swoosh

iTrader: (5)

fuq me sideways....

somehow I got unsubscribed from this thread...

man great great work....you really got some mad skills...you work great with electronics, CF, paint, wraps, powder coating, installing....you might really suck at sex....i kid, i kid....

am blown away....I am almost tempted to send you some parts for CF work

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

haha..

I'm not the one doing the powder coating, that's for sure I just take it in to a local shop and have them put it on. The guy I've been taking my parts to does a really good job though.

I've got the new valve covers there right now and a new power steering pump pulley.

I still haven't installed the new manifold and TB, was waiting to have a set of valve covers I'm comfortable putting on I still need to check if the mating flange for the manifold is warped a little or if its going to be ok I found a machine shop here that can flatten it for me already though.

I spent pretty much the whole weekend installing the coilovers and adjusting the ride height.

Yesterday I installed them, checked the height, put it back on stands and adjusted them all again once and took it for a test drive.

Took me 3 hours today, to put the car on jack stands, adjust the height on all 4 corners and change the bushing preload and it's just about exactly where I want it. I just need to adjust the front driver's side one more time and it'll be good.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Nice, man. You can't access the coilover collars without removing the tires? I can do the TEIN SS by just raising the car off the ground.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

I could access the spring pre-load adjustment on them by doing what you mentioned, the Tein SS and the BC Racing coil-overs are adjusted differently.

BC BR coils have the pre-load adjustment on top, just like the Tein SS, however the ride height on them is normally adjusted from the bottom. The bottom is different from the Tein's in that they're threaded onto the coil-over tube and they have a locking ring on the tube to lock it in place.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

Got my stuff back from powder coat earlier this week, I don't think anyone could've done a better job these parts look perfect.

They told me that my tape held up through sand blasting, but they had to be re-taped prior to powder coating. Not a spec of sand to be seen, I'm happy with these, visually they're stunning as well.

I still just need to press some new spark plug seals into them, and I'm waiting on more lighttech bolts, the little black anodized flange bolts, to complete my setup.

I'm using neverseeze on them, since the covers and intake manifold are magnesium and the lightech bolts are anodized aluminum.

The little bolts like you can see where the heat shields are at, those will be used for my throttle body (some bigger ones), intake manifold top plate, IMT motor and all the bolts on the valve covers excluding the sealing bolts.

I've been waiting since like early November for the rest of them to come in, I have a bunch of them now though, but not enough to finish everything.



This is the tricky spot with these, they said it took like 45 or so layers (I don't remember exactly) to make that flange even so it could be taped off to seal it up.

If that's not taped off, when they get sand blasted it'll go right into the PCV.











These are brand new too, never been on a car before.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Gorgeous, man!

Ps, thanks for that previous post, I actually just bought a set of buddy clubs with separate preload and actually had that on my previous RSX. I would much prefer the way the Tein SS is set up, but they don't have any options like that for the S2000.

Wish me luck...

Fantastic job on the valve cover gaskets.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

That looks outstanding!

klene259

can't wait to see these on your car!

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

Mounted my OEM NBP Type-S spoiler today, I used 4 of the studs, had to order 2x more from delray acura and file out the underside a bit so I could replace the 2x outer white clips with 2x studs and then the 2x inner blue clips I filed out their mounting spots as well and fit the other 2x studs there.

So 4x studs, and I replaced the rubber strip that was on the front edge of the spoiler with 3M 5952 VHB tape. Also replaced all the double-stick tape that was on it with the 3M 5952 VHB, the Type-S spoiler doesn't have much tape on it just a few little spots.

Don't think I could've gotten a better fit. If someone else was to do this, take your time. I spent about 4 hours mounting the spoiler tonight.

Pics

Picasa won't stop editing my photos lol .. so just put these ones on azine.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

In case anyone is wondering, here's what the underside looks like now.

Used auto/marine silicone to seal it from water and those big fender washers since my holes were a little bigger than anticipated as I filed it open little by little to get it perfect after I had made the initial holes.

You can fit a quarter inch ratchet in there, but its tight. Don't drop a nut lol.





