A few weeks back, we featured a killer West Coast Honda CR-X that was equal parts JDM show and go. This week, Suja 1 Motoring's Jason Su checks in for the Midwest with his homage to the Japanese market EF8 CR-X SiR – an interesting example of similar inspirations producing completely different interpretations.

Su is president of Suja 1, also known as SONEM, a Chicago metro-area sport compact shop and tuning house. The team there does everything from dyno tuning and engine builds to fab work and setup, plus offers a selection of aftermarket parts.

With SONEM as the setting and a history of tinkering behind him, Su set out to turn a beat $500 ED chassis Honda CR-X that he picked up in 2005 into an all-motor, fire-breathing EF8 racer that could illustrate the abilities of the shop. He's always loved the lines of the CR-X, so choosing it as a starting point was a no brainer.

Su moved forward by first moving backward, as in completing tearing down the '88 until it was just a shell. With the Rex free of motor and interior, he could easily clean up the engine compartment for a shaved look and also prep the lines and wiring harnesses for tucking out of sight.

The engine was mocked up next, primarily in order for the shop to fabricate some custom mounts for the motor swap. The bullet boasts a K20A3 bottom end, the same block found in '02 to '05 USDM Civic Si and base model RSX. Suja 1 bored out the holes another .020 inch for a slight bump in displacement.

The A3 casting was outfitted with a crankshaft from the K20A2 (the mill in the US '02 to '02 RSX-S), which is reportedly better for dealing with high revs. To it, Su installed Crower Maxi-light rods and 86.5mm, 12.5:1-compression Toda pistons and rings.

The oiling system for the totally one-off mill was also tweaked a bit, with the shop opting for the pump out of an S2000, again for its propensity for supporting a high-spinning motor. SONEM also installed a custom baffled oil pan to prevent lateral load-induced starvation for those days the car sees road course action.

Bolted to the A3 is an A2 head rocking a mild port and polish and an upgraded valve train under the cover; components include IPS K2 cams, Supertech valves and titanium retainers, and Eibach EVS springs. The induction side of the motivator breathes in via Jenvey individual throttle bodies, while exhaust exits through a DTR-FAB 4-2-1 header and SONEM custom three-inch center-exit plumbing.

An A2 gearbox takes engine spin and turns it into wheel torque, thanks to the handshake between the Carbonetic flywheel and single-disk clutch. Energy goes out to the forward (and very rare) SSR Type V rims by way of a Carbonetic LSD and Gator Racing Stage 3 axles.

The CR-X had to be disassembled a second time to get sprayed Audi nimbus gray pearl, but for that stage Su had to have the EF8 front-end conversion and JDM rear bumper in place. Once painted, Su could install his EF8 taillights.

Reassembly also meant setup, and since the car was headed for the track that led to the Tech One roll cage, Suja 1 Motoring hard bushing kit and modified traction bars, and ETD Racing front stabilizer bars. Su also bolted in a PIC Select coil-over suspension and Function7 Engineering spherical rear lower control arms. Weight is also an important consideration in preparing for circuit time, and to that end Su unloaded all he could so that the car achieves 1,950lbs. with a full tank of gas and no driver.

Strapped to the dyno, Su's Rex makes 250whp, and keeping that potentially-fast power-to-weight combo in check is the job of the ratcheted up brakes. Japan-spec Integra Type-R calipers armed with Endless pads chomp on Endless rotors, compelled by Motul fluid coursing through the JDM ITR master cylinder and custom SONEM lines.

Flossing bits like Kirkey Racing seats and Falken RT-615 rubber, we get the impression Su's CR-X is really a racer just barely legal for street and clean enough to take to the show-n-shine. He can back this up, too; car and owner have already earned a first in Best Engineered Vehicle and third in Best Performance Vehicle at Hot Import Nights, as well as nailed a best quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds at 117mph, good enough for first place in the N/A Class at the IndyHP Streetcar Shootout.

Somewhat humorously, but like any good tuner, Su has already moved on to the next phase of the build. The motor is again out of the CR-X and a new, more powerful engine is going in for testing. Su tells us that next season the engine compartment will house a totally different setup; he's staying true to the 2.0L, but everything else won't be as “tame” as it is now.

"I'm aiming for 10-second passes, all motor!" he enthuses. "Wish me luck!" Go, Jason, go!

MOD STUDY

Jason Su's 1988 Honda CR-X

Engine
K20A3 motor swap
Engine built and tuned by Suja 1 Motoring
Suja 1 Motoring custom engine mounts
K20A2 crankshaft
86.5mm Toda pistons and rings
Crower Maxi-light connecting rods
Honda S2000 oil pump
Suja 1 Motoring baffled oil pan
K20A2 cylinder head
Mild port and polish by Suja 1 Motoring
IPS K2 camshafts
Supertech valves
Eibach EVS valve springs
Supertech titanium retainers
Jenvey individual throttle bodies
DTR-FAB 4-2-1 header
Suja 1 Motoring custom 3" center-exit exhaust
Borla muffler
Walbro feed fuel pump
Bosch in-tank collector pump
Carbonetic flywheel
Carbonetic single-disk clutch
Carbonetic limited-slip differential
Gator Racing Stage 3 axles
Hondata K-Pro engine management

Chassis
Tech One roll cage
PIC Select coil-over suspension
Suja 1 Motoring modified traction bars
Suja 1 Motoring bushing kit
ETD Racing front stabilizer bars
Function7 Engineering spherical rear lower control arms
4x114.3 hub conversion

Brakes
Endless rotors
Endless pads
JDM Integra Type R calipers
JDM Integra Type R master cylinder
Suja 1 Motoring lines
Motul fluid

Wheels
SSR 16x7-inch Type V - rare

Tires
215/45 16 Falken Azenis RT-615

Exterior
Audi nimbus gray pearl paint
EF8 front-end conversion
EF8 taillights
JDM rear bumper
Shaved and wire tucked engine compartment

Interior
Kirkey Racing seats
Suja 1 Motoring seat brackets
Simpson Platinum harnesses
OEM black interior conversion
Honda S2000 gauge cluster
Spoon Sports steering wheel
SPLASH quick release
NRG short hub
Aspec shift knob

Photo Gallery