“I never really liked the EF chassis, it’s ugly.” Those are the exact words that left Aaron Allred’s mouth when asked about the off-the-wall hatchback
you see here. In actuality, he didn’t start out with the car you see pictured—it took a lot of work to get to this point. “The car was a roller, no engine or anything, but it was already track prepped, so I figured, why not?”
you see here. In actuality, he didn’t start out with the car you see pictured—it took a lot of work to get to this point. “The car was a roller, no engine or anything, but it was already track prepped, so I figured, why not?”
When Aaron picked up his ’89 hatch almost two years ago his plans were fairly straightforward; build a car to smoke his brother’s ride. “My brother had a Mustang, and I wanted to blow its doors off.” The formula was simple enough: “little car plus big turbo equals losing ’stang.” The gutted Civic already had KSport coilovers and a single Bride racing seat, perfect for Aaron’s needs. In his garage, he’d already pieced together a B16 stuffed with CP pistons and Crower rods from a previous car, so the heart of his new project was already decided. Once the EF was running, the hunt for go-fast parts eventually led him to AFI Turbo. Aaron adds, “Initially I only wanted one part…that blew up into a full turbo setup.” Over the next few weeks, Aaron put together a full setup through AFI, and everything was going just fine until fate stepped in.
“I found out I was going to be a dad, so everything I just bought, well, I had to sell. I never even got the car running with it.” After piecing out his brand-new turbo setup, Aaron was bummed, but after talking with Brad from AFI, things seemed a bit better. He adds, “Talking to Brad made me realize that my bills were caught up and I didn’t have to sell my car, I just couldn’t go full turbo.” After some collaboration, Aaron and Brad designed a one-off B-series exhaust, and from there the project was off and running. With the block already built, Aaron had the head ported and polished, then replaced the OEM running gear with upgraded Supertech components and cams from Brian Crower. Deciding the bay could use some attention, the engine was pulled and a few hurdles were hit along the way. “The chassis and engine harness were both shot. Instead of just replacing it, I upgraded them both with mil-spec alternatives.” Hidden wiring needs a bay to match, so Aaron got to work shaving all the unnecessary holes and welds, then put the Civic back together.
Initially Aaron was planning on running an Edelbrock Victor X intake manifold, right up until he came across a deal he couldn’t pass up. “I was on the forums and found a set of Jenvey tapered ITBs and the price was insane—so I snagged them.” The hatch was no doubt coming together nicely, but Aaron knew that a budget-built, naturally aspirated B16 wasn’t going to destroy a well-sorted Mustang. Aaron knew he needed a power-adder, but he’s not rolling in dough, so forced induction wasn’t happening. He went back to something from his D-series days and opted for a custom nitrous system. He said, “Most Honda guys don’t run nitrous. I never knew why because if it’s done right, it can be super effective and inexpensive.” Aaron opted for a custom direct-port dry shot of nitrous that injects the NO2 into the intake manifold (in this case the velocity stacks on the ITBs) and lets nature take its course, mixing with the fuel on its own.
With that much power under his foot, traction would obviously be an issue, but one that can be overcome with the proper set of tires. Nitro Performance 13x9-inch wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson radials are on duty up front. Meaty 9-inch tires can’t fit comfortably under a stock fender without the weenie boy crazy camber effect, so swapping out the factory front clip for a Strada Industries front end was next on the to-do list. A fresh coat of almost OEM paint and a CCC Racing EF drag wing rounded out the mod list.
comfortably under a stock fender without the weenie boy crazy camber effect, so swapping out the factory front clip for a Strada Industries front end was next on the to-do list. A fresh coat of almost OEM paint and a CCC Racing EF drag wing rounded out the mod list.
Aaron’s in the process of upgrading the Civic (again) in pursuit of the nitrous Honda world record. He told us, “This thing turned out just how I wanted it. Now we’re going for the world record, and if we don’t, we’re just going to run it ’til the top blows off!” Oh, and in case you’re wondering what happened with Aaron’s brother and his Mustang, well, things didn’t work out so well. He adds, “Since it’s a Ford, he blew it up (I think he was scared). He’s building a full-race motor now which just means that I’ll be going turbo for the 2013 season, lol!”
“I never really liked the EF chassis, it’s ugly.” Those are the exact words that left Aaron Allred’s mouth when asked about the off-the-wall hatchback
you see here. In actuality, he didn’t start out with the car you see pictured—it took a lot of work to get to this point. “The car was a roller, no engine or anything, but it was already track prepped, so I figured, why not?”When Aaron picked up his ’89 hatch almost two years ago his plans were fairly straightforward; build a car to smoke his brother’s ride. “My brother had a Mustang, and I wanted to blow its doors off.” The formula was simple enough: “little car plus big turbo equals losing ’stang.” The gutted Civic already had KSport coilovers and a single Bride racing seat, perfect for Aaron’s needs. In his garage, he’d already pieced together a B16 stuffed with CP pistons and Crower rods from a previous car, so the heart of his new project was already decided. Once the EF was running, the hunt for go-fast parts eventually led him to AFI Turbo. Aaron adds, “Initially I only wanted one part…that blew up into a full turbo setup.” Over the next few weeks, Aaron put together a full setup through AFI, and everything was going just fine until fate stepped in.
