Gil Salazar's '01 Type R
It's amazing how much things change over time. You know, like how gas used to be around $1 a gallon about a decade ago (Hell, we all know who we can thank for that mess). Or how about that import drag racing; not only did it have a huge following in the early to mid '90s, but that it was also one of the major factors in setting the sport compact scene off. Oh! Here's a big one that will trip you out. Remember when the B-series, at one point in time, was the engine swap of choice for Hondas and quite possibly the most modified import engine in the country, if not the world? Well, not so much anymore.Sadly, the B-series engine will vaguely be remembered when the cyborgs take over in 2019. They've already began to slowly bow out of the picture, making room for the bigger and badder K-series over the past few years. Even a guy like Gil Salazar of El Cajon, California, who already had one of the premier Honda/Acuras with his 2001 Integra Type R, opted to swap out that B18C5 in favor of its big brother, the K24A1. But there's no way he could just leave it at that, considering that his newly acquired motor fell a little short in the horsepower (160hp), redline (6,500), and compression (9.6:1) departments. Those three figures aren't exactly what everyone has come to expect from Honda engines, and definitely aren't anything to sport a chub over. We're used to low torque engines with high horsepower that can rev to the brink of 10,000rpm without breaking a sweat. We guess somebody has to tell the muscle car meatheads that there is a replacement for displacement and Gil was determined to find it.
To kick things off, Gil had the K24 engine sent to Blueprint Racing in South El Monte to get completely torn down, balanced, blueprinted, and reassembled with a plethora of beefed up internal components. Everything from forged Wiseco pistons and Pro I-Beam connecting rods, down to a lightened OEM crankshaft were stuffed into the machined 2,354cc block. The top end wasn't left out; it awaited an equally extensive destiny of its own. The dudes at Blueprint Racing managed to work in a full port and polish with their custom pro valve job for more flow, and reshaped combustion chambers before reconstructing the head with race valves, dual valve springs, titanium retainers, and Skunk2 cams. After slapping the two engine halves back together, Gil had a weapon that was more lethal than LeBron James on a fast break in the open court. However, Gil's bank account isn't loaded like the reigning MVP (and poor sport), Mr. LB23, yet he still managed to front the cash to have the majority of his parts special ordered or custom made. Not too easy in this dwindling economy. With the help of Hasport engine mounts and a Chasebays harness, the freshly-built K24 motor lined up perfectly in the engine bay without any clutter. Dare we say that it fits better than the B18C5 did from the factory? Sure, why not.