Umbrellas were out and tents were being put to full use. Local manufacturers also came by such as HKS, APR, Tanabe, NRG, Volk Wheels, and Fujita. Some showed their show cars, others showed off their new parts. As for us, we had a pre-meet at the shop and rolled 20 deep to the meet. We brought out our EP3 which was in a featured display section along with some of our cars on the gallery. The DC5 that is under construction also came out to play in the rain. All in all this was the biggest meet I’ve ever been to and was the most interesting. Interesting in the fact that there was a wide variety of street cars showing their stuff.

Wether it was old school JDM rims, new paint, hard to get JDM parts or new motors, they were all there representing. Watch out for the next JTuned meet or possibly a JTuned show!

Umbrellas were out and tents were being put to full use. Local manufacturers also came by such as HKS, APR, Tanabe, NRG, Volk Wheels, and Fujita. Some showed their show cars, others showed off their new parts. As for us, we had a pre-meet at the shop and rolled 20 deep to the meet. We brought out our EP3 which was in a featured display section along with some of our cars on the gallery. The DC5 that is under construction also came out to play in the rain. All in all this was the biggest meet I’ve ever been to and was the most interesting. Interesting in the fact that there was a wide variety of street cars showing their stuff.

Wether it was old school JDM rims, new paint, hard to get JDM parts or new motors, they were all there representing. Watch out for the next JTuned meet or possibly a JTuned show!

The Union City, Calif., native originally purchased the Honda Civic brand new in January of 2004 when his car at the time, a ’92 Honda Prelude, was giving him problems that left him in need of a reliable daily driver. “I chose the EP because it wasn’t that common and I saw a lot of potential in it,” says Li. Not much was done to the Prelude, just your run-of-the-mill drop/intake/exhaust combo and the new EP received the similar treatment, starting off with a set of Tein springs and a clean set of silver Gab wheels

By the time summer came around, the thirst to pull more power out of the stock K20A motor consumed Li and he decided to force-feed the motor with a turbo kit courtesy of the guys over at Rev Hard. “The turbo kit came about when I was deciding what kind of power gains I wanted from my stock motor. Knowing that the EP came with a disadvantaged K20 motor, I figured that [turbo-charging] was the easiest and fastest way to add power,” says Li. Casey over at Modacar in Livermore, Calif., was responsible for the install and tuning of the t3/t4 setup that was good for 238 whp. To help get the power to the ground and to give it a more aggressive stance to match its newly established power, Li decided to upgrade the suspension to Tein Basic coilovers along with a J’s Racing C-pillar bar and Carbing lower tie-bar for added structural rigidity.

With the “go” factor set in place, the next step was to give it the looks to match. To set his EP apart from the rest, Kenneth decided to draw his inspiration from the Top Secret cars of Japan. He sent his car to Main Street Autobody to get the Civic resprayed Maya Gold Metallic and the roof of the car Nighthawk Black. Once the paint settled and a new set of rollers in the form of 17×7 Regamaster Evos were installed, Li came to the realization that it was a good idea to turn this once daily-driven machine into a weekend warrior. The decision to park the car led to its biggest transformation yet, and how it came about, was simply a matter of pure luck. RedZone Performance was originally called to duty to perform wire tucking services on the Civic and according to Li, “I was really surprised, another customer had ordered a JDM K20 motor and the clip just came with the deal…I’ve never seen or heard about an EP right-hand-drive clip stateside before so I jumped on the opportunity right away.” As if it weren’t rare enough to see a show-stopping gold EP on the streets, the guys at RedZone decided to help Li really raise the bar by handing him an even more rare right-hand-drive conversion. Talk about being at the right place at the right time!

To complete the J-spec transformation, Kenneth began to source assorted pieces from throughout California. He made a call to Showstoppers USA and picked up a JDM Civic Type-R front bumper, lip spoiler, and projector headlights and hit up his buddies over at N1 Concepts for a pair of CTR door panels and carbon-fiber trim kit. For the finishing touches and to top-off the interior, Li sourced a rare set of Vision Technica Imus Kevlar seats. “Matt from ICB Motorsport was who I got my Vision Imus seats from…[the seats] were something that I had been eyeing for a very long time,” says Li. Anyone that’s ever been badgered in high school for wearing mismatching clothes knows that you can’t cruise the streets without properly accessorizing, so Li chose to highlight his Vision seats with various Vision engine pieces including, but not limited to, a Vision oil cap and carbon-fiber plug and manifold covers.

