CCColtsicehockey 2002 Black/Black NSX Build

Grabbed this from my new owner thread since I figured it was a good start to my build thread.

To own an NSX has been a dream of mine for a long time. I had posters of one on my wall growing up. About 9 years ago I considered picking one up and maybe should have because the market was almost at the lowest point. I chose not to as I didn't think it was the right time. A friend of mine has owned this car for the last 8 years. I have told him for a good while if he was going to get rid of it to please let me know. He decided it was time to move on from it a couple months ago and so I decided to see if I could make it happen. This Friday I took delivery of it. From far the car looks absolutely perfect. There are some things that need some TLC and the car doesn't have a perfect history but that is what allowed me to be able to pick it up. That being said it drives amazingly, runs strong, and has perfect alignment. I wasn't looking for a collectors car as I am going to drive it as much as possible. I have already put 250 miles on it in the first weekend.

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Current list of work done to the car:

Short throw shifter
NSX-R shift boot
NSX-R shift knob
Nardi Steering wheel, Works Bell Quick Release, and NRG Hub
Carbon Fiber Double DIN console
Pioneer Double Din NEX Android Auto/Apple Car Play Radio
OEM Nav Pod with 7in screen and Magden PC (installed not hooked up)
DVD/IPod plays through either the Double Din or the Nav Pod Installed with Xory72’s Nav Pod holder
Tein EDFC molded in to console
Ztoolman style cup holder
17/18 Volk TE37
Stoptech Trophy Front and Rear Big Brake Kit
Tein Mono flex coil over suspension
STMPO front chassis bar (imola orange)
STMPO front strut tower brace
STMPO rear chassis brace (imola orange)
STMPO brake ducts
STMPO messiah exhaust
S2000 antenna
NSX-r carbon replica rear wing
Difflow Rear Diffuser
Carbon rear window garnish
NSX-r Honda Badges front and rear
Downforce fender well intake scoop
Smoked front and rear signal lights

If that's your starting point I can't imagine what the end will be. Congrats. Especially love the wheels.

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Got some needed maintenance done on the NSX a few weekends back. The big brake kit the previous owner had installed on the front had warped rotors almost immediately. So much to the point that he called and complained to StopTech and they sent him new rotor rings for free. He had never gotten around to installing them over the last year but with thinking of taking the car to the Tail of the Dragon soon, it was a high priority of mine. Also as I do with every new to me car I changed the oil as well which was easy since the car was already up on jack stands.


Jacking up a mid-engine car was a unique experience. Having to jack it up from one side and put that side on jack stands and then repeat on the other side was different and a little nerve-racking at first especially since I don't have 4 of the same jack stands.








Brakes before I started.



Both front rotors removed



Old rotor next to new ring



Allen bolts holding the hat and rotor together. I was worried about how hot brakes get these would be hard to get apart but with how few miles and carefully he drove the car there were easy to get apart.



New ring with new hardware






All back together. Each bolt torqued to 70in\lbs and green Loctite 290 applied afterward per instructions.






Car has some nice upgraded carbon air ducts for the brakes






Oil Change while the Car was up. Just went with Mobil1 for right now cause I didn't have any 10w-30 yet. I will be switching it to RedLine though as that is what I have been using in all my cars since I started using it in the CTS-V after it was built.



Since the car has a coupe rear glass on a targa model from the accident I don't have the part that holds the targa storage open to put the top in with just one person. Stopped at Lowes and picked up a package of these 10in long little straps. I think the cover is a little too heavy cause it really stretches it. Might go back and get the heavier duty 12in ones. However, it does accomplish the goal of holding it open so I can take the targa off myself.



The next night after doing some yard work I took the long way up around the lake on back roads to meet my dad at his place for some dinner. Nothing better than a 45min drive with the top off after doing yard work.

Currently the interior has a really small Momo wheel. Can't be more than 300mm maybe even 290mm. I really do like driving with it but sometimes not sure if I like the look as much. I have this old factory EuroR wheel from my TSX and wonder if it could be made to fit in the car for a more OEM look. I know for sure I would need to have a single stage airbag. At one point I had one but I can't remember if I sold it or not.



