The journey of restoring my 04 Honda City

[murtazamohammad54]

Salam,
I have been wanting to share the process of how I restored my Honda City 2004 MT. It had been driven 190k kilometers and the oil had never been timely changed as a result the formation of sludge ruined the engine and required work to be put in. I would like to share so that others can also know how much money, time and effort it takes to get all mechanical, electrical and denting work done. Swapping out the engine assembly was a challenging task as it was the very first time I was getting it done.

[syednayl]

Looking forward to it !

[LX_AFFAN]

Yes please. Always fun to see these posts.

[murtazamohammad54]

It all begins with the persistent problems we had began to face as our vehicle began to show its age and neglect. Routine maintenance such as 5000kms oil changes were prolonged to 8000kms or even 10,000kms and I knew something must be done. Being unaware of anything I joined this forum and began reading through every post I could find, every experience and encounters people shared helped me develop an understanding of the basics. The rising car prices were like salt in our wounds as I spent more time at the mechanics and every passing month our dream of buying a more latest model of Honda City become less possible. Upon the evaluation of our situation my brother and I decided to make the most of what we had and in this case a vehicle that needed some serious work.

Therefore we planned the process of resoration in distinct phases; the first phase suspension and mechanical work followed by a week of testing and then moving on to the second phase of engine swap (The most difficult task of all) and electrical work. After concluding this second phase I would test the vehicle for another week or two before the final and third stage of denting and interior works.

[murtazamohammad54]

Phase 1: Mechanical and suspension works

There were several parts that needed to be changed, the shocks were very noisy and no longer functioning at all. We had a choice of choosing KYB shocks or OEM shocks, for someone on a budget it may seem great to get the front and rear pair in Rs 26,000 if you go with the former and that did make me consider saving a great deal. I am glad my brother made the choice of going with OEM shocks and pushed me towards getting them as they are far superior than the counterpart available in the market. All in all the shocks costed us Rs46,000 for both front(26K) and rear (20K), petrol coils were needed for the rear as the vehicle had been run on cng and we had no intention of keeping it any further, they costed us Rs 3000.

Here is what the old shocks look like after 190k kilometers usage:

Here is a breakdown of the cost of these suspension components:
Lower arm bush set: Rs1600
Lower arm bush set: Rs 1200
Z-Link set : Rs 2600
Shock mount rubber: Rs2200
Timing foundation: Rs 3200
Bush pressing: Rs1000
Steering box repair: Rs3200
Labour charges for removal of cng kit, suspension work and all other components: Rs 10,000

Breakdown of brake job:
brake pads; Rs 3200
Rotors polishing: Rs 850
Clutch plate and pressure plate with all bearings: Rs 10,000

engine works done prior to the engine swap:
8 ignition coils (kabli): Rs 6500
Tappet cover packing: Rs 950
Labour chargers for complete work and throttle service: Rs 4500
(This work was done in anticipation that the engine would not be swapped later and hence it is important to keep a good budget in hand and get all the work done in a single labour)

[murtazamohammad54]

Having had all this work done in the time period of two weeks, it was now time to get a wheel balancing and alignment done as it was neccesary. I had taken the car to City Wheel (Z-512-B, Block-3, Near Liaquat Library stadium road, Karachi) and gotten computerised alignment for the front in Rs 1500. Taking the car out on a spin and now testing it over paved and unpaved roads, the ride had become much more comfortable. What previously was a very noisy and bumpy ride became much smoother, it felt almost as if the vehicle was just like new (except the exterior, interior and engine which brought down the experience when driving).

[ahmed.in.med]

Super interesting. Keep sharing the great details. And do share pictures of car before if possible.

[murtazamohammad54]

Phase 2: Engine swap and Electrical works

This is the point that became the most stressful and would keep me thinking if what we were doing was right or would it end in total failure. Knowing the type of engine overhaul work being done here I knew it would be costly, highly likely that it was done incorrectly and excessively time consuming. The engine in this vehicle was the sluggish L12A (1249CC) and the better L13A (1349CC) was what was compatible and available in the market. I was surprised to find out that the entire assembly is cheaper than rebuilding and if I were able to find a clean engine it would be perfect.

After a week of testing I brought back the car to the mechanic and this time we did not park at his workshop near Tibet center but at Hussainabad road where the engine swap would take place. This was near the place from where the engine was purchased and hence saved time in transporting it. We purchased the engine from behind PSO Sir Shah Muhammad Suleman Rd, Federal B Area Bundhani colony gali no 1.
Here are pictures:

In this last picture complete wiring was covered as it was previously all over the place and cluttered due to the cng kit installed.

