JDM 1990 Civic Sir ***pic's & Info***
11-25-2006 | 01:26 AM
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JDM 1990 Civic Sir ***pic's & Info***
Propulsion
Go: B16A engine, stock internals; Civic Type-R intake camshaft; Integra Type R exhaust camshaft; Toda cam gears; Ferrea springs, retainers; HKS air filter; Fujitsubo cat-back exhaust; Zdyne ECU (for dragstrip use); Exedy single-plate clutch disc, flywheel
Wheels & Tires
Shoes: SSR Speedstar MK-11R 15x7.5 wheels
Soles: Bridgestone Potenza RE-711 195/55-15 tires
Stance Ride: Tanabe Pro shocks; Sustec Pro springs; Cusco strut tower bars, front and rear
Resistance
Gear: Axis carbon metallic pads; Royal Purple brake fluid
Fashion
Inside: Momo 350mm "Cavallino Racing" steering wheel; Set Sports quick disconnect steering wheel hub; Spoon Sports shift ****
ICE: Pioneer CD receiver; Gathers (period-specific Honda OE audio brand) 6.5-inch components with MB Quart crossovers (front); Gathers three-way speakers (rear deck)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
No carbon-fiber lip slitters, headlight swaps or cheeseball examples of JDM street style here. This is an example of good, old-fashioned restoration, upgrade and, to borrow a cliche of the day, "keepin' it real." Dan Frio learns more about this cherry JDM Civic hatch.
One of the biggest turn-offs about talking Honda shop with most JDM obsessives is how preachy they get. As much a fan of quality Japanese parts as the next guy, I'm still weary of arguing the relative merits of Type R pistons vs. something from, say, JE. The whole thing just reeks of geek and for the most part, so-called JDM guys are usually only in it for the roll call.
That's why it's a pleasure to rap with someone like Steffan Johnson, a 32-year-old enthusiast from San Francisco. His '90 Civic SiR qualifies as JDM gospel, but his story about the car comes across with none of that evangelical attitude that many lesser poseurs assume.
The roots of Johnson's Honda love reach back nearly 20 years, when a friend brought him a 1984 1500S Mugen hatchback scale model from Japan. After he put together the model car, Johnson tried his hand at an '87 Civic hatch. He's since owned two other Civics ('91 Si and '95 coupe) and a '91 Integra with turbocharged B20 swap (which he still drives).
About five years ago, with a '91 Si already in the garage, Johnson asked a buddy with Japanese importing connections to keep an eye out for a good right-hand-drive EF chassis.
"The car basically arrived as a shell and boxes of parts," Johnson says, noting that import regulations required his friend to have the car stripped before shipping. "I had fun just putting it all back together. I had to go through everything, every nut and bolt, line up all the doors and fenders, put in all the interior--everything."
A former wrench at a Bay Area tuning shop, Johnson brought the car back to shape by replacing the engine, transmission, axles, exterior pieces and interior with as many of the original parts as possible. Part of his strategy included a "two-of-everything" philosophy.
"When you're dealing with a car this old, 15 years now, the parts usually aren't in prime condition. So I had to get a couple of samples of each thing that I wanted to replace or change and try to find the best one. Even if a bumper looks good, it could be bent or warped and won't line up correctly. So I had a couple of extra bumpers, sides. When my friend found the shell, for example, the [import yard] used a forklift to raise the car and ended up bending one of the side skirts."
Johnson deemed the stock B16A block in fine shape and turned his attention to the dual-cam head, "just to liven it up a bit." The ingredients include a Civic Type-R intake cam, Integra Type R stick on the exhaust side, Ferrea springs and retainers, stock rockers, Upertech valves and Toda cam gears. Intake timing is advanced two degrees and exhaust is set at 0.
Johnson offers a tip on the Type-R cam mixing, explaining that a set of CTR cams would have set him back more than buying the cheaper ITR exhaust cam. Attached to the end of those bumpsticks are Toda gears.
Other engine mods remain very minimal, including only an HKS air filter and Fujitsubo cat-back exhaust. The stock S1 transmission comes with a limited-slip differential and the only other additions are an Exedy single-plate clutch disc and flywheel.
