With the appearance and comfort up to par, Alex embarked on an NA motor build to complete the project and showcase his favorite part of any car. Upon completion of the motor, and a few 11.9 time slips in his back pocket, tragedy struck. The motor ingested a small piece of metal that wreaked havoc on its internals. "At that time we'd built a motor for my brother-in-law that we never ended up installing in his car, so we decided to drop it into my car and get it running again," says Alex. At first glance, it's difficult to look past the incredible attention to detail and the seemingly endless trail of carefully organized stainless lines. However, this motor was built for brute power as well as beauty. RS Sleeves added its infamous bulletproof vest to the block before dropping in a set of 12.1:1 compression Arias pistons and Crower Ultralight I-beam rods. Punched out to 2.1 liters (85.5mm bore x 92mm stroke), the bottom end was ready to be abused. Alex took matters into his own hands at that point, adding a Portflow ported B16A head stuffed with Kibblewhite stainless steel valves, Web Cams valvesprings/retainers and set of custom Web Cams bumpsticks. To get the most out of each throttle stomp, a set of TWM 50mm individual throttle bodies take a gulp of fresh air, eventually sending it through the Rage Tri-Y header and ES oval muffler with custom piping. A Hondata S300 equipped P28 ECU was chosen to manage the NA dream team and is tucked away neatly. Anyone who's spent time drag racing knows that power is important, but traction is critical. To fight wheel spin, a Quaife LSD was installed at the same time as the ATS 4.9 final drive. A Clutch Masters Stage 3 clutch and Toda flywheel unleash the beast at Alex's command.
When the super-sticky slicks aren't mounted, 15-inch Sprint Hart CP-FG's wrapped in 195/50-15 Falken Ziex tires keep the hatchback grounded, with height adjustability and camber changes provided by Omni Power coilovers and camber kit.
So what could possibly be next for the guy that succeeded where so many others have failed?
"I didn't build this car to be part of any certain scene. I just built if for me, and I just want to make sure that's clear to everyone reading the article," says Alex. "And this is just the beginning as far as building goes. I'm only 21 years old, and I have a bunch of ideas that I came up with along this build that I'll apply to my new project."
Yeah, he said "new project." Stay tuned
Civic CX
bolts & washers
Alex Soto's 1994 Civic cx
Propulsion
The Big Bertha of B-series motors (B20B) is bolted to the chassis with Hasport mounts. RS Sleeves provided the insurance that cradles a set of Arias 12.1:1 pistons attached to Crower Ultralight I-beam rods and push displacement to 2.1 liters of pure joy. A port/polish and three angle valve job was completed by Tom at PortFlow before the Kibblewhite stainless valves, Web valvesprings/retainers and cams found their way home. A Rage Tri-Y header and cam gears were bolted on as well. Thirsty TWM 50mm individual throttle bodies with carbon-fiber horns are fed by a set of RC 440cc injectors and Walbro 255lph fuel pump. Hondata's S300 and P28 ECU combo oversee the workforce. A Quaife limited slip and Clutchmasters Stage 3 clutch help put the power to the ground as the ATS 4.9 final drive takes Alex from First to Fifth in no time.
Rims & Rubber
A set of Sprint Hart 15x6.5 wheels wrapped in 195/50-15 Falken Ziex tires were just replaced by the set of BBR competition wheels seen on the cover. Track day suspension adjustments are a breeze with Omni Power coilovers and Omni's adjustable camber kit.