It's a far cry to call this Hot Rod's first sport compact buildup, or even its first import. But it's been a good long while--so much so that the current staff has barely laid a metric wrench on anything ever. These days, front-drive four-cylinders are frequently in the 10s at the dragstrip, and that's about what it's taken to snap us to attention. It's about time we hooked up with the sport compact thing, even though industry guys and readers alike have freaked out over our involvement with it. So the name for our latest thrasher is a natural: Project Hell Freezes Over. HFO for short.
Our scheme for import involvement begins with this '91 Acura Integra LS--not the most mainstream choice, but a plentiful and cheap car that's got good support from the aftermarket. At nearly 2,600 pounds, it's too heavy to be a drag car, but we're not really shooting for that. Rather, the vibe will be Pro Touring (if you'll pardon the street-machine lingo), a plan that revolves around daily driveability, killer braking, and corner-carving rather than pure quarter-mile usage. We'll put the bucks into everything about performance and leave the wings and neon to sit on the parts-store shelves.
Our Acura's engine is a B18A1-designated 1.8L that's commonly referred to as an LS engine because they were introduced in the Integra LS (but also used in Integras of the RS and GS trim levels). The kick-ass Integra mill for us to play with would have been the '92-'93 GS-R 1.7L with 160 factory horsepower, but we figured the 1.8 is much more common; you can get it in any second- generation ('90-'93) Integra. The B18A1 is a DOHC engine without VTEC, but we're stoked about its future possibilities. The B18A1 block will accept, with little modification, a VTEC head that gives us the option of the variable cam timing, but more importantly, usually has more airflow than the non-VTEC head. The stock B16A1 head is a good choice, though we'll probably opt for a Dart CNC-ported unit. At that point we also expect to tear the engine out of the Integra and throw it in a lightweight Civic and see how well we can do at the all-motor drags before we take the leap to forced induction.
That's daydreaming, though. In the meantime, we're off to a strong start with some basic bolt-ons that increased our power at the wheels by about 30 hp, plus other add-ons for appearance and fun. Look for HOT ROD on the newsstand for the next two months to follow the rest of the saga of Project HFO as we treat it to nitrous and autocross suspension.
Here's our '91 Integra when we bought it for $2,200, complete with ugly hubcaps, factory mudflaps, and 150,000 commuter miles. The car's an LS-trim unit with a sunroof and a five-speed, and we're grateful that it lacks the factory deck wing common to Gen 2 Integras. The Kelley Blue Book claims the car's worth $2,885, but we see them cheaper in the local paper all the time. Around here, they're less beat than typical Civics. |
The stock mill is a B18A1 measuring up at 1834cc with a bore and stroke of 81x89mm; in SAE, that's 3.24x3.56 for 112 ci. Even with 150,000 miles it doesn't burn a drop of dinosaur sauce, it takes our 6,500-rpm punishment at every shift, and on Westech Performance's chassis dyno it made 111 hp at the wheels at around 6,000 rpm and 110 lb-ft at 5,000. That means it's still making its factory-rated 130 hp at the flywheel (later B18A1s were rated at 140 hp). |