When it comes to wheels, Ordinario takes pride in his collection of more than a dozen hard-to-find JDM antiquities. The Civic is outfitted with different wheels for every show, which makes for a new look every time. Ordinario was infatuated with old-school wheels of the JDM grade long before the Civic project commenced. The requirement for wheels to be mounted on this Civic? According to Ordinario, everything that goes on this EF9 must be of the same era; '88-to-'91. Oh, and of course, JDM.
The hatchback originally came already outfitted with a JDM B16A nestled between the strut towers. Without the aid of an engine mount kit, OEM brackets are welded to the chassis and stock mounts hang the powerplant from the frame rails.
For the most part, the B remains stock, save for a freshen-up job performed by Lucky Race Shop in nearby Gardena. Ordinario wanted to avoid the hassles of a fully built race setup, but wanted the reliability of a zero-mileage engine. Aside from a pair of high-lift, Integra Type R camshafts mandated by Spoon Sports adjustable timing gears, the B16A's internals remain as Honda intended.
Despite the attention paid to aesthetics, in no way has power production been overlooked. With the Civic up to JDM specs inside and out, a custom turbo kit was pieced together and installed at Sportcar Motion of Vista, Calif. A Precision SC61 turbocharger mated to a Sparks Racing exhaust manifold supply boost, regulated to a mere 4 psi by means of a Tial wastegate. Four psi isn't a lot, but until an engine management system is up and running, Ordinario is going to take it easy.
To date, Ordinario's EF9 has nabbed top honors on the show circuit but has yet to make its debut at the track. Future plans call for a race-prepped B18C and more than a few passes down the 1320. "My goal was to model the SiR ... and I think I've done that," Ordinario says, proudly referring to his own version of a JDM masterpiece.
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