SUBSCRIBE TO THE
MAGAZINE NOW
Facebook-f Instagram

Cruise Mode: Justin Pillay’s B18C-powered EG Civic

22 December, 2016

 

NZPC: Hi, Justin. That’s a pretty rad Civic you’ve built — what made you choose a Honda chassis?
Justin: It was originally my daily-driver, and I got a new job that required me to buy something newer, but I’ve always owned Hondas. So, I bought a 2008 Civic for the new daily and started what was supposed to be a weekend swap on the EG. Once I decided there was no time limit for swapping it, I began to look at rebuilding the motor instead.

It’s an exceptionally clean example —were you going for a ‘sleeper’ vibe with the build?
I’ve always been a fan of Honda OEM styling. It was not exactly a sleeper to start with, but I did want the car to look like a tidy Civic to the regular eye, and only someone who knew their stuff about Hondas would be aware there is a bit more to it.

Do you like to carry out most of the work yourself or get the experts in to sort it out?
The things that I’m confident about, like suspension and interior pieces, I’ll do myself, but, for the engine and drivetrain bits, there were a few Honda builders I had always wanted to work with on a car of mine, the likes of Lynn Rogers and close friend Duane Rawlinson, so they helped put my set-up together.

Yeah, sometimes it’s best to leave it to the guys who know what they’re doing. Have you had the chance since to test it at any track days?
I’ve taken it to a round of Nightspeed Drag Wars and ran a 14.1-second pass without launching it. I also took it to the NZHondas North Island Mega Meet, which was hosted at Hampton Downs raceway; that was a good chance to test it out and see what the complete package could do. I was pretty impressed with how it went.

Awesome. The power-to-weight must be crazy. After testing it, would you have done anything differently?
[Laughs] It would have been nice to have finished it quicker so I could have enjoyed it more with fewer time constraints, but it has been a pretty enjoyable build over the years.

Cheers for chatting with us, Justin.

Name: Justin Pillay
Location: Auckland
Occupation: Account manager

Make/Model: 1993 Honda Civic GTi
Engine: Honda B18C 1797cc four-cylinder, B18C2 crank, Type-R rods, Type-R pistons, ARP main studs, baffled sump, ported and polished head, Type-R valves, springs, and retainers, Type-R camshafts, Pro Wholesale adjustable cam gears, ARP head studs, Skunk2 intake manifold, three-inch alloy intake pipe, Blox Velocity air-intake kit, Mugen four-into-one headers, Fujitsubo Legalis R 2.5-inch exhaust system, Type-R injectors, Walbro 500hp fuel pump, iridium platinum plugs, 8mm Eagle ignition leads, three-core alloy radiator
Drivetrain: Factory five-speed, Buddy Club short shifter, Exedy HK04HA Single Sports Series clutch, Type-R flywheel, Type-R LSD
Interior: Recaro black SR3 front seats, Civic Type-R rear seat, ’96 Type-R steering wheel,
EG6 manual cluster
Exterior: Full respray in Taffeta White, Spoon Style front lip, Spoon Style carbon-fibre spoiler, Spoon Style wing mirrors, Slipstream fibreglass bonnet, EK Civic side skirts, NZ Glass headlights, OEM fog lights, USDM red/clear tail lights
Wheels/tyres: 15×7-inch (+35) RAYS TE37, Toyo T1R 205/50R15
Suspension: Daiyama coilovers

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.