TheAutoBuilder.com

July 16, 2023

A Quick 95hp

Making The Boost Game Even More Fun With The New HP Racing SRT-4 Turbo Kit Author So, you are the proud owner of a brand new Dodge SRT-4 and you love the sound of boost. Better yet, you love how quick your little four-door is. The only problem is … you want it to be faster. The need for speed is killing you and you will do anything and everything to get your adrenaline flowing. You have seen Mike Crawford and Shaun Carlson go down the track in their very fast SRTs and now you want the same thing.  Well, unless you have a whole lot of money in your pockets, don’t count on going as fast as those two just yet. But, get this: HP Racing out of Miami may have something that will wake you up. HP has a turbo kit you can really enjoy and best of all, afford. Yes, this is the same HP Racing that built that incredibly fast HB. It has now expanded its product line with a Stage 1 upgraded Turbo Kit for the new SRT-4. Boost is good, but having even more boost is better. The HP Racing kit includes a T3/T04 Turbo, Turbonetics wastegate and blow-off valve, HP 2.5-inch to 3-inch downpipe, racing tubular header, all oil lines and all the gaskets and screws needed for a clean and simple install. With an HP Racing turbo upgrade, you can make your already quick car 95 hp quicker. We had a chance to visit Lujan Motorsports in Miami as it test-fit and dyno-tested the new HP turbo assembly. As you can tell from the photos and straightforward steps, this install is quite simple and it looks great, too. William Lujan and Pablo Raffaele were interested in seeing what this new turbo kit would do on the dyno and to their surprise, the results were even better than advertised. The SRT-4 made 215 hp and 235 lb-ft of torque in its OE form. Not bad for an all-stock SRT-4, but these guys were looking for more. They went through the installation, following the directions and keeping everything tidy. When it was time to see what the new kit was all about, the HP upgrade put out a very impressive 310 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. Now that’s enough to wake up the SRT-4 and put it in anyone’s league. We made sure to take pictures of the new component so you could see just how big the HP turbo is. If you are in the mood for some extra boost or just want to spank up on some unsuspecting sleepers, make sure to check out this new kit. By the time you read this article, it will be on the market and readily available. We caught this one early on, so we could provide you the heads-up. Now you can beat the rush. All that is left for you to do is follow along as we show you the install, then go and tell your significant other that you now know what you want for the holidays. The kit retails for $2,400, which is a deal and a half if you consider the whole package. Your SRT will get a nudge shy of an extra 100 ponies and just as importantly, an additional 75 lb-ft of torque. HCI So, you are the proud owner of a brand new Dodge SRT-4 and you love the sound of boost. Better yet, you love how quick your little four-door is. The only problem is … you want it to be faster. The need for speed is killing you and you will do anything and everything to get your adrenaline flowing. You have seen Mike Crawford and Shaun Carlson go down the track in their very fast SRTs and now you want the same thing. STOCK SRT-4 SPECS: BLOCK CONSTRUCTION: Cast-iron, closed-deck, split crankcaseBORE X STROKE: 87.5mm x 101mmDISPLACEMENT: 2,429 ccCOMPRESSION RATIO: 8.1:1BORE SPACING: 96 mmDECK HEIGHT: 238.14 mmCONNECTING ROD DESIGN: Forged, cracked caps, threaded-in 9mm rod boltsCONNECTING ROD LENGTH: 151 mmROD/STROKE RATIO: 1.50:1CRANK DESIGN: Cast high-hardness steelMAIN BEARING DIAMETER: 60 mmROD BEARING DIAMETER: 50 mmCYLINDER HEAD CONSTRUCTION: Cast-aluminumCOMBUSTION CHAMBER DESIGN: 48-degree pent-roof with partial cloverleaf between intake valvesVALVETRAIN: Hydraulically adjusted rocker arm with roller cam followersINTAKE VALVE SIZE: 34.80 mmEXHAUST VALVE SIZE: 28.45 mmINTAKE VALVE ANGLE: 24.46 degreesEXHAUST VALVE ANGLE: 23.5 degrees NEW HP RACING SETUP SPECS:  T3/T04E Garrett Turbo 0.60 front housing 0.48 rear housing Stage 3 wheels HP Racing 2.5Ó-3Ó downpipe Turbonetics wastegate HP Racing tubular header Complete oil lines included All gaskets included Turbonetics blow-off valve included 1A,B. Here are a couple of views of the stock turbo to compare the size and space before the new T3/T04 was installed. 2. Notice the size of the new T3/T04 turbo. It is bigger than some peoples’ heads! 3. Although space looks tight, there is still plenty of room to install the new tubular manifold. 4. The tubular design will flow much better than the factory iron manifold and you can see from the many welds how much time went into the design of this bad boy. 5. Notice that it is a straight shot to install the turbo nothing is in the way. 6. With the thick mounting flanges, durability should not be a problem with the HP kit. 7. The overall packaging design is great. Some tolerances are tight, like the clearance between the cowl and the turbo, but everything fits nice and snug. 8. At this angle, you can see the fitment of the turbocharger in its new environment. 9. After the turbo and manifold are installed, you are ready to connect them to the new downpipe. 10. Notice how detailed Lujan is when doing an install. All the tools and equipment were set up before anything started. 11. The mounting flange between the block and the manifold is just as solid as the flange that connects the manifold to the T3/T04 turbo. 12A,B. A view of the turbo and

