Dedication
Our third and final installment of the Tuner-Evolution series is a build that is all about dedication. In the car scene, no matter where the car is from, there is always a story behind the build. Often times you’ll find, the better the build, the deeper the story. The passion of building a car is 2nd to none, once a car head is bit by the tuning bug, there is no stopping him/her. Enter Ray Sutton and his RHD K-swapped Civic EM1 Coupe. An owner who personifies the term dedication. Built from the ground up by his own hands in his way, Ray’s coupe is the sole result of following his passion.
2007 marks the year this build began. Once you take a look at this car, you’ll notice the attention to detail is immaculate. The first thing some may notice when examining this machine, is that it’s RHD. Now these days, we know cars being RHD is a bit more common that in was in previous years. What makes this one special? The way he built it. Ray cut the entire front end using a digital measuring system. Everything from the fire wall forward was cut. After that, it was time to get his hands dirty with the rebuild.
The next thing you’ll notice, is the K-Swap. This motor and swap was largely in part made possible by Ray’s girlfriend, Michelle. Michelle owned a 2006 RSX type S, which met an early demise and was unfortunately totaled. Instead of just letting the car go off into another graveyard, she convinced Ray buy it back from the insurance company to salvage that one precious item, the motor. Not only that, she was also responsible for initiating a conversation with K-TUNED to get the ball rolling on the swap. This conversation, eventually led to a full sponsorship from K-TUNED. RIP to the RSX, but it gave new life to Ray’s coupe. She’s a keeper.
Dedication pays off. The coupe now sits in this beautiful state. Starting it’s life in white, painted by Lee Moore, it now lives it’s life on the streets in green. A color Ray dedicates to his nephew William. You will also notice the purple accents, which are dedicated to his niece Kayla. There are a couple more stories this car and it’s owner have to tell. One being the drive through the a massive storm, the closest thing to a tornado, with no windshield wipers or defrosters, just to get to the East Coast Honda Meet. Serious. Again, referencing the title of this post. Here are some detailed shots of the build:
A good friend of Jay Martinez (Founder of Tuner Evolution), Ray has been a supporter Tuner Evolution since 2009. This car was built the way Ray wanted to build it. In the words of Jay himself: “Ray fits the mold of an enthusiast that could be a proper role model to follow because he builds his car the way he wanted it. It’s notable that he does most of the work himself including the RHD conversion and he doesn’t follow the “in thing” of slamming and camber, but rather builds the way he wants to, using quality parts and well thought out modifications.” A couple of years ago, while on his way to a Tuner Evolution show, less than a mile away, Ray gets pulled over. An experience we all love to hate. The cop, clearly out for blood, started the usual speech some of us are familiar with, “Those mods aren’t ‘street legal’!”. Ray explained it was a show car and that the show was 3/4’s of a mile down the road, but of course, the cop said he wouldn’t allow this car on “his” roads. Fortunately, Jay Martinez was able to get a friend to tow the car to the show. The cop, clearly looking out for the public’s safety, had even followed the tow to make sure Ray didn’t drive it. How nice. The important thing is, Ray made it to Tuner Evolution!
Tuner Evolution goes down tomorrow, August 3rd, in Philadelphia PA! Be sure to stop by and check out Ray’s immaculate Civic coupe in person! We’ll se you there!
Ray would like to give his special thanks to: His sister Jessica, girlfriend Michelle, Lee Moore, TW Robbins “Dubz”, Tim Mullan, Mr. Jack, Eric maxwell, Jimmy, Josh, Mike Brown @ T&S auto body, Jhon Shill at Absolute Pro Performance and Egore at GT performance.
MOD LIST
2006 K 20 type s swap / K Tuned power steering eliminator kit / K tuned intake / Skunk 2 exhaust / K tuned throttle body gasket / K tuned intake manifold gasket / K tuned heat eliminators / K tuned oil hoses / K tuned upper filler neck / K tuned lower swivel rad outlet / K tuned coolant return hose / K tuned fuel pressure regulator and gauge / K tuned fuel rail / All in fab radiator / Wire worx tucked harness with mil spec plug / Shaved engine bay / Battery tuck / Custom roll cage / Personal steering wheel / Jdm rear seats / “Custom fitted ” custom door panels / Bride seats / Re-wrapped head liner and sun visors / 18x9Work emotion x-d9 wheels Bf Goodrich tires / 6 speed trans / K tuned billet shift-box / Hasport axels / Eg sub frame “painted” Hasport motor mounts / Acura integra type r 5 lug conversion / Rear trailing arms painted / ASR rear sway bar / ASR sub frame brace / Sk2 LACS / Brake line tuck / Honestly, there may be more…
SPONSORS
K tuned / ViS racing / JHP USA
Photos by TOXIC IMAGES exclusively for SNTRL