Ryan Birgelaitis has been part of Tunerzine almost from the start, with his first photos for us going up in January 2005 and a run of features, interviews, and coverage of NOPI and NHRA events following over the next few years. He’s back as a contributor for the relaunch, and before he shoots anyone else’s car for us again, it made sense to run the one he built for himself. This Taffeta White EK hatchback was his personal car from 2020 to 2022, and the way he came into it is the part that stings the most now. He was its second owner. The car had one previous owner, an automatic transmission, under 125,000 miles, and was completely stock, and he paid $4,500 for it. Try finding a mint, unmolested EK for that money today. If you can find one at all, the number on the windshield will be a lot bigger.
Ryan’s answer to the automatic was to take the whole driveline out. A JDM K24 with an RBB head went in on a K-Tuned tucked engine harness, running a Hondata KPro V4 and Injector Dynamics ID1000 injectors, with a Skunk2 Ultra Street intake manifold and a K-Tuned K-swap header on either side of it. The timing side was gone through with a 50-degree VTC gear, Drag Cartel billet chain guides, a Drag Cartel lower timing chain guide and VTC strainer, and a new Honda tensioner. The oiling system uses an HPT-modified Type S oil pump, while the valve cover has two -10 AN vent ports. Cooling is handled by a Mishimoto K-swap radiator with a TracTuff coolant bypass, K-Tuned coolant housing and V2 thermostat, and a new OEM water pump, with a K-Tuned idler pulley rounding out the supporting hardware. Before the car changed hands, it put down 225 whp on 89 octane. Ryan says the new owner specifically requested the 89-octane tune because the car was headed to California.
The transmission is one of the more unusual parts of the build. Ryan used a JDM K-series AWD five-speed based on the CR-V transmission but configured it for front-wheel drive, with the transfer hardware removed and a block-off plate installed on the transfer case side. A Quaife LSD, an Action Clutch twin-disc with a lightweight flywheel, and Hasport swap axles complete the driveline, while a K-Tuned race shifter and cables handle things from the cabin.
The suspension mixes K-Tuned and Skunk2 components around a DC2 subframe with a new manual steering rack. Skunk2 Pro ST coilovers and Skunk2 front camber arms handle the front with K-Tuned compliance bushings, while the rear runs K-Tuned camber and toe arms, Integra trailing arms on new poly bushings, Skunk2 Pro Series rear lower control arms, and an ASR subframe brace. Bracing comes from MPC shock tower braces, a Benen front strut bar, and a Password:JDM rear strut bar. The brakes are Wilwood at both ends, with a 12.1-inch two-piece front setup and four-piston calipers, along with an 11-inch two-piece rear setup with a combination parking brake. Wilwood lines and a Stash Auto full brake tuck kit with a Wilwood bias valve finish the system. The wheels are 16×7 +31 Advan RGs wrapped in 215/45R16 Falken Azenis RT660 tires.
On the outside, the car was repainted in its original Taffeta White and left looking close to stock from 20 feet away. An OEM Type R grille, Type R-style headlights, and a First Molding carbon Kevlar front lip handle the front, while the side skirts, JDM thin side moldings, door handles, license plate surround, and Exceed rear spoiler are all color matched. Spoon Sports-style ABS mirrors, a Prayoonto carbon wiper cowl, and K-Tuned quick-release hood hinges round it out. The engine bay is fully painted, topped with a Circuit Hero cooling plate, and finished with what the parts list describes as lots of G Development titanium bolts.
Inside, an AP1 S2000 cluster runs on a full plug-and-play harness with everything working, and a JDI push-button start and Ghost Box replace the key. Recaro SR6 seats sit on Recaro sliders and Planted Technology bases, a Nardi suede wheel is mounted on an NRG quick release, and the door panels are finished in Alcantara. An Acura EL center console, a Canadian-market piece that has long been a popular upgrade for 1996–2000 Civics, is one of the details most people will miss. There’s also an ICB wide-view rearview mirror, custom floor mats, an Autopower roll bar, and a painted rear interior area.
The car has moved on since 2022, which is how it goes with most of the Civics we’ve featured. What Ryan built is a good example of what was still possible with an EK a few years ago, when a clean one was a $4,500 starting point rather than the most expensive part of the build. We’re glad to have him back, and the next cars he shoots for us won’t be his own… maybe.
GalleryPhotos by Ryan Birgelaitis
