When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I didn't really have much interest in BMWs either until I started snooping around for potential replacements for the Integra about 6 months ago. The cult following of the E39 5-series is what initially caught my interest then I kinda fell in love with the design. You'd never know that chassis design was 20 years old from looking at one of the facelifted models. I swore I'd never buy another black car but then I saw the freshly polished metallic black in the sun and said f*** it. I'll try to get some interior photos this afternoon after work.
Before I really start in on the bimmer though I want to get the NSX reassembled. Now that the dash cam is properly hardwired (I've had it plugged in the cigarette lighter socket for the past year or so) I'm just waiting on some LED bulbs for the ash tray, cigarette lighter ring, glove box, and floor lamp from SuperBrightLeds so I can put the center console trim back in along with the kick panels and get the interior all buttoned up for good.
Those interior panels turned out great! I owned a 2000 540i 6spd as well for a while. Such a fun car to drive around in. I'm excited to see how the nsx interior looks like all complete. Any other plans for the NSX once the interior is back together?
Those interior panels turned out great! I owned a 2000 540i 6spd as well for a while. Such a fun car to drive around in. I'm excited to see how the nsx interior looks like all complete. Any other plans for the NSX once the interior is back together?
Yeah I'm happy with them, definitely a huge improvement over the peeling factory finish lol.
I'm enjoying the 540 so far, I've put a few hundred miles on it since Saturday including a short road trip to visit my parents for Mothers Day and it's definitely a nice car to just sit in and drive. Anything I should know beyond expecting to spend a good deal on maintenance? Of course I have a punch list of little things I want to take care of on it but really the only immediate concerns are the airbag recall which I'm having done this weekend, an oil change which will be quick, the clutch which I'm going to knock out next weekend (got a nice discount because of the clutch slipping when you really get on the gas), and a busted window regulator which I'll probably knock out sometime next week. I need to get a thread going for it too, making these threads helps keep me motivated when it gets too tedious lol.
After the interior goes back together my list of "must do" stuff on the NSX is essentially complete. I still want wheels and tires at some point but that isn't a priority since I really like the stock wheels. I'll probably do extended wheel studs and 15mm front/25mm rear spacers to get a more flush look at some point, and I might have the wheels blasted and powdercoated since the finish on them was repainted before I had it and its starting to chip on sharp edges. Really I just want to drive the car for a while though, I haven't had a complete interior for 6 months at this point but after summer is over I'll start tearing into stuff again.
Not much honestly. The window regulator is a common issue and leaking vc gaskets. All I did on mine was an oil change and the vc gaskets and spark plugs cause it was nearing time so figured i'd do them with the vc off. That v8 in that gen 540 is recognized as one of their most reliable v8's. I ended up selling mine to a friend who has still been driving it for the last 5 years with zero issues. I think it is now at 300k miles, I sold it to him at around 200k miles.
Good plan for the NSX. You did a great job on cleaning the car up so now you should just enjoy driving it!
Interior is almost complete! I still have a bit left to do on the driver side door (body shop messed up reassembling it after the respray so the door handle creaks...ugh), but here's some pictures of what's been completed. I think I might also need to look at the climate control unit again, the weird issues with the console illumination are still present just less common.
Very clean! Everything works very well together and looks almost factory, but better.
Thanks! that was exactly my goal. I want the interior to look factory at first glance, but with little improvements and details here and there that add up to being better than stock.
Also I had to order a new climate control circuit board. I was doing some testing on mine to try and figure out the weird voltage issues and was probing with a multimeter. The probe slipped and shorted out a power and ground pin, ruining the board. DIY usually saves lots of money, but sometimes you get burned lol. The worst part about it is that the BMW is taking up my garage space and has no transmission while I wait for parts for the clutch job, so I've been daily driving the NSX with no air conditioning in temperatures approaching 100F.
After 2 weeks or so I got a new climate control circuit board installed and have AC again, which is really nice in the 95-100F weather we're having here in Austin.
I also started seeing low oil pressure on the in-dash gauge, initial research pointed to a bad pressure sensor, so I bought the ScienceOfSpeed oil pressure sensor and relocation kit which moves the sensor from the cylinder head to the firewall so it isn't subject to as much vibration. After that, idle pressure appeared to be even lower with the new sensor and I still wasn't seeing the pressure I should higher in the rev range either so I started to get worried. As a last ditch effort I ordered a new in-dash oil pressure gauge from Amayama (discontinued in USA) and then realized that there's no point in dealing with the factory gauge since they are notoriously bad. So, I bought an AEM electronic oil pressure gauge and sensor, installed it, and found my oil pressure readings to be just fine. Now the new cluster oil pressure gauge is sitting in my box of spare parts since removing the cluster is a pain in the butt and I have no real reason to install it anymore.
