Dumb, Stubborn, and bound to end up penniless…….

[noahf]

have you tried skunk2 throttle bodies? my "pro" series is an acceptable unit for the price. but its also matched to an ultra manifold.

[aklackner]

have you tried skunk2 throttle bodies? my "pro" series is an acceptable unit for the price. but its also matched to an ultra manifold.

I haven’t though I did consider. I’m somewhat limited to smaller option due to my S Tube. Reviews specifically around sticking at random angles were concerning. Seemed well summed up as fine for drag use but risky for use on streets. Which I read as opens when you want but don’t expect consistent function. Granted reviews are going to skew negative or be generically positive and nearly always based on short term impressions combined with multiple changes written by other uninformed customers.

Specific product aside I have an increasingly hard time supporting Skunk2. There’s the past issues with this community but also I’ve always gotten the feel skunk2 is more about themselves then their customers. If you have questions or don’t run a dedicated drag car then the problem is you attitude.


I’m not a fan of BLOX and have a perception that quality is low but at least it’s more clearly replica products and priced more accordingly.

By chance the TB was just delivered. So here’s what I see:

Action is incredibly smooth, heavy, and there are no indications of spring binding or squeaks though range.

For some reason the throttle stops are backed off as received.

With stop backed out the plate does stick at full closed but not even as bad as an OEM TB (without stop/pulley) and certainly feels better than the Edlebrock so this is encouraging.

Full open and closed stops can be adjusted to needed range and locked (for some reason edelbrock only used a spring to add tension for closed stop)

Once stop is adjusted no sticking is noticeable. Minimal light is visible between plate and throat which is a positive indicator that tolerances should be tight enough.

There is an idle adjustment behind the tps but it’s not clear if any thread sealant or lock was used here to prevent leaks.

Unimportant for me but for turbo application the MAP sensor opening is threaded to provide a port for relocated aftermarket sensor. I can’t use this as a source since it’s pre-boost on jrsc setup but I can plug with or without an OEM sensor. Those who need the OEM sensor should be able mount one as normal.

The design has an extra hole drilled in front of the tps to allow air to come around the throttle plate (drill entry for idle adjustment) this only has about 1.5 threads worth of material to hold a threaded plug here, which I understand but seems like it’s asking for an issue with temperature swings also unclear if any thread sealant was used though less critical in front of throttle plate.

The most concerning thing I see is that they did a poor job of cleaning slag from the machining process. This should be unacceptable for a part connected behind a filter in the intake tract. It leaves small flakes of metal to come flying into your valves and cylinders. Most of this can be easily addressed in accessible surfaces but it’s a challenge within the interior passages.

Overall I’d say it’s a testament to the quality of cheap machining available today. I’ll probably spend some time cleaning out the slag and give it a try after Radwood.

Front

Back (note throttle plate screws don’t appear staked though I couldn’t break loose, cold)

Throat

Pulley

Tps and idle adjustment (plug to frontside of tps)

Zoom in on bottom left for example of slag present at most locations where interior cuts meet.

[noahf]

thats pretty poor clean up from the machine operator. take a deburr tool and smooth all those surfaces out and use some compressed air to clean all the channels out.

there arnt many parts that i would trust skunk2 with, like i would never buy s2 suspension, but i feel their intakes/tbs/cams/headers are of comparable quality. That being said, when i had the decision to buy toda cam gears and run toda spec b cams or buy skunk2 cam gears and run skunk2 pro2's, im sure you can guess which direction i went.

[aklackner]

Show prep

Wash


Deep surface cleaning


Sealant


Collinite

[aklackner]

Really enjoyed Radwood and will be hoarse for a while after trying to share and answer questions from everyone who stopped by. Didn’t pick up best Integra but there were some really amazing cars so that’s fair and was never a goal.

Should have taken a lot more photos and talked to a lot more people but in the end it was just so amazing to be a part of the community out there, and to be placed as we were.

