If the Evo, STi, and 350Z taught Schultz anything, it was that Accords are slow. The truth is, the fifth-iteration Accord’s characterless powertrain and post-’80s quasi-modernistic lines are the makings of the ultimate family car. For your mother. Eighteen years ago. As such, more power was mandatory, as was updated styling, improved handling, and better stopping capabilities. An experienced engine builder and body technician Schultz is not, though, which is why he called upon nearby Alamo Autosports and Advantage Autoworks before his Accord rebirth even broke ground.

Schultz’s car life began under the guise of the audiophile movement. Weeks spent sound-proofing and hard-earned dollars divvied toward high-end sound equipment meant that any semblance of an Accord replacement simply wouldn’t do. Instead, plans of fooling the high-mileage Honda into making Evo-like horsepower with 350Z-like styling were conjured up. His first import build (Schultz previously owned a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am and later a Chevrolet Camaro Z28), Schultz readily admits where he ranks on the yardstick that is Honda brainpower. Still, he knew enough to assume that more power underneath the Accord’s hood almost always begins with the H22A. He also knew that select overseas Accords were sold with them right from the factory, which he surmised would make for a rather effortless transplant. He was right. With the help of Alamo, the DOHC VTEC engine was sourced from a North American–spec Prelude, stripped, built, and installed in short order.

htup 1204 03+1996 honda accord ex+interior

Alamo isn’t far from Schultz’s Arlington, Texas, home, but that didn’t mean that, by those merits alone, they’d be responsible for his Accord makeover. Schultz was apprehensive of his first contact with the people of Alamo; the shop admittedly operates as much like a private club as it does a business. Modified cars are strewn about its premises at all hours, their owners huddled in the business’s parking lot, hatching plans of more power and faster times. Schultz visited often before pledging his loyalty to the company. It was shop foreman Brice Yingling’s attentiveness that ensured as much. Yingling and company could have just as easily written off Schultz as another half-sane Accord disciple with dreams of twofold power figures nestled nicely into a family car package. He didn’t. Instead, Yingling listened, asked questions, and didn’t try to sell Schultz so much as an air freshener. Even after Schultz pled his case for 300hp (but not at the expense of reasonable fuel consumption) did Yingling continue to listen and, ultimately, accept the challenge.

Schultz’s parameters were simple—to produce more than 300hp yet retain the worry-free drivability Accords are known for. Schultz says, “I had put up with 145hp for too long and wanted at least twice that much. It needed to have relatively good gas mileage and to be reliable on long runs.” A year before the project was completed, Schultz left a deposit and the twin-cam long-block was ordered. Before the engine arrived, Schultz added TEIN Super Street coilovers and custom pillow ball mounts for a manageable yet aesthetically pleasing 1.5-inch drop. Four-piston Wilwood calipers and larger cross-drilled and slotted rotors were also added all around.

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Soon the engine and transmission arrived, and Yingling and Schultz—who by now had taken on an apprentice role of sorts—proceeded to tear it down and send its guts out to their respective machining facilities. Regarding Yingling and his willingness to make sure his customers thoroughly understand their vehicles, Schultz says, “If you’re interested in your build and want to know how your car works, Brice will teach you anything you want to know. He’ll also explain things like why some builds don’t work, why it’s not always about a number but about the area under the curve, and why bigger isn’t always better. I realized that Brice wasn’t a common mechanic who slapped aftermarket parts onto cars but a true artist who actually understood the physics involved with making a car a fast and efficient beast.”

Soon enough Schultz’s engine and components returned from their requisite sleeving, micro-polishing, and balancing services and reassembly began. Meanwhile, the coupe was delivered to nearby Advantage Autoworks where it was repainted and fitted with a Wings West Touring kit and Seibon carbon-fiber hood. Once redelivered, Yingling performed the H-series transplant and installed what would essentially be responsible for the Accord’s now-respectable power figure—its turbo system. Based off of a conservative yet able Garrett GT30 turbocharger, Schultz’s H22A lays down 419 whp at only 14 psi. Best of all, the compressor begins pushing considerable boost by 2,300 rpm. Schultz had heard the “turbo lag” phrase thrown about at one of his many Alamo parking lot get-togethers; fortunately for him, he wouldn’t be experiencing it.