Using parts I already had around. Had bought a new limited edition J's Racing Works Bell quick release for my TSX a few months back so I had removed my old silver and stainless hub from the car. Also had the Nardi Torino wheel around that I thought didn't look right always with the TSX interior. I wasn't a big fan of the blue hub and steering wheel in the NSX so switched them out and I think it looks much better with the older styling of the NSX interior. The small 300mm Momo wheel I think still will feel better for spirited driving but for regular around town the Nardi just flows so much better. Thankfully since all 3 of the steering wheels I own now have Works Bell quick releases so I can swap them around whenever I want.

Early November I went on an annual trip to Tail of the Dragon with a group of car buddies that I have gone on for the last 5 years. This one obviously being with the NSX for the first time was by far the most enjoyable one ever. The car is just so raw yet the most planted machine I have ever driven there or really anything I have driven period. I always start this trip with a stop in Asheville to sample a great brewery or two and pick up some good beverages to have at the cabin for the weekend.


Stopped at New Belgium first then headed to Burial which is by far one of the best in Asheville.






Then proceeded on to meet up with the rest of the group for some lunch. I was the second to arrive. Friend from Raleigh with a 2016 GT3 was the first.



After lunch, we headed to the cabin to drop off our stuff and then continued onto the Dragon. We skipped dragon with how wet it was and hit up hellbender. Personally, that is my favorite road of the entire area.



Morning view from the back of the cabin.






Cold morning start of NSX and GT3



Headed up to the Dragon to check out the store but then hit up hellbender again and then off down a drive to Franklin.






Stopped at a waterfall



It had been a wet day and the cars had gotten dirty so stopped at the car wash.



All cleaned up



My front drivers had been rubbing on the fender that day. Realized the drivers side was a little more than 1/4in lower than passenger side so raised it up to be even. Yes I did car work with a scissor jack.



Everyone parked in the driveway while I make the adjustments.



Headed out to dinner that night to probably the best place up there to eat, Tapco Lodge.






Some iced coffee on a nice cold mountain morning



Morning fog on the water






Some awesome Honda's parked under the car park






This day we headed up the Skyway






On one of the scenic stops I ran into a gentleman that had a 1991 Acura NSX. He is the original owner and the car has 113k miles on it. He bought it without ever driving it since back then they would not let you even test drive them. He put the seat covers on the car right when he got it to protect the cream interior.



One heck of a view from the this particular overlook



The gang for today. The GT3 had to headout in the morning so we were down to three.



That afternoon the rest of the group headed out but I was staying the last night still. We had not hit the Dragon yet cause it is never a great idea to do it on Saturday or Sunday cause it is just so busy and backed up. We normally do it on Friday but this year it was raining when we arrived. So I waited till just before the sunset to hit it when most people had left for the weekend. It was a blast in the NSX. Some shots after I completed the run.






On the way back through I stopped at the one scenic outlook at the high point overlooking the damn.



Was able to grab a great sunset picture.



Headed back to Tapco Lodge for another dinner and got my own private parking spot.



The NSX trunk gets tight with gear for two, some essential tools, detailing gear, camera, drone, and a case of beer.



Stopped for some lunch on the way back through Asheville at a new place called the Foggy Mountain Brew Pub. The food was excellent for anyone passing through the area.









When I got home I had put on almost 800 miles for the weeknd and was 2 miles short of putting 1200 miles in the first 2.5 weeks of ownership.

Earlier this month I decided to replace the broken Clarion NX500 with a Pioner W8400. The deal during the holidays was just too good to pass up cost wise compard to everything else I was considering. Is it the perfect radio maybe not but at half the cost of either of the other options I am definitely happy with it. Android Auto is also pretty great. Definitely is not perfect but I really like it so far for the most part.


The radio and the Anker USB-C cable I ordered to use for wired Android Auto and charging. Most of the time I am just using it wirelessly though around town.



The old setup before I tear it out.






Taped off the dash so I didn't risk scratching anything.



screws to remove armrest console



Previous owner had put in a parking brake ground switch in the console. I ended up re-using this since it was already there.



Screws to remove JDM Nav Pod.



No screws were used to install the carbon dash trim :what:






Two screws to remove SOS Radio Mounting Bracket



Remove AC Controls First



Comparison of old and new radio.






