Beard's track car to superstar

[Ironbeard]

I have now in my possession one of the original Dali Racing Track cars. I have done about as much research as I could to find the history of the car and the build and after countless hours I went as far as I could and learned as much as was available. After mulling it all over, I decided that this was the car that I had to get. There are a multitude of unknowns from modifications to their purposes to the maintenance history on the car. However, with one bolt at a time I will shed new light and birth new life into this car and give it the attention it deserves and the flare that only I can give.

I bought the car on 4/20/2019 from a gentleman who only bought it for show and drove it 200 miles in his year of ownership. Only to put a wrap on it and deliver it home. No maintenance was performed and no records for work done by previous owners. It will receive much more attention from me than that. Off the bat there are 2 lists to be made. What it has and what it doesn't.

What's missing:
- No A/C or heater
- No ABS
- No radio or associated equipment or wires
- No trunk liner or mats
- No headliner
- No interior rear panels
- No bumper turn signal lights
- Missing most interior trim pieces
- No parking brake or associated equipment
- Various scuffs and scratches to the paint and body

Thankfully, the engine harness was not hacked to pieces and left intact so re-installing various pieces won't be a complete nightmare.

Now the fun part (and also one of the main parts I'll need help with from the NSX Prime community) is what it has and what needs to be identified.

Drivetrain:
- Unknown Brand Racing Clutch
- Unknown Brand short shifter
- Rebuilt OEM 5spd tranmission
- Dali Racing Stainless steel clutch hydraulic line

Suspension:
- Brake Bias Adjustment valve
- Dali Racing Slotted and Drilled F&R rotors
- Dali Racing Brembo GT kit w/ Lotus calipers (12.9 F&R)
- Dali Racing front sway bar
- Dali Racing rear sway bar
- Dali Racing rear tunnel brace
- Dali Racing full roll cage
- Dali Racing Dual vane front chassis brace
- Dali Racing Radiator Core Support
- D2 Air Struts
- Viair 444cc Stealth black compressors
- Airlift 3P management

Engine:
- 1998 3.2L Engine swap
- Hybrid Racing fuel pressure gauge
- Aeromotive A1000-6 Injected Bypass Regulator
- Aeromotive fuel filter
- Dali Racing Boostzilla Stage 2 supercharger kit
- Tial Q 50mm BOV w/ 8psi spring
- Dali Port and Polish Stage 1
- Dali Racing oil catch can
- Dali Racing FATCAT SC Test pipes
- DC Sports headers
- Dali Racing baffled oil pan
- Dali Racing track radiator kit
- Dali Racing Test Pipes
- Taitec C3 Model 2 titanium exhaust
- SOS coolant expansion tank
- SOS Accusump System
- 18lb coolant tank pressure cap
- RC Engineering 440 fuel injectors
- Hardened Motor mounts
- 6.3PSI drive pulley
- Custom manifold cover plate


Interior:
- NRG Short hub adapter
- Works Bell Rapfix quick release
- Bride Adjustable Low max seats
- MOMO Monte Carlo steering wheel
- Custom center console w/ triple gauge pod
- Dali Racing Black anodized aluminum shift knob
- Dali Racing Lexan rear window divider
- Dali Racing slim battery holder
- Schroth Rallye 4 point harnesses

Exterior:
- Dali Racing JGTC style rear diffuser
- Dali Racing fog light air ducts
- Dali Racing Brembo brake Aluminum Air deflector v.2
- Dali Racing Track hood
- Dali Racing carbon fiber front splitter mount
- Aluminum front splitter
- FAL Lexan rear hatch glass
- NSX-R carbon fiber wing
or
- Pride Carbon NSX GT Carbon Fiber Spoiler
- Aerolatch locking hood pins
- ASC Speedmetal custom license plate frame garnish


Electronics:
- PLR Devices R-500 Engine Management
- AEM Digital Air:Fuel gauge
- AEM Digital Boost gauge
- Odyssey PC680 racing battery
- Dali Racing compact battery mount
- Morosso battery kill switch
- External fuel pump switch
- Pioneer AVH-1440NEX
- Pioneer GM-D9705 Class-D 5 Channel Amp
- HERTZ HCX 165 6.5" 2-Way Hi-Energy Coaxial Speakers
- HERTZ 10in Subwoofer w/ SOS subwoofer enclosure



Wheels:
- Prodrive GC-06H 17/18

At this time this is all that I could make out.

The plan: Restore creature comforts and replace components that are missing with either OEM or aftermarket pieces to have a show ready, daily'd track car. Perform maintenance and establish a baseline record for service and performance. Upgrade old and outdated parts.

