BBVNSX 93 EDM NSX - From Portugal!

[BBVNSX]

Hello Everyone!


Although i've been an active reader on NSXPrime since the beginning, and I've registered as a member back in 2006, i haven't really presented myself in the past, so here it goes:

My name is Bruno, I'm 34 and I'm from North of Portugal!

My NSX is a EDM 1993 NA1 MT LHD with 39.000 Kms / 25.000 miles.

I was a big fan of Ayrton Senna and I wanted an NSX since I was 15 :smile: when i first saw on the tv Ayrton driving it at "Autodromo do Estoril"!


....But i had to study, and then work in order to accomplish my dream... and my dream became reality when I bought my NSX in January 2005 when i was 26:biggrin:!

My NSX first belonged to the owner of an Honda dealer in the north of Portugal, and was 19.000 Km / 12.000 miles when i bought it!


It has been 8 years of pure joy!

I decided to start this building thread as I've done and I will be doing some small upgrades along with maintenance to my precious red devil :biggrin:. It won't be a big modification thread, as i like to keep the OEM look (and reliability...), and most of the parts I'll be installing are OEM or over spec ones to heal some of the known, and very little :wink:, week points on our beloved NSX!

So here we go:


Installed Parts :


- 94-01 16/17 OEM wheels

- NSX-R Engine Cover (from Sudesh - UK)

- Downforce Scoop

- Uni Dual-Stage Filter

- OEM 3rd Led Brake Light

- Guppy attack antenna



To be installed with my next TB service:


- KSP Headers

- ATI Crankshaft super damper

- Toda Racing Billet steel oil pump gear (along with all the OEM bolts / washers/ o-rings...)

- Toda Racing TB (along with all the big service OEM parts and some others: WP, adjuster, gaskets bolts, washers, o-rings, oil filter, fuel filter, alternator and A/C belt, spark plugs...)

- ScienceofSpeed Clutch Slave Hose Kit

- Venair Reinforced Silicone Coolant Hose Kit (with all the other 17 OEM hoses, clips, clamps and thermostat)

- LMA's (along with all the OEM seals, washers, o-rings, solenoid and spool valve filters...)

- Honda JDM NSX-R Coolant Expansion Tank Cover

- Honda S2000 clear side markers

- SPOON Oil Filler Cap

- SPOON Radiator Cap

- Phenolic gaskets to insulate the manifold (I'll check my VVIS bolts too)

- CT Engineering Cam Pulleys



I'll be removing the following parts:


- OEM spare-tire + mount

- toolkit

- engine compartment cooling fan


Some upgrades i intend to do in the future: (but i'll keep things slow as i have many other personal projects at same time :wink

- later spec ABS upgrade
- 17/18 Prodrive GC-07C
- Stoptech BBK
- All the NSX-R bars and non-compliance rear beam bushings + toe links
- Coilovers
- 2002 Rear Valence + Skirt + Door Panel
- Exhaust

Now for some pictures (I'll update when new parts arrive):



- - - Updated - - -

For some detailed pictures on the NSX-R Style Engine Cover:

 

[BBVNSX]

And on the KSP Headers (weight in kg):

 

[BBVNSX]

Some parts arrived! here are the photos (weight in Kg):

- Toda Racing Billet steel oil pump gear:


- SOS Clutch Slave Hose Kit (Thanks UnHuz :wink:


- Honda JDM NSX-R Coolant Expansion Tank Cover:


- Honda S2000 clear side markers:


- SPOON Oil Filler Cap:


- SPOON Radiator Cap:


- SPOON Heat Barrier Tape (to protect my A/C compressor and oil pan from heat coming from the KSP Headers) :


- And lots of OEM Parts :biggrin::


More to come!

 

[BBVNSX]

Some more parts arrived!

I weight everything that goes in or out of my NSX, including the driver :biggrin:

As usual, weight in Kg, but I'm preparing a table with all the measurements in kg and lbs :wink:

Toda Racing Timing belt:


A. S. Motorsport prototype intake kit:


ATI Crankshaft super damper:


CT Engineering Cam Pulleys (I bought those because i was considering high lift Toda Racing cams... but decided not to go with them for now...) :



Can't wait to start installing everything on the car!

