During the era of the EA Civic hatch (aka: the mid-80s), “the future” was something we fantasized about. We were heading into the 21st century. Dreams of the future sparked elevated emotions of freedom, exhilaration, wonder, and exploration. You know… hoverboards, flying cars… that sorta stuff. But compare it to today… and you’ll probably realize it’s not so much that way anymore. Modern technology has kinda boiled us all like frogs to be honest. It’s electronically enchained us. And dumbed-down our instinctual sense of freedom with monitors, safety-sensors, & over-regulation. To the point of believing that freedom is handing over the controls to computers (wtf). And that freedom is found in autonomy, AI, & a good wifi connection. Hint: It’s not. But that brings up my point…

There’s been too much phony talk about “the future” in the automotive industry as of late… 

And it’s become brainwashed. The future is not some battery-operated, comatosed, spiritless, unserviceable transportation pod with paywalls. Nah, that’s just how they market dumb things to dummies… by telling them “it’s the future”. In reality though, here’s the truth: “The future” is the time you have left on this planet. That’s it. So how do you want to spend it? Every chance to travel is a gift. It’s a moment of exhilaration waiting to be captured… or missed. The choice is yours. If monitored, forgettable, uninteresting transportation is your vibe… great. But for some of us, that just doesn’t cut the mustard. 

See for some of us…

Substance matters. The experience matters. Your heart rate matters. The moment matters. Nostalgia matters. Style matters. How you get there… it matters. And somewhere along the way, the automotive industry (as a whole) separated themselves from that soulful connection. So as a result, a lot of us are separating ourselves from overpriced modern appliance cars. And reconnecting to the more substance-driven values of yesteryear. 

For Cameron Grady, an elemental EA Honda Civic…

Captures the essence of travel… and simultaneously time travel. Because it’s not so much “the future of cars” that Cameron’s enamored with. More-so, it’s the past. And the way we as a society/generation, envisioned the future back then. See – when Cameron was a kid, his dad owned an ’86 Honda CRX. And at night, his dad would let Cameron climb into the driver’s seat & pretend he was driving. The glow of those amber gauges over Cameron’s face are forever chiseled into his memory. It’s the essence of driving into the sunset, as seen in the 80s. In fact… 

That 1986 Honda CRX…

Ultimately became Cameron’s first car. And it initiated an undying love for ALL golden era Hondas. But specifically – the often overlooked & underdog EA Civic chassis. To Cameron, there’s just something endearing about this era for Honda. It was an era where Honda was really figuring it out. An era of passion & progression for Honda as a brand. By the time the EF Civic generation came around (88-91), Honda pivoted with their design. The front suspension of the newer EF Civics ditched the torsion bars, and the rear suspension evolved from the solid axle of the EA, to the independent rear suspension of the EF. Yes the EF is a much improved design (albeit heavier). But by comparison, Cameron feels the EA Civic really captures that perfectly-imperfect, ultra-lightweight, connective driving experience that characterized Honda in the mid-80s.

This EA Civic Hatch…

Has a kind of peculiar backstory though. Cameron Grady moderates an EA Civic page on Facebook. And an older gentleman from Washington State got on the page years ago, saying that he was going to restore/build an ’85 hatchback. He had purchased the car from its original owner, and found it to be an interesting oddball. Now this gentleman had been restoring cars his whole life, but they were typically of the classic/collector variety. He made a couple introductory posts on the EA Civic page, and then went radio silent.

After some time, Cameron got word that the car was nearly complete. The owner had done a full restoration, put the chassis on a rotisserie, & left no stone unturned. But near the end of the project, he ultimately decided the Civic wasn’t for him. Not that he didn’t like it. But he became aware that he wasn’t the right guy to finish it. It needed someone that really knew the culture. Someone who was more dialed-in to Honda styling & aftermarket brands… and would know how to finish the car properly. 

Cameron made a deal on the restored EA Civic Hatch… 

For the previous owner, ‘who he sold it to’ was critical. He liked the fact that Cameron had such an affinity for these Hondas. And he agreed to sell the EA Civic hatch to Cameron, under the condition that Cameron promised to drive it, enjoy it, and put it on some nice roads. Knowing that Cameron resided in Tennessee, he said – take it out there to the Dragon, put it in the wild, & get me some photographic evidence. Do that… and we have a deal. Done!

This EA Civic Hatch has a high-compression B20 CRV motor…

It’s not the go-to choice that Cameron would’ve made had HE restored the car. Cameron would’ve surely done a swap with VTEC. But remember – the previous owner took more of a general hot-rodder approach and didn’t know all the ins-&-outs of the Honda community – hence the B20. 

