(Kong tinkering with his clutch line ensuring the system was properly bled.)

The Civic chronicles was never suppose to happen. It was simply just something that was talked about amongst friends after a few beers. That having another project to work on would be ideal and exciting. It was more of a conversation that would engage further dialogue and bull$h!t, but I guess never met to transpire, at least not this soon.

Before you know it, the idea really revamped into a reality and Kong was already on Facebook marketplace looking for a Civic hatchback to purchase.

(A legendary build sits inside a messy garage full of parts, unorganized tools, and a baby tricycle.)

As a chapter comes to a close, a new one begins thereafter. Kong initially thought he was finished building the NSX to how he have wanted. I mean, he won many awards with the NSX, and is most likely one of the most recognizable NSX build on social media at this moment. There was nothing else left to do with NSX than to begin on the new project.

That was how this new chapter have commenced.

(Rain or shine, it doesn’t stop a motivated enthusiast to achieve their dreams. Just wondering if Kong will still work on cars if it was snowing.)

As the NSX build era came to a dynamic conclusion, it was finally time to slow down on that build and hone in the same energy to a new build. Kong personally felt that aside from many enthusiasts building a show car to compete at car shows, many of those builders also have a toy car to play around with at the tracks as well.

When that idea was ingrained into Kong’s head, he set his quest to find the Civic for this sole reason. He stated, “the purpose of building this Civic was to hopefully enjoy it at the tracks,” and not just at competitive car shows.

(Toda adjustable cam gears in adjacent positions for a iconic B series dual cam vtec motor.)

(A matching Toda Power racing timing belt to correspond with the cam gears. The red bushing from the Innovative Mount was a nice addition to depict a color scheme inside the engine bay.)

Further inspiration flowed to Kong from his previous Civic he built years ago as well as diving and restudying multiple builds from what he browsed on social media as well as watching “The Chronicles” vlog series from time to time after work or during his leisure time.

When Kong have finally finished his research and homework, all that he needed to do was set the plan into motion.

(OG white RegaMasters were Kong’s wheel choice. In a rare and iconic 16x8 +35 spec. The wheels are wrapped with Toyo Proxes R888’s - 205/45/16.)

Like mentioned, Kong found the Civic on Facebook Marketplace. The Civic was initially listed at $9,000. After much more exchanges of negotiations and dialogue, the previous owner eventually revealed to Kong that the motor was having misfiring issues. He added that cylinder one had no compression, therefore, the result of that issue could be caused by a malfunctioning piston or valve. After hearing about the motor’s issue, Kong courageously offered the previous owner $6,000.

(JDM clear side markers is a must on a white EK!)

In life, when vibes are checked and auras aligned, the next enthusiast you meet could just be your best man at your wedding. Well, that’s exactly what happened for me. Although this is another story for another time, I guess what I’m trying to say is that after further discussion between both parties, both the seller and Kong revealed they both owned an NSX. Vibes and same aura checked and an agreement was reached.

Since the seller has been in the market for some aftermarket wheels, Kong have boldly offered to see if he would like to lower the price of the Civic if Kong added a set of his wheels. A deal was strucked and Kong parted ways with his OG Advan RG’s and put a $2,000 on top for the Civic.

The plan was put into action. Kong would get a trailer, and also bring his wheels with him to go meet the buyer down in southern California for the exchange and purchase.

(The Civic slowly came together as hoarded parts finally made it’s way back onto a car.)

The Civic was an original Tafetta White. After much contemplation, Kong arrived at the idea of repainting the Civic to a Grand Prix White. The same shade as the white S2000’s. After concluding that the GPW was the color choice, the tear down of the Civic began immediately. Hours turned to only a few days and the whole Civic was already stripped apart.

A paintless dent repair guy was called out to Kong’s house for some dent repair. With Kong’s body work expertise, he releveled and ensured the panels of the Civic was straight again. When that milestone was crossed, the Civic was backed out of the garage for a layer of primer paint. Days later, the Civic was dropped off at Rich’s Restoration in Chowchilla, California for an exterior paint job.

Kong picked up the car a few days after Wekfest San Jose from last year. Pulled out the motor and began body work inside the engine bay and interior. When that was completed, Kong sprayed the interior and engine bay himself.

Kong’s dedication laid the momentum for the build.

It was personal. The choices he made, the annoying door hinge adjustments he voiced to me about, and every moment working on the car reflected something a bit more deeper for Kong. I truly believe he was going somewhere with this build in diligence and steadiness. I guess every bit of frustration, curse words, and celebration carried a piece of accomplishment in this build. Like the NSX, the reimagined Civic build became a legacy for Kong. One that has already inspired passion driven by heart!