Mounting spot from the original OEM base spoiler had to be sealed. I used more of the 3M VHB on top of it since it provides a waterproof seal and then I sealed it from underneath with more auto/marine silicone.





Other side.. more of the same.



I dropped a nut lol its somewhere in the trunk I couldn't get it out. Going to leave the liner off, maybe it'll come out from driving around or move to somewhere that I can get to it at.

So I picked up one at home depot for this spot.



The nuts are M5 and the fender washers are 3/16" x 1" if anyone is wondering.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

LOL...you'll never get that nut out. I looked like the mad scientist one day, tapping, listening...finally I was hellbent on getting it so I used a magnet and decided to drill holes in the bottom corner from underneath.

Needless to say, I never got it out and managed to put 2 dings in the top of the trunk from when the bit broke through the metal from beneath. I took it as a sign to leave it in there.

Looks great, man...if my CSL ever gets stolen, that's the route I'd take too...OEM Type s.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

Yah I thought the nut might be in there to stay.. I was shaking the trunk lid last night to see if I could hear it move and nothing

Probably have to remove the trunk lid to get it out I'll just leave it in there I tried the magnet thing too haha I didn't make holes though

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

why didnt you wrap this in CF? the other one looked really good...

I love the Type S lip spoiler, I think they look awesome....well done dude

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Just chalk it up to a sacrifice to the TL Gods!

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

Thanks, I had thought about it but decided against it before I even bought it.

I probably wouldn't of been able to get it perfect like I would've wanted if I had done it again and the cost of this spoiler is a lot more than the $100 one that was gold that I put the carbon fiber on.

I also don't have enough materials left, I would've had to buy another yard of carbon fiber and probably would've had to buy more epoxy.

Besides I couldn't bear to ruin such a good finish that was on the spoiler as it came, the paint on it is flawless.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

wait...you left it black?

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I like it in black----I would have liked it more in Carbon Fiber, but you know me.......

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

I'm very happy with it lol ..

if anyone wants to donate a type-s spoiler I'll do one in CF haha.. but $360 spoiler + about $50-$80 in materials + a lot of my time ... if that equals a spoiler with the waviness I had on the back side like when I did the first one, there's no way I'd be happy with that

At $100 for the other spoiler with materials I already had it was worth a shot and a good learning experience if I do anything else like that in the future.

I wouldn't of even done it with my original white one because I knew the potential for it to come out bad and I didn't want to have to deal with replacing the spoiler .. but then there was this deal someone posted on a type-s spoiler and I just couldn't help it

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

sure you do buddy....no wonder you keep coming 'back' to me


what the "bro" discount on that


yeah the Type S spoilers are $$$...at 360, I would say, you got a deal LOL...recently contacted Tim (@AcuraOEMParts) coz a local guy wanted one and brand new it was like 500 bucks


I got lucky with my base lip spoiler...I had a trunk wing spoiler and a guy about 200 miles away was selling his TL and we decided to swap trunks (no, we did not switch the undies)....I drove down there, we swapped trunks (got the lip spoiler), rear bumpers (got the rear aspec kit), got front and rear ingalls camber kit, rear progress sway bar and paid $300 some deal eh


well, I think you will find a buyer, who will buy the wrapped rear trunk spoiler and you can use that $$$ to wrap this one...no?

the only reason am insisting is coz the first one came out looking bad ass !!!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Out of curiosity, was a it a question of money? Or you just prefer it not being WDP to match the color of the car?

Anil, you got a very lucky deal, man...jeez. I still wish I had had a situation like that...my paint looks good on the welded/fixed trunk but at some angles the orange peel doesn't match and that annoys me.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ yezzir I did...the guy was a very nice guy, I actually gave him 50 bucks more than we decided on since I felt the deal was wayy too good...

was a fun drive (drove in the morning and back at night)....dude was very mechanically inclined, I would have paid more to just get all the stuff installed since all the camber/toe arm bolts and bushings were seized...


we love deals dont we

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

That we do, sir.

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

This is where I bought my type-s spoiler last week.

http://www.acurapartswarehouse.com/P...ID=4321 382532

$326+ shipping. I also bought 5 studs to replace the green and white clips. You will also need to buy all the nuts or go to a hardware store because the don't send this with the spoiler.

nate_0022

iTrader: (2)

What did you use for a template to know where to screw the holes? I will be doing mine this weekend.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

No template.

