05 RL back to life thread
 

To start things off I have been lurking and occasionally posting around here for quite awhile. I thought it was about time I tried to post something useful/interesting. I bought an 05 Acura RL in March 2015 with front end damage and it has been sitting in may garage ever since. Last week a great parts car became available and I bought it so I will try to detail the repairs as best as possible. So far I have removed the damaged front end from the car I am fixing, now I just need to take apart the parts car and start cutting in the parts (painting the edges Red). So I can reassemble. Progress may be slow at times as I work a lot and have a 3 year old and another on the way so I only to get to work on it once a week if that. Here come the iPhone pics(sorry about the quality)


As I bought it

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...cb24615c13.png


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...cb5f25c01c.png


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...f5d9cac646.png


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3cba46105c.png


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...69b85a26cc.png


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...7f847d89c2.png


After Dissasembly

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...79da0b3e85.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...7ba2246a1e.jpg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...154779f6e6.jpg

And the Parts car

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...7b2c20aaf8.png


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...325805ce0b.png


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...d9d159536e.png


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3c7512cb24.png


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3210558e15.png

What's wrong with the parts car? Good luck on your journey. One kid makes working on your car hard enough, but two is nearly impossible (or it is for me).

Be sure to keep in mind the multiple common issues the 2005 suffered from that may not be part of your rebuild. Door handles, A/C compressor/clutch/stator, and drive shaft are the most common, but even the torque converter and head unit have shown to be a little weak.

The parts car is a flood car and doesn't start/run. Still has plenty of great parts I need though! I may dump it at the car auction after I get all the parts I need and try to get some of my money back out of it. The red car I am fixing is in amazing condition for its age. I believe it was dealer serviced and well taken care of. The door handles all function properly. I'm not sure about he A/C or drive shaft yet but in owning 2 cars hopefully I can get the issues straightened out without buying anything additional :wish:

Thanks for posting. It'll be interesting to see your progress and what you discover.

Well definitely set those parts aside for the future in case they do work.

how many miles on the red one?

102k

I started taking the parts car apart last night. I only had about an hour because I had to get home to watch Thursday Night Football! I plan on trying to get the parts car taken all apart this weekend and start putting the red one back together. I'll get some pictures this weekend of the progress.

Is my assumption that you work on cars for a living correct?

I did for about 8 years after highshool. Worked at a small local car dealer where I learned frame, body, and paintwork then moved on to the local Honda dealership as a mechanic. I am in the IT field now :thumbsup: The shop I have been working out of is owned by a close friend. I do occasionally still buy a car to flip or in this case because I wanted one but couldn't justify the payments on a newer one.

That looks like an almost unbelievably easy repair. Driver must've braked at the last minute in traffic.

Did the SRS trigger?

It did not trigger the SRS. I'm not sure it the vehicle was parked and a truck backed into it or possibly the driver wasn't wearing their seat belt or was going too slow... who knows? It should be an easy fix :thumbsup: I think the worst part is going to be replacing the upper core support as its pretty mangled but that shouldn't be more than a few hours with a drill and a welder.

Interesting thread. I'll be following with interest.

Interesting!! I'd love to see picture updates of this! Subscribed for piquing my interest!

I only had a few hours over the weekend but I painted the underside of the black hood and installed it on the Red RL. I also removed most of the parts I need off the Black RL. Stay tuned for updates :thumbsup:


Good Hood on the Red RL, sorry the picture is so blurry


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...baf6f775c5.jpg



Started taking apart the parts car and put the damaged hood back on it


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...6a36274061.jpg


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...7bf511c7ff.jpg


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...715ae5af83.jpg

I'll be following this as well. I love to watch cars get restored to former glory.

So I had about an hour to work on my car last night and I started to remove the core support. Here's a couple pictures-


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...859fb3cd48.jpg


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...62dcd778c5.jpg

And then my spot-weld drill bit broke and it was time to go home anyway :annoyed:


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...b55e39e19a.jpg

Good thread.

Good luck!

Nice, I have a red rl as well!

No more updates?

Sorry for the delay, my kids and work take up a lot of time. I got the core support on and welded in place.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...49db811717.jpg

Reinstalled the radiator and condenser.

And painted some body panels(sorry for the awful pics)

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...de4753ead5.jpg

I promise Ill take and upload some better pics when I find time to start putting it back together!

I got the front end assembled yesterday.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...2471743835.jpg

My welding skills aren't pretty but they are strong enough to hold :ugh:

and yes I need to polish the headlights....

I'm not happy with the paint match but I may just put it together for now so I can drive it over the winter:thumbsup:

random shotgun shell is random. good stuff bud!

Its a el cheapo flashlight :tomato: Thanks though:thumbsup:

lol, ur parts car doesn't have a good cruise button does it? Mine wont stick anymore...

Nearly there - I hope it all lines up nicely. And starts...

Getting there, don't see many Redondo Red Pearl RLs very much

It does run and drive around the lot. I did however have to replace the battery and alternator.

It does seem to be a unique color. It has proven to be a difficult color to match as well. I am hoping to repaint the hood and fender this weekend because it turned out darker than the factory panels and I am unhappy with the color match.

Well I got her all put together and she drives really nice. Here's some pictures. I'm still not happy with the color match but I'll redo it later. The body panels all line up really nice! Sorry the pictures and lighting aren't the best.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...65451fdf71.jpg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...a0963735c5.jpg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...12dc3b1ef9.jpg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3ce8726234.jpg

Looks good. I've never seen that color in person.

The moody lighting hides any mismatch pretty well.

Come out well, I'd say.

It is a pretty color although a pita to match, it's very transparent when you spray it on.

It does although in the first picture you can slightly see it. The passenger fender is OE and the hood has been repainted. Most people might not notice in real life if I didn't point it out however I am kinda OCD when it comes to this stuff.

I really need to clean it up and take some better pictures in full daylight and see what everyone thinks.
I think I should repaint it one more time. In talking with a professional painter he believes the color does match, however as I sprayed over black panels and the red is so transparent you can still see the black underneath. He thinks I need 2-3 more coats of paint for complete coverage :whyme:

That would be it - with 20/20 hindsight, a grey primer first might have been the way to go.

Yeah we discussed that too. The front bumper was actually coated with a grey sealer primer after doing some repair work and it is a much closer match :thumbsup:

Good work!

Nice work! The car looks great!! Congrats

Thanks :thumbsup: