VIN has been shared and is on the FS ad found here on Prime. Thanks for comments. Am off to bed. Big run tomorrow.
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A new lease on life. Saving a trashed NSX JH4NA1150MT002868
- Thread starter DanIsGo
- Start date
I was unaware that it was dangerous to drive. I thought it was just a little squirrely under braking. I don't think I would throw money at that kind of car. Sell it and put that money towards a straight one.
I say it is dangerous because any car that is pulling scares me. I should say I could go on driving it as-is - so long as I am not at high speed, etc. Don't get me wrong, I am pissed as all hell about this but in the end, I have a car that I can tool around town in. I had expected to be able to do some cool high-speed driving with it (on a track). I am not comfortable tracking it in this shape.
The danger comes more from the structural deformity in the metal itself. Think of bending a wire back and forth- eventually it breaks because you have changed the property of the metal at the bending point. The NSX uses a F1-inspired H-frame monocoque with the frame rails cast into the unibody and extending in front and behind the passenger compartment. The result is a very safe cage for its size/weight and we have seen people walk away from some horrific crashes. Once the frame rails are compromised, it reduces the strength at the point of failure (like the wire example) and, once you bend it back on a puller, it makes it even worse. Thus even if you get the frame straight, you still have those weak spots in the metal. Thus, if the car is hit, those points could fail suddenly and violently, delivering the full force of the impact into the passenger compartment and you.
Welding a clip with unmolested frames on might be a good solution, but you would need to ensure that the welding is up to Honda's factory standard. Otherwise, you have just introduced another failure point in the structure and are in the same place, but many $$$ later. I strongly recommend contacting Joe L. (pbassjo on Prime) to go over this in more detail. I am no expert the NSX frame and metallurgy, but Joe is. He will give you honest and reliable advice on how to handle this problem. If he tells you the car is not savable, you will know it is true. If it is savable, he can recommend exactly what you need to do to make sure you are safe. no car is worth your life, after all.
Welding a clip with unmolested frames on might be a good solution, but you would need to ensure that the welding is up to Honda's factory standard. Otherwise, you have just introduced another failure point in the structure and are in the same place, but many $$$ later. I strongly recommend contacting Joe L. (pbassjo on Prime) to go over this in more detail. I am no expert the NSX frame and metallurgy, but Joe is. He will give you honest and reliable advice on how to handle this problem. If he tells you the car is not savable, you will know it is true. If it is savable, he can recommend exactly what you need to do to make sure you are safe. no car is worth your life, after all.
shawn110975
Suspended
+1 agree with honcho even though I would like to sell you those rails LOL I wouldn't wish death apon anyone LOL
sell it but even selling it someone might want to just drive it... the only real way to make sure know one is killed in in is to part it out and cut the chassis down
sad for me to say cuz I hate killing NSX's but this one has to go. she wants to go to bed now.:frown:
sell it but even selling it someone might want to just drive it... the only real way to make sure know one is killed in in is to part it out and cut the chassis down
sad for me to say cuz I hate killing NSX's but this one has to go. she wants to go to bed now.:frown:
Shawn - have you figured out what the melt value for the aluminum? (Kidding!)
Appreciate your feedback as well.
It sucks to have that feeling that you're driving a car that scares you. If it isn't structurally safe definitely don't take it on the track. However, it was posted by the OP that the frame of the car was bent in an earlier post. I think he knew exactly what was wrong with the car.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Honcho. Much appreciated.
I have nine of my ten toes pointing to an outright sale to someone that will part it out or daily drive it as is. If so, price will be right and all disclosures will be shared. I don't want to perpetuate the situation and have some 17 year old kid buying this as a first car only to find out it may not be fixable.
I have nine of my ten toes pointing to an outright sale to someone that will part it out or daily drive it as is. If so, price will be right and all disclosures will be shared. I don't want to perpetuate the situation and have some 17 year old kid buying this as a first car only to find out it may not be fixable.
Well, the tenth toe turned into alignment with the others and I sold the car. Took a massive financial hit (I will call it life-experience tuition) and move on. Buyer understands the scope of the work needed and is pleased with his purchase.