The results are “nice and calm driving through the school zones,” which is exactly what Schultz requested since his wife and kids would likely inhabit his now-boosted Accord. It’ll even “act like a monster when you kick the pig,” which is, after all, exactly why Schultz drives an Accord…on purpose.

The H22A Story

Honda revealed its big-block, 2.2L four-cylinder engine to North America in the autumn of 1992. Under the guise of the ’93 Prelude VTEC, the 190hp DOHC H-series earned its stripes as one of the most powerful naturally aspirated production engines on the planet and served as the basis of Honda’s Touring car program for several years. Many of its characteristics it shared with the more popular B-series VTEC engines. They both featured then-revolutionary technology like variable valve timing, under-piston oil feeds, block-stiffening girdles, and ultra-efficient 16-valve cylinder heads. Indeed, the H22A filled Honda’s large-displacement void nearly a decade prior to the K-series being born. Interestingly enough, the H-series movement never attained the same notoriety that B-series and later K-series movements had. Its configuration was just different enough to make engine swaps that much more challenging (unless you had an Accord, in which case it would bolt directly in), its weight was increased just enough to slightly skew handling, and aftermarket support was small enough to discourage mass modification. Still, the H22A is not one to disregard. In the 1990s, it powered the first FWD Honda into nine-second territory; even naturally aspirated record-breakers relied on H-series power for years. Today, H22A mills are as few and far between as they ever were. But don’t let that fool you into thinking they’re any less relevant.

Bolts & Washers

Propulsion

H22A engine

HaSport engine mounts

AEM Dryflow air filter

ASC velocity stack

ASC 70mm throttle body

Hondata intake manifold gasket

Skunk2 Pro Series intake manifold

ASC IAC valve relocation kit

Ported, polished cylinder head

JUN Stage 1 camshafts

Supertech stainless steel valves

Supertech dual valvesprings

Supertech titanium retainers

Supertech valve guides

Darton MID sleeves

Eagle rods

Wiseco 8.8:1 pistons

ACL engine bearings

ARP head studs

ARP rod bolts

Cometic head gasket

Custom baffled OEM oil pan

Garrett GT30 turbocharger

ASC exhaust manifold

ASC front-mount intercooler

ASC intercooler piping

HKS SSQV blow-off valve

TiAL MV-S wastegate

TiAL V60 wastegate, for exhaust dump

ASC dump tube

ASC 3-inch downpipe

GReddy SP exhaust system

Walbro 255lph fuel pump

Fragola steel-braided hose and AN fittings

AEM fuel filter

Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator

AEM fuel rail

Injector Dynamics 1,000cc/min fuel injectors

NGK spark plug wires

Denso iridium spark plugs

Load Boss high-output alternator

Braille B3121 battery

Hondata S300 engine management

AEM wideband controller

Koyo aluminum radiator

PWR power steering cooler

ASC A/C lines

JUN spark plug cover

Competition Clutch Stage 2 clutch

Quaife limited-slip differential

Suspension

TEIN Super Street coilovers

Tanabe subframe brace

Cusco front shock tower brace

Explicit Speed Performance traction bar

ASC pillow ball mounts

Resistance

Wilwood Dynalite four-piston calipers, front

12.5-inch slotted/cross-drilled rotors

Hawk HPS pads

Wheels and Tires

17x7 Motegi Tracklites, +40 offset

215/40-17 Dunlop Star Spec

Exterior

Wings West Touring kit

Seibon carbon-fiber hood

JDM Accord headlights

JDM Accord side marker lights

JDM Accord taillights

Interior

Recaro seats

Forbidden Motorsports short shifter

Props

Chris Recker of Advantage Autoworks; Ryan Davis of Auto Science; Forest, Kyle of Pro Tuning Performance; Mike Patterson of Moton Suspension Technology; Alamo Autosports

Owner Specs

Daily Grind

Financial services company managing partner

Favorite Site

www.nasaproracing.com

Screen Name

Wild Willie D

Building Hondas

2 years

Dream Car

Any Aston Martin

Inspiration For This Build

To scare the crap out of Mustangs

Future Build