Wiring mess from the older radio. I have no idea what the thing in the big chunk of red heat shrink was for but it was wired in line with the power wire.



So the fitment of the small coin pocket and the shifter trim was terrible on this dash piece. Honestly the whole dash piece fits pretty terrible but with the cost of what a new one is I decided to make the best of this one for the time being. Two of the screws to mout the coin pocket and the back of the shiftboot hat broken off of the trim piece. Did all this before starting the rest of the radio install so the glue had time to cure.






It wasn't an ideal solution and hopefully it won't be hard to find one at a later date when I get a new trim piece but I ended up glueing the screws back in place and also glueing the coin pocket to the trim piece as well since it allowed me an easier way to align the screws.






Back to the radio install. Mounted the GPS antenna on the metal JDM Nav Pod bracket to hide it. Previous radio just had it thrown on the dash in plain view.
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Ran all the new wires for all the extra connections to the radio.



Once the glue had dried I put the dash piece back together. Things fit much better now even if the panel doesn't fit in the console without a somewhat large gap by the ebrake handle.












Everything all put back together. The W8400 has an Android and Apple USB connection. I used the Android one for my USB-C cable for AndroidAutu and the Apple one for a USB extension cable to use with either my iPod or a USB thumbdrive with FLAC files on it. I love the fact that I can pick the button light and background color to be amber to match the factory lights. I know it is a small thing but I think it makes the interior look much cleaner.
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The new radio sounds much better than the old one as well so it wasn't just a cosmetic upgrade or just a fix for the bad volume knob of the radio. I think the old radio itself might have been going bad too since the audio sounds better and less distorted. I had actually already bought new speakers to use in a stereo upgrade once I decide on a new amp and now I am not 100% sure I want to go through all that work to do the stereo upgrade. I mean stock speakers are not anything to write home about but they don't sound terrible either.


This past weekend my new plate showed up too. I finally just went with one and might end up changing it every year.

riddl3r said:

If that's your starting point I can't imagine what the end will be. Congrats. Especially love the wheels.

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Thank you. With that being the way I bought the car from the previous owner and the car itself being local to the area I feel I need to change it up and make it my own really. I have a good amount of plans for the car overall. It will probably be slow going since basically all my cars are always on going projects. I can't have a car and leave it well enough alone ever.

Here are a few of the things I would like to do sooner than later.
New wheel color or new wheels (Love the current color but like above feel I need to make it my own after the previous owner has had these this way for a while)
Carbon side ducts either factory design or nsx-r design haven't decided
Red carpet (already have) and Red Seats (Have a set of red Recaro SportLine seats from a TypeR but have heard they sit higher than stock seats. Really want whatever I put in to be lower than stock so most likely a set of custom wrapped Pole Positions but that would much delay this project.)
Replace trunk struts
Replace all rubber seals relating to the targa top and windows as I get terrible amounts of air noise at higher speeds above 70mph and water leaks in heavy rain.

Long term
Lots of carbon interior pieces
New door cards to match whatever seats I do
Metal door pulls
Downforce side skirts
Wider front fenders so can run 235 or 245 front tire to go with a 275 in the rear
New rear wing either just a cleaner looking NSX-R or a Voltex/JsRacing wing
NSX-R Hood and Duct
Additional preventive maintenance

So I went to Cars and Coffee this weekend with a dirty NSX since I had driven it in the rain this past weekend. Apparntly that is a no no and people have no sense of morals and not touching other people's property. Someone there decided to draw a penis and right clean me on my dirty car. I am glad I didn't witness it cause my reaction probably would not have been with words. I don't care what type of car it is NSX, Ferrari, or even someones Toyota Camry you don't touch people property. :madfawk:





I did at least get a maple bacon donut at the free donut tent
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It had already been in the books but washed the NSX later that day since it was so nice out.
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It was then time to change the transmission fluid cause the previous owner had not done it once during his 7 year ownership. Not sure it was that bad though since he didn't even accumulate 20k miles in that period.
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Fluid is a little dark but not too bad considering it could be the original fluid for all I know.
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Don't forget new crush washers


