Blog

We recently had a failure of the stock'ish engine in our 2001 Acura Integra Type R race car. The good news is we have a 2nd engine that was recently freshened up by Jeremy Allen at Allen Built Engines. This engine was built for fun more than anything. No rules in mind, no horsepower goals other than more than stock and reliable.  It's a sleeved B18c5 Engine. Using a 84mm Bore and the standard 87.2mm stroke crankshaft it comes out to a 1.93L engine. Bigger than stock but still an engine that can turn the ITR expected RPM. The compression...

Speed is all relative. Stick a fast car next to a fast car and the sensation can be muted. Run a slow car next to a slow car, similar sensation. When you are door to door with another car regardless of speed the adrenaline of the similarity takes over. Recently we took our 1992 Honda Civic CX out to the Orlando Speedworld drag strip. This car is by no means a powerhouse. It houses a stock Honda B16a2 engine swap. Let’s take a guess and say it makes around 135whp and weighs around 2450lbs with driver. It isn’t going to...

Because everything has a story lately. We had a 2nd failure at Sebring that I didn't discuss until I figured out what exactly happened. The last session of the day I developed a coolant leak. Quick diagnosis couldn't identify exactly where it was coming from. I drove the car to the track and had 160 miles to get back home. I filled up the radiator twice during the drive home to make it. Parked the car and decided to worry about it later like any good car guy. A couple of months ago I had installed a new Koyo Aluminum...

An open track day is always a good time. Recently I drove the Integra Type R down to Sebring Intl Raceway for a Chin Track Day event. Just a relaxing day of thrashing on a car at the race track. Car prep was limited to throwing on a pair of Spoon Sports Brake Calipers, installing Raybestos ST43 brake pads and loading up the car. The goal was to keep it simple, have a good time and have limited clean up time after the event. There is always a speed bump to deal with though. Chin Track Days does an open...

Get out and drive. It is said all the time, but life is hectic. Finding the time to unplug and leave gets harder before it gets easier. The open road beckons for us car people. Back in May I had the opportunity to unplug and leave town for a few days. I had never been to the Tail of the Dragon and surrounding area so took this as the chance to do it. Of course, having the 1998 Integra Type R around was the logical choice for this adventure. Its reputation proceeds itself, but the Tail of the Dragon is...