Can I save my rare 1980s Honda?

[@geekandguide]

An impressive bit of work. As a past owner of several Triumph Acclaims and a couple of Civics I'm quite a fan of 1980s Honda. I look forward to the next installment.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Andy. I've done some more work on it recently, and had a stern word with myself about sorting out my welding technique, but I've been laid low by covid for the last couple of weeks so the next instalment is a little way off yet.

[@fhwolthuis]

Martin, you're a real artiste. I can imagine that you are sometimes frustrated about lack of progress, but I also see a happy man that's really in his element, having a meditative time away from the daily troubles. Just keep doing what you like, don't worry about what other people think and don't worry about the viewing numbers and you will be fine!💪🏻🍀😀👏🏼

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Frank, you’re always such a great support, it makes a big difference 😊

[@benday1218]

excellent vid, patience of a saint with this otherwise 'beyond economic repair' beauty.

[@gareththompson538]

That's great work. I don't think that I would have the patience to replicate the profile exactly. The use of copper behind where you are welding has helped me out on quite a few occasions now

[@endoxr4]

A little tip is the mig wire you throw away as can’t use once it’s at end of spool don’t throw away cut into 16 inch pieces then stick one end of the 3 pieces in vice and the other 3 ends in cordless drill and slow run drill till the 3 pieces twist together you can then feed in like a tig welding rod with your other hand as you weld with mig gun it perfect for when you have slightly to big a gap on repair panel or welding up a hole. I’ve used it many times over 30 years and you can use brass to back metal instead of copper when welding up a hole both metals work great.

[@alastairwilson457]

Well done Martin, a real marathon but it will be worth it

[@MissChristineC1990]

Its amazing what our younger selves don't realise 😅 Good to see you back at it

[@benc8386]

Great video! All these panels are designed to be stamped out and spot welded in the factory in about 40 seconds but it means they take about 40 hours to repair. Very good work on the metal shaping. I tend to rely more on "tack and bash" but your approach is better. As for the welding I recommend not holding the MIG gun with both hands. Rest one hand on the car itself, or on a clamp attached to the car, steady the welding hand on that hand (maybe just via the little finger), and wear your reading glasses. All this makes it much easier to send the hot metal where you actually want it to go. Always start the arc on the new piece which is thicker and just nudge the puddle over onto the actual car as you go. If it goes really horribly it's usually because the metal you're welding to is rusty or still covered in paint or something.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Ben. I’d never actually noticed that I hold the torch in both hands, but you’re right, it appears I do! I’ll stop.

[@davidallum2728]

I've just discovered your channel, I'm welding up a Lada Niva, ( or rather patching) and I'm enjoying your progress. By the way your presentation reminds me of Angus Deyton ( slightly tongue in cheek).

[@dennisnichols2411]

Eastwood over here in the States makes a set of vise grips (mole grips to you) that has a special mod to the tips of the jaws that makes a 45 deg lip bend at the edge of panels- so that when the butt welds are ground down there is still quite a bit of the weld left afterward to maintain strength in the joint. A jamb nut in the adjusting screw keeps you from having to fiddle with it as you work the edges. There is also a pneumatic tool that does the same thing with the bonus of the ability to punch holes for plug welds as well. Might help you here. Another fine video from you that is useful to me as I'm having to do similar repairs to my 1986 Toyota 4Runner (Hi Lux Surf to you). Thanks!

[@kerryprovis7162]

Great response, I was getting concerned that the job got on top of you,not the case.... ....'you have done very well...' says Mr. Grace. Difficult job but I am glad to see your results..

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Kerry - various things did get on top of me in the last year, hence the delay, but happily the Honda itself wasn't one of them so I'm glad to be back making (slow) progress on it.

[@gt40mk1]

Another great video Martin. I admire your perseverance and skills. Great ‘CAD’ work by the way.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Alastair! Perseverance is certainly needed here.