3qts of White Cap Honda Transmission Fluid
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While I had the car in the garage I decided to test out two wheel colors from spare wheels I have for my TSX. Need to start planning what color to powdercoat my next set of TE37.
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Weather Sunday was supposed to be another crazy warm day for January with the high in the high 60s. So took a trip to Little Switzerland as I heard the roads up there were excellent for driving. They did not dissapoint.
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Stopped at a scenic overlook right before route 80 connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, with the government shutdown many sections of the parkway up this way are closed because they had been closed for the snow storm that came in December and then have never been reopened. The one good thing that came from this though is at this point there is a 2 mile stretch of the parkway before the close off gate. Which basically meant a free use as you please 2 mile hill climb track after I drove to the top saw no one was up there and then drove back down and didn't pass anyone. Did this stretch about 6 time for some fun spirited driving without worry.
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Scenic overlook at the top of the 2mile hill climb
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Stopped to take some pictures at an old mineral mine.
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The targa came off right after this picture too
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On the way home I rolled over 35k miles
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Great documentary. Makes me want to go for a drive. Speaking of that, glad to see you are driving your car.
Sorry to hear about the finger prints during the cars and coffee. It could have been worst and looks like you got an awesome donut in the end.

So while waiting for the transmission fluid to drain this past weekend I took the time to crawl around under the car and inspect other parts for any other future work I might need to do. I found two things one possibly minor and the other a little more concerning.

The upper and lower boots on the drivers side ball joints are torn. Hoping that I can just get away with replacing the boots since the joints only have 35k miles on them. Eventually I will probably upgrade to the Carbon6 ones but for now I hope I can get some more life out of these.





On to the more concerning find. I can't tell if these are cracks in the body of just a poor repair job and the new body sealer coming off. Short of taking it to a body shop though I am not sure how I can verify that.







Hoping I don't need to stop driving the car before figuring out what is going on here.

Continuing to fix some of the issues on the car that it had when I acquired it. The trunk struts were completely shot. Had to hold the trunk open with my head or a piece of wood anytime I wanted to put anything in or get something out of the trunk.

The instructions on NSX Wiki were extremely helpful and detailed. https://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Replacing_Trunk_Struts I did find one issue in them though that the ball stud is 12mm not 10mm.

Tools for the project


Ordered my new struts from Science of Speed. Looked around several places for about an hour and their price once you factored in shipping at the moment was the cheapest. Although they are OEM parts they are now sadly made in China




Before loosening the ball stud I decided to use a towel to protect the paint just in case.


Then used the pick to pull the snap clip off the top of the strut body mount


Once that was off unscrewed the ball stud the rest of the way. Notice my handy trunk prop that I had been using for the trunk as of late.


Old vs New




My biggest complaint about the new part is the fact that the washer on the stud is smaller than the old one. The cars were painted originally after the stud was installed on the car. This means you end up with a ring of unpainted aluminum around the new ball stud.




Other side swapped




Nice to finally be able to open the trunk without having to hold or prop it open everytime. It is the little things in life sometimes. Now I can use the car to go play golf finally. Don't midn the fact that the trunk liner is not mounted up right now as I am still dealing with intermitent drivers side brake light issues.

Nice work OP. Couldn't you swap the old washer with the new to avoid the unpainted ring?


Also, what screen do you have in the navpod and what do you use it for? any pics of how that screen is mounted?

Great looking NSX, black 02s take some beating ... a change of hands brings with it a list of ‘refreshing’ activities which only goes to improve the life of these wonderful cars!

Ref the console (which as you say is not of the highest quality), have you considered a can of plasti-dip and give it more of an OEM look until such times as you find a replacement?

Ref the rims, I like what’s on there today but (personal choice) would want less offset so they sit under the arch better ... I also get why you would want to change them. So are you after new rims/style, or simply a new look for the current ones? If the latter, have you considered a shadowchrome finish as per the earlier BMW M5s ... I did this to my 02 rims and I love the unique look ... and I saw a set of TE37s on a 370z with this finish and they looked great!

Keep on enjoying, many more smiles of tarmac ahead of you

Regards, Paul

Oh, and by the way, cant get over how big the S2K looks next to the NSX ....

Nice thread, beautiful NSX.