Any and every true car enthusiast will tell you that a project is never officially complete, no matter how complex the build. With Li, it is no different. “For future plans, I hope to concentrate on upgrading the suspension and adding extra chassis reinforcement to really put this car to the test.” Currently rolling on a pristine set of 18×8 Volk SE37K wheels, Rays Engineering’s most underrated wheel is screaming for a big brake kit to back up its stunning bronze finish. “Hopefully upgraded brakes will be in the near future also,” says Li.

Many will contend that the EP Civics lack the true following to really ever reach the status of the ones before them, but Kenneth Li sees it as a perfect opportunity to play the underdog and to triumph over those who would doubt his vision. “If you do it right, there’s a lot of potential,” Li adds. We would have to agree. Kenneth Li’s one-of-a-kind project is proof-positive that no matter the platform, if you dig deep enough, you will strike gold.

The K20A motor is boosted courtesy of a Rev Hard turbo kit featuring a Precision T3/T4 Turbo, Rev Hard cast-iron manifold, Spearco front-mount, TiAL wastegate, HKS Super Sequential blow-off valve, RC Engineering 550cc injectors and custom charge pipes by RedZone Performance. Exhaust gases exit by way of an HKS Carbon-Ti muffler with RedZone 3-inch piping. Other underhood accessories include Vision Technica carbon-fiber manifold cover, spark plug cover, oil cap and a Cusco radiator cap. A Hondata K-Series Re-Flash kit powers the brains of the operation.

Stance: The Civic sits aggressively thanks to Tein Basic coilovers attached to a Carbing lower tie-bar.

Rims & rubber: They say the wheels make the car and this gold EP rolls on a gorgeous set of 18×8 Volk SE-37K wheels surrounded by 225/40/18 Pirelli P-Zero tires.

Resprayed in a brilliant Volvo Maya Gold Metallic with a Nighthawk Black rooftop, the Civic also features a J-spec themed front end that includes an ’04-05 Civic Type R front bumper, front lip spoiler, front grill, and projector headlights. The stock hood has been replaced by an Evasive Motorsports carbon-fiber hood and Li also made a call to VIS for a carbon-fiber rear spoiler.

The interior is equally impressive as the outside of the car thanks to a rare set of Vision Technica Imus carbon Kevlar seats, complete right-hand-drive conversion, Takata four-point harness, and a Sparco 368 steering wheel. Accents include an ’04-05 CTR door panels and an N1 Concepts carbon-fiber center console trim kit. An Auto Meter boost gauge keeps Li informed of boost pressure and a Greddy Turbo Timer allows the turbo to cool properly before shutdown.

The only music coming from this vehicle is the sweet music of a spooling turbo.

The ATS Garage Family, Jeremy, Brandon, Wayne, & Nisa at RedZone Performance, Adam & Colin at Wek’Sos Industries, Geoff & Ernesto at JDM Theory, Phil at Spoolin Performance, Tom “Manji318,” NWP4life.com for all the inspirations, Aaron Paule, Tony Vuong, Showstoppers USA, Jeff at Pro-Motion, Brian at Tein USA, James Balizan, Casey at Enginetiks, Main Street Auto Body, Modern Bench Works, N1 Concepts, FF-Greg, MikeG, Danny “Dier88″, Preston at F2, Viet “VEEE”, Son at Hasback Photograhy, StephenB, Kevin Vuong, Maria Ellorin, AM7, Paksiw, PlusOne, and last but not least R.I.P Randy “Questoyz” Gagan & Vincent “JDMEFSEDAN” Pascua.

“I pulled the car out [to drive around] today, and I got pulled over,” he starts. “The officer had never seen an EP3 before. I had to explain to him it was a show car and that I only drive it once in awhile. I thought he was going to give me a ticket, which is the last thing I need, but he was just amazed. He was cool with it; he let me go. He just wanted to see what the car was all about.”

We’re guessing that’s how most react when they see the sick Milano red rocket-what is up with that car? And how can I mod my ride to get me out of tickets? We pondered these subjects and more when we spent a few minutes with Ernie going over the finer points of his and his wife’s resplendent EP3. Keep reading.

HT: How did you see things turning out? Was there a goal for this build?

EP: [The Si] was a project for both my wife and me. Modding cars is kind of a hobby for us, so when we got the car we jumped into it, at first building it to our taste. Then we started attending car shows and seeing some of the themes people were using. We really didn’t know what we were getting into when we bought the car, but once we saw what others were doing [with the hatchback] we adopted a JDM look. We had to see what others were doing before we figured out what we would do.

HT: Sounds like there was no hard and fast plan for the project, it just sort of evolved as time passed.

EP: Pretty much. We just began with stuff we liked. I mean, what we have now-all the JDM stuff-is to our taste.

