Lately I have had my hands pretty full (see the first picture below) but was able to find time to work on the car last week. I finally got around to installing red valve covers and a start button. These mods might not be for everyone but I thought I would share.
I had my valve covers powder coated by a local shop and they turned out great! The shop used DuPont, Red Wrinkle powder (PC# GFR-600-W2) as show on their website www.dupontpowder.com I can tell you that most shops will not touch NSX valve covers b/c they are magnesium. Magnesium is softer and has a lower melting point which makes it hard to get a good finish. It’s just as easy to apply the powder to the magnesium covers as it is to any other material but the tricky part is when baking the covers. The magnesium covers have a tendency to “gas out” when baking. For lack of a better word, “gas out” is basically the magnesium releasing tinny air bubbles during the baking process. During the baking process the powder (now covering the magnesium) reaches a point where it has hardened and begins to trap air that the magnesium still wants to release. The end result can be tinny little depressions, pits, or air pockets in the finished product. It took two tries, but the shop finally got it right.
Since I was installing new valve covers I figured I might as well adjust the valves while I was at it. I found step-by-step instructions on how to adjust the valves thanks to DanO. http://www.danoland.com/nsxgarage/ DanO’s website provided perfect instructions along with pictures, THANKS DanO!!! Larry B was also a BIG help as always. Larry helped build my confidence and answered my phone calls on a Saturday when I had questions during the valve adjustment.
I also decided to install a Honda S2000 Start Button in place of the cigarette lighter. I did not want to loose my only cigarette lighter so I went ahead and installed dual cigarette lighters…you know in case both my passenger and I want to light up at the same time…kidding, I don’t smoke! In the past there have been several weekend drives when I was short a cigarette lighter after the cell phone battery died. I really had no idea how to install the start button so I started hanging out in the Stereo/Electronic section of Prime. I quickly realized how much help Ken (D’Ecosse) had to offer to other NSX owners. Ken and I exchanged a few emails and before I knew it he had sent me a complete wiring diagram for my start button including wire size, type of connectors, relays, etc. Ken, thanks so much for your help!
Now for the pictures…
First picture…Momma, Poppa, and Caleb spending quality time together!
Valve covers removed and adjusting valves…
First valve cover installed, Caleb is speechless!
Close up of red manifold cover…
Picture taken under florescent lights of red valve covers looking through mesh engine cover, notice the awesome finish on that mesh engine cover?
Picture taken under florescent lights of red valve covers looking through mesh engine cover and glass hatch…
Picture taken outside with natural light…
Another picture taken outside with natural light…
Modifying the cigarette lighter so the start button will fit (picture of the back side).
Modifying the cigarette lighter so the start button will fit (picture of the font side). In this picture you can see that I used balsa wood to cover the ash tray area and later drilled two holes in it that house the new cigarette lighters.
I then used a thin piece of plexiglas (sp?) to cover the balsa wood. Next I covered the entire balsa wood and Plexiglas in a vinyl sticker which has a fake carbon fiber look to it. This picture is looking at the back side.
This picture is the same as above but looking at the front side (face) before I cut the holes for the cigarette lighter to be installed.
Cigarette lighters installed.
Transferring the stock harness clip to the dual cigarette lighters.
The following are pictures of the finished product taken in my garage under florescent light with the last picture taken outside under natural light.
I had my valve covers powder coated by a local shop and they turned out great! The shop used DuPont, Red Wrinkle powder (PC# GFR-600-W2) as show on their website www.dupontpowder.com I can tell you that most shops will not touch NSX valve covers b/c they are magnesium. Magnesium is softer and has a lower melting point which makes it hard to get a good finish. It’s just as easy to apply the powder to the magnesium covers as it is to any other material but the tricky part is when baking the covers. The magnesium covers have a tendency to “gas out” when baking. For lack of a better word, “gas out” is basically the magnesium releasing tinny air bubbles during the baking process. During the baking process the powder (now covering the magnesium) reaches a point where it has hardened and begins to trap air that the magnesium still wants to release. The end result can be tinny little depressions, pits, or air pockets in the finished product. It took two tries, but the shop finally got it right.
Since I was installing new valve covers I figured I might as well adjust the valves while I was at it. I found step-by-step instructions on how to adjust the valves thanks to DanO. http://www.danoland.com/nsxgarage/ DanO’s website provided perfect instructions along with pictures, THANKS DanO!!! Larry B was also a BIG help as always. Larry helped build my confidence and answered my phone calls on a Saturday when I had questions during the valve adjustment.
I also decided to install a Honda S2000 Start Button in place of the cigarette lighter. I did not want to loose my only cigarette lighter so I went ahead and installed dual cigarette lighters…you know in case both my passenger and I want to light up at the same time…kidding, I don’t smoke! In the past there have been several weekend drives when I was short a cigarette lighter after the cell phone battery died. I really had no idea how to install the start button so I started hanging out in the Stereo/Electronic section of Prime. I quickly realized how much help Ken (D’Ecosse) had to offer to other NSX owners. Ken and I exchanged a few emails and before I knew it he had sent me a complete wiring diagram for my start button including wire size, type of connectors, relays, etc. Ken, thanks so much for your help!
Now for the pictures…
First picture…Momma, Poppa, and Caleb spending quality time together!
Valve covers removed and adjusting valves…
First valve cover installed, Caleb is speechless!
Close up of red manifold cover…
Picture taken under florescent lights of red valve covers looking through mesh engine cover, notice the awesome finish on that mesh engine cover?
Picture taken under florescent lights of red valve covers looking through mesh engine cover and glass hatch…
Picture taken outside with natural light…
Another picture taken outside with natural light…
Modifying the cigarette lighter so the start button will fit (picture of the back side).
Modifying the cigarette lighter so the start button will fit (picture of the font side). In this picture you can see that I used balsa wood to cover the ash tray area and later drilled two holes in it that house the new cigarette lighters.
I then used a thin piece of plexiglas (sp?) to cover the balsa wood. Next I covered the entire balsa wood and Plexiglas in a vinyl sticker which has a fake carbon fiber look to it. This picture is looking at the back side.
This picture is the same as above but looking at the front side (face) before I cut the holes for the cigarette lighter to be installed.
Cigarette lighters installed.
Transferring the stock harness clip to the dual cigarette lighters.
The following are pictures of the finished product taken in my garage under florescent light with the last picture taken outside under natural light.
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