Rescuing Ruby, Extensive Quarter Panel Rust Repair

[tonylx87]

Amazing work man , car looks awesome . Nice choice on the wheels too , dont see too many members willing to have stock wheels restored the right way , i plan on having the same done with my ex wheels

[Accrdwgnguy]

Very nice.

Wow just $1000 for a paint job? Not a bad deal if the work is good.

[Fleetw00d]

Just brought her home.

[dhill_cb7]

She looks brand new! Now you have to just reassemble her! I am sure you can't wait to drive her.

Did you have to take her off the insurance while all the work was getting done?

Reason i ask my uncle has an 03 nissan with a CEL issue and it has been sitting since january and the insurance company made him hand in his plates.

[Fleetw00d]

Reconstruction not going smoothly. In my shipment from Majestic: driver door protector was kinked, left rear door protector didn't have adhesive strips, left fender protector was for a 90-91 (I bought 92-93 side protectors). Left inner tail light housing is cracked. Keystone aftermarket rear bumper skin doesn't mate up with the bumper bracket.

Is the 90-91 rear bumper bracket (the metal part to which the beam and cover attach) different than the 92-93? The bracket on my 90 was rusted away, so I grabbed a 92-93 rear bumper somewhere along the way (thought about converting and figured the brackets were the same) and am trying to use that bracket on the 90. I still have the original bumper cover, it fits better than the aftermarket, but the holes still don't quite line up. Majestic's site shows a part number for the 92-93, but nothing for the 90-91, so I assume they are different.

EDIT: Answered my own question. Held a 90-91 bumper skin next to a 92-93 bumper skin - the holes don't line up. Picked up a 90-91 bracket as the JY today. Any one need a 92-93 bumper bracket?

I didn't take it off my insurance, I was driving it (some) during the reconstruction process. How does an insurance company dictate when to remove plates? As long as you're paying the premium, they shouldn't care whether it is being driven or not.

Update Nov. 5
Sneak peak at reassembly. Right side door handles and protectors installed.



Update Nov. 10:
Front end put back together (have to find my bolts and nuts for the lip). Waiting on another driver door protector from Majestic. They got a second left rear door protector - it didn't have adhesive tape either, so I used some 3M double sided tape I had already - worked OK. Majestic also ordered another left front fender protector, but it came in as a 90-91 (mislabeled also), just like the first one. Took the one off the fender from my wrecked car. Rear window was reinstalled today; I hate to put my chrome moldings back on because the rubber around the edges is chewed up. Should get the rear bumper bracket back next week. Installed new driver door glass.



Update Nov. 12:

Installed cleaned up and painted heat shields, recovered rear shelf.

[Honda_Lady]

Wow that's a lot of work to fix rust but i am glad to see someone wanting to do it right the first time rather then saying "i'll just bondo the shit". she is looking great!! (just went through the entire thread lol)

[Fleetw00d]

I am itching to drive it, but don't want to show it off until it is completely back together. I keep finding clips, grommets, etc. that I am missing (or misplaced) as I am putting the trim back on. Some of it must be hard to come by; my local dealer said some of the stuff has to come from CA. The right rear door molding (with rubber and felt against the window glass), was supposedly the last one available in the country. I won't get the bumper bracket back until Monday. Trying to clean my 22 year old carpet and upholstery as I put the interior back in. I was going to switch to the EX rear seat from the coupe, but the bottom cushion is shaped differently. I picked up some chrome trim today that is in better shape than the original; also picked up another wagon rear compartment, wagon rear carpet, and wagon rubber flloor mat.

Hung the OEM exhaust from the wrecked coupe.


Update 11/17:

Installed the rear seat today and messed around with installing a wagon trunk compartment; it will need more work to fit like I want it to.

Tried to swap out the fuel tank for the one from the wreck. One of the nuts for the strap bolt broke loose from its bracket (left rear), so the bolt and nut just spin. To get to the bracket mounting bolt, I have to take off the rear cross member. Can the tank be dropped by just removing the front end of the straps? If not, I guess I'll wait until I do the disc brake swap. Went ahead and installed a better fill pipe; the original one was VERY rusty.



Update 11/19:
Got the rear bumper bracket back. Assembled and installed the rear bumper. Keystone CAPA certified. Both sides were splayed out and the whole bumper cover is a tight fit. Had to use a fair amount of force to line up the cover holes with the bracket holes at the ends, and the forward ends had to be pulled hard to fit over the sliding brackets, which were as far aft as they could go. If they claim to be using the same molds, it is like the cover shrank. I didn't have the same kind of problem with the front bumper cover. Not that it will do much good, but I'll send them a complaint.