(A Civic reimagined with vision fueled by motivation and dedication!)

AND here it is! Just a month shy away before Wekfest San Jose this year, the hatchback was already completed and is a whole new renowned and restored Civic. Tasteful mods were carefully chosen to represent Kong’s build style to this build.

Knowing Kong for years, I have come to realize that his favorite go to wheel choice are RegaMaster Evo’s. The one pictured above is a 16x8 +35. To add, the Spoon caliper that sits behind the wheel is not a twin block. It’s actually a monoblock caliper. Kong utilized a wider diameter Ballade Sport 2 piece rotor to make fit of the brake kit onto the Civic.

The whole 5 lug suspension have been restored with brand new OEM bushings, EK9 hubs and bearings, resprayed, and recleared. To finish off the combo, Kong opted out of OEM studs and swapped in extended studs all around his hub. A set of burnt titanium open ended lug nut was used to lock the RegaMasters into place.

A side shot exposing the diversity of JDM quality parts on the Civic. Covered with genuine EK9 parts from the front of the Civic to the end.

In the rear, what appears to be a Civic Type R spoiler is actually not one.

It’s a rare and discontinued ZEAL spoiler. With some custom brackets, Kong was able to allow the spoiler to tilt and angle it just a bit outward diagonally than how it would originally sit on a Civic hatchback.

You can’t have a nice built car without extra decals for that horse power. Jokes aside, the rear windshield of the Civic is vertically covered with brands that Kong supports.

Before we plunge into the interior and engine bay of Kong’s Ek, some more noticeable goods onto the exterior of the EK included an Exceed V1 front spoiler and a First Molding hood.

If you’re a Spoon head, you’ll probably recognize the Spoon Sport Gen. 1 side mirrors on the Civic as well. Unlike the gen. 2, the OG is manual operated, but still has that cool blue hue color on the mirror.

Underneath the rear end of the Civic, you can find a red ASR tow hook, a Progress bar alongside a matching sway bar, and TruHart lower control arms. A exhaust hasn’t been decided yet, so for now, for that extra horse power and “louder DOH MA VTEC” for the B16a2 to squeeze out, Kong is currently running the EK with an open exhaust.

In the cockpit of the Civic, it is housed by two New Jersey Red Recaro Pole Position bucket seats. The seats are held by some Buddy Club Racing seat rails.

The steering wheel combo is a Momo Monte Carlo Suede steering wheel, a Battlecraft racing quick release, and a Momo hub adapter.

A Battlecraft Hyper Teardrop 40mm shift knob is mounted on top of a Hybrid Racing adjustable short shifter.

Instead of a EK9 cluster, Kong decided to change up the game a bit by adding a rare JDM CRV yellow cluster for his speed reading needs. A Chasing J’s raw titanium cluster cover was utilized for more pop.

A CTR EK9 air bag delete tray was also added into the dash.

On the side note, does anyone utilize the tray as an area to place things? I recently purchased one for the S2000, and found it very practical to set some things on there during a drive.

Behind the Recaros is a powder coated Eimeer Engineer custom X roll bar. Although I couldn’t quite capture the back of the interior, the rear seats have been taken out, the interior has been fully resprayed and OEM panels were left intact.

The motor went through minor alterations before it evolved into it’s final form. The motor is actually a B16a2 with a built head.

In it’s final form, the valve cover have transformed into a different shade and a custom titanium intake has been installed.

A velocity stack and five inch wide Blox Racing filter was added to the end of the intake arm. The red color scheme continues to travel throughout the engine bay.

Even the Jasma bonet hood dampers were red. The attention to detail is definitely evident and very well thought out.

A custom catch can box sits right behind the strut tower, carrying a dry filter also in the red color as well.

A nicely burnt DTR drag race header extends out from the motor and hugs the motor as it travels downward to the bottom of the block. A custom radiator tuck accommodated the fitment of the header with ease and two 10 inch slim fans to cool the engine down.

A good way to finalize this blog series are these iconic rolling shots of the Civic. Since Kong wanted to build the car and someday track it, it’ll only make sense to conclude the series with the numerous rolling shots we were able to get from this photoshoot.

Being able to debut the Civic for the first time at a car show superbowl event, the EK was awarded “EG/EK of The Festival” for Wekfest San Jose 2025. Little did Kong know that the Civic would attract so much attention among the NnovatioN brothers, and in the public’s eye. A truly and deserving award for a very well built car! I am very happy.