Wanting to jump back into the project head first, Phil, on his next birthday no less, decided to pull the motor back out for a rebuild. Using boost-friendly bottom-end components, the car was eventually put back on the road. A supercharger soon arrived, but wasn't installed once the idea of adding a turbo was introduced. However, the boost concept was never explored as the K swap had already put its death grip on the Honda community. With the help of Teknotic, all of the necessary K parts were sourced, and Phil and his friends got to work. Of course, the swap was once again performed on his birthday. And without missing a beat, his father asked when the garage would be cleaned up. He states, "The K swap was in and the car was running great. I went to a few shows, made a bunch of trips to the track, and I even drove eighteen hours to Import Alliance. It stayed the same for about a year. When I brought it out to the Performance World in the spring, I just felt like something was missing." With a few J series swaps popping up on the web, Phil started to get that feeling again. After purchasing a new home and mapping out plans for marriage, funds were all but dried up. "I'd found the perfect swap for sale, but I'd also found the perfect engagement ring. I was torn, haha! I decided to buy the ring, and then I'd work some serious overtime to pick up the swap.' With very little support for the V6/Civic swap, much of the process would prove to be a custom affair. One-off axles, fuel lines, clutch line, etc, would be produced in Phil's fathers garage with the help of friends Dan and Gitmo. Many long nights were spent trying to fit HaSport EG mounts into the '97 engine bay, and eventually they were bolted in. Another major issue was the gauge cluster. Wiring a CL-S cluster isn't something you can Google search, so Dan and Phil sat for hours in front of a battery with a wiring diagram and a cluster until they figured it out. After a few weeks of experimenting combined with custom ingenuity, the Civic, now V6-powered, drove out of Phil's father's garage. Phil recalls "Our first trip was to the gas station. We were so excited to feel all that torque, we gave it a quick 1-2-3 shift and heard the driver's side shaft break. We were just laughing so hard! It was funny that it had happened, and at that same time, since we did everything ourselves, I didn't lose any money on it. So much better than paying a shop to do the work." After fixing the axle, all of the minor bugs were worked out, and Phil's father helped trim the custom "shaker" hood that delicately borders the big V6.
After trying B- and K-series power, Phil found sanctity in his J series swap. When asked what's next, he responds, "With the completion of the V6 swap, I can finally say that I'm DONE with this car! And dad, I'm going to clean up the garage, I promise. Well. . . unless Honda introduces a new V8."
Bolts & Washers
Propulsion
J32A2
HaSport EG/DC J Swap mounts
Civic half radiator
Walbro 255lph fuel pump
Summit Racing lines and fittings
Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator
Edelbrock fuel filter
Custom 3 inch intake
Blox velocity stack and 6 inch filter
Vibrant prototype exhaust system
Acura CL Type S 6 transmission w/LSD
Karcepts K swap shifter plat
CL-S inner and outer 36mm joints
with custom shafts
CL-S custom ECU
Stance
PIC coilovers (12K/14K)
Cusco anti-roll bars
SSR bushings
SSR tie bar
SSR rear lower control arms
Resistance
OEM Type R discs
Project MU pads
Russell stainless brake lines
RSX brake master cylinder and booster
CRV prop valve
Rims & Rubber
SSR Type C 17x7.5 +42
Falken 912 205/40-17
Outside
Rando Sports body kit
Seeker EK9 rear wing
Vision Type DC carbon fiber mirrors
Custom "shaker" style hood