After taking notice of a random parts ad, David met Brandon McCray of Skunk2, and the two got to talking about the goals set for the car and the parts that would be used to beef up the 2.2L. In the end, David ordered every part that Skunk2 offers for the H-series motor. Somewhere along the way, an online run-in and suggestion from Big Mike culminated in an order being placed with Bisimoto for its V2 header. With new cams, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, and just about everything else now upgraded, a proper tuning session was in order to put it all together. A visit to Steve and CNR Performance for some dyno time took the baseline of 160 whp all the way up to 220 whp, with almost 180 lb-ft torque—a massive improvement that has completely transformed the Civic. To help get the power to the ground this time, a set of Exospeed Star 8 wheels and sticky rubber replaced the street wheels and tires. But it doesn’t stop there. Another chance meeting, this time with Greg of Go-Autoworks while at the track, resulted in the exchanging of contact information and eventually an agreement between the two for a complete turbo build for the 2012 race season.
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A Skunk2-enhanced H22 powerplant is more than enough to back up the show-quality exterior.
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Rather than selling himself as something he’s not, David Nguyen instead focused on his build and its progression, while the blind networking was nothing more than a by-product of his friendly nature and down-to-earth outlook. “I guess the moral of my story and this build is to never give up. Hard work, dedication, and the drive to finish what you start will eventually pay off. Also, this build would really never have happened without all of the relationships that have been forged by not being afraid to ask questions, or ask for advice from the guys who know. I just have to say thank you to everyone who has helped to make this build possible!”
The Future
As mentioned in the story, a meeting with Greg of Go-Autoworks prompted some serious planning for 2012. The H22 is now built and boosted with a number of high-quality upgrades and plenty of custom touches from Go-Autoworks. Here’s a sample of just a few of the many changes to the motor since the photo shoot:
• ERL sleeved block
• Manly turbo tuff rods
• BorgWarner 67mm 1.25 a/r T4 S400sx turbo with race cover
• Twin TiAL 44mm wastegates
• Golden Eagle intake manifold
• ID 1000 injectors
• Go-Autoworks twin scroll top mount
• Go-Autoworks GT900 back door intercooler
• Go-Autoworks SFWD 3-inch charge pipe kit
• Go-Autoworks two-piece 4-inch downpipe
• FCS race fuel cell
• Kaizenspeed manual tensioner
• Hondata S300 with boost option