The state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics or automobiles, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
Built and boosted, this K24/K20 combo belts out over 500 whp.
An addiction to cars, you say? It’s not all that farfetched. How
about building an engine at home for which you have no car to place it
in? That’s exactly what happened to Andel Garces, owner of this tight
red hatchback. When he told us about the incident, we couldn’t help but
laugh a little. The story, in his own words, goes like this, “Big Red’s
legacy began with a phone call from my friend who worked at the Honda
dealership. ‘Bro, if you don’t come over here to pick up this mint
hatch, we’re not boys anymore.’ That was his exact wording, lol. I had
been building my K20/K24 for a while and was still deciding on which
chassis I wanted to drive around in. Then it hit me, fate wanted me to
get that car. Why else would such a deal come as I was completing my
engine? I took the trip to the dealership the same day, and to my
surprise, there she was, just 4 inches off the ground with 14-inch
steelies. The interior of the car was fresh, and it was a ’96 DX
automatic. She only cost me $1,200, which wasn’t at all a bad price for
the condition.” So what started as a $1,200 car with a partially built engine has taken two years and morphed into a $40,000 money pit. Luckily, the owner has his daily Infinity G35x to drive. Along with friends Jose Devares and Caitlin Aaron, Andel has built a monster that still sees street duty and track abuse. Being from New York City and having friends like the guys at VRaceworks as your “dealer” doesn’t hurt.
Andel decided to give the folks at Bullseye Power in Muskegon, Michigan, a call and get one of their twin scroll Comp 68R custom purple housing turbos. He added an Edelbrock 75mm throttle body and a 4-inch Garrett core AFI intercooler, and while AFI was producing the intercooler, Andel had the folks there make up a sidewinder turbo manifold as well. Two 44mm TiAL wastegates help keep boost pressure in check, and a 3.5-inch stainless downpipe and exhaust help move the spent gases. To finish things up under the hood and ensure there is enough fuel to light this bad boy up, Andel added a set of Bosch 044 fuel pumps, 1,200cc RC injectors and a Golden Eagle fuel rail. What does it all add up to? Well, at 15 pounds of boost, DRT was able to extract 544 whp/520 wtq! Not bad for a car that once made less than 100 whp. You have to wonder how all of that gets put to the ground, right? Andel relies on a K20A3 five-speed transaxle, Quaife LSD, and an Exedy ceramic twin disc clutch that puts the pressure on a set of DSS 5.9 axles. In the suspension department, Skunk2 Pro C custom rebound coilovers and adjustable camber kits help keep things stable at high speeds. K Sport toe kits are on duty as well, and finally, an Energy Suspension polyurethane bushing kit helps to keep this monster firmly planted on the road.
To perform and look good doing it, a set of Volk CE28s wrapped in Bridgestone RE11s sit at each corner. We all know that trying to throw that much power at a set of street tires on track day is only going to result in a cloud of smoke. However, Andel managed to push his street tires to a 12.0 during the huge Hondaday event at Atco Raceway in New Jersey.
Having a car that handles and makes jam is only half of the equation, though. Whether they’ll admit it or not, everyone wants a car that looks good while it’s tearing it up. Andel opted for a number of CTR goodies to the exterior, then had GRT Paint Shop spray the entire car for a perfect match. On the inside, intelligent performance is the name of the game, and this enthusiast wasn’t about to use cheap alternatives. He went with the best in the form of AEM electronics, relying on its boost controller, engine management, and vital gauges.
While Andel loves his Honda, his addiction is pushing him toward a monster build that he says will be a 2JZ Supra. Sounds like a fiend jonesing for their next fix, but we’re pretty sure he’ll be back to the Honda camp in no time. Best of luck Andel!
