Many of us have known the pain of paying for shoddy workmanship. Ask around-horror stories of consumers getting ripped off by shops are not uncommon among automotive types, especially where engine work is involved. Indeed, that's how this 1996 Civic DX hatchback ended up on the doorstep of JE Import Performance in Baltimore, Md. The owner got a raw deal with his H- series swap and turned to JE for the assist.

JE was only too happy to oblige. Now 12 months, $30K, and countless dyno hours deep into the combo race/street car, the Civic is just about set to be unleashed on the world of drag racing. We caught up with shop owner and project head James Evans, who gave us the quick and dirty version of how this hatch came to be. Honda Tuning:: I know the owner of this Civic wants to remain anonymous for the story, but when he brought the car to you, did he have any idea what he wanted done?