 

[RPM217]

I have now in my possession one of the original Dali Racing Track cars. I have done about as much research as I could to find the history of the car and the build and after countless hours I went as far as I could and learned as much as was available. After mulling it all over, I decided that this was the car that I had to get. There are a multitude of unknowns from modifications to their purposes to the maintenance history on the car. However, with one bolt at a time I will shed new light and birth new life into this car and give it the attention it deserves and the flare that only I can give.

I bought the car on 4/20/2020 from a gentleman who only bought it for show and drove it 200 miles in his year of ownership. Only to put a wrap on it and deliver it home. No maintenance was performed and no records for work done by previous owners. It will receive much more attention from me than that. Off the bat there are 2 lists to be made. What it has and what it doesn't.

What's missing:
- No A/C or heater
- No ABS
- No radio or associated equipment or wires
- No trunk liner or mats
- No headliner
- No interior rear panels
- No bumper turn signal lights
- Missing most interior trim pieces
- No parking brake or associated equipment
- Various scuffs and scratches to the paint and body

Thankfully, the engine harness was not hacked to pieces and left intact so re-installing various pieces won't be a complete nightmare.

Now the fun part (and also one of the main parts I'll need help with from the NSX Prime community) is what it has and what needs to be identified.

Drivetrain:
- Unknown Brand Racing Clutch
- Unknown Brand short shifter
- Rebuilt OEM 5spd tranmission

Suspension:
- Brake Bias Adjustment valve
- Slotted rear rotors
- Drilled front rotors
- Dali Racing Brembo big brake kit
- Dali Racing front sway bar
- Dali Racing rear sway bar
- Dali Racing rear tunnel brace
- Dali Racing full roll cage
- Tein coilover hats on OEM springs

Engine:
- 2002 3.2L Engine swap
- Bonacho fuel pressure gauge
- Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator
- Aeromotive fuel filter
- Dali Racing Boostzilla Supercharger kit with Vortech V-2E supercharger
- Blitz 70139 VD Blow off valve
- Dali Racing oil catch can
- Dali Racing exhaust
- Dali Racing headers
- Dali Racing baffled oil pan
- Dali Racing track radiator kit
- SOS coolant expansion tank
- SOS Accusump System
- 18lb coolant tank pressure cap
- RC Engineering 440 fuel injectors


Interior:
- NRG Short hub adapter
- NRG 2.0 Quick release
- Bride Adjustable Low max seats
- Momo F1 Concept Ergonomic steering wheel
- Dali Racing Aluminum center console
- Dali Racing Black anodized aluminum shift nob
- Dali Racing Lexan rear window divider
- Dali Racing dash
- Schroth four point racing harnesses

Exterior:
- Downforce carbon fiber rear diffuser
- Dali Racing front bumper air ducts
- Dali Racing Track hood
- Dali Racing carbon fiber front splitter mount
- Aluminum front splitter
- FAL plexiglass rear hatch glass
- NSX-R carbon fiber wing
- Sparco hood pins (2 sets, front and rear trunk)


Electronics:
- PLR Devices R-500
- AEM Digital Air:Fuel gauge
- Autometer intake temperature gauge
- Autometer boost pressure gauge
- Exhaust temperature gauge
- Odyssey racing battery
- Morosso battery kill switch
- External fuel pump switch

At this time this is all that I could make out.

The plan: Restore creature comforts and replace components that are missing with either OEM or aftermarket pieces to have a show ready, daily'd track car. Perform maintenance and establish a baseline record for service and performance. Upgrade old and outdated parts.

View attachment 159701View attachment 159702View attachment 159703View attachment 159704

From your post, your date of purchase is a year into the future!!! Can you please give me some stock information from 4/20/2020, it would help me and my clients a lot!!!!

 

[natcc99]

haha, something tells me you were so excited that your fingers were typing 20 a few too many times.

Congrats on your new purchase. I remember seeing that ad and day-dreaming what it would be like to rebuild it. I am excited to see how your build goes and glad to see another nsx get back on the streets/track. It needs to be driven more than 200 miles a year. Best of luck on the journey.

 

[docjohn]

indeed...best of luck....I would have passed if I was looking for a street/track car..this is too track oriented...

 

[Ironbeard]

indeed...best of luck....I would have passed if I was looking for a street/track car..this is too track oriented...

I thought about it. However, after weighing the price point, the mods, and the benefit of rebuilding it, it was hard to pass up

 

[docjohn]

cool ...keep us posted.

 

[Hass]

Congrats and welcome

 

[condumbwerkz]

Congratulations on your purchase!

