This V6 Swapped, AWD lifted Civic Wagon is the Unlikely Honda Trail Rig you have to see to believe

The rare 1991 Honda Civic Wagon RT4WD is a unique starting point for any build, and a Platinum Master Tech from Georgia would build it into a capable, lifted trail rig.

The new Honda Passport Trailsport is considered the “most offroad capable Honda ever” with “off-road tuned” suspension, robust steel skid plates, offroad tires and bright orange heavy-duty front recovery points (slow clap ensues). The TrailSport version also boasts an expanded all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring. All in all, what’s considered as Honda’s best off roader ever is a bit of a lame excuse to capitalize on the “outdoor adventurer trend” that has been so prominent post COVID. In the world of remote work, people enjoy the sense that they can go anywhere and see the world now more than ever after spending so much time indoors. Trailsport, Hyundai’s XRT, Ford’s Timberline, and even some of Toyota’s latest TRD additions has appeased these consumers by providing trimlines and packages to cater to this image, that often lacks true off roading features, like locking differentials.

Courtesy of Honda

With that movement in mind, it was exciting to stumble upon one of the most unique, but also truly capable Honda builds of all time on social media, and surprisingly enough is actually a Civic. But not just a Civic, a manual Civic Wagon RT4WD, a rare all-wheel-drive model. 

But Kevin Stewart’s build takes it up a few (an understatement) notches: A civic wagon powered by the first-generation Acura MDX’s J35 V6 engine. The wagon sits upon the MDX’s suspension and meets the road with 32” tires that look oversized next to the civic body.

Kevin is a Platinum Master Technician in Georgia, a platinum master technician for Hyundai and Genesis of the past 15 years and 5 years with Acura prior to this position.  His interest in cars began building model cars around 11 yrs old until he could work on the real thing. He is currently building a 1987 Porsche 944 with his son for his first car. 

He had always enjoyed odd cars as well as the off roading scene. He had worked on this Honda, way before he would ever become its owner. After attempting to buy the car from its previous owner for nearly four years, he finally received his opportunity. Soon after, he began lifting it little by little with larger tires. Even after upgrading to VTEC cylinder heads on the factory 4-cylinder engine, the power just wasn’t there to move the setup like he had wanted to. It wasn’t until a few years later that he had the idea to swap the drivetrain. 

Kevin’s new goal was to do something that had never done before; The B or K [Series] was a common swap to make good power, but that didn’t interest him. He remembered the first-generation Acura MDX he had years prior, recalling its superb capability in the snow and solid power through its J-Series V6 engine. With that, he would buy 2 broken MDX’s to combine with his Civic Wagon. 

This project took nearly 3 ½ years to build the “ACUWAGON” into a drivable rig, and the last couple years to make necessary adjustments and upgrades. The ACUWAGON consists of the Civic body sitting atop not only the front and rear subframes, but also the suspension of the MDX. The Acura’s automatic shifter is hidden under the factory manual assembly. 

The rear differential is normally controlled by a computer that uses pulse width modulation to engage two separate clutch packs on the rear axle. It usually doesn’t send full lock, just enough to help with traction. However, in the ACUWAGON, the rear diff is manually controlled with a 12-volt switched power source wired directly to both clutch packs. That means the rear axle locks solid when needed, giving true 4WD on demand.

What setbacks did he face putting this together? One major setback was centering the axle output from the transmission to the centerline of the front wheels – once all of the suspension was on, the wheels sat back 2.5 inches. Kevin didn’t have the space to move the complete subframe farther forward, so he decided to move the lower control arm mounts farther forward on the subframe. This straightened out the axle alignment. Another tough obstacle was wiring the engine and transmission to work in the Civic’s body. He tackled it by laying out the connector from the ECU that goes to the body on a table and separated each wire, labeling them one by one, and to where it goes.

When asked about what his favorite adventures had been thus far, Kevin picked AWD Fest in the Uwharrie National Forest of North Carolina, and also the Hot Wheels Legends Tour’s stop in Charlotte. While he didn’t get selected to be made into his own Hot Wheels Diecast Toy, he enjoyed the event after a four-hour trip up with his son, often serving as the copilot of ACUWAGON’s adventures. 

Glancing into the future, one trip he’d like to take is a route known as the Georgia Transverse – a 390-mile collection of scenic roads and offroad trails that wind through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama, providing some of the breathtaking views in the region.

Kevin left us with one piece of advice for those with their own project build in mind: Do what makes you happy, don't worry about what others think. Can't argue with that; something we should all remind ourselves from time to time. Check out @ACUWAGON for yourself on Instagram & YouTube for more on this lifted Honda Civic Wagon.