Unfortunately, transporting the Integra to T1 brought even more problems to light. "After hearing bad news after bad news from Tony with work that had been done wrong by previous shops, and spending more and more money, I came very close to just giving up on the car and selling it," Eric says. He credits his friends and family with helping him cope with the problems and seeing them through. It would be tough for anyone to not be able to drive their pride and joy after three years of hard work. Da Rooki3 would spend its final six months in a shop before Tony handed Eric his invoice. What exactly does an invoice with six months worth of work at T1 Race Development include? Well, start with a fortified B18B1 block paired with a Golden Eagle block girdle and sleeves, Wiseco pistons, and Pauter rods. Mated to the block is a B16A2 cylinder head with Integra Type R camshafts, STR cam gears, and Supertech valves, springs, and retainers. Sitting at the top of the LS-VTEC engine is an incredibly rare, super baller, ENDYN carbon-fiber intake manifold. Completing this orgy of automotive bliss is a massive T4/T67 turbo from Precision. The giant snail is accompanied by a TiAL 46mm wastegate and blow-off valve combo, and mounted to the head with a Full Race turbo manifold. Exhaust gases are churned through a T1 Race Development 4-inch down pipe and testpipe before they make their way out to the atmosphere via a Thermal R&D 3-inch exhaust. Fuel distribution is managed by an Aeromotive pump and pressure regulator and delivered to the Precision 1,200cc injectors with a Golden Eagle fuel rail. By now, it's likely such an invoice is getting ridiculously long, but as they say: "You gotta pay the cost to be the boss." Being a boss means that Eric can't allow his engine to overheat under pressure so a Fluidyne radiator was also installed in conjunction with a FAL slim fan and Mugen thermostat. An MSD Digital 6 ignition box directs spark along with MSD 8mm plug wires, and the Clutch Masters FX600 twin-disc clutch and flywheel beef up the stock transmission and ensure that all that power makes its way to the floor. With all of this power Eric expected to make, safety became a major issue so he installed a pair of Sparco seats and safety harnesses. Street and Strip was then called upon to fabricate a six-point rollcage to stiffen the 16-year-old chassis.
"I finally got some good news," Eric says. "We were able to make around 400 hp on 10 pounds of boost and 573 hp on high boost with the tires spinning off the dyno!" With better tires, even higher numbers are expected. Eric is quick to remind everyone that he is incredibly thankful for the friends and family who pushed him along the way when he wanted to give up on Da Rooki3. So, when it's all said and done, has Eric lost any more races? "The car has yet to see any track time, but I'm confident that I will be more than happy with the outcome when I get there."