Goldie Hawn is dead

[Tango Charlie]

No, not HER!
Goldie is my 1988 Honda Accord. I have a propensity for naming my cars after female movie stars. (My first car was an '85 Tempo named Cybill. )
On my way home from work last Friday, she started complaining. Grinding, vibrating,etc. It got worse and worse until I had to pull over to make sure I didn't have a flat tire and was running on the rim! I nursed her home and popped the hood. After poking around a bit, I found I could rock the engine substantially due to a broken motor mount. So I broke out the tools and went to work. Hey, I needed to change the timing belt anyway and I had all weekend. I was hoping the bolts or studs had just sheared and I could replace them. But this was what I found:

ARGH! That's not a new break, either. If you'll notice, class; the area where the missing portion SHOULD be, is grimy and soaked with oil. Indicating that whoever installed this (already broken) engine, screwed in the studs just enough to catch a few threads. The poor engine was hanging on by the skin of it's teeth. Maybe I shoulda named this thread 'Brokemount Backin' Sorry.
Well, to shorten the story, we bought another family car and I 'inherited' the old one to commute in; a '03 Vibe .

SO...
I have a dead '88 Accord in my garage and I'm not sure what to do with it.
Donate it to Goodwill?
Yank the ICE and make an EV out of it? Nah, it's too rusty for that. Even though I really want an EV.
Yank the drivetrain and sell off the remains, then try to repair the crankcase, and use the drivetrain in a tube-framed, fiberglass-sheathed tadpole?

Hmmm.

[MetroMPG]

That's too bad.

But inheriting a 5 year old Vibe isn't so bad.

[SVOboy]

You could part it out or just drop in a new engine and sell it.

[Tango Charlie]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

You could part it out or just drop in a new engine and sell it.

It's VERY rusty. I don't think it'd be worth it.

[metromizer]

That's too bad, I put over 100k miles on that same year and model Honda. No complaints here.

If you wanted a SECOND '88 Accord... PM me. I just happened to have one for sale, 240k on the clock, passes smog and runs great, no rust Claifornia car that I'd drive anywhere tomorrow.

[justpassntime]

You can get a replacement engine (or block) from a You Pull wrecking yard for $125.00. I have even seen rebuilt engines in rear ended cars in these places.

[aerohead]

Sorry to hear about Goldie.A little time will reveal the best solution for her disposition.There's lots of Accords,so we'll probably hear alot about how far we can push them.The Vibe would make a great project car.Great roofline and sloping sides.

[Tango Charlie]

Thanks, guys.
I'm having a hard time getting excited about the Vibe. Don't get me wrong, it's a great little car and turns in good numbers. It's just that I haven't gotten over Goldie yet. She was so much fun to drive. She would pulse and glide like there was no tomorrow. She transmitted alot of 'feel'. I never even installed a vacuum gauge in her and my last tank almost reached 40 mpg. It was all seat of the pants.
The Vibe doesn't coast as well. It doesn't let me know when to shift. The darn thing is so reticent that I don't feel like I can drive her well...yet. Maybe if I punch a hole in the muffler she would talk to me.
She feels...soulless.
A Scangauge has popped to the top of my Things to Buy list.

[bryn]

my advice to you,

1. sell the vibe.

2. buy a used scooter for $300 or less, add nitros kit*
*only necessary if your commute involves highway driving/drag racing/lack of a will to live).

3. save your money, to buy the perfect rust free old econo box.

4. with left over cash buy ev motor/controler/batteries/welding cable/contactors/potbox , (ebay spending spree),

5. start building.

6. half way through the project, sell the scooter to your neighborhood 15 year old. so that you can cover unexpected expenses.
6a. add a racing stripe if you dont get a good first offer.

7. get out the welder and go to town on Goldie Hawns engine mount.
it might take a bit to get her happily cruising. but if you drive easy, each quick fix should last a few hundred miles.

8. finish ev project between honeydo lists. retire goldie in the grand style she deserves.

9. start a thread to let us know how it all went.

[rjacob]

You could have bought another Honda. Honda's are great! All other cars just aren't...Honda's.