My NSX Build Thread
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My NSX Build Thread
I thought I should start a build thread to document the progress I've made on my NSX since I purchased it in June of 2008. I have this also posted on NSX Prime, but AZ is my OG home so here goes!
Well, It all started in Feb 2008 when I went to Japan. One of the highlights was visiting Nissan's headquarters in Ginza, and seeing a GTR in person. What could I say, I fell in love. When I returned to the USA, I immediately put up my 350z or sale (shot of the 350z: http://www.chicagoz.com/synth19/tzine/3.jpg). The Z sold almost immediately, but I had no plans to purchase the GTR at that point. For one, the production numbers were low and most were already presold at a significant dealer markup. I knew I would have to wait it out in order to purchase the car at a reasonable price. In the meantime I thought of purchasing another fun car to tie me over. The NSX ended up becoming the car I thought would be my "temporary" car until I was ready to purchase the GTR.
Four years later, I have literally no interest in selling my NSX and I'm 100% happy that I never did get the GTR. I guess I'll document the beginning until today......
Part I... the beginning....
The car was located in the DC area. I made the deal in June of 2008, and flew out to pick up the car literally on my birthday. Here is a shot the previous owner took:
I picked up the car and the transaction went fairly smooth. It was the first time I ever saw Imola in person and also the first time I saw the car. I was pretty happy with the condition and everything was as promised. Now that I think about it, I got pretty lucky getting this car "sight unseen."
Another shot of the car somewhere in Pennsylvania. Back then, 10-20 pixel borders meant you were a SERIOUS photographer. haha
I was thinking I would drive the car from DC and then maybe stop midway to get some rest. I was loaded up on Red Bull, so I thought I could make it home in one shot. Around 2 or 3 am, I got to South Bend Indiana and ran into some road debris... here is the aftermath:
By sheer luck, that was the only damage I sustained. But I had another problem... I'm 90 miles from Chicago and there was no way the spare would get me home. I did however remember passing by the TIRE RACK.
So I waited it out until the morning, got a rental car and brought the carange over to the 'rack. Mind you, this is THE tire rack, so they had everything in stock. They replaced my tire and I went home.....
26 hours later..... I made it home and went to sleep.
Well, It all started in Feb 2008 when I went to Japan. One of the highlights was visiting Nissan's headquarters in Ginza, and seeing a GTR in person. What could I say, I fell in love. When I returned to the USA, I immediately put up my 350z or sale (shot of the 350z: http://www.chicagoz.com/synth19/tzine/3.jpg). The Z sold almost immediately, but I had no plans to purchase the GTR at that point. For one, the production numbers were low and most were already presold at a significant dealer markup. I knew I would have to wait it out in order to purchase the car at a reasonable price. In the meantime I thought of purchasing another fun car to tie me over. The NSX ended up becoming the car I thought would be my "temporary" car until I was ready to purchase the GTR.
Four years later, I have literally no interest in selling my NSX and I'm 100% happy that I never did get the GTR. I guess I'll document the beginning until today......
Part I... the beginning....
The car was located in the DC area. I made the deal in June of 2008, and flew out to pick up the car literally on my birthday. Here is a shot the previous owner took:
I picked up the car and the transaction went fairly smooth. It was the first time I ever saw Imola in person and also the first time I saw the car. I was pretty happy with the condition and everything was as promised. Now that I think about it, I got pretty lucky getting this car "sight unseen."
Another shot of the car somewhere in Pennsylvania. Back then, 10-20 pixel borders meant you were a SERIOUS photographer. haha
I was thinking I would drive the car from DC and then maybe stop midway to get some rest. I was loaded up on Red Bull, so I thought I could make it home in one shot. Around 2 or 3 am, I got to South Bend Indiana and ran into some road debris... here is the aftermath:
By sheer luck, that was the only damage I sustained. But I had another problem... I'm 90 miles from Chicago and there was no way the spare would get me home. I did however remember passing by the TIRE RACK.
