LOL... well he did say "really huge" surprise...
-
Protip: Profile posts are public! Use Conversations to message other members privately. Everyone can see the content of a profile post.
2005 LBBP Route-KS Madonna Wide Body Mega Build
- Thread starter 01a4man
- Start date
LOL... well he did say "really huge" surprise...
Another quick update,
Some additional parts came in!
Procar NSX-R Air Duct
Thanks Detlef!
LoveFab Rear Targa Brace (Raw). This will be prepped for paint very shortly.
Also, the remainder of the LoveFab LF600 Kit came in (i.e. Blowoff Valve, Wastegate, and a few other components). These will be prepped for anodizing shortly.
A HUGE thanks to Nuno for the Procar front and rear bumper beams!
Stay tuned....
Some additional parts came in!
Procar NSX-R Air Duct
Thanks Detlef!
LoveFab Rear Targa Brace (Raw). This will be prepped for paint very shortly.
Also, the remainder of the LoveFab LF600 Kit came in (i.e. Blowoff Valve, Wastegate, and a few other components). These will be prepped for anodizing shortly.
A HUGE thanks to Nuno for the Procar front and rear bumper beams!
Stay tuned....
:wink:
Sorry Paul! Things have been busy for both Gil and I. I've just returned from a vacation in the U.S. Though it was short, it was very nice to come home for a while. Gil has been very busy as well with work and life. It is amazing that no matter how many times I tell him to stop working on the car and just relax, he doesn't! He is very dedicated to say the least!
I know you guys are tired of my blah, blah, blah...so on to the progress report!
As I reported earlier, I purchased a set of Procar Specials bumper beams from Nuno. First, I have to say that Nuno was nothing short of a pleasure to work with. He stayed in contact with me the entire time, sent me pics of everything before he shipped and wouldn't accept money from me until I was absolutely sure that I wanted them. I really cannot say enough good things about him.
To Detlef's credit, these things are amazingly light and well constructed. They are EXTREMELY strong!
Gil installed the steering wheel for a quick test fit. It looks pretty good to me!
He also test fitted the seats. Adjustments are still being made using the Buddy Club - Super Low Down seat rails.
The LED Tails came in and look factory. Alec did an amazing job putting them together! Thanks Alec!
SoS came through for me on a 3qt Accusump, oil cooler, NSX-R chassis bars, and sway bars. Thank you Bryan, Jeff, and Chris!
Just a small portion of the parts going into this build (minus the Zonda Race Car in the background!)
Lastly, the wheels for this build have been built. They should be finished and shipped to Gil within the next couple of weeks and will look amazing when completed.
Stay tuned for more updates!
My man Chris,
Glad to see you have them and you like them :wink:
i will keep drooling with your build :tongue:
Nuno
Glad to see you have them and you like them :wink:
i will keep drooling with your build :tongue:
Nuno
Nice build so far.
Just a question on the seats. All those nice parts and you stick a pair of Status seats in there? I think your car deserves better treatment and your butt deserves better cushion.
Just a question on the seats. All those nice parts and you stick a pair of Status seats in there? I think your car deserves better treatment and your butt deserves better cushion.
What's wrong with Status Seats? They appear to be quite nice and the workmanship, excellent. What do you have in mind exactly? If you are thinking NSX-R Seats, I already had the opportunity from Japan and passed as the kevlar will not go well with my current interior plans.
I've spent a ton of time looking at seats as well and Status seems to be more about style over substance. What I mean is when I spent the money I looked for seats that were certified to a safety standard, are regularly used in motorsport and have a long tradition I can trust. I have a few friends who are serious about track days and they also looked at Status, but when I mentioned they should look for these thing, Status was quickly ruled out. Brands that I personally like are Cobra and Racetech, but Recaro, OMP, Sparco and Takata (rebranded Cobras) are all proven, assuming you get the right seat.
To each his own, but figured I would mention it since you were asking.
To each his own, but figured I would mention it since you were asking.
