Today I had a day off from my job at the movie theater, and I wanted to go to the junkyard. You see, my crx hasn't been idling right lately, so I wanted to get a new idle valve. I hit up my local junkyard but didn't find a single civic with an engine still in it.
Now there are several junkyards in fort pierce which I found several years ago when I used to have my 90 accord. That was my first honda and the one I started getting into repairs and such with. I had made a day trip out of finding junkyards through google maps. I was looking for an OEM trunk spoiler back then. Out of all the junkyards I came across the one I liked the most was on this road called angle road. The people there were cool, not dickheads like so many other junkyards are, and the yard just had a lot of personality. So when I went to look at google maps today I was reminded of that angle road junkyard. I decided to hit that one up first.
It's about a 45 minute cruise to fort pierce, I spent it drafting behind semi's in my crx
but I couldn't stay behind one for more than 5 minutes before the truck driver would get upset and switch lanes. When I arrived a guy off to my left shouted "Hey". He said I needed to check in and asked what I was looking for. I said, "I'm looking for like a 91 civic, I need an idle valve and a cigarette lighter" (mines busted). He pointed west and said "about 20 lanes down if we have any". I dodged the metal mantis's ripping cars to shreds and creating little dust storms with every stroke. The particles enveloped me in a brown haze, looking like a post apocalypse with the wasted cars lying in ruin. I passed a white cb7 while I looked for a suitable target. I found an early 90's integra, that looked like it's idle valve would work. I yanked it out and kept looking. I had nearly given up, as I turned around I found a white civic with it's front end up on two steelie rims. It had '88' written on it's window with white chalk which had become orange in the dust. This one was the 2 injector model but it looked like its idle valve was the same as the 4 injector model. When I compared it to the integra's, I saw the bolt pattern was different. I figured this civic one was the better bet.
Gathering my tools, I began to walk back. I passed that white accord again. I grinned as I walked around it, but something red caught my eye.
The rear drums were painted red. Hmm, I remember when I was in that phase, semi-ricer, I had painted my drums red too, but I painted my front calipers as well. I started walking again but was stopped again when I saw the fronts had been painted too. Well I guess that's just par for the course. I saw that it had black pin striping and remembered all the time I spent removing the pin striping on my accord. I looked at the trunk which had holes from where a spoiler had been. I saw an f22a6 intake manifold conversion had been performed on its stock a1 engine. That's cool, I had done that too. That was my first big project on the accord. I made a write up for it here, took me a whole night to write it up.
I looked further at what this person had done to this accord. The trunk was no longer a 90-91 sedan but had been converted to a 92-93 coupe trunk. I remember doing my own trunk swap, trying to figure out how to swap the lock cylinders, the answer being found on cb7tuner of course! I remember how the outer lights didn't end up matching and I had to go back to the junkyard and got ripped off buying the set of outers.
I saw that the previous owner had worked on the rear wheel well rust like I had to do. The feeble bondo attempt looked amateur, like someone who had never done it before. I noticed more red in the wheel wells. It had sportlines and agx's, just like I used to have, pretty cool. I suddenly had this sick, sinking feeling. This was all too familiar, but my car never had pin striping, I had taken it off myself long ago. Clawing at the black pinstriping I could see it was new, only months old. I climbed through the familiar red interior looking for something that could set it apart, something only I would know about, something I would recognize. No good, it was still too faint, it could still be a coincidence. Crawling backwards out of the passenger side I stood up and saw it. A white AEM sticker, nearly hidden against the white car on the lower back part of the fender.
This was my car, my first automotive love, I was the previous owner, the amateur mechanic work was mine. Sitting there with no wheels in this brown grit it no longer had that resonance that you get when you stand next to your own car, the kind that isn't there for anyone else's car. It was dead, there was no life left in it's heart. Now it was only like a photo of a dead relative, torn to pieces.
I suddenly felt alone in the world, the background noise drowned out as my memories re-surfaced.
If it had been 10 years I would have looked on it with pride, for it had served its time. But it had been less than a year since I sold it. The person I sold it to was a new driver. Now I was angry and cursed the person I sold it to. Probably redlined it at every opportunity and beat it to death like an old horse who is kicked over and over until it dies from exhaustion, still trying to move its legs for its owner until its eyes fell shut for the last time.