I removed all of the clips and studs, put some silicone grease I have around the slots on the bottom where the studs went in then I put it on the trunk and pressed it down while I had it lined up correctly with it the rear edge against the trunk and the front pressed down

Put the rear against first with the front angled away from the trunk so it doesn't mark it wrong

Then I put a large glob of the grease on the trunk on the spots that were marked and did it one more time but I used the large glob to transfer the hole shape in the bottom of the spoiler to the grease so I could see where the studs would be

Then I lightly marked what I thought was the center with a small pointed punch and small hammer LIGHTLY you don't want to create a big dent just a small spot to drill a pilot hole

Then I drilled it with a really small bit to make a pilot followed by a 5/16 bit then I put the studs back on the spoiler I had to actually tap them into the slot with a small hammer because the plastic is thicker on the mounting points I used put a nut on them before tapping them home into the slot if you hit too hard the stud will break I broke one but was able to snap the flat washer part on it back into place and got a nut to tighten on it once I had it in

Then see how it lines up with the studs in, I went back and forth here filing the holes with a large round file and seeing where it was at again I had to file them open a bit and to one side to get enough play in the trunk to get it into position

The front edge likes to lift and the sides of the spoiler has to be flexed a little to get it to sit flush which is why I used the 3m tape I verified my holes were open enough I think the type-s trunk might be a slightly different shape

I used the fender washers like you see because my holes were larger than intended it worked out though

While I was fitting it I removed the studs on the ends and got the center to fit against the trunk then put the end studs back in and fit it again

Take your time and don't rush it you can see where the studs hit in the holes by looking under the spoiler from the front edge

Don't go crazy with the file just little by little the last thing you want are massive holes in the trunk

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

I was reasoning that the two base spoilers I have now will probably about cover the cost of my type-s spoiler

I really don't want to wrap this one, I like the color and it goes with everything else I have on the car.

Was more of a question of time and being able to have it look perfect, I would've been really upset with myself if I overlayed it and it was messed up at all afterwards.

I also went with black since that way I don't have to worry about a white Type-S spoiler not matching the white on my trunk and the black goes with everything else I've done to the exterior of the car.. lol my roof, front grill, emblems, roof spoiler, mesh on the bumpers and underspoilers and license plate trim piece are all black and I have the CF hood

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Gotcha,

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

So I noticed my latch on my hood was cracking the other day so I decided to install my aerocatches today. Really had no choice, alternative option was to wait and allow the hood to come up into the glass and destroy my roof and probably total the car by setting off the airbags.

SO hood pins it is.

I went the more difficult route lol .. I installed them in a spot where it's tough to get onto the nut on the bottom. I used a magnet to get the bottom nut and washers into place. Ran into a few problems that made it take waaay longer than it should've.

Had I installed them like vil did on his car I would've had to remove the radiator, this way I was able to install them without doing so and without cutting any holes anywhere in the metal.

I also cut some black pond patch PVC to the shape of the aerocatches, two pieces per latch. Essentially to make a rubber gasket inbetween the hood and the aerocatch which should dampen some of the vibrations from the hood, since the catch is a hard like ABS plastic or something and they don't come with anything to dampen the vibrations.

It also helped with filling any gaps where there is uneveness on the hood pins. Since the pins are flat and the hood is curved .. obvious problem, solved it with this stuff.

It was like $20 at home depot in the garden section near the pond supplies.



Here are some pics..

They're the plus-flush catches, they come with a backing plate as long as you get the right ones.

This one didn't come out too good.





I used that little hole to get my pinky in there lol ... getting the bolt and washer in there was the tricky part. I used a magnet to do so. I actually dropped one of the nuts in the radiator support too far to get it with my pick-up magnet.

So I used a small rare earth magnet I have, clipped it into a small jumper wire with alligator clips on the ends I had and fished it down there. I was able to get it out and finish my install.



And here are some shots of the cracks.





These hoods just aren't built to withstand those vibrations, I know some members seem to have been getting away with it though.

