9 fun easy inexpensive low-bling upgrades for your beater Civic

Having fun with my 1998 Civic LX beater...
1 is wheels
2 is spoiler
3 is lower dams
4 is headlights
5 is tint
6 is vinyl/plasti-dip/paint (forgot to mention black vinyl trim on exterior chrome in the video...)
7 is interior upgrades from junkyard
8 is intake
9 is header
Bonus is water sprayer.

[@ThaGlittersAintGold]

That’s no beater! That’s a badass stock Civic. I just put a younger engine in mine and I’m looking to do some fun little mods like this. Thanks for the video!

[@ThaGlittersAintGold]

Mark Villeda like what, exactly?

[@anthonya.1359]

Can you help me find the fuse that controls the MIL(check engine light) It won't come on and I hope its not the bulb. Thanks

[@a1b3do]

Nice and clean tweaks, the two-tone interior looks OEM. I still think this gen looks great. Neat and functional, especially compared to the over-designed modern vehicles.

[@gray25xt]

Thanks! Forgot to mention the chrome exterior trim is also blacked out with vinyl tape, nice subtle change. Yeah these are so vanilla but they're getting more and more rare as the ones left on the road are neglected and dying off, making a nice example pretty rare. We shall see how long she lasts...……………...wish it was a 5 speed but other than that it's pretty great.

[@grady.stu.8300]

That's in great shape. Love the color. I like the wheels. I have a stock 97 lx. Yes, they are indestructible!

[@Cruxfied]

just got mine in green with only 100k miles the car is amazing

[@randumbtube4424]

I acquired the '79 Civic exi. It's nice

[@ungabungga65]

Man I know what engine he has and I have the same zero V-tec

[@indysteve4969]

If it were a manual, it would be perfect. Nice job!

[@saveJDM]

You can swap it

[@sonjahenney5115]

They stole my 2000Honda Civic a month ago. They took it out of my driveway, apparently in the wee hours of the morning. I thought I was going to die. I did the drill. Reported the theft to the police and insurance company. I couldn't sleep. I became so sad. Anyway, 6 days later the police called to say that they had the car. The thieves didn't damage the car, but they removed sensitive materials from the back seat. Work related info and personal planners. I'm so glad to have the car back! I love this car! Now I use a crook lock when I park.

[@edgarrivera4623]

😂😂 That bonus one is Epic!!! Great job man.

[@gray25xt]

Thanks!

[@CallMeJay95]

The car is in great shape! The little spray thing on the front is genius haha

[@Kai_Keller02]

Just bought a 95 ex sedan and I spent the day cleaning the inside tomorrow im cleaning the exterior and possibly engine bay

[@bryamvasquez3057]

Can you give some tips and tricks on cleaning the engine? Just bought a 02 Civic the engine looks just a little dirty around

[@Kai_Keller02]

@@bryamvasquez3057 remove the valve cover and clean it thoroughly with gasoline and a wire brush and replace the gasket that alone makes it look much cleaner

[@bryamvasquez3057]

Appreciate it brotha any other tips

[@Kai_Keller02]

@@bryamvasquez3057 torque the valve cover bolts to spec and don't tighten them down all the way right away. You want to move from one to the other, in a criss cross formation. I woukd watch some videos before you do it but it's very easy

[@chrisp.5272]

Mine is actually a beater, dents, clear coat peeling... Going to try and drive it this rainy winter season after sitting in my driveway for well over a year. I got mine for $1000 with 200k.

[@lilfadeakaadam7576]

Chris Piccioni I can second that hit up my neighbour after seeing it sit in his drive way gave him $500 cad and there was a random 2000lb winch and a 400watt sub sitting where the spare would be

[@orange.juice.]

Mine looks identical to this one, got it last week, $1,000 and 170k

[@mir_2613]

@@orange.juice. $750 170k here 🫶🏾

[@shellystover6979]

God job. I love to take an older car & detail the heck out of it & make changes similar to what you have done here!