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MINI-ME

Discover the remarkable journey of Ben Bodor’s Civic transformation as it defies expectations, emerging as a formidable contender in the U.S. car scene. From its origins in Canada to its stunning evolution, follow the Bodor brothers’ quest for automotive excellence in this gripping tale of innovation, carbon fiber craftsmanship, and the pursuit of perfection.

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Oh-So-Fine MR2

As I was walking around the NOPI Nationals looking for cars to feature, this one stood out from the masses. What surprised me even more is that it stood out in a very impressive Toyo Tires booth. That is not an easy location to score. Toyo always has one of the hottest booths at NOPI and Hills MR2 literally stole the show.

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B-Series Block Hop-up

Sleeving A B-series Block Is Not New, But How It Is Done Can Make All The Difference Author These days, if you want to go fast on the track in a Honda, forced induction is almost a must, as most vehicles come with relatively small-displacement engines when compared to their domestic brethren. Basically, the more cylinder pressure and fuel that you can ignite, the faster you go. Admittedly, this all sounds pretty general, but for now, let’s roll with that thought. THE FIRST STEP IS TO REMOVE THE GREASE AND DIRT FROM THE BLOCK. THE EASIEST WAY TO DO THIS IS TO PLACE THE STRIPPED BLOCK INTO WHAT IS CALLED A HOT TANK. BASICALLY, HOT WATER AND CHEMICALS ARE SPRAYED ON THE BLOCK AND COOKED TO REMOVE YEARS OF GRIME AND GUNK. ONCE THIS IS DONE, THE BLOCK CAN BE INSPECTED FOR CRACKS OR OTHER IMPERFECTIONS. The problem with running a lot of boost on the B-series block is that the open-deck design, is great for efficiency, but lousy for strength. The factory sleeves tend to flex, causing ring sealing problems and resulting in a loss of power. They may even crack under the high-pressure conditions associated with extreme racing. B-series blocks are made from aluminum alloy, which is great for saving weight, but it’s not as strong as an iron block that affords increased strength at the cost of added weight. In both cases, there’s a tradeoff: you either get strength and a weight penalty with the iron block or lower weight and frailty with an aluminum block. Another problem with the B-series block is that if you wish to increase the bore size due to replacement pistons, you must bore the factory sleeve. This leaves less material for strength, which compounds the open-deck problem. Luckily, this isn’t as bleak as it sounds. Owners of B-series blocks have solutions to these problems, such as CNC-fabricated block guards or spacers that are pressed in at the top of the block to minimize flex and distortion of the cylinders. There’s also the all-new Dart block, but we’ll save that one for another article. However, the problem with block guards or spacers is they are limited to the installer and many builders have been led to believe that these spacers can be tapped into place with the butt end of a wooden hammer. What happens is that the spacer seldom goes in correctly and can cause failure, instead of preventing it. The current practice that is used in open-deck blocks like the B-series Honda block is to install a set of ductile iron