The hood was around a quarter of an inch thick or so, maybe a little less made of a material that was like a GRP or fiberglass with a single layer of carbon fiber on top.

This one is a VIS hood too, that I purchased from ilovebodykits.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

^^ Thought I should add a note .. I cut the pins down so they weren't as long.

There's a bottom to the radiator support and the pins are too long as they come. So you either have to cut down the pin or drill a hole in the radiator support.

I'm not a big fan of making holes in my car .. so I cut down the pins, also there's a wire harness right below the radiator support where the pins would go through, if you drill that so you don't have to cut down the pins you'll probably go right into the wire harness.

Also I mentioned 2x pieces of the PVC per aerocatch, one is on the top of the hood sticky side towards the aerocatch and one is on the backing plate for the catch, sticky side towards the backing plate.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Wow, nice write up, man.

Creative way to get it done too!

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

yeah one thing with aftermarket (most CF hoods) is that, hood pins have to be installed....I am awaiting a new hood and will follow suite

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

If you put the pins where I did, once you have them in and the nuts tight don't try to spin the pin with the nuts tight. I did that once and stripped some threads on the pin, I had to find a way to loosen the bottom nut, remove the pin and cut it down more to remove the stripped threads.

Just tighten it from the top nut and if you need to adjust the height loosen the top nut, then stick a finger in and adjust the bottom nut and re-tighten the top nut once you're at the desired height.

I had to bend the pins a little too, once they were in and I cut around the plastic a little where the pin slides through the aerocatch so I didn't have to remove too much material from the hood since I had the catches in and it was off just a slight bit.

In the position they're in there's a little play in the pins too, so if its off a little after making the cuts you can loosen the nuts and move the pin to one side or the other slightly to help line it up.

The other hole where vil put them is smaller, so going to be less play, but its a lot easier to get onto the nuts if you remove the radiator at that spot.

Wear a respirator and some goggles .. lol I had debris all over the place, you have to remove a ton of material in order to install these.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I was wondering if Anil saw this.......

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Mzilvar, you coming down for the national meet?

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

If it were in Hawaii I could drop by

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

If it were in Hawaii it wouldn't have been called the "national meet" lolol

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

We'll just ship the cars over to Hawaii.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

If I were in Hawaii, I wouldn't care about the main land.

mzilvar

iTrader: (3)

Thought I'd finally put some new progress pics up since I have most of the exterior done now.

I still have a small fitment problem on the front grille, but it's so close now that I can probably actually fix it with some of the VHB tape that I have.

I also managed to lose one of the allen bolts for one of my aerocatches while I was installing them, I ordered some anodized black ones and will be replacing them all when they come in.

I had to replace ALL of the mesh on the car after I got it back (exception of the rear piece and the grille piece since I had those at home while the car was at the body shop), it was covered in overspray that eventually came off but then left it looking very matte.

Someone at the body shop put GLUE on the edges near my mesh too which can be seen on the front, what a way to piss someone off, to put glue somewhere and then exclaim that the mesh is GLUED on which is why there is now overspray on them because they can't remove them . . . . they were SCREWED on and the sides have dowels I used hondabond & window-weld to hold onto the inside of the bumper and BOLTED them on. Not only that but the glue is on TOP of the paint, which means someone put it on AFTER painting it, ugh...

I just noticed one of my little thumbwheels that came with the RJ bumper is missing too, they didn't install one on the passenger side, I need to see if ronjon will send me another one.

I finally got around to replacing the mesh though, installing switchbacks, cleaning the grounds in the front of the car and replacing those ground bolts. V3 tritons on the car now... what a PITA.. I replaced all the headlight seals, installed new huge drypack dessicant packs and a new igniter on the passenger side so headlight works flawlessly now and no fogging and also put type-S tails in that I removed the diffusers from.

I used some distilled water to clean the inside of the tails out afterwards, to swish it around inside and get any little debris out of the taillight then left them inside venting so all the moisture could come out of them prior to installing them.

I know the aerocatches aren't for everyone, but it beats the crap out of the hood coming up into the windshield while I'm driving down the highway.

Pics..

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Nice man!