Our fourth competitor for the 2014 Import Meet Street Car Competition is Blake Henney and his 1990 Honda Prelude. The IMSCC is an event that will compare some of the best import cars in multiple categories (drag racing, autocross, dyno, car show, etc.) on August 8-10 in Seattle, WA.
Other competitors will be announced leading up to the competition so be sure to check back regularly. Join the Facebook event page for notifications.
Blake Henney has always enjoyed owning cars that most people don’t usually consider fast. He loves being able to show up to a track and prove that even the most unsuspecting car (when properly built) can turn heads. Nearly every Honda that he has owned has been a complete sleeper and his 1990 Honda Prelude is no different.
Text and photos by Matt Haugness. Video by Dustin St. Hilaire (Jessup Visual Works).
Watch H22A-swapped 1990 Honda Prelude on YouTube
Nowadays, finding a built Honda isn’t usually difficult but finding a built third generation Prelude is. When Blake found one that was already mostly built by a friend of his, he had to have it.
“Recently I was presented with the opportunity to buy this Prelude. It was my good friend Mitch’s car and he had been building it since he was 16 years old. Knowing how much time and money it takes to build a car of this caliber, I had to jump on the deal. I’ve had a busy work schedule for the last few years and it’s been hard for me to find time to work on cars. Buying it mostly built was the best thing I could have done.” Blake explained.
This Prelude has never been about getting attention which is primarily why most of the exterior was left alone. With the exception of a set of JDM taillights and a JDM front lip, the outside of the car is the way it was when it rolled off the assembly line 25 years ago.
“I’ve always been into owning sleeper cars which is why this is the perfect car for me. One of my first Honda builds was a boosted CRX with similar styling – this car is much cleaner though.”
Under the hood resides a fully built JDM spec H22A engine and transmission. The engine was sleeved by Golden Eagle and has CP 9.1:1 pistons, Brian Crower connecting rods, ARP head studs, and a Cometic head gasket. The head was upgraded with Ferrea 6000 valves, Supertech dual valve springs, and Brian Crower valve retainers. To make the use of the headwork, a Skunk2 intake manifold was chosen along with a 68mm throttle body.
The engine was built with the plan of it being turbocharged so the transmission was upgraded to support the power as well. The factory gears were swapped out for a straight cut set from MFactory because of how much torque they can withstand. A Competition Clutch twin disc was chosen to transfer the power to the transmission and a Quaife limited slip differential delivers it evenly to the wheels.
When it came to the turbo kit, a Precision 6265 turbocharger was used and has been attached to the engine using a Straight Line Specialties top mount exhaust manifold. A blacked-out Precision 600 HP intercooler and a 44mm TiAL MV-R wastegate finish off the kit. The engine was tuned using a Hondata S300 ECU. To help with traction, boost is limited in each gear using an AVCR. Blake didn’t want to give too much away but the car makes a little over 600 horsepower to the wheels on pump gas/methanol.
After the output of the engine was increased substantially, the previous owner moved on to the brakes. The front of the car was upgraded to NSX calipers and Acura Legend rotors. For the rear, a Wilwood brake kit and slotted rotors were used. Blake plans on running Hawk HP pads for the competition.
Polyurethane bushings were installed throughout the car and an Explicit Speed traction bar helps the car get traction off the line. For suspension, Blake recently changed to a set of KSport coilovers.
Of all of the parts on the car, Blake likes the MFactory straight cut gears the most. Without them, he said that the transmission would not be able to handle the abuse and the amount of power that the engine produces.
When asked why he thinks his car will do well in the IMSCC, Blake said:
“I think my car will do well in the competition since it is very light, has great suspension and brakes, and makes good power. I think it will do best in the autocross and drag racing parts of the event.”
In the future Blake would like to install a roll cage and racing seats with 4 point harnesses. He also plans on upgrading the turbo.
“I would like to thank my father, Lloyd Henney, for getting me into wrenching on cars at an early age. I would also like to thank the following people for helping me, supporting me, or inspiring me to build cars: Mitch Broehl, Eric Johnson, Guillaume Marceau, Dave Lee, Jesse Hayes, Ben LaVeille, Earl Cunningham, Kamal Bhumber, and Matt Haugness.”
Modifications:
Exterior/Wheels/Tires:
JDM taillights
JDM front lip
15” 5Zigen wheels w/ Toyo R888 tires
Engine/Transmission/Differential:
Fully built Golden Eagle sleeved JDM H22A engine
Brian Crower connecting rods
CP 9.1:1 pistons
ARP head studs
Cometic head gasket
KS Tuned balance shaft elimination
KS Tuned timing belt tensioner
Ferrea 6000 valves
Supertech dual valve springs
Brian Crower valve retainers
Skunk2 intake manifold
Precision 6265 turbocharger
Straight Line Specialties top mount T3 exhaust manifold
TiAL 44mm MVC-R wastegate
HKS SSQV blow-off valve
Precision 600 HP intercooler (painted black)
68mm billet throttle body
Competition Clutch twin disk clutch
MFactory straight cut gearset
Quaife LSD
New transmission bearings/seals
1100cc FIC fuel injectors
Walbro 255 fuel pump
044 Bosch inline fuel pump with -8 AN fuel lines
Fuelab fuel pressure regulator
Golden Eagle fuel rail
M&W Pro 10 ignition system
MSD external coil
Hondata S300 ECU
AVCR boost by gear
DevilsOwn stage 2 methanol injection system
Interior:
Tunerview screen
JDM Si interior
98 Honda Prelude gauge cluster
Air/Fuel ratio gauge
Suspension/Brakes:
KSport coilovers
NSX front calipers w/ Acura Legend rotors
Hawk HP brake pads
Wilwood rear brakes w/ slotted rear rotors
Polyurethane bushings
Explicit Speed traction bar
Special Thanks to Our IMSCC Sponsors:
