A few weeks ago Jon and I met up with Chuck and took some photos of his Civic. Like most of you all that do not own a Honda, you may know more than you should about Honda. I have never really modified a Honda but I can say I have become pretty knowledgeable about the brand in general just from being apart of the import crowd. As a outsider looking in I see it different and still appreciate the smaller things.
I came across Chuck’s car on Import Atlanta in his build thread. Import Atlanta’s car pic section is full of things that may not be too flattering at times, but sometimes serious builds pop up and are worth the follow. I am sure there are tons of Eks built to replicate a Type R around the country. But I am not around ones this immaculate too often.
I am coming up on 30 years old, so I was in high school when the EM1 Si hit the market. To me it is still one of the best generation of the Civic, so it has always been a favorite of mine. I never really considered my self a purists, I just really appreciate seeing a car put together the right way. Regardless if you are building a show car or a race car, when it is done properly people will notice it without any extra hype attached. The Honda community is by far the most influential in the import community. Some will argue that they like to copy the VW crowd as far as aesthetics are concerned, but we all get our ideas from each other so that is debatable. One thing that the Honda community mastered is the art of going through great links to replicate their higher level models. Chuck has taken a standard base model Honda Civic Cx and turned it into a Civic Type R replica. There is no need for me to go over the car piece by piece, because I am sure most of you all can pin point the mods just on first sight. But when we meet up with Chuck, my first words were “damn it really is nice”. Because it is rare that a car is really this clean in person, the paint was literally flawless, and the car looked as if it came right off the showroom. While Jon and I snapped photos in the freezing weather, I would notice small things that stood out to me. The metal hoses in the engine bay looked like they were brand new. The foam that lays on top of the condenser that dries the moisture was still in tact.
There is a attractiveness when people build a car and retain whats good, and add to the formula and do not disturb the foundation. Typically most of the Honda Civics that we see on the internet have no amenities, or no wires in the bay. There is nothing wrong with a shaved bay and extreme wire tucks, but when you see something that has been crafted to showroom quality with all the amenities still in tact its just as nice. Maybe the car appeals more to me because I am getting to that age where I appreciate the creature comforts a little more. So I told Chuck that his car is more like building a grown up civic….yes the words grown-up and civic can be used together….lol.
Photos By: JON DAVIS / JOSEPH DALE
Words – Chuck (owner)
I bought it 2 1/2 years ago from a used car lot. I was actually going to look at a TSX and a RL. When I got to the lot I found this 2000 White Civic CX hatchback off in the corner and bought it on the spot. It was a single owner virgin hatchback with only 56000 miles. Being a die hard Honda guy I could not pass the opportunity up! The guy at the car lot thought I was crazy but I already knew exactly what I wanted to do to the car.
I daily drove it for about a year and a half. During that time I did all of the CTR front and rear conversion parts, had it painted, did the 5 lug conversion and rolled on Spoon wheels. Close to a year ago I purchased a daily driver in preparation for the engine coming out of the hatch. Once the daily was in place I bought the 98+ spec JDM B18C engine from ZeroLift up in Ohio. Which didn’t go so well.
Engine problems, transmission problems, problems with the owner, problems in general. And 8 months later the hatch is now back on the road with another 98+ spec JDM B18C but this time purchased from Osaka up in Canada.
While the car was off the road for 8 months the parts pile started growing at my house. It was nice to install all the extras once the car finally made home. The actual engine swap was done at Mahdavi Motorsports courtesy of Sam Mahdavi. I’ve known Sam a long time and he was nice enough to store my car during the whole engine fiasco. I want to give him props for sure.
Future plans with the car would be cams, springs and retainers and Hondata. Not looking to build a race car. I like you way you put it. “Building a grown up Civic”.
2000 Honda Civic CX Hatchback
2000 B18C JDM ITR Engine
ITR JDM 4-1 Header
ITR LSD Transmission
ITR 5 Lug Suspension
ITR 1″ Brake Master Cylinder
EBC Rotors and Hawk Pads
Goodridge Stainless Brake Lines
Koni 5 ways w/Ground Control
Skunk 2 Upper Control Arms
CTR Gauge Cluster
CTR Steering Wheel
CTR Headlights
CTR Front and Rear Lip
CTR Factory RS-R Exhaust
CTR Front and Rear Sway Bars
CTR Slim Moldings
ASR Rear Subframe Brace
Spoon Twin Block Calipers
Spoon SW388 Wheels 16×7 front 16×8 rear
Spoon Carbon Duck Bill Wing
Spoon Kevlar Intake Elbow
Spoon Engine Damper
Spoon Oil Cap
Spoon Mirrors
Black S2000 Seats
Mishimoto Aluminum Radiator
Mishimoto Radiator Hoses
Mishimoto Radiator Shroud and Fan
TEIN Hood Dampers
Factory A/C all day