Here is my firewall pressure sensor setup, the SoS replacement sensor is on top, the AEM sensor sticks off to the side with the brass T fitting, and the braided hose goes to the cylinder head where the original factory oil pressure gauge used to be. I have to say, getting the SoS oil pressure block (on the other end of the hose) on there was a HUGE pain in the butt. Space is very tight where the original sensor was installed and I must have dropped the bolts 10-15 times before I was able to get them threaded in.
To make matters worse, I lost my trusty old made-in-USA Craftsman 10mm socket that I've had since before the Integra somewhere in the engine bay. I suspect I won't see it again until I pull the motor.
And just some more pictures I took the other day. I need to take new pictures of the interior, the old ones I took when my camera's image stabilizer was acting up and making everything blurry.
Coming up in the next couple weeks: Upgrading to new spring-style LMAs. I'm starting to hear the telltale tapping of sticky hydraulic LMAs so I need to replace those before they damage the VTEC cam lobes.
Last edited by MotorMouth93; 07-06-2018 at 01:02 PM.
this has been one of my favorite threads so far. great reading material and love the restoration process and time you spent make sure everything is perfect. beautiful car
I just have to say that I read all 5 pages in one sitting and you're my hero. This resto-mod thread reads like a slightly more OCD version of what I am planning when I get my NSX.
this has been one of my favorite threads so far. great reading material and love the restoration process and time you spent make sure everything is perfect. beautiful car
Originally Posted by Prudz_lude
**** that car looks great.
Originally Posted by DumpdEJ6
I just have to say that I read all 5 pages in one sitting and you're my hero. This resto-mod thread reads like a slightly more OCD version of what I am planning when I get my NSX.
Originally Posted by NAS_OCSICNARF
subcribed.
Thanks guys!
Also, another update. A month or so ago I got tired of the Euroboutique contoured steering wheel and it just looked kind of out of place in the NSX interior so I sold it and went back to stock. However, stock isn't great either since it looks like a pillowcase, so I started looking into an NSX Type R steering wheel setup.
In case you aren't familiar, and NSX Type R steering wheel costs between $700 and $1000 depending on where you get it, and to me that's just insane considering the wheel is a rebranded 350mm Momo Tuner (A $200 wheel) with a different label on the front. So, I bought a 350mm Tuner wheel and used acetone to remove the "TUNER" logo, and the result is a wheel that is 99% identical to an NA1 Type R steering wheel, the only giveaway are some minor differences in the logo text on the bottom spoke, and the R wheel has 3 extra mounting holes to help center the wheel underneath the trim ring which aren't necessary and are covered by the trim ring.
Here is the Tuner wheel with the logo removed.
The other Type R steering wheel parts weren't terribly pricey so I ordered the hub, horn button, horn ring, trim ring, and mounting bolts brand new from Amayama. Overall I spent less on this setup than I got from selling the Euroboutique wheel, so I'm happy.
After that, I started working out the wiring. My car has a passenger airbag as well as seatbelt tensioners so I didn't want to completely remove the SRS system since I have some ethical concerns about removing the airbag in front of my passenger, so I need to keep the SRS functional. I also don't want to cut up the factory harness or do anything janky with the wiring, so I needed to source another SRS clock spring plug. The solution to all of this was an EG Civic clock spring connector, it is identical to the NSX plug and a friend had one left over from when he installed an aftermarket wheel in his Civic. I depinned the ribbon cable and soldered a 2.2ohm resistor across the airbag terminals to trick the SRS unit into thinking the airbag was still there. Turns out there was enough room in the back of the connector to hide the resistor completely, so that eliminates any issues with the resistor leads bending over time and eventually breaking, and make it look very clean.
After that, I soldered wires to the pins for the horn and cruise control signals, added a braided nylon wire sleeve to make it look nice and protect the wire from possibly getting knicked by sharp metal edges in the steering column, then soldered on a quick disconnect for the horn and a Deans micro plug for the two cruise control buttons. You have no idea how much I love making wire harnesses, it's so satisfying.
For the horn button, I fabricated this spring plate out of a sheet of thin aluminum and screwed it in to the clock spring mounting holes. I left a tab sticking out for a quick disconnect rather than using a ring terminal or just twisting wire around the screw since it's cleaner looking and easier to work with if I have to take it apart.
Hub installed.
And done! The finish on the horn button almost perfectly matches the shift **** and hand brake, I love the way it turned out.
Next up is an HID retrofit with clear lenses and Morimoto Mini H1 projectors.
Did you ever consider going the Type R momo wheel? Though I suppose not as you'd lose the airbag and cruise buttons.
Good call on the MOMO Tuner. I did the same with my Integra R. As you say a slightly different version of the same R wheel, that goes for daft money(the Tuner I got even came with the extra holes and didn't say tuner on it). The biggest obvious difference is the R one doesn't have red stitching for some reason. You'd think it would. One other option if someone wanted to keep the airbags is the JDM only Integra R airbag wheel.
