If you look hard enough, you will find a very select group of individuals in Los Angeles who are none too shy to tell you that they only fix up their cars in a very specific way. You won't find them anywhere else but LA and they are usually old enough to remember how important the Gray's Sports Almanac was to Michael J. Fox. They have seen the rise, the fall and the rise again of a car culture that's influenced and impacted their lives for the past 20 years. They could care less that a B-Series engine with its fancy VTEC technology can surpass what is well outdated in their engine bays and you would feel silly, insulting even, if you mentioned the words "big wheels" and "Honda" in the same breath. They understand the JDM social circles but are remiss to call anything JDM except by the term J-spec. For them, this simple thinking is all they have ever known and all they have ever wanted to do to a car.
These enthusiasts are a dying breed as most have long sold the cars that got them through the wonder years-nothing but a faint memory that lives on through a 4x6 snapshot in a dusty photo album. But there is one who lives the memory every day. From the day he drove this car off the lot in what is Acura's first two-door sports coupe, Ernie Uy has been customizing and maintaining his '89 Integra LS with a passion that's rarely seen. From a time that saw little aftermarket support, there were few first-gen Integras that Ernie liked and devoted his time to, making sure this long lost Honda stood out like a sore thumb. Garage-kept nearly all its life, the Flint Black paint rests immaculately on a body that is straighter than straight, although he had the rear wiper, front wiper sprayers and front license plate holes shaved off by Reflections (a body shop known widely in the LA region as being masters of the spray booth). The OEM side skirts from the Special Edition model is a subtle change to the side profile and a Mugen rear wing gives off that unmistakable look of Honda prestige. The headlights were converted to H4 European headlights from Cibie and small JDM mods include the taillights, turn signals, drive lights and sidemarkers from an EF Civic.
When it came to boosting power for the stock D16A1-the first twin-cam engine brought to the States by Honda-Ernie admits he hasn't done much. "I stayed with [the D16A1] to be original," he says. "Keeping AC was also a big concern for me, so I was somewhat limited to what parts I could add, which pretty much eliminated the thought of a turbo. There are performance parts available; not many but there are a few." He decided on a K&N drop-in filter for the stock air box but managed to source a very rare Mugen Sport exhaust, which at first he was unsure of using, saying, "I didn't know if I could live with the DTM-styled tips but after putting it on, I saw that it flowed really well with the bumper. I guess the designers at Mugen knew what they were doing." He also found a way to make an A'PEXi header designed for the single-cam D16 found in the Civic EK fit on as well. Amazingly, the original engine has only seen about 120K miles on the road but its transmission needed repairs and Ernie found an upgrade with a Clutch Specialties Hyper clutch and lightened flywheel. A DC Fabrications (this is pre-DC Sports, kids) short shifter gives nice, tight throws through the gear box.
While the second and third generation Integras and the current Integra replacement, the RSX, have a nicely designed suspension that can be easily modified and tuned for track racing, the same can't be said for this version-but Ernie wants to change the minds of those who think this way. "Most people who use the front torsion bar for the front suspension don't understand it," he explains. "Understanding how it works is the key to getting the car to ride this good as low as it is. Most people just turn the torsion nut and lower the front end, wondering why it rides like ass. Well, once the torsion bar is turned and the front end is dropped, the amount of travel for the front shocks disappears, so you're basically riding on bump stops. You kill a smooth and comfortable ride." To remedy this problem, Ernie had True Choice custom make a set of Koni shocks, which were shortened three inches on the body and shaft, then re-valved for higher spring rates. Now the DA3 has enough shock travel to ride smoothly while slammed. A 24mm Lightspeed torsion bar and Trust strut bar are used to tighten up the front end while a Cusco strut bar and Jackson Racing sway bar take care of the back.
A look inside the Integra reveals little more than what the factory decided the Integra should come with. Remember that when this car was in its prime, there were no fancy Bride seats or 43-point roll cages-this made Ernie's job extra easy. So a Mugen SW-36 steering wheel with an optional horn pad and Feel's Honda TwinCam shift knob play their parts well. And rather than building a multimedia outlet, complete with DVD players and woofers big enough to fill a spare wheel well, he kept it way old school by having Traffic Jamz install parts that were the top of the line from back in the day, with an Alpine 7909 head unit, four vintage Soundstream D-200 amps, a pair of Nakamichi highs, Rockford Fosgate mids and Soundstream SS10R subs. His reasoning for the outdated gear: "It's what I always wanted when I was growing up," he says. "I couldn't afford it then, but I can now."
