Just got a 1992 Civic CX
 

I have been a lurker on these forums for a while and learned many interesting things. Now I'm ready to get a little more involved! I really appreciate the attitude here and feel like it's a place where I can learn a great deal.

I just bought a 1992 Civic CX with 186k miles for $1500. It has the typical little rust spots on the wheel wells above the rear wheels. It has at least one new front fender, but I can't find evidence of a major accident. I need to fix a serious exhaust leak and some other minor tune-up items. Does it sound like a good deal so far?

I'm hoping to glean some feedback from you all about the best things to do with my "new" car to maximize fuel efficiency. If you were a newbie with a Civic CX, where would you start first?

check the o2 sensor... odds are it has never been replaced.

Oh yeah, good deal :)

Cool. Sounds like a good deal to me! You already have the 3.25 geared tranny.

I somehow ended up with 2 complete d15b8s. One is assembled and one is dissassembled. If you want/need anything let me know; I will sell them to a fellow gassaver really cheap.

I would put some lightweight (~9 lbs) VX wheels on it first. Then an undertray/grille block. Then eventually get a d15z1 to drop in it (if you want the lean burn). Driving style is a big thing.

Welcome!

Great, another CX driver. It doesn't take much to put a dent in the front fender. I've had to replace both of my front fenders after close encounters with deer in the 450,000 miles that I have driven my CX. Fortunately its just a matter of removing a few bolts to replace the fender. When you fix that rear wheel well rust, clean and fill in that flat shelf inside the wheel well that is the cause of that rust.

Beyond a tune up and repairing your exhaust system (return it to stock if its been riced), you can raise your tire pressures up to the max (at least, depending on the age and condition of your tires), return them to OEM tire size if you need new tires and they have been changed for wider tires. For aero mods, the easiest is to install a grill block. I left a 4"x4" opening in the center of my grill when I installed my original grill block. Beyond that, take a look at the mods I've installed on my car to give you some ideas. If you go whole hog on the aero mods you can get a car that will easily give you 80mpg at 60mph on a flat road.

Thanks for the quick replies and helpful info! Where is a good place to learn about grill blocks: what exactly they do, how to make them, etc? I would also be interested if anyone could point me to a good tutorial on how to fix the wheel-well rust so it doesn't look too silly -- I have not done much body work, and what I have done was sort of iffy.

The original air filter box and its tube that goes to the intake manifold were "thrown in the trash" by the previous owner in favor of a stainless steel pipe with a tapered filter that whistles when running. Is it worth putting this back to OEM? If so, does anyone here have one they would be willing to sell me or know a good place to find one? I'm checking at local yards, but with no luck so far.

following -

Welcome to GS! I used the "Search The Forums" option with "grill block" in the title and got this :

VX Grill block ? (nose is very close to a CX)
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=4122

Showing off my attempt at a grill block
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=2965

Grill Block 88 CRX
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=2127

CarloSW2

your engine will run much better and quiter if you go back to the stock air box, try www.car-part.com that is how I found mine, and it was well worth it.
155/80-13" tires are going to be better then the 175/70-13" tires that often get installed, they are also often cheaper.
I would pay that much for a car like that, so I think you got a good deal, I would start with buying a shop manual and going thru the check list of matince, and unless it looks like someone did it, do it.