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1983 Honda Civic Wagon LS B18 Swap 1.5L I4 12V Manual Wagon

  • Location: Fenton, Missouri, United States
  • Make: Honda
  • Model: Civic
  • SubModel: 4 Dr Wagon
  • Type: Wagon
  • Trim: 1500
  • Doors: 4 Doors
  • Year: 1983
  • Mileage: 235335
  • VIN: JHMWD5523DS000640
  • Color: Green
  • Engine size: 1.8L DOHC four-cylinder
  • Number of cylinders: 4
  • Transmission: Manual
  • Interior color: Green
  • Vehicle Title: Clear

1983 Honda Civic 1500 Description

1983 Honda Civic Wagon LS B18 Swap

Custom built restoration and autographed by Rutledge Wood, NBC Sports and Top Gear USA announcerOwnership documentation in Wood’s nameFeatured on the TV show "Lost in Transmission" on HistoryCar was built and tuned at Mainstream performanceSwapped B18B1 1.8, DOHC, 16v four-cylinder engine from a 1995 Acura Integra LSIntegra GSR five-speed manual transmissionCustom engine mounts, HASport cable-to-hydraulic clutch and OBD-II to OBD-I jumper harnessCustom axels built by theDriveShaft ShopPerformance headers with custom Magnaflow exhaust/high flow catalytic convertorCustom air intake made by Mainstream with high flow filterOEM Nissan Tank Green exterior, green interior and Cherry Blossom Red engine bayMk II GTI Recaro Trophy front seats with Westfalia Celery Green with plaid accents and full custom green carpetsGLI Nardi wooden steering wheel, complete with a NRG quick releaseand Auto Gage tachometerMomo F1 wooden shift knob that Rutledge stated came out of Tanner Foust’s Nissan 300zx from Season 1 of Top GearPeriod correct 15" Enkei 92 gold lace wheelsEibach Springs on coilover sleeves (front) Lowering blocks (rear leaf springs) with new shocksThe car also features a wooden roof rack that uses the original crossbarsVintage Coleman cooler in the trunk conceals the batteryMK1 GTi Duckbill chin spoiler

Motorsports and Honda fans, listen up! MotoeXotica Classic Cars is ready to get you into the game with a custom built and restored 1983 Honda Civic wagon previously owned by Rutledge Wood, announcer for NBC Sports, NASCAR and Top Gear USA! The car includes ownership documentation in Wood’s name and the cherry blossom engine bay bears his autograph. The wagon was featured on the Wood's TV show "Lost in Transmission" on History.

What Wood had to say about his Honda as it was getting restored at Brian's Paint and Body in Sharpsburg, Ga., is a perfect 10, despite its imperfections. "I just love the idea of it," he says. "Honda changed how imports really were perceived. And I just always liked it. He bought this in October because he needed a car he could drive to the airport. "I wanted to build something that I wasn't as concerned about people running their door into my truck," he says. "It's a Nissan paint color off an Xterra; it's army-tank green. I always liked that color, so I looked it up and when I was ready to have it painted, Brian had the code. It's going to a shop in Atlanta called Mainstream Performance, which is another big Honda place."Over at Mainstream Performance, the car is getting the engine swapped to a 1996 Integra motor. "It's a big process so they'll have to cut a new motor mount. I needed a little commuter car and I didn't want to just buy a new Honda Civic. I just liked the older looks of the '83."Wood bought three cars in order to build this 1983 Civic to his liking: a 1982 Civic wagon, a 1980 Civic hatchback and a 1996 Acura Integra for its motor. "And that's what's funny - a '96 Integra is much nicer in theory than the '83 Civic wagon," Wood admits. "It'll be cool when I'm all done with it."

Finished in OEM Nissan Tank Green, the wagon’s paint and trim are in good overall condition. The wagon’s windows, including the rear one with its electric defroster grid and wiper/washer, are clear and crack-free. The wagon’s lights are in similar fine order. The wagon’s bodywork is straight, its Cherry Blossom Red engine bay is extremely tidy, the battery appears new (and has been relocated to the cargo bay in a vintage Coleman cooler) and the black bumpers fit tightly to the body. The car also features a custom wooden roof rack that uses the original crossbars.

This hotrod Honda rolls on Yokohama radials, size 195/50R15 at all four corners. Each Yoko is wrapped around a period correct 15" Enkei 92 gold lace wheel, which contrast nicely with the car’s body color. This Honda also has been lowered withEibach Springs on coilover sleeves (front) Lowering blocks (rear leaf springs) with new shocks. The stance of the wagon is completed with a MK1 GTi Duckbill front chin spoiler.

Under the forward-hinged hood is a B18B 1.8L fuel-injected, DOHC, 16-valve four-cylinder engine from a 1995 Acura Integra LS and produces around 140HP, which is about double the horsepower of the original 1984 engine! The engine rests on custom engine mounts and is mated to a manual five-speed transmission unit, from a 1996 Acura Integra GSR and has shorter gearing than the LS transmission. Custom axels were built by theDriveShaft Shop and has a HASport cable-to-hydraulic clutch and an On-board Diagnostics II to On-board Diagnostics I jumper harness.

Inside, a pair of MkII GTI Recaro Trophy bucket seats replace the factory front buckets. All seats have been reupholstered in Volkswagen Westfalia Celery Green with plaid accents. The inner door panels and sun visors have been redone to match the plaid found on the seats. The seats are in excellent overall condition while the complementing green carpets look great, as does the headliner and matching plastic trim pieces. The green dash is in very nice shape for a dashboard of this vintage. TheGLI Nardi wooden steering wheel, complete with a NRG quick releaseis in excellent condition, as is the instrument panel. There is an Auto Gage tachometer perched atop the steering column. The plaid inner door panels are in very good shape. Capping off the interior is a Momo F1 wooden shift knob that Rutledge stated came out of Tanner Foust’s Nissan 300zx from Season 1 of Top Gear and a period correct Alpine AM/FM stereo with cassette deck but is inoperable. The car was built to have air conditioning, it uses an Integra b18b compressor with custom lines that use everything else that was original to this factory A/C wagon. It was charged when it was built, but there was some sort of leak in the system, so the AC does not blow cold. The wagon does have hot heat.

If you’re a fan of Rutledge Wood’s work on Top Gear USA, NBC Sports or for NASCAR, you owe it to yourself to stop by MotoeXotica Classic Cars and check out his personal swapped 1983 Honda Wagon in person before it sells to a new owner!

VIN: JHMWD5523DS000640

Wood's build thread on the car at honda-tech:https://honda-tech.com/forums/southeast-sales-66/fs-ft-volk-gold-ce28-16x7-16x7-5-5x114-3-ga-2926248/

This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 235,335 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt Missouri title.GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!

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