1990 Acura Integra - Built On Pride

It's been over 20 years since the introduction of Acura's 2nd generation Integra, and though it was a wildly popular platform to modify during its era, you simply don't see very many well-maintained versions any more. Similar to the CRX and 4th gen Civic, all of which helped spark the Honda movement early on, the years have unabashedly taken their toll and the result is far more weathered and neglected examples on the road these days. Fortunately there is a group of enthusiasts dedicated to preserving and improving these early '90s icons that undoubtedly played a major role in the very community you're involved with today. One of those hard-core enthusiasts is Dustin McQueary, owner and builder of this immaculate Jasper Green DA.

While Dustin was still attending high school, he asked his grandparents for a loan in order to buy this Integra. He adds, "I didn't know much about Hondas, but I loved the way it looked and it was fun to drive." Already lowered and armed with a B20 heart, the Integra was more than enough to keep the student smiling on his drive to and from school. That smile faded away rather quickly when he was directed to the California State Referee, a trip that meant the 2.0L would have to be removed to make room for an original "LS" engine. The swap isn't a major ordeal and Dustin wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, but what happened next not only put a stop to his engine transplant procedure, it almost put a stop to Dustin. He recalls, "During the swap I came down with a severe illness and had my brush with death. During my hospital stay, my brother and dad worked on the car for me so when I recovered, I could drive it." Eventually he made a complete recovery and was out of the hospital and right back into the garage to complete the swap that his family had helped out with. While wrenching on his Integra and gaining some hands on experience, Dustin got the itch to do more to his car. And while he admits that building a car on a high school student's budget wasn't easy, the focus toward the project was a key element in keeping him out of typical teenage trouble. "I got more serious with building it and got a set of Enkei RPF1s and stripped out the rearend of the car. I used my welding skills to fab an X-bar and lower tie bar. I accumulated more mods over the years including building the suspension and mild motor mods."

As the DA continued to develop, Dustin found his way to the track for a bit of road racing. The thrill of hot laps and weekend fun was addictive, but also taxing as his LS engine committed suicide during a session at Willow Springs. Down but not out, a complete '96 spec ITR engine and transmission was purchased and installed, and the DA was right back on track.

Having purchased the car as a teen, then going through a life threatening illness, learning about the car first hand, and eventually burning through an engine at the track, Dustin felt a sentimental bond with the car and decided to retire from track days and essentially start all over again with the project. He adds, "I tore it down, re-shaved the bay, and made my own engine harness. I polished my transmission, header, fuel rail, master cylinder, and a few other pieces by hand." Content with the progress of the engine bay appearance, the car was sent off to Revolution Autobody in Vallejo for a fresh coat of the factory Jasper hue. The downtime wasn't wasted; Dustin refurbished a number of his old parts, sent his Sprinthart's off to powdercoating, sourced a brand new set of wheel stickers and ordered a number of new parts in anticipation of the cars return. "Got the car back from paint and spent no time putting her back together with all new OEM Honda parts. The car was almost done when my brother's friend's daughter put a good-sized dent in the front driver fender from my jack handle." Back to Revolution it went and Dustin grew restless, due to the fact that he had planned to attend the legendary Nisei Showoff event and meet with the photographer to shoot his magazine feature. He adds, "after many late nights and a few all-nighters, I got the car all buttoned up to make its showing. It was one of the biggest payoffs I've ever had, seeing something that I put my heart into drive down the road all finished. The car has truly tested my patience and has been one of the things in my life that I'm so proud of."

Bolts & Washers

Propulsion
'96 spec B18C ITR engine
Energy Suspension mount inserts
Skunk2 68mm throttle body
Comptech header
Custom exhaust system/test pipe
AEM intake piping
HKS filter
CTR crank pulley
Walbro 255lph fuel pump
Blox FPR
Rywire VTEC sub-harness
Rywire injector and distributor jumpers
'96 spec ITR transmission
Hasport hydro/cable conversion
Buddy Club short shift
Mishimoto radiator
Blox slim fan
Buddy Club rad cap
Downstar Inc hardware

Suspension
Ground control springs
Ground Control top hats
Koni "Yellow" shocks
Suspension Techniques front/rear sway bars
Energy Suspension master bushing kit
Ingalls front camber kit
Cusco front shock tower bar
Custom rear X-bar
Custom fender braces
Custom rear tie bar
Skunk2 LCAs

Resistance
Acura Legend 2-piston calipers
Mini Cooper front rotors
Goodridge stainless lines

Wheels & tires
Sprinthart CP-F 15x7 +40
Toyo Proxes R888
Front: 225/45-15
Rear: 205/50-15
ARP wheel studs
949 Racing lug nuts

Exterior
Resprayed OEM Jasper Green
VIS carbon fiber hood
VIS carbon fiber hatch
Hiro/Pancake Racing wing
OEM optional 2-pc sideskirts
JDM 1-pc headlights
'92 Integra front/rear bumpers
'92 Integra taillights
OEM Integra sedan door handles
JDM bumper supports
JDM window visors
JDM rear visor
JDM thin side moldings
JDM sidemarkers
'89 Integra front lip
OEM optional sunroof visor
Custom air duct turn signal

Interior
F1 Spec FIA seat
Takata harness
'92 Integra interior
Nardi "deepcorn" steering wheel
NRG slim hub and adapter
Spoon Sports shift knob
Circuit Hero shift extender
OEM radio block off
OEM optional armrest

Props
My girlfriend Chandler, my parents, my borther, Aaron Alves, Barrett Hess, Gemil Libatique, Revolution Autobody, Hybridworks

Owner Specs

Daily Grind
Electrician

Favorite Site
NWP4Life.com

Screen Name
G2TEG2

Building Hondas
4 years

Dream Car
My car

Inspiration For This Build
building a car for me and pushing myself to build the best I can

Future Build
none