So I waited it out until the morning, got a rental car and brought the carange over to the 'rack. Mind you, this is THE tire rack, so they had everything in stock. They replaced my tire and I went home.....
26 hours later..... I made it home and went to sleep.
Last edited by synth19; May 18, 2012 at 12:45 AM.
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Part II
Before I even purchased my car, I knew wheels and suspension were going to be my first two mods. The car was 100% bone stock other then a comptech exhaust.
I called up Ravi at Umbrella Auto Design and he hooked me up with a set of Tein Flex Coils. Also called up Science of Speed (SOS) and placed an order for a set of Volk GTV's. I didn't really know much about typical NSX offsets at the time, so I went with the recommended sizing by SOS. I was literally a week too late on getting their last set in stock, so I had to wait a few months for their next shipment to come in. I also had a few other mods that tickled me fancy, so I went after them right away (DF NSX-R spoiler and DF Rear diffuser). Last but not least, I needed the shorty antenna.
Here's the car with the new mods a month after purchase.
Shark Antennae replaced the monstrosity of the OEM one.
Center strip and diffuser not painted yet..... but would be shortly....
Two months later my first set of wheels finally arrived.....
Volk GTV in Titanium Gunmetal- 18x7.5 (+33) and 19x9.5(+36) with Volk GT Center Caps.
Talk about some major wheel gap on OEM suspension! Tires on the Volks are TOYO Proxes T1R- 215/35/18 & 275/30/19. Also had a set of lugs McGard Black Spline Lugs & Locks.
But after installing my TEIN Flex, things looked much better!
A local NSX owner wanted to do a dual shoot with our NSX's, so we met up and he snapped a few pics. I didn't know much about photography at the time, and it was going to be another few months or so before I purchased my first DSLR. I also have to mention that his car was the first NSX I drove. You'll also notice that I finally got the car to the bodyshop which painted the rear diffuser, the center orange "strip," and OEM lip a satin black.
The one thing about the Comptech was it just wasn't loud enough for me... so I posted it up for sale:
After the Comptech, I decieded to get the GTLW Taitec exhaust which I got for a steal. I remember the previous owner had tons of offers and he told me "Maybe I should have priced it higher?" haha
It wasn't in the best shape:
But after my detailer got a hold of it, it looked much better:
I started to get into photography.... here is one of my early fancy shots.
The owner of the silver NSX posted above decided to sell his car around the winter of 2008, so of course I had to pick up his navigation (Honda JDM Navigation Pod, AudioVox Back up Camera, Alpine 770 Touch Screen with Navi screen Mount, Alpine Navi/ Black Bird Docking Station). I also got a few more things from SOS to finish off the interior like the Zanardi shift knob, NSX-R boot, and SOS Short gear stalk.
Just when I thought I was done, a couple new mods came in early spring 2009.... SOS Intake Manifold Plate in CF
Downforce CF Window Garnish
[/QUOTE]
Next up was a new steering wheel/hub...... notice my photography skills were still questionable!
4/16, time for exhaust #3!
Lucky to snag up one of the few GTone 5.1 exhausts from another fellow primer. This is the stainless steel version with factory issued titanium burnt single tips.
Steering wheel installed....
Exahaust Installed...
Back to the the silver NSX... it was sold to yet another local person and I ended up getting his Test Pipes and Cantrell Concepts Airflow Induction System. Here is a video with all installed:
Video of Exhaust
Before I even purchased my car, I knew wheels and suspension were going to be my first two mods. The car was 100% bone stock other then a comptech exhaust.
I called up Ravi at Umbrella Auto Design and he hooked me up with a set of Tein Flex Coils. Also called up Science of Speed (SOS) and placed an order for a set of Volk GTV's. I didn't really know much about typical NSX offsets at the time, so I went with the recommended sizing by SOS. I was literally a week too late on getting their last set in stock, so I had to wait a few months for their next shipment to come in. I also had a few other mods that tickled me fancy, so I went after them right away (DF NSX-R spoiler and DF Rear diffuser). Last but not least, I needed the shorty antenna.
