Kane Chan decided a few years ago that he wanted to build his Civic to be one of the cleanest around. Influenced by a similar car built by his friend Jesse Carmona, Kane knew he could have one of his own, if he could just put some time into it. Well, he did, and he dedicated so much time and money to the buildup of his 94 Civic that he didnt stop until it was perfect. But just like a girl can, his effort caused him his share of heartache. He learned just how cruel the world can be when he was driving around minding his own business and got carjacked. That little incident taught him to stay away from bad areas. Luckily, Kane also had some resourceful allies. [The car] was my heart and soul, but good friends like Elton Lo [at Raceline] went out of their way to get my car back. And its a damned good thing he got it back, or else we wouldnt be able to share it with you.
From the outside, Kanes Civic might look like any other mildly modified Honda. Sure, its lowered with Ground Control coilovers and Koni adjustable shocks. It sits on 17-inch Racing Hart ZR-Mesh wheels wrapped in Toyo rubber. But theres no bulky body kit with a zillion vents weighing it down. Other than the Fiber Images carbon-fiber hood and black Wings West front lip working to break up the factory Frost White paint, there isnt much more to attract nosy onlookers to this Civic. The idea was to maintain the sleeper look and give no hints as to what lies beneath the hood.
As many of us have learned at some point in our lives, looks can be deceiving. Honda equipped the Civic with the SOHC D16A motor, but the weak 125 hp just wasnt cutting it. Kane turned to Raceline Development in Temple City, California, to install a JDM B16A motor. But prior to the transplant, Kane decided that 170 hp still wasnt enough. To fix that tiny problem, he switched out the B16A pistons and replaced them with B16B Civic Type R pistons. The combination of the piston swap and Type R cams raised the compression ratio on his motor to a hazardously high 12:1. To prevent detonation, fuel delivery was left up to RC Engineering blueprinted injectors, a NOS fuel-pressure regulator, and an Integra GS-R fuel pump.
Although Kane stayed mellow with the exterior upgrades, he managed to create the JDM exterior of Jonus wet dreams. Recaro seats from a Japanese Integra Type R hold Kane and his passenger in place. A Japanese Civic SiR gauge cluster replaces the 7,100-rpmredline tachometer and mph-reading speedometer with an 8,000-rpmredline tach and a km/h speedometer. Small enhancements, such as mirror controls, a clock, an armrest, and a dash display from an EG6, make the interior even more unique. The I.C.E. is taken care of by an Alpine head unit and a six-disc changer. Theres no use trying to stay low-key when your ADS and Rockford Fosgate amps are bumping the new DMX track through two 10-inch Rockford Fosgate subs.
With all the JDM goods inside, its no wonder the car was a target for carjackers. But now Kane has his Civic back where it belongsin his possession. Were sure hes going to keep an even closer eye on it this time.