Raul Ramirez's '94 Civic CX
People love to collect things. At one point, everyone collected pogs. They all knew which kid had the most pogs or the coolest slammers in the schoolyard. Those were the days, but as people age they often begin to collect more expensive things. Raul Ramirez also collects things. Raul likes to collect Civic hatchbacks, however, he's gone through too many right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive Hondas for us to list. Eventually though, Raul settled on one hatch in particular to be his ultimate slammer.
No doubt Raul, a native of Oakland, Calif., knows how to get hyphy like Keak da Sneak in the "Super Hyphy" music video. But what's better than humming "dumb ditty dumb" with a thizz face at a sideshow? Owning a K-powered, Porsche Carrera GT3 White hatch and driving it daily that's what. "I love driving the car daily; I love the loud exhaust," Raul says. "I also live in Nevada where we don't have smog, so 3-inch piping is cool. I know you're jealous," he says referring to those of us who reside in just about the strictest emissions state west of his pad.
Raul selected the hatch simply because of its nearly flawless exterior. "I'm really picky, I didn't want a bunch of Bondo," he says. The hatch began as a track car but after roughly $27,000 later, the car stands out from the average track beater. He knew he was going overboard once he began replacing things like nuts and bolts and re-looming the wire harness. Such cash doesn't float down from the sky in a sack from a passing stork; no, Raul built his hatch from "cash and lots of hustlin'."
Projects like these typically take about a year, if not more, but Raul managed to complete his in just eight months. He bypassed large amounts of downtime by performing almost every task himself. "I did everything but paint and welding because I don't own a welder or a paint booth," he says.
Raul first focused on the body and had a friend paint the car Porsche Carrera GT3 White. "I saw a Porsche GT3 in white and I fell in love with the color because of the dark white complexion," he says. Raul then moved onto the heart of the beast. He opted for a K20A engine and six-speed limited-slip differential Type R tranny. A Buddy Club shifter box and Karcept shifter box adapter aids shifting duties while Hasport engine mounts snugly secure the K engine to the chassis, and R Crew Racing axles transfer power from the tranny to the wheels. A/C and power steering were ditched with the addition of a CTR pulley. A C&R aluminum radiator with Samco Sport hoses pump coolant while an AEM cold-air intake crams healthy mountain air past the Hondata intake manifold gasket. Earl's steel braided lines, fittings, and a fuel filter, paired with an Aeromotive regulator and R Crew Racing fuel rail, provide proper usage of gasoline. R Crew Racing of Brisbane, Calif., also created the conversion harness that ties into the Hondata K-Pro ECU, which ultimately runs the entire show, along with an NRG small battery that supplies the voltage. Spent gases pass through an R Crew Racing header, and 3-inch testpipe and exhaust system combo. The engine bay looks extremely neat thanks to a wire tuck performed by Raul himself. "Working with wires all day for the last five years makes it much easier to tackle a wiring harness in a car and relocating or removing unnecessary wires," he says.
Raul then devoted his attention toward the exterior. The 14-year-old vehicle received new OEM moldings, windows, and bumpers. A Spoon Sports duckbill and VIS Spoon-style lip visually update the car while FAL rear windows reduce weight. Spoon Sport towhooks, Vision teardrop mirrors and hood dampers, and OEM mudflaps add even more style. Even the R Crew Racing custom diffuser generates its share of attention. "Everyone and their mom wants to buy it off me and, no, it's not for sale," he says.