I snapped a pic of the VIN on my cell phone but now I knew it was mine. I walked off and paid for my part. The drive home was nothing like the drive out there.
RIP my first love
Now there are several junkyards in fort pierce which I found several years ago when I used to have my 90 accord. That was my first honda and the one I started getting into repairs and such with. I had made a day trip out of finding junkyards through google maps. I was looking for an OEM trunk spoiler back then. Out of all the junkyards I came across the one I liked the most was on this road called angle road. The people there were cool, not dickheads like so many other junkyards are, and the yard just had a lot of personality. So when I went to look at google maps today I was reminded of that angle road junkyard. I decided to hit that one up first.
It's about a 45 minute cruise to fort pierce, I spent it drafting behind semi's in my crx
but I couldn't stay behind one for more than 5 minutes before the truck driver would get upset and switch lanes. When I arrived a guy off to my left shouted "Hey". He said I needed to check in and asked what I was looking for. I said, "I'm looking for like a 91 civic, I need an idle valve and a cigarette lighter" (mines busted). He pointed west and said "about 20 lanes down if we have any". I dodged the metal mantis's ripping cars to shreds and creating little dust storms with every stroke. The particles enveloped me in a brown haze, looking like a post apocalypse with the wasted cars lying in ruin. I passed a white cb7 while I looked for a suitable target. I found an early 90's integra, that looked like it's idle valve would work. I yanked it out and kept looking. I had nearly given up, as I turned around I found a white civic with it's front end up on two steelie rims. It had '88' written on it's window with white chalk which had become orange in the dust. This one was the 2 injector model but it looked like its idle valve was the same as the 4 injector model. When I compared it to the integra's, I saw the bolt pattern was different. I figured this civic one was the better bet. Gathering my tools, I began to walk back. I passed that white accord again. I grinned as I walked around it, but something red caught my eye.
The rear drums were painted red. Hmm, I remember when I was in that phase, semi-ricer, I had painted my drums red too, but I painted my front calipers as well. I started walking again but was stopped again when I saw the fronts had been painted too. Well I guess that's just par for the course. I saw that it had black pin striping and remembered all the time I spent removing the pin striping on my accord. I looked at the trunk which had holes from where a spoiler had been. I saw an f22a6 intake manifold conversion had been performed on its stock a1 engine. That's cool, I had done that too. That was my first big project on the accord. I made a write up for it here, took me a whole night to write it up.
I looked further at what this person had done to this accord. The trunk was no longer a 90-91 sedan but had been converted to a 92-93 coupe trunk. I remember doing my own trunk swap, trying to figure out how to swap the lock cylinders, the answer being found on cb7tuner of course! I remember how the outer lights didn't end up matching and I had to go back to the junkyard and got ripped off buying the set of outers.
I saw that the previous owner had worked on the rear wheel well rust like I had to do. The feeble bondo attempt looked amateur, like someone who had never done it before. I noticed more red in the wheel wells. It had sportlines and agx's, just like I used to have, pretty cool. I suddenly had this sick, sinking feeling. This was all too familiar, but my car never had pin striping, I had taken it off myself long ago. Clawing at the black pinstriping I could see it was new, only months old. I climbed through the familiar red interior looking for something that could set it apart, something only I would know about, something I would recognize. No good, it was still too faint, it could still be a coincidence. Crawling backwards out of the passenger side I stood up and saw it. A white AEM sticker, nearly hidden against the white car on the lower back part of the fender.
This was my car, my first automotive love, I was the previous owner, the amateur mechanic work was mine. Sitting there with no wheels in this brown grit it no longer had that resonance that you get when you stand next to your own car, the kind that isn't there for anyone else's car. It was dead, there was no life left in it's heart. Now it was only like a photo of a dead relative, torn to pieces.
I suddenly felt alone in the world, the background noise drowned out as my memories re-surfaced.
If it had been 10 years I would have looked on it with pride, for it had served its time. But it had been less than a year since I sold it. The person I sold it to was a new driver. Now I was angry and cursed the person I sold it to. Probably redlined it at every opportunity and beat it to death like an old horse who is kicked over and over until it dies from exhaustion, still trying to move its legs for its owner until its eyes fell shut for the last time.
I snapped a pic of the VIN on my cell phone but now I knew it was mine. I walked off and paid for my part. The drive home was nothing like the drive out there.
RIP my first love
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