You ever feel that itch creeping in? The one that’s bad news. The one you should run far away from. But… the one that’s not going anywhere until you scratch it. Yeah… you’ve had it.
So you know what it’s like. Something somewhere creeped in Xul Colon’s head, and he got the itch to mod a 4 door Civic. ‘Why tho?’ He already had a pretty nice hatch at the time, and was already livin’ the Honda life 100%. But hatches had been done to death… and Xul (pronounced Sool) wanted a damn sedan for a change. Plus – there was a new addition to his family, so the case for a 4-door could be made & rationalized from an angle of ‘sensibility’. He traded his built hatch for a totally stock 4-door. And the rest of the story plays out in the photos.
ENGINE
The engine is a K24A2, and it’s paired with a K20A2 transmission. The Hasport ‘gangsta lean’ motor mounts physically slope the engine forward a bit to free up tension on the axles. They were developed for track applications, and XUL thought they would look killer look on his street/show car. The only drawback is – it lessens the ground clearance of the oil pan. Not a huge deal on a car that only sees manicured & monitored track pavement… but it can create big headaches when it smacks unexpected obstacles on public highways. For that reason, Xul brought the Civic’s ride height up a little bit, and put it on more beefy tire application. The car got a lot faster, a lot more fun, AND a lot more dependable when he no longer had to tippy-toe around on the streets.
The engine has a Gato Performance (1-of-1) intake manifold & header. And Xul’s also got a Wireworx (1-of-1) engine harness & headlight harness. The bay is shaved, with the standard Honda scene brake/fuel/radiator tuck tricks. The radiator is from All In Fab. And Xul never runs a hood on his 4-door… doesn’t even have one.
EXTERIOR
Spilling from the engine bay out to the exterior, it might be easy to just assume the shade of blue is from Honda’s ‘Si’ Electron Blue swatch, but it’s actually Subaru’s color from a WRX/STI – same but different. Xul painstakingly converted the sedan to right-hand-drive before paint, AND did a full Honda Domani front-end & rear-end conversion. He also managed to ‘fit’ a front lip from a Honda Fit, and added power-folding mirrors. Suspension-wise, Xul’s Civic as 1996 Integra Type-R hubs/spindles, which allow 16×7 +30 Desmond Regamasters in a 4X114 bolt pattern. And Falken Azenis are fitted at 215/35/16. The car’s running Skunk2 Pro S coilovers with Skunk camber kits. And its got Function7 LCAs and rear subframe brace.
INTERIOR
Stateside Civic sedans of this generation all came with gray interior… because ‘economy car’, right? However – Xul swapped to a black OEM interior from the Honda Domani. And the seats + door panels are from a Honda Orthia, in black with blue accenting. The car has an S2000 gauge cluster, and a Hybrid Racing shifter box. Engine, paint, and assembly of Xul’s car was all done by Xul himself, in his own shop after hours (Xul’s Mechanics & Performance in Orlando).
And ya know – people get harsh on Hondas for being sensible, affordable little economy cars. But really, their curse is their gift! Because sensibility is exactly where they chip away and gain advantages on so many other tuning platforms. Their sensibility makes them smart, straightforward… and interchangeable. And their interchangeability – means at you can build/restore a 20-30 year old Honda with NEW engines, NEW technology, and NEW parts. A 2-decade-old car that you can modify AND rely on. A show car, that you can actually show up in.
Text by Wooley Photos by Josh Rivera
The Hasport EKKlean2 kit is designed for dual height installation. Meaning – the patented side mounts can be flipped, in order to mount the engine at two different heights. The rear engine bracket has dual mount positions as well. The height difference is equal to the block height differences of the K20 vs K24. That means – when you use the upper mount position for a K20, and the lower mount position for the K24, the head is in the same location. (A header, turbo kit, ITBs, or cold-air intake for the K-series fits the same regardless of which block you use.) And unlike other lean kits, the left & right mounts are oriented horizontal to the ground, so they work as originally designed and make installation easier. Also – the left & right mount positions are almost identical in location, so the engine torques evenly, reducing torque steer. The rear mount has small urethane bushings, which limit the amount of engine movement under acceleration. And – the kit is also available with solid billet inserts further reducing movement under acceleration.