I would address the cracks ASAP before it gets any worse.

I_M_Legend said:

Nice work OP. Couldn't you swap the old washer with the new to avoid the unpainted ring?


Also, what screen do you have in the navpod and what do you use it for? any pics of how that screen is mounted?

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Unfortunately, the balls stud washers are integrated onto the stud. I tried for a good while to get it to unscrew off the bolt and had no luck on both the new one and the old one. That is what I had hoped to do initially since the washers are even painted which would have been nice.

I have no idea what screen it is. I have not even started to tackle that project yet. The screen is for a Magden PC which is an OBD2 gauge interface. It is the same one that had been used in the R34 in fast and the furious. Here is some information I have found on the unit. https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/magden-m-1-review-digital-gauges-nav-137501.html?styleid=1 It is not even wired up right now but the PC box is mounted under the glovebox area.

I am debating if I even want to keep it or not. I mean it seems cool and all but there are a lot more compact system out these days I could use that would probably even have more options. It is cool though cause it is more time period correct for the car.

Senninha said:

Great looking NSX, black 02s take some beating ... a change of hands brings with it a list of ‘refreshing’ activities which only goes to improve the life of these wonderful cars!

Ref the console (which as you say is not of the highest quality), have you considered a can of plasti-dip and give it more of an OEM look until such times as you find a replacement?

Ref the rims, I like what’s on there today but (personal choice) would want less offset so they sit under the arch better ... I also get why you would want to change them. So are you after new rims/style, or simply a new look for the current ones? If the latter, have you considered a shadowchrome finish as per the earlier BMW M5s ... I did this to my 02 rims and I love the unique look ... and I saw a set of TE37s on a 370z with this finish and they looked great!

Keep on enjoying, many more smiles of tarmac ahead of you

Regards, Paul

Oh, and by the way, cant get over how big the S2K looks next to the NSX ....

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Yes it definitely needs some TLC but that is part of the enjoyment of older cars I find is restoring them a bit. Not that 2002 is that old.

The console carbon quality is not terrible just really the fitment of the panel itself. Not sure I would like the look a plasti-dip inside the car. I have used it on exterior trim before but I might leave it for that use. I need to pull the panel back out and check but are there little clips on the side of the parking brake that is supposed to help hold the leather console sides to the center trim panel? That is my main fitment issue really. I have a gap along the brake handle section and that piece of the leather-wrapped console.

I really like the color of the rims on the car just since I bought it from a local owner I just still feel like it is his car. I will probably keep them with a second set of tires on for the colder months. I like the flush look but agree I think the offset is about 5mm too much even for me. I would rather be able to stick a wider tire on if needed to keep a flush look with less offset wheel. As long as it doesn't negatively affect handling.

It's funny you ask about new rims/style or a new look for the current ones. Mostly just a new look but going with an additional set so I can put some stickier tires on them as I hope to eventually start getting in some track time and make several Tail of the Dragon trips each year for good mountain runs.

I ran out of time yesterday to post this but about a week ago I had found a listing for a set of NSX fitment TE37 in a little less aggressive rear fitment. Went back and forth and got a price we both agreed on and picked them up this past weekend. They 17x8.5 +40 and 18x10.5 +45 and finished in Diamond Black. They are basically mint condition as they were only used for about 1 year.

Freshly picked up this past Friday They just barely fit in the back of the CTS-V Wagon.


I don't have much much patience typically to wait and see things so I went about throwing them on the car that same day.


The front fit a little more aggressive which I like.




The rears fit much more flush. Depending on the tire size I go with I might put a 5mm spacer on the rear.






The car needs a much better alignment than it has because the drivers side has about 1.5 degrees less negative camber than the passenger side and it makes the car look terrible uneven. Yes it needs another bath after my trip to Little Switzerland.





While I was trying to install the rears I learned about the terrible parking brake wire location for the Stoptech kit. Thanks to the great information on prime I learned that most just fix this issue with soem heavy duty zip ties. Had some 175lb strength zip ties laying around so used two per side to get it out of the way.






