 Fluidyne High Performance was showing high efficiency radiators for Civics and Integras. This one is perfect for a 5G B-series swap. As our own HYBRID editors can attest, a stock Civic VX radiator is not sufficient to cool a high revving B18C during competition. And if you are thinking of running a 98spec JDM ITR FD then you’d better plan on getting a more efficient radiator like this one. The small size leaves plenty of room for turbo plumbing, while giving you the extra cooling that a turbo requires. There is also a full width Integra sized version for extreme cooling. Applications are 88-91 Civics, 92+ Civics, 90-93 Integras.
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Cruising the Super Street booth I bumped into Brent Romans, one of their associate editors. He gave me a very sincere hand shake and some nice words about the HYBRID site. We chatted for awhile about the industry and the growing influence of the big powerful companies. He surprised me with his honest and candor. He is one of the good guys.
 BBK is casting two big-bore throttle bodies for us. A 62mm for the D16Z6 and a 65mm for the newer B-series engines. They are new castings, not over-bored stock units. I asked him why they do not make them for the 88-91 Si (also fits the ZC). He said that there was little demand. I found that hard to believe, but I wasn’t going to be able to convince him. The B-series model won’t be available for a few months, but rest assured we will try to get our hands on one. If they are a good value, then we will start a campaign for the D16A6/ZC. |
 I went to the HKS booth to specifically talk about ZC cams. I attracted the ear of one of the purchasing managers. He was almost positive that the ZC cams were designed for the turbo kit they created for the 85-87 Civics (don’t even ask about that kit). That makes total sense. It explains why the cams have such mild specs compared to other tuners regrinds. However it is still unverified. Reports from the field are that the HKS cams do make good NA power, so who is right? Additionally, he knew that the ZC cams were being discontinued. No more will be made and he was unsure of how many were left. He promised to check with Japan to found out more details.
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 As many of you already know, I spoke with one of the salesmen at Comp Cams about cams for the ZC. Read more about that here. Additionally they have tooled cam cores for the non-vtec Civics and B18A/B. These cams were production ready and might already be shipping. VTEC cams are in development. I will be talking more with these guys, and I’ll pass on whatever I learn. |
 DC Sports was showing there not yet released 4 into 1 GS-R header. Targeted at the highly modified B18Cs and Type-R motors, it promises solid gains above their current tri-y header. Pricing was unset. You might want to wait for test results before buying your next header. |
 There were 3-4 1999 Civic Sis there. DC had the nicest one on the floor. Nice TE-37s, and the clean looking DC stuff: bolt on braces, their new header and their exhaust. We took a few pictures under the Super Street Si. Stock, it has a big fat 26mm front sway bar, and tiny tiny 15mm rear. That will keep the lawyers happy, I’m sure. Also, the Si is using a stamped front lower control arm, which probably saves some weight compared to the standard cast LCA. |
 Hi-Tech Exhaust was teasing us with the idea of making a street header. If you’ve seen the header on the Skunkworks car, then you know their work. The first street versions will likely be big bucks. As big as $800. Is +10hp above the competition worth it? To a few, I am sure it will be. |
 "Rusty" was chillen in TMR’s booth and attracting all the attention. If you don't know him, he is a JDM CRX Si-R front clip professionally fused to a US CRX DX. It retains the JDM right hand drive configuration, and every part is JDM spec from the dash forward. In comparison, there was a totally riced out drag?/street? EK civic next to it getting just a little attention. Why is Rusty so dope? Because its so cleanly executed. Try to find the weld marks. Just try. No body kit. Super clean color change. Subtle exhaust without a big tip. Understated but with attention to detail. And daily driven, all the time. See more pics of Rusty at Katman's site |
 Gude has billet cam shaft cores for the SOHC 4G Si and SOHC VTEC motors. Big power is reportedly available from the SOHC VTEC grind, as much as +23hp with the right supporting parts. They are also prototyping blower cams for both SOHC motors. Cool! |
 For those of you that still have your B18C in the stock body, Greddy was showing final pre-production prototypes of their soon to be 50-state legal Integra turbo kit. This version was show-chromed, but production units will be the familiar Greddy blue coating. The kit is intercooled, with a tubular exhaust manifold. I know the question you are about to ask: Does it fit a B18C living in a Civic? They didn't know the answer, and its so tight in there that we will just have to wait and see. Expect to change some of the piping, of course. You could be the first on your block to own a 50-state legal turbo b18c Civic!
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B&M was showing the Team Redline RWD funny car style 90 Civic. Crazy crazy crazy. |
 Jun was there with the Type-3 VTEC cams. We talked with these guys for quite awhile. Jon from Jun told us that when the Jun management came out to Battle of the Imports a couple years ago, they were amazed that the make up of cars was 5 Hondas versus 1 of anything else. When they went back to Japan, they shifted gears and started developing more VTEC parts. Those parts are ready and will be hitting the market this year. They have 8 VTEC headers variations in development, Type-1,2 & 3 VTEC cams, adj. cam gears, custom programmed ECUs for the Type-3 cams, titanium exhausts, and more. From the looks and sound of Jun, they have excellent R&D and we will keep a close eye on them. |
Well that was what I thought was cool at Import Auto Salon 99. As a side note, SEMA has decided to call next years show the International Auto Salon 2000. The name change welcomes the domestic cars that compete with the imports, like Escort ZX2, Saturns, etc. Interesting. Besides Honda, only Toyota/Lexus had a strong showing... but maybe just he way my eyes saw it? We will see next year!
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