HT: Did you have to make any compromises for the little lady? Any arguments ever erupt over parts?

EP: A lot of times it was a debate. There was always a little discussion, but in the end we both had to compromise. I have an ’01 Civic that I’m swapping a Type-S motor into, so I kinda know a little more than she does. She’s still learning, so when it came to deciding on tuning elements, she would always give me the lead.

HT: You bought the Civic in late 2002. Did you begin messing with it immediately or was there a lapse in between taking ownership and wrenching?

EP: The month after we got the car we put on the suspension. It’s funny-we got the car for such a good deal, the dealer thought they were going to be able to sell us on an extended warranty and LoJack system and all that. I was working for Best Buy at the time, and I remember telling the sales guy we wouldn’t need the warranty. He insisted that we would need it, to which I said, “Dude, next month you probably won’t even recognize the car. I’ll end up voiding the warranty with what I want to do, so trust me, I don’t need it.” A month after we bought it, it was already changed, rims and suspension-it was pretty much a project in the making.

HT: We see you installed a stage 1 Rev Hard turbo kit.

EP: Chuck from ShowStoppers USA had an EP that I fell in love with. I was planning to go all motor, and he had a buddy who was also all motor, and Chuck had a turbo car. I drove both and the turbo car was a totally different experience. At that point I thought, I gotta go turbo. It’s true what they say, once you go turbo, you never want to go back. That’s also what I’m doing with my ’01 Civic project; definitely doing a turbo for that.

HT: For setup, you started with a set of Skunk2 coilover sleeves, but then changed to the Progress Competition coilovers.

EP: When we started going to car shows, we needed just the minimum. You can’t really go to a car show on 18′s and not have the ride height lower. It would look weird, so I went with something basic just to get by. If you’re tuning, you might as well do it right, which I should’ve done in the first place. The Progress stuff is very nice. When I drove down to San Diego, it was a smooth ride, no complaints.

HT: You also switched wheels, rolling on Gram Lights after starting with Racing Hart C5s-why?

EP: The C5′s were perfect because the car was originally silver. When I got it painted, I had to get something that would go with the new color. I was thinking about going with Advans, but they don’t make 18′s in a 4-lug. The Gram Lights look great with the 4-piston Rotora brake kit behind them.

HT: Where’d you get the car painted?

EP: The car was painted at a shop here in Ventura, Calif. It’s called Hanko’s Autobody. Hank and Abdula are the best. They normally do lowriders. They used to be in Santa Barbara, but since they moved to Ventura they’ve been spraying a lot more imports. They’re like to the go-to guys around here.

HT: Looking back, what was the biggest headache in piecing your project together?

EP: The one area that was a real pain in the butt was the Buddy Club 1 [body kit]. The US-spec reinforcement bar didn’t fit, so we had to buy the Japanese-spec bar. That took a good six months to get here. I was at the point where I just wanted to get rid of the kit and go with something else. I came home from work one day, and I had totally forgotten about it, and my mother-in-law told me I had a couple big boxes come in. The new part fit, but after that it only lasted another eight months before I changed my mind about the body kit.

HT: So what’s next?

EP: Under the hood I already got a few things that didn’t make the photo shoot: Tanabe strut tower bar and Carbing oil catch tank. I’ve also got Takata harnesses on order, and I’ll likely go with Bride seats. My brother-in-law is stationed in Japan, so I’m trying to have him snag me a Type R steering wheel.

Bolts & Washers: Ernie & Jenny Pillado’s 2002 Civic SiPropulsionThe Pillado Si is all about bolt-on power, and rocks a Rev Hard stage 1 turbo kit to prove it. The system is based around a T3/T4 pump and includes an RH manifold, intercooler, charge piping, and intake. Managing various pressures in the setup are a TiAL wastegate and Vortech blow-off valve, and K20A3 exhaust eventually heads out via an HKS Hi-Power cat-back exhaust. A Hondata ECU re-flash helps the NGK Iridium plugs and RC Engineering 440cc injectors work optimally. To get the EP3 to hook up, Pillado plugged in an ACT stage 1 clutch and a set of Energy Suspension poly engine mount inserts.

Also under the hood, a grip of dress-up tweaks. HKS represents with its Limited Edition oil and radiator caps and a grounding kit attached to the Buddy Club racing spec battery, while a carbon Kevlar spark plug cover and reservoir sock make up Spoon contributions. The carbon intake manifold cover is a Vision product, while the valve cover comes straight from a Type R.

