Scott Inada is one of those guys who isn't afraid to roll up his sleeves and jump in. At the '06 Seattle Formula D event, the Intec Racing 240 developed a valvetrain problem and as the Nissan sputtered into the pits Scott armed himself with a 12mm socket and prepared for battle. Oddly, Scott isn't an official employee of Intec Racing, he's just one of those guys you can count on in the clutch. Respected enough to be given space under the hood and goodwilled enough to take the spot without expecting any kind of payment - unless the payment is the infamous Intec barbecue - Scott represents a lot that's right about the import scene. His ride, an '89, also has the right stuff including a built SR20DET swap and a full tilt M-Sport widebody kit.
"The inspiration for this build was to do something different than a FWD Honda, which is pretty much all I have been building and working on my entire 'import life'," Scott says. "I still have an '89 Civic Si but my main focus is the 240. I wanted a car with a balance of mods, from engine to body to interior to suspension. It had to possess the performance to back up its good looks. I also wanted a car that uses quality parts at every turn."
Working with Intec Racing, Scott filled the SR20DET with Tomei forged pistons and boost-ready connecting rods. The head remained stock save for a set of A'PEXi camshafts. The lift and duration of these cams were kept fairly moderate because if the cam is too aggressive it can wreak havoc in a stock SR head. The aggressive ramp up of the cam coupled with the elevated maximum lift can lead to lifter failure in SR20DETs.
Boost is generated by a Garrett GT3071R full ball bearing turbo. Scott's turbo system features an A'PEXi front mount intercooler, TiAL Sport wastegate and a vented GReddy Type-R blow-off valve. One of the keys to the SR20DET's next level of power is the intake manifold. In much the same way the Supra 2JZ reacts to a VeilSide or similar large plenum design, the SR20DET seems to appreciate the added volume provided by manifolds like the GReddy unit on Scott's car. The show-polished manifold is home to a stock throttle body honed for added flow.
An A'PEXi AVC-R boost controller harnesses the pressure, running 13 psi on the street and 22 psi (1.5 Bar) for special occasions. The SR20DET's tuning strategy relies on an A'PEXi Power FC piggyback computer that controls the SplitFire-enhanced ignition curve and fueling via a fuel system that has been improved with a Walbro 255lph pump and Tomei 700cc injectors. As is often the case, the hardware isn't the most telling aspect of tuning; it's the tuner. "The biggest challenge for this project was probably tuning," Scott says. "That all changed when I met the master tuner Keiske, from Japan's well-known tuning house, Quarter Mile. Tuning is so critical. You can have all the best parts but your powerplant will not put out the power reliably without proper programming." Keiske, who spends a good deal of time putting Intec Racing's Dynojet through its paces, pulled 401 whp and 329 lb-ft of torque out of the SR20DET. This with mild cams, stock valvetrain and lot more wiggle room in the turbo, should remain efficient to the 28 to 30 psi range.
Post combustion leftovers are vented out of a 3-inch PeakBoost custom downpipe that leads to a Silkroad stainless exhaust system. The Silkroad exhaust features 3-inch piping and a 4.5-inch tip that generates an aggressive growl under acceleration without an annoying drone at cruising speeds.