The Greatest EF Civic on the West Coast

Written By: Jonathan “JDM” Wong

Finding a good Honda Civic on the West Coast isn’t terribly difficult. But ask specifically for an EF Civic (‘88-91 era) and you instantaneously narrow down your choices, that is, until now. Kenji Sumino, President of GReddy Performance Products, recently completed an EF project that has so many bells ’n whistles that will make any EF, or any auto enthusiast, go crazy. Joey Lee, of The Chronicles, recently featured the car and we had to share it.

First off, know that finding this particular chassis is a challenge in itself. Age has taken a major toll on any existing cars, and even if they are clean, you still need to put in a bit of work to get it up to speed. Luckily, Kenji didn’t have to do much to his starting platform, but being the perfectionist he is, Kenji stripped it down completely to have it resprayed inside and out before painstakingly putting it back together with all new hardware and JDM Honda exterior pieces (like the front end, rear bumper and side moldings).

After the bodywork was completed, Kenji addressed the engine bay, opting for a B18C1 out of the DC Integra but rebuilt to handle up to 1000hp. With plenty of access to performance-enhancing parts at GReddy, he outfitted it with a custom turbo kit featuring a one-off air-to-water intercooler setup (which has been made to look like it’s using a factory airbox), a retro cast GReddy turbo manifold with a new-school T518Z turbo (normally reserved for the FA20 86/BRZ), plus a mil-spec engine harness from Rywire.

For an older application that’s been engine-swapped and turbocharged such as this, we recommend using ENEOS 5W-30 fully synthetic motor oil, which is blended from high-performance hydro-refined base oils and additive blends optimized to provide enhanced piston cleanliness, reduced engine sludge, and improve turbocharger protection.

True old-school Honda aficionados will appreciate Kenji’s wheel selections, especially if you’re from Southern California or follow a certain Kei Miura from Rocket Bunny. On one side are a pair of SSR EX-C Neos, which he found brand new, but required him to convert to ’96 ITR spec so he could run the 4×114.3 wheels. The other pair are Mugen CF-48s, which pay tribute to the Rocket Bunny EF and utilize 4×100 hub adapters.

If you do a little Hot Wheels collecting, you may have noticed there’s a Treasure Super Hunt Car that looks identical to Kenji’s Civic. It’s actually not based off it, and instead, Kenji added the GReddy stripe so that he could mimic the Hot Wheels toy. If you ask us, we’d much prefer to have the real thing!

To see a video of Kenji Sumino’s EF Civic, click: https://youtu.be/9tTmsYD8Cx4

Follow:

Kenji Sumino: https://www.instagram.com/greddykenji

Joey Lee: https://www.instagram.com/stickydiljoe/

Original Article: https://stickydiljoe.com/2019/06/03/its-all-in-the-details-with-greddy-kenjis-civic/

Photo Credit: stickydiljoe / The Chronicles