Here's the car with the new mods a month after purchase.
Shark Antennae replaced the monstrosity of the OEM one.
Center strip and diffuser not painted yet..... but would be shortly....
Two months later my first set of wheels finally arrived.....
Volk GTV in Titanium Gunmetal- 18x7.5 (+33) and 19x9.5(+36) with Volk GT Center Caps.
Talk about some major wheel gap on OEM suspension! Tires on the Volks are TOYO Proxes T1R- 215/35/18 & 275/30/19. Also had a set of lugs McGard Black Spline Lugs & Locks.
But after installing my TEIN Flex, things looked much better!
A local NSX owner wanted to do a dual shoot with our NSX's, so we met up and he snapped a few pics. I didn't know much about photography at the time, and it was going to be another few months or so before I purchased my first DSLR. I also have to mention that his car was the first NSX I drove. You'll also notice that I finally got the car to the bodyshop which painted the rear diffuser, the center orange "strip," and OEM lip a satin black.
The one thing about the Comptech was it just wasn't loud enough for me... so I posted it up for sale:
After the Comptech, I decieded to get the GTLW Taitec exhaust which I got for a steal. I remember the previous owner had tons of offers and he told me "Maybe I should have priced it higher?" haha
It wasn't in the best shape:
But after my detailer got a hold of it, it looked much better:
I started to get into photography.... here is one of my early fancy shots.
The owner of the silver NSX posted above decided to sell his car around the winter of 2008, so of course I had to pick up his navigation (Honda JDM Navigation Pod, AudioVox Back up Camera, Alpine 770 Touch Screen with Navi screen Mount, Alpine Navi/ Black Bird Docking Station). I also got a few more things from SOS to finish off the interior like the Zanardi shift knob, NSX-R boot, and SOS Short gear stalk.
Just when I thought I was done, a couple new mods came in early spring 2009.... SOS Intake Manifold Plate in CF
Downforce CF Window Garnish
[/QUOTE]Next up was a new steering wheel/hub...... notice my photography skills were still questionable!
4/16, time for exhaust #3!
Lucky to snag up one of the few GTone 5.1 exhausts from another fellow primer. This is the stainless steel version with factory issued titanium burnt single tips.
Steering wheel installed....
Exahaust Installed...
Back to the the silver NSX... it was sold to yet another local person and I ended up getting his Test Pipes and Cantrell Concepts Airflow Induction System. Here is a video with all installed:
Video of Exhaust
Last edited by synth19; May 18, 2012 at 12:45 AM.
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Part III
Purchased a set of Stoptech Brakes used from a guy on NSX Prime. Since they were red originally, had them professionally painted Imola Orange with 5 coats of clear.
I also took one last shot of my GTV's which would be going for sale soon since they did not clear the BBK. Car also got a bit lower.....
Since I really couldn't drive this low day to day... I went with the Umbrella Air Ride Kit. As you can see, the aluminum canister was fitted to my Tein FLEX coils. The great thing about this system is you can raise/lower the car and still maintain the performance of a coilover setup. Controls in the center console raise/lower the fronts/rear seperatly.
Here's a video of the air ride kit and also shows the tank in the trunk:
One thing I didn't like abut the NSX was the dated tail lights. These eventually got replaced by another set from a different vendor....
Meanwhile, I ended up trading my GTV's to another guy for some Advan RS's. Since Advan's pretty much clear anything, I figured these would be a good set of "spare" wheels to have and also ideal for the track.
Here's a shot that has been used/abused.
I needed some centercaps.... so got these:
Although my previous car was boosted, I decided right from the beginning I would keep the car NA.... Most of the aftermarket intakes available for the NSX offer little to no performance gains. In fact, a few out there actually degrade performance…a testament to Honda engineering. With this in mind, I decided to replace the filter and keep things as is. But why not get my style on? So I picked up this snazzy light-weight (dry) carbon fiber air box lid from Comptech.
