Well I finally completed the NSX-R chassis bar install this weekend. The upper bar was definitely more difficult and time consuming than the lower bar. First, to remove the fasteners that hold the duct in place you do not want to lever them off as MJK’s write up instructed. I tried that and three broken fasteners later I figured out that, this is not the method, this is why he broke all his fasteners. The center pin needs to be pushed in until it clicks and then it just pops off. Push in 2 to 3 clips at a time for a given section of the duct and just tug lightly on the plastic duct and they just release. No more wasted fasteners.
I tried to see if it is possible to do the job without removing the duct and concluded that the drivers side is too difficult unless you are a contortionist or have spindly arms. I am not implying ExCfive has spindly arms since he successfully performed this mod without removing the duct. Perhaps it was the position of me laying on the garage floor that made it appear impossible but even trying to cut neatly the duct just looked like a potential blood bath with a box cutter. I decided to remove the duct. You have to detach the front hood release cable that is clipped to the duct at about three points and a wiring harness that is clipped to the duct at 2 points; which you can reach in from the nose duct and the top to get at them, before you can lower the duct, it’s not too hard. To remove the duct you have to fold in the sides of the duct to be able to pull it out from the bottom; you also have to push down from the top to clear the horns, hood cable, and various electrical connections. This plastic is so flexible that you can just about roll the thing into a ball; it will deform easily and return to shape, don’t worry about it, and just make sure nothing gets hung up as you pull it out.
Once the duct is out you have soooo much room to work, you can now easily attach the brackets and the bar, I did it all from the bottom. You may notice that you cannot get the driver’s side bar attached to the bracket as the holes don’t line up by a bit. The bar interfered with one of the washers of the lower bracket bolt. The washer is too close to the bottom of the bar and needed a little grinding to allow the bar to sit properly against the bracket face. I took off about 1/8” off of one side of the washer and everything fit perfectly. I torqued the bracket bolts to 20 ftlbs and the bar bolts to 16 ftlbs as per the instructions.
Having the duct removed allowed me to make very clean cuts in the duct along the markings for the bar cut out. The markings have rounded corners for the cutouts which were real easy to make with tin snips. I couldn’t imagine doing this inside the nose of the car. Kudos to ExCfive for performing all these tasks with the duct in place!
Now the fun part, putting back the duct…Actually it was just like taking it out but backwards. Fold the sides and work the duct up slowly from the bottom at first, then pull from the top and guide through the nose making sure you clear all the previously identified obstructions. Snap on all the fasteners by pulling the little pin out about 1/8” and then inserting the fastener into the hole and once seated just push the pin in until flush. Don’t push it in too deep or the fastener will release, just like when you took it off. Screw in the bolt in the middle of the front of the duct and go for a test drive.
Regards,
Tytus
PS: I did the job and wrote this before I saw Joe's post about the clips, timing is everything, if I waited I would have saved 3-4 fasteners and some headscratching time. Oh well...