sleeves. This isn’t anything new, as tuners have been using sleeves in domestic V-6 and V-8 blocks for a long time, and they have proven that the technique works. Out of all the materials available for this purpose, ductile iron was chosen because of its strength and versatility. In the past, gray iron was considered to be the most versatile of all foundry metals because its high carbon content made it easy to melt and cast. It had a low shrinkage rate and a tensile strength up to 60,000 psi; but aluminum alloy, such as 2024 alloy, has a tensile strength rating up to 63,000 psi. While both have high tensile strengths, the resistance to fracture is high as temperatures increase. Ductile iron is a graphitic metal that contains a high concentration of graphite spheres in its composition, unlike iron that contains flakes of graphite. If you have ever bent a graphite fishing rod or golf club, you know how strong it is. The same is true in ductile iron. It’s very resilient to fractures and cracking, while having 100,000 psi of tensile strength. The sleeve of choice for many high-performance engine builders is the Darton sleeve. Darton uses sleeves that have been centrifugally cast, a process where molten ductile iron is evenly distributed over the interior of a mold that ensures proper thickness without voids left by traditional casting methods. This process affords the Darton sleeve tensile strength of 130,000 psi. Aside from being strong and resistant to cracking, ductile iron affords thermal resistance able to withstand temperatures as high as 800 degrees F, while being very resistant to corrosion. Non-OEM blocks (like the Dart block) and welding of deck surfaces are outlawed by the NHRA. This ruling is a double-edged sword in a sense, as products like the Dart block would elevate the performance and power potential of B-series-powered vehicles. However, it also opens the doors for companies such as Dodge, General Motors, Ford and even McClaren to develop special engines for well-funded race teams. This could then make it virtually impossible for many racers to compete. Imagine a McClaren-powered Civic scorching the dragstrip. For now, blocks such as the Dart can be used on the street and racers will continue to use sleeved blocks because it is cost-effective, proven technology. RS Machines in Carson, California, is one such shop that has been machining blocks and installing sleeves since 1996 and has grown to be the best-kept secret in import drag racing. Not because it innovated something that nobody else did, but because RS makes a quality product that the world’s best tuner racers trust. In any form of competitive sport, the team that can maintain an advantage the best will always be successful and hard to beat. The team that keeps that advantage a secret the longest is even better off. This is exactly where RS Machines shines. Racers such as Bisi Ezerioha, Erick Aguilar and Jojo Callos use blocks prepped by RS Machines to dominate and smash records. What does RS Machines do that is so special? We were curious too, so we dropped by the shop to cover the process of installing ductile iron sleeves that are guaranteed not to leak. Here’s what we found.  1. When the block has been removed and dried off, its stock cylinders are gradually bored out in steps to accept the new ductile iron sleeves. In this

