are next to them!


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

We were talking just last about at least him refinishing the pods. The clay pods were just experimental. Man they worked well. The vents are not a bad idea. We'd have to tape them up for a bit and see how it effects the defog.


----------



## SiW80 (Mar 13, 2019)

Theslaking said:


> We were talking just last about at least him refinishing the pods. The clay pods were just experimental. Man they worked well. The vents are not a bad idea. We'd have to tape them up for a bit and see how it effects the defog.


Which model of tweeter are you using? They look quite interesting. 

Was it just regular modelling clay you used? They look great 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I was using a Vifa 1 tweeter, these are a full range 2". They're not great on absolute terms but for the $6 I paid (I see they are a bit more now) they are great. 









Home


Tectonic TEBM35C10-4 BMR 2" Full-Range Speaker 4 OhmBy combining the benefits of bending-wave technology and pistonic modes of operation, Tectonic's TEBM35C10-4 BMR 2" full-range delivers extended frequency response and extremely wide directivity. The small form-factor is ideally suited for...




www.parts-express.com





Yep just regular shape n bake clay. Not a single person has guessed it was clay in person. I didn't even finish shaping them and put a quick sloppy paint job. I'm sold on clay in the right application.


----------



## SiW80 (Mar 13, 2019)

You could start a car audio clay business and add the car $$ to reboxed crafting clay 

I couldn’t tell it was that from the pics. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

We did a couple minor things to the car.

Added some lights. I'm not a big fan but they look sweet in person.




















The have a nice full coverage in the front.










Threw them in with Resonix velcro (shameless plug) so the cupholder is still removable










He likes the blue led theme. Dash and climate control.









The left switch controls the grill led. It had blue fog lights but this looks way better.

The one under the Dayton remote turns the system on and off. It was getting annoying have to shut the car off every time we wanted to switch BT devices. The DSP remote is off the factory radio. Tablet instead of radio means no power button!.

Switch on the right is the floor lights. They are not bright like the pics make them out to be. I made sure I drove it at night first so I knew they weren't distracting.

Just el cheapo round switches.


----------



## dgage (Oct 1, 2013)

Really nice job!


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Used weather resistant silicone covered LEDs. Very impressed with the quality. You can see the difference just in the copper solder/cut points when compared to average garage strip LEDs










Weather resistant ones came with VHB tape and the other came what adhesive that barely sticks.

Had to add some type of power distribution.
I had an awesome old Tsunami fused distribution box so I used it.










Has lights that match the car to boot.










Everything apart.










Switches wired























And after all that it didn't work correctly. The switched power was on all the time. Kinda of ruins the point of the box.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I must love my son because I took my favorite distro ever out of my Maxima and threw it in his car.

Fuzeblock FZ-1










Tucked behind the glove box and secured with velcro for easy access.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

We also added a light to the trunk. It never had one from the factory.

Wanted it to work automatically when opened so I grabbed a random in stock door switch from AutoZone. Just looked through the pics until I found one that looked like it would fit.

I'll be damned if I didn't end up picking an exact match to the ones in the car already.










Used some hot glue to completely seal up the switch. They are designed to sit vertically so I didn't want to chance water issues because I was installing it horizontally.










Always use a fuse! I didn't have a holder so I improvised.










Taped it up and now the wires are safe.

Found a spot that looks factory. There was a hole already. The switch slid right in.



















Looks like it was designed to get squished in there










We used this new light to show off the newly installed subs.










Had to fill in a hole to get there










Added some foam to the floor before carpet this time. A little dampening for things bouncing around.



















We had the 3 GRS subs for a while. It actually barely improve output and definitely detracted from the sound quality. I think the space was to little for the 3 subs even though on paper it was good. These were the 2 of the 3 Eclipse subs I had in my Maxima. We just made a little more appealing for this Civic.


----------



## GibiSamtin (Jun 29, 2021)

Duuude, that car is actually looking insane!! Moreover, taking into consideration that it spent it's entire life in the Buffalo area, it is way more than just surprising that it has not rust, that makes this civic even more amazing! Honestly, I was looking to get my son a civic as well, however I could not find a proper one. At last, he told me that he will find a good car by himself, and I gave him the money, that was one of the worst decisions that I have ever made. He got a freaking rusty civic, the engine was almost dead and my dumbass son, totalled the car in less than one week. So, I had to look for some good car scrapping services online, as I did not want to spend anymore money on it.


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

I know. It's starting to get a bit of rust now but not bad by any means. He's about to buy some new coilovers, turbo, and a upgraded brake kit. Thinks he's going to be fast!


----------



## jcstites (Aug 6, 2009)

Love this thread, great work. I had a 95 civic that taught me how to work on cars and stereos. Easy to work on, reliable, great for stereos, and they can go fast


----------



## Theslaking (Oct 8, 2013)

Well another update. 
We did replace the carpet at some point. I just seen his dirty it was in these pics.

The update:










Completely rust free. Picked it up in NC yesterday. He's going full shell up build. Paint, B18 engine swap, electronically controlled suspension, turbo, full deadening, stereo, etc


----------