They are a bit more show seats than some others but what's the purpose of this car? I don't think it's a track car. Most seats that go into most NSX's are show. Most of those NSX"s aren't caged track cars. There are seats you can get that are real carbon fiber and lighter, but they are $3000+ per seat (other than downforce reps which can be a bit less). There are FIA seats but some status seats are FIA. All those "FIA" seats in NSX's wind up on some sort of sliding rail, none of which are or can pass an FIA crash test (some are downright questionable IMO). So those FIA seats too technically wind up being more show no matter the type or brand. That leaves the only differences being fit and finish and status gives you many more choices of finish. This is a very expensive build... In comparison to the rest of what's gone in personally I might have gone with something different... that's because I have my own favorites... But for the purpose of show, they probably function as well as anything else, and you can really create a one of a kind pattern.
Last edited:
- Joined
- 28 July 2014
- Messages
- 158
Status seats are actually not bad. They may go into my NSX build.. which is a track/show car. They have FIA approved seats… so yes, they are racing seats as well. If you drive with a HANS device, then maybe you should be looking at Recaro.
- Joined
- 28 July 2014
- Messages
- 158
Well.. I think its relevant to the thread since he's talking about Status seats. Have you had issues with their seats in the past? People I know have used them without an issue. Also, even Recaro only has one official FIA approved seat.
I feel like we are hijacking the thread. Recaro has more than one FIA seats. Not sure where you are checking but they definitely have more than one. Everyone makes seats a different way, and I have looked extensively at how many of these are made as I have been in the market for over 2 years. I'm a huge safety nut so if I am going to be doing serious tracking I just always like to make sure my gear is top notch. And my personal OPINION is that there are stronger seats out there than status seats.. and so personally, I prefer to have something with more strength at the right points for more protection. I've written long paragraphs on this before... I think one of the best built, best engineered, and high value seats despite people thinking they are expensive, are downforce R replicas. My favorite seat by a huge margin however, are Tilletts. Second place is a far second. If I was not getting tillett, I would be getting something with a removable halo. Like the sparco ergo. I think head protection is huge especially with a HANS that really has little side to side protection. I like Racetech seats too, I think they are extremely well-built and braced at multiple places. But none of these will look like a status custom upholstered seat. They are race seats and fairly ugly (except the Tillets). That's not where status's business is. As many times as I have been on the track I have yet to see a built race car with a status seat. That carbon is a layer for look. All their seats are FRP. They do not make a single carbon seat. You look at Recaro, Cobra, Racetech, OMP, Sparco, they all make some very expensive seats upwards of $10,000 a seat. Real race stuff. Status's most expensive seat is like a $1500 FRP and the prices go up based only on the leather, piping, cosmetic stuff. And sometimes even that cosmetic is good, not great, like an 8/10. I've seen small issues. That doesn't mean it's not proper for this build, because I don't think (I could be wrong) this car will be seriously tracked. In that sense it's no worse than any othet seat, and he can get it to look exactly like he wants. No one does that like Status. And as I mentioned before FIA requires correct bracketing and I have not yet found a slider that has passed an FIA test. So even your sturdy FIA seat isn't safe once it breaks off the mounts. If you want a safe seat you get an FIA seat and use a fixed bracket like a Planted unit. It you ever look at an FIA bracket, then look at what we buy usually it is night and day. There's a reason why the OEM brackets are steel and weigh as much as the seat itself.
Anyway, I feel like a bit of an ass here posting this because I feel like I'm poo-poo'ing a part on an amazing build. I have to really apologize to Chris. I posted Neop, because you asked me to do so. Chris just shoot me a PM and I can delete my last few posts off your thread.
Last edited:
There are quite a lot of racecars with off the shelf sliders...
I like the Recaro SPG.
I like the Recaro SPG.
If you want to be really safe, put a carbon monocoque with head surround bolted to your cage like in NASCAR. There are tons of racecars that wreck with sliders. Tim Bell had a 134mph impact sideways at COTA in the IMSA CTSCC series I race in two weeks ago. Its on YouTube. He had sliders.
Personally, for track use, a good harness and proper seating position is just as crucial in terms of safety. The OPs seat looks like its mounted very high.
Personally, for track use, a good harness and proper seating position is just as crucial in terms of safety. The OPs seat looks like its mounted very high.