 

[Ironbeard]

Just a quick list of work so far and lessons learned:

Services:
- Oil change
- Radiator flush. However, now the oem temp gauge fluctuates somewhat erratically. Most noticeable when the engine comes up to temperature and I accelerate. Stays within the comfort zone though. Possibly needs replacing.
- Car wash

Parts bought:
- OEM driver side door handle assembly w/ leather
- OEM passenger outlet assembly
- OEM passenger leather door card
- OEM Center console
- OEM Left and Right turn signal lenses
- OEM Left and Right pillar garnish
- OEM front left triangular door trim
- OEM front right triangular door trim
- OEM rear right triangular door trim
- SOS 02+ headlight upgrade harness
- SOS left aluminum door repair lever
- Honda rear trunk struts w/ ball studs
- Part No.: 90201-PD1-000 (Sealing Nut)
- Part No.: 90428-PD6-003 (Washer)
- Part No.: 74889-SL0-003ZC (fuel cap release)
- Part No.: 72137-SG0-000ZJ (inside door lock knob)
- AeroCatch Plus flush locking hoodpins x2
- Alla Lighting 800 Lumens DE3175 LEDs

 

[Ironbeard]

Just a quick update on some stuff so far.

Services:
- Oil and filter change
+ the oil filter was routed up to the front engine bay, I assume for ease of access during track days
- Radiator coolant flush
- Car wash

Parts purchased:
- L/R OEM Turn signal Lens
- L/R OEM Door sill garnish
- OEM fuel door release button
- L/R OEM front door triangle trim
- R OEM rear door triangle trim
- Complete L door handle assembly (including leather door card)
- R OEM leather door card
- OEM Trunk struts w/ ball studs
- OEM Center Console face
- OEM Passenger door switch panel
- 91 Handbrake lever assembly
- SOS Billet aluminum door repair lever (left)
- SOS 02+ headlight upgrade harness
- x2 AeroCatch Plus flush locking hood latch kit (for trunk and hood)
- Interior LED lights
- Part No.: 34257-SD4-000 Plate, Courtesy Light
- Part No.: 34256-SD4-003ZM Light Assy., Courtesy
- Part No.: 72113-SL0-003 Rod, Lock Knob (passenger door)
- Part No.: 90428-PD6-003 Washer, Sealing (12MM)
- Part No.: 90201-PD1-000 Nut A, Sealing (12MM)

 

[natcc99]

Awesome, keep the ball rolling.

 

[docjohn]

.and the wallet open................:tongue:

 

[mwagner10702]

I see it has a California plate on it. Curious how do you get it (got it) through smog testing?

 

[Ironbeard]

I see it has a California plate on it. Curious how do you get it (got it) through smog testing?

The owner definitely went through someone to get it done. All about who you know. However, looking at the other facets of the car and being military, I am switching the registration to out of state.

 

[Ironbeard]

A bunch of oem parts added to the list. Small things here and there. Most notably, I got the doors put back together fully with locks, switch panels, leather pieces, and working handles.

One of the issue with the car was that all of the hoses that were installed were way too long and laying ontop of the throttle linkage and just too long in general. Went in and trimmed hoses to length so that they were held out of the way and more appealing to the eye. Also, bought some wire loom to group hoses together and improve the overall aesthetic. Used some on the interior as well to hide the wires from the tuner that run from forward of the headliner back around to the rear firewall.


Bought and new Schroth Rally-e cross harness for the passenger seat because the previous owner had 1) the wrong harness type and 2) the harness installed incorrectly. I will have to buy a second one eventually to replace the drivers side one due to there being the newer version and the now mismatched harness designs in the car.

Took the car to the shop on saturday to get some work done. Got a basic Viper alarm system installed with the key fobs. Installed 35% tint on the side windows. Finally, got around to addressing the headlight issue.


The car came with a set of custom headlights that use 4 lenses in what seems like a custom mould made from heavy fiberglass or plastic. During my first inspection, I noticed I would have to put in some work to get these up to date and corrected. The previous configuration had the head light harnesses spliced (very badly) and then soldered (also very badly) to an H4 bulb. A ground wire was also soldered from the bulb and grounded on the chassis. After some digging and looking up the lenses, turns out the headlights are 4 lenses from 1989 Honda CBR400rr motorcycles. So, in order to get things working I had ordered the Science Of Speed 02+ headlight conversion harness since they don't make the 91 pigtails anymore. I bought the Morimoto 2stroke 2.0 9006 LEDs and had some 9005 LED bulbs laying around for the hi beams. I took it to a local stereo shop here that did some headlight work and they made custom collar adapters to allow the small 9005/9006 bulbs to fit in the H4 headlight lenses, while allowing the collars to be reused for new bulbs. They ran into some trouble with the OEM harness and said they had to repin some stuff, presumable because I was using the LED bulbs instead of the HIDs. This took them quite a while but they got it figured out and all the lights work, for the most part. Good news...the lights work. Yayyy. Bad news... they pinned the harness so that the hi and low beams come on at the same time. Not a super huge issue at the moment, however I will go back and see if we can get the lights fully figured out. I will have to go and get pictured of what they look like to upload.