 

[runner]

Viva de Portugal, o NSX está Excelente !

I hope one day fulfill my dream of having a NSX

 

[Brylek]

Very nice! I really like this project.

 

[etang789]

And on the KSP Headers (weight in kg):

Are the KSP headers equal length? Hows the quality?

They look very similar to the GT-One and RF-Yamamoto headers

 

[BBVNSX]

Viva de Portugal, o NSX está Excelente !

I hope one day fulfill my dream of having a NSX

Obrigado! / thanks!

The right NSX is waiting for you somewhere, you will find it one day :wink:

Very nice! I really like this project.

Thanks! me too :biggrin:

Are the KSP headers equal length? Hows the quality?

They look very similar to the GT-One and RF-Yamamoto headers

You can find a lot of good information on the KSP headers here:

http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/showthread.php?6286-NSX-Health-Check-Service/page30&p=72512#post72512

according to the information there, they are equal length +/- 5 mm (F - 130 mm R -135 mm)

Kaz is an "ex-Honda R&D engineer with F1, Indy/CART background" and was on the original NSX project from inception through several production evolutions. When he speaks I listen :wink:

Quality of those headers is really good, they look similar to the GT-One and RF-Y but they are not the same, you can see this if you compare the front colector. otherwise they look very similar... (not saying they are better or worst). Let me say that my decision was exactly between KSP, GT-One and RF-Y :wink:

 

[BBVNSX]

My NSX had its big maintenance done and is on the road again! I'm so happy with final results! (i will update my review on the results after writing about the maintenance:wink

I studied the maintenance with lot of time and detail, so i was able to finish my list of all the needed part numbers and decided what parts i wanted to upgrade from OEM.

I managed to get all the parts from Japan / A. S. Motorsport etc..., which helped to keep costs at an acceptable level when compared to EU Honda prices ...

Of course i've put a lot of time researching here on PRIME, and NSXCBUK, with special enphasis to Kaz's "NSX Technical and Service Information" blog... I even contacted Kaz, and he was very helpfull with headers decision and what parts i should consider to replace since this was the TB service and my car was turning 20 years old...

Meanwhile i contacted other NSX vendor specialists, like A. S. Motorsport, CT Engineering, Toda Racing, ATI, etc...

Maintenance was performed at my local Honda dealer. I've been using their services for some years now, and i'm very pleased with their service level. Since the begining they agreed that i could follow the maintenance step by step, so i was very happy and confident that everything would end just the way i wanted! :wink:

Let me say that that i'm no mechanic, but i'm a big enthusiastic and an "interested student" :biggrin:, so this was a great expirience for me! Very rewarding and i learned a lot from it too ! Meanwhile, i was able to share with my mechanic some of the good tips i gathered while doing my research...

I'll be updating my build on the next few days, so i hope you enjoy.

Enough of talking and lets start with the pictures of my maintenance:

Here is the car arriving to the Honda Dealer and being prepared for the maintenance :



Taking the engine out (this was made following the manual step by step) i confess i was quite worried when this task was performed :redface:... It was the first time the engine was out:



Separating the engine from the rear axles:



My engine compartment was like this :




...to be continued...:biggrin:

- - - Updated - - -

... continuation

After putting #1 piston on TDC, we removed the crank pulley using Honda Special tool (this was not an easy task... even using the tool...), and proceeded removing valve covers and TB covers:



I was very happy to see how clean the engine was on its internals. Although my car is pretty low milage, driving my car frequently and changing my oil at least once a year, helped for sure (as a side note, i've been using 5w40 Shell Helix Ultra for the last 4 or 5 years... but i don't want to start a discussion obout "the best engine oil"... :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin


We were now ready to start putting marks on the TB, TB drive pulley and cam pulleys in order to be possible to replicate those marks on the new parts and be 100% positive that everything was in the correct place. It was now time to put the 5mm locking pins on the camshafts (since we didn't have the specific pins, we used a 5 mm drills facing up to do the work) and then we removed the TB.
you can see it here (my TB was replaced back in 2005... but as you can see below my water pump was still the first design... ):



More to come...

