{"id":144451,"date":"2026-01-26T15:02:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T21:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=144451"},"modified":"2026-01-26T18:42:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T00:42:45","slug":"blackdragon-racings-k20-powered-starlet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=144451","title":{"rendered":"Blackdragon Racing’s K20-Powered Starlet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1984<\/a><\/p>\n

Ben Herron from Blackdragon Racing<\/a> in New Zealand built his 1984 Toyota Starlet<\/a> (KP61) for touring car racing. Ben spent many hours developing the car and recorded the progress in the build thread<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"1984<\/a><\/p>\n

\"1984<\/a><\/p>\n

Ben acquired the Starlet with Toyota 3S-GE BEAMS inline-four. Eventually Ben wanted to go in a different direction for the power plant. The requirements for the next engine needed large aftermarket support, easier to find cores, and weigh less.<\/p>\n

\"Toyota<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/a><\/p>\n

Ben settled on the ubiquitous Honda K20A inline-four. He upgraded the 2.0-liter motor with a Skunk 2 Ultra Street intake manifold, Skunk 2 74 mm throttle body, Clockwise Motion FD2 baffle in oil pan, Davies Craig EWP 115 electric water pump, and ported Type S oil pump. Ben removed the power steering pump and AC compressor.<\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"Skunk<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Skunk<\/a><\/p>\n

Exhaust is routed through a JPW Performance 4-2-1 exhaust header and Adrenaline R muffler. Fuel is fed by FIC 770 cc injectors from a FITech HyperFuel G-Surge tank. The K20A runs on a Link G4X XtremeX ECU using a custom wiring harness. It produces 206 hp (151 kW) at 8250 rpm and 167 lb-ft (226 Nm) at 5300 rpm.<\/p>\n

\"S2000<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/a><\/p>\n

Ben installed a JSP Fab K2F adapter plate, Clutchmasters K2F flywheel, Action Clutch S2000 clutch and pressure plate in front of a Honda S2000 AP1 six-speed manual transmission. From there power is sent by a custom Driveshaft Shop carbon fiber driveshaft to an AE86 rear end moved 50 mm rearward.<\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/a><\/p>\n

\"custom<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Toyota<\/a><\/p>\n

Ben extended the Starlet’s wheelbase (1300 mm) to 1400 mm which is same as a Toyota AE86. The car’s suspension received a left-hand drive Starlet steering rack, AE86 hubs, and MCA Red series coilovers. The rear suspension is a 3-link with a Watt’s link.<\/p>\n

\"MCA<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AE86<\/a><\/p>\n

Braking is handled by AP Racing four-piston CP4567 calipers with 267×25.4 mm rotors in front and AP Racing 4 Piston CP4567 calipers with 258×21 mm rotors in back. Ben added custom cooling ducts to reduce braking temperatures. The Starlet rides on Revolution 13×8-inch wheels with Michelin F3\/F4 S412 (20\/54-13) tires.<\/p>\n

\"MCA<\/a><\/p>\n

\"custom<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AP<\/a><\/p>\n

The Starlet weighs 825 kg (1818 lb) with a full tank of fuel and has a 52\/48 bias. You can read more about the car’s progress in the build thread<\/a> or watch Ben’s racing on his Blackdragon Racing channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"1984<\/a><\/p>\n