You don't find many older Hondas in the sort of condition that this 1985 Civic 1500S was found in and, if you do, and you're immediately hit with throwback vibes and rich memories of piloting the same sort of chassis during "spirited driving encounters" on the streets 30-or-so years prior, then you don't let it go. For Jason Remington, owner of Genesis Automotive and this AH5 Civic, this chance encounter represents a huge piece of his younger automotive escapades which, in one way or another, led to his current entrepreneurship. After just a few minutes of chatting with him about the car, you quickly realize this build is as much a reflection of his glory days as it is an excuse to treasure hunt for those rare OEM and aftermarket goods that somehow survived the ever-looming threat of time.
Photo 23/23 | Time Capsule 1985 Honda Civic HatchbackView Photo Gallery (23) Photos
Honda Lifer
Jasen has been driving and turning wrenches on Hondas of all types for decades. His Honda/Acura-specific repair shop in Pasadena, Ca, is packed with OEM and modified customer cars, as well as his personal NSX project. Never fully content, he's always had a habit of poking around online to see what's for sale in the used Honda market, but the opportunity to nab this all original mid-80s Civic literally fell into his lap. "I was just looking around at cars for sale online on Christmas and my fianc e asked what I was looking at. I showed her a picture and she tells me that her aunt and uncle actually have that same car." Turns out they'd been storing this '85 hatchback in their garage for 20 years after overheating the original carbureted engine. Not knowing how to deal with it and being that it had been passed around the family and served them well ever since it was brand new, they held onto it. When they heard that Jasen was interested, they invited him over to their house. "They told me to come check it out and to bring a trailer."
Beyond Expectation
With over 150K miles, a well-used Civic that's gone from sibling to sibling wasn't expected to be in this sort of condition. Jasen found that not only was the car intact, complete, and void of any sort of body damage, rust, or even major fading, but the family had taken excellent overall care of it. Knowing it was just too perfect to pass up, he immediately offered his fianc e's uncle money for the car, but her uncle respectfully refused. He simply wanted the car to remain within the family and was happy to hand it off to Jasen who he was confident could get it back up and running. "If it wasn't this clean, I probably wouldn't have done one. It's just so hard to find parts for these cars."
Photo 23/23 | Time Capsule 1985 Honda Civic HatchbackView Photo Gallery (23) Photos
The build portion of this Civic is short and simple but required first buying an '87 Integra. That's right, he purchased an entire car in order to pull its 1.6L DOHC D16A1 engine and transmission, which is a direct swap into the 3rd gen. Civic and CRX chassis, and one that Jasen has done countless times. "Way back in the day when we were street racing these old Civics, we'd hit Watanabe and pick up a ZC swap (Japanese version of the D16A1) for like 300 bucks, toss it in with direct port nitrous and run the V8 guys in Ontario. We'd blow them up sometimes and just head back to the wrecking yard to pick up another one." That was then, when these engines, both in U.S. and Japanese form, were scattered around everywhere. Today they're much tougher to source in working condition and buying a beat-up 1st gen. Integra in running condition proved to be the best option.
Photo 23/23 | Time Capsule 1985 Honda Civic HatchbackView Photo Gallery (23) Photos
Old School Power
Jasen rebuilt the borrowed D-series and added a few extras in the process, like the Supertech valvetrain to support a set of Web cams and once installed, continued his tour of the old days by tracking down a TWM intake manifold that allowed him to mount a set of Weber 40 dual sidedraft carburetors. "I was able to find a brand-new set, still in the box. Mikunis would have been good but I talked to them and they said they haven't produced sidedrafts in over a decade, so replacement parts would be too hard to get. I wanted to avoid the headaches with replacement parts." As of this writing, the only piece of the puzzle missing is a performance header to complete the engine set up. A single-cam D-series manifold will in fact bolt into place but under the car, requires some modification and Jasen is holding out for a ZC-specific version, or he'll go the fully custom route.