I'd like to see that video. Do you have a link? Or tell me what to search for? I'm not sure who Tim is.
YouTube: Tim Bell Crash
I appreciate the feed back everyone. While it is true that there are many, many seat choices available, I decided to use Status for the very reason Dave has stated already; the ability to customize a product and receive said product "complete." This was the easiest route to go considering all of the stuff Gil already has to do (believe me that the list is very long and distinguished! ).
While the seat I chose is FIA approved, seat bracket choices were difficult due to the dimensions of the GT-X model. It is wider than most; therefore, not leaving too many options to select from. The Buddy Club rails being utilized were not adjusted in the pic shown above. Gil threw them in there for a test fit.
This car may see a track day or two, but who knows. There are certain aspects of this build that have not been made public yet, which influence how much this car will actually be driven. I too concern myself with safety and moreover, the safety of those riding with me, which is why I didn't go with dry carbon doors like I had originally planned. In the end, everyone has their own opinions on what they feel would best suite this build, disagree with choices in parts, over-all look of the car, or simply not like this build because it is being done on a relatively low mileage NSX in a fairly low production color.
All of this was expected and feedback welcomed. This is the very reason for this build thread. Gil has his ideas and I have my own, but several members have already provided great ideas/feedback that changed the course of this build. For that I am extremely grateful.
As stated above, I welcome everyone's feedback/ideas. Do not apologize and say what you have to say. The seats, however; are expensive and will not be replaced at this point. They suite my purposes (I am not a small guy, never have been and never will be), so my choice was clear given this fact.
Keep the ideas coming and stay tuned for more updates...
). While the seat I chose is FIA approved, seat bracket choices were difficult due to the dimensions of the GT-X model. It is wider than most; therefore, not leaving too many options to select from. The Buddy Club rails being utilized were not adjusted in the pic shown above. Gil threw them in there for a test fit.
This car may see a track day or two, but who knows. There are certain aspects of this build that have not been made public yet, which influence how much this car will actually be driven. I too concern myself with safety and moreover, the safety of those riding with me, which is why I didn't go with dry carbon doors like I had originally planned. In the end, everyone has their own opinions on what they feel would best suite this build, disagree with choices in parts, over-all look of the car, or simply not like this build because it is being done on a relatively low mileage NSX in a fairly low production color.
All of this was expected and feedback welcomed. This is the very reason for this build thread. Gil has his ideas and I have my own, but several members have already provided great ideas/feedback that changed the course of this build. For that I am extremely grateful.
As stated above, I welcome everyone's feedback/ideas. Do not apologize and say what you have to say. The seats, however; are expensive and will not be replaced at this point. They suite my purposes (I am not a small guy, never have been and never will be), so my choice was clear given this fact.
Keep the ideas coming and stay tuned for more updates...
Some guys would lose their shit with some disapproving comments of any type. Obviously Chris is a mature individual who is also by respectful and polite. Must have grown up in Japan LOL. Chris you know I love your car and the build. I think it is amazing. Frankly I am jealous of some of the stuff you have. Kudos for taking a vision through.
Agreed, fantastic build and car. These great builds aren't done by committee, to each his/her own.
Well Everyone,
No real updates as Gil is working on some secret stuff for this build. The car will not make it to SEMA as hoped, but the body should be completed sometime in the next month or so. SEMA was not originally anticipated at the beginning of this build and was a fairly last minute thing.
The wheels should be done any day now and I am also awaiting the remainder of the I-Lift System. There is good news in that the interior should be completed pretty soon.
Once the wheels arrive, Gil will be able to make the final adjustments to the body to give it a slightly larger stance than Route-KS did.
Stay tuned...
No real updates as Gil is working on some secret stuff for this build. The car will not make it to SEMA as hoped, but the body should be completed sometime in the next month or so. SEMA was not originally anticipated at the beginning of this build and was a fairly last minute thing.
The wheels should be done any day now and I am also awaiting the remainder of the I-Lift System. There is good news in that the interior should be completed pretty soon.
Once the wheels arrive, Gil will be able to make the final adjustments to the body to give it a slightly larger stance than Route-KS did.
Stay tuned...
Last edited:
Similar threads
