salvage engine fire. LOTS OF WORK

RON98

RON98

Legendary Member
Joined
11 September 2005
Messages
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Location
Southern California
Im looking at a salvage engine fire nsx. 3.2L 6 speed 2000.

Long story short.... saw the car yesterday... and wow.... let me say... i almost puked when i saw it.:eek: The complete rear engine compartment was burnt out. I mean EVERYTHING. All hoses, all vacumme lines basically everything on the left hand side of the car.

The fire burned the fender so bad that the fender paint on both sides where gone and there was some warpage of the alunium. Its missing a gas tank tube that goes down to the gas tank. Im not even sure if the tank is there.

The fire busted out the back window that is right behidn the seats and it worked its way through the fire wall and ate up ALLL the wirig on the cabin side of the firewall also. Im not sure if ECU and other control modules are cooked internally or not but they where close to the fire and all wires are gone. So everything behide the driver and passanger seats is GONE and toast..... very crispy is the term . THe valve covers susptained a pretty good burn as all the red coating is black and crispy.

Both back seats sustained burn damage to the leather and seat.

As it sits right now. the engine is missing the intake manifold and T body as the current owner has tried to work on it but gave up.

The engine does not start, dont know the condition of the tranny. I was so over whelmed yesterday that i didnt even bother busting out my tools and doing a compression test. I looked at it and just left.

anyways, i was wonder will fire damage an engine?

and here is the BONUS! it has a salvage title :biggrin:

lol anyways, its a 2000 T-top 3.2L 6 speed. Guy wants 27K for it as it is what he paid at auction.

Oh ya, the back trunk lid is a different color as im sure the fire owned the previous one.

however, i do like the 3.2L and the 6 speed. T top is nice but not a big deal.

I was thinking of getting it and gutting it out for a balimic NSX.

ill be doing compression test before i get the car... if im going to get the car... buying this car depends on the compression test. If no compression than dont even thing about it.

the picture i got in the email looked great... went there in person and could not believe my eyes how bad the fire damage was.

the + side is i would be doing all the work myself. you can throw 100 hours of labor at this baby and she'll be asking for more. the wire harness will be the biggest challange as all the connectors are burnt off and melted. Im guess its going to take at least 1 month of intenstive work just to get this baby fired up... let alone back to ok condition. Im going to be working on it on the weekends so thats probably going to take me a year:biggrin: Im 100% sure i can get it back up and going but the question is till then.. will i cry everytime i open up my garage:frown:

KEEP A FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN YOUR CAR!!!!! i dont but everyone should!

sigh:frown:

any thoughts on if its a resonable purchase?
 
Last edited:
RON98 said:
Im looking at a salvage engine fire nsx. 3.2L 6 speed 2000.

Long story short.... saw the car yesterday... and wow.... let me say... i almost puked when i saw it.:eek: The complete rear engine compartment was burnt out. I mean EVERYTHING. All hoses, all vacumme lines basically everything on the left hand side of the car...

any thoughts on if its a resonable purchase?
Click to expand...

A reasonable purchase would be not to purchase this NSX! But, if you are dead set on pirchasing it, I'd say $10k-$15k max. Fire and water damage to a vehicle are some of the most difficult repairs to make, especially with having to re-wire almost the entire car. I'd pass on this one and look for something that wasn't involved in a fire.
 
well guy is taking a big hit on it. he got it for 27K.... im thinking its too much too. I would pay 20K but the guy is staying close to 27.

it is a 2000 3.2L 6 speed. does that change anything? also what does a 3.2L engine and tranny go for anyways? non crispy 2000 nsx's go for around 45-50k. was looking for kinda of a project to do also.

Oh ya, it does come with some extra parts. Im not sure what asi only saw one box but the guy said it comes with parts.

im not afraid of a little wiring and hard work. i'll be so high off the soildering fumes it'll be bliss.:biggrin:

doc. thank you for the input!
 
RON98 said:
well guy is taking a big hit on it. he got it for 27K.... im thinking its too much too. I would pay 20K but the guy is staying close to 27.

it is a 2000 3.2L 6 speed. does that change anything? also what does a 3.2L engine and tranny go for anyways? non crispy 2000 nsx's go for around 45-50k. was looking for kinda of a project to do also.

Oh ya, it does come with some extra parts. Im not sure what asi only saw one box but the guy said it comes with parts.

im not afraid of a little wiring and hard work. i'll be so high off the soildering fumes it'll be bliss.:biggrin:

doc. thank you for the input!
Click to expand...



F--- 27k! Someone is selling a higher mileage 97+ w/ 6 speed on Prime for a fwe grand more than 27k and the car isn't toast. Think about it....
 
I'm just thinking out loud here, but a 2000 model in decent shape could be had for roughly 42k-45k? The real question here is could you repair ALL the damage for 15K? Even then, you still have a car with a salvaged title (not a huge deal for everyone, but I personally would pay more for a clean title). Think very well over this decision. Ultimately, if you really want it do it...it's your money and you earned it.

Me personally, I'd keep up the search. Good luck, and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Chuck
 
hi chuck.

any one in their right mind would not compair a salvage title to a clear title. Personally i think a salvage title is a big deal thats why im thinking so hard.

Its not that expensive if i do all the work yourself. Just time consuming and dishearting. im not buying the car to drive as i have my black nsx, i can also use it as basis of compairson for the restoration so i can see where everything goes if i get stuck. I wont be building the car back to stock so that should be cheaper. I'll probably rip out everything i dont need and put in a SC. Only thing i dont have any back ground is paint and body work.

