The fun, excitement, and competitive juices that flow during track days in a well-built car like this 1995 Honda Civic hatchback are entirely addictive. This, if you don’t know firsthand, has at least been made clear by fellow enthusiasts time and time again. What often isn’t covered are the dangers involved in thrashing through corners with a gaggle of other cars whose drivers you have absolutely no control over. Things—i.e., a few bumps or worse—happen from time to time, and for Evan Weider, just a few years ago, one of those “things” resulted in the loss of his track-focused two-door Civic chassis.
That Sinking Feeling
While Weider was clicking off laps during one of Gridlife’s Track Battle events, a Camaro lost its brakes and eventually found its stopping point—his silver hatchback.
“I was involved in a massive car-on-car, on-track collision, T-boned on the passenger side, [and] it ultimately led to the car being a complete write off. Going home with a broken heart, I honestly did not know what to do,” Evan recalls.
The totaled Civic chassis wasn’t making a comeback, but fortunately, the drivetrain remained useable. Yet Evan wasn’t in any position to purchase a new chassis and all the parts involved in getting it competition ready, and that is where some good friends come into the picture. “With the kind heart of some of my close friends, they decided to create a GoFundMe to get me back out on track. After several days, I ended up receiving countless donations, more than enough to get me back out there, comfortably,” Evan explains.
You’ve seen dozens (probably more) of GoFundMe requests splash across your feed asking for money for various causes. Some are entirely legitimate, while others sound more like a cash grab for unsavory types. In this instance, fellow enthusiasts pitched in to help Evan get back to where he needed to be, and those funds were solely used for what he refers to as “EG 2.0,” as in, the second coming of his beloved EG-generation Civic hatch.
Finding Paradise
With generous financial backing now at play, Evan put the word out that he was searching for a suitable replacement fifth-generation Civic chassis to get started on. A Facebook friend reached out and mentioned that he had Paradise Blue Green Pearl (basically, peak ’90s teal!) hatchback collecting dust and since that just so happened to be Evan’s favorite factory Honda color, it seemed all too fitting.
“The vision of EG 2.0 was to replicate what I developed with EG 1.0, but only to make it better and the goal was to get this car up and running for the 2020 Gridlife Midwest Festival.”
More on the ever-growing Gridlife Series:
Gridlife Midwest Festival ’19
Gridlife ClubTR-spec Integra
Knowing your way around a specific chassis certainly helps with the build process, but so does dedicating every possible free moment to wrenching and making progress, something Evan did from July through September in a race against the clock to make it to the festival.
“Besides the cage, all of the work was done by me. All of the painting, wrenching, fitting, cutting, and modifying was all done with my own two hands.” The relentless pursuit ended with Evan shaking the car down at the intended Gridlife event, and officially claiming a successful comeback with his EG 2.0 project.
What’s in the Box?
You can argue for days on end about which Honda engine suits the Civic EG best, whether it be D, B, H, J, or K, but the truth is, they all do. A spacious environment with shoulders that have no issues supporting just about any Honda powerplant, the fifth-gen Civic bay is as modular as they come and there’s really no wrong answer.
For Evan’s needs, the stock block K24A2 fit the bill perfectly. Useable torque, a penchant for abuse resistance, and an equal amount of easy-to-source OEM replacement and aftermarket parts, it’s the ideal track mate and falls within the ClubTR class displacement guidelines.
To get the most out of his K-swap, a 50-degree VTC gear was added, and A1 Technologies head studs used to keep the top and bottom halves together for the long haul. Skunk2’s Ultra Street intake manifold with 74-mm throttle body is fed by a LoveFab 4.0-inch intake, while spent gasses see their way out through a megaphone-style header and 3.0-inch exhaust. Fueling is a mix of OEM and aftermarket with capable RDX injectors fed by a Deatschwerks fuel pump, filtered by FuelLab’s 10-micron debris catcher and backed by Acuity Instruments’ fuel rail and pressure gauge. Hondata’s always reliable KPro V4 is on duty and relays info to an AIM Strada logger with real-time visibility provided via an MXP digital dash.
Evan stirs the gears of his K20Z3 transmission using Acuity Instruments’ adjustable short shifter, adapter plate, shifter bushings, and cables originally intended for the tenth-generation Civic family—the sum of which work perfectly with this K-series setup. Also included in the transmission upgrades list are Exedy’s stage II clutch and lightweight flywheel along with an OS Giken 1.1 way limited slip.
