Cool Combos

C35/C32 Hybrid In Second-Gen Legend
Big-Block Bruiser, Daily Cruiser.Honda guys get a bad rap for daily driving obnoxiously loud semi-racecars on the street. While true enthusiasts know the difference between rice and nice, the majority of the world lumps all of us in the rice bin, no matter how badass of a JDM street car you're rollin' in.

Now let's factor in that one-in-a-million girl, the one who's OK with strapping herself into an uncomfortable bucket seat with a five-point harness and waiting 10 minutes for the wideband 02 sensor to warm up just to be carried to the movies upon your race-ready suspension.

Time to keep the race sled in the garage until the weekend and get yourself into a grown-up's car, one with a comfy ride and leather seats.

A 1994-'95 Legend GS sedan or 1993-'95 LS coupe comes stock with a Type 2 3.2-liter single-cam VTEC V-6 that makes 230 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque. The rest of them come with a pretty useless Type 1 motor. The Type 2-equipped cars also had an optional six-speed manual transmission. To some, that may sound like enough, but to a guy who's been building Honda motors much of his life, it sounds more like a challenge.

Here's the concept behind what we've dubbed the "Major-Me" swap, a go-big version of the beloved Mini-Me configuration (single-cam VTEC head on non-SOHC D15/16 motors). The C35A engine in the 1996-2004 Acura RL makes 212 hp and 230 lb-ft of torque. Mate this block with a pair of Type 2 Legend heads (C32A5) and you get a slight bump in compression and the addition of secondary intake cam lobes for power on top. The additional 300cc displacement from the RL helps make up for the Legend's lack of torque.

Be warned that this isn't a novice swap. You'll need to modify a few parts to make them fit. The RL block's added deck height necessitates the use of an RL timing belt. The added deck height also moves the intake ports on the head further away from the block, preventing the intake manifold from fitting like it used to.

The manifold needs to be slightly extended to make it fit, so save yourself the trouble and just fabricate, or have someone fabricate, a custom manifold. Another fitment problem is the rear engine mount that needs to be extended to use with the big block.

Since there is no real engine management solution for these cars, you'll also want a piggyback computer such as Greddy's E-manage or APEXi's VAFC to properly tune the motor. Luckily, the fuel enrichment necessary isn't enough to require larger injectors until you decide to go twin-turbo. A comfy ride, A/C, leather seats, dual spools-something tells us your girl is going to be very happy on the way back from the movies.