Working 'round-the-clock hours is nothing new for the team at Skunk2 Racing as they endure the sweltering Norco, Calif. heat, with a concerted effort to complete the 700hp beast. We asked Skunk2 head engineer/mechanic Jeff Giovino what motivates this hard working crew in building their first highly publicized turbocharged engine. With a smile on his face and a look of content, Giovino simply stated, "The fun part was getting away from all the N/A engines we've been known to develop and finally see some big horsepower numbers with a turbocharged setup. The other was being able to use Honda B-series parts in the K powerplant. For me... that was pretty exciting."
Weight reduction is always a key factor when you're building a full-on drag vehicle or a competitive road race machine. Skunk2 quickly began removing miscellaneous panels and factory components in a quest to shed those unwanted pounds. | 
With air chisel in hand and a hefty dose of Acetone solvent to remove the sound deadening material from the interior, the RSX was rewarded with a 14lb. removal of excess fat. | 
While the doors remained in their factory condition due to safety issues if the vehicle was ever T-boned while driving on the street, the rest of the vehicle received trimming at miscellaneous sections. One area was the rear quarter panel. |
While the Skunk2 engineers were busy developing the powerplant for the RSX-T, the rest of the crew dedicated themselves in prepping the vehicle's chassis to handle the rigors of the street and road course testing that would ensue after the build. The door structure remained in factory condition due to safety issues, if for unfortunate reasons, the vehicle was t-boned while driving on the street. The rest of the vehicle interior pieces received a snip here or a chop there at miscellaneous sections. One area that proved to be advantageous in lightening was the rear quarter panel, which was quickly sawed away and thrown in the scrap heap. Using lightweight stainless-steel metal to replace a large portion of the rear floorboard was another victory for the Skunk2 team in a quest to remove serious weight. Buckets and trash bins lined with skeletal pieces of the RSX were put on a scale in anticipation of how much poundage was really removed from the vehicle. Without compromising the safety of the driver and keeping the cutting and removal to a minimum, the total weight reduction was recorded at 196 lbs. A quick rundown of the parts in correlation to their weight was recorded as the chassis and body components removed 94 lbs.; sound deadening, 14 lbs.; seat belts, 8 lbs.; bumper support, 24 lbs.; and the air conditioning components tore off 56 lbs.
Unibody vehicles were designed as a cheaper solution for manufacturers. Unfortunately, for the more performance orientated individuals, owning a vehicle with unibody construction almost always meant that there was unwanted flexing within the chassis when looking to build a race machine. Chassis rigidity is all-important, and know that this vehicle was built for one purpose and one purpose only; to dominate the front-wheel-drive class at Buttonwillow Raceway. Skunk2 found that injecting expanding urethane foam in the hollow rails of the subframe was key to maintaining a more rigid chassis. Although expanding foam is never a replacement to owning a full roll cage, the advantages of keeping the car more streetable is one reason why this liquid-to-foam solution was used. Carefully blending the two-part mixture, the liquid substance was quickly poured into the open crevices of the body and sealed off with tape to prevent excessive expansion within the exterior of the frame. The liquid concoction quickly reacts, causing it to foam and ooze into the frame rail-eventually drying to a rock hard consistency. Along with plugging every orifice of the Acura's frame with urethane foam, the team took a chomoly piece and welded in a stabilizer bar directly under the factory dash, solidifying both a-pillar sections. One of many ingenious tricks that Skunk2 has up their sleeve.
What exactly stirs in the mind of Dave Hsu, owner and whip cracker of Skunk2 Racing? This picture illustrates the craftiness of the mind behind the scenes. Lightweight stainless-steel metal replaces a portion of the rear floorboard, removing some serious weight. | 
Buckets and trash bins lined with skeletal pieces of the RSX were put on a weight scale to tell how much weight was really removed from the vehicle. Without compromising the safety of the driver and keeping the cutting and removal to a minimum, the total weight reduction was recorded at 196 lbs. Now that's some serious shit! | 
Chassis rigidity is all-important. Know that this vehicle was built for one purpose only; to dominate the FF class at Buttonwillow Raceway. Skunk2 took a chromoly piece and welded in a stabilizer bar directly under the factory dash, solidifying both a-pillar sections-just another one of the creative tricks that Skunk2 has up their sleeve. |
Unfortunately, owning a vehicle with unibody construction almost always means that there is unwanted flexing within the chassis. Skunk2 found that injecting expanding urethane foam in the hollow rails of the subframe was a key to maintaining a more rigid chassis. Although expanding foam is never a replacement to owning a full roll cage, the advantages of keeping the car more streetable is one reason why this liquid-to-foam solution was used. | 
Taking the necessary steps in sealing off sections of the body with masking tape is important when injecting the urethane foam. Here's a close-up of the urethane foam, which oozed itself into the engine compartment frame rail and eventually dried to a rock-hard consistency. | 
A K20 dummy motor was used to mock up the positioning of the soon-to-be-built turbo exhaust manifold. Using precise measurements and a carefully thought out game plan became crucial for the Skunk2 team as the transverse K20Z1 engine and its tightly packed engine compartment had no room for error. |