Next Project: Engine Bay

[Chris W]

Just a sampler of what I've been up to lately with my engine bay. I think I'm getting addicted to polished aluminum. I have Mr. Arnold and Mr. Cobb to blame for my addiction. If you want to see some NICE engine bays check out theirs also.

[This message has been edited by Chris W (edited 06 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Chris W (edited 07 April 2001).]

 

[Craig]

WOW, very nice!!! and Classy too!

 

[Chris W]

Thanks Craig,
The big project will be polishing the cylinder head covers. I'll probably do it while I have them off adjusting the valves.

p.s. Don't tell anyone that I still have that ugly plastic coolant tank.

[This message has been edited by Chris W (edited 05 April 2001).]

 

[Veleno]

really nice Chris! What kind of brace is that? Did you polish all the pieces yourself, or had them professionally done? I can imagine how hard it'll be if you did them yourself. Looking at yours makes me want to start to do mine!



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Richard
NSXTASY

 

[hejo]

Hey look I can see myself! Very nice man. How long did that take? .... hmm

maybe Mr. Arnold, Mr. Cobb and now Chris W. have too much time on there hands

BTW I'm just kidding and jealous as hell!

[This message has been edited by hejo (edited 05 April 2001).]

 

[Chris W]

The strut bar is the original one. I used paint stripper to remove the paint from the surface and then went to work on the unfinished aluminum with 1000 and 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper to bring up the finish. I finished it off with Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish and a rag. This stuff will turn an aluminum can into chrome. It's amazing.

I polished the alternator and the throttle body with my good ol' Dremel tool using a combo of a wire wheel, soft cotton wheel, and white jeweler's rouge. It was easier for me to remove the alternator and work on it on a table rather than lean over the car for countless hours. I did the throttle body while still on the car. (just the top half or the parts that are visible.)

The only parts I had professionally done were the manifold cover and the vacuum line ports. The surface on the manifold cover is just a rough painted coating that is easily stripped off to reveal a beautiful finish after being polished. I chose to have the vacuum line ports chrome plated instead. The tubes are so close together it would have been hard to get a polishing wheel in between then to do a decent job. All of the bolts were replaced with chrome ones which look better than the yellow zinc colored ones.

Most of the other items I will need to finish off the engine bay can all be purchased in polished billet aluminum to replace those pieces that are made of plastic and cannot be polished/plated.

Total bill for polishing and plating of vacuum line ports(2), manifold cover, throttle valve dashpot, and small washers, bolts, and hose clamps: $80.

 

[Chris W]

Here's a shot from the other direction. If you look closely at the bottom right side of the photo you'll notice my glycerin-filled fuel pressure gauge that I installed courtesy of Brent Cobb's informative post on replacing the fuel filter. If you can think of it, Brent Cobb has done it to his NSX already.

People say, "Chris, do you have TWO alternators?'
I say, "Nope, that's just a reflection."

[This message has been edited by Chris W (edited 06 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Chris W (edited 07 April 2001).]

 

[Ken YZ F1]

Chris,
Obviously you have FAR to much time on your hands. Although it does look beautiful. And I thought I was anal!
Ken

 

[Jason Weaver]

Hey Chris, Strut bar looks great! Could you give us a little more detail about the process, I certainly am gonna try this one. (what grits, paint remover, etc) Thanks!

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Jason

 

[Chris W]

Jason,
I went to a local auto paint store and found a product from a company called mar-hyde, TAL-STRIP II, Aircraft Coating Remover. It strips finishes and primers from aluminum and other metals. It comes in a spray can and all you do is spray it on, wait 10-15 minutes and then just hose it off with a garden hose. (The paint will simply blister up like something from a science fiction movie.)

What you're left with is a raw piece of aluminum that is sort of a splotchy silver-tannish color. I then started sanding the strut bar with 500 grit wet/dry sandpaper by wrapping the paper around the bar and moving up and down........well, I won't get into what the motion is REALLY like.

I then worked with 1000 grit and then finished with 2000 grit to remove all the fine scratches.

The strut bar does not come to life until you apply the Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish (or any sort of aluminum and mag polish in paste form) with a rag in the same motion. The rag will turn black from all the oxidization that comes off from the polish and then simply use a clean rag to wipe it down after that. NOTE: You do not need to use a clearcoat protectant on the strut bar. Just an occasional wipe down with the polish on a rag and it will look like a million bucks.

If you desire the look of brushed aluminum then I would suggest lightly sanding the strut bar with 1000 grit or lower after the polishing procedure. For an even greater "brushed" look you can use a courser grit wet/dry sandpaper.

I found some chrome 12mm bolt head covers to conceal the two bolts on each side that hold the strut bar to the chassis to dress it up even further.

Total Cost: $10. ($5 for polish and $5 for bolt head covers.)
Time: 1-2 hours; depending on finish desired. Brushed or polished.

Have Fun.




[This message has been edited by Chris W (edited 07 April 2001).]

 

[Jay]

Chris, your strut bar seems to be upside down.

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited 06 April 2001).]

 

[Chris W]

Thanks for pointing that out. The previous owner must have put it on wrong because I've never taken it off except to polish it and I put it back on the same way I took it off. After looking at my Service Manual I now see that the notch in the strut bar above the vacuum lines SHOULD face downward.

I guess I assumed that the purpose of the notch was to allow the support rod for the engine cover to lay flatter in the down position.

