On 2009-03-08, Chris F. > wrote:
> One more question about the '88 Civic. I've now got the front end taken
> apart, and I notice that the brake splash guards are totally rusted away -
> only the mounting screws remain, and they appear to be rusted in place.
> Should I be worried about replacing these (which involves removing the
> press-fitted wheel bearing), or could I just grind off the rusty screw heads
> and forget about it? I could also make and weld on some homemade splash
> guards from sheet metal.......

Sometimes they only serve as dust shields, sometimes they are also used
to channel air to cool the brakes. Also in some cases they might protect
a component like an ABS sensor but that's not going to be an issue on an
'88.

If you can get the mounting bolts free that would be best. Your best
bet at fabing replacements would be to find something close on a car in a
junk yard and modify them to fit.