At the same time, now that the "Light" phase is done, I am moving towards the audio phase. Currently the car has not speakers or audio and no space to put one in. I had picked up a used oem console face that has been modified to use a single din stereo. I mocked up how I wanted the layout to be, took it to a couple shops to get estimates and they were so so, in the range of $500 to modify, fix, and paint the oem one. However, I got in touch with my fabricator who is well known and has done a few projects for me in the past and we decided to just custom fabricate another console face like the one that came in the car. One our first look, we would do the same mock up that I did, adding in the radio, and the handbrake. Then we quickly moved onto V2 in which the single din became a double and the gauges move from the console to the a custom mount that will be made in the air vents. It will be likened to the I's special mount, sporting 3 52mm gauges for boost, AFR, and Intake temp (maybe).

 

[Ironbeard]

Last post didn't go through so I am rewriting it.

Got a few things done on the car last weekend before showing her off at Cars-Coffee-Donuts in San Diego. I got the front windows tinted to 35% for a little extra privacy and to help with the Cali sun as summer is approaching. I also installed a Viper alarm system for some much needed security. Nothing fancy but it's nice to have a key fob as the car didn't come with one when I purchased it. Track car problems.


Additionally, I got the headlight issue (mostly) fixed. The car came with these custom headlights that were installed horribly. The oem harness was spliced and tapped into, bits of random wiring were pieced together and soldered to an incorrect h4 bulb. The ground wires were also soldered and then screwed into the frame. Only 1 set of bulbs were connected. First things first was to figure out how the headlights were put together. Doing some googling and running numbers, the 4 headlamps are from a 1989 honda CBR400rr (very dated) and used the H4 bulbs which wasn't going to work. I had preemptively purchased the SOS 02+ headlight conversion harness, which I don't think they offer anymore, only the whole kit. I bought some Morimoto 2stroke v2 9006 LEDS and had some 9005 Hi beam LEDs laying around for the rework. Took the car to a local shop and they made some custom collar adapters that I can switch onto the new bulbs and reuse whenever I need new ones. They got the lights fitted, got the lights working buuuuuuut the wiring was not right. The lights work, however both the high and low beams come on together as opposed to the normal operation. I have seen some posts about how the high and low beams are pinned and need to just go and switch some wires. Although the shop said the issue wasn't in the pinning but rather in the SOS harness that I supplied them. At least I can drive at night now.


Now that the "Light Phase" is done, I'm moving into the "Entertainment Phase". First, I need a new center console because the current on has no radio, and a bunch of gauges everywhere. I bought this old console that was fitted for a single din and mocked up a layout and took it to a few audio shops for quotes. Prices were roughly $500 to peel, strip, sand, fiberglass, and paint. Before pulling the trigger on any of them, I paid a visit to my fabricator and went over my plan with him and we decided to go a different route all together. I will be getting another console custom made from sheet metal, this time utilizing a double din with back up camera, rocker switches to control various pumps and lights, and most importantly, re-adds the handbrake.

The gauges are going to be relocated to a custom mount that will go where the vents are above the console. Mine are already cracked and missing the clock, so why not make it into something useful? It will be made using carbon fiber for aesthetics as well.

I purchased the SOS aftermarket radio bracket as well the doors cards for aftermarket speakers. Still considering if I want to use a trunk mounted amp, not considering the passenger sub location.

 

[Ironbeard]

Got a couple more items and found some new ones on the car.

Purchased:
- SOS door speaker panels
- SOS radio bracket
- Pioneer AVH-1440NEX
- CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002

Discovered:
- Odyssey PC680 battery
- Dali Racing lightweight battery mount

The old battery got drained from sitting for a while. Before buying a new one, I saw in the forums that it could charge it and is a good tender. All else fails, I'll just get a new battery.

 

[Ironbeard]

Here is the back of the headlight housing. finally got around to snapping a picture while I was doing some work. Rather clean install overall. Also, either by chance or I was just operating the lights incorrectly initially, the headlights work as normal. Low beams at normal operation and high beams come on when clicked with the lever.


