I have seen enough wrecked NSXs in person and know enough about the car's construction to say with a fair amount of certainy that there is at least some subframe damage to that car just looking at the photos. Putting it on a lift may reveal even MORE problems, but I already think the car is not worth the asking price so I personally wouldn't bother. This guy MEASURED the wheelbase and distance from windshield to shock towers and declares the frame straight? What a joke! This isn't a 1960s car with tolerances to the nearest 1/2 inch. You need a laser frame alignment rack to measure it. And notice he did not measure any of the front or rear subframe, which I guarantee is visibly bent if you know what to look for.
Replacing engine and tranny when you "pimp out" a car? I have no idea what you are talking about. What are you going to replace the tranny with? Another tranny? Why not just start with a good one? You replace or rebuild an engine or tranny when they wear out.
You can modify them if that is part of your "pimping out" the car, but that is totally different than completely rebuilding them which is what you are looking at on a 100,000 mile car that has obviously not been giving a lot of TLC. You cannot load performance mods into your engine or tranny if they are fundamentally worn out anymore than you can put a body kit on a bent frame and expect to have a good car. It most likely needs some bottom-end R&R which you would only touch for modification purposes if you were going with a radical forced induction setup. It probably also needs (or will soon need) a bunch of little top-end stuff like gaskets, seals, etc.
I'm sorry but buying an NSX that needs an entire new body, new headlight, new tail lights, all new body panels, and has been ragged out for $10k is just a waste of money.
If you want a salvage car to "pimp out," buy a '91 that has moderate miles and has been well cared for but lightly rolled for (like blurr's car) for $15k. Then you can do the body kit, peformance mods, etc. and for the extra $5k you have a good engine, good tranny, good interior, good all-the-little-things-that-quickly-add-up-to-thousands-of-dollars as a base to start building your project. The abused car being auctioned has dozens of problems just waiting to happen, most of which are not going to be fixed during the "pimping out" process. You're going to have to replace hub assemblies, CV joints, tie rods, etc.
Of course that's just my opinion. If someone wants to buy it, it's your money, do what you like!
[This message has been edited by Lud (edited 12 October 2001).]
