fender bender advice on new front

druby

druby

Experienced Member
Joined
2 April 2004
Messages
486
Location
Savannah, GA
Hey Folks:

Had a bad day I was driving down I-16 minding my own business when a truck going in the opposite direction lost his entire front tire and wheel. The wheel came across the median and hit the front drivers side of my car right at the corner. Fortunately I had time to hit the brakes but with a car to my right no where to hide. The damage is not real bad but I will need a new front bumper and front quarter panel. My question to the group is what advice would you have for new front bumper. I figure this is a good time to get something that might add to the looks and performance of the car. I was looking at the science of speed louvered hood and one of other companies bumper but would like to hear feedback of what others have tried and liked. Pictures would be great!

Thanks,
 
That would be a good time to add a new front bumper, but be prepared to spend big $$ for one. The prices quoted on SOS's website don't reflect import fees from Japan (on most bumpers) and shipping costs. Plus mounting it can be a pain in the neck for some of the aftermarket bumpers. I have the Taitec GT500 and it mounted pretty good. If you decide to go back with the OEM bumper, hit me up...i've got one for sale. :) If not, good luck with whichever you chose! :)
 
Are you planning on doing a 02 mod or keeping the OEM headlights? Here is a pic of the louvered hood on a yellow NSX.
mod24.jpg
 
That is what happened to me....... well almost, it was a semi retred that was the culprit.

This is what i replaced it with.....

RaysNsx2004HIN1.jpg


The fitment of the Taitec bumper is awesome, and with as low as my car it, those carbon fiber canards are worth their weight in gold, i cannot count the number of times i have run the nose into the ground going in and out of parking lots and drive ways, and there still isnt a scratch in the paint, as the carbon fiber canard have taken the brunt of the attack, and still live to talk about it.

-Ray
 
Personally if I were going with an aftermarket, I would choose the Do-Luck kit, but it's big $$$.
 
Hey Guys:

Love the feedback. 1TITENSX I especially like the picture since mine is yellow also and the look you have is fantastic. Can you send me any info on exactly what you put on and how easy/hard is was. I figure that since the shop has to put on a new front bumper anyway I may want to go with that.
 
Well, I can only speak for the louvered hood from the 02 mod aspect. The hood took a lot of modification to fit my 02 lights. I think this took about 2-3 weeks to form the hood for the 02 lights. If you decide to get the louvered hood, make sure the bodyshop gets all the pin holes out of the hood before they paint it. I can't emphasize this enough. You will also have to remove the spare tire and move a fuse box because it will come in contact with the louvers. Here is some more info on the louvered hood http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34236&highlight=louvered.
 
I have a new question after reading the posts on the louvred hood. Are there any hoods that don't require the removal of the spare and other modifications that look good and are they of good quality? Since my car is a daily driver I'm not sure I want something that might be difficult to install and will require me to drive without a spare. I have roadside assistance but if it's just a flat tire I don't want to wait for tow truck.
 
I'm not sure if David is asking for info on the yellow car or 1TITENSX's car(not pictured). I'll give info on the yellow above and 1TITENSX can give info on his.

Yellow car above has:

-Taitec front bumper with CF canards
-Vented hood
-Marga Hills side skirts
-Taitec rear quarter panel
(I won't list any other mods since you're looking for front end parts).

The SOS NSX-R style hood has a single opening and doesn't require removal of the spare tire (I think). You might want to check their site since all of the parts listed above can be found there.
 
You're right I was referring to the car pictured which I assumed was 1titensx. Thanks for the feedback. I hope to get them started on my car soon so I will need to order the parts pretty soon. Also anyone ever deal with SOS before? How long does it take to get parts?

Thanks for all the help ya'll are great!
 
Sos Is pretty fast, depending on what you get and if it is in stock.

Watch out for the import charges if you get stuff from japan.

My taitec took about 3 weeks.
 
SOS has a shop in AZ so they're a little closer than their other shop in WA. Either way they usually have parts in stock most of the time.

Another vendor is SWR (speed within reach) and is located in FL. He (Mike = owner) has ordered some new body kits not seen in the US just yet, so you might want to contact him to get more info on availability. His website is www.speedwithinreach.com
 
druby said:
You're right I was referring to the car pictured which I assumed was 1titensx. Thanks for the feedback. I hope to get them started on my car soon so I will need to order the parts pretty soon. Also anyone ever deal with SOS before? How long does it take to get parts?