Rims & Rubber: Housed in each wheel well are 18×7.5 Volk Gram Lights 57S shoes armed with Falken Ziex 215/35/18 rubber.

Stance: EP3 ride height is established with a foursome of adjustable Progress Technology Competition coilovers.

Resistance: Reigning in momentum is a Rotora big brake kit made up of calipers, enlarged rotors, and stainless braided lines. The calipers are prepped with Axxis Ultimate pads.

Fashion Outside: Hanko’s Autobody in Ventura sprayed the EP3 in two tones, black on the roof and Milano red everywhere else. To the color, the Pillado’s augmented cosmetics with a Buddy Club 2 aero kit, carbon-fiber Mugen “style” wing, hood, and mirrors, and a CF trunk lid. Japanese car culture is honored with JDM headlamps, side markers, wind visor, and “H” emblems, with a bit of UK flair in the way of a Type R badge to boot.

Inside: The turbo setup necessitated the use of added electronics in the cabin, namely a GReddy turbo timer and Profec-B spec II boost controller, and Autometer carbon-fiber boost gauge. Red DC5 Recaro seats flossing Sabelt 3-point harnesses pop visually from an otherwise dark interior.J-spec finishing touches consist of a Spoon Sports shift knob and JDM road flare.

ICE: Firing from custom enclosures in the hatch are dual 10-inch JL Audio W3 subs mounted alongside 2 JL amps, a 300/4 and a mono 500/1. A Kenwood CD/DVD deck with flip-out monitor and a 7-inch screen mounted in the rear hatch provide visuals to match the sounds.

Love: The Pillado’s send it to Chuck and Rocky Hernandez at Show Stoppers, Hanko and Abdula at Hanko’s Autobody, Jaime and Hector at Street Sound Plus, La Familia: Brad, Darling, the three little ones, Ricky, Serge, Sergio, Lela, Cecil, Sheila, Frank, Lisa, Max, Eric P., and Ab with Nadakai projects. A very big special thanks goes to their big brother Juve and loving mom Velia. – Honda Tuning Magazine

Chris Luansing first sat in an S2000 back in 2003. The impressions made at that moment were so profound that they would carry the La Crescenta, Calif., native on an odyssey that ultimately led to the custom creation you see here. But his was not a direct flight, and there were ups and downs along the way.

“My previous car has just got stolen”, Luansing says, in a still-grieving voice. “I was looking for another car. I was at a dealership and there was a used Silverstone S2000 in the lot. I had seen S2000s before and loved them, they were always too expensive for me to even consider. So I ended up buying another car. Fast forward two years to 2005 and S2K prices had dropped considerably. I found a ’00 Grand Prix White S2000 that had black and red interior and only 19,000 miles. It was the exact color and interior that I wanted so I jumped on it.”

Now in the position of not having to fantasize about s2000 mods, Luansing showed restraint. “I didn’t want to change the aesthetics too dramatically because I loved the lines already.” Luansing added a Seibon carbon-fiber hood, trunk and lip and proclaimed phase one complete.

There is a lot to like about this Honda. We asked Luansing what revved his engine. He was quick to respond, “The three favorite things on my car are my wheels, the turbo kit and the hardtop. I love Work Meister S1 two-piece rims. They were the first mod I mad. I had never seen and S2000 with red rims before and I thought it would flow well with the interior. I knew I was taking a risk with these wheels. You either love them or hate them, nothing in between. I believe that wheels are the most important aesthetic feature of a car. I am glad I made the right choice.”

He, continued, “I knew I wanted to go turbo right from the start. I did not make any other engine upgrades before the kit to not waste money on parts what would be replaced. Picking a kit was not hard at all. I wanted something reliable with good power so I dropped my car off with Myles, Jonathan, and Allan over at Rev Hard and the turned my car into a street monster. Then I took it over to Church Automotive Testing for tuning and it was all set.” The tuning sessions at Church’s resulted in 322 whp, 202 lb-ft of torque and a supremely driveable power curve.

“Lastly,” quips Luansing, “the hardtop was a must. If they made an S2000 in a coupe version I would have bought it. I don’t like the soft top and hardly drive with the top down. I was so excited when I got my Mugen hardtop from Chucky and Rocky and Showstoppers USA that I took it over to Francis at Donlyson Auto Body for paint right away. Once I put on my Mugen FRP hardtop it made my car look totally different. It made everything on my car look better. The fitment of the Mugen hardtop is perfect and it just sets off my car.” Other items setting off Luansing’s ride include Toda Racing cams, Spoon valves, Toda retainers and springs as well as an HKS 3-inch exhaust and a truckload of engine dress up parts.