[@blackamore1826]

I bought one of those cars I've had it for a year never had a problem out of it drove through the winter in Michigan never had a problem out of it I'm sitting in the now compare leaving hear it running keep the oil change all the fluids go go go

[@gavinanderson1440]

i wish people on fb marketplace treated their old manual honda/acuras like this

[@SnickterP]

Hope you still have that thing. It's no longer a $1,300 car!

[@jareddiaz8538]

you put the spray nozzle on the wrong side! You should have put it on the back for when people tailgate you.

[@DannyWohl]

haha yessss

[@0Ninja0Dude0]

Oh man and fill it with something stinky from a sporting goods store

[@spitfireaace]

My 99 is still going.

[@smallcreature7999]

got a teal 2000 lx from my sister with a blown head gasket, thank you for the future inspiration

[@carloscruz6732]

Your civic looks nice. I have one like yours, its 2000.

[@dboone8279]

I got a 2000 year as well!

[@gapperformance]

Haha I have a 2018 Fiesta ST, and I just picked up a 98 Civix LX. Thanks for the video man! Good stuff

[@vtec3070]

I am inspired.. I literally just picked one up today!! Can't wait to touch it up!!

[@vjyoukai]

Thanks, I have that same spoiler. I haven't installed it yet on my 2000 Civic Dx. Thanks for this video. Looks Awesome :)

[@peterkirgan2921]

I love this i have my fathers ek1 civic and it still turns heads ! Not going to part with it !! Worth more than a Toyota !!!

[@teknique8292]

The only thing I didn’t like was the pin striping besides that I think it looks great!

[@Hotdrboy88]

Nice man, and you are having fun with your car that is what matters most here. 🙂 Enjoy

[@williammoffatt946]

I have a grey civic that's the exact same spec and year! I also bought mine for 1400.

[@jun1orru1z20]

I got the exact same car slowly working on it just tinted the windows yesterday. Cut with saw saw part lol

[@shadowband5398]

They truly are great cars

[@DannyWohl]

Just bought same exact car same color, with 138k miles! She is manual though, and is completely stock.. The only thing I would upgrade is that mighty fine squirt gun you got in the front. How and the heck did you rig that, that is incredible. Thanks for those tips

[@gray25xt]

Awesome, how much? Manual with low miles, what a prize. The squirt gun was just a bit of easy wiring and fabrication.

[@DannyWohl]

@@gray25xt I paid $2,700. More than I would have liked, but I see this car as something that will last me a long time and save a lot on gas. Plus manual is fun. Is there anything I should be particularly wary of, or should check out immediately to ensure she is in top notch?

[@gray25xt]

@@DannyWohl That is a really good price. I'd buy it for that for sure. I'd change the fluids and maybe belts to start just to be sure it's up on maintenance.

[@DannyWohl]

@@gray25xt Thanks man!

[@trentonf3806]

“ I don’t lock the doors.” That’s probably smart to let everyone know lol

[@gray25xt]

Thanks Trenton you're very helpful.

[@trentonf3806]

Don’t mention it lol

[@psykro5735]

Had to check what year this video was posted on because he keeps saying bling 😂

[@jeffallen4170]

That is just to cool of an idea hahaha I'm gonna do that with my son, I just picked up a 2000 civic. Like to see more from you

[@drevil5546]

How has the civic been treating you?

[@shandalamb-yt4kl]

I have the same car I ordered a Lebra for it to had the dings in the front hope it looks ok when I put it on my husband tore off my wiper blade control on accident I’m trying to do a cheap bling on mine too !! She just keeps rolling no issues

[@gasperkalan3079]

An actual cold air intake. Bravo! Any link to the item?

[@MrDjcity]

This is a real Hybrid vehicle.....By Hybrid i mean low gas consumption. Thumbs up 👍 👌

[@mango-pm2xx]

this is one of my favourite cars

[@lknives1931]

Looks real slick. Ever think about blacking out the hood or trunk even to match the roof.

[@gray25xt]

Thanks. I did think of that but I think it would lose the subtlety real fast if I went further.

