How did we reach the point where the 1990 Honda Civic Si with 660 horsepower all-wheel drive is not only a possibility but also an honest street driving reality? It boils down to a few different things. The first is Honda's unparalleled cross-chassis compatibility. The same compatibility that drove the engine replacement phenomenon in the early 1990s also led to the notorious theft rate, which is related to almost all popular Honda models in the past. Another factor is the plain local ingenuity and a knack for figuring out how to make the various parts of the DIY crowd work together.

You can add Brandon Smith, the owner of this 1990 Si, to the group of diehards who will continue to patch, test, tighten and repeat until they find what they are looking for. He has built and rebuilt this chassis many times, and its current iteration is by far the most impressive. The appearance is simple and clear, it has a well-organized engine compartment that can accommodate custom and off-the-shelf performance parts, and looks more suitable for competitive drag racing than your local highway. But don't get me wrong, this car is the driver.

Smith and his hatchback joined forces as early as 2007. He did not hesitate to remove its original single-cam heart to make room for the ZC exchange (with the same 1.6-liter displacement but with dual overhead cams Engine). Soon after, his turbocharged kit and about 300 horsepower appeared, and for the next four years, the Civic became his daily driver and weekend warrior. The initial supercharging experience was just the beginning. Since then, he has experienced 10 different engine configurations, all of which are turbocharged, but the net power of the supercharger setting is slightly higher than 300 horsepower. With the experience and knowledge accumulated over the years, things became quite serious, and his long-term Civic finally reached the 600 horsepower mark.

For Honda’s B-series family, manufacturing power has never been a problem, but on the street, large numbers often prove to be a curse rather than a blessing. This is a ruthless reminder of the hard fight inherent in the straight front wheels-drive performance . The conversion to AWD is nothing new. It was done for the first time many years ago. Since then, it has been frequently talked about by Honda fans, but it is rarely tried.

Today, you will find more support parts from various brands that provide bolting kits and accessories, most of which are based on the wagon counterparts of the fourth-generation Civic. Smith sneaked in before the mainstream media noticed it, so he gained a wealth of experience from his practical work. Forget about bragging rights or finish it before the next person, the advantage here is that he can apply this knowledge to a real tram, which regularly accumulates miles instead of a time bomb.

Smith’s conversion of Civic to AWD was a step-by-step process, first replacing the CR-V AWD gearbox, and then custom fuel settings at the rear, which included a fuel cell and multiple pumps, all of which were carefully arranged. Making room for the necessary vehicles will eventually go into the rear end of the chassis for changes.

He added, “The conversion consists of a bunch of custom parts, all of which are manufactured in-house with the help of several companies. Over time, we have replaced many parts for start-up and operation. Without Sone "Starting with S1 Built, this would have been possible, but it was much more difficult. I contacted him and asked for help, and he jumped onto the boat without a doubt. "

In order for all four wheels to cooperate with each other, the transmission system was armed to the teeth and started with the original equipment manufacturer Civic wagon differential and viscous coupling, which had strengthened Smith’s own drive shaft and billet bearing bearings, He sells these bearings under his B&N Designs LLC brand. The above CR-V trans is equipped with Liberty plated gears (1-4), Speedfactory Racing's "FWD2AWD" gear conversion kit, competition clutch and MFactory limited slip device.

The basis of Smith's 600 hp output is the GS-R engine block with Golden Eagle sleeve and O-ring, equipped with Eagle cranks, connecting rods and 84mm Traum 10.5:1 pistons. At the top, the Portflow head is equipped with Supertech valve trains and factory-issued R-cams. The selected engine formula is simple and fully verified.

The excessive clogging was caused by the Garret G30-900 turbocharger installed on the Gonzo Motorsports manifold and monitored by the Turbosmart 60mm wastegate. Gonzo is also responsible for the water-to-air intercooler kit, which uses a series of painstakingly sliced ​​cakes to bypass the top tube and wastegate bellows, and then bypass the swirl tank to the Skunk2 throttle body and intake manifold. The engine requirements and recording parameters are established by AEM's Infinity management and sent through the Rywire harness, and help to generate 660 hp and an amazing 498 lb-ft of torque. It should be noted that when the pilot is on the plane, the total weight of the vehicle should be around 2,400 pounds.

The area directly above the driver’s engine mount is now full of custom fishing tanks provided by Smith under his B&N banner. At the firewall, the brake booster was eliminated and replaced by three Tilton fuel tanks that supported an aluminum CompBrake pedal box located behind the custom pedals in the cabin. Also inside, a fixed-back seat wrapped in OEM material holds Smith in place, while a long, elongated wheel hub places the Nardi steering wheel in front of him, as he gets cues from the Racepack IQ3 digital display.

Except for peeking through the exhaust pipe of the hood exit, the appearance of the Civic is relatively mild. A square wheel set consisting of a matte black 16x8 CCW Classic wrapped in a 225/45 Toyo Proxes R1R slightly protrudes from the fender. Poke Poke is not chasing the intimidating extreme wheel assembly trend promoted by Instagram, but to get as many contact patches as possible without going too far. Even with the firepower of all-wheel drive, a light hatchback is a horror. It requires not only Smith's full attention, but also his driving experience.

It's really nothing new to see the Honda crowd figure out how to adapt to cross-platform applications to maximize performance, and this is where the community has flourished since its formation in the late 1980s. However, a build like Brandon Smith's split personality hatch can cruise comfortably for hours or release all hell in an instant through its enhanced all-wheel drive conversion powertrain, of course.

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