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Downforce NA1R Hood Redevelopment (Looking for donor NSX in Socal area)

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nsxpowered

nsxpowered

Experienced Member
Joined
7 April 2001
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526
Location
SoCAL, CA , USA
I'm been planning to remake the NA1R hood because there were just too many hits and misses. Some cars worked out great and some just awful. So this time around I will be doing the hood. Just a background on our NA1R, it was originally done by Metalcrafters. They are a very well known company that designed the Chrysler ME12, Dodge Viper back in 1992, The current generation Tundra for Toyota and many more. I am very disappointed with the results as I tried to reconfigure the tooling to save the mold, but I just can't pinpoint to where the problem was.

So what we are going to do this time around is to remake it ourselves from scratch and do it in-house so I can ensure quality control. I had been waiting for a while for a NSX to base off and had not been able to locate a virgin donor yet. So I'm looking here on Prime for someone. Here are the requirements.

1.) 1990 - 2001 Year of Manufacturer
2.) Must have original paint on Fenders and Front Bumper
3.) Must have never dismounted the Fenders or Front Bumper
4.) Never in accident.

Your NSX will be needed for 2-3 weeks.

Compensation would be a free NA1R hood to be delivered.
looking for a 1991-2001 NSX that has never been in an accident before.
 
Good to see you're still in the NSX fold!
 
Surprised no takers yet.

A little off topic but if you're looking to improve on your DF 02+ R hoods i've got a local, full OEM 91 conversion with stock paint i'd be willing to offer up (no accidents). The OEM hood fits perfectly against the OE bumper and OE fenders. I'm using a 8/10 quality, deep scoop, 02+ R hood for track days but would sure like a better version.
 
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Im too far away to volunteer, but look forward to an improved NA1-R hood in the future
 
you are still in business?

you sound so promising, but you never responded my email after i visited your shop a coupe months ago. maybe you thought i couldn't afford the parts?

btw, i suggest you disconnect your business telephone because no one ever answered the phone.
 
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Hi nsxvtecvtec, sorry for not responding to your emails, I had a lot of things that had happened from March to now and still on-going. All the meanwhile I have been focusing on making improvements on our parts. Everything will be made public once our new website will be finished. As for the phones we have a new receptionist who is always there to answer the phones now.

WldNsx, I will look forward to meeting you tonight.

The biggest tradeoff is the downtime of the donor NSX. I wish it could be done in a few days, because it would make my development cost just that much cheaper. From my years of experience, you can't get quality when you rush. All the tolerances and measurements takes time and proper cure time before handling. Please note that your OEM hood will be safe as I have plenty of G1 hoods at my place.
 
Peter, I might be interested. I have a nsx that just sits in the garage. pm me if interested.

Paul
 
i am the person who wanted to buy DF NSX R seats. i tried to reach you many many times until i was frustrated.
 
Nero Tenebre said:
Good to see you're still in the NSX fold!
Click to expand...

Same here. I mean that sincerely.

nsxvtecvtec said:
you are still in business?

you sound so promising, but you never responded my email after i visited your shop a coupe months ago. maybe you thought i couldn't afford the parts?

btw, i suggest you disconnect your business telephone because no one ever answered the phone.
Click to expand...

Communication has always been an issue with DF. I've been 2-1/2 years waiting for a replacement hood and communication has been spotty. However, I was pleased to receive an personal email from you yesterday advising me of this initiative and CL65Captain directed me to this thread.

I will say this and list for the record that I bought the DF-R scoops, R wing, NA1R hood, door sills, fan shroud, underbelly pans and license plate surround. I am very pleased with how these parts have aged and the CF looks as good as new. No CF parts have had any of the issues that I have read about with other vendors: issues like clear coat clouding, de-lamination, etc and I think that my car has had its share of UV exposure.

Overall I'm very pleased with your products with the exception of the hood. It is largely acceptable too and if I had spent under $500 on the hood I would be more tolerant. However, when you talk about what the cost is for a DF CF hood it should be right and compromises should not be expected. Aside from that issue I am a believer in the long-term quality and value of your products.

We will see where we go from here Peter.

Curt
 
You want the whole car or just the hood? I would do it , but I am far north of CA. If you need the hood, I will send it down to you.
 
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Are you planning to make the OEM center consoles and door panels? I think they would be very popular.
 
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geometro said:
With all this effort is going into re-engineering the hood: are there plans to re-engineer the NSX-R hood duct to fit a LHD vehicle's ABS module and fuse box correctly?

Comparison of how the RHD and LHD fit:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showpost.php?p=894091&postcount=6
Click to expand...

The current Downforce duct, which I have on my car, is not a replica of the OEM piece, but it does clear the fuse box and ABS modulator. The duct opening on the hood negates storing the spare tire though.
 
http://scienceofspeed.com/products/exterior_performance_products/NSX/Downforce/NSX-R_Hood_Duct/

Looks a lot and from the description, sounds like it's for RHD cars. It may fit LHD cars with slight trimming, at least for pre '97 cars, or is already trimmed from DF. If if was possible to mirror the right and left side surface and have the "original" edge remain, the sides would cover the ABS unit better and the "cut out" for the fuse box near the top mounting would fit better.