But the best part about Ernie's Integra-which he'll have no problem rapping about for days-is the wheels. Forget everything you've seen on Honda-Tech, Ernie embodies the true definition of a wheel whore, especially when you're talking old school SSRs. By far, this is a true collection of our culture's history: EX-C Fins, EX-C Mesh, MKIIIs, SP2R and an immaculate set of chrome-dipped EX-C Neos that he bought new in '92. "SSRs defined the look of the early Honda scene," says Ernie. "Having any on a Honda, especially Fins or Mesh, was the bomb setup. It's so era-specific-the years from '88 to '94-before the really big wheels started coming out." He recalls that Mugen wheels "weren't that popular" but to this day, he's managed to slide in a set of CF48s with the aero disk covers and MR-5s. Over the years, Ernie has amassed a collection of SSRs that are simply unobtainable today in such great condition. Lucky bastard.
To understand why Ernie built this Integra the way he did-clean, simple, no fuss-is easy. Of course, if you're looking to win a Hot Import Nights show, this won't do the trick, but sometimes less is more. "My method of building cars today is the same as it was when I was younger." He adds, "Dropping it as low as you could on cut stock springs, keeping your car as clean as possible-and I mean immaculately clean-that was the style. If you were lucky enough, you picked up a few Japanese parts here and there, but nothing was too crazy, fast and definitely not furious."
Fast Facts
'89 Acura Integra Ls
Owner
Ernie Uy
Hometown
Carson, CA
Daily Grind
Programmer
Under The Hood
1.6L DOHC D16A1; K&N drop-in filter; Mugen Sport exhaust; A'PEXi D-series header
Drivetrain
DC Fabrications short shifter; Clutch Specialties Hyper clutch and lightened flywheel
Stoppers
Power Slot rotors; Porterfield R4S carbon kevlar pads; Baker brake lines
Stiff Stuff
Lightspeed 24mm front torsion bar with custom Koni yellow shocks; Ground Control coilover sleeves (rear) with Eibach ERS springs with custom Koni yellow shocks; Jackson Racing rear sway bar; Trust front strut bar; Cusco rear strut bar; Energy Suspension master bushing kit
Rollers
15x7 SSR EX-C Neos with Yokohama ES100 195/50R15 tires; SSR EX-C Fins, EX-C Mesh, MKIIIs and SP2R wheels; 15x6.5 Mugen CF48 with Aerodisk covers and MR-5
Outside
'88 OEM Special Edition side skirts; Mugen wing; Cibie H4 headlight conversion with Flosser 105/150 watt globes; Flint Black paint and body work by Reflections Auto Body; JDM taillights, turn signals, drive lights and EF sidemarkers
Inside
Mugen SW-36 steering wheel with optional horn pad; Feel's Honda TwinCam shift knob
ICE
Alpine 7909 head unit; Soundstream D-200 amps and SS10R subs; Nakamichi highs; Rockford Fosgate mids; EQ-X audio control; Optima battery; Lightning capacitor
Props
First and foremost, I have to thank Arnie Hernandez and Ron "De Rocket" Torres-this car would not be what it is without their help and guidance; special thanks to Rodney "specialTeg" Auyeung, Charles "Eggman" Trieu, Marcus at www.heeltoeauto.com, Mas and Kiyo at Takumi Project, Tim at San Pedro Muffler, Manuel at Reflections Auto Body, Frank at Traffic Jamz, King Motorsports, True Choice, everyone on g1teg.org, Honda-tech.com, Todd of TMengineering and to all the old school So Cal race crews for their inspiration. Special thanks to my family and my wife, Bria for all their love and support.
WWWkingmotorsports.com; knfilters.com;apexi-usa.com; dcsports.com; koni.com;jacksonracing.com; greddy.com; energysuspension.com; yokohamatire.com; powerslot.com; heeltoeauto.com; takumiproject.com; truechoice.com