[@bryanrodriguez1035]

I did it to mine i will be posting a video real soon about what i have done to it ! B18 swap :)

[@mtuflani1295]

Looks great man! You're my inspiration

[@DaBossk]

Is that a shihtzu barking?

[@Krezo200]

i just bough an ej6 recently, good car!

[@hatesounds702]

0:38 LAWLSS!!!

[@mawixation5631]

Good vid man, love it. Everything is in stock, so cleann.

[@anthonydelcid9446]

Great video, simple yet clean 👍

[@gray25xt]

Thank you sir!

[@justinguarino201]

I looked at getting a spoiler at a junkyard and they told me I would need to buy the whole trunk to get it:/

[@obeythecat2499]

Does anyone have a link to the header he is talking about?

[@wheeliehunter6937]

Ok this is funny, i used to have a FiST and now have a 97 Civic haha

[@christosevangelou3018]

Great video! Can you tell me where to find a spoiler like that?

[@gray25xt]

It came off a rando Civic in the junkyard. Not sure which trim.

[@_adrianbranch]

tht water shooter is awesome lmao

[@MegaEmagic1]

dope vid love the spraying thing and the two toned interior much love for your Automatic they don't get much love because is auto but good job.

[@gray25xt]

Thanks!

[@eaglestoneworks9572]

Cool vid man good ideas

[@theDrzhivargo]

wuts the tint percentage?

[@dominicsovereign4020]

I would suggest painting the trim and handles body color to make it a little more sleek.

[@valtsipan9029]

I want to do a manual swap in my civic.

[@justinmccoy510]

I have a 2000 ex 2 door manual with the taller spoiler... At the beginning you said you drifted in that parking lot was you meaning you e brake slid it and you did reverse donuts? Is there a way that you can drift a front wheel drive? Not being a smartass I'm really wondering if I've missed something in the drift world. But my ex is the first Honda I've owned and love it and the Honda community has been really cool too

[@gray25xt]

Drifting was very easy in this car because I did so in the gravel parking lot where this video was filmed. No e-brake needed, I just accelerated into a corner at about 22mpg and the back end cut loose. It was beautiful. Not a full drift (all 4 corners) but the back end slid out just enough to 2-wheel drift right through that corner and then regain full traction.

[@AbandonedExplorationUrbex1979]

I just bought a 2003 civic LX coupe 5spd with 305k for $500.

[@bunnystew]

I just bought a super clean 96 coupe with 151k on it and it absolutely breaks my heart that it's an automatic

[@iriesoul3192]

Love the video.. your civic will outlast fiesta all day. They don’t Civic like that anymore.

[@Canwegetsubscriberswithn-lk7pv]

wat intakes and headers r those??

[@gavinmcclure8047]

I want a stock spoiler like that

[@edgarrivera4623]

Where’d ya get your headlights? Thank you. I just got an EX today! 1998 She has 350,000 miles with a manual Transmission. It has V-Tech!

[@gray25xt]

Great find! Headlights were eBay, just search there are a zillion of them in different styles, pick the one you like just make sure you seal them, the cheap ones tend to leak humidity and fog up.

[@Matt-wo2mz]

*v-tec

[@alboogy2]

Dude it looks fantastic. How much would you charge to do mine ?

[@gray25xt]

Hmmmm what do you want done and where are you? And thanks for the compliment.

[@junkazama6189]

do you still have the link for the headlights? i want to get those for my beeter as well.

[@gray25xt]

NO, but there are many options on eBay.

[@RickyKehoe87]

Get smoke tail lights. It's sexy

[@tsjuno]

Nice mods. I didn’t know the LX had cruise control. Is that something you added from the junk yard? Thinking about adding cruise control to mine

[@gray25xt]

It came with CC factory!

[@LucasStevens]

Please tell me how you wired everything for the squirt gun lmao, I’ve been searching everywhere to figure it out. If you could make a video on it, I’ll be so thankful!!

[@gray25xt]

All the wires are covered and hidden so I cannot do that. It's simple though, just power from the battery to the switch and to the motor, then do the plumbing.

