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Arkaid's '98 NA2 Coupe Build Thread

I really liked where you were initially going with this build, however I don’t understand the bbk, lift or not removing the spaghetti alarm mess. This car is special and deserves better
 
I guess I am copying your build hahaha
I have same stance kit that I am trying to up hook up as well.

Can you help me out with some questions I have with stance cup?
How did you hook up your jdm half switch? They are 6 pin right? How did you figure out which pin goes for wires for the compressor?
Also did you have custom mount for the front compressor?

And how did you wire your switches to heated seats? (which wires goes which pin)
Thanks and build looks great.

And as for your build..I think we can always convert it back to stock when fun is done...lol


Thanks! Yeah, they're an amazing wheel, I got really lucky.

Update: Car now has increased off-road abilities :D

I have always loved the look of a low NSX but thought it impractical. I spent entirely too much time around the Socal crew and they corrupted me with their seemingly magic ways of driving their cars on the floor, so I toyed with the idea of an air cup system. I liked the idea and price point of the Stanceparts cups as I didn't think I needed the sophistication of the iLift. I was originally going to get a full Stanceparts kit and call it a day, but two things irked me: I) I only really needed a front lift and I thought the idea of a 2 gallon, trunk-mounted tank would take away from the more OEM-like aspects of my build, and II) I wanted to utilize the OEM switch panel and switches for stealth. I am a sucker for doing things clean and I loved the tank and compressor setup my buddy [MENTION=21934]nsxnemo[/MENTION] had utilized for the front where the spare tire would normally go. He was also able to wire up the cups to the OEM switches, so I decided this was the path I wanted to take.

Fast forward 6 months later and I finally get my act together to piece together the cups, tank, compressor, switches and supporting fittings. I made my way down to Nemo’s house and we spent the day wiring everything up. It worked flawlessly and most importantly, everything came out looking exactly the way it did before, except now I had lighted switches and front lift capability! We wired up a seat heater switch for my cup up/down positions, an OEM fog light switch for when I eventually get my fogs, and a JDM half mast switch so I can kill the compressor whenever I need to (very useful for starting the car without the compressor drawing amps from the battery, or for killing the noise when I hardpark in front of the massive 8-person crowds at the local cars and coffee).

Tank and compressor in:

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Dash out (I also finally found out that I am NOT pulling out my annoying aftermarket alarm due to the complexity of the wiring to the brain):

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All installed:

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New ride height. Low, but not completely slammed:

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All in, I estimate I’m now getting around 2-3 inches of lift and it’s made driving the car really fun. Now I just need to get myself a new front lip...
 
Very Nice! Kaiser such a good color and with the Type-S wheels it looks great.

Thanks, not as great as Magnum Grey Pearl though! That's goals right there!

I really liked where you were initially going with this build, however I don’t understand the bbk, lift or not removing the spaghetti alarm mess. This car is special and deserves better

Thanks Tom, while frankly I think it’s difficult to insinuate this car “deserves better” (it’s not like we’re talking Ebay specials here - not that there's anything wrong with that of course) you’re absolutely entitled to your own opinion, even though yours and mine may be fundamentally different (though in reality the car hasn’t changed much since the last time you saw it in September). While I appreciate simplicity and functionality, I have absolutely no intention of being a purist if it means comprising on aspects of the car that I want to change. I bought this car to enjoy it, not put it in a museum or leave it in a form I'm not 100% happy with.

I guess I am copying your build hahaha
I have same stance kit that I am trying to up hook up as well.

Can you help me out with some questions I have with stance cup?
How did you hook up your jdm half switch? They are 6 pin right? How did you figure out which pin goes for wires for the compressor?
Also did you have custom mount for the front compressor?

And how did you wire your switches to heated seats? (which wires goes which pin)
Thanks and build looks great.

And as for your build..I think we can always convert it back to stock when fun is done...lol

Thanks! Feel free to shoot me a PM for more detail but the half switch is hooked up to a manual kill for the compressor and the left seat heater controls the cups.

