On Saturday, while we were on our way back from the SICC rain out, my friend Jared hit the blackberry messenger with a message saying lets meet up when we are rolling through Columbia. Through some more rain, dark sections of I-95 and I-20, some of the best southern non-top 40 music I have heard lately, and a few energy drinks, we got to Cola about midnight. Rolling up, we pulled in right behind Jared and before you know it, I am already out of the car combing one of the holy grails to most Honda Owners.

Check this shit out!

Plans for this car are said to be only a few minor mods, but knowing Jared’s history of cars, and also having documented coverage of his history of cars I think it is safe to say we will see this thing modded up in the future! Til then, I plan to sit back and watch with open eyes!

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1. Stormy Days

Digglers 88 GTA goes 9.44@139mph… on a stock LT1 shortblock with a 17 year old nitrous kit!

Every Friday night I usually meet up with some other local domestic guys who are big GM guys and as usual we were talking about how can we squeeze some more power out of a car or how can we make it work better at the track. Well we come up to talking about my buddy Digglers Turd-Gen GTA and how he did this past Thursday at our local 1/8th mile track. The topic was  on how the car was doing fairly well and that they had managed to keep the front end from jumping way up in the air as the car had previously done. Next thing I know we’re talking about taking the car to Darlington to run it in the 1/4 mile and how I need to come get some shots of it. So we figure out a time for me and Russ Ethridge, who himself holds the Bolt-on 6-speed LS1 GTO record and held the bolt-on LT1 record for a number of years in Shon Herron’s car, to show up at Digglers house so we can get the car loaded up and head out.

Most people wouldn’t think too much about a 88 Pontiac Trans-Am GTA at the track but this GTA is one that will surprise you. It’s not your typical “Turd-Gen” F-body.  The first thing you realize is that its got a weird intake on it and that its got a crank trigger. “SoulGlo” is powered by an LT1 which came from the 4th Generation Camaro and Trans-Ams and C4 Vettes. Even more surprising is its no longer plagued by its notorious Optispark nor an OEM ECU. This LT1 has a Single-Plane intake and 4bbl throttle body atop of it and a Megasquirt EMS, that Diggler built himself, along with a single plate kit.

With this fairly “mild” setup most people don’t expect much, but we proved those in attendance at Darlington International Raceway wrong. After warming the car up and doing a quick check of the car Diggler pulled the car into the staging lanes. Nothing had changed since the car was at Greer on Thursday night. We were expecting the car to pull the front tires maybe 6-8″ and carry the car out and set back down smooth as usual. The track decided we were wrong. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

Yes, that is the HOOD of the car you see from behind, Diggler tried to pedal it and keep the car from slamming down but some times you just cant react fast enough. The car slammed down and put a slight dent in one of the header primaries and knocked the car out of alignment and I’m sure emptied Digglers bowels. All three of us were not all that happy with what just happened and we were just hoping that our day didn’t end as soon as it started.

After some looking around we decided to try to eyeball the drivers side suspension back into spec. Out comes the tape measure and some desperation to fix the alignment and a wrench to shorten up the travel limiters in hopes that we can keep the front end down this time.  We all agree that the car needs to run again and hope that it doesn’t blow up on the top end, considering the 200 shot on a stock shortblock.

You might not believe this but with our parking lot alignment quick limiter adjustment and some KILLER air, the DA was 97 feet, Diggler managed to bust off a 9.65@137mph which took the fastest stock shortblock LT1 record but as with anyone who races we knew there was more in it as we had brought an .082 jet with us for the plate as a “this is going to get us the record or blow it up” last grasp… we’re hitting it with 210hp now once fully progressed… Here is where we screwed up tho, we started fiddling with the FJO trying to keep it at the same ~175hp hit that we had on the previous pills and during this they announce that the track will only be running for another 15 minutes or so and we get in a hurry. Next thing we know we’ve stupidly added a 3 tenths of a second delay before the progressed hit even began. Even with that screw up the car lazily went down the track to a 9.44@139mph… on a stock LT1 shortblock with a 17 year old nitrous kit!

