Chris remembers the night before he attended his first car show with his hatch pretty much done. It was the 2007 Import Showoff. The rest of his crew had their cars finished. Only his was left. He and four friends worked into the wee hours of the morning. Tinkerbell must have come along and sprinkled sleepy dust on the five as they tinkered with the Civic because Chris awoke in the garage to see his four friends fast asleep right where they had been working. But again, the efforts bore fruit as Chris took home Third Place in the JDM Honda class.
To be sure, a Honda with looks and guts good enough to place at a prominent car show is sure to draw attention from the domestic crowd. One day Chris went on a car cruise when, on the way home, he happened upon some sort of Mustang cruise. "Everyone wanted to see how my car would do, so I beat one guy. Then four other Mustangs lined up. I beat all four of them at once. I won't forget the looks on their faces as I was passing them," he says as he's laughing.
Chris was able to romp on his fellow Hawaiians with no more than 230 whp and a little bit of skill. The performance modifications make the Civic ear-piercing. "The first time I brought my two daughters Kristen and Jazlen out for a ride they wouldn't take their hands away from their ears because they said it was just too loud," he says.
Reflecting upon his build, he offers some advice: "Build your car the way you want, not how you think everybody else would want. Be patient when buying parts and do your research. Race safe and don't hate," he says. The EK Champ might have to change his nickname to the EG Champ as Chris has sold his white hatch to a friend and begun working on a '92 Civic hatchback. As Muhammad Ali once said, "If you even dream of beating me, you'd better wake up and apologize." The Champ isn't throwing in the towel anytime soon. Watch out.
Bolts & Washers
Propulsion:
K20A engine
Hasport engine mounts
K-Tuned/ETD Racing cold-air intake
K&N air filter
Karcepts throttle body adaptor
Hondata intake manifold gasket
RBC intake manifold
R-Crew exhaust manifold
Custom 3-inch exhaust piping
Burns 3-inch race muffler
Walbro 255 lph fuel pump
Golden Eagle fuel rail
Autolab fittings and lines
Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator
AEM fuel pressure gauge
JDM ITR LSD
Competition Clutch Stage 4 clutch
Hasport Stage 2 axles
Koyo aluminum radiator
K-Tuned/ETD Racing radiator brackets
EP3 crankshaft pulley
Mugen thermostat
Spoon Sports carbon-fiber spark plug cover
Spoon Sports radiator stay
Spoon Sports radiator cap
Spoon Sports oil cap
Spoon Sports reservoir hats
Hondata K-Pro ECU
Hasport K20 conversion wiring harness
NRG slim battery relocated
Fuse box relocated
Vision in Progress Racing wire tuck
Stance:
Tokico fully adjustable coilovers
Custom lower control arms
Next Miracle X brace
K-Tuned/ETD Racing traction bars
ITR crossmember
ITR control arms
'95 Civic non-power steering rack
Resistance:
ITR 5-lug conversion
ITR rotors
ITR pads
ITR calipers
Earl's steel-braided lines
Honda heavy duty brake fluid
Rims & Rubber:16x7 Mugen MF10 (+50 offset)
205/40-16 Falken Azenis
ARP extended studs
Outside:
'00 Civic complete front end
'00 Civic radiator support
Backyard Special front bumper
Backyard Special carbon-fiber front lip
JDM CTR grill
JDM CTR lip
JDM CTR taillights
JDM Civic window visors
JDM CTR Honda emblems
JDM CTR side markers
JDM CTR thin side moldings
OEM Civic four-door handles
Spoon Sports side mirrors
ITR Championship White paint
Shaved antenna
Shaved rear wiper