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California Autofest

Tuners And Hot Rods Converge At California’s Largest Racing Facility Author As an automotive enthusiast, you know that a huge part of our scene is showing the world your pride and joy, and car shows have traditionally been the best places to do so. They give you the opportunity to talk shop with people who share the same passion. Individuals with different makes of vehicles are drawn together by the same love affair, whether they are into Hondas, VWs or Nissans, so these are great networking places to learn and make things happen. I got this call from JD, our publisher, who told me that I should head over to the California Speedway where the California AutoFest was about to go down. I had never heard of this event and had absolutely no idea what to expect in terms of attendance or caliber of vehicles. Hell, I didn’t even know how big the California Speedway was. Boy, was I in for a surprise. The California Speedway is humongous and it took quite a while for me to drive around the perimeter before reaching the entrance. I also noticed something else out of the ordinary domestic vehicles. And I’m not talking about Neons, J-body cars or Ford Foci. I mean old-school hot rods. For a moment I thought there was a mistake or that I got lost, but then I noticed that there were imports mixed in the lineup. Don’t get me wrong; I love old-school domestics with high-displacement engines, blowers and custom paint, but now I was even more curious about the show. How would the import dudes mix with the domestic cats? Apparently, they mixed rather well, but more on that later. When I first joined the Buckaroo family, there was talk about a rig that had recently been purchased. It was being painted and gussied up to use as a mobile headquarters at various events across the country. I was anxious to see this thing and when I did, I was blown away by its commanding presence. It’s hard to miss the big red Buckaroo rig. After meeting up with Neil Tjin, we took our initial tour of the show. For all intents and purposes, Tjin is The Man when it comes to the show aspect of things and I’m more the technical dude. What’s your preference when it comes to cars? Tjin asked. I told him that I love the old classic machines because the owners really know how to build true show vehicles. They pay attention to every detail and it shows in their finished products just take a look at the engine compartment of a well-executed classic show vehicle. The firewall is so clean that you could eat off it and there isn’t a speck of grease anywhere. Sure, there are trailer queens that never see the road; but if you compare apples to apples, you have to agree the domestic enthusiasts got it down. I pointed a few examples out to Tjin and he agreed. The flipside was that more classics were sporting four-piston calipers, car audio and fuel injections. So there is some cross-pollination between both groups. That said, there were enthusiasts from both groups admiring each others rides and asking questions. This can only lead to great things down the road, especially in terms of growth as a community and what can be learned from one another. American Products Company (APC) had its rig and freshly sponsored Team Orange, a group of Nissan S13 drift machines from Japan, on hand with Team Rotora to perform a drift demo for spectators. I always get a kick out of the reactions from newcomers when they watch drifting or import drag racing. The crowd was definitely thrilled by the drifters and wanted more. There was always something going on at this event. The roar of pushrod engines could be heard during the day as stock car drivers sped around the track. After a while, a monster 4×4 school bus was giving rides to those willing to fork over a few bucks for the honor. Near the Rotora and Kicker display area was a rock climbing setup that you could scale and Loren Ho of Rotora was trying his best to imitate Sylvester Stallone in  Cliffhanger.  Elsewhere, pushrods and OHC engines competed on the dragstrip to satisfy the need for speed, while others satisfied the need to shed some rubber in the burn-out area in the infield. The event spanned two days and spectators came out in droves both days to check out California’s best. The import presence was considerably smaller than the domestic turnout, but we know for a fact that it will increase next year, as major changes are in store and more tuners will know about the show. The California AutoFest promoters did a spectacular job putting this event together. We’re certain there will be more emphasis on the imports next year. And we’ll be there too bigger and better than ever.

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Honda Header Shootout

When it comes to performance, there is one steadfast rule: All the good air that goes into making horsepower must eventually find its way out. This means that adding all the cool camshafts, intake manifolds and even superchargers to help improve airflow into the motor will be useless (okay, maybe not useless, but certainly much less effective) if the motor is not able to rid itself of the exhaust. Cork up a serious performance motor and watch it struggle and gag on its own exhaust fumes.

