Aluminum sail panels!?
The Pursuit of Personalizing Perfection - Track Addict's build thread
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One of the many new parts that went in during my time back stateside was the type S/Zanardi/S Zero/ R single pane rear partition glass. A happy 7lbs off the upper middle of the car.
I cannot say whether the car is any louder as I installed this piece after removing my engine.
This is definitely a PAIN to do, but not ever having to do it again makes it pretty ok in my book. Brand new factory glass with a new seal. Which is great because my dual pane piece had dust in the middle that drove me NUTS!
This can be a DIY for anyone brave enough to take on the task, but you’re going to make a HUGE mess and likely regret starting this project at several points during the process.
Installed my ATR carbon hatch frame and FAL lexan rear hatch. Between these two mods and the partition I’m down almost 50lbs off the top of the car!
It is on my list for some time now… but never been “brave enough” to do it 
Do you have a final weight target?
Do you have a final weight target?
This was my last weigh in before everything came apart and with a full tank.
I’m hoping to be about this with me in it full race trim. With air conditioning
It is on my list for some time now… but never been “brave enough” to do it
Do you have a final weight target?
I have a front splitter and under tray. Working on my rear under tray and diffuser.
With me in it ~200lbs I need to be just under or very low 2500lbs
With me in it ~200lbs I need to be just under or very low 2500lbs
So a 2,550lb 235hp BRZ with 255 Nankang CR-S tires and some aero just did a 1:53 at buttonwillow...
So, I have to ask. I've seen a few people taking the 'shortcut' of breaking and removing the rear pane of glass, including this guy who helpfully made a video of the whole process:
After going to the effort of doing it properly, would you try the shortcut if you ever had to do the job again?
I didn’t notice it until I ran T-Hill without a passenger and turn 3 nearly threw me off track! I got so used to always having a passenger I didn’t realize the extra weight was so huge (driving instructor so I rarely get “alone time” at track)
With YOU driving or a mere mortal like myself?
Also, I am one of the few that despise that track. I know it’s the “standard” but it’s just “meh” to me
Oh my sweet lord no. Would never “remove” the partition that way. As much of a pain as the job is, I refuse to intentionally ruin a good part to save a little time.
if you’ve ever had your car window smashed you know there is no amount of vacuum or detailing that will rid you of the broken glass. Inside your interior will be riddled with glass and that’s never a good idea imho.
Take the time, do the job right, and enjoy the process
Oof! Haven’t updated in a while. I am currently posting a lot of pics and progress on an Off topic forum about me shipping my car to Japan.
Figure I will post some here also.
This was teh state of the car as of February/early March. There are reasons I had nearly every panel off the car…but I don’t feel like typing that much right now lol if ya’ll are curious I may take the time.
Even though my “new” engine was very recently serviced with a TB/WP and Crank Pulley (by me) i figure it doesn’t hurt to add a little insurance JUST IN CASE. Besides I had this lying around for a while anyway. Thanks @titaniumdave !!
Thank goodness the engine I purchased to replace my OE engine was in such great shape @stuntman *cough cough* otherwise I would have died from the stress of getting my car together on time.
Figure I will post some here also.
This was teh state of the car as of February/early March. There are reasons I had nearly every panel off the car…but I don’t feel like typing that much right now lol if ya’ll are curious I may take the time.
Even though my “new” engine was very recently serviced with a TB/WP and Crank Pulley (by me) i figure it doesn’t hurt to add a little insurance JUST IN CASE. Besides I had this lying around for a while anyway. Thanks @titaniumdave !!
Thank goodness the engine I purchased to replace my OE engine was in such great shape @stuntman *cough cough* otherwise I would have died from the stress of getting my car together on time.
Because I am a VERY VERY stupid human, I decided to tear apart my 6 speed gearbox to do a “refresh” all new synchros, bearings, etc. Just to make sure the car arrived into Japan needing as little as possible.