While fiddling around the engine bay polishing things I've noticed little things like electrical connectors that weren't attached to their proper brackets or were just left loose. This doesn't surprise me at all.

Thanks for the HEADS UP!

 

[ScienceofSpeed]

Oooooo shinnnny!

Looks great Chris! The lower notch was to clear the vacuum lines that you see going into the throttle body.

One of the better engine bays I've seen ;-)

-- Chris

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www.ScienceofSpeed.com - Click for more info
www.NSXClassifieds.com - The internet's only exclusive NSX Classified site!

 

[Nsxotic]

Well, just finished polishing my rod.... ahem, I mean the cross bar in the engine compartment per Chris' instuctions.... looks great and wasn't too hard at all!! Feel bad for all the dummies that spend $200 plus to buy it....

Thanks Chris!!!

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Todd Arnold

http://www.geocities.com/nsxcessive/index.html

 

[hejo]

Originally posted by Chris W:
Jason,
NOTE: You do not need to use a clearcoat protectant on the strut bar. Just an occasional wipe down with the polish on a rag and it will look like a million bucks.

My wheel guy uses something call liquid glass on my polished wheels. It's like a wax and works really well. Might be something worth considering.

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Hal Jones
Lake Oswego, Oregon
95T Blk\Blk SportShift

 

[Chris W]

Sorry about the photos not loading. Photopoint is down for a little while. I will repost the new photos with strut bar installed properly.

Hejo,
Any type of good wax, like the Liquid Glass, can be applied to the aluminum to help keep it from oxidizing instead of the aluminum polish. Just WAX ON and WAX OFF. (Oops, I didn't mean to say WAX OFF and once again I won't get into what kind of motion it's REALLY like.)

 

[Craig]

Hey Chris,

That just looks damn good!

I think I just found my next project. After my car gets home from the paint shop (if it ever does) AND after I install my Bilsteins (if they ever arrive)

Were the red vacuum hoses and the stainless braided lines, kits... or, did you piece them together seperately? If kits which ones and from where?

As far as the coolant bottle, I may be alone on this, but I personally perfer the look of the stock unit. I really dont see what is so objectionable about it.

I think the black and silver look you've got going is on the right track....accenting the stock componients looks very classy or "high end"...Just my opinion.

 

[DocL]

Originally posted by Nsxotic:
Well, just finished polishing my rod....

Well, at least we know you are good at something Todd. Now, are you going to make it to Sebring for the next track event??

 

[Chris W]

The vacuum lines and stainless steel lines were NOT from a kit.

The vacuum lines came from a company in Tucson, AZ called Motorsport Warehouse (520-321-9500). They sell it by the foot in different sizes and colors. The size you see pictured(red) is $3/ft. I think I used a total of 10 feet for just vacuum lines.

The other stainless steel lines were all purchased by the foot at a local performance shop called Lopers. They sell it by the foot also in different sizes and then I just bought the hose clamp ends separately and changed everything out.

I would certainly have used stainless steel lines for the vacuum lines instead but I can only find that size hose with teflon tubing (similar to what is used for brake lines) instead of the rubber and it won't provide a tight seal like the rubber hoses will. Any suggestions?

It was a simple and fun project and I think everything cost me a total of around $150 for vacuum lines, stainless steel lines, and clamps. A lot cheaper than the $400 they want for the pre-cut kits. I didn't feel the need to pay extra just to have the lines pre-cut for me in "KIT" form. I'm sure there are more lines in a kit that I may not have changed out.... but not $250 worth.

Someday I will do the fuel line hoses but for now I will leave them stock. I should have done them while I changed the fuel filter and added the fuel pressure gauge but I didn't have that "WILD HAIR" up my butt at that time.

Thanks again for the compliments.

[This message has been edited by Chris W (edited 07 April 2001).]

 

[Nsxotic]

Thanks Doc, but although I'm good at it, please don't ask me to polish yours.

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Todd Arnold

http://www.geocities.com/nsxcessive/index.html

 

[NSEX]

Nice looking engine bay.

 

[Dman]

Hey Chris, Where did you manage to find the 12mm bolt head covers for the strut bar?

 

[Chris W]

I found them at my local parts dealer Auto Zone. I don't think you have them in Canada. The company that makes them is called Spectre. Private me if you need help finding them. I can get them for you if you like.

 

[B-rad]

Chris, your engine bay looks nice. If you want to add more shine to it you might consider adding a polished Coolant Recovery Tank, polished Injector Covers, polished Coil Covers,polished Fuse Box Cover, polished Manifold Cover and a polished Alternator Belt Cover. These can be found at Dali Racing and RM Racing.

 

[Chris W]

Ah yes, I'm well aware of all the goodies that are available. The coolant recovery tank from Dali Racing is much larger that the RM version for half the price and many of the other pieces from RM Racing are overpriced in my opinion.

I thought you all would enjoy this picture. (Not my engine!)

This photo shows one person's obsession with chrome and they even went so far as to polish/chrome the supercharger. Although it must be an incredible sight to see in person I think all that shine would start to look like a blob of shiny metal after a while.

I'm still planning on adding a few more polished accessories like the fuse box cover, recovery tank, and manifold cover but I want to do it tastefully. I sort of like the chrome and black theme that is happening right now and I'm afraid if I change everything possible to polished aluminum it might start to look "tacky".

Thanks for the suggestions and any others are greatly encouraged.