Brandon Wilbur is a well known racer from Louisianna that has a history of pushing boundaries. Two of his most memorable builds happened to share the same K20A2 engine from an Acura RSX Type S. But the chassis were both RWD mid-engine. One was a Toyota MR2, and the other was an Acura NSX. The goal was 1000whp on pump E85 in a package he could drive to work.
Goal: Daily Streetable 1000whp
Fuel: E85
Below you will find the parts list used to build his car separated into categories with explanations for each.
Scroll to the bottom of the page for videos!
1. Engine Block
Overview
This was not Brandon's only vehicle so it didnt need to be his every day daily driver, but since this car was going to see a lot of street duty it was important that it was fun to drive around town as well as wide open throttle. But Brandon's cars definitely see a lot of spirited driving on late night trips to Mexico. For this reason he decided to go with a turbo piston suited for E85.
Displacement: 2.0L
Compression Ratio: 10.0:1
Bore Diameter: 86.5mm (0.020" Over)
Rod Length: 5.470" (Std)
Rod: Steel I-Beam
Stroke: 86mmÂ
What we really like about this setup is how simple everything is. It is made up of mostly shelf non-custom parts that anyone can order. The block wasn't even aftermarket sleeved. This factory block was modified by CSS with their cylinder support system. It used a shelf set of JE pistons with upgraded wrist pins, and a shelf Manley Turbo Tuff I-Beam rod with upgraded 625+ rod bolts. The rod bolt upgrade is a nice insurance policy to have on an engine that performs well at high rpm like the K20. The higher the rpm, the more the direction changes on the piston being pulled and pushed up an down the bore, which is the hardest thing for the rod bolt to experience. The upgraded wrist pins are a must at this power level. The wrist pins they include with the pistons out of the box are a "happy medium" between too light and too heavy, designed for moderate power use. Since this car was going for quadruple digits, the upgraded pins were a necessity. This engine lived several races at 900whp in the MR2 and the same engine lived several more races at 1100whp and was retired without a failure when the vehicle was eventually sold.
The head is a ported stock K20A2 Type S head with stock valves, Supertech valve springs and retainers, and Brian Crower Stage 2 304/300 (7.92mm / 7.16mm) camshafts. The head gasket is stock OEM, and the block and head are bolted together with a set of L19 head studs.
This car had a stock 6spd transmission with an Albins helical 1st-4th gear and an Albins 4.7 final drive. It used a Driveshaft Shop Spool, 5.9 swap axles, and intermediate shaft. And the power was put to the ground through a Competition Clutch triple disk. The triple disk clutch allows for comfortable pedal feel with enough clamping load to handle 1000+whp.
This engine actually went through 2 fuel systems. In the MR2 when it made 920whp it had a set of 4 Injector Dynamics ID2000's. Because E85 requires bigger injectors than gasoline, the fuel system was pretty maxed out at this power level. When the engine went into the NSX, a second fuel rail was added and the car went to 2 sets of Injector Dynamics ID1300 injectors.
As for the fuel pump, the system was fed by a Magnafuel 4303 and a Magnafuel regulator.
To help the car come into power quicker from a roll, a 50 shot was added from a Nitrous Express dry kit that was controlled by the Hondata KPro engine management system.
This engine went through 2 turbo setups. When it was in the MR2 it made 920whp through a Precision 6870 68mm turbo. But when it went into the NSX Brandon switched to a Precision ball bearing 7175 to push over the 1000whp line to 1100whp. The 7175 is no longer in production, however the 7275 is and it is almost identical. Boost was controlled by a Tial 60mm wastegate and released through a Tial 50mm blow off valve. Because the engine was in the back of the car without a direct path of air, Brandon went with a water to air intercooler from Precision.
The final numbers after the setup had finished evolving was 1100whp in a setup that could be driven and raced comfortably on the street without needing a trailer or race gas. This is one of our all time favorite setups and it's been our pleasure sharing it with you. If you have any questions, please contact us at parts@realstreetperformance.com
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