[@robertsedgwick1629]

funny that you say about running out of gas- i was thinking that to me it sounds lke your gas is turned up too high

[@GrandThriftAuto]

You're probably right. I have the gas up quite high to compensate for having the torch a relatively long way from the metal, which in turn is because it's an awkward reach and I risk touching the tip to the car. None of those is ideal. All stuff to work on.

[@alastairwatson3201]

It’s always great when a new GTA video drops! Thanks for your realistic, totally relatable video, Martin. I don’t really trust some KZbinrs’ claims that they’re amateurs who’ve never, ever performed [insert feat of fabrication mastery here] before. I can see you’re learning, as I - and 99% of other viewers, I suspect - would be as we embarked on our own restorations. It’s looking good so far; can’t wait to see how it works out.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Alastair! Yes, you can definitely tell I haven't done this before...and believe me, I'm looking forward to seeing it finished as well.

[@torresalex]

Thoroughly fascinating to watch. And that Honda Aerodeck is really worth the effort, it's a wonderful car

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks! Yes, it never crossed my mind _not_ to save the Aerodeck, such a great shape.

[@Roverjoe]

Great Video Martin. I Have a Honda Civic MB. Very similar issue in this area it seems all the stones flicked up and chipped away at the underseal. Mines spread to the seam where the boot floor meets the side panel under the bumper and the whole section at the back of the inner arch is gone and you can straight into the boot! fun times...

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Joe! Yes, it does seem very much to be a feature of Hondas and Rovers of this era. I don't envy you the boot floor problem, that does sound even more horrible than mine.

[@Kapil-Patel]

fantastic effort and a damn sight better than the unholy mess the rust did to the original metal. Thanks for sharing 👍🏽

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks! 😊

[@GentilsGarage]

Great video, well put together and enjoyable from start to finish. This is really good work, Martin. Lot of skill cutting, shaping all these pieces together. Not easy and not for everyone. Keep up and I’ll be looking forward to more updates.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Gentil! Hopefully not _too_ long before the next update, I'm hoping to have a reasonable run at it over the next couple of weeks.

[@cheharrison7107]

Really interesting and insightful video, and at the same time terrifying. I am constantly battling rust on my old volvo, and paying for people to fix it, so seriously considering learning to weld. This showed the fiddly, messy non glamorous journey of welding so thank you for a more real world demonstration.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Happy to be of service! But the consensus here seems to be that my welding looks especially terrible, so your experience may be better. It’s actually quite rewarding. I don’t know if you’re anywhere near Gloucestershire, but R-Tech (who make my welder) do a beginner course for £99, which I think would be worth a go.

[@cheharrison7107]

@@GrandThriftAuto I'm not in any position to criticise a man for trying that's for sure. I'm in Brighton so a little way from Gloucester, but I am a carer so can, I think, I get subsidised evening classes which include welding.

[@danielrussell446]

Well done Martin I have been looking for an update on the aero deck and well done on such skill and perseverance to get that back it’s new metal which would all be stamped at the factory looking forward to seeing this one come back to life

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Daniel!

[@ianalderton6683]

I did something like this on my wifes Micra- not quite as bad as this - MOT bloke:, 'did you do that?' - - - excellent work ! ; ) PS love the wire frame jig : ) and the other 'poo' is you normally have to do both sides ............. ; (

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Well done with the Micra! And yes, the other side is a problem for Future Me. It's not _quite_ as bad as there's a partial liner...but on the other hand it's close to the fuel filler neck so I'll probably have to drop the fuel tank.

[@antonmealy168]

Yikes, but good to see you've still been at it & learning as you go. And good to see you finally found the copper plate idea. Must get back to finishing the cowl plenum on my 80 accord, though that's also got very poor rear 1/4 accident repairs to discourage me.... But still painting Civic & CRX first...

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Ooh, a CRX! Sounds like you've got your hands full there.

[@antonmealy168]

Yes '86 DOHC, (& '90 w/mugen kit, & '89 Si-R). Just made & welded a new top to the rear hatch perforated by a dozen holes from its foam rubber spoiler if that provides encouragement. Though theres much more rust elsewhere. At least I got to the bonnet early enough to epoxy the developing holes, wouldn't want to weld that! The fresh black paint already accentuated every other ripple in the flat panels!