Initially Aaron was planning on running an Edelbrock Victor X intake manifold, right up until he came across a deal he couldn’t pass up. “I was on the forums and found a set of Jenvey tapered ITBs and the price was insane—so I snagged them.” The hatch was no doubt coming together nicely, but Aaron knew that a budget-built, naturally aspirated B16 wasn’t going to destroy a well-sorted Mustang. Aaron knew he needed a power-adder, but he’s not rolling in dough, so forced induction wasn’t happening. He went back to something from his D-series days and opted for a custom nitrous system. He said, “Most Honda guys don’t run nitrous. I never knew why because if it’s done right, it can be super effective and inexpensive.” Aaron opted for a custom direct-port dry shot of nitrous that injects the NO2 into the intake manifold (in this case the velocity stacks on the ITBs) and lets nature take its course, mixing with the fuel on its own.
comfortably under a stock fender without the weenie boy crazy camber effect, so swapping out the factory front clip for a Strada Industries front end was next on the to-do list. A fresh coat of almost OEM paint and a CCC Racing EF drag wing rounded out the mod list.Aaron’s in the process of upgrading the Civic (again) in pursuit of the nitrous Honda world record. He told us, “This thing turned out just how I wanted it. Now we’re going for the world record, and if we don’t, we’re just going to run it ’til the top blows off!” Oh, and in case you’re wondering what happened with Aaron’s brother and his Mustang, well, things didn’t work out so well. He adds, “Since it’s a Ford, he blew it up (I think he was scared). He’s building a full-race motor now which just means that I’ll be going turbo for the 2013 season, lol!”
Propulsion
B16A
GSR Hydro transmission
HaSport B-series Hydro EF mounts
HaSport shift linkage
CP pistons
Brian Crower rods
Brian Crower Stage 2 cams
Custom AFI radiator
Custom AFI race exhaust manifold
Supertech flat valves
Supertech valvesprings
Supertech retainers
Full-Blown 340 lph fuel pump
ID 1,000cc fuel injectors
Jenvey individual throttle bodies
Jenvey fuel rail
Russell fuel filer
Aeromotive 1000 fuel pressure regulator
Custom direct port nitrous dry shot
Nitrous Express 15-lb bottle
Nitrous Express Lightning Stage 6 solenoid
Nitrous Express supply shorty nozzles
Nitrous Express supply lines
Nitrous Express bottle heater
Hondata C.O.P. ignition
OEM K20A ignition coils
K-Tuned B-series shifter
Competition Clutch Stage 5 clutch
ACT Pro-light flywheel
Mfactory LSD
KSport coilovers
KSport front camber arms
KSport rear camber kit
ES polyurethane bushings
Resistance
Slotted brake rotors
Hawk Racing brake pads
Russell fuel lines
Chase Bays brake booster delete
KSport hydraulic emergency brake (converted to staging brake)
Wheels & Tires
Front: Nitro Performance blades 13x9, Mickey Thompson radials 24.5x9
Rear: Nitro Performance blades 15x4, Mickey Thompson radials 26x4
Exterior
Strada Industries closed front end
CCC Racing EF drag wing
Spoon-style side mirrors
Interior
Bride Racing seat
Simpson racing harness
Nardi steering wheel
Password:JDM shift knob
S&W chromoly 10-pt rollcage
Hondata S300
Tuner View RD1
Innovative lc-1 wideband
Props
My wife Savanna and son Peyton
My twin brother Matt Allred
Brad from AFI
Norris Prayoonto for the head
Crimson Custom for paint and body
Dustin at Performance Porting
Mechlor at D&M Tuning
Password:JDM
Logan for the wiring work
Kyle at Nitro Performance
Chase Richardson
Owner Specs
Firefighter
Favorite site
D-series.org
Screen name
JDMEK
Building Hondas
9 years
Dream car
Audi R8
Inspiration for this build
Sibling rivalry, wanted to blow my brother’s Mustang’s doors off. Simply just wanted to take what was in my head and make it happen.
Future builds
My newborn baby boy, Peyton. Marrying my best friend/girlfriend Savanna
Ballin’ on a Budget
Aaron Allred isn’t a “baller,” he’s a firefighter. He made this very clear to me at the offset of my interview. He states, “I work like 15 days a month, I’m not a rich kid.” When Aaron found out his girl was expecting, he manned up and decided to sell it all for his newborn. He wasn’t going to give up on his hobby, though. “I got everything taken care of and still had the car and engine. My girl and my friends pushed me to finish the car.” Aaron took their advice, but admits it wasn’t easy. “I eat ramen almost every day, and if it wasn’t for the community helping me with parts and work, this would never have been done.” Aaron never asked for a handout and is grateful for everything he has, but when berated with online messages about him being a “baller,” understandably it bothers him. “I’m not rich, and I’m not begging—this car was built with dedication, sacrifice, and time. Anyone can build a car if they want it bad enough. I’m lucky, I had support.” Aaron’s planning on taking this car as far as it can go, but in the meantime he’s spreading the love he got and helping others reach their goals. Good job Aaron!
