1993 Honda Del Sol - Blazing Sol
When Jasen Penman bought this 1993 Honda Del Sol for his wife in 2003, he figured that he'd be able to trade with his wife for her 1999 Honda Civic Si. He had plans to build the Si into a westside competitor aimed at the boys on the East coast. Well, his honey wasn't down with his idea to turn her Civic into a race car, and turned down his offer. Jasen saw this tiny set back as an opportunity to do something a little different. Instead, he would make this Del Sol into a class leading Pro-Am street car.
Jasen was well aware of the skeptics' opinions of the little Del Sol. Too heavy, not competitive enough, it won't be able to stand up to the hatchbacks; the list goes on. But no one had tried to disprove the myths, and wanting to be a pioneer, Jasen set out to prove them all wrong. With the resources of his shop Phantom Motorsports at his disposal, the quest for the top spot began.
B-series pride
Jasen is a disciple of the Honda B-series motor. He is on a crusade to show up all the K-series converts. He felt that since the B-series motors have been around for a while, an extensive amount of research and testing data as well as tons of aftermarket performance parts make it the best power plant option. His build began with the motor that launched a revolution, the B18C. The engine was disassembled and the short block was sent to Golden Eagle Mfg. for resleeving. With the help of Pro Machine Shop, the block was bored to 84mm and matched up with a set of Supertech 10:1 pistons, Manley Turbo-Tuff rods and an Eagle LS crankshaft. These upgraded internals changed the engine specs to an 84mm bore and an 89mm stroke, increasing engine displacement to 1972cc.
With the block reinforced and ready to go, attention was now directed to the cylinder head. With the large volume of air expected to be pushed through the motor, Phantom Motorsports worked their own magic on the head. With port work completed, Supertech valves, springs and retainers were installed. A Golden Eagle head gasket seals the head to the block, with AEBS head studs handling the clamping duties. Crower camshafts top off the long block.
42 psi
Providing the 42psi of boost pressure is a GT42R turbocharger mounted up to a Phantom Motorsports stainless exhaust manifold. Spent gases leaving the turbo are routed through a Phantom Motorsports four-inch turbo-back exhaust system. Regulating the boost is a 40mm Tial wastegate and a Turbo XS Quad stage boost control. This boost controller is essential for high-power turbocharged front-wheel drive vehicles. This boost controller allows the user to activate three solenoids set at different boost levels by way of a switching mechanism such as a timer or a micro-switch off of the gearbox, the boost pressure can be applied progressively as the car picks up speed. The advantage is a stepped increase in boost pressure, which can help maintain traction from the launch to the end of the quarter-mile.
D Sport Magazine
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