Name: Nathan Claridge // Age: 25
Location: Hamilton // Occupation: Engineer
NZ Performance Car: Hi Nathan. The trusty Civic is a weapon out on track — what made you buy yours?
Nathan: I actually swapped my piece-of-shit DC2 Integra for it about five or six years ago up. It was stripped out with a little turbo SOHC 1.5-litre back then, and it was probably the turbo that appealed to me the most; plus, there were a few things wrong with the Integra that I didn’t want to deal with, so I was happy to see the swap go ahead.
It’s not running that little SOHC anymore; were you in charge of the repower?
Yeah, that didn’t last long, and it’s actually been through about four different turbo D-series motors and another two different turbo B-series ones. There was a bit of trial and error before I ended up with the current set-up. So, you could say that it’s been a learning process. Everything was done in the driveway at home with the help of my brother and a few mates over a few beers. A good friend of mine built and installed this motor for me, which has been super reliable. It was never meant to be, actually, and only happened because the last B16A was yanked out to paint the bay, but one thing led to another, and this motor landed back in there instead.
So, the decision to keep things boosted was easy then?
Yeah, it was always the turbo that drew me to it, so it made sense to keep it boosted over the years.
Did you always intend it to see track work, as these things often aren’t?
You’re right there, as I never really intended to use it as a track car. The build has snowballed over the years into what it is now, but I don’t see the point of building something you can’t enjoy, so I try to get it out as often as I can and attend as many events and meets as possible, especially now the car is on the road after so many years of being off the road.
Cheers for the yarn, Nathan. We bet it makes for shitloads of fun.
Engine: B18C1, 1800cc, four-cylinder, B18C1 block and crank, forged Molnar H-beam rods, CP Pistons forged 9:1 pistons, ACL Race Series bearings, ARP fasteners, Moroso baffled sump, B18C1 head, Supertech flat-face valves, dual valve springs and titanium retainers, Type R camshafts, Skunk2 Ultra Street series intake manifold, 0.5-litre spacer, 74mm throttle body, Grams 1000cc injectors, Grams 255-litres-per-hour fuel pump, Tomei fuel-pressure regulator, aftermarket fuel rail, custom oil catch-can and braided lines with AN fittings to valve cover, Evo VIII twin-scroll turbo, custom stainless twin-scroll exhaust manifold, custom 2.5-inch downpipe, TiAL 38mm wastegate, Go Fast Bits blow-off valve, front-mount intercooler, three-inch mild-steel exhaust from downpipe, Vibrant rear muffler, Hasport engine mounts, Blackworks Racing radiator hoses, half-size radiator, Blox 305mm high-flow electric fan, hydro-dipped valve cover, custom stainless radiator overflow, Password JDM carbon plug cover, Go Fast Bits boost tap
Drivetrain: Exedy five-puck sprung clutch, lightened flywheel, Integra five-speed gearbox, S2000 clutch master with spacer and tucked clutch line, tucked brake lines, relocated prop valve, braided brake lines, rear disc conversion, power-steering delete with OEM manual steering rack
Interior: Stripped and painted; PLM cross brace; bolt-in half cage; wire tuck; DC5 SR5 Recaro seats; EG9 black interior; boost, oil-pressure, and water-temp gauges; turbo timer; custom red mats; fire extinguisher; K-Tuned shifter; Password JDM carbon fuel-pump cover; relocated battery
Exterior: Resprayed in factory red; glass headlights; amber indicators; Spoon Style carbon spoiler; carbon boot, carbon lip, and carbon mirrors; quick-release bumper stays
Wheels/tyres: 16×8-inch (+20) Work Meister S1R; (F) 205/50R16 Westlake Sport RS semi-slick, (R) 205/50R16 Goodyear Eagle F1
Suspension: BC Gold coilovers, Whiteline front sway bar, K2 rear subframe brace, K2 rear sway bar, K2 tie bar, aftermarket rear lower control arms, Type R front sway bar, adjustable rear camber arms
Power: 223kW
Boost: 13psi
Tuner: CDM