Type-S Battery Tray

[Honcho]

Looking to solve an old NSX issue on Prime. We all know that the Zanardi battery tray is available in the US parts chain for those of us who want to use the smaller, lighter Group 51R battery in our NSX (the same as Type-S). However, I'm not sure it's ever been resolved whether that battery tray will work on the early model "ladder" style aluminum battery holders. I bought the Zanardi/Type-S battery tray to use on my old NSX, but never installed it before selling the car. I noticed in the JDM parts catalog for the NA1 NSX-R that all of the battery tray parts are identical to the Zanardi except for #28 and #33 (x2). Does anyone know if these are needed to use the Zanardi/Type-S battery tray on a 91-96 NSX?

 

[trainingrevolution]

Did you ever figure out if parts 28 & 33 are required?

Looking to solve an old NSX issue on Prime. We all know that the Zanardi battery tray is available in the US parts chain for those of us who want to use the smaller, lighter Group 51R battery in our NSX (the same as Type-S). However, I'm not sure it's ever been resolved whether that battery tray will work on the early model "ladder" style aluminum battery holders. I bought the Zanardi/Type-S battery tray to use on my old NSX, but never installed it before selling the car. I noticed in the JDM parts catalog for the NA1 NSX-R that all of the battery tray parts are identical to the Zanardi except for #28 and #33 (x2). Does anyone know if these are needed to use the Zanardi/Type-S battery tray on a 91-96 NSX?

 

[Rainman]

Did you ever figure out if parts 28 & 33 are required?

I tried this upgrade recently and couldn't really get the battery secured as well as with the full size battery.
Not sure if the parts highlighted above would have made the difference.

 

[Honcho]

Sorry guys- missed this somehow. I'll check my Type-S Honda box and see if those parts are in there. It's been 3 years...

 

[Honcho]

Bringing this thread back up, as it's nearly time to install the battery tray. I do have #28 and #33 , but it is unclear from the parts diagram how they work to conform the battery box to the older-style NA1 battery tray ladder. Clearly there is a way without drilling/cutting, but all the pictures I can find of the NA1 R have the spare tire in the way, so I can't see how it's done from Honda.

Any chance someone can come up with a pic from a NA1 R showing how the battery box is mounted?

 

[NZNick]

Sorry Honcho - can't provide a picture, but I think it all depends on which body part you have underneath the battery location.
If you have 60500-SL0-020 (NA1) then you need #30 (31521-SL0-N10) which attaches to that body part using #28 & #33 and uses the parts on the left of the above catalogue image #29 etc.
60500-SL0-030 is the NA2 (non Type R) version, which uses the built-in battery tray, and parts from the right of the image - #4 etc.
The NA2 Type R uses a different again body part 60510-SL0-Z10 which attaches to the aero under tray 74112-SL0-Z10.
hope this makes sense

 

[Honcho]

Thanks Nick, but yeah your Type-S will have the revised aluminum ladder piece. I know that the NA1 R used the "old" style ladder piece. I've marked where the parts go, and, it seems like I would have to make some extra cuts (in yellow) to accommodate the Type-S battery box. Specifically, I would need to drill a hole to accommodate the locating post in the bottom of the box, cut a new hook slot and drill two holes to mount the part 28, which appears to be a stability bracket to prevent the box from sliding. I put the two most likely locations for it in yellow, though considering that the battery hold-down bracket prevents the battery from sliding forward, Part 28 likely goes on the side.

I'm willing to make all these cuts, but Honda had to have been able to do this without any such changes on the R. The question is how?? I did notice there are several part numbers for this ladder piece, so perhaps the R uses one with the correct slots and locating holes?

 

[NZNick]

I don't think that you can mix and match between the body parts and the battery trays/boxes for NA1 & NA2.
If using the NA1 body part, you have to use parts 21, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 & 33 from the left side of your original parts diagram.
I can't see that the NA1-R uses a different body piece - the part number is the same.
The NA1-R battery is a different physical size to both the Type S battery and the standard NA1 cars, as far as I can see from the Amayama parts diagrams that I am looking at.
i don't think that the Type S battery is compatible with the NA1 ladder body part, as it wasn't designed to be.
Your choice, is to go for NA1-R battery, or the battery for the standard NA1 - there isn't factory hardware to secure the NA2 S battery to the NA1 ladder body part, as far as I can see.
The factory S-Zero uses 60500-SL0-J00 instead of 60500-SL0-030 which is the body part on my Type S.
The S-Zero uses a physically smaller battery too, which leads me to deduce that the J00 part is smaller than the 030 part.
The S-Zero battery is the same as the NA1-R battery, and uses part #30 , but not #28 to attach to the different (later) ladder.
In other words you can't put an NA2 battery on the NA1 ladder body part, unless it is the S-Zero battery (AKA the NA1-R battery).

CAVEAT - All the above is for RHD cars - your LHD NA1 ladder appears to be the mirror image of the RHD equivalent, but I can't tell from the diagrams if the slots and holes are compatible... they do have different part numbers.