But while Cameron expected the B20 to be kinda lame, turns out, it’s not! Actually – it’s a ton of fun, & hits you right in the old-school feelings! No it doesn’t crack VTEC & rev to 9,000rpm. But BECAUSE the EA chassis is so darn light, the B20 delivers a good punch of linear low/mid-end grunt. Cameron’s fallen in love with the B20 in the EA Civic, saying it takes him back to something like an old ZC-swap… but with more balls. 

Suspension is one of the places where Cameron made significant improvements to his EA Civic Hatch… 

As mentioned, the previous owner restored the car, and that included all new parts & bushings in the suspension. But he didn’t really know how to dial-in a Honda specifically. So it was basically all-new, but stock with some marginal rear lowering springs. When it comes to EA Civic suspension, Cameron already knows what pairs well together. So it was essentially just copy/paste from his ITR-swapped EA CRX. Check out the mod-list below for details on that. 

Classic Hondas On The Dragon (CHD)…

Cameron is a man of his word, and this Honda has seen The Dragon by gosh! In fact, Cameron Grady is one of the creators of Classic Hondas on the Dragon. CHD is an annual event (in earlier October), that celebrates the golden-era of Honda. Hang-outs, drives, and good times – that’s what it’s all about. Next year is the 10th anniversary of CHD, and it will not overlap with Petit LeMans lol. So if this kinda thing tickles your pickle, be sure to carve-out a place for it on your calendar. That’s my plan.

Photos by David Potts

1985 Honda Civic “2.0S”

Exterior

Full color change to white (jams, interior, & engine bay)

Shaved side moldings, antenna, & rear wiper nozzle

Metal & color-matched keyless door-handle conversion using rear door handles off an ’86 Integra sedan

Keyless entry conversion

Volvo S90 front lip

Hella E-code sealed beam conversion headlights with Morimoto H4 2-stroke LED bulbs

OEM front turn signals with DRL conversion

JDM front corner lights

Malaysian/Singaporean pre-facelift spec taillights & center panel

TYPE S Formula Drift Pro Series underglow

Wheels / Brakes

Mugen CF-48 wheels in 14×6 +38 w/ all caps, badges, & aero covers

Wheels color-changed to Honda Kaiser Silver Metallic

Falken RT660 tires 195/60/14

Mugen lug nuts

1985 Honda Prelude dual-carb brake master cylinder

Fastline Performance stainless brake lines

88-91 CRX front disc brake conversion

EBC “Green Stuff” front pads

OEM Honda CRX hf rear aluminum drums

Porterfield R4-S brake shoes

1988 Honda Accord rear wheel cylinders

Motul RBF600 fluid

Engine

High compression B20 engine

Hasport mounts

Custom cold-air intake with AEM filter

B18 LS intake manifold

Rywire full engine & chassis fuel injection conversion harness (OBD1)

Hondata S300 v3

Hydraulic LS transmission

Hasport cable-to-hydro conversion

92-95 Civic radiator with Volvo dual-speed fan

Pre-98 spec JDM ITR exhaust manifold – Cerakote ceramic coated

Custom 2.25” piping

Vibrant high-flow catalytic converter

Flowmaster Super HP2 muffler “resonator”

OEM Si-style rear muffler

Honda Prelude finisher tips

Suspension:

Tein Medieval-Pro V2 damper kit w/ 5k rear springs

Medieval-Pro 24mm torsion bars

Custom bump-steer geometry correction kit

86-89 Integra front sway bar

Hardened rubber torsion bar bushings

Polyurethane radius arm bushings

Spherical strut mounts

Dodge Caravan external rear sway bar conversion with polyurethane bushings

“Locked” rear axle and 2-degree camber shims by Cheddas Auto

Cheddas Auto adjustable rear panhard bar

Custom welded rear strut tower bar

Cusco front strut tower bar

Interior:

86-87 Si gauge cluster, HVAC, and clock conversion (amber)

97 Honda Prelude head unit

GROM Bluetooth conversion

Rockford Fosgate speakers

Kicker L7 subwoofer & amp

AEM GPS speedometer

Broadway mirror

JSP cupholder

Momo hub boss

ASR steering wheel spacer

Mugen steering wheel

Lonely Driver company horn button and shift knob

Corbeau FX1 seats

Planted side-mount seat brackets

Schroth Racing DOT-approved harnesses

Autopower harness bar

Rear seat delete

RUNHARD Industries battery relocation charge harness

OEM Honda Insight aluminum spare wheel

 

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