Under The Hood

  An H22 motor is the power plant to this JDM
inspired Honda. Being a factory 190hp motor is
good, but match it up with a Spoon P13 computer
and further tune it with an APEX’I V-AFC controller,
makes it all better.  From there, a slew of AEM
goodies unleash all the hidden potential this motor
has to offer.  AEM cold air induction system,
complete with bi-pass filter helps the motor
breathe.  A pair of Tru Time cam gears keeps
everything turning smooth.  AEM Tru Power
alternator and power steering pulleys with an
Unorthodox Racing crank pulley cut down of
power drain.  To handle the high fuel demands,
AEM fuel rail and pressure regulator combo were
installed to receive fuel once filtered through the
billet Vision filter.  Adding the spark to the fire is a
set of Vision 9mm iridium wires that stretch down
to the Bosch Fusion platinum/iridium hybrid plugs.  
The spent gasses are sent raging through the DC
Sport header, the Megan high flow cat, and then
rumbling out of the Tanabe Super Medallion
exhaust system.  Keeping the engine temps down
is a Koyo 55mm R-Spec full aluminum radiator
connected with Samco stealth black silicon
hoses.  A Trust (JDM GReddy) breather tank
constantly burps the system to ensure no air in
the lines.  A custom fabricated NRG engine
damper locks the engine down to keep the torque
where it belongs, the ground.

  Now, let’s be honest, what’s a race inspired
motor without looking the part?  Removing a
bunch of unneeded brackets, wires, and all types
of odds and ends was the first step.  Any wires
that could be removed were tied up and tucked
out of the way.  A lot of the original nuts and bolts
were swapped out for shinny new replacements.  
The valve cover was hand-sanded to a smooth
shaved finish and coated in a matte Arizona
Bronze finish to match the wheels and topped off
with a TC Sportline carbon fiber wire cover.  Some
more silicone hoses from 3A Racing replace the
rubber originals.  Mugen claims the reservoir
covers and oil cap while Spoon caps off the
radiator.  Keeping the volts up and everything else
well grounded is a Buddy Club Racing Spec
condenser unit.
Rollers / Stoppers
  When it came to the rims for this car,
Ro_Ja wheels made by Rays Engineering
was the obvious choice.  A brand new set of
discontinued Formula 7 wheels were
sourced.  These very rare 2-piece, forged
wheels were custom painted in Arizona
matte bronze paint what the lip and barrel
are fully polished make these rare wheels
an absolute one of a kind.  Dunlop Direzza
tires sized 215/35R-18 84W were picked for
their performance and super stickiness.  
Super lightweight Rays lug nuts that match
the valve caps hold everything on tight to
the hubs while the rear wheels were
spaced out a total of 6mm.
  
  When driving a car with so much power,
being able to come to a stand still is an
absolute necessity.  Brembo drilled and
slotted rotors are bolted to all four corners
get clamped on by Axxis full ceramic pads.  
Fluid is pumped through Earl’s Hyperfirm
stainless steel braided lines to increase the
braking pressure to the G2 custom painted
calipers.
Audio/Video Setup
  When it came to the audio/video set-up,
sound quality was the only option here.  An
Eclipse AV5101 flip out monitor was installed
and matched to an Eclipse CH3083 8-disc
changer in the trunk and an auxiliary cable for
an I-pod to supply all the music you would
ever need.  A Sony XM504 amplifier sends
power to MB Quart Premiums components up
front and Eclipse co-axles in the rear.  A 12”
Orion woofer powered by a US Acoustic amp
add the bass.  Dynamat was added to keep
road noise out and the music in and sounding
clear.  JL Audio handles all the wires and
fuses from the amps to the Optima Yellow Top
battery with Monster Cable connectors and
terminals.  The RCA cables between the amps
and the Eclipse brain are Monster Cable as
well.
Stiff Stuff / Transmission
Keeping the car on its rails is a set of Tein
Super Street coilovers complete with Tein’s
upper pillow ball mounts to allow for the
addition of an EDFC computer and also
offering the stiffer bearings than those on the
OE counterparts.  Suspension Techniques
anti-sway bars eliminate body roll while giving
the undercarriage some flash with the bright
green bar and red polyurethane bushings.  To
further tighten up the body both front and
rear are a set of polished upper tower bars
and Tanabe Sustec lower tie braces
underneath of course in a contrasting bright
orange finish.  Next to the rear Tanabe bar
are the adjustable Megan toe arm bars to
keep the toe in check.  The jungle gym feeling
you get inside the cabin is due to the EM
Racing C-pillar bar in the far back and the
Sparco harness bar borrowed from a WRX
sitting behind the front seats.