Counterpoint: reversible mods.

Love the car Akbar!

Thanks Mike!
 
I’m sorry if my reponse was overly negative. You are correct that it is just my opinion.

No worries, Tom. All good.


Love how you got the wheels stanced. One thing though.... where's the e36? Haha (coming from an e36 and nsx owner) :p

Thanks! Haha yeah, the e36 is an awesome car. I've actually been browsing for a clean TV, estoril or alpine, though they're starting to get pricey.

Happy Taro Tea Tuesday. I think someone is due for a major thread update! :D

Ask and ye shall receive :D

I had been thinking about a BBK for the car since I first got it. I originally was going to slap on my old Brembo F50 / Lotus kit, but that would not fit under a 16” wheel (a problem since I knew I wanted to eventually run OEM type s wheels). After spending time around [MENTION=25247]MexiRicer[/MENTION] ’s Tarox kit, I was pretty intrigued, both by the design of the actual caliper (multiple smaller pistons vs. larger and fewer ones) and by the fact that with the right rotor size, the kit could fit under a 16” OEM front wheel. Thus, I decided that if I were to buy another BBK, it would likely be Tarox. Fast forward to the end of 2018 and favorable USD/GBP exchange rates suddenly meant the kit was in my price range, so I went ahead and bit the bullet. Shout out to Mexiricergarage for all your Tarox needs. Lol.

We ran into a couple of minor road blocks along the way. First, the vendor we ordered from told Robert that the kit with the 305mm rotor needed for 16” front wheel fitment was NLA from Tarox. Robert called BS and eventually we found out there was a miscommunication between manufacturer and vendor: Tarox WILL still make the kit upon special order, but does not build it to stock anymore. Second, the color I had originally planned on getting (a very dark bronze) was no longer available from Tarox. This meant that I was left only with red, blue, black (more like a very dark matte grey) and gold. I narrowed it to gold and black, and eventually chose black given that I thought gold might be a bit too pronounced.

Anyways, on to pics/ First is when the calipers first showed up. The black is quite an interesting finish; it’s a matte anodized color, and in direct light really looks more grey. Pretty cool.

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Seeing what they might look like in context against my wheels:

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Robert helped me source all of the necessary remaining pieces for install (Tilton prop valves, ST e-brake bracket, various supporting lines and hardware), so once everything came in, off to his house to put these bad boys on. Late on Sunday night I got a call with some heavy breathing from Robert who sent me this pic of a test fit:

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Picked the car up and spent the next few days DDing it to bed the brakes in since WestFest was right around the corner (the Tarox bedding process calls for ~500km normal stop-and-go driving before pushing the brakes very hard). The pic from my previous post above was while the rotors were fresh, without any bed-in. The NSX makes for a great Costco car – feeling like [MENTION=9485]FF Drifter[/MENTION] with all of these daily miles lol.

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In the meantime, I also finally dialed in my ride height and did a mini detail to get ready for WestFest.

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Yikes, that's a lot of shopping carts, let's hope they don't roll into your car. :eek:
 
Great looking car with perfect ride height.
Steve

Thanks Steve, hope all is well!


Yikes, that's a lot of shopping carts, let's hope they don't roll into your car. :eek:

Hah, they were blocked by chocks IIRC - only reason I considered parking there. Plus no one was on my driver's side so that was a plus :D



Finally made it out to WestFest! Smaller group than NSXPO which made it extremely fun, plus got to hang out in Vegas with a bunch of my Socal homies for 3 days – very glad I finally was able to go this year after having to miss the last two. I didn’t take as many pics as I wanted to since in all of my infinite wisdom, I left my DSLR at home.

Lil pre-meet action at B Nutritous (I got here like 2 hours before everyone else did lol):

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Tarox rotors breaking in nicely. It’s crazy how different the finish on the brakes looks in different light:

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My boy Trent ( [MENTION=33447]streeter[/MENTION] )with his awesome AP Racing kit and sensational rust-spec RG-D. Jk, his car is goals.

