The showstopper's SI is the first FD civic to rock all the JDM goods and thensome, but it didn't come without its headaches
The first time we spotted Chuck Hernandez's Civic Si was last year at the HIN show in Los Angeles. Tucked away in a dark corner, one could almost pass this car without noticing - and we almost did until we noticed something very different: its JDM CTR front end, the first one to be installed in this country. Knowing how new the car was and how unique that type of modification was, we didn't hesitate to honor it by dubbing it one of the hottest show cars in So Cal. Little did we know that a year later we'd cross paths again to feature it, except in a much better state.
As far as street cred goes, Chuck's got a lot. Part of the original Kosoku car club that once dominated the early show scene of the 90s (due partly because of a certain RJ DeVera), he also runs a shop called Showstoppers USA, which helps to build some of the cleanest Hondas and Acuras in today's show circuit so he used his contacts to build this Si all the way. As we mentioned, this is the first FD2 Civic to rock the CTR front end, which was a project in itself to figure out which parts were needed to complete the conversion. Later, most of the OEM panels were removed for Seibon carbon-fiber replacements, all in the name of keeping things lightweight. The wheels - a set of 18-inch Work VS-XX - in case you haven't noticed, are kind of a big deal, too. Maybe not the rarest but took some work (get it?) to get the best fitment possible with decent lip. They were also custom gold-plated, which required a copper-plating first before it could be dipped in its golden shine.
The already quick and high-revving K20Z3 was given nearly an extra 70 hp with a supercharger from CT Engineering, which was also custom polished. Chuck being friends with Chase and Robbie from Chase Bays also had the engine bay tucked to give it a cleaner look. Not one to skimp out on more details, the valve cover was custom polished in nickel black for a really stealth touch of bling. Being that this car is a future circuit racer, Chuck had Twin M Autosounds fabricate a custom lightweight box to hold the Boston Acoustics subs in addition to the Panasonic Strada navi unit and Boston Acoustics stereo components.
Though it cost Chuck a cool $30K to turn his Civic into this carbon covered beauty, he says it was worth it but "a big headache trying to figure out which parts were right." Had he not elected himself the guinea pig, we might not know if the conversion would have worked or worse, someone else would've claimed the glory. We say it was a small price worth paying to have one of the dopest Civics in the country.
Fast Facts
2007 Honda Civic SI 4-Door
Owner chuck hernandez
Hometown monrovia, CA
Daily Grind owner of showstoppers USA
Under The Hood 2.0L DOHC iVTEC K20Z3; custom polished CT Engineering supercharger and fuel surge adapter; Injen cold air intake; A'PEXi World Sport 2 exhaust; Denso IK24 plugs; custom black nickel-dipped valve cover; Samco radiator hoses; engine work by Fast Autoworks; custom tucked engine bay by Chase Bays
The Power 270hp at 8,000 rpm; 180 lb-ft at 8,000 rpm
Stiff Stuff Function/Form Type II coilovers; Progress 22mm rear sway bar; Eibach camber kit
Rollers custom gold-plated 18x8.5 +35 Work VS-XX wheels; Falken Ziex-912 224/40R18 tires
Stoppers AXXIS Ultimate brake pads; Stoptech front brake lines
Outside JDM Honda Civic Type R (FD2) front-end conversion, headlights and taillights; Mugen window visors; Seibon MG carbon wing, rear diffuser, custom fenders, trunk and hood; Xentec HID kit; bodywork and gold chrome graphics by Donlyson Auto Concepts
Inside Bride Vorga seats and rear OEM seats rewrapped with Bride Gradation fabric; Takata harnesses; JDM Civic Type R (FD2) 6-speed shift knob; interior work by Julio's Auto Upholstery
Ice Panasonic Strada touchscreen in-dash head unit; Boston Acoustics 5-way channel amp, SL60 and SL65 6"/6.5" speakers, tweeters and G-tuned subwoofer; installation by Twin M Autosounds
Props Parnell, Reggie and Team Kosoku; Seibon, Options Auto Salon, Function and Form Suspension, Robbie and Chase at Chase Bays; Nate at CT Engineering, Sandy at Boston Acoustics, Shino and Bun at LOT USA; Fast Autoworks, Francis at Donlyson Autoconcepts; Mike at Twin M Autosounds, Guillermo at GPR Auto, Julio at Julio's Auto Upholstery, Mikey at Phase 2, Injen, A'PEXi, RB Motoring
www bostonacoustics.com, chasebaysonline.com, ct-engineering.com, donlysonautoconcepts.com, f2autolife.com, fastautoworks.com, injen.com, showstoppersusa.com, tees-usa.com