Here is how the vehicle looked with its engine stripped out and transmission gone for repairing:

The hole in the engine bay :

It costed 35k in exchange for the old engine assembly to get the new one, the transmission went for a complete overhaul as the synchronisers were making noise and completely ruined, that costed Rs10,000 after fierce negotiation with the repair person. The labour charged for the engine swap, transmission disassembly and reassembling was Rs8000. This entire process took almost two days and then I had went and purchased Shell 10W40 rated oil, purposely thicker so that it would help with the wear and tear process and a VIC oil filter.

[murtazamohammad54]

Ofcourse the engine swap did come with a few minor hicups and they took another week to resolve completely.

Upon recieving the vehicle it had hit a bump previously when mechanic was checking and when I came to collect he told be exhaust pipe was touching the body and so that needs to be fixed. I took the car on a long route with the mechanic in the front seat to the motorway, accelerating the car, putting load on the engine and seeing how well it preformed. The pick was thrilling and the manual transmission was soundless, I had purposely made sure the mechanic was present so that any problem that would appear could be resolved.
This was the case and the air conditioning was not working, I was dissapointed with the mechanic as he reassured me that everything will be done properly and no gas will be removed. I spent the entire remaining day at Royal Car Airconditioner the usual place where we take our car. A pipe was broken and so was welded and repaired and the AC gas was filled, upon his enquiry I told him that the engine was just recently swapped. A very valuable suggestion he gave and said "always remove the compressor and all AC components when getting an engine swap as those working on the car can break its components". He told me that the engine assembly used was in good condition and that it had no vibrations whatsoever and that marked a milestone in my lifetime where I had managed to succesfully complete an engine swap.

Long story short, after a week of checking I saw oil drops on the pavement and it was the most alarming and shocking sight one could imagine after an engine swap. Taking a good look underneath I saw two things, oil dripping slowly from the drain pan near the bolt and the oil filter was the same one used when I went to see the engine (therefore not VIC oil filter). I had taken my time in humiliating the mechanic for acting oversmart and not using the oil filter I had given and also told him to fix my problem immediately. The mechanic had returned the old oil sump and attatched a new one from the shop which we purchased the engine (the bump had cracked the oil sump and brought a two fold effect of problems).

The final part of this phase comes as there is just one last problem remaining, high rpm (above 1200). This had a quick solution of throttle body servicing and complete tunining. Alhamdulilah this chapter of the work had come to an end as I breathed a sigh of relief. My part was done and next came the final task organised by my brother which was denting and paintjob.

[murtazamohammad54]

Phase 3: Denting and interior works

This is the point where the true beaty of this model was brought out, the worn out interior , damage and rust on the exterior made it necessary to get denting and complete paintjob for each and every part. The previous rains had resulted in water seeping inside the cabin as there are rust spots present, this was mostly due to an idiotic driver washing the car every day. Thats why it is important that you never wash your vehicle every single day and instead using a microfiber cloth, wet it and wipe the car clean.

Here are the pictures of the car before it went for denting:

[murtazamohammad54]

[murtazamohammad54]

This sums up the before part, stay tuned for sneak peaks of the After.

[asifranjha]

Good job

[LX_AFFAN]

Keep them coming.

[murtazamohammad54]

Having sent the vehicle off for denting, in the first few days the rust spots on the roof were worked on and both the windshield and rear screen were removed to do so:

[murtazamohammad54]

The procedure of removing this rust and at parts welding new metal was very time consuming. It took about a week and during the process an entire hole present in the trunk was repaired. Improper removal of the cng cylinder led to this problem becoming worse. Here is the before:

To everyone out there using cng in their vehicle I would suggest removing it and stop ruining your engine and boot of your car. It is a very heavy cylinder and takes around 3 people to lift, so imagine this unnecessary load on your vehicle.

The trunk had a lot of rust on the surface which compelled us to paint it. The surface was prepped and here is the after:

With the surface painted, the rust spots treated and coated, the windshield and rearscreen were installed back. The car was tested with a pressure test in which water was sprayed at the points that previously let water enter the cabin. With this being done successfully it marked the start of week 2.

[murtazamohammad54]

The exterior denting begins, the bonnet had a minor impact a month before which was dry dented and fixed, followed with a new bumper and headlights installed. Being driven under rough conditions as a daily work horse it had several small dents and the left side skirt was heavily damaged. It was completely removed and a new one was welded since It was the better option instead of repairing.

Here is the new piece:

[murtazamohammad54]

Coming up is the after!
The entire car painted and the interior trims as well.

[murtazamohammad54]

With limited amount of pictures left, here is how the car looked after a fresh coat of paint

The interior trims painted silver to their original colour.

[LX_AFFAN]

Keep them coming. Loving the thread.