An HKS Super Power Flow intake and some lowering springs were bolted on soon after-the first of the Civic's mods-along with a few minor interior upgrades, which only furthered his quest for perfection. Ryan's proud to say that he did the majority of the work himself along with help from some friends as well as Speedtech Racing Development out of Calgary. "The guys that did the engine swap on my CRX ended up working at Speedtech when it opened, so I knew someone there, which naturally helped a lot when it came to sourcing parts. Over the years, they kept randomly finding parts in Japan for the EP3. They'd call asking if I'd be interested in them. Of course, I always was," Ryan says.
A short time later, the knock-offs began showing their true colors and began to deteriorate. Ryan had to do something to preserve the uniqueness of his EP3, and shoddy body mods were no way to ensure such things. As such, he broke down and spent the dough, picking up fresh, clean, and genuine parts. After re-doing the car for what seemed like a lifetime, Ryan finally had the hatchback looking like it should. He threw in some Recaro seats, a new rear wing, a race header, and a new mid-pipe, but the most unique part is, of course, the Air Walker front lip, which he just happened to come up on-the shop's last one in stock. Lucky guy.
Hard work paid off for Ryan for the first time in 2006 when he placed First in a local car show's JDM category. "I always thought my car was nice, but at the show there were some really nice S2000s, 240s, and other JDM-style imports that could have easily won. I didn't think I was that deserving," Ryan says.
But what at first might have seemed like a fluke became reality once again as Ryan took home top honors the following year. "After two wins, it occurred to me that winning the first time wasn't a mistake. I was pleasantly surprised to win the second time and thought I deserved it," he says.
Ryan's EP3 has had a number of starring roles over the years. From a rare and elusive lot model to a two-time show queen to a daily-driven commuter ride, he still can't say the car is finished. "I'm planning to supercharge the engine pretty soon, and after that I'm hoping for a big-brake kit and some suspension work. I'm always changing my mind, there's so much. Maybe it's just time to upgrade to another Honda," he says,
And this seems to be Ryan's style: build a car to perfection or drive it into the ground, then get something new and start the process all over again. It's an insatiable thirst that can never quite be quenched. It's a relationship that's familiar to all of us. When is enough enough? When does it stop?
Bolts & Washers
Propulsion
J's Racing radiator cap
HKS Super Power Flow intake
Spoon Sports N1 exhaust
Custom mandrel-bent mid-pipe
Vibrant Performance resonator
Spoon Sports carbon-Kevlar spark plug cover
Stance
TEIN Basic coilovers
SPC camber kit
J's Racing front shock tower brace
Spoon Sports engine torque dampener
Resistance
Stock
Rims & Rubber
17x7.5 Volk Racing CE28N (+50 offset)
215/45-17 Falken Azenis RT-615
Muteki lug nuts
3mm spacers
Outside
JDM CTR front bumper
JDM CTR projector headlights
Air Walker front lip
JDM CTR side skirts
OEM Honda Factory Performance rear wing
VIS CTR-style rear lip
JDM Honda Access window visors
Golden Eagle rear tow hook
Inside
JDM Recaro Sport seats
Pioneer head unit
Takata four-point harnesses
Mr. Alex titanium shift knob
JDM CTR shift boot
Props
Parents and brother
Everyone at Southern JDM
Jerry
Kan
EK2.0 (the E-Mack)
Jamie
Kenny and Rage2
www.ephatch.com
Rodrez
Henry Z. Dekuyper
Will at Speedtech
Screamin' Paintworks
Everyone else that made this possible
Owner Specs
Hometown:
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Daily grind:
Architectural technologist
Favorite website:
www.beyond.ca
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