Jack O Dragster | Jas' Honda Civic EK

It is a fact that is constantly debated on yet not denied by the car community. But regardless what your position is, late model Honda Civics has come to the point of being evergreen when it comes as a tuning platform. Usually known as the best starter car for someone who wants tune and modify, it have been seen how far a Honda Civic can go. Some may just bolt on and replace a few simple components as a light tune while others go all out whether it will be naturally aspirated or forced induction. It also came to the point where the Honda Civic has made such a following, some who have modified Civics find themselves either sticking with the platform or always returning to it after trying out another platform. There are pretty much no limits of what you can do with the Civic.

In a car-lite city of Singapore, you can see how the popularity of the Honda Civic EG and EK is still going strong. Despite being over 15 years old, there are still a huge number of EGs and EKs running around on the island regardless if it is a modified car or totally bone stock. It shows that these EGs and EKs have a strong place in the hearts of owners. Some may love it since it is a somewhat simple platform to tune while others may find the late model Civics a very reliable car to own. Therefore, the owners of these Civics go through great lengths to keep the cars running in a country that will find ways to get late model cars off the streets. Among one of these Civics that’s still running in Singapore is a loud and bright coloured EK hatch which is built solely to make a fast quarter mile time.

Its true they say, once a guy is into modifying cars, it’s difficult for him to stop. Jas has been modifying his cars ever since he started driving and the long list of cars he has owned proves this point. It all started off with a supercharged Civic EG8 followed by a Honda Fit. Later on, his most recent car was a drag set up all motor Lancer CS3 which appeared on Shift Magazine in early 2015. During that shoot, that’s when I met Jas in Johor Bharu.

Back then, he never thought of getting another project car to build. Sometime in 2015, a friend gave him a tip that there was an EK hatch that was on sale. When he asked about it, he was offered a very good price for it. However, a lot of the info on the car was very sketchy. The best part was, it was offered to him on a Saturday morning but he must decide to buy it on the same day. Before he knew it, he got another Honda to tinker with all of a sudden. Due to that decision, he felt it was a good time to part out his CS3 since the COE for that car is due in 2016. So from there, he decided to concentrate on building the EK.

So he took the EK to Fast Work Garage in Johor to build up the car since it turned out the EK came with a blown motor. Makes sense why it was offered at a cheap price. The stock engine was ripped apart entirely. At the bottom end, the garage sourced an S90 sleeved, Wiseco forged pistons, and Eagle connecting rods on the bottom end. They also got a new cylinder head Port Flow Design and replaced almost every part in the cylinder head from Skunk2 cams to the valves springs. The setup is tuned with a Hondata S300 ECU at it was capable to make at an excess of 260 horsepower which is a healthy number for a naturally aspirated motor.

When it came to everything else, Jas spared no cents on his components. The whole chassis was stripped bare to be refurbished and refinished. While he was getting the chassis prepped, a good amount of handling components were bolted on. Starting from the undercarriage, he installed rear lower control arms and rear subframe brace from Function 7. He also has a set of BC coilovers and a Skunk2 camber kit to ensure better stability during launches. To put the power down on the asphalt, the Civic runs on a set of Toyo Proxes R888 semi slick radials to get the most out of the horsepower from every launch. Meanwhile on the exterior, Jas ditched the stock look and went all out with a full carbon fiber EK9 front end giving his hatch a menacing black mask on the front.

For the time being, the car is still undergoing minor adjustments. Thus, explaining why a personal best time is still being withheld at the moment. But it is planned to send this car out to drag competitions all over Malaysia. But in the meantime, this built up EK hatch will be roaming the streets of Singapore under the cover of night. If one is lucky enough, you might even spot it rolling pass the Marina Bay Sands or cruising in the infamous Orchard Road. Just make sure you don’t line up next to it at a red light. There’s a pretty good chance you might get smoked.

TUNING MENU
Owner: Jas Evalcez
Model: 1996 Honda Civic EK4
Location: Geylang, Singapore

ENGINE:
2.0L B20B Inline-4,
S90 Performance Girdle,
S90 Performance Sleeved Block,
S90 Performance Throttle Body,
Port Flow Design Cylinder Head,
Ferrea Valves,
Skunk2 Valve Springs,
Skunk2 Pro 3 High Cams,
Skunk2 Alpha Series Radiator,
Moroso 5.5 Quart Oil Pan,
ARP Head Studs,
Wiseco Forged Pistons,
Eagle Conrods,
AEM Fuel Rail,
SARD Fuel Regulator,
ATI Harmonic Balancer Super Damper,
Edelbrock Victor X Intake Manifold,
Hasport Engine Mounts,
Hondata S300 ECU,

DRIVETRAIN:
5 speed manual,
Adelia Magic Close Ratio.
Ogura Super Single Clutch,

SUSPENSION, CHASSIS AND BRAKES:
BC Coilovers,
Function 7 Rear Lower Control Arm,
Function 7 Rear Subframe Brace,
Private Label Cross Bar,
D1 Spec 6 Pot Brakes,

WHEELS AND TIRES:
Buddy Club P1 Racing 15 x 7jj Offset +38 (all round)
Toyo Proxes R888 195/50/15 (all round),

EXTERIOR:
Carbon Fiber Hood,
Carbon Fiber EK9 Front Bumper,
Carbon Fiber Front Fenders,
Carbon Fiber Rear Hatch,
Craft Square Side Mirrors,

INTERIOR:
K-Tuned Shifter,
K-Tuned Lagrima Shift Knob,
Personal Trophy Steering Wheel,

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Fast Work Garage, Johor.

BONUS IMAGES