[@gray25xt]

Also check out my newer video called "the most important mod" I cover the squirt gun in more detail there as well...

[@LucasStevens]

@@gray25xt oh shoot Ty sm, I’ll check our

[@LucasStevens]

@@gray25xt sorry I’m having a hard time finding this video, do u mind giving me a link to it possibly? Thank you sm

[@gray25xt]

@@LucasStevens here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnTIi2uAidaCgsk

[@jessecastro4125]

What link/website did you get the spoiler and front lip

[@gray25xt]

eBay, link is dead sorry, but if you search you might find another for sale.

[@mcnasty4691]

When you said a 1400$ car I smirked just gt mine yesterday same price first honda I had bmws nd lexus nd still have em just expensive

[@47los19]

what the fuck did you just say?

[@hunterkelly646]

Where did u get a header for 35 bucks lol

[@RealMitoNationTV]

Are does rims or wheel covers it looks nice

[@raheemahmed3975]

Where did u get the header and intake?

[@ZekeBenZ]

All the stuff I can’t even afford to put on my stock civic 97

[@alicialiberty1]

That's no beater! Those cars are the best sleepers

[@shadowband5398]

Lol 😂 lobe that water shooter lol 😂

[@LuisHerrera-pb9mk]

nice civic

[@benhall8946]

Are you still driving it sad thing is people call those cars a beater then when they break they scrap them which is really dumb because those cars last forever my 97 has 530k on it

[@jasonromero5027]

Any guide on how you did that water spray coming out of your grill

[@gray25xt]

Haha it's so fun. Went to junkyard, got a wiper tank and motor, ran power to a switch in the car, ran hoses, got a spray hood mount also at the JY, removed grill and dremeled out a section for it, attach/glue in place, run water lines, done. It was about $6 for the parts if I remember correctly, and I had wire and a switch laying around so I didn't have to spend much.

[@shandalamb-yt4kl]

Dert Nelson it’s my car😂

[@anthonya.1359]

I have the exact same car. Can you help me find the fuse that controls the MIL (check engine light). It does not come on and I hope I don't have to change the bulb. Anyone, please?

[@josh7314]

Under the hood is a 7.5 fuse by the battery it's in the row closest to the windshield

[@anthonya.1359]

@@josh7314 Thanks Josh. I actually ended up changing out the bulb anyway and it was simple. Also, FYI I was getting PO335, 336 and 1381 codes when it stalled out on me. It was the distributor. Autozone got me for $175. I had to fix it immediately because I had to roll. I'm glad they had it and the store was near by!

[@ront5689]

Not a beater, that'a a nice civic

[@WaySydeBeats]

Tbh all hondas have vtec, that civic has e-vtec, it just isn’t advertised or logo’d

[@bobandtay7139]

No they dont lol

[@issaproject3844]

I don’t think people who daily civics or people who pay for there civics to be in a showcase like for you to calling civics beaters. Nice video tho

[@gray25xt]

Good point, I guess it's about perspective. In either case it should speak goodwill to either group you mentioned that I have taken a $1600 car and improved it and treated it with dignity, much more so than many cars ten times the price.

[@issaproject3844]

gray25xt civics are great cars I have 3. There are good cars to learn from and build on. There cheap cars with a huge range of modifications

[@gray25xt]

@@issaproject3844 Yes for sure. Again, the fact that I bought a Civic and put money toward some mild mods speaks of my respect for the cars.

[@X410zee]

where did you get the headlights from, cant find any for $50

[@gray25xt]

This is the exact product I purchased. Price went up but not too much. Make sure you seal them with clear silicone or they are likely to cloud up. Just seal the edge where the front and back meet, let it dry overnight, then put a second coat of sealant on there. I just used hi quality silicone from Lowe's. They have not leaked at all. Here's the product: www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-Black-For-1996-1998-Honda-Civic-DX-EX-LX-Replacement-Headlights-Left-Right/301138303505?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

[@lancepage8768]

I've noticed recently that almost anyone who has this civic, always have the e-brake on? Why is that? My girlfriend just bought one and the guy she bought it from had the e brake on as well. We decided not to bother doing that cuz we are forgetful and will roll with it pulled up.