Meanwhile....... another set of wheels arrived..... This is the only Formula Silver finish (in NSX fitment) in the country.This finish was first introduced with the Volk G2′s. Sizes: 18×7.5 (+30) (front) & 19×9.5 (+34) (rear).
Test fitment.... note the BBK still not installed.
Also replaced my black Mcgards with something more fancy....
Stoptechs finally installed. Shitty General tires on my RS's, but had good tread and previous owner kept them on.
Added this new rear strut tower by STMPO. Color matched imola orange, it is a one piece design without adjustments or brackets, crafted by hand using 4130 1 1/2 ” .065 wall chromoly tubing ..aka – F1 race spec standards. The brace is also tig welded with ER 308L stainless steel rod for strength. You'll also notice some wires for the navigation and also the Honda JDM Coolant Expansion Tank Cover.
Met up with a local guy and he hooked up my nardi wheel. This is the 330mm deep corn nardi wheel. As you steering wheel whores know, the wheel normally comes with red stitching, but I wanted none of that. This was all done by hand.
More engine dress up...
Now time for some new seats... Recaro Pole Positions in leather with SOS rails. Hmmm..... I've been really contributing to SOS huh?!
Of course I had to get the guy who did my steering wheel restitch for me in orange thread!
Final....
Brakes finally installed.....
Purchased a set of Stoptech Brakes used from a guy on NSX Prime. Since they were red originally, had them professionally painted Imola Orange with 5 coats of clear.
I also took one last shot of my GTV's which would be going for sale soon since they did not clear the BBK. Car also got a bit lower.....
Since I really couldn't drive this low day to day... I went with the Umbrella Air Ride Kit. As you can see, the aluminum canister was fitted to my Tein FLEX coils. The great thing about this system is you can raise/lower the car and still maintain the performance of a coilover setup. Controls in the center console raise/lower the fronts/rear seperatly.
Here's a video of the air ride kit and also shows the tank in the trunk:
One thing I didn't like abut the NSX was the dated tail lights. These eventually got replaced by another set from a different vendor....
Meanwhile, I ended up trading my GTV's to another guy for some Advan RS's. Since Advan's pretty much clear anything, I figured these would be a good set of "spare" wheels to have and also ideal for the track.
Here's a shot that has been used/abused.
I needed some centercaps.... so got these:
Although my previous car was boosted, I decided right from the beginning I would keep the car NA.... Most of the aftermarket intakes available for the NSX offer little to no performance gains. In fact, a few out there actually degrade performance…a testament to Honda engineering. With this in mind, I decided to replace the filter and keep things as is. But why not get my style on? So I picked up this snazzy light-weight (dry) carbon fiber air box lid from Comptech.
Meanwhile....... another set of wheels arrived..... This is the only Formula Silver finish (in NSX fitment) in the country.This finish was first introduced with the Volk G2′s. Sizes: 18×7.5 (+30) (front) & 19×9.5 (+34) (rear).
Test fitment.... note the BBK still not installed.
Also replaced my black Mcgards with something more fancy....
Stoptechs finally installed. Shitty General tires on my RS's, but had good tread and previous owner kept them on.
Added this new rear strut tower by STMPO. Color matched imola orange, it is a one piece design without adjustments or brackets, crafted by hand using 4130 1 1/2 ” .065 wall chromoly tubing ..aka – F1 race spec standards. The brace is also tig welded with ER 308L stainless steel rod for strength. You'll also notice some wires for the navigation and also the Honda JDM Coolant Expansion Tank Cover.
Met up with a local guy and he hooked up my nardi wheel. This is the 330mm deep corn nardi wheel. As you steering wheel whores know, the wheel normally comes with red stitching, but I wanted none of that. This was all done by hand.
More engine dress up...
Now time for some new seats... Recaro Pole Positions in leather with SOS rails. Hmmm..... I've been really contributing to SOS huh?!
Of course I had to get the guy who did my steering wheel restitch for me in orange thread!Final....
Brakes finally installed.....
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Part IV.