“The biggest challenge I have to overcome during the build up of my car was transportation,” Luansing said. “The S2000 was, and still is, my only car. Sometimes I went weeks of even months without my ride. I work close to home so I started walking to and from work. And even though I have my car now, I still walk. School was harder because it was about 25 miles away. I would either carpool with a friend of borrow a friend’s car to go to school. I also couldn’t go out as much with my friends or other things, I was pretty much stuck at home.”

Well Luansing can fly the coop nowadays at will and he reports that rolling in the S2K is plain amazing. “I am not the type of driver that mashes through all six gears all day long. I drive pretty conservatively, but if someone starts something on the freeway I won’t back down. The car idles perfectly and drives smoothly like it came out of the factory with a turbo, which is a testament to the tuning. The handling is like nothing I have ever driven. It was great stock, but with the Mugen NZ coilovers and all the other suspension mods it handles like a dream.”

“In the future I am going to completely remove the soft top and motor to save weight. I also have a JDM Navigation system that I picked up and I would really like to build my motor but I don’t have to money for that right now. There are also some other top secret things I have plannedÉ haha.”

Living in the highly competitive Southern California, Luansing knows it takes a Herculean effort to roll a car that truly stands out, especially one wearing a Honda badge. But he is confident that his S2K has attained that next level status and Luansing hopes to keep refining his masterpiece.

Things changed for this Burbank, Calif. Resident when he graduated from high school. With a college commute in the near future and a full-time job to attend to, acquiring a reliable daily driver soon became priority. Perez wanted to upgrade. He had the funds, he just wasn’t sure what he wanted. For a brief moment, he pondered the thought of trading in his slammed, B series-swapped hatch for that of a TL, BMW or Escalade. Those sentiments were short lived.

Perez once again turned to the Honda badge for his latest acquisition. Years earlier, he had dreamed of the S2000 while dozing off during class, checking off imaginary mod lists chocked full of go-fast goods, body kits and wheels. So when the S2000 beckoned to him a second time, he turned to friend Nick Gasparian of GTS Autobody in Van Nuys, Calif. to source him one from an auction.

It didn’t take Gasparian long, and before Perez knew he was standing next to his very own `02 AP1 with a proud smile on his face. According to Perez, the car was virtually flawless, but Gasparian insisted on dousing the roadster with a fresh coat of paint. The factory Berlina Black was applied and Perez drove away with what he wanted: a reliable, daily driver that radiated driving enjoyment in a grown-up sort of way.

While the idea of owning and driving an S2000 and leaving it in stock condition it was a noble one, Perez gave way to temptation only this time he was determined to realize the ultimate compromise between performance and reliability. The upgrading began and, according to Perez, “the habit came back.”

For his fix, he turned to the experts at Showstoppers USA in Monrovia, Calif. for direction and advice. Just four months after purchase, Perez tended to body modification in the form of an Amuse front spoiler and C-West rear bumper. Shortly after he scored a set of Volk Racing CE28Ns, bolted on some Tein RA coilovers and juiced up the brakes with slotted rotors and steel braided lines. The project was quickly coming together, gaining momentum, but at a rate much faster than funds would allow.

Perez received an invitation to appear with his S2000 on a television show but had mixed emotions. While he was eager to unleash his creation to the public, he still felt the car lacked. He turned to his girlfriend Christine and younger brother Ron who, together, loaned him the dough for just what the AP1 called for: a Cusco roll cage.

Following success behind the camera lens, Perez moved on to address the engine. He turned to Myles Bautista and Allen Camero of Rev Hard Racing in Northridge, Calif. for a custom turbocharged solution. The team fitted the 2.0 liter with a GT30 ball bearing turbocharger and a massive front mount intercooler. Bautista and Camero also readied the F20C1 for boost with a 3mm Cometic headgasket designed to lower the compression ratio to boost-friendly status.

With 283 hp on tap, Perez closed the hood and ventured back under the chasis where he installed a duet of Cusco lower arm bars and yanked the gearbox for a Spoon Sports 1.5-way limited-slip differential. “People always ask why I wasted the money on LSD when the car already came with one, but it was well worth it,” Perez insists. “It’s Stronger; you can really feel both wheels turn now under power.

Perez has since dressed the body with graphics thanks to Reggie Quemuel of Sticky Icky Vinyl in Panorama City, Calif., as well as added one serious sound system and a pair of Bridge Ergo 1 seats. Upon completion, the S2000 has mainly served as a show queen, although it’s since deflowered itself on the drag strip posting a 13.78. For the trophies and time slips, Perez credits his brother, girlfriend and Kosoku racing club teammates, Quemuel and Parnell Navarro.