Unfortunately after a really great event it felt like walking out with toilet paper on my shoe when I had something scraping as I pulled out towards the main exit. Turned out the lush grass snagged one of the brake air guides and bent it down under the lca. I had to pull off and crawl as far under the driver’s side as I could reach and bend it back so it was at least clear. Replacement is already order but backordered for the time being. it still wasn’t quite the blow as having Peter Cunningham walk up and ask if anyone else smelled antifreeze standing over the engine bay. Not a great impression. I don’t think I have a leak (or worse) and oil reports have all shown 0 coolant but .

Still a fun event overall though but you always hope to shine for those who you respect.

[DC231]

Sounds like you had a great time!! I would check in your radiator fins at the bottom for antifreeze. You can use some compressed air to see if there is any hiding in the fins..The antifreeze will not evaporate easily so any that possibly spilled over while filling could be sitting in the fins still and will cause the sweet smell when it gets hot. I've seen this multiple times in the past.

[aklackner]

Sounds like you had a great time!! I would check in your radiator fins at the bottom for antifreeze. You can use some compressed air to see if there is any hiding in the fins..The antifreeze will not evaporate easily so any that possibly spilled over while filling could be sitting in the fins still and will cause the sweet smell when it gets hot. I've seen this multiple times in the past.

That’s a good tip. I’ll check through possible sources.

I run Redline super cool so it’s really just water and a “wetter” additive to further improve temp transfer and protect against corrosion normally associated with running straight water. This does evaporate pretty quickly and really doesn’t smell at all like antifreeze.

[oddomatik]

it still wasn’t quite the blow as having Peter Cunningham walk up and ask if anyone else smelled antifreeze standing over the engine bay. Not a great impression. I don’t think I have a leak (or worse) and oil reports have all shown 0 coolant but .

Nobody's perfect... People just looking out for you, not judging you I'm sure. My cars are lucky if they get a wash in the rare event I go to a car show. The attention to detail you put into your car is more than most can say and that's obvious in your presentation. When you change a lot of stuff, it can make it hard to keep track of making sure everything is nailed down. When you get to the point you're messing with stuff less (ever?) and the more you drive it the less stuff like that will happen.

I PM'd you (possibly twice, sorry) about JRSC. My buddy is going to check one out for me right now. I am setting aside time right now to read through your whole thread to pick out some words of wisdom regarding your install.

EDIT: JRSC secured, maybe a few years from now I'll have a nicely put together engine bay with a little extra oomph!

[aklackner]

it still wasn’t quite the blow as having Peter Cunningham walk up and ask if anyone else smelled antifreeze standing over the engine bay. Not a great impression. I don’t think I have a leak (or worse) and oil reports have all shown 0 coolant but .

Nobody's perfect... People just looking out for you, not judging you I'm sure. My cars are lucky if they get a wash in the rare event I go to a car show. The attention to detail you put into your car is more than most can say and that's obvious in your presentation. When you change a lot of stuff, it can make it hard to keep track of making sure everything is nailed down. When you get to the point you're messing with stuff less (ever?) and the more you drive it the less stuff like that will happen.

I PM'd you (possibly twice, sorry) about JRSC. My buddy is going to check one out for me right now. I am setting aside time right now to read through your whole thread to pick out some words of wisdom regarding your install.

Responded to your PM for some reason I didn’t get a message indicator when it came in.

I still have very little experience generally with cars and mechanics. Being around a show like Radwood and seeing the spectrum of knowledge, rare vehicles, and detailed projects makes me even more self conscious about how little I know.

I worry endlessly about consequences of not knowing what I don’t know and easily forget this is all just a hobby and for my own fun. Anything coming from someone experienced I take probably overly seriously. It was obvious Peter didn’t intend for his passing comment to have the impact on me that it did and all the same I’m grateful for any potential concern to be raised it’s all learning for me.

It does bother me that given the stage the car may have presented to him as another showcar or that I may have come off as a self promotional know nothing. This of course is of no real consequence other than the meeting of fantasy and reality.

My insecurities shouldn’t be read to color what was an amazing event. I was really honored to participate and I had an absolute blast. It really was the perfect opportunity to get to share the car and amplified in this very specific time with the Integra’s relaunch. The only thing I can imagine that could top it would be to participate in Expo and hit the track with this community!!!

[aklackner]

Just some white guy cheezing in front of 01-0386