Update Nov. 23

Got the chrome around the windshield and rear window in today. Unfortunately, I didn't have and the glass shop didn't have the rubber "dam" gasket that is supposed to go between the rear glass and the body, so the glass is glued right to the body. The chrome strip across the bottom of the window doesn't contact the glass, so any water running off the roof and down the window will go under the chrome. Stopped back at the glass shop and called Honda; neither one can get the dam. I may have to create a thick rubber strip to put under the chrome to eliminate the gap and have the water go over the chrome.

Essentially complete (for now).
Frank's wants it back one day next week to repair any paint damage from reassembly (my son scratched it already - aaarrggh) and give it a final buffing. I will probably put the pin stripe back on, not sure if I'll use the original white or some other color. Somewhat anti-climactic - it looks like it is supposed to.

Nov. 24, quick photo shoot:





Turned it over 306,000 over the weekend. Got the wagon luggage compartment installed. Looks like I'll have to remove half the interior again to run a new antenna wire unless I can find a splice kit, the inner wire is apparently broken just before the coupling to the antenna. I think I broke a wire in the CD head unit to changer harness as well - worked the other day, now "EEEE" code -drat!

[F20A CB7]

They say you can use the defrost wire and use it as a atenna. That Lucifer did it...

Mr PaulK I'm so happy you have the skills and ability to do what you do. Hands on, dedicated, all for the love of the cb. You love this community and we love your work. Bringing a car back to life where as most ppl will just junk it. Thank you for sharing pics, the wheels alone with he powdercoat on the insde is str8 pay to play. You def know wat u are doing and no 1 can tell u otherwise.

Thanks for the pics and pm friend.

[Alex13mod]

amazing restoration, that's what I want to do to my CB7 :-)

[F20A CB7]

I've seen other cbs with wag carpartment but I want to see yours. Mainly the curves where it had 2 b cut... and wat did u use to cut that thich plastic?

[Fleetw00d]

I've seen other cbs with wag carpartment but I want to see yours. Mainly the curves where it had 2 b cut... and wat did u use to cut that thich plastic?

I dropped it off at Frank's this evening - they'll do the final buff and repair any damage I did during reassembly tomorrow. I should get it back at the end of the day, then I'll take a picture of the trunk. I read through some other threads on installing the compartment, seems like each one did it a little differently. I used a cutoff wheel to take off about 3/4 inch from the bottom of the front edge (just at the outer ends) of the fixed part of the floor so that it sat a bit lower at the forward end of the trunk and the braces didn't have to be bent to fit over it (they are tight though). I trimmed just the inner front corner of the trunk liner to fit over the forward part of the floor. A sharp knife or razor will cut the liners. I didn't cut any off the sides liners in the back. The pieces of the compartment fit pretty tight against the rear of the trunk, so I did cut some off both sides of the piece that goes across the rear of the trunk (I was in too much of a hurry, may find another one and do a better job of measuring and cutting). I used a couple nut plates to attach the sides of the compartment to the fixed floor piece and drilled and tapped a couple holes to line up with the holes in the bottoms of the side compartments to anchor those to the trunk floor. I also cut a piece of the fixed floor large enough to access the cover over the fuel level sensor without having to take the trunk compartment out; just need a small hinge to attach it.




My wife saw it and said "I want one!". Good thing I picked up another compartment last week.

1/13/2013: Just realized that the cover blocks the trunk light - can't see a thing under it at night. May have to pick up a second light and rig it to the underside of the cover or the back of the compartment (pointing forward).

[Accrdwgnguy]

aftermarket body parts suck. Yea they are likely using the same mold...from 1991 haha. Hence the bad fit, they usually recycle molds the OEMs toss due to being out of spec.

Love the car however, looks great!

[Fleetw00d]

aftermarket body parts suck. Yea they are likely using the same mold...from 1991 haha. Hence the bad fit, they usually recycle molds the OEMs toss due to being out of spec.

Even a worn mold shouldn't result in undersize parts though (I am assuming the molds would be metal); it almost has to be that the material they are using shrinks after molding. I took it to the local Keystone store where I purchased the covers - they hemmed and hawed and took a few pictures, but any replacement is likely to be just like the one I have.

[Accrdwgnguy]

I like to refurbish used OEM parts, you know its going to fit right.

[Fleetw00d]

I like to refurbish used OEM parts, you know its going to fit right.

I'm thinking about it; but I don't seem to have the patience or skill for fine finishing work. I still have the old rear cover; it has some light damage to one corner.