Suspension problems... body rot? & air bag suspension... PLEASE ASAP!

[sparq]

Ok, so if someone says to you "The mounting points for the suspension are starting to weaken ~ and if you hit a severse bump there is risk of the suspension failing" what does that mean to you? If I recall Hondas (hahaha I may be wrong) but their suspension bits mounts INTO the wheel wells yes? So if these parts were starting to get a little rusty... would it be hard to just cut the wheel wells out ~ use them as a "mold" ~ bang out some new metal and reweld back in place... will this solve the problem? The car we are talking about is an 88 civic for the record.

Also as a side note, I was thinking about going hydro or air bag suspension ~ no not to bounce around like the mexicans, (not to be racist...) but in my partment complex to get in or out there is a HUGE rain gutter and I know even with probably JUST a kit, I might scrape, let alone with a 3" drop... so I was looking to get it so I could raise the car up over this and other obstacles (speed bumps) and keep the car in as prestine condition as possible Ok, so the question, since im replacing the wheel wells... should I go ahead and maybe make them a little bigger to fit the parts in? I hear hondas dont have all that much room up front (except for the gay piston style air suspension up front) I want real bags, or hydros... bags is prefered since I live in NY (cold weather... figured it cant be too well for a liquid... hehehe) So im gonna stop rambling, but guys please answer ASAP! Thanks...

[Rice-Rocketeer]

Dude, do you know how bad the body has to be for it to be rusting to the point where the suspension could fail? What it means to me is that you take a big bump and the whole spring and shock assembly finds a new home in your trunk or engine compartment while you tow the car home. I'd say find a better honda.

And as for the air bag thing, I'm trying to find a small thing I wrote about it, I'll post it.

[flylwsi]

a three in drop on most any car is a bit absurd...

on the air...
you can get an air bag-over-strut design...
similar to a coilover in design, it would fit in a civic with no probs... pretty much straight bolt in. you can get six inches of lift out of it...
easy street (air lift) has a kit comin out for civics... they have one that tucks the rims in the front and gets roughly six inches of lift...

and no body mods, other than for wheel clearance...
the susp parts will fit...

on the bracing, if the wheelwell is rusting, it doesnt mean it will fail. it depends on the depth of the rust... i would have a pretty knowledgeable shop look at it (ie racing shop) if you are going to rebuild your mounting points, b/c there is a lot of geometry in doing that.... if you are 1/8" off, you could destroy your whole suspension, and make it more dangerous than it was before you rebuilt it...
the forms and shapes in the metal as well as the thickness also add rigidity that you cannot overlook...

hope that gets you an idea...

and on air in cold climates, the air will contract and expand, following the temp.
hydros are oil based, will not freeze, and the fluid does not expand and contract. it also gives you a stiff as hell ride. the air bags will handle pretty good, ride like a caddy, and be easier to clean if you spring a leak. no fluid dumps on your driveway...

[LoudLude]

I am not 100% sure about that civic, but to my knowledge most strut towers bolt to a portion of the engine bay. Basically, if that region is rusted that bad, get rid of the car. (I never thought Hondas had a problem rusting there )

As for the air bags, the air rod type is the only style I know of that will fit that civic on the market now. They would be functional enough for your intentions, but kiss your racing dreams goodbye.

but hey I only have 2 posts, what do i know?

[sparq]

Originally posted by flylwsi
and on air in cold climates, the air will contract and expand, following the temp.
hydros are oil based, will not freeze, and the fluid does not expand and contract. it also gives you a stiff as hell ride. the air bags will handle pretty good, ride like a caddy, and be easier to clean if you spring a leak. no fluid dumps on your driveway...

Hey thanks for the info everyone!

Yeah thats why I HATE hydros, I have never seen a system that you can play with, bounce around, and park and not have it leak some place... everyone I have seen seems to leak a little ~ who the hell is gonna say "gee your bags are leaking a squirt of air" hehehe

Well turns out the guy wont even sell me the car anyways, its at a Honda dealer and once they found out about the suspension crap they are just going to wholesale it out... real shame too, oh well. While I was there I was taking a look at a 1995 civic coupe (we seriously have no hatchbacks in our area... and even coupes are rare ~ 4 doors are the sellers here) and since I know the sales manager im getting $1300 off the sticker, with me putting $1000 down it puts it into the price range I wanted to spend... now the problem is gettnig "the man" AKA Dad to cosign... lol!