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Windy City Blowout

Hot Import Nights: Chicago Author Everyone in the Midwest was getting ready for this show and seemed to have marked this event as his or her battleground. All of the competitors I spoke with said that this was the show where they were going to show the world what their rides had to offer. I was pumped and really looking forward to going back to the Windy City to see what new toys and modifications would be popping up after the last Import Revolution event held in Chi-town, just a couple months earlier. The last time we made the journey to the Midwest, we saw some of the best built cars in the country. When we headed back, I knew that the cars, people and show would be even better. Boy oh boy, was I right! As soon as we walked through the main doors of McCormick Place, we could feel the tension in the room. Competition is a great thing, but this night the rivalry would be taken to a whole new level.  You see, at the first Import Revolution event, some of the newcomers weren’t around just yet. They may have been there in spirit or walking around, but their new toys were still at home or in bodyshops. This time would be different. Everybody was ready to battle it out with Jay Laub for Best of Show bragging rights. Laub had his hands full this time around with not just one or two competitors, but a small army of them. He also had a battle and a half in the 2-Door Wild class. Laub faced off against the biggest names in the Midwest … but yet again, he took them all down (see “Best of Show,” p. 150). He didn’t care what it took. All he knew was that he was going home with the Best of Show trophy. It made the long drive up from Florida worth his while.  Besides Laub’s RX-7, Larry Chachko from Body Werks had it going on. Not only does he have one of the baddest S2Ks in the country, but he also has one of the most respected bodyshops in the Midwest. When these guys come to a show, they come in full force. Body Werks didn’t just bring out five or six cars—these guys came to party and brought over 40 cars with them! And if you’re thinking that 25 of them must have been stock, think again. Chachko and the boys don’t play that game. All 40 were built with the Body Werks touch and they all had it going on. At the end of the night, the Body Werks crew cleaned house and walked away with several individual trophies and the Hottest Import Club award. So, if you have Chachko and Laub battling it out for Best of Show honors, does that leave room for anyone else? Surprisingly, it does. The two other cars that caught our attention are more than worthy of their fair share of drooling. Bob Mull from Team GMCI and his one-of-a-kind Cavalier gave Laub and Chachko all they could handle. This car was probably the most complete show car there, but after all was said and done, Mull fell just short. Don’t feel too bad for him, though.  The other car that really drew us in was that of Jon Antes and his candy-green wide-body Supra. Not only does this car win the Meguiar’s Best Paint award on a regular basis, but it also puts out over 900 hp. Holy crap! There goes the notion of “all show and no go.” This car caught our eyes a couple of months back and still makes us drool every time we see it.   Incredible cars, gorgeous models, an atmosphere like no other and great judging … what more can anyone ask for at a show? Another great job by the entire Vision Entertainment and NCCA crews. You guys keep doing what you are doing and I guarantee that people will keep coming back for more. In the meantime, keep building your cars because Laub can’t stay undefeated forever! 

