Feature: Driveway to Excellence

Like the Sistine Chapel, the 1999 Civic Si has defied both time and modern technology. While the rest of the world is raving about the 2012 Honda Civic's K24 powerplant, ABS brakes, and stability control, many Open Clutcher's would argue that Honda has yet to build a better Civic than the original 1999 Si. The hydraulic steering of the old Si allowed for a more active feel of the road, compared to the electronic steering of newer models. Its overall design is smaller, more minimalist, and approximately 260 pounds lighter than the new Civic. The 1999 Si has subtle, classic lines, while the 2012 Civic has been organically rounded for improved aerodynamics. At the end of the day, dollar for dollar, the tuner with the late 90's Si will come out with the better bargain, and a more road worthy car.

Case in point, today's Civic Si, built by Miguel Paz and the Driveway Performance Flip Flops Team (a.k.a. a bunch of guys standing outside Paz's house wearing flip flops). “They call us Driveway Performance Flip Flops Motor Swaps,” says Paz. “Because anytime you come to our house, and we're working on our cars—We'll be in the driveway, and at least one of us will be wearing Flip flops.”

If you've ever felt stifled by the limits of your apartment's parking lot or the crumbling cement pad in front of your crowded garage, today we have a little incentive for you. A man's driveway should be his palace. It is a place to sell his unwanted junk, sit and drink a beer with his buddies, or build a show quality tuner from top to bottom. Paz built a good portion of his 1999 Civic Si out of his own driveway, which included a custom interior, full wire/brake line tuck, suspension install, and a K-20 engine swap.

He purchased his Civic Si back in 2007 in Jacksonville, Florida, after returning from the Navy. He had been stationed in Guam (island underneath Japan), where he admits to having owned somewhere around 12 Honda's, by the time he came to the states.

“I always wanted an Si,” says Paz. “I put an intake on it, and I was like, Man this car is awesome!” Paz started getting into the import scene, and rebuilt the V-16 engine at 132,000 miles. With the help of his cousin, he replaced the rods, heads, and had it tuned to 400 horsepower at 20 psi.

“Two years later I blew it up right before going to the 2009 Import Alliance,” recalls Paz. Not being one to cry over spilt oil, Paz got out a pair of flip flops, dusted off his driveway, and started to rebuild his Civic with the help of his teammates at Kindred Impulse (KindredImpulse.com). Paz's roommate, Little John (John Moore), owner of the blue CRX featured in New CRX Frontier (http://www.openclutch.com/features/2011/04/new-crx-frontier), was doing a K-series build at the time, and Paz said to him, Let's do it, let's be K-brothers.

The two set to work in their driveway, building a pair of K-series Honda's. Paz's weapon of choice was a naturally aspirated K20a2, with the bolt-on performance of an RBC manifold, Karcepts air intake, Hyteck header, vibrant exhaust, stage 3 clutch, and K-Pro tune via Mase engineering. The result was 221 whp, 157 ft-lbs of torque, and a 12.9 on the quarter mile wearing street shoes.

Paz went all out on his build, including a shaved bay via Chris of Kindred Impulse, and a full wire and brake line tuck via John Moore. The only thing that sits in the engine bay is the motor, radiator, and brake booster, everything else is hiding. On the valve cover is a montage of colorful Sharpie art, including flowers, trees, Tweedy bird, Paz's name, and the tagline, “Rest in Peace V16” (in remembrance of his old engine). Paz sanded the entire body down to bare metal, switching the Si from its original Blue, to a Blaze Orange metallic from an RSX Type-S. When he got the car back from the paint booth last April, he only had a couple of days to get the car ready for the Spring 2010 Import Alliance.

“We spent many nights without sleep trying to get the car running,” Paz recalls. “The night before the meet we got it started, but it had fuel leaks, a bad alternator—it was a nightmare.” Paz had to leave without the car, but upon his return, he spent the next two weeks working on it, and it hasn't given him a problem since. The car has received 15 trophies in local car shows, and he is hoping for some increased attention with his new J Lines SDMSL2's (16×8 +20), purple lug nuts, and 205/40-16 Falken Ziex rubber. “These tires took five months to get, $2500 in savings, and are a dream come true,” Paz explains.

“My mom is always saying, When are you going to buy a house,” says Paz. “I'm always spending money on something—but I can't leave anything stock—It's like an addiction, but not a bad one.” Looking to the future, Paz plans on updating his carpet, floor mats, and adding a custom roof liner to match the car. On the bigger spectrum, Paz is considering boosting his Si for a second time. “I went from 400 to 200, and now I need to go back up,” says Paz. Moderate power isn't all that bad, as this Si can manage just under 40 mpg on the highway.

As I spoke to Paz, he was just getting ready for this summer's July Import Alliance meet. “I am leaving tomorrow for the sixth year in a row, and I actually put a dent in it last night,” grumbles Paz. “I am pretty upset—I was lifting the car, and I didn't move the engine lift that was sitting right next to it.”

This year 18 members will be representing Kindred Impulse, and no less than 6,000 cars will be attending the event. Friday, July 15, was the clubs official taping party. This is where everybody drives to Paz's house, commencing with any last-minute adjustments, including swapping wheels with cheap rims, raising the ride height, and taping off their front ends to protect from road damage incurring over the 10 hour-long road trip to the Nashville Super Speedway.

“We call my house the secret club house, because this is where all the magic happens,” explains Paz. “Every year we put something crazy on the door (with the tape)—this year I am probably going to put, No AC is killing me.”