Thanks for all the help ya'll are great!
Click to expand...

Here is a complete list of mods on the exterior of my car. I am rating the install on a 1-10 scale with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best.

2002 OEM Headlights - Install was about a 6. If was kind of difficult trying to assemble the headlight, modify the headlight bucket to accommodate the new light, and wiring.
Sorcery Wide Front Bumper - Install was a 10. No modifications needed.
Sorcery Wide Front Fenders - Install was a 10. No modifications needed.
SOS Louvered Hood - Install was a 5. It was very difficult and time consuming trying to modify the hood to fit the 02 headlights. There was also a lot of tweaking to get the hood to line up properly.
Ganador Mirrors - Install was a 10. This was a plug and play.
Vinny Sideskirts - Install was a 5. The forward part of the sideskirt had to be completely modified to allow the Sorcery fender to tuck back into the side of the car. Also, 3/4" of fiberglass had to be added to allow the side skirt to fit more flush to the inside of the door jam.
Taitec Rear Fenders - Install was a 7. Minimum modifications needed.
Marga Hills Rear Diffuser and Splats - Install was a 10. No modifications needed.

Passlimit USA is the sole US distributor of Sorcery products. Expect about a one month wait.

** Complete kit took 2 months to be installed **
 
Last edited:
Hehehhe, the complete kit on my car took 1 week to install, and repaint the entire car. Not to mention the extra fiberglass work to get the seams & lines to be completely even with each other. But i paid extra to have the body shop close, and soley work on my car to get it done for a car show. Of course they made me sport their banner at the show.

I cut it close, i had a flat bed pick it up from the phone booth, and drop it off at the exhibition center :-D

I then reinstalled all the lenses & what not at the show. Talk about cutting it close.

I got some of the parts QUICK from SOS because they had them in stock. Some of the out of stock pieces i didnt think were going to make it, but surprized me when they showed up at my door step in time to make the deadline.



-Ray
 
I have yet to see an aftermarket front bumper that looks as good as the stock one. And those "canards" look like they were tacked on with thumb tacks by a high school student who wanted to impress his ricer friends.
icon13.gif
All in the category of "different strokes for different folks", I guess.

MarkB said:
I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one who has had a run-in with a semi recap.
Click to expand...
I'm a member of that club, too!
 
druby said:
Hey Guys:

Love the feedback. 1TITENSX I especially like the picture since mine is yellow also and the look you have is fantastic. Can you send me any info on exactly what you put on and how easy/hard is was. I figure that since the shop has to put on a new front bumper anyway I may want to go with that.
Click to expand...

Noticed this on the web and thought this looks pretty nice in yellow...minus the mirrors

005.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have yet to see an aftermarket front bumper that looks as good as the stock one. And those "canards" look like they were tacked on with thumb tacks by a high school student who wanted to impress his ricer friends. All in the category of "different strokes for different folks", I guess.
Click to expand...

Ken, do you even think that about the SOS bumper that allows for 02 headlights but looks similar to the 91-01 bumper? I thought that one looked pretty attractive yet. Otherwise if you made me take one it'd have to the the full setup like Chris' at SOS.
 
dnyhof said:
Ken, do you even think that about the SOS bumper that allows for 02 headlights but looks similar to the 91-01 bumper? I thought that one looked pretty attractive yet.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you are referring to this one. Yes, I agree, that one looks quite nice!

nsx-r01f.jpg


I retract my earlier statement. :o
 
ok, Guys, I bought the taitec JGTC front bumper with the canards. The body shop says the bumper is missing part of the area that allows it to be attached to the fender. It is at the inside top edges. Have any of you used this bumper and if so was there any need to "build" a bracket to make it fit. If so what was used?

Thanks, I am hoping desparately to get my X back by next wednesday so I can drive it to take my son up to camp. The idea of driving all day isn't so bad in the x but would be a long day in the rented jeep.
 
To help speed along my install i went to the body shop and helped them install the body pieces.

The front bumper used all the factory metal bracket pieces off the factory bumper cover. The went on with a minimal amount of fuss. I did have to file a couple of holes just a tiny bit larger, but other than that i was impressed with the quality of the taitec bumper.

But i bulit nothing extra, i just used the factory hardware, and those 2 metal bars to reinforce the under side of the bumper that they included in the package with the bumper

Send me a pic of the area your talking about.

-Ray
 
Good time to convert to Euro side markers if you ask me.

$.02
 

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