When 22-year-old George Burgs of Priority Car Club in Azusa, California, bought his '96 Honda Civic four-door, he had dreams that it would evolve into the radical wide-bodied bagged beauty pictured on these pages. Two years later, Burgs' baby (dubbed "10 Switches & 19 Inches," which we'll explain as we go) has become one of the baddest Euros in SoCal, or anywhere else for that matter. He's quick to point out that he didn't do it alone, however.
"I would like to give special thanks to my family, my girlfriend, my sponsors, fellow Priority Car Club members and all those who have given me their love and support from the beginning," says George. A beginning that became a quest to create the coolest custom in Azusa--and beyond. (As an aside, folklore tells us that Azusa is so named because the city has everything from A to Z in the USA.) That may be true, but to complete his project George had to go beyond the city limits and enlist the talents of several top custom shops.
The first stop was JT AutoBody in Rosemead, California, noted for cranking out some of the coolest Euros in Cali, where Joe took the car in hand and stripped it down to bare metal. Then he moved the rear door handles to the front doors and shaved the rear handles. He also shaved the trunk, mounted a three-piece Mugen aluminum wing, molded in a pair of clear 2000 Lexus GS backup lights and installed a set of APC chrome-bezeled red taillights. A pair of M3 mirrors were also added.
A complete JT Evolution III wide body kit (which includes M3 side skirts, M3 wide fenders with vents, front bumper cover with 61/2-inch Denji fog lights and side scoops, custom grille insert, headlights inserts with projector beams and a back bumper cover with side scoops) was molded in next. The hood has a JT scoop molded in and is side-hinged to totally expose the engine. Joe painted everything with copious coats of "Plazzberry" indigo chameleon. Diamond Bar, California's 3-D Graphix added the cool candy purple and gold graphics, then Joe cleared it all to a mirror finish.
Another important stop on George's quest was Roman's Upholstery in La Puente, California, where the interior was totally stripped before Roman began the makeover. Numerous yards of blue chameleon tweed were used to cover every inch of the dash, headliner, center console, door panels, and factory seats (along with light gray vinyl panels added to the seats). Custom 3D graphics were incorporated into the dash, doors and seat backs. Roman also worked closely with Stereo 1 Warehouse in Covina, California, augmenting their work in the trunk and glovebox with matching tweed.
And speaking of the trunk, a clear Plexiglas faced ported enclosure (ported behind the rear headrests) with two Cerwin Vega 12-inch subwoofers can be found under the rear deck. Two Aura amps with built-in crossovers are mounted beneath clear Plexiglas in the trunk floor (an MR2150 two-channel amp for the subwoofers and a MR475Q four-channel amp for the mids and tweeters). A Pioneer 12-disc CD changer is mounted in a custom panel on one side of the trunk and an Optima yellow top deep cycle battery with 4-gauge Stinger power cables is hidden behind a tweed-covered panel on the other side.
In the passenger compartment, a Pioneer 8200 AM/FM/cassette player with a wireless remote is mounted in the console beneath the dash, with a Kenwood KGC-7043 graphic equalizer/spectrum analyzer installed in the glovebox. The front doors have an Aura 51/2-inch midrange and a 1-inch tweeter, while Aura 61/2-inch midbass and 1-inch tweeters are mounted in the rear doors. For those times when he's parked and wants a little distraction, a Nevcox in-dash fold out color TV was installed with a 6.8-inch screen and a Sony PlayStation II video game installed.
A set of Indigo MPH gauges with a white housing were fitted in the dash by Premier Autoworks in La Habra, California, and an Auto Meter "5 Phantom" A-pillar gauge cluster (including boost, volt, oil, water and air/fuel) was installed by Dial 1 Autosports in La Habra. George accessorized the interior with a carbon-fiber gearshift knob and emergency brake handle and an aluminum pedal set from AC Autotechnics in Irwindale, California. The VIP Center in Monrovia, California, provided a chrome fire extinguisher and a Momo Tornado steering wheel for the finishing touches.
The reason why George needs all of the gauges is to keep track of the vital signs of the transplanted Japan-spec, dual overhead cam GSR engine that replaced the stock four-banger. Premier Autoworks in La Habra did the swap, porting and polishing the head, adding Premier cams, DC header, NGK Platinum sparkplugs and plug wires. George added a ram air kit from AC Autotechnics with an AC twister filter, and front and rear AC strut bars. The factory trans-axle was also trashed and a GSR five-speed manual bolted up instead.
To better evacuate spent gases, the Muffler Warehouse in Los Angeles, California, built an exhaust system with 2 1/2-inch pipes, dual glasspacks, catalytic converters. Then Dial 1 Autosports finished it off by adding two Weapon R G5 Cannon mufflers with dual chrome tips exiting from the middle under the rear bumper. Dial 1 also mounted up a set of Pirelli radials with four 19-inch Racing Hart Revolution rims.
All that remained was the most important part of any Euro: the suspension. For that, George called on Kane and the crew at the Hack Shack in Ontario, California, for a bad air bag system. A set of Hack Shack stainless-steel air cylinders replaced the stock strut/spring assemblies and four 220-psi air compressors and two 3-gallon air tanks (mounted up under the trunk) were installed. Plumbing is all 1/2-inch line with fast valves for quick response, and the front end has 4-degree adjustable upper A-arms. A 10-switch box up front gives George the ability to put his car in 30 different positions on demand.
So there you have it, the explanation for the Civic's moniker. It's got 10 switches and 19-inch rims, and more moves than we can count. Watch for this cool custom at a car show near you. "It'll be gleaming, thanks to G&A Auto Detailing in Azusa," George notes.
Owner: George Burgs
Vehicle: '96 Honda Civic
City/State: Azusa, California
Club: Priority C.C.
Engine: GSR Japan-Spec DOHC 4-cylinder
Setup: Four Hack Shack stainless steel air cylinders, four 220-psi compressors, two 3-gallon air tanks, 1/2-inch line, 10 switches
Tires: P225/35-ZR19 Pirelli Z5000
Wheels: 19-inch Racing Hart Revolution