Replacing the crank with a K24 crankshaft, taken from a Honda Accord's K24A3, the tedious journey had officially begun as the larger displacement crank was shipped out for processing. Joe Castillo of Castillo's Crankshaft Service, located in La Mirada, California, received the K24 crankshaft to perform the necessary modifications. Castillo's Crankshaft Service center has been the driving force behind Skunk2 and their record setting 9-second drag cars for a number of years and is stacked with an impressive clientele that ranges from imports to domestics alike. Before the crankshaft was to receive its altering makeover, the unit was hot tanked then magnafluxed to inspect for hairline or micro-fracture cracks. After checking the unit over for any inperfections, the crankshaft was then inspected for straightness. "A normal crank varies from dead on to off by five thousandths. If it encountered a spun journal, there's a good chance it will be bent anywhere from 10 to 15 thousandths. If a crank comes in bent, we can fix it up to 40 or 50 thousandths max," states Joe Castillo. Luckily for the RSX-T crankshaft, minimal straightening had to be addressed while the crank's rod journals were opened up and machined to accept the B-series rod journals while maintaining the standard-sized mains. To improve engine rev ability and reduce windage, the crank was lightened and knife edged, saving 3.5 lbs in the process. Additional machining to the crank included modifications to the oil galleys, which were teardropped and chamfered. Chamfering is a process often used to relieve the sharp edges on the oil galleys and allow the oil hole to flow at an improved rate. This process is also used in reducing the chance of scoring or damaging the bearings during dry startup or when encountering high rpm. After a quick nitrating process to harden the surface metal of the crankshaft, the unit was shipped back to Skunk2 ready for installation.
Interlining the K24 crankshaft within the K20Z block required a custom set of rods and pistons. Jeff and Dave took turns manning the phones in search of a manufacturer willing to machine a custom set of pistons, only to realize they were asking a wait time of 6 to 12 weeks; a timeframe that Skunk2 could not expense. Never scared to try something out of the ordinary, the Skunk2 team decided upon taking the short rod vs. long rod debate to new heights, as Giovino pulled a set of off-the-shelf Pauter B-series rods to mate with the K24 crankshaft. Imagine that, B-series components in a K-motor! Wiseco Pistons took the B-series rod ratio and K-series crank formula to their CNC machine and machined a set of custom 9.5:1 dished pistons with a full-round design 17cc dish. The piston skirts were specifically designed to accommodate the new engine specifications. XR piston rings were coaxed onto the custom-made slugs using the standard ring size. Before the reassembly process began, the Pauter rods were shipped off to Calico coatings of North Carolina where they received their special CT-5 Coating. Calico, world renowned for their specialized coating process has been catering to the high-performance automotive world by providing products and services ranging from ceramic-coated cylinder heads to their popular CT-3 dry lubricant applied on piston side skirts. In recent years, Calico has become a trusted name to Skunk2 and their quest to dominate drag racing's all-motor class, as one key component to their success has been the Calico treatment. Calico CT-5 is known as a non-stick, non-wetting oil-shedding coating that significantly reduces drag and windage, resulting in increased RPM acceleration and horsepower.
Each port and combustion chamber goes though the Skunk2 special porting process and is outfitted with CNC machined titanium retainers and Pro Series valve springs. | 
Skunk2 has acquisitioned the RSX-T as a test mule for six unique camshaft profiles that are in the current testing phase with a public release date to be determined. |
The RSX-T engine components ready to be reassembled. | 
Notice the grind marks on the block? Skunk2 preps their blocks by grinding the webbing and any area that has slag or casting marks since that is often where cracks usually begin. Smoothing out all the areas on the webbings is just as extra insurance to protect against cracking or premature failure. |
The freshly ported head was sandwiched between a Cometic .036mm head gasket and bolted down using Skunk2's ultra high tensile strength Pro series head and main studs. | 
Taking time in assembling an engine can mean the difference between a hole in the block or taking the checkered flag. |