The B16A is controlled via the stock ECU (code: PWO) for regular road driving, but on the odd day at the dragstrip Johnson plugs in a ZDYNE programmable ECU (good for older ODB-0 Civics) to tweak VTEC point and air/fuel ratio from his laptop. The SiR's best quarter-mile time of 14.68 at 92 mph won't make the earth move, but is certainly respectable in context.
Propping up the chassis are Tanabe shocks and Sustec Pro springs with Cusco strut tower bars front and rear. At the four corners are SSR Speedstar MK-11R 15-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone RE-711 195/55-15 tires. Johnson stripped the wheels of paint, then re-painted them red after receiving them via third party from the previous owner who, inexplicably, painted two of the wheels blue!
When he bought the car, Johnson's original desire was of course to drive it on the street. But conflicting reports from the DMV and California Highway Patrol led to a Plan B, which was to graft all of the parts onto his USDM '91 Si already in the garage.
"I didn't want to put too much money into it if I was just gonna part it out," he says. "But I also wanted to have decent parts if the registration worked out."
Fortunately it worked out and the actual registration process was not too bad. Johnson needed to visit the CHP for a couple of hours for officers to check serial numbers for all of the parts, brake lights, seat belts and other areas for DOT compliance. A similar visit was required at the DMV. Nor was it an expensive process, beyond some of the filing fees both agencies required. What the process did require most of all was patience, he says.
About the only mods Johnson still plans to make on the SiR include a Type R intake manifold, possible Mugen header, new seats and better brakes, likely an upgrade to '94-'95-spec Civic front brakes. The current brake system is stock, using only Axis carbon metallic pads and Royal Purple DOT 4 brake fluid as enhancements.
As suspected, this isn't a daily driver for Johnson. After all, that's what he's got a 2.0-liter turbo Integra for. But on select weekends, Johnson jumps on Highway 9 or 17 and dives into the mountain areas of coastal Santa Cruz. Sometimes he heads over to the hills of the East Bay.
And believe that the car attracts attention. One guy offered Johnson $500 for the rear bumper just because he coveted the rear foglights. One woman offered Johnson $12,000 for it.
But the car isn't for sale, and we can't blame Johnson for holding on to it. It's a beautifully done restoration job with way more class and style than most Integra and EKs that pass as examples of JDM high style. And if you think you can be slick like that and swipe it from him, you had better be prepared.
"Basically," Johnson says, "the car never leaves my sight."
Go: B16A engine, stock internals; Civic Type-R intake camshaft; Integra Type R exhaust camshaft; Toda cam gears; Ferrea springs, retainers; HKS air filter; Fujitsubo cat-back exhaust; Zdyne ECU (for dragstrip use); Exedy single-plate clutch disc, flywheel
Wheels & Tires
Shoes: SSR Speedstar MK-11R 15x7.5 wheels
Soles: Bridgestone Potenza RE-711 195/55-15 tires
Stance Ride: Tanabe Pro shocks; Sustec Pro springs; Cusco strut tower bars, front and rear
Resistance
Gear: Axis carbon metallic pads; Royal Purple brake fluid
Fashion
Inside: Momo 350mm "Cavallino Racing" steering wheel; Set Sports quick disconnect steering wheel hub; Spoon Sports shift ****
ICE: Pioneer CD receiver; Gathers (period-specific Honda OE audio brand) 6.5-inch components with MB Quart crossovers (front); Gathers three-way speakers (rear deck)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
No carbon-fiber lip slitters, headlight swaps or cheeseball examples of JDM street style here. This is an example of good, old-fashioned restoration, upgrade and, to borrow a cliche of the day, "keepin' it real." Dan Frio learns more about this cherry JDM Civic hatch.
One of the biggest turn-offs about talking Honda shop with most JDM obsessives is how preachy they get. As much a fan of quality Japanese parts as the next guy, I'm still weary of arguing the relative merits of Type R pistons vs. something from, say, JE. The whole thing just reeks of geek and for the most part, so-called JDM guys are usually only in it for the roll call.
That's why it's a pleasure to rap with someone like Steffan Johnson, a 32-year-old enthusiast from San Francisco. His '90 Civic SiR qualifies as JDM gospel, but his story about the car comes across with none of that evangelical attitude that many lesser poseurs assume.
The roots of Johnson's Honda love reach back nearly 20 years, when a friend brought him a 1984 1500S Mugen hatchback scale model from Japan. After he put together the model car, Johnson tried his hand at an '87 Civic hatch. He's since owned two other Civics ('91 Si and '95 coupe) and a '91 Integra with turbocharged B20 swap (which he still drives).