Though they can be pricey enough these days too and hard to get one that isn't "aged".
Fun fact, or not... the Only (original)NSX R that came with airbags was the one sold to the UK market. Though it looks awful as they used a generic Honda airbag wheel. They only sold a few in the end. Four IIRC.
Again if I may say so. Again. Fantastic build of a bloody lovely car. Kudos.
Where did you find a Tuner with extra holes? The JDM Integra Type R airbag is definitely one of the best looking airbag wheels Honda has made and it's a shame they put the awful 4 spoke wheels in the USDM ITR. If I could have afforded one at the time I probably would have put one in my Integra, but I ended up going with the SiR wheel instead. It's just not quite as clean as the Momo without the airbag though.
Ahh that explains it MM. The one I saw in the flesh was an NA2-R. Odd they got rid of the red though as it looks much better.
Where did you find a Tuner with extra holes?
Oh no intelligent thought on my part. As usual. I just ordered one on ebay from a lad in Italy who had two of them brand new. It's the Tuner wheel, doesn't have MOMO engraved on the down spoke like the R and the painted MOMO logo is low down, but it had the extra holes and no Tuner script(how's that for Sheldon Cooper levels of fanboyism ). Factory second maybe? The NA2 didn't sell well in their markets so maybe there were overruns by MOMO? But to me it shows that they're essentially identical wheels and at least one got mixed up somehow. I'd drop in a pic, but that's a thread no no for good reason and my steering wheel is on the correct side of the car. Americans: Ye can put a man on the moon and build skyscrapers that touch the clouds and stride the cultural world of the last hundred years like a colossus, but for all that and for some odd reason you wonderfully daft buggers insist on putting steering wheels in front of passengers.
.The JDM Integra Type R airbag is definitely one of the best looking airbag wheels Honda has made and it's a shame they put the awful 4 spoke wheels in the USDM ITR. If I could have afforded one at the time I probably would have put one in my Integra, but I ended up going with the SiR wheel instead. It's just not quite as clean as the Momo without the airbag though.
Oh I agree 100% Though I have had the occasional younger more safety conscious passenger of the lady persuasion get worried when they notice there are no airbags. I correct them by saying "there is love, you're looking at him. Oh and I'm the lane assist, blindspot warning, ABS and traction control too". When that sinks in they're often grabbing at the door handle screaming to be let out. And for damned good reasons.
I know airbags save countless lives and that's a good thing, and they're much less obtrusive and frankly bulbous looking these days compared to the huge ones of the 90's, but I do love the "purity" of the non airbag wheels. Plus any facial mishap I may get in a fender bender is likely to improve things... But as you said you rightfully and refreshingly have ethical concerns over passenger safety and your solution really is the best of both worlds. And it looks bloody brilliant. Though not a shock that it is MM. Attention to detail and out of the box thinking from the start.
I installed cruise control buttons over the weekend. I wanted to keep CC since I use it pretty much all the time, but I also didn't want the buttons sticking out of the steering wheel like this since it just looks awful in anything but a stripped out racecar.
So I devised my own solution. After searching Digikey for buttons, I came across some small black buttons that would blend in with the black steering column. I'm not a fan of drilling holes in factory trim pieces, but I made an exception in this case since the holes would be covered up by the stock steering wheel if I ever lose my mind and put it back in for some reason. Here they are installed in the lower steering column with wiring attached and ready to be plugged into the wiring harness I made for the airbag and horn button.
Everything connected inside the steering column. There is enough slack in the wires and they are routed in a way that still lets the steering column be fully adjustable up and down and in and out without pinching/pulling/kinking anything. The first time I installed it, I wrongly assumed that the CC signals are shorted to ground like the horn signal is, but when it didn't work I went back and did some searching and realized that the horn signal is pulled up to battery voltage, and that battery voltage is used for the CC signals. It was an easy fix, I just moved the tab for the CC common wire from ground to the horn wire.
You can barely see the cruise control buttons with everything back together but they are still fairly easy to reach. The left one is set/decel and the right is resume/accel, I didn't label them to keep it subdued.
I also got a new set of red-trimmed Zanardi floor mats to replace the old and fraying originals. It came with an anchor point which is nice, and to install it you just lift up a little flap in the carpet and screw it on, and no more floor mat shifting. I really like the slight red accents on the steering wheel and floor mats. The funny thing is Zanardi floor mats are $75 for a set, whereas any other NSX floor mats are $350+ for a set....
Oh oh oh, gotcha. i'll keep browsing that site for push on push off switches that look similar to these, i really like the slim profile of them.
i forgot you used those for the cruise control set and accel buttons and not the actual on/off cruise switch. Yeah, you definitely want those as momentary switches lol
05-16-2018, 10:59 AM
Re: 1994 NSX #41
