Sam Wallin's 1995 Honda Civic
Tell me a little about your car?
The car is a 95 Honda Civic EX. Before I got my hands on it, it spent 8 years sitting on the side of a house in Rush City, Minnesota. It was missing lots of parts and body panels. I paid a whopping $800 for the rolling shell with a b18b1 mated to a GSR transmission. No clue if anything was good or usable. It has all the parts from my previous coupe (smashed in an accident) that were for track use. I brought the car to St. Francis and built it in the driveway. Took approximately a month of every day work to assemble and paint the car. It currently has a stock b20 VTEC engine I built in my garage a year prior, still is running strong!
When I got the car home, I was still recovering from a previous car accident, so building was a little painful, even with the enthusiasm to get things done. The first day I actually worked on it, I stripped it 100%! Then swapped interiors from black to brown, even the VIN number on the dash. The shell had a small spot of surface rust, which got body-filled and smoothed, and that's the main reason why the striped were painted. (Not to mention I still can't find the color to that champagne gold it is, but I will!)
As far as the suspension, it mostly consists of Skunk2, Blox, Hardrace, Buddy Club, Prothane / Energy bushings and a mash of K tuned, Blackworks racing, Neuspeed, and a few small unbranded parts. OEM parts are knuckles, trailing arms, the front compliance arms, and the steering rack is new. It drives like it's on rails, despite having the square 24mm sway bars it's just a tiny bit more understeer prone compared to 21mm in the front.
Do you have any other cool Hondas?
I have three civics. The other two are a 90 SI (currently a shell) and my daily 91 Dx (mostly stock).
What types of events do you do in your Civic?
I've attended 9 or 10 Auto-X events and enjoyed every bit! With the Auto-X events, I climbed the ladder and as I drove more, the placement became more consistent, 3rds, 2nds. At the last event of the season, managed a 1st. After doing well in novice, I got bumped into Street Modified FWD (SMF). There's going to be good competition in SMF between a few new friends. Overall, it was one of the best uses of paid time off I could have asked for. I learned more about the car, myself, and driving itself, and I really want to experience more!
Do you plan to do any other types of events in 2021?
I plan to enter more Auto-X events, as well as, more road course type events and see how they suit not only myself but the car as well.
Any plans for upgrades over the winter?
Currently I am building another b20v with higher compression pistons and better hardware (APR) internally. I'm also gathering the measuring tools and getting the mathematical data out for clearances etc. I'm aiming to achieve at least 200 WHP (Wheel Horse Power), it's not a whole lot but will be relatively balanced in the chassis.
In addition to engine upgrades, I also have been in search of a good LSD (Differential) for the transmission. I like the possibility of changing to shorter gear ratios but keeping the 4.4 (Final Drive) for highway driving. The end goal for the car in my vision is a balanced machine with aero. If I could I also would be interested in a flat floors idea for the underbody. My principal thought is the less air resistance theoretically is a more efficient machine and can utilize the power optimally.
Do you have a "holy grail" or "Dream" car you are looking for?
Dream cars ...hmm that's a good question. I really enjoy lots of 90's JDM icons but a classic 88 or 89 Honda CRX SiR would be neat! Beyond Hondas I wouldn't mind a Nissan S14 or Toyota AE86 coupe.
Photo from Hagerty.com
Do you have a team / crew? Can you tell us about them?
Team Tokumade - a small group of friends both in MN and MA currently 3 or 4 members - and Team Rouge.
Shout outs, IG / FB
Shootouts would be Team Tokumade, Team Rouge, and to everyone who's followed my Page!
Sam's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kaido_racer93/
Team Tokumade https://www.instagram.com/team.tokumade/
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