Within the last 20-plus years, the Honda performance envelope has been pushed with a vengeance, sending our community into unchartered waters. But if there’s one specific area which includes garnered one of the most attention, both good and bad, it’s unquestionably the art of engine swaps. Like large, metallic Legos, every bit of Honda’s unintended modular creations has been tampered mixed, matched and with, and utilized in ways Honda execs could never possibly envision. The almost limitless options have kept many long-term fans interested as well as garnering new enthusiasts.
Jimmy Nguyen is not any stranger to engine swaps in search of improved performance. His first dive into Honda waters was an automatic ’98 Civic coupe that he not surprisingly grew tired of, and made a decision to swap a five-speed B18C5. It was his first time behind the wheel without the assistance of an automatic slushbox, and admittedly, he wasn’t exactly an all natural. I purchased a ticket the first day it was actually swapped to five-speed because I was still learning how to drive a manual he explains. I burned rubber when taking off after i was on my small way to work, and a cop pulled me over for exhibition of speed! One which he chalked up to a taste of bad luck, despite the fact that No doubt a sour experience. His next project was a little more complex. A ’92 Integra served as the foundation, while the powerplant consisted of a B20 block and a VTEC head. Not long after the swap, another bout with bad luck came in the form of a fender bender. The followingI found myself out of building cars for five years, until I was in LittleRock and Arkansas, where I was working. Wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just something cheap to daily drive, even though i started considering a car to acquire. I came across a red CRX in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and made the drive down there to check it out. What Jimmy found was a somewhat stock CRX armed only with a mini-me VTEC swap plus a cherry bomb muffler. An intensive once-over and, with the body in good shape, a deal was struck. Between the time he’d first began looking for a daily driver and also the time that he or she actually purchased the CRX, Jimmy had already compiled a parts list for his new car. I knew what was going to be completed to the CRX. I drove it around stock for maybe a month or so as i was in Little Rock.
Relocating back to his, Jimmy and California friend Phirun wasted little time and completely stripped the car to some bare shell. Late-night stints of tracking down and ordering parts became a regular occurrence as Jimmy’s wish list grew smaller and smaller. He adds, I found an EF8 bumper, rear foglight garnish, and 16v wing on Craigslist. Then I ordered EF8 headlights and doors from N1 Concepts. I would be on eBay and Craigslist searching for parts at all times.
With a lot of the exterior parts in his possession, Jimmy began on the bodywork himself. He sanded and straightened our bodies to the very best of his ability before the car underwent a complete color switch to Ibis White from an Audi. After the paint, I focused on the motor. I needed a buddy who was parting out his ’94 Prelude, so I bought the H22A1 long-block from him. I ended up ordering most of their catalog during those times.””, though i contacted QSD for an H2B kit””In the H side, the engine was fitted with Type S pistons and ARP head studs with a Supertech-equipped head and Blox B cams adjusted by AEM adjustable gears. On the cold end you’ll find 52mm TWM individual throttle bodies, while on the opposite end is really a High End H2B header and custom 2.5-inch exhaust system.
About the B side sits a JDM B16 Integra and transmission axles. The CRX engine bay isn’t the largest in whatever way, and with the sheer size of the H series, one might assume that a cluttered, overcrowded bay is to be expected. Jimmy wanted a well-balanced car that looks every bit as great as it drives. He adds, When it came time for wiring, me and my teammate did the wire tuck, then the brake line tuck. Then my and me pops dropped the motor in the chassis, and I took the car to West Lane Muffler and Performance for tuning. The combination netted an impressive 257 hp with 170 lb-ft torque. Perhaps more important is always that the close gears of the B series trans make certain that power is rarely far away.
Using the added grunt of the H-series mill, the factory HF brakes wouldn’t stand an opportunity. To cancel out the newfound power, a complete Integra caliper and rotor swap was in order, along with Hawk pads. Spotless Sprint Hart CPR wheels wrapped in Falken Azenis complete the classic white-on-white look.
Jimmy certainly isn’t the first to come up with the big engine, little car scenario; decades of hot rodding make sure of that. What he has done however, is taken an original approach in building his CRX, incorporating a classic look with a massive leap forward in performance.