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Hot Stuff

Installing The MagnaFlow Ti On A Nissan 240SX Author Everywhere we go, we hear people talking about how cool the new titanium stuff is. But do people even know what titanium is? Does it really make a difference? When I got a call from Craig Lieberman, marketing director of MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust, to tell me about the company’s new Ti line, I was totally stoked. Not because it had anything to do with titanium, but because I was going to get a firsthand look at what the new stuff looked like and how it performs on the dyno. Although we didn’t expect anything in particular in terms of power, the weight savings alone was worth the install. I was given a tour of the huge MagnaFlow Tech Center from Richard Waitas, the gentleman in charge of doing the tech install and dyno runs on our new exhaust. The crew offered me a dyno run with my old exhaust and promised it would perform other dyno runs after the new Ti exhaust was installed. After strapping the 240SX in and double-checking all the straps, we were ready to rock and roll with the first couple of dyno passes. After four passes, Waitas was satisfied with the numbers and it was time to move the car from the dyno onto the lift. As you can tell from the photos, these guys don’t play around. Waitas took a peak underneath the car and made sure that the new exhaust would have no problems bolting on. Upon inspection of the old exhaust we noticed right away that it was a little beat up. The old unit was considerably larger than the new MagnaFlow unit and the piping and canister had been dinged up from the daily grind. With its smaller piping and smaller canister, the new exhaust will make road clearance 100-times better. The crew removed the old exhaust and it was time to bolt on the new Ti unit, which requires one or two people. Most other applications that we have come across are built as one piece, requiring at least two people to do the installation. For this particular install, Waitas enlisted an assistant. The Ti unit is broken down into two sections: the front section connects to the resonator and the second section contains the canister. The first thing that Waitas did was bolt the first section to the resonator. Then he connected the first section to the stock hangers. Nothing was fully tightened always make sure that everything is correctly installed and aligned before fully tightening the hardware. Another important rule: Always start the install from the front and work your way toward the back, making sure that everything is aligned. Waitas then took the second section and bolted it up to the front section, which was now hanging securely on the hangers. Then he made sure that the canister was secure by connecting the second section to the hangers located at the rear of the vehicle. Next, he made sure that everything lined up and that the canister looked just right from behind the car. After it was all secure, he went back and tightened everything. The only tools needed for this install were 12mm and 14mm wrenches and a set of hanger pliers. Magna-Flow supplies the rest of the hardware, including washers and an Allen wrench. Before we did the final dyno run, Waitas and Lieberman wanted to sound-test the new exhaust. Now, this exhaust unit was made for a 240SX with a KA24 motor; they had never dyno’d the product on a 240SX with an SR20DET motor. As Waitas drove the car outside, I could already tell that the new piece was a work of art. It not only looked great, but it sounded even better. As we watched Waitas do the sound test, we noticed how quiet the new Ti piece is. With the silencer in place, the level never got over 93 dB at full throttle. After testing the exhaust with the silencer, Waitas took it out and redid the test, just to see if there would be a difference. To our surprise, the decibels only went up to 96 dB without the silencer. Not bad at all. I loved it because it was nice and quiet, yet sounded just right. Now was the moment of truth. Would the Ti exhaust be able to put out better numbers than the old unit? Waitas pulled the car back on the dyno and strapped it down one more time. Most importantly, before we started our next series of dyno runs, Waitas disconnected the battery for about 10 minutes. This resets the computer and gives it a fresh start with the new unit. After a 10-minute break, it was time to see what this baby could do. A total of four dyno runs were done and the new Ti exhaust put out an extra 6 hp and 3 lb-ft of torque. Not too bad if you ask me! Note that the 240SX didnÕt have a stock exhaust; it had an upgraded unit with 3.25-inch piping. The new Ti exhaust is only using 2.25-inch piping and the numbers still improved. If you would like one of these beauties, you can pick one up for anywhere between $895 and $1,400, depending on whether you get the resonator (which is not to be confused with the silencer; that is included at no extra charge). 1. Notice that the 240SX had to be put on the dyno in reverse. Remember that the car is rear-wheel drive. 2. After reversing the car onto the dyno, Richard Waitas placed a stopper underneath the front and rear tires to make sure that the car stayed securely in place. Next it was time to strap down the entire car. Waitas made sure that the front and rear were totally secure before the dyno runs began. 4. After the car was secure, Waitas ran the wire from the computer to the coil. This has to be