Take one look at Perez’ S2000 and it all but emanates those ideals we hold true: a skillful blend of good looks, hardcore performance potential and daily driver reliability. We say, “So where’s the compromise?”

Reggie Quemuel is most definitely not some bandwagon-jumping stoner off the street. Ten years ago, his buddy purchased a pristine, new Integra GS-R right off the Acura lot. Shining in fresh red paint, the Integra and its B18C heart screamed Honda power. Quemuel and his friend attended numerous shows with the GS-R, which at the time had a turbo. In 1997, it all ended in a flash. The GS-R was stolen, and once recovered, it was missing the motor, interior, exhaust, wheels, suspension and body panels. It had become just another theft-recovered Integra shell. Quemuel’s friend didn’t have insurance and didn’t know how he was going to rebuild, if he chose to. Envisioning an opportunity in his friend’s misfortune, Quemuel traded a 1992 Civic hatchback he was building for the shell, and a JDM Integra project was hatched.

Some people may argue that the whole Japanese domestic market-style has been done to death, but when Quemuel started true JDM wasn’t so easy to put together. The first thing on the list was to convert the body to the JDM Honda style. Quemuel completely stripped the car to ready it for the Type-R Championship White paint job. Quemuel even sent us some shots of the car on the trailer coming back from the body shop, and it looked like it came off of a Honda assembly line. The JDM front end is, of course, factory Honda down to the sheet metal and HID lamps. The Japanese Integra Type-R also donated its side skirts, window visors and five-lug hugs. Quemuel’s car is virtually a Honda Integra Type-R with a VIS Racing carbon-fiber hood and front lip.

When it came time to choose a powerplant, Quemuel decided he was going to use the JDM B16A that he was building for his old EG Civic hatch. A 1.6-liter isn’t really enough engine for an Integra, so Quemuel dropped it off with Jay Yuson, owner of All Motorsports in Northridge, Calif. The engine was bumped up to a 1.8-liter displacement with a knife-edged forged crankshaft fitted with micro-polished B16 rods and custom 9:1 Arias forged pistons and Total Seal piston rings. The cylinder head was fitted with Integra Type-R camshafts, dual valve springs and micro-polished valves, and STR cam gears. A four-angle valve job and a mild port and polish were also applied to the head before it was fixed back down on the block. Why so much engine prep? For a turbo system, of course.

Pieced together from various companies, Quemuel’s turbocharger system was assembled the best way there was back then, by yourself and anyway you can. Built around a Turbonetics T04E turbo hung on a Rev Hard exhaust manifold, the air blows into a Spearco intercooler, ending up in a RPM throttle body fed by a Type-R intake manifold. A Delta Gate wastegate with GReddy boost controller adjusts boost levels, while a Vortech blow-off valve vents off excess air. After the turbo, the exhaust is a 3-inch chunk of tubing bent around a Dynomax muffler.

Providing proper fueling is a Bosch fuel pump running into a Climax fuel rail and AEM fuel filter. By reading the Auto Meter fuel gauge, Quemuel can figure out how much to run on the XS Engineering fuel pressure regulator. Upgraded air and fuel means upgraded spark was a necessity. Quemuel runs his power jolts with a MSD Digital-6 ignition and blaster coil, and Spoon Sports spark plug wires. Spoon Sports also represents on the oil cap, tower bar, radiator cap, reservoir socks and carbon-Kevlar spark plug cover.

It may seem that Spoon Sports dress-up parts are everywhere now, but Quemuel started piecing together his Spoon collection back when you had to give kidneys to get the good stuff. Sparing a few vital organs, Quemuel added on a set of Spoon Sports brake calipers and 16-inch black Spoon SW388 wheels. Hard and expensive to buy even in this day and age, the Spoon calipers are seen less than Bigfoot—you’re much more likely to see SW388 knockoffs than the real thing. A popular upgrade for Integra owners, the suspension was changed out for Tokico shocks fitted with height-adjustable Skunkwork coil-overs. Yes, Skunkwork as in Group-A Autosports; that’s how old school Quemuel is.

As we ship this issue out to the printer, Quemuel is still working out tuning issues with his Hondata S200 system. Using just the base map for a test run, the Integra still put down more than 300 wheel hp on the dyno. Holding down the torque is the stock GS-R transmission, although it has been fitted with an ACT Stage III clutch and pressure plate. The differential is now a Quaife limited-slip unit, which grapples for grip with the Driveshaft Shop axles.

