Clarion Builds - 1991 Acura NSX - Full Build Thread

[ClarionBuilds]

Very nice build - glad we were able to be part of your build on this NSX! Can't wait to see more photos of the steering wheel on the car


EuroBoutique

Thanks Rick! Thank you for knocking out one mean looking wheel and for taking the time to properly match the leather colors with our fresh interior. It looks amazing! Once we get the new wheel and CF door inserts installed we will be posting a bunch of interior pics along with a video.

 

[RYU]

[MENTION=31821]ClarionBuilds[/MENTION] great build! When can us socal guys see it in person? Maybe [MENTION=18969]996garage[/MENTION] can take it out hint hint

 

[EuroBoutique]

From one stereo shop to another, that is some great fabrication skills on the door panels. The doors are one of the harder parts of the car to build correctly and there are some serious labor hours involved in getting those finished ~ killed it!

Can't wait to see it all in person someday - when is the car going to make the trip to Norcal let us know!

 

[ClarionBuilds]

Clarion Builds 91 NSX Gets Super Charged NA2 6spd Upgrade

To freshen things up a bit and to make the car a bit more potent, the guys at AutoWave (@dynomike) ditched our high-mileage 3.0 liter for a freshened up NA2 3.2 DOHC VTEC V6 that they had laying around and capped it with a CT supercharger. They additionally swapped the OE 5 speed for a gen-2 6 speed. Pretty sweet! These guys really do pay some insane attention to detail when rebuilding engines.

Engine/Drivetrain Upgrades include:
• NA2 engine swap
• NA2 6spd
• NA2 OE headers from 2004 model year car
• CT Supercharger
• Powder coated valve covers
• Koyorad aluminum radiator
• More updates from AEM to be announced shortly

Pictures:







































































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@ClarionBuilds great build! When can us socal guys see it in person? Maybe @996garage can take it out hint hint

Soon I would think, its mostly drivable now, but until we get it dialed in we can't push it too hard. All that is left is really just fine tuning things to make it 100% reliable to be driven regularly, then of course dial it in even more to make it trackable.

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From one stereo shop to another, that is some great fabrication skills on the door panels. The doors are one of the harder parts of the car to build correctly and there are some serious labor hours involved in getting those finished ~ killed it!

Can't wait to see it all in person someday - when is the car going to make the trip to Norcal let us know!

Maybe April or May... but details will be announced soon. As with the BMW 2002 we did as our first build, we will unveil this car to the press in a pretty fun way.

 

[warrenw]

I spent a great deal of time looking at this car and talking the Clarion representative at the Barrett-Jackson auction. This is a great rebuild from engine, transmission, interior, audio, paint and body.
Great looking car.
With new big breaks, the only thing that wasn't touched was the ABS system. The car is modernized in every way except this component. It should have the 00-05 ABS upgrade or at min, the old 91 ABS modulator should have been rebuilt.
Great build, nice job Clarion.

 

[ClarionBuilds]

Suspension, Brakes, Wheels and Tires

Hey everybody,

Have more pics and a video to post. This time for the suspension, brake, wheel and tire upgrades.

A few shoutouts to our Clarion Builds partners for supplying top-tier parts!

• KW for thetheir Variant 3 coilovers
• StopTech for the Big Brake Kits (ST-40) for both the front and rear of the car
• Rays for the ZE40 Volks (18"x9" +34mm front / 19"x9" +33mm rear)
• And Michelin hooked us up with a set of the Pilot Sport Cup 2s (225/40zr18 front / 265/30zr19 rear)

 

[austrian type-R]

You have changed out the oem cams and throw away the Cam holders/bracktes? Those belongs to the cylinder heads. What cam holders are now used? With new ones or used ones from another head you would have to bore/hone the whole assemblie to get out zero caps.

To freshen things up a bit and to make the car a bit more potent, the guys at AutoWave (@dynomike) ditched our high-mileage 3.0 liter for a freshened up NA2 3.2 DOHC VTEC V6 that they had laying around and capped it with a CT supercharger. They additionally swapped the OE 5 speed for a gen-2 6 speed. Pretty sweet! These guys really do pay some insane attention to detail when rebuilding engines.

Engine/Drivetrain Upgrades include:
• NA2 engine swap
• NA2 6spd
• NA2 OE headers from 2004 model year car
• CT Supercharger
• Powder coated valve covers
• Koyorad aluminum radiator
• More updates from AEM to be announced shortly


Pictures:







- - - Updated - - -



Soon I would think, its mostly drivable now, but until we get it dialed in we can't push it too hard. All that is left is really just fine tuning things to make it 100% reliable to be driven regularly, then of course dial it in even more to make it trackable.

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Maybe April or May... but details will be announced soon. As with the BMW 2002 we did as our first build, we will unveil this car to the press in a pretty fun way.

 

[hkz286]

You have changed out the oem cams and throw away the Cam holders/bracktes? Those belongs to the cylinder heads. What cam holders are now used? With new ones or used ones from another head you would have to bore/hone the whole assemblie to get out zero caps.

that's the basket for a parts washer bud

 

[austrian type-R]

ahaha, lol, okay

 

[solidol]

I never understood why people let engines rest on oil pans. Engine stand costs $100. What am I missing?

 

[JohnWayne]

I never understood why people let engines rest on oil pans. Engine stand costs $100. What am I missing?

