The Weight Has Been Lifted

If you follow my Instagram, you might’ve seen it: Eric’s car is finally done! Hooray! After all this time, I’m closing a tough chapter in my life. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not complaining, and I don’t regret this build one bit. But looking back, I realize I took a much rougher road on this journey than I needed to.
Let’s rewind to 1998—maybe ’99—when I was a sophomore in high school. That’s when I first heard of “rice burners” and grabbed my first issue of Super Street. I was hooked right away. Something about the Honda Civic’s style grabbed me—it was different, cool, and I loved that a 4-cylinder could smoke a V8 muscle car. Fast forward a few years, and I scored my first Honda: a white CX hatchback. It was awesome, even if it was painfully slow. But it was mine, and I adored it.

Cash was tight, so I picked up a second job as the shop bitch at a small garage in Carson. That’s where I learned everything I know today. Somehow, I scraped together enough to drop a B16 into my car—pieced it together bit by bit, but it ran like a dream. I had the head built by Tom at Portflow: three-angle valve job, ported and polished, milled 0.040”, titanium valves, and matching springs. I paid it off by grinding at the shop. A used clutch from a tranny job, some OEM axles lying around, a borrowed chipped P28 ECU, and a buddy’s help wiring the knock sensor and 4-wire O2—it all came together. That car ripped, at least by late ’90s/early 2000s standards.

Still, I lusted after the holy grail: a JDM Type R swap. At $5,000 and rare as hell back then, it felt out of reach. Then, in 2003, a job opportunity pulled me to Las Vegas. With multiple street racing tickets piling up, I decided to sell the Civic, pay off my debts, and start fresh. I figured I was done with the scene. But like being in the Bloods or Crips (I imagine), you’re never truly out. My passion for imports just simmered quietly while I struggled as a young adult in a new city with my girlfriend—rent, bills, food, all the essentials eating up my time and money.

I tried switching lanes, bought a truck, and played the pre-runner bro for a bit. Then I met my best friend. He had this beat-to-hell Mirage he snagged for $500 from some guy who’d thrashed it. We tinkered with it—fixed it up, slammed it, even threw a cage in there. He toyed with swapping in a 4G63, but soon realized the Mirage was kinda lame. So he grabbed a 240SX, we dropped an SR20 in it, and he got into drifting. The Mirage? We took it to the desert and destroyed it. I rammed it with my truck, he gouged the auto tranny pan on a rock, and when it wouldn’t move, I pushed it back to his place. That was the end of my break from Hondas.

Around 2005, I picked up another Civic—this time a VX. The Type R dream lingered, but it still felt impossible. Then I met “JDM Mike,” a legend from the mid-’90s Honda boom. His three-car garage was a treasure trove of rare and race-grade parts, probably more than anyone else in Vegas. He had a JDM SiR II swap he’d planned for one of his builds, but after getting married, he was done with imports. Lucky for me, he sold it to me on payments I could manage. That motor’s still in my Civic today.

Now that you know a bit about my past, I can get to my main point. I’ve always wanted a Type R swap. It’s more than just a fast motor—it’s got meaning, soul, personality. This isn’t some basic B16 or GSR; it’s a legit race-bred engine. That motor helped Honda snag the title of fastest production FWD car, and that legacy is what drives my obsession.

Like every single person in the world, I’m selfish. When Eric got his inheritance, I saw a chance—not just to build him an awesome Civic, but to finally live out my teenage dream of owning a Type R motor. Eric, being the amazing brother he is, knew how much I’d always wanted one. He had enough cash to get one for himself and me. So we did it. I dove in headfirst, researching everything for a K-swap, pricing it all out, figuring how to use his car budget to build him something great while still leaving enough for my Type R motor. On paper, it worked—I could afford it all. But after buying the two motors, the car, and the first wave of parts, reality hit: there wasn’t enough money to finish his build.

The selfish part of me couldn’t let go of my motor. That teenage dream had finally come true—one of the few goals I’d actually pulled off in life. Instead of selling it to fund his car, I dragged out his build for almost a year, buying parts with every paycheck. I shoved bills to the back burner, lived paycheck to paycheck, just to keep my dream alive. It strained my relationship with Eric, and it put even more stress on things with my girlfriend. I don’t blame her for the resentment—it was piling up. I was making dumb choices: skipping bills for a fuel system or a traction bar, borrowing cash to keep our phones on and my motorcycle insured. I was digging a financial hole, and I could see it getting bad. But I was so close. If I could just scrape together a few extra bucks, I could finish the car.

I felt like a junkie—like a heroin addict chasing the next fix. I’m 32, still messing with Hondas, still acting irresponsible and selfish to hit my own milestones. I couldn’t deviate from the plan. That Type R motor felt like something I had to have, a marker I needed to reach. Part of me wants to say, “Set your goals and do whatever it takes to get there.” But another part knows how messed up that is—how selfish it can be.

I’m such a lucky guy to have my sweetie pie—she loves me more than she probably should. As of today, April 6, 2025, Eric’s car is DONE, and I’m driving it to D.C. on April 17. I’m also super lucky my brother loves me as much as he does. Bro, I promise it’s worth it!

Now that this chapter is pretty much closed, I don’t regret a thing—it was an incredible journey. I discovered I almost enjoy the “building” more than having the finished project. Each time I accomplished something on Eric’s car, it felt so good, so rewarding. I built a car that matches my ideal vision of a Honda: fun, fast, reliable, and respectable. I take so much pride in this build—it’s got soul. I’m sad to see it go; it feels like I created my dream car. But the saving grace? My Type R swap is still sitting in the garage. It may not go in anytime soon, but I can rest assured it’s an amazing motor, and my dream will come true one day. Until then, Eric’s got an awesome car, and I hope he enjoys it as much as I do.

Now I probably could have just told you all that in a few words, but you wouldn’t have heard a great story and learned a little more about me.

Here is a detailed spec list of the car
MOTOR
2006 JDM DC5 PRC swap
Hasport mounts
Skunk2 swap header
RBC intake manifold
Karcepts throttle body adapter
Karcepts CAI with velocity stack
Karcepts Fuel rail and lines
AEM FPR marshal liquid filled gauge
Ktuned stainless steel clutch line
Ktuned tensioner pulley
Made my own charge harness/ground wires
Hasport conversion harness
Secondary O2 harness made by 2point1 (k20a.org member)
Ktuned radiator hoses/heater hoses
Oem gsr throttle cable with Karcepts bracket
Exedy 3 puck sprung clutch
Hybrid racing timing chain tensioner
Drive shaft shop level 2.9 axles
Ktuned traction bar
Ktuned no cut shift box
Skunk2 alpha radiator
Oem prc stock ECU
walbro 255lph fuel pump
Custom 3 inch exhaust.

Chassis/Suspension
GSR brakes all around
DA booster/master cylinder
40/40 prop valve
Brembo cross drilled and slotted rotor all around
Stoptech pads all around
ARP extended studs all around
JDM type r front sway bar
ASR rear subframe brace and sway bar combo
Skunk 2 PRO S V2 coilovers
New bushings through out the car

Wheels/tires
Kosei K1 15×7 +35
Nitto NT-05 205/50/15

MISC
All brand new brake fluid
OEM Honda coolant
OEM Honda MTF
Wix oil filter
Castrol GTX oil

Now on the the real reason you clicked the link. THE PICTURES!!!!!!!

thanks again to my BFF ever for shooting the pics, they are awesome as per youzhe.