Don And Brian Kuehl's '91 Honda CRX DX
A funny thing happened on the way to the internet-all of the sudden, it became useful. Fact-to-bullshit ratios have begun to err toward the side of truth; forum monkeys are regularly questioned for, well, what forum monkeys bring to the table; and the number of bedroom engineers who insist that boosted cars must undisputedly be paired with longer gearing, that H-series engines are simply too heavy for Civics, and that converting your Integra to RWD is requisite to going fast are all but diminishing. And that's a good thing as far as the Kuehls are concerned.
Don Kuehl wanted little more than to build a Honda with his son, Brian. Trouble was, it wasn't that long ago that Don wasn't entirely fond of the Honda brand. As you might expect, he'd fooled around with the obligatory domestics, like a '55 Ford Thunderbird that was outfitted with a Pontiac engine of all things. It didn't take long, though, for those sentiments to readjust themselves, especially once an '05 Pilot and '07 Civic Si made their way to the family's insurance policy. And so the question had less to do with what kind of car Don and Brian would build and more to do with what kind of Honda it would be.
The answer was a '91 CRX, and the reasons why won't surprise you. Honda enthusiasts have lent themselves to the CRX lineage for the last 25 years because of its light weight, capable suspension, and its willingness-no, scratch that-eagerness to be modified. Don and Brian's justification toward the CRX was no different. After all, there are few cars on the planet that'll do what a properly modified CRX will do, like embarrass 911 Turbo owners yet deliver you home to write a check for that insurance premium that's more on par with an '80s Fiat.
But perhaps best of all, 25 years worth of CRX tuning's dropped the learning curve for the masses. Recipes for daily driven, K-swapped CRXs that can hold their own on the track are no longer industry secrets. The information's out there, so long as you can sift through the forum monkey nonsense. Don and Brian could.
The Kuehls began their CRX search in earnest and all but settled on a nearby Si until they happened across an automatic DX...for a buck. Yes, it was an automatic. Yes, it had that dingy blue interior that was, at best, questionably attractive 20 years ago. But perhaps you didn't hear that last part-it was a buck. Interiors can be swapped and auto-to-manual conversion procedures are no secret. And that's really where this project begins-under the hood.
Don's engine checklist was short but strict. It had "K-series" written all over it. It had to remain naturally aspirated. It had to be mated to a six-speed gearbox. And it had to have the performance-oriented version of i-VTEC that lets the exhaust cam have the same kind of VTEC fun as the intake side. Oh, and he didn't want to reposition the engine lower or modify the hood, which meant any taller-deck 2.4L was also out of the question. And so a Japanese-spec K20A Type R engine was sourced from JHPUSA along with Hasport engine mounts and the usual K-swap suspects, like Karcepts bits, a Hondata K-Pro, and a Rywire engine harness. Of course, anything Honda precluded by a big, red "R" typically comes at a price but, when considering the K20A, it's worth it. Compression measures in at 11.5:1, resulting in 220 hp-enough to satisfy most and leave little cause to break open the bottom end for internal modifications. As a matter of fact, this particular K20A satisfies Don and Brian's power wants to such a degree that simple bolt-ons, like a Karcepts cold-air intake, Six Sigma Racing header, and Tanabe Concept G exhaust suffice. And suffice they do-tuned, the K delivers 217 whp at full song, a marked improvement considering the initial 220 hp figure is the engine's estimated flywheel horsepower.