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BALLISTIC B-SERIES

IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE TO MAKE 650 HP FROM A B18C? Author The next level we refer to is the kind of sick power found only on the racetrack. Make no mistake, stuffing a 475hp turbo motor in the engine bay of any Civic will make for one wild ride, but we’re talking about crazy turbo power now. If 475 hp isn’t enough to get the party started, how about 500 hp? Still not enough—what about 550? Now things are starting to get serious, don’t you think? But we think we can do even better than 550 hp. Thinking that 600 hp had a nice ring to it, we decided to see what it took to produce over 600 hp from a turbo B-series.  Your first thought may be that all it takes to go from 475 hp to 600 hp is more boost. I mean, if the B16A produced 475 hp at 21 to 22 psi, won’t the power increase with more boost pressure? The answer to that question is actually both yes and no, as additional boost pressure will usually add power, but there is a limit to how much additional power is available from the turbo and how much additional boost will be tolerated by the motor itself. In terms of the turbo, the T04E-46 used on our 475hp B16A was just about maxed out at the 475hp level. In fact, the power level actually exceeded the numbers indicated by the compressor map, so more power from more boost was not in the cards. Sure, we may have been able to sneak another 25 hp from the combination with more timing, less fuel and a tad more boost, but running the motor on the edge like that is never a desirable situation. More total timing and a leaner mixture can combine to create havoc in a turbo motor. The same can be said for increasing the boost pressure, since more boost equals more inlet heat, something that again increases the chance of detonation. It should be obvious that more boost is not always the answer when it comes to making more power; however, if more boost is not the answer, then how do we reach our goal of 600 turbocharged horsepower? One route may be to upgrade the turbo, since we had reached the limit of the smaller T04E-46 on the B16A. While a larger turbo would indeed allow us to increase the power output of the B16A, we would still have to resort to a sizable increase in boost pressure to further the power output of the little B16A. In reality, the turbo wasn’t holding us back from producing 600 hp, nor was the cam timing or the cylinder head flow or the intake manifold. The truth is that the entire combination was at fault, as the turbo B16A was never designed to pump out crazy turbo power. What we needed was to literally start from scratch and build a dedicated 600hp turbo B-series that would allow us to produce the desired power without resorting to astronomical pressure ratios (boost pressure). The key to producing 600 hp can actually be found in the buildup of the 475hp B16A—at least the basic principles. The success of the 475hp B16A came from the combination of an efficient turbo system with an already powerful normally aspirated combination. This recipe for success holds true even for our 600hp motor. All we had to do was “super-size” both sides of the equation. Stepping up from the 475hp kid’s meal to the super-size 600hp menu required a more efficient turbo system, along with a more powerful normally aspirated motor. Seems simple, right? Unfortunately, we had already produced a pretty healthy B-series for the 475hp buildup and additional normally aspirated power was getting harder and harder to come by. The key to the additional normally aspirated power came (primarily) for an increase in displacement from 1.6 liters to over 1.9 liters. Simple math told us that the normally aspirated 1.6 liter produced 125 hp-per-liter (200 hp from 1.6 liters). If we retained the same specific output, but increased the displacement to 1.93 liters, the normally aspirated power output should jump to over 240 hp. Adding the proper turbo to a 240hp motor would make reaching our goal of 600 hp much easier and require less ultimate boost pressure. The first step was to build the larger, more efficient B-series. We started with a 1.8-liter GSR block and had the motor sleeved to increase the wall strength. We did not install a deck insert, as the sleeves have proven more than strong enough to withstand the additional power, providing the motor is tuned to eliminate any trace of detonation. The short block included a stock steel GSR crank, a set of forged Eagle connecting rods and a quartet of forged pistons from Probe Racing. The forged pistons featured dished tops and valve reliefs to lower the static compression while allowing high-lift cams. The short block was assembled using new Honda rod and main bearings and a fresh oil pump. Additional goodies included a set of ARP head studs and a Moroso oil pan that featured a provision for the oil drain for the turbo, which eliminated the need to weld a fitting onto the stock pan. Had the timing been right, we would have run our new Dart block, but we’ll reserve that for a future buildup. While the extra displacement was a step in the right direction, we knew that additional efficiency would also be beneficial. To that end, we installed one of the new Dart CNC-ported Honda cylinder heads on our turbo motor. The fully ported GSR head featured precision CNC porting on the intake, exhaust and even the combustion chambers. In addition to the porting, the Dart head also featured a complete Ferrea valvetrain, stainless-steel valves, springs and retainers. The springs and retainers allowed us to replace the wimpy stock cams with a set of Stage 2 cams from Skunk2.

