Project Zero To Hero - 1996 Honda Civic DX

The idea was quite simple: Begin with a very popular, affordable and common platform, the Honda Civic DX. Display it in all its stock glory (or lack thereof), and then transform it into a super-duper street machine, all under the watchful scrutiny of the public. That was the general plan behind Project Zero to Hero at the International Auto Salon in Long Beach, Calif., using a 1996 Honda Civic DX as the tuning platform. Since the build-up required a level of expertise and precision work, we enlisted the aid of technicians from Pann Auto Performance in San Diego, Calif.-Karl Santos, Alex Rivelas and David Vo.

The doors opened at 11:00 a.m. on day one and everyone immediately went to work. Many people were wondering why there were two stock cars in our booth (the other was our Project WRX) and within minutes there was a crowd. As soon as the boys from Pann rolled out the cherrypicker, people put two and two together and figured out exactly what we were doing. Some people were cheering us on, others were doubting we could accomplish this feat, and still others simply watched, intrigued by the entire process. The doubters were soon dispelled as Karl, Alex and David made quick work of the D16 and laid it on the floor within half an hour. By the 1-hour mark, a newly refurbished B18C motor had a new home in the Civic's engine bay and the engine wiring was on its way to being complete. By the time most people came back to see how the boys at Pann were doing, the motor swap was finished and the boys hung around to answer questions, talk to passersby, and enjoy the rest of the day. The total elapsed time for the complete motor swap: 95 minutes.

The noontime starting point on day two ensured the Pann crew was refreshed from the previous day's activities. With a full night's rest under their belts, they proceeded to revamp the interior of the Civic. Still, most of the public was unaware of the scope of Project Civic, thinking the booth was simply a how-to installation area for shift knobs and pedals. Once the interior was removed, however, there was another step that needed to be completed before the cockpit goodies were installed: putting in the rollbar. Craig Morrison of Art Morrison Fabrication was on hand to distribute literature and answer questions about its new cages and, specifically, the bolt-in rollbar that was being installed in the Civic. Look for a Quick Tech feature on this installation in an upcoming issue.

Just after the bar was dropped in like Flynn, the Pann techs got to work on the new Procar seats. Distributed by Scat, these seats feature a reclining back with lots of lumbar support and bolt-in rails that make installation a snap. Next up on the list was the interior line-up from Ichibahn-pedals, shift knob and steering wheel. Headed by the King of the Car Shows, L.J. Garcia, one can rest assured that Ichibahn products have the style to get you places and the quality of fitment and construction to keep you there. A set of Ichibahn shoulder pads and a pair Tenzo Type R Collection floor mats completed the interior amenities. Then the boys went to work on the exterior.

First, the O.E. front bumper was removed, followed by the headlights, taillights and outside mirrors. Wings West goods were the first additions to the exterior, comprising an Avenger series front bumper, side skirts and rear under spoiler. A pre-painted midwing and upper wing rounded out the back. The Civic was finally beginning to look like a true show-and-go vehicle. APC's carbon-fiber headlights filled the gaping holes left by the removal of the stock units, while the company's Euroclear taillights brightened up the rear. The trick rear-view mirrors, finished in faux carbon fiber and containing built-in turn-signal LEDs, brought major style points and a few oohs and aahs from the crowd. Appropriately, the blinking from testing the turn signals also signaled the end of Saturday's installation and it was out for a night of partying.

The final day of the show was reserved for the performance adders. First on the list was APEXi's World Sport coilovers. Pre-adjusted for a show-stopping ride height, the coilovers went on without a hitch, and filled the wheel wells with a touch of that circuit-racing flavor. Adding to that new aura was a pair of PowerSlot's cross-drilled rotors and performance brake pads, quite necessary for the half-disc/half-drum brake setup found on the DX model.

Under the hood, AEM's world-famous intake system found a new home and, mated to the newly installed B18C engine, managed to look quite formidable, even with the engine off. To expel the higher volume of exhaust gases, DC's JDM-style Type R header was added. This header was chosen not only for its performance benefit, but also for the physical fitment. Because of the header's design, we knew the connecting pipe between the header and the exhaust would be minimized, meaning less work for the installers and more flow for the exhaust. Finalizing the exhaust equation was GReddy's Evolution exhaust system. After the Tenzo Sinko wheels were torqued on, the car was taken off the jack stands and lowered to the floor to rest on its new shoes, a set of Toyo Proxes.

Finally, an Import Tuner build-up just wouldn't feel complete without some type of forced induction, so we enlisted the services of NX Nitrous Express and its universal single-fogger kit. True to its name, the universal kit came complete with everything we needed for our installation and, within an hour and a half of beginning, the bottle was mounted and the nitrous system was up and running.

There wasn't really a singular purpose to doing an install at the show. Perhaps it was to demonstrate the tuning possibilities for what some people consider a ""weak car." Maybe it was to give people the opportunity to see exactly how a motor swap was done. In the end, I think it was just to provide a little bit of inspiration to those people interested in any level of import tuning. "If these guys can do it in three days," they might say, "Maybe I can do it, too!" And, you probably can, even if you aren't one of the technicians at Pann Auto Performance.