The front lip carbon fiber piece was in all kinds of bad shape so I recleared it. I wet sanded it with 600 and 1000 grain sand paper and the used some rustoleum gloss clear coat that had the double protection. The hardware was also super rusted and some bolts required the use of an angle grinder to come off. I replaced the hardware with black oxide bolts, washers and locking nuts to match the carbon fiber and be less of an eye sore than the silver was.

 

[Ironbeard]

I got new metal clips and triangle door trim pieces and fitted those. With that, the door interior pieces have all been added back into the car and the doors all work fine. The other 3 pieces were replaced but they are the same as these two pics.


Also got a lens for the passenger door light and LED


Finally got the turn signals in. They got fitted with new sockets and bulbs and screws. I was a bit worried because the connectors on the harness were in terrible looking condition and seemed to have had crud caked up inside of them. I took a little pick and cleaned them out to find that it was a grease substance. Dielectric grease maybe? Thankfully it didn't mess up the connectors and all the lights worked for parking and turn indicators.

 

[Ironbeard]

From Japan with love. Taken at a local Cars and Coffee meet in San Diego.

 

[Ironbeard]

Took the car to my tuner to just get a few pulls to see what the car was making. We did 3 pulls, the first making 336WHP. We noticed the car was actually running super lean with the fuel pressure reading 38psi and also had a pretty high AFR. We did some old school wrenching and adjusted the fuel pressure regulator and bumped up to 50psi. Second pull was at 347WHP with a much lower AFR. We tweaked it slightly more to about 52psi and make 350WHP on the third pull. We are expecting much better numbers considering we dyno'd the car on a hot day, after it had been driven for a while, and there's no intercooler system (yet hehe). Adding cool night or early morning temps and the eventual intercooler system, she will likely be able to touch 370.

 

[Ironbeard]

Some new stuff
- SOS door speaker panels
- SOS Sub enclousure w/ Hertz 10" sub
- SOS radio bracket
- Hertz HCX 165 6.5" speakers
- Pioneer AVH-1440NEX Head unit
- Momo 350mm Monte Carlo steering wheel
- Ctek 7002 battery tender
- Hybrid Racing fuel pressure gauge (not pictured)
- Work Bell Rapfix II quick release (not pictured)

 

[natcc99]

Nice progress. Thanks for sharing the photos and bringing us along your journey.

Keep us updated on your sheet metal center console project. Interested how it turns out and meets your new vision/needs.

You mentioned about reinstalling brake lever. Does that mean your rear calipers are missing the e-brake cable?

 

[Ironbeard]

Nice progress. Thanks for sharing the photos and bringing us along your journey.

Keep us updated on your sheet metal center console project. Interested how it turns out and meets your new vision/needs.

You mentioned about reinstalling brake lever. Does that mean your rear calipers are missing the e-brake cable?

No problem at all.

Im actually going to go meet with my fabricator today to check the progress and get some other items started.

- Intercooler system
- License plate garnish
- Center console
- 3 gauge pod
- Roll cage bars
- Fuel pressure regulator mount
- Better catch can mount

The car does not have ebrake cables and the brembos brakes also don't have integrated e brake. So I will either have to get a new rear brake set up or add on one of the ebrake calipers

 

[Ironbeard]

Thanks to a member here, I was able to get onto the archived Dali Racing website and start identifying more of the parts on the car. These will be added to the build page post.

- Dali Racing Brembo brake Aluminum Air deflector v.2
- Dali Racing Radiator Core Support
- Dali Racing Stainless steel clutch hydraulic line
- Dali Racing FATCAT SC Test pipes
- Dali Racing Lowering springs
- Dali Racing JGTC style rear diffuser
- Brembo GT kit w/ Lotus calipers (12.9 F&R)
- Dali Racing Slotted and Drilled F&R rotors
- Hardened Motor mounts (looked and saw the rear mount was a whitish color)
- Dali Racing Boostzilla Stage 2 kit
+ Apparently there were talks for a Stage 1,2,3, and 4. Mine has the tuning kit and the larger injectors with a 6.3PSI drive pulley (needs to be verified. There were also some pictures so I know what to look for). I believe a only a Stage 3 kit was made to include the W2A intercooler setup.

++ Another highlight is that I think I can confirm that my car was the test car for the kit from the pictures. It went through a slight upgrade for the fuel system and hoses but everything else checks out. The valve covers, the oil cap, the coolant tank and catch can, the fuel pressure regular and fuel pressure gauge, and the steering wheel inside.

+++ A correction to the history of the car.

- A freshly rebuilt 1998 3.2L engine was installed with stock pistons and compression in 2007.
- Dali Port and Polish Stage 1 (not sure what the specs on this service was)
- 1993 ECU
- Had 5spd w JDM ratio's and 4.235 ( Transmission was rebuilt with OEM parts in 2016)