Cezar Ambriz' '92 Civic CX
Way back in '98, long before the madness of Y2K swept the earth, years before the loss of MJ, when many of us were skidding around town in beat-to-hell hand me down cars, or worse yet, two wheeled bicycles, Cezar Ambriz was getting his start building cars. While others were cruising to the nearest Quickie Lube for a long-past-due overpriced oil change, Cezar was fabricating parts and wiring electrical components while simultaneously changing oil in his driveway......blindfolded with one hand; he's just that good.
After randomly choosing auto mechanics as an elective in high school, Cezar quickly fell in love with everything automotive. For him, it was love at first sight, and after a short time, he had it down. "I really loved the fact that I was able to rebuild an engine on my own, and hear it start up for the first time in years," Cezar said. When others his age couldn't tell a carburetor from a fan belt if it hit them in the face, Cezar was bolting down engines and installing suspensions.
After high school, he took some big league automotive courses in college, and then pursued work experience credits with an auto repair franchise that carried on long after he graduated. Really, if you haven't figured it out by now, this is a guy who knows something about cars, both inside and out.
Ten years down the road, after his fair share of Frankenstein builds, Cezar needed a new project. Being a self proclaimed 'hatchy' lover, he found a guy selling a bare-bones CX for $400, and just couldn't say no. "I chose it because I love hatchbacks and I'd had this project in mind for quite some time, not to mention I missed some of the old hatches I used to have," Cezar said. But what began as nothing more than a couple of cloth seats, steering wheel, and a beat up body rolling on a bare CX chassis, was quickly tweaked and tuned in to one of the LBC's most recognized rides.
After picking up the CX, Cezar was forced to sit on his build for nine agonizing months, while he worked to source parts and raise cash to get things started. Finally, in January of '08 he had what he needed, and began to tear the car down and start the bodywork at S&W Garage in Long Beach. A 6-point roll cage was the first thing Cezar installed-welded in before any paint was sprayed-while he took a step back, and let his friends at S&W take over. "The one thing I lack in automotive skill is bodywork and paint," said Cezar. When the time came, it was an easy choice to hand the keys over to the paint pros for a few days. A "secret" mint color was decided on for the inside and out, which Cezar "borrowed" from the Falken Drift Team's signature 2-tone scheme; half green, half blue. "The only difference is that their green has a slight blue pearl in it, and mine doesn't," Cezar said. "Everyone always asks me what color the car is because they've never seen an EH hatch that color. Still, I get great complements on the combo of my paint with the white CPF rims."
As spraying began, Cezar went out and bought everything he needed, including suspension, wheels, tires, and the infamous K-series motor from SIR Lerity in Long Beach. However, even with parts piling up, the car was far from ready. "I chose the K because of its impressive reputation and hybrid feel, and also because it's the closest feeling to a 1.0L street bike on four wheels" Cezar said. While patiently waiting for his paint to literally dry, Cezar busied himself by ripping the cylinder head off his new engine and sending it over to another local shop in Signal Hill, Ali's machine shop. There the head was port-matched and the valve train was installed. A few days later the head came back and was installed in its freshly painted engine bay.