The oil pan is free and included with motor

Nice photo documentary on the build!

 

[ClarionBuilds]

The Clarion Builds NSX Gets Major Interior Overhaul!

As many, if not all, of us can agree the NSX was great for many reasons and the factory interior was certainly on that list. However, after 25 years of being a daily driver our NSX was in dire need of an interior makeover to freshen things up and make it more aligned with our overall design goal for the car. Teaming up with the folks at Downforce, Euro Boutique, Hushmat, LeatherSeats.com and Science of Speed, we created something truly unique and special. Beginning with the floors, we installed Hushmat to insulate the cabin and then laid down an NSX-R reproduction carpet kit. The seats, door panels, and center console lid were reskinned by LeatherSeats.com in Ecstasy leather with a gorgeous terra cotta and black theme. They also replaced and hand stitched the parking brake, shift knob and boot with the same materials. Euro Boutique modernized our aging steering wheel by chopping the bottom, bolstering the grips and wrapping it with matching leather. The Headliner and A-pillar panels were rewrapped in black alcanatara to accentuate the car's modern supercar feel. Downforce provided the center console bezel and subwoofer enclosure, and various other pieces were sourced from Science of Speed.

 

[ClarionBuilds]

AEM Hooks it up with One-of-a-kind Intake and Exhaust System

Hey guys, I'm sure you're all curious what we decided to do for intake and exhaust on the SC3.2 Swap in our 91. Well, the guys at AEM blueprinted the CTSC 3.2 install and created a one-of-a kind 3D printed intake system made of dissolvable plastic, that was then covered in CF (and plastic dissolved). The CF intake box houses a conical filter that really lets you hear the engine inhale. As for exhaling, they created a one-of-a-kind dual resonator exhaust system. The end result is insanely wicked sounding.

Intake System

Exhaust System:

 

[TURBO2GO]

Why not just install one of any number of pre-made exhaust systems? I am seeing non-mandrel bent piping here, really reduced diameter in some spots.

 

[ClarionBuilds]

Why not just install one of any number of pre-made exhaust systems? I am seeing non-mandrel bent piping here, really reduced diameter in some spots.

AEM is a sponsor of the build and they wanted to take a crack at the exhaust for us. Overall, the sound and performance we're getting from it is pretty decent, but your points are certainly valid. We haven't tried dynoing the car with a Prime-tested and approved exhaust system on it yet, but actually are planning on it. We have an upcoming TV shootout against a few other tuner cars, so before that happens, we will definitely want to address everything we can to get maximum HP and torque from the engine.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Are you trying to stay conservative with the exhaust? Along the theme of the car I guess?

 

[Jinks]

I never understood why people let engines rest on oil pans. Engine stand costs $100. What am I missing?

The pics are very nice. Forget the oil pan though, who uses impact drivers to assemble and dismantle engines? Can you say, CROSSTHREAD!

 

[TURBO2GO]

The pics are very nice. Forget the oil pan though, who uses impact drivers to assemble and dismantle engines? Can you say, CROSSTHREAD!

These guys have assembled and disassembled more NSX engines that anyone outside Japan. Get off their back.

 

[Jinks]

These guys have assembled and disassembled more NSX engines that anyone outside Japan. Get off their back.

Sorry Turbie. I had a rough day. You are right. I will stop riding my broom around.

 

[ClarionBuilds]

Are you trying to stay conservative with the exhaust? Along the theme of the car I guess?

Not really. The AEM setup we have might be the loudest, most pronounced sounding NSX exhaust I've ever heard. Definitely not conservative sounding when you can clearly hear it take off when you're a 1/8th of a mile behind it on the highway. But, yes, for the tips, we'd want to keep it conservative looking. Performance and sound would easily be our top priorities with exhaust though. We're dynoing at 344 wheel with no engine management (Gotta keep it semi street legal in SoCal since we actually drive it daily), but we will probably test another exhaust system that was recommended by AutoWave to see if that boost those numbers.

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A little carporn for you guys:
https://youtu.be/haR1yZ9Hh1E?list=PLElL7AZSOkh8y_mZnrwXjrUmgCT-KlzoZ

 

[EuroBoutique]

Keep up the good work! Love to see these updates after the initial launch

 

[TURBO2GO]

Which is autowave recommending? You won't make huge gains over what you have despite the poor bends. What you have is a short, rather straight-through design. That's also why it is loud. I personally prefer the weight savings of titanium. But if I was getting a steel one, and flow and sound were both important and the valence was an 02+ like on your car, I would buy the AP-X designed by angus. I feel it's a near ideal design. Having said this, my personal opinion is that the NSX has relatively poor exhaust sound quality and it is better to keep it quiet and rely on the much more pleasing sound of induction noise, just like the factory did. The only "quiet" exhausts I know of are the OEM and 2 out of Japan unavailable here you would have to order direct. To me ideal is a titanium version of the OEM exhaust on a street car. Of course there's no such thing.

 

[M. Rackham]

Are there any plans to bring this intake to market, and bring AEM back into the intake business for the NSX?

 

[jones83]

Good job with the build guys. Glad to see some support for the platform.

 

[type-j]

Just watched the new vid on this bad boy. Simply amazing!

https://youtu.be/f8G_kd4n2kQ

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