Matching the outside perfectly, the inside of Quemuel’s Integra could pass as a Japanese Honda—but with the steering wheel on the wrong side. Not bad for an Acura that had its inside gutted in a robbery. A fallen Integra Type-R donated its front Recaro seats, door panels, climate control, clock cover and badging. The steering wheel, shift knob and gauge cluster are by Spoon Sports, while the pillar bar is J’s Racing. The only American representation inside is the Auto Meter boost gauge and Pro Mini shift light, and the Intellitronics LED air/fuel ratio meter.

Quemuel thanks his parents, brother, sponsors, and his Kosoku family for their support in his Integra build. A far cry and a long journey from just a bare, theft-stricken shell, this Integra was born with the import scene and is still standing today. Quemuel told us, “Even though I have all these JDM knickknacks, it’s still never ending!” Tell us about it.

Exterior Styling
JDM Altezza Front Grille
JDM Altezza Emblem
JDM Altezza Short Antenna
JDM Toyota Option Side Skirts
JDM Toyota Option Rear Lip
JDM Toyota Option Carbon Fiber License Plate Garnish
JDM Toyota Option Wind Guards
TOM’S Racing Carbon Fiber Eyebrows
Yellow Overlays for Headlights & Foglights Blitz Front Lip

Performance
LMS Supercharger Kit
Powerdyne Supercharger
3-Inch Intercooler Piping
LMS Intercooler
HKS Sequential Blow-off Valve
LMS Heat Shield
LMS I-manage
HKS Cam Gear
HKS Ground to Earth Kit
HKS Super Dragger2 Exhaust
Greddy Oil Catch Can
Greddy Temp. Adapter
TOM’s Oil Cap
TOM’S Radiator Cap
APR Carbon Fiber Cooling Plate
BLITZ Reservoir Sox Cover
Top Speed Header w/ LMS O2 Simulator
XERD Y-Pipe
MSD External Fuel Pump
Earl’s Racing Fuel Valve
Engine Covers Painted w/ House of Color Purple

Suspension
Tein Coilovers
JIC magic Front Strut Bar
Tanabe Rear Strut Bar
Tanabe Rear Under Brace
TOM’S Lower Performance Rod
TOM’S Mid-Center Reinforcement Rod
TOM’s Rear Lower Suspension Rod

Wheels and Brakes
Buddy Club P1 Racing Wheels
18×8 Front & Rear
Wrapped with Kuhmo Tires
225/40/18 Front & Rear
STOPPIN’ ON
Drilled & Slotted Rotors
AXXIS Brake Pads
Steel Braided Brake Lines

Interior
Sparco Racing Harness
Do-Luck Interior Chassis Brace
Defi Boost Gauge w/ Greddy Gauge Cup
Defi Temp. Gauge w/ Greddy gauge Cup
Blitz ID Meter
Razo Shift Knob
Stock Black Leather Interior

We discovered two requirements in building a well-executed, magazine-worthy H-car. First, an infinite amount of money will never guarantee it. Second, it can’t be done without some foresight and a vision. Over the years we’ve witnessed H-car buildups that embrace these truths and some that don’t. Lucky for us, most do.

Los Angeles resident Leon Casino had a vision for his right-hand-drive ’91 CRX before he could even claim the car as his own. The plan was simple yet counterintuitive: to enhance every performance realm possible without tarnishing the car’s OEM persona. While many tuners have a difficult time uttering the words OEM and performance in the same breath, Casino found a way for the two to coexist in a fuzzy Dr. Phil sort of way.

A Honda enthusiast since ’87, Casino has owned everything from a ’91 Civic sedan to what he claims to be the first turbocharged Prelude in the United States. Lofty claims aside, Casino knew this CRX project had to stand out. He turned to VIS Racing Sports (City of Industry, Calif.) to source him three right-hand-drive EF6s from overseas. The plan was to use them as parts cars for his ’89 USDM chassis, but once the dust cleared and Casino realized the pristine nature of one car in particular, those plans quickly changed.

With an immaculate exterior and a nearly complete interior, Casino first remedied the lonely engine bay. Not wanting to stray too far from the CRX’s roots, he rounded up a D16A6 and bolted it into place. Before he and his boys would hoist the D in between the framerails, Roy at Glendale, Calif., performance facility Exospeed had his way with it. Internals of the displacement-increasing variety were swapped into place and compression was bumped up to a healthy 12.0:1. The top end was also overhauled by Industrial Performance in Carson, Calif.

It’s not the California octane-defying compression ratios or the top-secret Exospeed camshaft that demand the most attention here. Pop the hood and the first thing you’ll notice are a pair of 45mm Weber side-draft carbs mated to a set of polished velocity stacks. When asked why he steered clear of EFI in favor of dinosaur technology, Casino said it all had to do with keeping the car as OEM as possible and keeping things simple.

