Excalibur Project – 1995 Acura Integra
Records and Receipts
I have a 2-inch binder full of every receipt for every service, aftermarket part, engine swap and paint job for the Acura. All receipts and service invoices are organized chronologically. I have EVERY single oil change receipt from date of purchase through today. Oil changes have only been done by an ASE Certified Technician at an Acura dealership. Since the engine swap, only Mobil 1 Synthetic 5W30 has been used.
Engine Swap
The engine swap was performed February of 2005. It was a ’98 spec JDM ITR swap that included the 4.7 final drive and LSD. Based on initial reactions to the engine when it was unwrapped on the crate, it was the cleanest engine that any of the technicians had seen pre-swap. You can see from the pictures around the block and the head that it is immaculate. Also, notice the shots of the head with the valve cover off, the engine did not even have time for the oil to burn in as is typically seen in most used engines. Judging by the fact that there was only one set of wrench marks on the oil drain plug, it is believed that the engine was only driven enough to substantiate one oil change.
Before the new engine went in, it was given: a timing belt service, 6-bolt Skunk2 cam gears, Hondata S100, AEM Underdrive Pulleys, B&M Fuel Pressure gauge, AEM Fuel Pressure Regulator, an OEM ITR clutch, and an Exedy racing flywheel. I used the AEM Type R intake for the new engine, which has a larger diameter intake tube. I have purchased the AEM Bypass valve but have not installed it. The engine has been tuned twice by Ed Senf in Atlanta, GA and currently pulls 180 WHP and 125 lb/ft TQ (see dyno graph) with my old DC Sports Stainless 4-1 header, stock cat (with 165k miles on it) and stock exhaust. Most dyno pulls you see that are run “open-header” with custom exhaust manifold make power like this. Ed is known as a conservative dyno tech and his credentials are well respected, he has been discussed in Sports Compact Car magazine for his work and is trusted by SPEED World Challenge competitors as their go-to guy. It is anticipated that this car will put down 200 WHP with just the addition of a custom header, racing cat and 2.5” exhaust.
Paint
For the paint job on this car, nothing was spared. I wanted a show car paint job but didn’t want to spend $10k and end up being afraid to drive it. Well, I ended up spending just over $5k and I have not been willing to drive it unless I knew it was going be parked away from other cars. The car has not seen rain since the new paint job was completed on March 17, 2006. The work was done by Marty Roberts of Roberts Body shop in Young Harris, GA. Roberts body shop get their notoriety from completing one of few legitimate AB FLUG Supras in the world. I have included a couple of the pictures of Mr. Kuy Lim’s car for those of you who are not familiar with the 1000 WHP beast.
I added a 1997 USDM ITR front chin spoiler to the car, purchased from the Acura dealership. In fact all parts I am about to mention come only from the dealership. I replaced the side skirts to ensure that the paint would have longevity, after being on the road there was sure to be a buildup of oil and contaminants. I had the fender well trim removed, along with the mud guards. I also had all of the emblems and the side molding shaved. The process of shaving the emblems (that were in the trunk) and side molding was not done with Bondo like most…square metal pieces were welded into place and a thin sheet of fiber glass was added on top…then mud was added as necessary. I replaced the front windshield (because the original one was pitted) with a new PPG piece, new trim all around the front windshield and back windshield. I also had them paint the cowl and trim around side glass as possible. No expense was spared in the process of remaking the exterior of this car; I wanted the best possible renovation with out the implementation of big-mouth front end and a 3 stage carbon-fiber wing.
In Addition
Along with the sale of this car includes: theoriginal springs, taillight assemblies, 5 spoke GS-R wheels with tires, intake system, OEM rear brake rotors. This has an estimated street value of $1750.
I am willing to answer any an all questions about this car…I have receipts for a total investment of $40,000 since purchase including cost of the car.
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