  The close ratio transmission is outfitted
with an ACT stage 3 racing clutch getting its
fluid from the stainless steel line.  Inside the
cockpit is a Neuspeed short throw shifter kit
to help nail the gears faster and more precise
then the original set up.
Interior
Inside is all about keeping things clean.  
Wrapping the interior with black suede and red
stitched material custom made by Lightning
Auto Customs, painting the carpet and seats
make the inside much sleeker than the factory
two tone black/gray combo.  The seats and
steering wheel then had to match the suede
door panels and armrest.  Suede JIC Magic
seats and 3” Scroth 4 point harnesses hold
both driver and passenger firmly in place while
the suede/red stitched Nardi wheel points this
lude in the right direction.  Making this vehicle
a little bit easier for the six and a half foot
driver to enter and exit, the Nardi wheel is
removable thanks to the carbon NRG 2nd
generation quick release and ‘shorty’ hub that
can still operate the dual air horns up front.  A
Mugen shift knob, carbon Pilot Motorsports e-
brake handle, and Hayame carbon pedals/deal
pedal finish out the controls.  Trying to squeeze
out every drop of the suede/red stitch theme is
the JDM ITR shift and e-brake boots.
  
  With all those goodies and power under the
hood, it was necessary to keep a watchful eye
on the engine’s vital signs.  Auto Meter gauges
and accessories were a must for both accuracy
and their carbon fiber line up.  Auto Meter’s
monster tachometer, oil pressure, water
temperature, and air/fuel ratio gauges were all
installed using more carbon accessories.  The
air/fuel gauge was mounted to the A pillar in a
Civic pillar pod.  The oil and water gauges were
inverted under the dash cowl using carbon
pods and the tach, not to be left out was
mounted in carbon as well.  Even the factory
gauges received some treatment.  Reverse
indiglo gauges were thrown behind a carbon
bezel.  The whole beast starts up via a custom
Snap On key and Ignited push button starter
and blue LED safety switches.
*04 Judgement Day- 3rd place Prelude
*04 Impact Show- 3rd place Prelude
*05 Albany Tweeter- Top 20 Mild  
*05 Albany Tweeter- Best Club (specialty award)
*05 Auburn Tweeter- Top 20 Mild  
*05 Auburn Tweeter- Best Engine (specialty award)  
*06 Envy Frenzy- 2nd place Honda Other
*06 Innervision- 3rd place Honda Other   
*07 Showdown- JVG Motorsports Pick (specialty award)
*07 Envy Frenzy- 3rd place Honda Other
*07 518 Motor Sports Night Show- Most JDM (specialty award)
Brian Houck – C3 Autoworks
President
1993 Honda Prelude Si VTEC
RatherBeDriftin@netscape.net   518.366.0390
Exterior
The exterior of the car directly matches the
theme of the interior, clean, JDM inspired, and
yes, carbon fiber everywhere.  Starting
everything off with a Seibon OE style carbon
fiber hood propped up using custom carbon
fiber Tein bonnet dampers cover the engine
bay.  A Seibon Spoon style carbon fiber front
lip really gives the nose a real aggressive look
and the Datum 1 green tow hook is just the
icing on the cake.  Spoon Sports carbon type
MC aero mirrors were color matched to the
body matching the lower half of the front lip.  
Carbon can also be found in the form of
handmade door handles and gas door.  The
lighting fixtures also received some JDM
flavor.  JDM BB4 black housing, one-piece
headlights were installed to cut down on some
weight and completely change the face of this
ride.  DDM 5,000 Kelvin HID kit lights up the
night while the day-time-running JDM fogs are
lit with PIAA Ion yellow bulbs.  The grilles were
even replaced with carbon counterparts from
C Wings.  From there, a set of JDM window
visors were added to not take away from the
lude’s sleek lines.  JDM BB1 side markers,
black housing front turn signals, and custom
painted clear tails to have that “Si” look.  And
if the housings weren’t enough, every single
light bulb was swapped out for the J-Spec Bi
Hybrid xenon gas and LED bulbs inside and
out.  Finishing touches like a Mugen plate &
frame all held in place with Mugen tag bolts
and a relocater kit round up the exterior.
Special Thanks
First and foremost, thanks to C3
Autoworks and all of our members for their
help and support.  Thanks to team
International Allstars, Ro_Ja Motorsports,
JVG Motorsports, and Albany Light Truck
& Car Repair for backing me.  Special
thanks to Joe, Tedward, Goose, Hater,
Homie Habeck, Scuba, Wellsie Curious
George, my Father, and everyone else
along the way that had helped me with this
project.  A huge thank you to my girlfriend
Amanda for always being behind me
through late garage nights and long car
show days, thanks baby, I love you.