The Extra Mile | K-Swapped and Mugen'd out Civic EK

Whether you hate it or love it, the Honda Civic is one of the most popular tuning platform in the world. Regardless if it's only a starting point or a life time obsession. Some reasons for this is the huge availability of chassis and parts, and most importantly, a car can be built according to any budget. But with this kind of popularity, there is a down side. It will be extra difficult to come up with a unique kind of build. In the case of Malaysia's Honda scene, a Civic EK with 1999 front conversion with a stock B16A is a common sight to see.

Unlike the rest, the owner and his mechanic decided to go a step further. Already good friends, the owner, Anuar and his mechanic, Izal of Izal Autoworks started to brainstorm for a new build. Anuar recently purchased a bone stock Civic EK2 early in 2014 from a lady owner in Johor. Apparently, ti is his first Honda. First thing that came in mind was a street tuned car that is capable to be driven hard on track.

His friend, Izal on the other had is somewhat known for building very clean cars and especially known for his K-Swap work in late model Civics. So Anuar referred to him on the plan that he is going to do to his EK hatch. After much referencing from the internet and US-based builds, they decided to drop a K20A in the EK.

Of course, easier said than done. Izal started to hunt for the components. Luckily, he got hold of a Honda Integra DC5 that was bound for scrap in Japan. So after making a few calls, he was lucky enough to bring it in and to salvage parts from the car, especially for the K20A motor. Since it was something he have done many times, the motor was dropped in with Hasport engine mounts without a problem.

From the research they have done, Izal finds that wire tucking is the 'in' thing for Honda guys in the US, so he went to see some examples on the internet. So he came across the Ry-Wire website. Based from the pictures on the web page, he was able to make his own wire harness for the K-Series motor. Not only it fits perfectly, it was much cheaper.

Since Izal was able to get a whole car to salvage parts from, he had a lot of other carts that came with the car besides the motor, so they pretty much stripped the interior to be placed in the EK. Things from the steering wheel, shift knob, foot pedals, seats, and carpeting. For the rest, he sourced a meter cluster and door trim from a Civic Type R EK9. At the end it gave a car a fairly clean and OG interior.

While Izal was working on that, Anuar went on Google to find a look that he would like for his car. After a while of searching and browsing, he found photos of the Mugen Aero body kit for the 1996 Civic. How different it looked sparked his interest. So he went out shopping and finally found a full set excluding the fog lamps for a bargain. To complete the look, he got a J's Racing carbon hood, and a set of TE37 wheels.

After completion, even though only a pretty simple build, but it proves its place in the scene since the build was done right. Not only because of its flawless execution, but also to the ideas and really got the car to step it up a notch. I personally would love to see more builds that are out of the norm regardless if its a simple or complex build. For myself, this is definitely a Honda build that is worth the time and effort.

TUNING MENU
Owner: Anuar Mekhtar
Model: Honda Civic EK2
Location: Shah Alam, Malaysia
ENGINE:
K20A DC5R
Hasport Engine Mounts,
PLM Exhaust Headers,
3 inch straight flow,
J's Racing 3 inch Muffler,
NGK Iridium Spark Plugs,
Walbro Fuel Pump,
Hondata ECU,

DRIVETRAIN:
DC5R 6 speed manual

SUSPESION, CHASSIS AND BRAKES:
TIEN FLEX Custom Track Spec Coilovers,
14 kg Front 9 kg Rear,
EK9 knuckles, discs and calipers,

WHEELS AND TIRES:
Volk Racing TE37 15x8jj offset +27 (front)  15x6.5jj offset +25 (rear)
Nitto NT01 205/50/15 F
Toyo Proxes R888 195/55/15 R

EXTERIOR:
Mugen Aero 96 body kit,
J's Racing Carbon Fibre Hood

INTERIOR:
DC5 Recaro Seats,
DC5 Carpet and Floor Mats,
DC5 Steering Wheel,
DC5 Foot Pedals,
DC5 Shift Knob,
EK9 Dashboard,
EK9 Door Trim,
Defi Meters,

Izal Autoworks is located at
LOT 920B, Jalan Besar,
Kampung Bukit Lanchong,
40400, Shah Alam,Selangor,
Malaysia.