Words: David Cordell, Hybrid Racing
Photos: Luis Maldonado, Oakland, California
Among the greatest cars in history, you’ll find one common thing. Passion. It’s the fuel to keep going, push limits and accomplish goals. Christopher’s love affair with Honda started when his mother gifted him the keys to a 1976 CVCC. It didn’t last long though as the car was totaled before he reached the age of 16. His passion for the Civic stayed with him throughout his life and with dozens of projects under his belt he decided to bring one back in a bigger and more extreme way.
After finishing a 1969 Chevy pickup for his father, Chris searched around for his next project. He found this 1974 Honda Civic Sedan a few hours away from him brought it home and ripped it apart. The car was stripped down and repainted in Griggio Ferro which Chris says comes from the Ferrari Berlinetta.
All new rubber for the exterior was imported from CivicGarage in Australia and in addition to body smoothing, all of the chrome was painted or powder coated gloss black to give it a modern, sporty look.
A classic set of Mugen MR5 wheels were also refinished in gloss black to add to the Civic’s stance and vintage appeal. A set of custom BC Racing coilovers were fabricated to replace the old worn out running gear and give this Civic a chance to put the power down to the ground in a proper way.
A set of JDM bumpers were also imported from Portugal to complete the smoothed over design.
What’s the best way to improve the power output of a 1974 Honda Civic you ask? Install a K20A engine from the DC5 Integra Type R, of course! Combined with a K20Z3 (06-11 Civic Si) LSD gearbox, Chris made sure everything was going to fit and fabricated the engine cradle, firewall, and front suspension components. The engine bay was smoothed over, and any unwanted holes, or mounting brackets were removed. Adding to the sleekness of the engine bay, a tucked engine wiring harness from WireWorx was installed and connected to a Version4 Hondata KPRO.
A custom K-Series fuel rail from Hybrid Racing was the cherry on top, dubbing this the “DarqCiviq.” A Hybrid Racing fuel pressure regulator and gauge keep fuel flow constant on this K20A powered machine, all connected through a set of custom made fuel lines.
More engine details include custom engine and gearbox paint that matches the exterior of the car. A gunmetal powder coated intake manifold adds a little shine to an otherwise monochromatic color scheme.
The trunk of this 74′ Civic has been converted to house a fuel cell complete with an Aeromotive fuel pump and rear mounted lightweight battery.
The stock interior of a 1974 Civic is cool, right? Yes… but not cool enough. Chris took the inside of his car to the next level and revamped not only the quality and style but also the entire electrical system. Other touches include custom fitted WRX pedals and a rocking stereo system.
A custom dash surround holds a TunerView RD1 cluster supplied through Xenocron Tuning Solutions which connects directly to the Hondata KPRO.
A custom dash surround holds a TunerView RD1 cluster supplied through Xenocron Tuning Solutions which connects directly to the Hondata KPRO.
Recovered seats and custom vintage style steering wheel add nice, tasteful custom touches to the inside of this Classic Honda.
Chris has a die-hard passion for not just Honda’s but all types of cars. We know that he will continue to enjoy this super fresh 1974 Civic even more than his original CVCC! Let’s just hope this one stays as cherry as it is now! ;-)Future plans include a Comptech Supercharger system, Hybrid Racing 70mm throttle body and a bit of fine tuning! We hope to see more of this masterpiece in the future!
If you are interested in doing a K-Swap you can check out our guide here: K-Swap Guide
-David
Is there anyway to get the pictures related the article about the K20A swap in the ’74 Honda Civic? All the links (images) were broken.