Japanese EF6s rolled off assembly lines with 1.5-liter SOHC engines boasting carbs, not injection. Despite a finicky inability to modify air/fuel ratios for optimum driveability, carbs do shine in other areas, namely fuel atomization and making lots of top-end power–just over 200-wheel hp to be more specific.

Casino’s obsession with the OEM doesn’t end under the hood. All else exterior toes the same line. According to Casino, “There will be no cheating. Even if nobody else does, I’ll know the difference.” After a freeway altercation in which the CRX lost to a Denali a few years back, Casino went in search of a replacement Mugen body kit.

With no luck initially, Casino almost sold the car. “If I can’t have the real thing, I don’t want it at all.” Luckily, he scored the real thing. All body components and interior enhancements sport either genuine Mugen or Honda badges–no knock-offs here. Even the original paint code was sourced from an overseas Honda dealership for a perfect color match. Casino’s EF6 walks that fine line between performance and OEM that many others have veered from just after their first bolt-on. The key for Casino? Foresight and a vision.

bolts&washers

Leon Casino’s ’91 CRX

Propulsion
Casino’s EF6 relies on a D16A6 sourced from his ’89 USDM CRX Si. Bore equals 78mm thanks to Exospeed-designed 12.0:1 Arias pistons. Custom length Eagle rods clamp down to the factory crank via ARP rod bolts, resulting in a longer 90mm stroke. Displacement measures in at 1720cc.

Industrial Performance of Carson, Calif., performed its signature-series port and polish on the head as well as a three-angle valve job. Stainless-steel, nitride-coated valves are housed between ISKY race springs and below ISKY titanium retainers. A custom ground Exospeed camshaft is fine-tuned with an AEM camshaft gear.

Weber 45mm side draft carburetors and TWM runners bolt up to the SOHC head. The larger carbs were selected based on their top-end capabilities and their ability to work best under high compression. A Mugen header and Mugen teardrop muffler evacuate exhaust gases.

Fuel enters the Webers with the help of a Holley fuel pump and an Aeromotive adjustable fuel pressure regulator. Ormes Bros. hooked up the steel braided fuel lines and custom fuel rail. With no ECU, timing events are controlled with an MSD 8980 timing controller. Spark’s enhanced with NGK V-Racing plugs, MSD 8.5mm wires and an MSD distributor cap.

The gearbox was also sourced from Casino’s ’89. Close ratio Exospeed gears are outfitted to the L3 transaxle as is a Quaife limited-slip diff. Before installing the gearbox, Casino installed an Action dual diaphragm, six-puck clutch and an Exospeed aluminum flywheel.

Rims & Rubber
Anniversary-edition 15×6.5-inch Mugen MR5 wheels grace the EF6. The tires of choice are Falken and are of the 205/50-15 variety.

Stance
King Motorsports provided Casino with Mugen N1 race coil-overs outfitted with Showa N1 dampers. He says these just might be the only EF set in the United States. Also provided by King Motorsports are Mugen front and rear sway bars and a Mugen master bushing kit. A Vision front upper strut bar reduces flex up front while an EM Racing C-pillar bar rids the CRX of upper chassis flex.

Resistance
Front brakes consist of Project u slotted rotors and ’95 Civic calipers. The larger calipers warrant larger Project u pads for increased stopping prowess. The rear drums were left alone save for some beefed up brake shoes. Steel braided brake lines from Ormes Bros. replace the factory rubber hose.

FASHION
Outside: The original OEM paint was good enough to net Casino a few trophies, but after a freeway accident the CRX was in need of help. Rather than performing an “almost perfect” color match, Casino painstakingly obtained the factory Honda paint code from Japan and Pepeer Auto Body of Alhambra, Calif., sprayed on the OEM color.

Aside from the coveted JDM features like the glass roof, power folding mirrors and bronze tinted windows, highlights include a six-piece Mugen body kit and urethane Mugen rear wing. The front is spruced up with an Aero Duo carbon-fiber hood and an HID conversion.

Inside: Mugen S1 race buckets replace the stockers but the JDM rear seat remains intact. A Takata three-inch harness keeps Casino nestled in his seat while he navigates with a Mugen FG-360 steering wheel with quick release. Casino keeps his eyes on vitals with a Pivot tachometer and Amori EGT and oil pressure gauges.
I.C.E.: Casino’s CRX relies on a Sony Xplod head unit and Xplod front and rear deck speakers for mobile soundtrack.