But the SoS site could have an old file photo.

I'm not interested in the tunnel looking thing that mates right up to the fan shroud.
 
well, since you have plenty of people willing to do this, i retract my offer.
 
Peter,

I know you have the right intentions with this project but I believe you may be embarking upon a journey that leads to where you begin: an offering that sometimes fits perfectly and sometimes doesn't. This is not because they are poorly made parts, owever.

I've come to believe that so many parts don't just bolt on right because of the hand-built nature of these cars. While at the factory, the techs custom align every body panel so that the gaps are tight and even. Then it all gets tightened down, nice and perfect. If a new panel is put on, one may get lucky and it bolts right up, or sometimes the adjacent panels may need adjusting for a proper fit. A body shop guy knows this all too well. Don't get me wrong, there are some parts out there that are poorly made but this has not been my personal experience with parts from DF.

My concern here is that the expectation that is being set right now is that this new hood you're designing will fit perfect on every car that has not had any body work done on the forward part of the car. I contend that such a part is not possible for the NSX - at least not for a hood that has to match three adjacent body panels.

I personally know someone who had an aftermarket hood on his NSX that fit perfectly with nice, tight straight gaps and even alignment. He took it off to lend it to a friend for a show and when he went to put it back on, he couldn't get it aligned properly. And this is the SAME HOOD ON THE SAME CAR! So there's some tweaking to do, even on a simple re-installation. It just goes to show that these things aren't as plug and play as they seem.

I applaud your dedication to our cars and enjoy many of your parts on my own car. I just hope you're not setting the bar too high for yourself. But hey, I'd like to be proven wrong here :smile:

J
 
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I'm right in the OC and willing to donate my car to the cause (though my front bumper has been resprayed before I purchased it)

Hoping to win a lotto and get a free downforce hood!
 
02#154 said:
Peter,

I know you have the right intentions with this project but I believe you may be embarking upon a journey that leads to where you begin: an offering that sometimes fits perfectly and sometimes doesn't. This is not because they are poorly made parts, owever.

I've come to believe that so many parts don't just bolt on right because of the hand-built nature of these cars. While at the factory, the techs custom align every body panel so that the gaps are tight and even. Then it all gets tightened down, nice and perfect. If a new panel is put on, one may get lucky and it bolts right up, or sometimes the adjacent panels may need adjusting for a proper fit. A body shop guy knows this all too well. Don't get me wrong, there are some parts out there that are poorly made but this has not been my personal experience with parts from DF.

My concern here is that the expectation that is being set right now is that this new hood you're designing will fit perfect on every car that has not had any body work done on the forward part of the car. I contend that such a part is not possible for the NSX - at least not for a hood that has to match three adjacent body panels.

I personally know someone who had an aftermarket hood on his NSX that fit perfectly with nice, tight straight gaps and even alignment. He took it off to lend it to a friend for a show and when he went to put it back on, he couldn't get it aligned properly. And this is the SAME HOOD ON THE SAME CAR! So there's some tweaking to do, even on a simple re-installation. It just goes to show that these things aren't as plug and play as they seem.

I applaud your dedication to our cars and enjoy many of your parts on my own car. I just hope you're not setting the bar too high for yourself. But hey, I'd like to be proven wrong here :smile:

J
Click to expand...

My VIS hood fits almost perfectly. Easily a 9/10. I have seen some NA1 DF hoods and no matter how much tweeking you do it's going to look like crap - for example CURTSR's not just has uneven gaps but the hood actually sticks up about a 1/4" on one side. I understand that hoods have to be carefully adjusted and you aren't going to get the gaps perfect but DF really needed to correct the mold on their NA1 hood.

No one expects a 10/10 fitment only a 9/10 and some of DF's NA1 hoods were not. So I applaud Peter for going back and trying to get this right.
 
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CL65 Captain said:
My VIS hood fits almost perfectly. Easily a 9/10. I have seen some NA1 DF hoods and no matter how much tweeking you do it's going to look like crap - for example CURTSR's not just has uneven gaps but the hood actually sticks up about a 1/4" on one side. I understand that hoods have to be carefully adjusted and you aren't going to get the gaps perfect but DF really needed to correct the mold on their NA1 hood.

No one expects a 10/10 fitment only a 9/10 and some of DF's NA1 hoods were not. So I applaud Peter for going back and trying to get this right.
Click to expand...

Any picture of your hood on the car Mr. CL65???
 
CL65 Captain said:
My VIS hood fits almost perfectly. Easily a 9/10. I have seen some NA1 DF hoods and no matter how much tweeking you do it's going to look like crap - for example CURTSR's not just has uneven gaps but the hood actually sticks up about a 1/4" on one side. I understand that hoods have to be carefully adjusted and you aren't going to get the gaps perfect but DF really needed to correct the mold on their NA1 hood.

No one expects a 10/10 fitment only a 9/10 and some of DF's NA1 hoods were not. So I applaud Peter for going back and trying to get this right.
Click to expand...

We could probably exchange anecdotes for quite a while about well- or ill-fitting hoods… which illustrates my point, exactly.

J
 
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