So now I had the advan RS' along with the Volk TE37's. Around this time I felt I started to push aggressive fitment, without going overboard. I do like some "hellaflush" looks, but it's personally not for me.
TE37 @ 19×9.5 +19. This is with a 15mm spacer in the rear, and 18×7.5 +25 in the front (with a 5mm front spacer to clear the BBK). Tires I used were Toyo TR1 205/35/18, and 255/30/19. You heard me right 205 in the front!
A shot of the front, without the centercap.
Center cap came in... kinda goes with imola eh?
At this time I also getting more serious with photography and had my first magazine feature.... was stoked that I was able to shoot my own car for Honda Tuning!
So I then decided to sell my TE's. Keep in mind that TE's are one of my all-time favorite wheels, but after seeing concave TE's, I knew that I would never be happy with these flat faces. So the TE's went and I ordered a set of the new Advan RZDF's (first forged wheel by Advan).
I got these suckers installed and went to a local garage for a quick shoot.
Next on the agenda was a much needed alignment.
I then was contacted by Canibeat to shoot my car for their blog, so found a pretty cool location. By this point I started to feel pretty good about my automotive photography and even changed my sig!
Well, the photoshoot didn't last long as we were hit by a heavy down pour.... I did however manage to find time to shoot the car on a different day/different location....
The old LED's started to leave some small spider cracks, so I replaced them with another set by a different manufacturer.
Full feature of the above set posted here: http://www.canibeat.com/2011/1...e-nsx/
Another set of advan center caps. This has a brushed look to them, much cooler then the glossy black ones IMO.
<br /><br />
Modified by synth19 at 9:23 AM 5/15/2012
So now I had the advan RS' along with the Volk TE37's. Around this time I felt I started to push aggressive fitment, without going overboard. I do like some "hellaflush" looks, but it's personally not for me.
TE37 @ 19×9.5 +19. This is with a 15mm spacer in the rear, and 18×7.5 +25 in the front (with a 5mm front spacer to clear the BBK). Tires I used were Toyo TR1 205/35/18, and 255/30/19. You heard me right 205 in the front!
A shot of the front, without the centercap.
Center cap came in... kinda goes with imola eh?
At this time I also getting more serious with photography and had my first magazine feature.... was stoked that I was able to shoot my own car for Honda Tuning!
So I then decided to sell my TE's. Keep in mind that TE's are one of my all-time favorite wheels, but after seeing concave TE's, I knew that I would never be happy with these flat faces. So the TE's went and I ordered a set of the new Advan RZDF's (first forged wheel by Advan).
I got these suckers installed and went to a local garage for a quick shoot.
Next on the agenda was a much needed alignment.
I then was contacted by Canibeat to shoot my car for their blog, so found a pretty cool location. By this point I started to feel pretty good about my automotive photography and even changed my sig!
Well, the photoshoot didn't last long as we were hit by a heavy down pour.... I did however manage to find time to shoot the car on a different day/different location....
The old LED's started to leave some small spider cracks, so I replaced them with another set by a different manufacturer.
Full feature of the above set posted here: http://www.canibeat.com/2011/1...e-nsx/
Another set of advan center caps. This has a brushed look to them, much cooler then the glossy black ones IMO.
<br /><br />Modified by synth19 at 9:23 AM 5/15/2012
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Part V
I placed a "WTB" ad in the classifieds of NSX Prime for Model 5's, and by luck again, someone saw the ad and asked if I wanted to purchase his set. I was pretty stoked about this because the Model 5's have been discontinued for some time. So the Model 5's entered the collection and my regular wheel rotation...
Next was Carbon 6 Super GT Mirrors in Carbon Fiber. 1 of only 13 sets ever made, with functional mirrors (retains
factory controls).
The funny thing about the lip below is that I was literally planning on purchasing this in 2008. For some reason, I didn't pull the trigger and forgot about it... fast forward 4 years and someone bumped the thread I started in 2008 about this lip. Well, that rejuvenated my itnerest and I picked it up. I also had my shop paint it a satin black to match the rear diffuser.