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Tony, Mars and me at the Findlay concours:

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Shot of my car courtesy of Matt (@d1 guy) and Charles

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Me, Nemo, Robert, and Jimmy

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Next project is to get my old interior (Pole Position FIAs, Zagato wheel, and door cards) into the car.
 
Heavy breathing indeed! Lol... It was no small task but definitely happy with the results. MexiGarage is OPEN for business :cool: Free freshly squeezed orange juice while you wait.

BBK, semi-slammage, cup kit, wheel spacers and removing the stock airbag, yikes. What other sacrilegious activities do you intend on subjecting this poor and helpless, once all original, na2_c00p to?
 
It’s been a bit quiet but there have been plenty of updates over the last few weeks.

I wanted to start to spruce up the interior a bit but keep it mostly OEM. I have always wanted a set of OEM Type S seats in black leather and Alcantara, but those are a few years away for me still. However, I had a set of Pole Position FIA’s from my old Targa that were very similar. Since I already had them and they had been in storage for over a year, I figured now was as good a time as ever to take out my stock seats and swap the Recaros in. Luckily, taking the seats out is one of the simplest jobs on the car.

Picking them up from storage:

48182026497_eccc6d26fa_h.jpg


Test fit of one seat in:

48182026532_28e76850a1_h.jpg


I needed a couple of random bolts so a short trip to my local hardware store and seats are finished:

48182026537_971561211b_h.jpg


I went down to visit Nemo one weekend and we swapped over my old OEM steering wheel to my Momo Zagato that I’d had sitting in storage for over a year as well. I wanted to try a different hub than OEM but didn’t need a quick release, so I picked up a new Works Bell standard length hub.

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A week later I spent an afternoon w [MENTION=25247]MexiRicer[/MENTION] swapping over my door cards. I have a tendency to be a little heavy handed and didn’t want to break any door tabs so Robert graciously offered to help for a few cervezas. Ended up being a fun and relatively easy project for an afternoon.

Sneaky guest appearance by the master himself:

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Unfortunately I was an idiot and forgot to take good pics of the finished product but here is a snapshot:

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Consider MexiGarage an open invite at ANY point in time where you have Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig in hand :D We still gotta plan out a sulk sesh before your departure from So Cal :(
 
Consider MexiGarage an open invite at ANY point in time where you have Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig in hand :D We still gotta plan out a sulk sesh before your departure from So Cal :(

I have 3 bottles of each...that enough to entice MexiGarage to travel to Colorado? Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Amazing build with great taste. I actually test drive this car back in 2014 before it left California. Always feels like one of the cars that got away from me.
 
Earlier this year I managed to find a really good deal on a set of fogs from Dan (@NA1/2-R GT) – I had them sitting in my storage room for several months while I got my act together to get the brackets. Finally, once the pieces were in hand, I headed down to Nemo’s to wire them all up. Protip: be ready to hate life trying to get the fog brackets mounted with the bumper on…

I originally wanted to run an HID kit like my good ol’ boys Ryan and Robert had in theirs, but after seeing the trouble Robert went through to get a nice-looking cutoff (and also trying to get through the burn-in period for HID bulbs) I ended up just sticking with incandescent bulbs and bought a set of Nokya 3000K bulbs. They don’t give off a ton of light, but it’s just enough, and the color is a deep gold yellow – exactly what I was after. I’ve been running these during the daytime as well, functioning like a DRL, which has been nice as it’s made it easier for other drivers to see me on the street.

Found some cool spots in OC to take a couple of pictures.

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Next on the list to come is to start to piece together an OEM-style Type S seat set. I drove through Colorado a few days ago, and got to help my good buddy Spencer (@NSX_n00b) install his Downforce DF-R seats. They are so beautiful that I may or may not have shed many tears while we installed them.

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Spence also grabbed some OEM speakers I had lying around and was nice enough to trade me his OEM power rails and old Alcantara cushions for them (he had new cushions re-made for his seats and I wanted the black Alcantara to match my own door cards). So now, I have the ancillary pieces for my seats, and just need to get the shells, cushions and side bolster upholstery done.