 

[BBVNSX]

Removing camshafts, rocker arms and cleaning the internals in preparation for the new style LMA installation (some before and after pictures):



Since we had to remove VTEC spool valves/solenoids, we also cleaned them and replaced filters:



New LMA’s installed and looking good!:



Reassembling everything back (we used fresh oil while reassembling the parts):



The final result:

 

[A.S. Motorsport]

Very nice build! keep up the good work.

 

[KKND]

Like to see a neyboor doing a good job

 

[Ponyboy]

interesting info on the ksp headers. Thanks for sharing!

 

[BBVNSX]

Very nice build! keep up the good work.

Thanks Adnan! And Thanks to you and A. S. Motorsport helping me with the parts I needed!

Like to see a neyboor doing a good job

Thank you Portuguese fellow!

interesting info on the ksp headers. Thanks for sharing!

You are more than welcome!




Time for water pump change! mine was still first design, so i bought the new complete kit WP + Cover, i decided to replace all the old bolts with new ones.

Once again i was surprised how well the WP resisted after 20 years... not a sign of rust and working really smooth! here it is after removal:



Preparing the mating surface to recive the new WP (before / Afer):



We also cleaned carefully the bolt holes with a special tool... here is the old vs new WP pictures (you can see the diference on the draining hole circled in red):

Old: , New:

 

[BBVNSX]

I decided to upgrade my oil pump gear with a billet one from Toda Racing. Not that i track my NSX, or plan to change my 8.000 rpm rev limit, but since i was pulling the engine, this would be an easy task so i decided to upgrade for the peace of mind.

removing oil pump:



Replacing oil pump gear with Toda Racing unit (OEM vs TODA):



Cleaning everything and back into place with new bolts and seals:



A look from bellow, you can see the crankshaft...



The oil pan... looking brand new...

 

[UnhuZ]

Hi,

it's amazing how new your whole engine internals are....wish mine were like that :tongue:


Nuno

 

[felixR]

Great build so far!

 

[BBVNSX]

Hi,

it's amazing how new your whole engine internals are....wish mine were like that :tongue:


Nuno

Great build so far!

Thanks for your compliments!


After LMA's, WP and Oil pump, it was now time to install the new Toda Racing timing belt, along with the new CT Engineering cam gears!

Let me say that those cam gears look awsome! and are much lighter than OEM ones!

As explained before, i was considering high lift camshafts, but i decided not to go that route since this would mean playing with my ECU and engine timing... this wouldn't be easy, specially in Portugal, where NSX is a very, very rare car... and i wouldn´t trust my beloved NSX engine to anyone without the correct background and expirience!

So my decision was to put all the cam gears at 0º position (same as OEM) and use them only to reduce rotational weight on my engine! therefore increasing my engine responsiveness... well... and they really look nice when installed... so i'm happy... :wink:

We replicated all the marks we have previously done on the OEM parts in to the new TB and Cam Gears to be sure everything was in the exact same position. We were now ready to install the parts as shown in the manual and after checking and checking and checking and checking again and then checking and checking and checking one more time :biggrin:, we felt confident that the engine timing was correct and everything was in the correct position, so we could proceed to adjust the slack on the TB.

We decided also to replicate (white paint) the OEM TDC marks on the Gear with timing ring to help when adjusting the valves.

Now for the fotos:

Installing the CT cam gears:



Replicated marks and TB going to its place:



The final product after adjusting the TB slack (the red TB looks great! doesn't it?):




The engine was now ready to proceed to valve adjustment, but we decided that first we would take care of the intake and header instalation, and adjust the valves next day in the morning, since this is a very meticulous task and we need all the patience that we could find to do it well.

 

[BBVNSX]

Since i was opening my intake manifold, I decided to change all the gaskets including EGR etc...

Opening the intake manifold:



Checking my VVIS bolts, they where really tight in their place! decided not to touch them for now!



cleaning everything, including the air temperature sensor... shining intake isn't it :wink:?



Fitting the new A.S. Motorsport Intake Kit (prototype version)



And my intake manifold was ready to go!

