So I was at LHT today and I spent about 1 hour. I didn't get any photos because these guys are kind of secretive. I have to say I have been at a bunch of shops and these guys know their stuff. John had one of his employees bring down their CRX so I could see it. Here are the specs.....

1988 black CRX Si
B16 bored and stroked 2.0liter
Some sort of ball bearing turbo (forgot the model but it's mid sized) running 14psi
LHT manifold that looked like a cross between a log and equal length
Cable trans with custom gearing throughout and LSD
Complete custom mounts, all rubber utilizing the forth mount for total smooth running. You couldn't even feel the engine running (very jealous).
3" inch exhaust running into a fully silenced exhaust system. Totally sounds quiet nice and sleepy
Full JDM front end with the same hood as mine
Power windows, factory AC, Bride seats, SIR wing
Teggy brakes with 11" rotors all the way around.
Koni adjustables
Mugen wheels
Much more, very well built car.

Dyno'd 430whp 325ft/lbs full boost by 3200RPM.

Anyway, I was very jealous of this car if anything for the turbo setup alone. I didn't go for a ride but he said he has no traction THROUGH 4th gear!! His car was supercharged before and he says there is no comparison, judging by the numbers I believe him.

The bad news is LHT sells NOTHING accept the intercooler for the SC. Everything else is one off custom and no matter how much I begged him John wouldn't budge. He said I can come down on vacation and leave my car with him and he will custom fabricate everything on my car in one week. However, all of my enjoyment is the build so I would never let someone else wrench my car.

We discussed Full-Races manifold and we agreed with the HASPORT mounts pushing my engine so far forward (LHT mounts keep the engine further back) that it's not gonna fit. Would you believe with the LHT mounts not only is the car silky smooth but the engine is in a better position, further against the firewall providing more front clearance, better weight distribution and better drive shaft alignment. In his CRX the turbo fit with much more room up front, it was amazing but still he won't sell me any of the stuff.

I was pretty disappointed but I understand. John told me he gets inundated everyday by people bothering him and if he sold parts he would have to hire more people just to man the phones. It's easier just to stay small and custom build everything.

He did however give me some advise on my new setup. I'm going to be plumbing in a second heat exchanger to keep the temps even lower as well as buying a generation IV M62 blower (one from a RSX). This blower is much more efficient than mine and I can switch my nose drive assembly to make it rotate counter clockwise. This setup with the second exchanger should make more power. He has pumped out 302whp out of a 2.0 liter 8 psi SC setup so my 2.1 liter 10psi goals of 310-320 I think are right on.

Once I get back I will be sending my block out and getting my act in gear. I'm running out of time.

More updates soon

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That sounds like an amazing car. Did he say anything about 1/4 mile specs? I'm interested to hear about that.

Can wait to see the new build up John keep it up

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'98 Base Prelude: Injen SRI, Mugen header, full 2.5"exhaust w/Carsound cat. & A'PEXi N1 , Exedy Stage 1 w/9.6lb flywheel, AEM fuel rail/regulator, front upper strut bar, SPC camber kit, H&R race springs, MSD wires, NGK iridiums, Optima red top

so i take it youre gonna keep the sc. if you build it it will lose traction. make a monster. good luck with it john.

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damn..that turbo crx sounds serious..that setup would be crazy in RIO...
Cant wait to see some updates on the build John...

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02 psm wrx gt3076r
89 crx HF..SOLD!!!

Would you believe he doesn't run it, and never has. The car looked more like a show piece but still if I were him I would at least be curious. However, like I said full throttle runs the car spins the tires all the way to 5th gear. I would imagine with slicks it's an easy mid 11 second car.

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I can understand that. I mean you can never be completely sure if something is totally bulletproof, and judging by what you said im sure he paid a pretty penny for the buildup. So if I was him I'd be a little uneasy about taking it to the track. But I'd still test it on the street, maybe with g-tech or something.

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'98 Base Prelude: Injen SRI, Mugen header, full 2.5"exhaust w/Carsound cat. & A'PEXi N1 , Exedy Stage 1 w/9.6lb flywheel, AEM fuel rail/regulator, front upper strut bar, SPC camber kit, H&R race springs, MSD wires, NGK iridiums, Optima red top

Sounds like you're staying supercharged Should be one fun and tractionless ride


Where abouts near Tampa is John's shop? I have a lot of family in Cape Coral/Ft. Myers which is about 2 hours south of there.

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~Will

88 CRX DX + 97 Spec JDM B18c(R) + some suspension goodies = Lots of fun!

JDM 4.785 final drive, ACT HDSS and Prolite 8lb flywheel, K&N, Kteller 2.5 w/magnaflow, NGK, Distributor King, Fiberimages, Koni, Neuspeed, ST rear 22mm sway bar with ITR LCA's, Konig Heliums, Russel's Brake Lines, Rywire Harness w/JKOBD, Hasport Hydro EFB2 Mounts and Linkage, Phearable.net P28, Full-Race

His shop is in Pinellas Park which is on the peninsula with St. Petersburg and Clearwater right across the bay from Tampa.

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DAMN! I was just in st petersburg the 27th through the 1st. Wish I woulda heard about this before then

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'98 Base Prelude: Injen SRI, Mugen header, full 2.5"exhaust w/Carsound cat. & A'PEXi N1 , Exedy Stage 1 w/9.6lb flywheel, AEM fuel rail/regulator, front upper strut bar, SPC camber kit, H&R race springs, MSD wires, NGK iridiums, Optima red top