And then also, find the true unobtanium…titanium NA2 test pipes…
 
Earlier this year I managed to find a really good deal on a set of fogs from Dan (@NA1/2-R GT) – I had them sitting in my storage room for several months while I got my act together to get the brackets. Finally, once the pieces were in hand, I headed down to Nemo’s to wire them all up. Protip: be ready to hate life trying to get the fog brackets mounted with the bumper on…

I originally wanted to run an HID kit like my good ol’ boys Ryan and Robert had in theirs, but after seeing the trouble Robert went through to get a nice-looking cutoff (and also trying to get through the burn-in period for HID bulbs) I ended up just sticking with incandescent bulbs and bought a set of Nokya 3000K bulbs. They don’t give off a ton of light, but it’s just enough, and the color is a deep gold yellow – exactly what I was after. I’ve been running these during the daytime as well, functioning like a DRL, which has been nice as it’s made it easier for other drivers to see me on the street.

The fog lights look beautiful. Makes me consider doing them vs the mesh covers for the bumper.


Next on the list to come is to start to piece together an OEM-style Type S seat set. I drove through Colorado a few days ago, and got to help my good buddy Spencer ( @NSX_n00b ) install his Downforce DF-R seats. They are so beautiful that I may or may not have shed many tears while we installed them.

Spence also grabbed some OEM speakers I had lying around and was nice enough to trade me his OEM power rails and old Alcantara cushions for them (he had new cushions re-made for his seats and I wanted the black Alcantara to match my own door cards). So now, I have the ancillary pieces for my seats, and just need to get the shells, cushions and side bolster upholstery done.

And then also, find the true unobtanium…titanium NA2 test pipes…

I may have shed a tear or two as well. I'm glad the Alcantara will be put to good use. Sad it will be a while before I see your unicorn in person again, but WWDD photoshoot when she makes her way back to the West Coast :cool:
 
Spence also grabbed some OEM speakers I had lying around and was nice enough to trade me his OEM power rails and old Alcantara cushions for them (he had new cushions re-made for his seats and I wanted the black Alcantara to match my own door cards). So now, I have the ancillary pieces for my seats, and just need to get the shells, cushions and side bolster upholstery done.

And then also, find the true unobtanium…titanium NA2 test pipes…

The fog lights look beautiful. Makes me consider doing them vs the mesh covers for the bumper.




I may have shed a tear or two as well. I'm glad the Alcantara will be put to good use. Sad it will be a while before I see your unicorn in person again, but WWDD photoshoot when she makes her way back to the West Coast :cool:

And you guys did not stop by Honcho's place to see the S Zero?? :D:D j/k
Still drooling over your Type-S wheels....
 
Looks amazing. I love that black roof. I’m dropping mine off tomorrow to get mine wrapped.
 
Your car looks great and thanks for sharing it with us :) . I like how your NSX's silver color really comes to life in the bright sun light. Just curious, is there a reason you went with an air-pressure based lift system instead of a smaller hydraulic based lift solution?
 
And you guys did not stop by Honcho's place to see the S Zero?? :D:D j/k
Still drooling over your Type-S wheels....

I wish! Just a quick stopover in the Springs and then was on my way.

Looks amazing. I love that black roof. I’m dropping mine off tomorrow to get mine wrapped.

Thanks, Mike. We'll get the two together eventually.

Your car looks great and thanks for sharing it with us :) . I like how your NSX's silver color really comes to life in the bright sun light. Just curious, is there a reason you went with an air-pressure based lift system instead of a smaller hydraulic based lift solution?

Thanks! In terms of the lift, a hydraulic system like the HLS never even crossed my mind actually. Cost, speed and simplicity were all top of mind and an air system much better fit my needs. The Stanceparts kit can be pieced together for well under $1k all-in, the components are straightforward and it's just a simple cup so it can sit on vitually any linear coilover with a linear spring as long as you get the right shaft diameter, not to mention it lifts almost instantly. I'm pretty happy with it so far. :)
 
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