Shawn Hillier's 1999 Honda Civic

41 Artisans everywhere know that tending to the small details is what counts when one wants to show the "big picture." in automotive styling or, more specifically, in jdm conversions, it's the details that separate a "stock" car from a true jdm masterpiece.

Shawn Hillier's 1999 Honda Civic is of the latter persuasion. As it roams the streets of Los Angeles County, it might look like just another slightly modified import. But, underneath its skin is a whole different beast altogether-a beast from the shores of the Far East. Let's take a microscope to this EK9 and see if we can find out more.

Obviously, the first place to start is with the exterior, because what you see is what you get-except in this case. First up is the body kit. Although the EK version of the Civic Type R was never available in the United States, Shawn took the do-it-yourself route and obtained the pieces necessary to turn his "CX cheaper" into a "JDM sleeper." Up front, the CTR headlights taper into CTR front grille (sans front emblem) to accent the Backyard Special front bumper and carbon/Kevlar lip. No, Backyard Special doesn't mean he hand-sanded the fiberglass concoction to perfection; it's the name of a very popular parts manufacturer in Japan. Following the natural lines of the car brings you to the Vision Type-MC rearview mirrors, CTR extra-thin side moldings (hey-when you want to save weight, you do it however you can), Spoon Sports carbon-fiber rear wing and the full CTR treatment in the rear; we're talking about the taillights, chin spoiler and signage. No Taiwan brand names here-this is original Honda of Japan equipment at its finest.

For those just talking the talk without walking the walk, this might be more than enough to garner a "JDM" title, but not for Shawn. His attention to minutiae spans a little bit further than that. Actually, it spans a lot further than that. Looking at the center of the Spoon Sports SW388 16-in. wheels, you'll notice that there are five-lug nuts; that's all thanks to the CTR suspension conversion, which includes the full hub and arm setup, front lower control arms (with the fatty CTR swaybar) and rear lower tie bar. This doesn't mean that the rest of his suspension has been neglected. In fact, everything from the Skunk rear swaybar to the A'PEX N1 coilovers to the Spoon rear lower tiebar has been planned. And the lightweight Mugen racing lugs? Those were planned, too. And, to slow everything down in a hurry, Shawn bolted on a set of Spoon Sports lightweight four-piston calipers with Brembo cross-drilled rotors and Project U brake pads.

Now, if you paid as much attention to the little details as Shawn did, you would naturally follow the stainless-steel brake lines back to the source underneath the hood. There you would be greeted by a U.S.-market '99-Spec Integra Type R brake master cylinder and brake booster, snuggling next to a Spoon master cylinder brace (believe it or not, the brake-cylinder housing does actually flex under REALLY hard braking conditions). And, to complete the true Japanese race-car feel, a pair of Mugen socks (not the kind that go on your feet) adorn the brake and clutch master cylinders.

Unless you're a dork, or a mechanic at Brake Depot, your eyes will naturally be drawn away from the corner that holds the hydraulic fluids to the wonderful work of art that stares back at you in all of its red glory: the JDM valve cover. For those that aren't in the know, one of the red valve covers has "dohc" in larger print than "VTEC"-do you know which is the U.S. version and which is straight from the land of Godzilla? The long block is strictly U.S. market 2000 Integra Type R bought brand new from the Honda/Acura dealer. If that's not enough to put a hole in your pocket, maybe the '98-Spec Integra Type R transmission is. If it's still not enough, try tacking on an Integra Type R ECU. If you're still not breaking a sweat, give me call; I want to borrow a few thousand dollars from you.

Running a stock Integra Type R motor in what used to be a Civic CX is no laughing matter, but tearing apart the factory fresh motor and rebuilding it with Civic Type R components is such a ridiculous proposition that you can't help but laugh. Ha ha-the joke's on us because that's exactly what Shawn did. Turning his engine over to Albert at Al's Chevron in Alhambra, Calif., the B18C5 was made up like Thanksgiving turkey and stuffed with all the CTR trimmings: pistons, camshafts and an N1-spec crank pulley. A pair of TODA adjustable cam sprockets and a few dozen Spoon parts later (stainless header, carbon/Kevlar intake, radiator hose, thermostat, fan switch, radiator cap/bracket/hoses), the engine was ready to be mated to the Prothane engine mount stabilizers so that it could throw down power through the ACT six-puck racing clutch.

Talking about the interior of Shawn's car is like reading two catalogs, one from Spoon, the other from Honda of Japan. Rear seats, red carpeting and five-piece floor mats, MOMO-designed steering wheel, carbon-fiber control panel, emergency brake handle and cover (no arm rest here!), door tweeters, passenger airbag cavity cover and shift boot all hail from the Land of the Rising Sun, and are branded with the ubiquitous Honda "H" logo. Meanwhile, the carbon/Kevlar bucket seats and seat brackets, gauge cluster and shift knob sport the Spoon Sports logo and, just for shits and giggles, Takata makes an encore appearance with four-point seat belts and shoulder pads.

We're sure that if you could spend an entire day with Shawn and his silver bullet, you still wouldn't find all of the JDM parts on it, and not just the original Honda of Japan parts, but all the little parts that are staples of the Japanese performance market, which may or may not be popular here in the States. Shawn knows that they're there because he put them there, and that's what sets his car apart from the rest. Wait-theoretically, if you're in Japan and reading this text right now, Shawn's car would actually be like all the rest. Oh, forget about it-who wants to sweat the details?