More Old School Honda Goodness:
Mugen '87 CRX restomod
EF vs. DA Meet
Unlike the 80s and 90s, a proper suspension set up was a big factor in Jasen's modern build-up and he added everything he could find to improve in that area. Tein Medieval-Pro coilovers sourced through Heel-Toe Automotive update the ancient rears, while the same brands shocks help up front. Cheddas Auto's front caster/camber plates and adjustable rear Panhard bar were added along with upgrading the rear sway bar and moving to a larger torsion bar. Braking power was considerably stepped up with the front and rears from the same Integra that supplied the engine swap.
Photo 23/23 | Time Capsule 1985 Honda Civic HatchbackView Photo Gallery (23) Photos
Euro Vibes
The Mugen wheels you expected once sat at each corner of this Civic but Jasen wasn't completely sold on the look. These silver, 15-in. Racing Hart D Spec Superlative Racing Dish caught his attention, and he knew they'd be perfect with the Civic's original two-tone look. Wrapped in Falken RT-615K+, the "European look," as he describes it, fits the car perfectly and separates it from most other 80s-era builds.
Photo 23/23 | Time Capsule 1985 Honda Civic HatchbackView Photo Gallery (23) Photos
Jasen's outlook on the build was to keep things simple and the interior reflects that having only added a single aftermarket update with a Momo steering wheel. An OEM optional cassette tape storage bin was also added, and certainly plays into the theme of things, especially with a fully functional 2-knob cassette player still in its original space. The family took such good care of the car when it was in service that the panels, surface plastics, and upholstery remain in excellent shape. There are a set of old school Recaros sitting in Jasen's shop that he's contemplated bolting in, but he hasn't pulled the trigger just yet. Wanting to think it through and make sure he's not adding too much as to take away from the time warp that occurs when behind the wheel.
The less is more approach was also applied to the exterior, where, beyond the wheel and tire package you won't find any big changes apart from a JDM ZC hood that was painted and bolted on. At the same time, the nose panel and front bumper were freshened up, but the rest of the car maintains its factory paintwork. Oh, there is that unique wing perched atop the rear hatch that required buying an entire car to get...
Photo 23/23 | Time Capsule 1985 Honda Civic HatchbackView Photo Gallery (23) Photos
3rd Gen. Holy Grail
That's right, yet another car was purchased - this time a raggedy Civic of the same era was picked up in order to get this virtually impossible-to-find Honda optional wing. Jasen laughs, adding, "I work with this Honda wrecking yard and they called me and said they had a car like mine in case I needed any parts. They sent pics and I asked them for a closer pic of the wing, and I couldn't believe it was on there. The only way I could get it was to buy the whole car. So, I did. I drove it to my shop from Sun Valley as it was overheating and I just made it back, but I got that wing." Formed in a foam-like material, not unlike a Mugen CR-X wing, it features the Civic script embossed on the bottom and is weathered but intact, completely original, and the perfect addition to this time capsule Civic.
Photo 23/23 | Time Capsule 1985 Honda Civic HatchbackView Photo Gallery (23) Photos
The almost comical set of circumstances that landed a garage-kept, single-family owned 80s throwback in Jasen Remington's lap is probably a once-in-a-lifetime affair. Add to that the fact that he owns and operates a Honda/Acura-dedicated repair shop and that he'd owned, swapped, and raced this exact chassis countless times in his younger years, and the story is that much better. These days, Jasen isn't trying to prove his Civic's worth lined up next to domestic muscle but instead enjoys just driving the car every chance he gets. We've spotted him at multiple Honda gatherings in various parts of So Cal this year and if you're a local, there's a pretty good chance you'll see his carbureted 1500S scooting down the road with a huge smile plastered across his face and the air of nostalgia.
April 15, 2021 at 08:41AM
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Time Capsule 1985 Honda Civic Hatchback - Super Street Network
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