When it comes to observing his civic responsibilities, Josue "Sway" Rivera of Inglewood, California, went wild with not only his imagination but also his finances. From inception to completion, his vehicle was the platform by which his artistic expressions were catapulted by the checkbook. The car's symbiotic relationship with its owner took lots of love, patience and time, and ended with a full-on makeover on this '97 Honda Civic, "Sway Cool." Needless to say, the parental care provided by Josue and his girlfriend proved to be beneficial as the car has now graduated with flying colors. Sway would like to thank his girlfriend for all of the support and says, "She's been there for me through thick and thin, and without her I wouldn't have been able to do any of this." A special thank you is also extended to his car club Unfadeable Styles.
Vitals: Owner: Josue "Sway" Rivera Vehicle: '97 Honda Civic DX City/State: Inglewood, California Club: Unfadeable Styles C.C.
Performance: The stock 1.6-liter SOHC engine retains most of its stock mechanicals with the exception of the chrome APC intake. And while the vehicle may not sport a list of high-horsepower upgrades, it does feature a barrage of chrome and polished pieces which were dipped and polished by Allen over at the Polishing Shop in Thousand Oaks, California. Further enhancements include a simple treatment of red wire loom which helps clean up the engine bay, while a very unique see-through radiator hose tops things off. For a throaty rumble, the stock exhaust manifold was mated to a Dual Revolution exhaust system.
Audio/Video: Directing the auditory ambiance is a Sony head unit which is mated to a 400-watt Crossfire amp. The amp directs power to all speakers including the two 12-inch Crossfire subs while passenger in the rear will find company with the PS2 located between the seats. All system mods was performed by Jaime over at Advantage Audio and while some other upgrades are already in the plan, Sway would rather keep them undisclosed.
Interior: Step inside (or just outside of) this Honda/IS300 and it becomes quite apparent that it has been reworked with a white vinyl interior which glows from the outside of the vehicle. Accented by red piping and red-painted interior pieces, the very sterile looking environment is accented by a pair of diamond plate stainless steel floor mats along with APC gauges and a matching shifter. All interior work was directed by the stitching expertise of Ralph over at South Bay Interiors of Gardena, California.
Suspension: Altering the altitude of the vehicle is a set of SMC Cylinders which were installed by Sal over at NI Motorsport. The cylinders are connected to a 1/2-inch line and fed by one of two 7-gallon tanks which are located in the trunk. The 10-switch setup allows Sway to control every corner of the vehicle which is supported by a set of 18-inch Katana KS rims with powdercoated faces.
Rims and Rubber: 18-inch two-piece Katana KS wheels with P215/35-ZR18 Nitto NT450 Tires.
Paint and Body Mods: With a construction time of nearly two years, most of that time was spent sitting under the scalpel of Sal, the automotive surgeon over at Sal's Body Shop. Under his watchful eye and precise hands, the vehicle underwent a routine procedure which called for the removal of the door handles and the addition of a wide body kit and M3 mirrors. But Sway's discontent with the facial structure of the Honda called upon another procedure which would have a 2002 Lexus IS300 front fascia molded in. Upon completion, Sal finished splashed on a few coats of red paint which was topped off with a hint of orange pearl.