The thing about getting older is that if you play your cards right, you can finally afford the things you lusted for in your youth. Other than that, getting older just plain sucks.
Jorge Hernandez played his cards right and in November 2003, the self-employed residential drafter found himself in a position where he could finally afford to build the car he'd dreamed of since he was 17. We're glad he made better career choices in life than some of us, because it has allowed him to reach pure Honda nirvana.
But having the money to get something done is only half the equation. Tons of cash and no plan is a recipe for disaster (see Iraq and Afghanistan). Thankfully, Hernandez has had 16 years to plan out the build for his high-school dream car, so he avoided the quagmire that can follow snap decisions altogether. With an old dream etched into the synapses of his aging 33-year-old brain and some newfound cash filling out his pants pockets, the man set out on his mission of reaching JDM enlightenment.
Although our protagonist hails from the deserts of Arizona, he says that at the time, the Honda scene out there was lacking at best. So like many young men before him, Hernandez headed west in search of treasure and adventure (a Civic hatch, in this case). A few leads brought him to the seaside paradise we know affectionately as Long Beach, Calif., where he first laid eyes on the hulk that would be transformed into the masterpiece you see today.
"I started by stripping out the beat up interior; and installing new OEM bumpers, side skirts, side markers, fenders and a hood," says Hernandez, pointing out the orgy of OEM/JDM parts swapping didn't stop there. The debauchery continued with the addition of a duckbill spoiler and Vision mirrors from JHP, not to mention the boatload of miscellaneous JDM interior bits inside of the little Honda.
Whoever said that real beauty is on the inside must not have been talking about cars, because as beautiful as the interior of this car is, Hernandez knew the exterior had to be nothing short of drop-dead gorgeous. Long before he initiated a preemptive strike on the Civic's body panels, he mapped out the battle plan.
His first step was to form a coalition with MOB Works in Orange, Calif. One of the most respected paint shops out there, he picked them before he even had the Civic in his possession.
"I knew I wanted MOB Works to paint the car. I wanted it to look brand new-and I'd only heard good things about their work," says Hernandez, obviously more than content with the end result. And it's easy to see why. Two weeks after dropping the Civic off at MOB Works, it was born anew, covered in a fresh and brilliant golden skin.
With the interior and paint knocked out, Hernandez did the standard tuner mods; installing a set of USDM ITR seats, a stereo, Ground Control coilovers, RSR exhaust, JDM fog lights, headlights and taillights and topped the whole shebang off with a set of tasty 5Zigen N1R Div.3 wheels.
After dolling up the inside and outside of his new ride, Hernandez was content knowing he was rolling in one of the cleanest EG hatches around. He then took some time off from the car, but was soon bitten by the bug once again. This time, he wanted to venture outside his comfortable sphere of JDM interior and body mods and tackle the unfamiliar mess of equipment under the hood.