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the box: Toyota’s 3UZ VVT. He explains,
“Honda engines have small displacement,
and if you need a high-horsepower setup,
you’ll need to invest a lot of money. Then
there is the durability issue. I also wanted
something different and an engine with
which I was more familiar.”
Found under the hood of various
Lexus and Toyota Crown models, the all-
aluminum 4.3L V-8 is compact enough to
cuddle between the shoulders of Honda’s
most commonly swapped Civic chassis.
The sizable gap you see between the EG’s
front core support and the front of the
3UZ was intentional in order to push the
engine further back—part of Wanchai’s
plan to find that perfect weight balance.
“The current weight is 1,100 kilograms
(2,425 pounds) but, as we speak, the car
is being weight reduced. The aim is to
hit 1,000 kilograms (2,205 pounds) and
close to a 50/50 weight balance through
carefully placing components and corner
weight balancing.”
To gain those precious inches
and set the V-8 and its 350Z six-
speed transmission further back
uninterrupted, the Civic’s firewall was
modified and, admittedly, the metal
massaging on the firewall isn’t the
prettiest, but it wasn’t intended to be.
The sole purpose behind shoehorning
those mighty eight cylinders in place
of the original gas-sipping four-banger
is strictly in the name of performance.
To that end, the radiator (which you no
doubt noted is missing from the grille
opening) has actually been relocated to
the rear underside of the vehicle, just
above the titanium dual exhaust that
exits under the center of the bumper.
One of the reason’s the 3UZ swap fits
so well and with room to spare, is because
other than the pie-cut intake tubing
that feeds the beast, almost everything
else under the hood has been moved
or deleted entirely. Stare a little harder
and you might notice the shock towers
aren’t native to this chassis. In order to
meet the demands of the 4.3L and to
once again work with something he
was very familiar with, Wanchai grafted
in Nissan S14 suspension and chassis
mounts up front to work in conjunction
with S13 suspension counterparts in the
rear. TunerConcept coilovers, various
adjustable suspension arms, and custom
“drift-friendly” knuckles all help to dial in
the one-of-a-kind setup.
Power is nothing without control,
and squeezing 18x11 rear wheels
wrapped in 265-series tires under the
arches of a fifth-gen Civic without Back
to the Future–spec camber dimensions
wouldn’t be possible without a widebody
treatment. Karn Fiber of Thailand provided
TUNING MENU
1993 HONDA CIVIC
OWNER WANCHAI PADTHAMANG
HOMETOWN BANGKOK, THAILAND
OCCUPATION OWNER OF 1116 AUTO GARAGE WHEEL & TIRE
ENGINE Toyota 3UZ VVT V-8 swap; custom dual exhaust with
titanium mufflers; Tai Bangmod rear-mounted radiator; pie-cut
titanium intake
DRIVETRAIN Nissan 350 Z six-speed transmission swap; OS
Giken twin-disc clutch
ENGINE MANAGEMENT RealTech System standalone ECU
FOOTWORK & CHASSIS Nissan Silvia subframes, chassis
mounts; TunerConcept coilovers, adjustable caster, camber,
toe arms; custom drift knuckles, front lower arms
BRAKES Runstop RS front calipers and rotors; Nissan Skyline
dual rear calipers
WHEELS & TIRES 1 8x9.5 + 10 front, 1 8x 11 +8 rear Cosmis XT20 6
wheels; 22 5/ 35 R18 front Nankang, 2 65/ 35 R18 rear Zestino tires
EXTERIOR Custom Karn Fiber body kit and over fenders
INTERIOR Carbon-fiber dashboard; Momo steering wheel;
quick release; hydraulic handbrake; Bride bucket seat;
Beltenick harnesses; custom rollcage, fuel cell, carbon-fiber
door cards, floor plates; S2000 cluster
THANKS TunerConcept Suspension, Liqui Moly lubricants,
Cosmis Wheels, Runstop Brakes, Karn Fiber, Injection
Motorsport, Bonum Auto Timing Belt, Hai Service, S 9