Boy did I get a surprise when I popped the top on this thing,
OS Giken Oil pump gear
Countershaft 4th and 5th gears *sobs into wallet*
New NSX-R mainshaft (second gear was damaged on the old one… SO MANY FUN SURPRISES!!!
Boy did I get a surprise when I popped the top on this thing,
OS Giken Oil pump gear
Countershaft 4th and 5th gears *sobs into wallet*
New NSX-R mainshaft (second gear was damaged on the old one… SO MANY FUN SURPRISES!!!
Diff adjusted, mainshaft and countershaft assembled, new case top, and new clutch housing (other case piece) this thing was ready to go together.
Kill me, this looked really nice, but it nearly killed me and my budget fixing all the things that were wrong in this box (giggity)
Put the front end together and made some changes. Really like how the cowl and battery cutoff panel came out.
Easy 3lbs down! My cruise never worked since I changed steering wheels anyway…NBD for me.
My front bumper beam BEFORE
And after adding some “lightness” to that same beam ^_^ 1 Pound of aluminum is a LOT of aluminum.
Almost 500 grams (just over 1lbs) of wiring for stereo, CD changer, and phone wiring that I DO NOT need to be carrying around. Even under this extremely tight deadline I decided to continue with my insane weight reduction addiction. Why? Because I’m obsessed and stupid. THAT’S why.
New Koyo radiator to replace my MASIV. While not as good as the MASIV these are proven to be more durable than my leaky MASIV and loads cheaper all while providing more than ample cooling for my car’s OEM power output.
The black fabric on my Recaro SPG have been beat to hell by the SoCal sun and i couldn’t in good conscience ship my car to Japan looking so bad.
Really happy this turned out, especially given that it was just a rattle can job!
Everything together and ready to go in! This seemed like such a huge achievement and I wasn’t even done yet. Thankfully from here this job is pretty “simple” and since I’ve done it so many times…usually pretty smooth process. Please note my firewall has been covered in Porsche Motorsport heat shield tape (rear firewall also) aside from lowering under hood and cabin temps this just LOOKS so good!
Ok I know it looks great, but I’ll admit I may have gone overboard a little with it…sorry, not sorry.
And just like that! It’s all back together and ready to run! (Man it looks like it went together so much faster when I post all the pics at once)
The magic of the internet kids!
Some very expensive garbage needs to be taken out. HUGE thanks to everyone @MITA Motorsports for helping me get everything I needed to get my car together.
I particularly like the mount for the battery cutoff and remote reservoirs, one of many great details on your build. You two will have so much fun in Japan!
Thank you! It really means a lot to me to have others appreciate the details.
Hopefully I can continue to build a car I’m happy with that others like you can enjoy
The last major thing I needed to accomplish before putting the car into a container was to replace the windshield and associated seals.
My windscreen had a very large crack in it and was pitted to all H-E-double hockey sticks from the tracktime it’s seen.
While I could have replaced the windscreen once the car arrived in Japan where the glass is ~30% cheaper I ended up figuring that with my car insurance covering windshield replacement I would only be out a deductible and one less thing to have to figure out whilst in my new home why not right?
Happy I did. I took my car to DCH Tustin Acura as I don’t do glasswork. They outsourced the job to someone with NSX experience and I must say he did a FANTASTIC job. OEM glass/seals/clips/retainers. Couldn’t be happier
My windscreen had a very large crack in it and was pitted to all H-E-double hockey sticks from the tracktime it’s seen.
While I could have replaced the windscreen once the car arrived in Japan where the glass is ~30% cheaper I ended up figuring that with my car insurance covering windshield replacement I would only be out a deductible and one less thing to have to figure out whilst in my new home why not right?
Happy I did. I took my car to DCH Tustin Acura as I don’t do glasswork. They outsourced the job to someone with NSX experience and I must say he did a FANTASTIC job. OEM glass/seals/clips/retainers. Couldn’t be happier
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