


This build really stands out to me for a few reasons. The first thing that comes to mind is it is a Honda civic and we just happen to have the best Honda builder and drag racer on our team. Jojo Callos has been in this tuner scene from the beginning and is known by all Honda tuners. Richard the car owner even had a poster of Jojo on his wall! Jojo still denies this fact but myself and the Cure Auto guys know the truth. Secondly this was supposed to be an easy car build. Come on, it's a Honda and we have Jojo. It should have been an unfair advantage and I really thought this time I was going to get done in time to spend a day at the beach. Thirdly, this car stinks and I don't mean that like its unworthy of our efforts. It smells like a dog died and buried itself behind the dash. It was horrible and could have been a TV show all by itself. But before I tell you too many details, let start with day one.
Day 0
Actually this build did not start on day one. Since we had such a wreck with supra we all decide to load up in one �fine tuned� Previa and hit the streets. We were on a mission to find Richards civic and see what we were up against. We all bailed out at Richards address and I mean all of us; Erwin, Brett, Jay, Donny, and myself. I can't believe Richard didn't hear us coming. If the noise wasn't enough to get his attention the six flashlights and the camera crew were. Even with all of the commotion we somehow went unnoticed. We all walked away with an upbeat attitude and were ready for day one. The car looked good, well at night it looked good.
Day 1
The car rolled in and once again the FT crew was ready to go to work. We knew we wanted to do a JDM style car but with any eight day build we would have to make some sacrifices. It�s hard to get JDM parts. I know that there will be a ton if not thousands of JDM enthusiasts that will be pissed about the build. The reason is we didn't use all JDM parts and we put a carbon trunk on the car. For that I'm sorry and we will do better next time.
Anyway, the car rolled in and we jumped on it. I'm serious when I say jumped on it because Tyson was jumping in the middle of the hood. I don't know if someone made him mad or if Erwin gave him a wedgie. The dude was bouncing on the hood like a trampoline. The crew looked at each other shrugged and went to work. The car was in good shape but it had its share of dents and dings. It was also missing some interior pieces and the side skirts. The biggest problem with the was the funk. I later found out that the camera crew would not step foot in this thing. As we removed the interior it became evident that something had died and we found it under the carpet. It was a little yellow stain that looked harmless. At this point I was unsure of its context but after not one but two cans of brake cleaner and a box of baking soda it finally went away. I quickly checked to make sure our new carpet had arrived from Stock Interiors and then continued dismantling the civic. With the civic torn down and smelling better we were done for the day.
Day 2-3
We arrived at the shop and set down with the Cure Auto guys to see what our plans were. We decided to get cracking on a B20 engine out of a crv. Password JDM supplied the engine and a ton of other parts for this car. When the engine arrived Andy and Jojo tore it down and our plan was forged pistons, forged crank, cams , and 200hp. The engine was apart and back together in a matter of hours. We were able to put the engine back in before it went to paint.
Brian from Hasport showed up and helped us out with all kinds of things. Axles, motor mounts, and even wiring. Brian knows Hondas inside and out in fact I think he might know more than Honda themselves.
Since we decided to go with a JDM theme Motostyle decided to keep the interior simple and clean. The used red, black and grey to tie every thing together. Brett from joyride did the same to make the audio very clean.
Day 4
Holliday. We just sat around and let Tyson grill for us. It was nice!
Day 5
Normally we drop the car off at the first of the build but we wanted to give Mike and the crew at Franks Auto Body the holiday weekend off. I really can't say enough about these guys. I have never had a paint and body shop be on time with anything. These guys have 2 days to do body work, priming, painting, and polishing. Every time that we would take a car to them mike and his crew would finish early.
Day 6
We were all running around trying to get everything lined up. Basically when the car showed up we would have 2 days to finish it. We had everything lined up and ready to go. When the car showed up I noticed it was missing the doors. After talking to mike they had some problems with the paint and were going to re shoot the doors. The game plan was to pick them up on Friday morning.
Day 7
This day was typical of all of our day 7's. It is hard to explain but somewhat like herding cats. You get one problem under control and something else goes wrong. We all know what we need to do but we are trying so hard to step on each others toes. So we got pretty far along and decided to bar bbq some steaks. Joe one of the great p.a.'s (production assistant) cooked for us. We called it a night and I asked Joe to go and pick up the doors for the car in the morning.
Day 8
The car was going together like a Lego set. It was awesome. I called Joe to make sure he got the doors, no answer. This is not like Joe, so I asked around and no one had talked to him. I called at least 20 more time with no answer. I then called the body shop praying he had not picked up the parts. He did in fact he picked them up last night after we grilled. Now I'm frantic, no doors, fenders or bumpers! It was at this time that I freaked out and realized we could be screwed that my phone rang. It was Joe and he was being discharged from the hospital. Evidently when we were eating our steaks last night he choked on a piece and was able to drive himself the hospital, after picking up the parts for the Honda. He was then discharged after a surgery and brought the parts to us. If not for Joe it would have been a really bad day. Thank you Joe!!!!! When the parts showed up the car went together for another great reveal.
What did I learn from this build? If something can go wrong it will and if your little sister spills shrimp bait in the floor of your car it will take 2 cans of break cleaner, a box of baking soda and the fine tuned crew to make all better.








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