So.. a JDM H22A. What's it look like? Here's when I first brought it home:
The engine was actually really clean right from the importer. JDM Engine Depot in Kearny, NJ is where I got it from. A few of my friends have gotten engines and transmissions fromthere (2 RB25DET's, D15B's, B-series's, an RB26DETT, among others) and they've all worked out just fine so I wasn't worried.
It's easy to tell that they hadn't pressure washed it because the owner took a blow gun and blew off about a half an inch of JDM dust when i pointed to the one i wanted. I checked it out top to bottom.. made sure the trans ran through all gears smoothly, checked the plugs for any bad signs, felt around and inspected for any oil leaks, etc etc. Of course I asked the owner to run a compression check and all 4 cylinders tested high and even
. Good sign already.
If you haven't been able to tell by now, I like stuff to be extremely clean, i'm a good example of OCD
. I cleaned the motor and trans until I thought i was going to start stripping away the damn metal! It still wasn't clean looking enough for something I'd just spent $2K for, so after checking out their catalogue at work, I took a 10 min ride to Eastwood and picked up a quart of their AlumaBlast acryllic enamel. It's supposed to duplicate the look of blasted aluminum. pretty cheesy huh? maybe a little bit. okay yeah it's lame. but... i want the look. I already personally know that the motor is REALLY clean, so what's it gonna hurt?
I dumped about 3 oz. into my SATA HVLP mini detail gun and went to town. I turned the pressure way up, the fluid flow down, and turned the fan pattern to 'point'. Voilą!! I've got myself an airbrush! I dusted on the alumablast so thin that you can almost see through it. it's tough to see in the picture, but honestly this motor looks very natural, not blue-ish how it looks here, and not cheesy at all. I'm very impressed with that Eastwood stuff.
The engine is going to stay stock for now. down the road a little i may go back and rip everything apart and do a mild head-build, but for now this motor in its stock form is going to be plenty for me. i'm a simple guy
.
Obviously being out of the car, new stuff is a must. I replaced the clutch and flywheel with an XTD Exedy 'stage 1' clutch and a matching 11 lb. flywheel. A few of my friends have gone with XTD already, and even though they're a cheaper brand, the quality is great. i've got a real Exedy disc, so i'm sure it'll last like the others have.
The starter, alternator, clutch slave cylinder, timing belt (OEM Honda), water pump, and all accessory belts are all new as well.