In 2011 I purchased my first Acura integra a 1994 ls. I have driven many cars in my life but that vehicle seemed to offer the best compromise of fuel efficiency, durability, performance potential, and ease of repair. In 2012 the engine failed and I decided not to repair it as it was rotted to ****. My parents urged me to get rid of the car but I vowed never to get rid of it even if I had to park it in the weeds and I did exactly that. I acquired recently a 1997 Acura integra ls with type r doors. I have always wanted to build a 94-97 integra but pristine examples are very hard to find in my area because of the winter. If I am to put in the time and money the car needs to be worth it. When I first looked at the advertisement on Craigslist I had my doubts about the vehicle. It was located in an area prevalent with crime, the car was advertised as having no rust, and the previous owner seemed dishonest to me. My initial impression was very bad. It was raining and the windows were down. For no apparent reason the previous owner cut the interior wiring harness at one of the doors and the hatch. The engine compartment had been stripped and much of the interior was missing. Also the transmission bracket was altered in a very crude manner and had begun to crack. I asked the owner if the vehicle was produced with an automatic transmission. Lyingly he assured me it had not. He also lied about the trim package alleging it was a gsr. I was easily able to disprove this by referring to the serial number on the firewall. Having worked at an independent dealership for 8 years I was able to make my own determinations about the car. Everything he said I immediately discarded. The undercarriage was very clean. I decided to purchase the vehicle. My original intention was to drive the car but it was cleaner then I though it to be initially. I now have in my possession a 99 Honda Civic and a 99 Saturn sc1 so I'm free to do what I want with the integra.

I'm very resourceful with cars and I think I should be able to complete this project with a budget of 5000-7000 dollars but I would like to get your onion on the matter.

Aside from paint the exterior will receive no further modification I'm building this car strictly for performance.

I am looking to make 5-600whp. I don't think pump gas will work with those figures. I was thinking I could run racing fuel and e85 in a separate tank to prevent erosion of the engine and fuel injection system.

What would be the appropriate wastegate size?

Would a ls crankshaft, engine block, gsr girdle, arp head studs, Dart sleeves, h beam rods, wiseco pistons, 95 Gsr intake, cylinder head and cam shafts be capable of withstanding 5-600 horsepower? Im undecided with the valves, springs and retainers.

What do you guys think about short shifters?

How substantial will the clutch need to be?

The frame rail is slightly different because the car use to have an automatic transmission. I was thinking about cutting out the section that is different and replacing it with a section from the donor car.

What kind of engine management system will I need to fine tune all of the engine parameter? Would I be able to do that with the hondata s300?

Ive heard ramhorn manifolds a prone to
cracking. I was thinking I could fabricate a bracket to support the weight of the manifold and turbo.

Also the transmission gearing was very low. As I recall it ran 3500rpm at 70mph. I don't know the origin of the transmission. I wasn't able to locate any markings. I don't think it will be suitable for this application. Will I need to change to ring and pinion or the actual gears? Now that I think about it I will probably need a lsd. Any recommendations?

 

 

In my opinion when it comes to FWD cars and one that will be used on the street mainly I would not want 5-600whp. Sure the numbers sound cool to but for a street FWD car it is extremely impractical and not all that fun to drive due to the headaches. My last turbo'd lude at 270whp 240ft/lbs was pushing the limits of street traction. If I were to boost another FWD car I would be looking to make 350-400whp and use boost by gear with the Hondata s300 setup so that you can actually make traction. Research boost by gear if you don't know what it is. With that said I wouldn't even focus so much on the power. I would focus more on the turbo's specs and try and get something really nice and linear that produces power through the whole setup. A gt35r for example (i've known many people who made 500whp+ with these turbos) is no fun on the street in the low gears, you just spin wheels. Ramhorns aren't prone to cracking, cheap manifolds are prone to cracking. Top mounts and ram horns are the two you want to go with. A log manifold even with a built block will destroy your motor at an exponential rate in comparison.

Lets take a step back for a minute though. What I would strongly suggest is get the car running and functioning 100% first before diving into any kind of turbo build. Especially with that budget. $5-7k is in all honestly pushing the limits for a build that will last more than a few weeks. Focus on the restore then turn your attention to the turbo build. I am willing to bet the restore will cost you close to $4-5k before you even buy a single turbo piece. I can definitely relate to that kind of seller. That was basically how it went when I bought my teg. The guy just rambled on about crap that was half true half lies and extremely obvious not to be the case. All I cared about was the fact the body was clean so that I had a relatively clean base to start with. Hopefully you find something in this post useful and good luck with the car!

 

 

I would like to restore the vehicle but it will be a couple years until Im equipped to do a proper restoration. For now I'm going to concentrate on performance. I think my 1994 integra should provide me with most of the parts I'll need to complete the vehicle.

I understand 600whp will compromise drivability but I'm ok with that. I don't plan to drive the vehicle on a consistent basis. I assume the car will be problematic but to me it is worth the extra effort.

 

Have you ever driven a Honda with 300,400,500 or 600whp? The reason i'm asking is not to be critical. It is because I think most under estimate how insane these cars are when properly done at lower levels.