 

[BBVNSX]

KSP Header instalation...

well i really love those headers... such a work of art ... it is almost a shame to "hide" them on the engine compartment... :biggrin:

I followed Kaz (NSXcb UK - see link on my #8 post) recomendation when installing the headers, protecting my A/C compressor from the heat by using heat barrier tape on the compressor and thermo bandage on the tube next to the A/C compressor. I decided to protect also my oil pan with heat barrier tape.

Removing the old exhasust manifolds + O2 sensors:



Heat barrier (SPOON) + super thermo bandage (BILLION - 1650 ºC )



Protecting A/C compressor:



Protecting oil pan:



The final result (almost looks like a race engine to me...):

 

[BBVNSX]

With the work on the engine approaching its final steps, it was time to clean the rear axles and engine compartment...

some before and after pictures:


Rear axles:

Before:

After:


Engine Compartment:

Before:

After:

 

[Ponyboy]

Wow, quite the difference in before and after in some of the cleaning pics. When is your estimated build completion date?

 

[BBVNSX]

Wow, quite the difference in before and after in some of the cleaning pics. When is your estimated build completion date?

Well... i think my build will be endless... :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

But my first stage of the build is already finished and my NSX is back on the Road :biggrin:, since i don't have much time at the moment, i'm updating information about maintenance, and i will update about the final results after :wink::

My NSX had its big maintenance done and is on the road again! I'm so happy with final results! (i will update my review on the results after writing about the maintenance:wink

...

- - - Updated - - -

I changed all my hoses, radiator, water valve and oil cooler (Total of 23 including the the overflow tube), clips and clamps.

I decided to go with silicone kit from VENAIR for the main radiator cooling hoses (6 pieces) and the remaining 17 i went with OEM!

Some pictures of the VENAIR silicone kit installed:




After 4 hours of valve adjustment (I don't know why, but exhaust valves were the hardest to adjust...) it was time to put valve and TB covers along with all new gaskets in their place and start the process of linking the engine to the rear axle...



At this stage we also fitted the new oil filter in place and installed the ATI super damper.

I got the special tool to press the damper into the cranskshaft, so this was an easy task (unfortunatly i have no pictures while pressing it :redface...



Since in the future i won't be able to use Honda special tool to lock the damper in place when unbolting the special bolt from the crankshaft, we decided to machine a special tool that will allow to lock the ATI super damper in place, preventing the crankshaft from rotating when bolting or unbolting the damper from the crankshaft :wink:



We checked the engine mounts (they were in great shape ) and the engine was ready to go back in its place! :wink:

 

[BBVNSX]

The Engine ready to go back to its place... finaly :smile::



We still had time to install the new ScienceofSpeed Clutch Slave Hose Kit:



Engine in its place, and assembling everything back:




With all the fluids filled up, the big moment we were waiting for finaly came...

Time to fire up the engine!

... i was realy impressed how the engine started after all the maintenance... it took one second for it to fire up ... like if it had been turned off 5 minutes ago... the idle was really, really smooth, with the V6 purring a very healthy sound ... I had no words for about 20 seconds... just hearing that lovely music :redface:... Amazing...


Pictures of the engine in its place... such a work of art (new goodies installed: NA1 NSX-R Intake plate, NSX-R Expansion tank cover, SPOON oil filler cap and expansion tank cap):



I will try to snap better pictures with day light...

I hope you enjoyed! :smile:

I'll be sharing more information and pics in the future!

Now my red devil is in the garage sleeping... but ready to rock! more than ever! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Be carefull... don't make any noise... you will wake him... and he has quite a bad temper :biggrin:



Special thanks to:

- NSXPrime comunity - For turning my NSX ownership an even better expirience!
- My local Honda dealer - For the good service over the years!
- Mr. Franklim (superintendent mechanic) For making this happen the way we planned!
- Mr. Vitor (Mechanic that worked on the car) - For the dedication and incredible work on the engine and car!

 

[BBVNSX]

Some more pictures of the Engine Bay... NA1 NSX-R Style... :wink:




The white side blinkers:



Here is my NSX taking a sun bath :