Attitude Adjustment
The original Paradise Blue Green Pearl that Evan is so fond of is still intact, though slightly modified with matte and gloss black livery highlighted by the various brands that stand behind his efforts on track. Track Life fenders add enough space to comfortably squeeze 245/40 Falken RT660 on 15 x 9 Konig Dekagram wheels up front, with a 15 x 7.5 and 225/45 combo in the rear completing the front-axle-favoring tire stagger. The factory front bumper has been fitted with a homemade splitter and matches the 4.0-inch PCI side diffusers, while a large 66-inch Nine Lives Racing wing overshadows the rear.
So what’s next for the guy that got a second chance thanks to the help of his fellow enthusiasts? “I’m primarily focusing on continuous improvement with the cooling system and proper alignment specs. Once this car is situated properly, it will be a heavy hitter in Gridlife’s new ClubTR class.”
Photos Courtesy of Luke Munnell
Car: 1995 Honda Civic DX
Owner: Evan Weider
Instagram: @evanweider
Engine: K24a2; Hasport EGK2 engine mounts; A1 Technologies head studs; 50 degree VTC gear; Skunk2 Ultra Street intake manifold, 74mm throttle body; LoveFab 4-in. intake; Kswap megaphone header; 3-in. stainless exhaust piping; Vibrant Performance ultra-quiet resonator; Tractuff swirl pot, coolant bypass adapter, thermostat housing; Unit2Fab steel baffled oil pan; Deatschwerks DW200 fuel pump; FuelLab 10 micron fuel filter; RDX injectors; JBTuned -6AN PTFE fuel lines; Acuity Instruments fuel pressure gauge, fuel rail, throttle position sensor; Hondata Kpro V4; AIM Strada logger; Wireworx Milspec harness
Drivetrain: K20z3 transmission; Exedy Stage II clutch, 8.9lbs flywheel; OS Giken 1.1 Way LSD; Karcepts 36mm hubs; Acuity Instruments 10th gen. adjustable short shifter, k20C/L15B swap shifter adapter plate, FK8 shifter bushings, FK8 shifter cables
Suspension: Fortune Auto 510 coilovers, 16k front/9k rear springs; OEM 24mm front sway bar; ASR 24mm rear sway bar, subframe brace; Kingpin Machine compliance bearings, outlaw series rear LCAs, spherical front upper control arm mounts, spherical front lower control arms; Honed Developments rear camber arms, front/rear roll center correction kit, trailing arm gusset plates; PCI front upper control arms, spherical rear toe arms, spherical rear trailing arms kit; Carbing Type II front shock tower bar
Braking: AFCO 11.75-in. slotted rotors front; Centric blank rotors rear; G-Loc R16 front/R6 rear pads; StopTech STR-42 front calipers; OEM Integra rear calipers; Honed Developments brake booster delete
Wheels and Tires: Konig Dekagram 15×9 +35 front, 15×7.5 rear; Falken RT660 245/40 front, 225/45 rear
Exterior: TrackLife Composites front fenders; DIY front splitter; Nine Lives Racing 66-in. wing; Nine Lives Racing wing uprights; PCI 4-in. sideskirts; APR GT3 mirrors
Interior: Sparco Circuit driver seat, Spring passenger seat, Champion steering wheel; PCI seat brackets; LoveFab rollcage built from Docol R8 tubing; Sabelt harnesses; AIM MXP digital dash, GPS04 module; AEM digital oil pressure gauge; PLX wideband; Acuity Instruments ESCO T6 shift knob
Thank You: John Koster, Mom and Dad, Cody Loveland of Affinity Aero and Cody Loveland Racingm Aric Streeter of Speed Street, Chris of Kingpin Machine, Johnny of Nine Lives Racing, Russ of Acuity Instruments, Devin at Fortune Auto, Scott at Konig Wheels, Grant and Tom of Honed Developments, Mitch and James at Unit 2 Fabrication, Brian of Pro Car Innovations, Billy at Sparco USA, Danny of G-LOC Brakes, Carmen of Epicenter Graphics, and every single person that contributed to the rebuild.
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