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95jdmdc4's 1995 Acura Integra
STORY
I first bought my Integra in November of 2003 after the sale of my very first car, a Ford Taurus. Anyone who knows me personally and remembers that car...well you know the details, ha ha! It was time to get a fun car and start the journey that would last from 2003-2012.
I decided on a white 95' Integra LS. It was very beat to say the least. The exterior was a completely faded dull white with a ugly pinstripe down the side. If that wasn't an eyesore enough, then there was the missing side skirt, the caved in passenger side past the door and enough dents to have thought one drove through the ghetto and got shot at.
In the interior, the carpet was stained, the seats were faded and it just looked old and worn out. The engine thankfully ran strong at barely over a hundred thousand miles on the trusty B18b LS engine. The biggest dilemma here was that I didn't know how to drive stick yet! After a couple days of my mother of all people teaching me, I finally got the rhythm down.
At the time I was merely 17 years old and my taste was very immature and ignorant. I had no clue what I was doing. With the help of a new emerging friend from high school, Alfredo Santos, he began to teach me what he knew about cars being he had been in the scene already. Alfredo at the time, also 17 and driving a red 93' Integra, encouraged me to make a clean build.
I had the car repainted in a beautiful pearl white color and all the body damage was fixed after a couple grand and weeks at the body shop. I ended up buying Eibach lowering springs and some 17" Motegi MR7 wheels and of course clear corner lenses. Oh, and don't forget the massive "Acura" banner across the top of the windshield, ha ha!!
So, finally after learning more tricks of the trade from Alfredo and hanging out with others that were in the scene, reading magazines and looking online, I started to change my mindset. My taste matured and progressed over the next couple of years as I went through bronze ls mesh wheels, Spun supamesh gold wheels and finally settling on some Buddy Club p1 wheels. By this time, my ls engine had taken a crap on me and I opted for the inexpensive B20b swap. I ended up buying from the shop that did the swap, one of my first "nice" purchases. A 98' jdm spec type R transmission. This would prove to come in handy later.
By this time, the year was 2007 and Alfredo and I were becoming known around for our Integras in the local scene. His at that time, was a 93' black Integra with jdm one piece headlights, jdm XSI interior, B16 engine and a list of other quality parts. We were in full swing by this point. I bought a second vehicle, a 97' black Honda Civic hatchback which I ended up selling later for six thousand dollars. That would prove to be the catalyst for everything to follow.
Now with cash in hand and the right ideas, I went shopping. I purchased brand new Spoon calipers, Volk TE37 wheels, brand new black carpet from Acura, a Mugen generation one spoiler along with a carbon fiber front lip and tons of other quality parts.
By 2008, I was tired of being the slow one. I sold my other car at the time, a 91' black Integra GS and used the funds from that to purchase a new heart ... a jdm spec B18c type R engine. Mating that to the already existing type R transmission finally made my dream of having a type R swap a reality. I had always wanted the type R and now I was going to just make my own version with my ongoing project.
From 2009-2010 my Integra saw Mugen MF10L wheels, Recaro seats and dozens of other high quality parts make their way into the picture. My car and Alfredo's (also with a type R swap at this point) were well known in our area. We got a big notice at the Spring Import Alliance meet in 2010. There our cars parked side by side were noticed by photographer and enthusiast Chris Dornon who after talking with us offered us a photo shoot and a chance to get into Honda Tuning magazine. I didn't even think my car was to that level yet but I was stoked with the offer and went through with it. That Summer at the Import Alliance meet in Nashville, TN, Chris shot our cars on Nashville super speedway in the blistering heat. From then on, the process took a year and it was official. We had a full feature titled "Joint Venture" in the June 2011 issue of Honda Tuning magazine.
The journey was amazing and tons of fun. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to experience it with. I've connected with many people all over the country and shared laughs, stories and kind words, which makes the experience even more worth it.
As of May 2012, I decided to part ways with my beloved Integra and part the car out completely down to a bare shell that was later scrapped for metal. I ended up selling all of my parts online over the next couple months. Now my parts are scattered from coast to coast. Many asked me why part out such a car? Well truth is, it's just a car at the end of the day. A mature lesson that finally hit me. One that was a lot of fun and got lots of attention. It was time to just simply move onto something else. I'll always remember my Integra, the people and stories surrounding it. I'm grateful for how it turned out and the feature it received. Build your car to reflect your personal tastes and lifestyle. I'm a very clean, organized person so my build was centered around clean, "less is better" and high quality is the only way to go. Thank you all and God Bless!
