Viet Duong's '99 Civic DX
Campbell, Calif.'s, Viet Duong always had an eye for the Civic family. He'd already owned a '89 Si, which he'd lightly upgraded, stretching his student budget thin enough to allow for a B16A swap and a set of coilovers. Unsatisfied, he turned his attention toward a friend's '90 Si, which had already been heavily upgraded, and a purchase price was agreed upon. However, after owning the car for just a few short months, Viet felt the need for a major change and decided that selling the car to purchase a bone-stock chassis to build upon would better satisfy his need to create, as well as make his mark amongst the crowded Civic world. Three months later, feeling the stress of having no car after countless hours of hunting, the search had finally concluded. A stock black '99 DX hatchback was spotted and purchased, and the changes began almost immediately. A set of TEIN coilovers and an ITR five-lug conversion made their way onto the chassis before the exterior's dents and dings had become far too bothersome for its owner to ignore. "I was fed up with the black paint and all the dings on the body, so I decided to send her to paint. I didn't want a common color for a Honda, and after searching through a ton of colors, I decided on BMW Amethyst Gray Metallic," Viet says. Using the paintwork as an excuse to upgrade the Civic's outward appearance, a list of JDM EK9 body parts were sourced, including a front bumper and lip, front grille, headlights, front fenders with side markers, a rear bumper and lip, and side moldings. A set of ARC splitters add some additional flair to the front end, while a VIS carbon-fiber wing and rear hatch with a FAL window alter the rear's persona and even shed a few pounds. Vision Type DC carbon-fiber mirrors and HOP window visors carry the aggressive black contrast theme across the Civic's profile.
To ensure his project's bite would no doubt support its bark, plans called for a naturally aspirated heart transplant to increase both power and torque. "I originally wanted a '98 ITR motor but thought I needed more of a punch, so I found a JUN B16A stroker motor that made about 200 hp and 145 torque after RedZone tuned it, but everyone was making that kind of power at the time," Viet says. "I decided I wanted to try something new and went for the infamous K motor." Using one of Hasport's mount kits, the 2.0L JDM K20A engine slithered its way into the spotless engine bay with the help of fellow ATS Garage member Fred Chapman. A set of Toda N2 camshafts and valvesprings were selected to turn and burn, while a Walbro 255lph fuel pump and RC 440cc injectors add fuel to the fire. The large injectors are also necessary to back up the 52mm TWM individual throttle bodies with carbon-fiber air horns perched comfortably at the front of the bay. DTR's SSR 4-2-1 stainless header and a custom RedZone-built 3-inch exhaust system do their best to expel gasses and match efficiency as the TWM kit inhales deeply. A tuning session with the RedZone Performance crew netted a peak power number of 248 whp and 166 lb-ft of torque with a few tweaks of the Civic's industry-standard Hondata K-Pro system.