Next Project: Engine Bay

[Andrie Hartanto]

I believe that's a picture of Mike "Chromatose" Niday's engine bay. The car has over 100K miles, but the conditon is better than the one on the picture. I never seen his car not shiny.

He even has his brembo brakes polished, and shiny all the time. Imagine that.

 

[286 NSX]

personally, i dont like no much shine. chris's is perfect. just needs the recovery tank. too much starts making your car look like a cheap lowrider of some sort. just my .02.

 

[Chris W]

Now that's funny. A "CHEAP LOWRIDER". Sounds like you've been to one, too many, car shows.

For those that have never gone to one if you ever want to see more chrome accessories than you've ever imagined possible, or for that matter, things that you didn't realize could ever be chromed, just go to a car show with a LOWRIDER exhibit. You'll swear you were in a Fun House in the room with all the mirrors. Everywhere you look you can see yourself.

 

[Khuang]

I would stop dressing up the engine, Chris engine looks great but we don't want to get the title, "ALL SHOW, NO GO". For me my top priority is to learn to drive well on the road course, this will take care of the "GO" part.

 

[BlackMonster]

This post has inspired me to start working on mine. I am currently in the process of stripping and refinishing my strut bar. Mine will take quite a bit longer to do since mine is bigger than yours...

I have a targa... I'm taking pictures as I go, will post them when it is complete.

------------------
Brian
Austin,TX
95 NSX-T Black/Black

 

[Chris W]

I have to give Paul M the credit for inspiring me to do the project; Mesh insert in the rear glass hatch garnish.

Everytime I washed the car I could never get into the louvers to wipe the black frame under the garnish without removing it completely. Those of you with light colored NSX's probably don't have this problem. Now after washing the car you can't see the water spots behind the garnish through the mesh and I no longer have to think about getting behind there to wipe it down.

 

[Dman]

Ok Chris, you got me goin again. Where did you get the mesh, what type of mesh it and how much did it cost ya? How does it stay in there? Is it all one piece? It looks totally awesome and I must have it done to mine. Man, your gonna make me broke. You definately have good taste.

 

[Chris W]

I purchased the mesh at The Home Depot in the Building Materials department. It can be found in the section with all the rain gutter accessories. The mesh is actually supposed to fit inside the rain gutter to keep leaves and other debris out. It comes in a pack of two for $5.00. It is pre-cut 48 inches long by about 5 inches wide. You will only need to use one piece. The best part about it is that it's galvanized so it'll never rust. You could also paint it black, or whatever, if you wanted to before you install it.

After removing the seven Phillip's head screws remove the garnish piece and turn it upside down. At this point I bent and formed the strip of mesh to the contours of the underside of the garnish piece around the louvers. The more patience you have with this part the better it will turn out. I had to trim a little of the mesh with metal snips to make it easier to contour to the proper shape.

Once I was happy with the way it fit I then used a two part epoxy to hold it in place. I used the type that comes in syringe form and have to mix with a toothpick in a cup after it comes out.
TIP: You will have to form the mesh so that it makes contact with the plastic all the way around the louvers in order for it to hold properly. You will also want to have enough mesh beyond the opening of the louvers so that you do not see the glue after it is reinstalled.

Hold the mesh firmly against the underside of the garnish while you apply the epoxy. Use a fast setting epoxy to prevent having to hold it for very long. I ended up using three packages of epoxy because I wanted to make sure it would never come loose while I was wiping it down with a towel after a wash.

Dman,
The mesh is all one piece. It was almost the perfect size for the job right out of the package. The total cost of the project was $20. Overall I'm very happy with the way it all turned out. I'm sorry if all this sounds confusing but it's sort of difficult to explain the procedure in words. I'm not as detailed as Brent Cobb in my descriptions. It wasn't difficult to do but yet it wasn't easy either.

Have fun with the project and thanks for the compliment.

 

[Jason Weaver]

Chris, I just finished doing my strut bar this weekend and it turned out great! Thanks for the informative post. I'm considering the mesh now. Thanks again.

------------------
Jason

 

[Chris W]

Glad I could help.

Good luck with the mesh project. Just remember to have patience. Don't worry what the underside of the garnish looks like after you're done. It won't be a pretty site. Nobody will EVER see under there. I also kept turning the piece around while shaping the mesh to see how it looks from the visible side. When you're happy with the fit THEN it's time to glue it into place.

 

[Bruce]

People say, "Chris, do you have TWO alternators?'
I say, "Nope, that's just a reflection."

Chris, that looks sweet.Tastefully done Japanese say "shibui". Your Polishing looks Pro, don't get carried away and ruin it.What do you think about a RaceMeRed "R"type look for the valve covers instead? I like the way you have that mesh wrapped around the back.That raingutter mesh has the nice textured look rather the standard ugly flat mesh.I just love them Home Depots!Have you tried putting that mesh in the side ducts. Loosen louvers, slip piece in between, then re-tighten.

 

[SigEpUCI]

Ok Fellas, I hate reviving long dead threads, but chris, are you still around? And if you are, could you repost those pictures since all the links are broke? Thanks!