I first bought my Integra in November of 2003 after the sale of my very first car, a Ford Taurus. Anyone who knows me personally and remembers that car...well you know the details, ha ha! It was time to get a fun car and start the journey that would last from 2003-2012.
I decided on a white 95' Integra LS. It was very beat to say the least. The exterior was a completely faded dull white with a ugly pinstripe down the side. If that wasn't an eyesore enough, then there was the missing side skirt, the caved in passenger side past the door and enough dents to have thought one drove through the ghetto and got shot at.
In the interior, the carpet was stained, the seats were faded and it just looked old and worn out. The engine thankfully ran strong at barely over a hundred thousand miles on the trusty B18b LS engine. The biggest dilemma here was that I didn't know how to drive stick yet! After a couple days of my mother of all people teaching me, I finally got the rhythm down.
At the time I was merely 17 years old and my taste was very immature and ignorant. I had no clue what I was doing. With the help of a new emerging friend from high school, Alfredo Santos, he began to teach me what he knew about cars being he had been in the scene already. Alfredo at the time, also 17 and driving a red 93' Integra, encouraged me to make a clean build.
I had the car repainted in a beautiful pearl white color and all the body damage was fixed after a couple grand and weeks at the body shop. I ended up buying Eibach lowering springs and some 17" Motegi MR7 wheels and of course clear corner lenses. Oh, and don't forget the massive "Acura" banner across the top of the windshield, ha ha!!
So, finally after learning more tricks of the trade from Alfredo and hanging out with others that were in the scene, reading magazines and looking online, I started to change my mindset. My taste matured and progressed over the next couple of years as I went through bronze ls mesh wheels, Spun supamesh gold wheels and finally settling on some Buddy Club p1 wheels. By this time, my ls engine had taken a crap on me and I opted for the inexpensive B20b swap. I ended up buying from the shop that did the swap, one of my first "nice" purchases. A 98' jdm spec type R transmission. This would prove to come in handy later.
By this time, the year was 2007 and Alfredo and I were becoming known around for our Integras in the local scene. His at that time, was a 93' black Integra with jdm one piece headlights, jdm XSI interior, B16 engine and a list of other quality parts. We were in full swing by this point. I bought a second vehicle, a 97' black Honda Civic hatchback which I ended up selling later for six thousand dollars. That would prove to be the catalyst for everything to follow.
Now with cash in hand and the right ideas, I went shopping. I purchased brand new Spoon calipers, Volk TE37 wheels, brand new black carpet from Acura, a Mugen generation one spoiler along with a carbon fiber front lip and tons of other quality parts.
By 2008, I was tired of being the slow one. I sold my other car at the time, a 91' black Integra GS and used the funds from that to purchase a new heart ... a jdm spec B18c type R engine. Mating that to the already existing type R transmission finally made my dream of having a type R swap a reality. I had always wanted the type R and now I was going to just make my own version with my ongoing project.
From 2009-2010 my Integra saw Mugen MF10L wheels, Recaro seats and dozens of other high quality parts make their way into the picture. My car and Alfredo's (also with a type R swap at this point) were well known in our area. We got a big notice at the Spring Import Alliance meet in 2010. There our cars parked side by side were noticed by photographer and enthusiast Chris Dornon who after talking with us offered us a photo shoot and a chance to get into Honda Tuning magazine. I didn't even think my car was to that level yet but I was stoked with the offer and went through with it. That Summer at the Import Alliance meet in Nashville, TN, Chris shot our cars on Nashville super speedway in the blistering heat. From then on, the process took a year and it was official. We had a full feature titled "Joint Venture" in the June 2011 issue of Honda Tuning magazine.
The journey was amazing and tons of fun. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to experience it with. I've connected with many people all over the country and shared laughs, stories and kind words, which makes the experience even more worth it.
As of May 2012, I decided to part ways with my beloved Integra and part the car out completely down to a bare shell that was later scrapped for metal. I ended up selling all of my parts online over the next couple months. Now my parts are scattered from coast to coast. Many asked me why part out such a car? Well truth is, it's just a car at the end of the day. A mature lesson that finally hit me. One that was a lot of fun and got lots of attention. It was time to just simply move onto something else. I'll always remember my Integra, the people and stories surrounding it. I'm grateful for how it turned out and the feature it received. Build your car to reflect your personal tastes and lifestyle. I'm a very clean, organized person so my build was centered around clean, "less is better" and high quality is the only way to go. Thank you all and God Bless!