-Cone

Specs:

• 1988 Pontiac Trans-Am GTA
• Stock LT1 shortblock
• Off the shelf 236/248 Comp cam
• TH400 Transmission
• Nitrous Converter
• 9″ rear-end
• 28×10.5×15 Hoosier slicks
• 17 year old nitrous kit
• Megasquirt EMS

Check out more of Digglers car here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadconetuning/sets/72157622854489572/

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Backyard Special bumpers along with Mugen wheels are normally parts that you do not see the average joe posted up on the corner with, but what about out in horrific rain storm? This story is true for Jared’s 1998 Acura Integra Type R. Now, throw in 2 idiots running for cover, lightning strikes that were too close for comfort, and a wall of rain and you will now be able to call this whole article pure insanity!

What happens when you are about to do a photo shoot and you just run into problem after problem?  Do you run back to camp and wait for another day? Do you wait til it stops raining and clean the car again? Do you hold off because now the place you were going to shoot is muddy? You can check no to everything that was just listed because we still shot!

The storm was probably the worst storm I have seen in my area all year, and on top of that my Vagabond power unit took a crap on me on the 1st flash burst! Without my bee’s, I got extremely mad. Still, Jared stayed around with me and we decided to still shoot. He had already traveled to the update from Columbia, SC just to hang out and shoot. No turning back now.

When we ran into this storm, it was a moment of “OH S&$%” between us. You see, there was a good bit of golf ball sized hail involved right after the downpour started. Things got so bad at one point that we ran for quick cover under an overpass that was packed. We looked at each other and wondered what we were going to do to move the car out of this mess. Considering the ITR has fresh paint on the body, we were in a panic!

Knowing how Jared came up on this ITR is funny in itself. The car had been sitting for a year since about the last time I shot it. The previous owner, Casey Whittaker, had this thing diced in Mugen Hardware from head to toe. It was probably one of the best Mugen equipped cars on the road in the US. All of the parts were real as well, unlike many other clones which were not even real Type R’s in the 1st place, but that’s another story for another article!

Jared’s old GSR before this car was a K20a Monster (I will have a feature of that car coming up here in the next week or so. Be on the lookout!) And yes, the K20a from Japan is still ready for a new home if someone is looking for one (useless plug on a for sale topic, I’m cheesy!)

Jared sold the majority of the Integra parts from the old GSR, he paid Casey a visit in North Carolina to lay down some bills on one of the most documented Integra Type R builds ever recorded. But like anyone who looks to continue modding and changing a car, Jared had a hell of a task in front of him. Have you ever tried taking someone else’s car and making it your own. Many times, people will see a car out and they will say “Hey, that’s xxxx’s car” or another phrase along those lines.

After scooping up the car from NC he quickly came home and got to work. In that time he sourced a motor, got some paint work going, picked up a set of Mugen MF10’s from the homie Blackstarr in NC, and got the car running. The time line for all of this is just under a month and I have to say that’s moving if you ask me! On a shell, a month, with no outlook on a motor when you get the car home.

I have to say that Jared is keeping the history going well on this well known ITR by not only changing up the build some, but actually driving the car still! These days, you don’t see many of these parts out on the road, and its about damn time someone actually is using a car for what it was meant for… FUN!

• 1998 Acura Integra Type R
• 98+ JDM OEM HID front end conversion
• Backyard special front bumper
• Mugen active gate brake kit w/ optional rear stainless lines
• Mugen MF10 silver 16×7 +50
• Mugen rear view mirror cover
• Spoon n1 exhaust
• Spoon duracon shift knob
• Spoon kevlar spark plug cover
• NRG v2.5 quick realease
• NRG short hub
• Nardi classic 330mm wood grain steering wheel
• Benen front strut bar
• Honda verno banner
• Beaks tie bar
• PasswordJDM rear upper strut bar
• PIC apex coilovers
• Ingalls F&R camber kit
• All carbon fiber interior pieces from 00+ ITR
• Red JDM SRD recaros
• Apex’i VAFC
• Blox lug nuts
• Benen rear tow hook
• EDM tail lights
• EDM rear fog light
• EDM clear side markers
• Pioneer 4100dvd double din media unit
• Infiniti reference speaker in all four corners
• Golden Eagle fuel rail
• Chase Bays wire/brake line tuck
• 4 door rear handles
• CDM airbag tray delete
• Viper 5900 alarm

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