Volkswagen guys have a phrase called “OEM+”. Essentially it’s the idea of taking the existing styling & performance attributes and accenting them, upgrading where you can. Sioux Falls South Dakota’s Eric Dabbert’s EH hatch would be OEM+++ because one plus just wouldn’t cut it!
This hatch was Eric’s first car in high school and set him back a measly $1100, when the mods started the 15+ year old suspension started snapping. Eric said “In the process of installing suspension I snapped two wheel studs clean off and a bunch of the stubborn old suspension bolts were rusted into the ripped bushings holding my suspension together.” Eric’s “do it right” mantra led the little hatch into a full tear down to a bare shell before starting a fresh build, not bad for a first car! Eric’s first step was the interior, swapping out the USDM pieces for a full EG6 Gathers rear swap, and those cool lay flat rear seats.
Eric had to get the car on the ground, instead of reusing the stock hubs and suspension Eric got his hands on a EK9 5 lug swap, but in his words it “wasn’t up to his standards” so before replacing every bushing and bolt he had the whole setup sand blasted and powder coated before bolting it up with a fresh set of PIC coilovers. A clean under body and good as new suspension set up doesn’t deserve a clapped out engine bay, so Eric started his full shave and wire tuck with help from his brother. After the bay got freshened up the UPS man brought Eric a full brand new front end courtesy of Honda and a fresh coat of Captiva Blue Pearl paint got the civic looking whole again.
Suspension? Check. Body? Check. Is Eric reusing the tired D series? No way! Eric got in touch with Tim at Hybrid when he wanted to upgrade to a K20a2 and after some work removing the salt from the harsh Dakota winter the fresh K series met it’s new home sporting a new R-crew header pushing exhaust to a Spoon Sports axle back and an RBC intake manifold and a custom made intake. The original wheels wouldn’t do with the new 5 lug set up so Eric opted for the classical Spoon SW388′s wrapped up in Bridgestone Potenza rubber. Eric’s civic took a long 2 year journey to complete and after a ton of hours he premiered it at Wekfest in San Francisco, an 1100 mile trip. Eric said the car ran beautifully the whole trip and is now enjoying it whenever he can. He said “I have been enjoying driving the car as much as the weather permits me to in this lovely Midwest state.” So if you’re out in the are and see a fresh blue hatch remember to trow him a thumbs up!
If you would like to have your car considered for Feature Car Friday and a chance to win free HR SWAG drop an email with a few pics of you car to tim@hybrid-racing.com with FEATURE CAR FRIDAY in the title. If your car is selected we will shower you with Awesome Sauce and other Awesomeness.
Check out other Feature Car Friday Winners!
Engine/Transmission:
K20a2
RSX-S 6 speed transmission
Competition Stage 4 clutch
Competition 8 LBS. flywheel
Hasport engine mounts
RBC intake manifold
Hybrid Racing throttle body adapter
Hybrid Racing shifter cables
Hybrid Racing fuel rail
Spoon Sports big Venturi Throttle body
Custom made intake tube with K&N filter
Custom made 2.5” b-pipe
R-crew exhaust manifold
Spoon Sports street-style axle back
Spoon Sports carbon Kevlar coil cover
Spoon sports oil cap
Spoon Sports radiator cap
Spoon Sports radiator hoses
Spoon Sports strut tower bar
Spoon Sports magnetic drain plugs
Spoon Sports reservoir covers
Spoon Sports thermostat
Spoon Sports fan switch
JVT Radiator
Buddy Club short shifter
Fuel Lab fuel pressure regulator
Custom fuel lines
Earls fittings
Earls fuel filter
ChaseBays CM1 engine harness
Checkered Sports S2k CMC spacer
Checkered Sports EP3 idler pulley bracket
Checkered Sports thermostat heater block off
BoltBoys dress-up kit
Bolt Boys SS clutch line
Vision hood dampers
Brakes/Suspension:
PIC Select coilovers
CTR 5 Lug conversion
CTR brakes
Buddy Club camber kit
Spoon Sports rigid collars
Spoon Sports rear tie Bar
ASC sub frame Brace
Function 7 black LCA’s
Hard Race rear trailing arm bushings
Spoon Sports EK9 slit rotors
Hawk HP+ brake pads
Wheels/Tires:
FR:Spoon Sports SW388, 15×6.5 +35 ,Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, 205/50/15
RR: Spoon Sports SW388, 15×6.5 +35 ,Bridgestone Potenza RE-11, 205/50/15
ARP extended wheel studs
Work lug nuts
Interior/Exterior:
Eg6 bronze glass
Eg6 power folding mirrors
Eg6 side markers
Eg6 headlights
Eg6 taillights
Eg6 corner lights
Eg6 fog lights
Eg6 window visors
Eg6 headliner and sun visors
Eg6 rear seats and speakers
Eg6 long armrest
Eg6 gauge cluster
Eg6 coin pocket
Spoon Sports Convex hyper blue mirror inserts
Spoon Sports carbon front lip
Spoon Sports carbon rear wing
J’s Racing front tow hook
ITR e-brake handle
Recaro Tom Cat seats
Recaro slider rails
Status 4 Point harnesses
Backyard Special Harness anchors
Spoon Sports boss hub
Spoon Sports steering wheel
Spoon Sports shift Knob