[@gray25xt]

E-brake is helpful to guarantee safety when parking. Also saves strain on resting the car on the transmission in park especially on hills.

[@lancepage8768]

@@gray25xt thanks for the response. I just found it odd that I've seen it done alot on these cars but not any other car. My driveway is flat enough where I doubt even putting the car in neutral will allow it to roll away.

[@tylerallon4441]

Haha I have a 97 civic and always put the e-brake up. No real reason why but that’s funny that you mentioned it.

[@joypeaceandhappiness1501]

​@lancepage8768 my 16 civic rolled into a van at a grocery store in 18. Been using the ebrake ever since

[@mahadeochateram514]

What oil do you use in this vehicle?

[@gray25xt]

Whatever is on sale.

[@th-mo8fq]

where the hell did you get that water sprayer hahahahaha

[@pcer1981]

Can you give us a link to where you got your headers from..?

[@gray25xt]

I can't, I've lost it. But I don't recommend them. I removed it and threw it away and just bought an eBay cat for cheap. The header buzzes and makes all sorts of strange noises when you accelerate, spend a bit more and get a real part. If you're really desperate just look on eBay, there are tons for sale cheap like this one: www.ebay.com/itm/4-2-1-STAINLESS-RACING-HEADER-MANIFOLD-EXHAUST-D-SERIES-CIVIC-EG-EJ-EK-D15A-D16A/180753206335?fits=Year%3A1998%7CModel%3ACivic%7CSubmodel%3ALX&epid=13014353332&hash=item2a15bb0c3f:g:yiwAAOSwnstdVLm4

[@pcer1981]

@@gray25xt thanks for the feedback.. I appreciate it..

[@emanuelandrade2895]

I actually have the exact same headers on mine I think I found it on Amazon from DNA I don't remember what it's called but should be one of the first ones that pop up

[@angelgarcias7328]

Go the saint 1997 ex you change the header the the cattalic to only header change my to thing need to take out catalic got any links for the header you buy it my brother want do he' car to thank bro nce car

[@themiddlekingdom9121]

Gray, do you still have your beater car ?

[@gray25xt]

I do, and it will be for sale this summer.

[@themiddlekingdom9121]

@@gray25xt How much are you going planning to sell for ?

[@gray25xt]

@@themiddlekingdom9121 I'm thinking $2200. The car is basically unchanged since this video except a few more miles, around 220k right now. Had the A/C serviced not long ago, freon and oil vacuumed, leak tested and no leaks, refilled, A/C is very cold and strong. Tires still have alot of life in them. Just replaced a window regulator (3rd time in 6 years) a few weeks ago. The car is solid mechanically aside from a few suspension squeaks. Paint is oxidizing but mostly intact. Oil changes have been done regularly. Interior is near perfect. Also since this video I've put black trim tape on all the chrome so it looks quite nice. Well nice for a 1998 Civic. I'm in GA, USA btw if you're interested.

[@themiddlekingdom9121]

@@gray25xt Thanks for the information.

[@vurph1]

Is it fwd

[@zackhiggins5135]

No all civics are all wheel drive. All of them

[@yunghaffblod]

@@zackhiggins5135 ??? It's fwd

[@kapseri1743]

I got my 1.4is for 400€✌️

[@AtomicMoviess]

Kapseri same man i bought a 160k km 1.4 for 800euros from a old men perfect condition

[@shimaspec]

Holy crap there’s so many uneducated people in this comment section lol

[@psykro5735]

Ha drifted a Honda??? No one drifts a Honda 🤣🤣🤣

[@WillsTerps]

theres s2k drifters

[@dayton4042]

you buy and sell cars with ur kids lol

[@elijahmarkland]

2 door civics look better. Thats just me though

[@elijahmarkland]

@That's What She Said yeah they do. The only car that I like in 4 door is the 06 Honda civic