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Electrified

Installing Electric-Life’s Power Window Kit Author If you are like many of us who have at one time or another opted for a less expensive vehicle to build, then this how-to will be of interest to you. At the cost of certain features or creature comfort conveniences mundane items like power windows and locks we often begin with what may be considered a strippo model or a basic transportation car that is … well, available. These cars can, after all, make for a great foundation that can easily be personalized, just like we are doing here. If you are unfortunate enough to own such a vehicle like the Civic DX, which never offered power windows then the thought of adding them has no doubt crossed your mind. The notion that power windows would make your vehicle just a little bit nicer is a sound one and that is where an Electric-Life power window kit comes into play. Electric-Life offers several different types of electric window kits, along with a full range of accessories for just these types of cars. And how about this little-known fact: Electric-Life power window systems are standard equipment on all Ferraris. So, with a set, you could say that you have the same! In addition to the typical universal-style power window kits, Electric-Life manufactures a large number of vehicle-specific kits that completely replace the manual window regulator and can also be used to replace a faulty OEM power window regulator. In our case, for the Õ00 Honda Civic, Electric-Life builds a complete, custom-fit, bolt-in window kit. Along with the window kit, a complete switch kit and wiring harness were also obtained from Electric-Life. To do the job right and to get the lowdown for this how-to, we took the car and the kit down to Unique Car Audio in Gilbert, Arizona, to document the installation. Check out the following photos and see if you feel this is something you can do in your backyard to add a bit of convenience to your ride. Another thing: when customizing the interior of your car, it is often easier to replace the existing window mechanisms and include a power set for that custom touch. Either way, this is an inexpensive way to add a bit of class to that tuner car of yours. 1. Here is the door before we started with the power conversion. Soon the manual crank will be gone and the pure convenience of power will take its place. 2. Before the door panel could be removed, the door pull was unscrewed and removed from the door. 3. The panel behind the door handle needed to be removed as well. 4. The clip that secures the window crank was removed and discarded. 5. Finally, the speaker grille was removed, as well as the screws that secure the door panel behind it. 6. The door panel was removed by pulling it away at the bottom and lifting up to clear the inner door panel structure. 7. Here you can see the factory manual window regulator and the four bolts that secure it to the door. 8. The four bolts around the crank were removed, along with two bolts that secured the bottom of the regulator to the door. 9. A pair of bolts secures the window glass to the regulator. Both of these were removed and the glass lifted up. 10. A few strips of masking tape hold the window in its up position so it will not interfere with the removal and installation of the window regulators. 11. With everything disconnected, the manual window regulator was removed through the large hole in the door and set aside. 12. Here you can see the Electric-Life electric regulator (bottom) and manual regulator (top). 13. Before installing the new electric window regulator, the wiring was plugged into the motor, as it is difficult to access once the regulator is in the door. (Trust us!) 14. The new regulator is simply fit into the door through the same hole that the manual regulator was removed from. 15. The new unit was test-fit before bolting on the screws. 16A,B. Using factory holes and the included hardware, the power regulator was secured to the door. 17. Next, the window was dropped back into position and secured to the regulator using the factory hardware. 18. Since our switches were going to be mounted in the center console, only two wires were run into each door. These wires were connected to the leads coming from the window motors. 19. To supply power to the system, the wiring harness was tapped into the ignition wiring beneath the dashboard. 20. The ground wire was secured to the metal chassis of the Honda, also beneath the dash. 21. With the wiring connections completed, the lower dash panel was reinstalled and all wiring was run through the center console. 22. The loose ends of the wiring were run up through the factory opening in the center console and through the Electric-Life switch plate. 23. Quick disconnects were added to the switch wiring to allow them to be removed in the future, if needed. 24. The switches were plugged into the wiring, making sure to test the polarity of the motors to see if it was correct. 25. With the wiring connected, the switches were snapped into place. 26. The finished switches fit perfectly into the blank spots in the Honda center console. 27. With the window crank removed, the opening in the door panel was filled with fiberglass and the panel was re-covered with matching suede. ARTICLE SOURCES

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