About five years ago, with a '91 Si already in the garage, Johnson asked a buddy with Japanese importing connections to keep an eye out for a good right-hand-drive EF chassis.
"The car basically arrived as a shell and boxes of parts," Johnson says, noting that import regulations required his friend to have the car stripped before shipping. "I had fun just putting it all back together. I had to go through everything, every nut and bolt, line up all the doors and fenders, put in all the interior--everything."
A former wrench at a Bay Area tuning shop, Johnson brought the car back to shape by replacing the engine, transmission, axles, exterior pieces and interior with as many of the original parts as possible. Part of his strategy included a "two-of-everything" philosophy.
"When you're dealing with a car this old, 15 years now, the parts usually aren't in prime condition. So I had to get a couple of samples of each thing that I wanted to replace or change and try to find the best one. Even if a bumper looks good, it could be bent or warped and won't line up correctly. So I had a couple of extra bumpers, sides. When my friend found the shell, for example, the [import yard] used a forklift to raise the car and ended up bending one of the side skirts."
Johnson deemed the stock B16A block in fine shape and turned his attention to the dual-cam head, "just to liven it up a bit." The ingredients include a Civic Type-R intake cam, Integra Type R stick on the exhaust side, Ferrea springs and retainers, stock rockers, Upertech valves and Toda cam gears. Intake timing is advanced two degrees and exhaust is set at 0.
Johnson offers a tip on the Type-R cam mixing, explaining that a set of CTR cams would have set him back more than buying the cheaper ITR exhaust cam. Attached to the end of those bumpsticks are Toda gears.
Other engine mods remain very minimal, including only an HKS air filter and Fujitsubo cat-back exhaust. The stock S1 transmission comes with a limited-slip differential and the only other additions are an Exedy single-plate clutch disc and flywheel.
The B16A is controlled via the stock ECU (code: PWO) for regular road driving, but on the odd day at the dragstrip Johnson plugs in a ZDYNE programmable ECU (good for older ODB-0 Civics) to tweak VTEC point and air/fuel ratio from his laptop. The SiR's best quarter-mile time of 14.68 at 92 mph won't make the earth move, but is certainly respectable in context.
Propping up the chassis are Tanabe shocks and Sustec Pro springs with Cusco strut tower bars front and rear. At the four corners are SSR Speedstar MK-11R 15-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone RE-711 195/55-15 tires. Johnson stripped the wheels of paint, then re-painted them red after receiving them via third party from the previous owner who, inexplicably, painted two of the wheels blue!
When he bought the car, Johnson's original desire was of course to drive it on the street. But conflicting reports from the DMV and California Highway Patrol led to a Plan B, which was to graft all of the parts onto his USDM '91 Si already in the garage.
"I didn't want to put too much money into it if I was just gonna part it out," he says. "But I also wanted to have decent parts if the registration worked out."
Fortunately it worked out and the actual registration process was not too bad. Johnson needed to visit the CHP for a couple of hours for officers to check serial numbers for all of the parts, brake lights, seat belts and other areas for DOT compliance. A similar visit was required at the DMV. Nor was it an expensive process, beyond some of the filing fees both agencies required. What the process did require most of all was patience, he says.
About the only mods Johnson still plans to make on the SiR include a Type R intake manifold, possible Mugen header, new seats and better brakes, likely an upgrade to '94-'95-spec Civic front brakes. The current brake system is stock, using only Axis carbon metallic pads and Royal Purple DOT 4 brake fluid as enhancements.
As suspected, this isn't a daily driver for Johnson. After all, that's what he's got a 2.0-liter turbo Integra for. But on select weekends, Johnson jumps on Highway 9 or 17 and dives into the mountain areas of coastal Santa Cruz. Sometimes he heads over to the hills of the East Bay.
And believe that the car attracts attention. One guy offered Johnson $500 for the rear bumper just because he coveted the rear foglights. One woman offered Johnson $12,000 for it.
But the car isn't for sale, and we can't blame Johnson for holding on to it. It's a beautifully done restoration job with way more class and style than most Integra and EKs that pass as examples of JDM high style. And if you think you can be slick like that and swipe it from him, you had better be prepared.
"Basically," Johnson says, "the car never leaves my sight."
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