Model 5's again.....
The final package... This is literally the best fitment I've ever had, pretty happy with this setup. FRONT 17×8 +30 (with 10mm spacer) and Rear fitment is 18×10 +25 (with 20mm spacer). Tires are Falken 452′s in 215/40/17 and 265/35/18.
I placed a "WTB" ad in the classifieds of NSX Prime for Model 5's, and by luck again, someone saw the ad and asked if I wanted to purchase his set. I was pretty stoked about this because the Model 5's have been discontinued for some time. So the Model 5's entered the collection and my regular wheel rotation...
Next was Carbon 6 Super GT Mirrors in Carbon Fiber. 1 of only 13 sets ever made, with functional mirrors (retains
factory controls).
The funny thing about the lip below is that I was literally planning on purchasing this in 2008. For some reason, I didn't pull the trigger and forgot about it... fast forward 4 years and someone bumped the thread I started in 2008 about this lip. Well, that rejuvenated my itnerest and I picked it up. I also had my shop paint it a satin black to match the rear diffuser.
Model 5's again.....
The final package... This is literally the best fitment I've ever had, pretty happy with this setup. FRONT 17×8 +30 (with 10mm spacer) and Rear fitment is 18×10 +25 (with 20mm spacer). Tires are Falken 452′s in 215/40/17 and 265/35/18.
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Thanks
Wow. Awesome. I too remember some of the phases, but didn't remember them all. Great recap and great photos.
As cool as it was to see the car come along, it as also neat to see your photography skills progress as well!!
As cool as it was to see the car come along, it as also neat to see your photography skills progress as well!!
Above n Beyond
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 6,520
Likes: 132
From: CHICAGO
Great build for a great car. You can tell the passion you have for your car.
Not sure at what point during your build I met you at that shop was, but it looked stunning then. I think I liked your first set of wheels the best.
Not sure at what point during your build I met you at that shop was, but it looked stunning then. I think I liked your first set of wheels the best.
I placed a "WTB" ad in the classifieds of NSX Prime for Model 5's, and by luck again, someone saw the ad and asked if I wanted to purchase his set. I was pretty stoked about this because the Model 5's have been discontinued for some time. So the Model 5's entered the collection and my regular wheel rotation...
I'm so glad you put up the progress thread so I can
even more over it.
x infinity!
tehLEGOman
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 10,067
Likes: 2,057
From: Charlotte, NC
This one is easily in acurazine's top 10 most epic build threads. 
Thanks for putting this together. It is neat to see progression, through your photography skills and through your modifications.
My friend recently got a NSX, and i hope he documents his build as well.
I hope to see your NSX in person one day.
Thanks for putting this together. It is neat to see progression, through your photography skills and through your modifications.
My friend recently got a NSX, and i hope he documents his build as well.
I hope to see your NSX in person one day.
this one is easily in acurazine's top 10 most epic build threads. thanks for putting this together. It is neat to see progression, through your photography skills and through your modifications.
My friend recently got a nsx, and i hope he documents his build as well.
I hope to see your nsx in person one day.
thanks for putting this together. It is neat to see progression, through your photography skills and through your modifications. My friend recently got a nsx, and i hope he documents his build as well.
I hope to see your nsx in person one day.
haha
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Boys, THAT is the ultimate Progressive Thread right there! Plus, a rare and beautiful NSX. Synth-you need to bring this bad boy to the National Meet! A bunch of Chicago guys come to Kansas City every year....
Amazing detail. Thanks for sharing the whole story. Your car is my favorite NSX ever. I don't even want to know what all that costs. Reading the detail you put into your car I imagine that it is priceless to you.
I was just having a car talk with a guy the other day. We were talking about what car we would want to restore one day. I said 240 Fairlady Z, but reading this thread I'm almost sure it'll be an NSX. Some day. Some day...
I was just having a car talk with a guy the other day. We were talking about what car we would want to restore one day. I said 240 Fairlady Z, but reading this thread I'm almost sure it'll be an NSX. Some day. Some day...