 

[Honcho]

I don't think that you can mix and match between the body parts and the battery trays/boxes for NA1 & NA2.
If using the NA1 body part, you have to use parts 21, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 & 33 from the left side of your original parts diagram.
I can't see that the NA1-R uses a different body piece - the part number is the same.
The NA1-R battery is a different physical size to both the Type S battery and the standard NA1 cars, as far as I can see from the Amayama parts diagrams that I am looking at.
i don't think that the Type S battery is compatible with the NA1 ladder body part, as it wasn't designed to be.
Your choice, is to go for NA1-R battery, or the battery for the standard NA1 - there isn't factory hardware to secure the NA2 S battery to the NA1 ladder body part, as far as I can see.
The factory S-Zero uses 60500-SL0-J00 instead of 60500-SL0-030 which is the body part on my Type S.
The S-Zero uses a physically smaller battery too, which leads me to deduce that the J00 part is smaller than the 030 part.
The S-Zero battery is the same as the NA1-R battery, and uses part #30 , but not #28 to attach to the different (later) ladder.
In other words you can't put an NA2 battery on the NA1 ladder body part, unless it is the S-Zero battery (AKA the NA1-R battery).

CAVEAT - All the above is for RHD cars - your LHD NA1 ladder appears to be the mirror image of the RHD equivalent, but I can't tell from the diagrams if the slots and holes are compatible... they do have different part numbers.

I think it gets more complicated than even that.

So...

The very early NA1 NSX-R (E-NA1 first series- 1100001-1200000) uses the following "battery ladder": 60500-SL0-020.
My 1992 donor car uses this one: 60500-SL0-A01

They appear externally identical on the parts diagram, but how much do you want to be the "020" part has the pre-drilled holes for the smaller battery box? Now, I could buy a "020" from Amayama for $462, but I'm not sure I want to spend that much just to find out.

But there's more!

On the same early NSX-R (1992/93), the battery box uses the following parts, which are identical to the ones used on the Zanardi/Type-S:

31521-SL0-N10 - Base Plate
31515-SL0-N11 - 2-piece Box

So Honda was using the "Type-S" battery box on the very first NA1 R, so a better way to say it is that they recycled the NSX-R battery box into the Type-S, as they did with other parts (engine cover, seats, etc.). I guess this is what leads me to believe that the small box fits onto the old pre-97 ladder piece. But, maybe only the "020" ladder is pre-drilled to fit it?

Looks like I might need to break out the dremel and drill...

 

[docjohn]

Its a battery......zip ties and bungees....

 

[NZNick]

The S-Zero / NA1-R battery is smaller, both physically and electrically than the Type-S / Zanardi battery, and uses a different battery tray & box.
Whether this will be ok for your build, only you can decide. If you can safely mount the Zanardi battery on your ladder body part then go for it.
This entire saga shows just how much engineering went into these cars over the 15 year production run.
And to think people say that an '05 Type R is almost the same as an '91, but with a nose job...

 

[Honcho]

Here's a good look at a genuine NA1 NSX-R battery tray. It looks like the black base is mounted to the metal bracket somehow. Also note that the battery tray ladder is a mirror-image of the LHD version.

 

[Honcho]

[MENTION=26144]NZNick[/MENTION]

Do you have a picture of how the battery box fits together? For the life of me, I can't figure out the origami puzzle it presents lol.

 

[NZNick]

Sorry no - the one on my car is just a simple plastic one piece rectangular bucket #4 in the below:

https://www.amayama.com/en/genuine-catalogs/epc/honda-japan/nsx/GH-NA2/17657/electric/26293

I’m guessing that you have #26- #30 - the picture implies that they clip together and are held in place by tension?

 

[Honcho]

Sorry no - the one on my car is just a simple plastic one piece rectangular bucket #4 in the below:

https://www.amayama.com/en/genuine-catalogs/epc/honda-japan/nsx/GH-NA2/17657/electric/26293

I’m guessing that you have #26- #30 - the picture implies that they clip together and are held in place by tension?

Bummer. Actually, #29 comes stapled together as a single piece, but some fuzzy pics of Zanardis I was able to find suggest they should be separated to make a complete box. However, I an find no method to secure the rear piece from flying away- there are no clips or anything!

 

[NZNick]

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/162252-GENUINE-NSX-R-Battery-and-Battery-Case

Just found this thread from Sudesh, a UK NSX owner a few years back - does it help?

I’m at LAX after 2 flights totalling 14 hours, with 2 more flights in the next 18 hours, so am not at my best…

 

[Honcho]

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/162252-GENUINE-NSX-R-Battery-and-Battery-Case

Just found this thread from Sudesh, a UK NSX owner a few years back - does it help?

I’m at LAX after 2 flights totalling 14 hours, with 2 more flights in the next 18 hours, so am not at my best…

Just tried it Sudesh's way and there is nothing to hold the rear piece on- it just flaps around. I'm waiting for Kaz to set me straight, since he has a NA1 NSX-R in his shop at the moment and can check.

 

[NZNick]

If anyone can, Kaz is the man!