Once just small groups of guys selective about rare and obscure Japanese parts, "JDM" has turned into an industry saturated with parts, style and hype. Parts that once took six months to find are now just a few clicks away from one of several JDM Internet store fronts. These days, building a car with a distinct JDM style isn't easy. That is, unless you were there at the start and still remember the good (and bad) old days, like Mike Sajid.
"I remember when a Spoon [Sports] Duckbill took months to get your hands on," Sajid recalls. "Now nine out of 10 EGs have one, but only one out of a hundred is real. Yours may have a 1x1-inch weave too, but mine says Spoon Sports inside."
Sajid's EG hatch epitomizes the "function over form" rule. The car is a daily driver, powered by a B20 (CR-VTEC) motor built by James Ros of 161822. Ros built the engine to withstand the rigors of daily use while still producing plenty of usable power, an important combination for an enthusiast like Sajid, who owns a courier business and drives 100 to 300 miles a day.
The 9.5:1 compression allows Sajid to fill on pump gas and also leaves room for a turbo kit already in the planning stages (aided by Ron, Rick and Russ Valmonte from V-Bros Performance, and the crew at Dynamic Autosports).
Outside, the car is clean and with purpose.
"I've spent money in different directions over the years, from having shaved door handles, molded sideskirts and clear taillights," Sajid explains. "It had its phases. But a few years ago I decided that I wanted to build a clean, chill vehicle able to wow the few that knew the mods it had without attracting the masses-especially the fine members of the local police force."
Almost all of the car is shod in JDM EG6 garb painted a custom Dupont blue by Ashish "Jeremy" Ingles at International Auto Body in Hawthorne, Calif. The front and rear bumpers, front fenders, and all of the exterior lighting were taken from the hatch's JDM counterpart. A J's Racing carbon air duct and Invidia lip give the otherwise OEM front end a bit of flavor, while the VIS hood, roof painted Nighthawk Black, Vision mirrors, and Spoon sports duckbill wing spice up the rest of the car.
As much, if not more, attention was paid to the inside. Again, the idea was to keep it clean and true to JDM aesthetic, but also comfortable enough for daily use. The Recaro seats and custom-stitched black interior trim fit the bill, but don't expect to see any extensive interior bracing. It's a subject Sajid speaks about with some passion.
"The worst JDM part out there is a Cusco cage," Sajid says. "It embodies bullshit. I wanted to put together a vehicle that allows me to have five people buckled in. A Cusco cage wouldn't do it, not to mention it isn't legal in any race class at all."
Even without the notion of JDM vs. USDM, this car is hot. The concept is clean, simple and unique, which is what the JDM scene was all about. When asked whether he would prefer a JDM part to a USDM part given equal form, quality, and function, Sajid replies, "Whichever one is cheaper. If it looks good and works well, I don't care if it is from Taiwan."
Bolts & Washers
Mike Sajid's 1993 Civic
Propulsion
A JDM 2.0-liter B20B bottom end, fortified with 84.25mm JE 9.5:1 compression pistons attached to Dynamic Autosports H-Beam rods powers the EG. The Dynamic rods are connected to a GS-R crankshaft, lightened and balanced by 161822, using ARP rod bolts. Atop the bottom end is a stock '98 Integra Type R head, trimmed only with Golden Eagle cam gears spinning OEM Type R cams inside of a GReddy timing belt.
Air is delivered via an ARC Magic Power Chamber and Induction Box combo, through an Edelbrock 68mm throttle body, and into an AEBS intake manifold separated from the head with a Hondata gasket.
Spent gases exit via a V-Bros performance stainless-steel race header, down into an Integra Type R B-pipe (by means of an Omnipower test pipe) and finally out a Civic Type-R muffler section.