I originally thought that Diamond Black was more black than gunmetal but once I picked them up it really seems to be the other way around. They are in such good condition so I am having issues with refinishing them right off the bat but I still might. I typically always run brigther color wheels on my cars. My TSX has had polished, green, pink, white, and gold wheels over its lifetime. I finally settled on the white set for the rest of its life I think so that means that white is most likely out for the NSX. So far I am considering Teal, Takata Green, Red, Candy Red, Candy Raspberry, and Gold for the NSX.

I will be putting Dunlop Direzza ZIII on these wheels before the good spring weather hits. Fronts will be 215/40/17 and rears will be either 265 or 275/35/18. Can't make up my mind on that yet. There seems to be lots of information saying to stay away from the 275/35/18 rear on here. The current tires are 215/40/17 and 285/35/18.

It is crazy how small the NSX looks even next to an S2000.

Hass said:

Nice thread, beautiful NSX.

I would address the cracks ASAP before it gets any worse.

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Thank you.

Is that something you would trust a reputable body shop to repair or would I need to seek out a specialist of the NSX? Would rather have it taken care of sooner than instead of waiting and shipping the car somewhere but I also want to have it done right. Would prefer not to lose 6-12 months of use of the car after just getting it though.

Hey, new rims look great and 'fit' better too. Really like the color and it now shows off the high end Stoptech's really well ... enjoy, and if you do change color, have you considered bronze rather than gold?

cccoltsicehockey said:

I have no idea what screen it is. I have not even started to tackle that project yet. The screen is for a Magden PC which is an OBD2 gauge interface. It is the same one that had been used in the R34 in fast and the furious. Here is some information I have found on the unit. https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/magden-m-1-review-digital-gauges-nav-137501.html?styleid=1 It is not even wired up right now but the PC box is mounted under the glovebox area.

I am debating if I even want to keep it or not. I mean it seems cool and all but there are a lot more compact system out these days I could use that would probably even have more options. It is cool though cause it is more time period correct for the car.

Click to expand...

Very interesting. Would you happen to have any pics of how the screen is mounted to the Navpod?

I would reach out to @pbjasso in NY to see his advice. Not many people have more experience with chassis repair than him.

I live up in Asheville, and I do have an excellent aluminum welder here that could do a repair if needed.

Hope to cross paths soon.

Senninha said:

Hey, new rims look great and 'fit' better too. Really like the color and it now shows off the high end Stoptech's really well ... enjoy, and if you do change color, have you considered bronze rather than gold?

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Bronze is definitely in consideration. I found a color that is like a darker gold/slightly lighter than bronze that is definitely an option. Probably going to leave these on till around when I order tires and see how I feel about the color. Agree they definitely fit much better.

I_M_Legend said:

Very interesting. Would you happen to have any pics of how the screen is mounted to the Navpod?

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I did not grab any shots how it was mounted when I had it apart. I wish I would have. I normally always grab extra shots of things when I have cars apart in case I want to go back and look at things and this time I forgot. I wish I would have grabbed some shots of other things as well. Probably going to try and fix my center trim fitment again in a couple weeks so I will grab a few picture of the screen install then.

JohnWayne said:

I would reach out to @pbjasso in NY to see his advice. Not many people have more experience with chassis repair than him.

I live up in Asheville, and I do have an excellent aluminum welder here that could do a repair if needed.

Hope to cross paths soon.

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Appreciate the information on who to contact that is very helpful. I will send him a PM and see what he says.

Hopefully, it will be easier like that and just need to find an aluminum welder. Always love another excuse to go to Asheville.

I am sure our paths will definitely cross as I try and make it up there once a quarter at least. I was up in December so probably be up again late Feb or early March.

Grabbed some outdoor shots today as I took the car to work for the day since it was nicer weather for the first time in a week. Have to try and get in at least one day of driving this thing every week if possible.

cccoltsicehockey said:

Thank you.

Is that something you would trust a reputable body shop to repair or would I need to seek out a specialist of the NSX? Would rather have it taken care of sooner than instead of waiting and shipping the car somewhere but I also want to have it done right. Would prefer not to lose 6-12 months of use of the car after just getting it though.

Click to expand...

I would ask around to see who is familiar with aluminum. I would reach out to the specialist in NY that JohnWayne mentioned, it wouldn't hurt to talk to the welder he knows in Asheville.