[@Lot76CARS]

23:37 run time, but no doubt hours and hours of work…your patience and resilience is a benchmark for us all. It’s not just the welding its the cutting and shaping that leaves me daunted. Are you bringing the Honda to FOTU this year?

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Simon - yes, behind this there was a lot of a) work and b) scratching my head figuring out what to do. I'm aiming for FOTU - I think that should be an achievable goal although it might not be properly painted.

[@drewsimpson5967]

Very good work. I've always thought they were an interesting and handsome car and that they would be good with the 2.0i-16 engine and sportier trim like the top Accord. Hondas of that era had scheduled "body" services. I wonder if these made a difference over the life of the cars. The Honda dealers I was familiar with here in Scotland were excellent and miles above those of other marques at the time.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Drew. I didn’t know that about the body services, that’s really interesting. And I agree about the 2.0i-16.

[@patrickhostler5939]

Cwipes, that really is a complex series of shapes, curves, welds etc!!! Splendid work though!!!😊

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks Patrick!

[@workshop_deluxe2493]

Martin, excellent job. Looks like our welding capabilities are pretty much on the same level. But if it works it work. Right? Running out of gas? Tell me about it. Run into the same situation. Then new bottle arrived and the valve was shot and vented gas. Arrgghhh! How is the availability of Argon in Wales these days? Looks like we have another shortage here. At least in Germany. Argon is hardly available, prices have almost doubled. And I will need a lot of Argon on my "new" XJ-S in the future... Cheers, Christian

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks a lot Christian! That’s interesting about the argon - I’m using 95% CO2 + 5% argon for this and that seemed to be normal on both price and availability. I only use pure argon on stainless steel, which I haven’t worked with for a while.

[@eddiegoh1281]

Sorry... just out of the rust topic... Do you have the problem with the STAY ASSY., L. TAILGATE OPEN or we called damper?

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Sorry, I’ve only just seen this - no, the tailgate stays open fine on this car.

[@eddiegoh1281]

Do you know where can I find the stock tailgate stays?@@GrandThriftAuto

[@GrandThriftAuto]

@@eddiegoh1281 Try Quinton Hazell, I believe they sell them (as ‘gas springs’): www.qhwebcat.com

[@edgarbeat2851]

Weld done. Grind effort. Keep plug welding on.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

LOL - a grinder and paint makes me the welder I’m not, or something 😊

[@Zeem4]

@@GrandThriftAuto When I eventually finish my Peugeot Expert, I'm going to put a sticker of that phrase in the back window.

[@EVguru]

Way too much wire stickout! Make sure the tip is level with the gas shroud and use more power. Remove the weld through primer along the weld line and in the base of the plug welds. Brace your hand against the panel, so you aren't wobbling around so much. Subscibe to Fitzee's Fabrications if you aren't already.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Thanks, I’ll experiment. The problem I have with watching how-to-weld videos is that no two seem to say the same thing.

[@EVguru]

@@GrandThriftAuto Fitzees techniquies are the ones closest to what you're already using.

[@neepheid]

Could the bank holiday weekend have been a factor, rather than the video itself?

[@GrandThriftAuto]

You're right, it won't have helped the overall view count - but the stats were saying that even regular viewers who were online and were shown the thumbnail didn't choose to watch. (Actually the click rate did pick up a little after a few days, but KZbin had largely given up showing it to anyone by then. Ah well.)

[@summer-ww3op]

How about mercedes Benz Slk r170 the forgotten sports car ❤

[@GrandThriftAuto]

I do like SLKs a lot, but I suspect that’s maybe a bit modern for this channel. Some people even think the ‘89 Honda is too new…

[@summer-ww3op]

@@GrandThriftAuto you should try at least 😊

[@rogerhanbury677]

If that is a gasless welder replace it with a conventional one

[@Zeem4]

It's not gasless: (1) He mentioned the gas (2) You can hear the gas in the video (3) It's not leaving flux residue everywhere or generating loads of smoke