Maybe i can recoop some costs with the extra parts from the car and also the car has some pretty clean interior trim pieces also. Minimal wear and no smell:biggrin:

it only had 23K on the car btw.

anyone know the cost of a 3.2L engine and 6 speed tranny?

lol im trying too hard to justify the purchase eh?

happy thanksgiving to everyone and drive safe. watch out for drunk drivers.
 
wow that much for an engine hun? + the 6 speed probably goes for a bit of change too.

i thought the car would be more of a deal cause its a 2000 with the 3.2L engine and six speed.

both of those are someting i dont have in the 91.

well i have a meeting with this guy tomorrow. i'll go and take a more objective look at the car and run a compression test.

any more input would be apprecaited.
 
Paint and body work can get rather expensive, especially for a quality job. Just something to think about.

It is a good point about the motor and tranny. I have seen posts on here where someone's timing belt snapped and the rebuild was in the 10k ballpark. The 6 speed tranny is also quite expensive...I would love one myself (hint hint Ron, just kidding). If you could get the guy to go lower you may have something here.

Maybe you could talk some sense into this guy? I really don't think there is a market for his car at the price and condition it is. The fire is an unfortunate occurance, but that is what insurance is for. If he didn't have it covered, shame on him. You should not have to pay what he paid for a perfectly running car (well, sort of...minus the whole fire thing). Oh well, I'm rambling. Good luck, I think this guy should come off of that price for you.

Chuck
 
lol ya he bought it at an salvage auction.

took it home and bit off more than he could chew.:smile:

he has to move now and have no room for the car. From what i saw, it looks like he got started and than gave up.

body work is something i wanted to learn all along.

also will the fire have damaged the engine or tranny?

Warpage issues? fire was due to a gas line breaking. if the head is warped and i have to deck the block... i would not be a happy camper.

can you say 3.4L stroker, but i hate pounding in sleaves.... after each one i feel like im going to pass out.:biggrin:

anyways, he paid 27K for it + parts he bougth for the car also + wiring harness from acura which is big bucks.

So he is out a few thou right now and he is standing firm. maybe hell go down a bit. As they say, cash talks.
 
Motor is worth $10K at best with all the lines/hoses and anything in the top end that is rubber gone...if it has good compression.

Tranny is worth $4K if in working condition.

The rolling chassis is worth $6-10K if you are looking for a donor for a track rat/race car.

Looks like $20K would be a reasonable price for the package. I am interested in a track rat donor if all you want is the motor/tranny. Maybe we can work out a deal? PM if interested.
 
If the fire damage was bad enough to warp an aluminum fender on the exterior of the engine compartment; it would be only logical to assume that the aluminum head could be most likely warped out of tolerance from the resulting radiant heat in the engine bay at the minimum.

As Doc pointed out, when it comes to engine bay fires (common in several diablos I've looked at) taking on such a vehicle for repairs become questionable in value, and if they were originally totalled out due to fire they almost always come with an S title which most definitely reduces resale, as few creditors will touch them.
 
Hey John

The car comes with a beautiful salvage title

Just talked to Marc who was at the auction when the car was sold. Got some pieces of information which i did not know.

The fire was very hot.

im thinking i'll pass and let the guy hold this gem for another month or so. :biggrin:
 
RON98 said:
lol ya he bought it at an salvage auction.

took it home and bit off more than he could chew.:smile:

he has to move now and have no room for the car. From what i saw, it looks like he got started and than gave up.

body work is something i wanted to learn all along.

also will the fire have damaged the engine or tranny?

Warpage issues? fire was due to a gas line breaking. if the head is warped and i have to deck the block... i would not be a happy camper.

can you say 3.4L stroker, but i hate pounding in sleaves.... after each one i feel like im going to pass out.:biggrin:

anyways, he paid 27K for it + parts he bougth for the car also + wiring harness from acura which is big bucks.

So he is out a few thou right now and he is standing firm. maybe hell go down a bit. As they say, cash talks.
Click to expand...

I hear you asking about the fire damaging the engine and the tranny but what about the chassis?

Not that I am a materials engineer but I would think about asking one, if the chassis being aluminum could of been affected, i.e. annealed from the fire.

To me it sounds like a risky project, monetarily speaking, the 27K initial asking price seems high, although you haven't posted pictures, but based on your description its pretty bad. Honda parts aren't cheap, so sourcing new parts is going to be costly, plus paint etc. I think its a can of worms I would leave to someone else.
 
If I were you I'll do the math first...

27k for car
5k minimum for paint (more expensive if you want it done right)
10k to restore engine,trans, misc. parts, wirings, etc
4k for the unknown
_____
$46k total invested (approximate) and countless hours for a 2000 NSX with a salvage title

Is it worth it?
 
27k for car
5k minimum for paint (more expensive if you want it done right)
10k to restore engine,trans, misc. parts, wirings, etc
4k for the unknown


i would be doing the work mysef. so the price above does not apply. even if i need to machine the block, i would be doing it myself as i have access to machining equipment.

But yes, this is looking very time consuming. If seller does not meet my offer than im out :smile:
 
RON98 said:
i would be doing that myself also.


sweet sweet orange peal!:biggrin:
Click to expand...


If you're doing everything by yourself then maybe it's a good deal. Good Luck on the project..:smile:
 
lol. i'll be waiting on this one till the seller meets my price or it gets sold to someone else.

the car is... very crispy and im sure anyone in their right mind would not pay that price.... and if they do... a fool and his money are soon parted. :biggrin:

I JUST sold my BMW so theres space for another car.

i should just paint the car orange and have a vinyl sticker of a orange on the side. the orange peal then becomes my intended effect and ill be hailed as a paint booth master.
 

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