I decided to redo my roof this past weekend. After countless hours of hack ass custom bondo work:
So now my car has that old black roof nsx look.
This job used 5 containers of bondo, 2 tubes of glaze puddy, 1 spraycan of primer, 2 spraycans of gloss black paint, and the 1 big piece of sheet metal from the previous job. I still need to buy a can of clearcoat tomorrow. Total Cost: Aprox $90
Is everything perfectly smooth? Looks like there are still some high spots, but I can't really tell in those pics. A guide coat on the primer before the final paint would have revealed any highspots. Maybe next time you can buy a gallon of Bondo? LOL. Looks alot better than before!
I live local to paul, and I support his independent spirit, and pursuing his dreams.
HOWEVER, public safety MUST be accounted for, as well as common sense:
#1: He has started with a car with a bent frame: no matter how hard any suspension shop has tried all 4 wheels will not point in the same direction at the same time. Costly and time consuming repairs haven't remedied the problem.
#2: Its now winter in Austin = rain, sleet, torrential rain, and then standing water. This car now runs on Falken Tires, the old ones. This is his ONLY car, as in the daily driver, as in he is driving on PUBLIC roads, in a car that state instituted safety devices have been disabled or removed for "lightness"
#3: He has little competitive seat time (less than 6 SOLO II events), no performance driving event seat time, and no seat time with an instructor, in any situation. Discussions with David Rierson at HPDE trackside, do not count as such. On the street he is unsafe, and has damaged other peoples cars: destroyed a CF lip in Houston on a 5th gen SH.
#4: He has little financial stability. Building a car and then going racing is not something you do when you live with mom and dad, and live off minimum wage. Funds being low mean that corners get cut, which effects safety.
There is a right way to do things, and there is this way. This situation is risking a fatal or life threatening accident.
I live local to paul, and I support his independent spirit, and pursuing his dreams.
HOWEVER, public safety MUST be accounted for, as well as common sense:
#1: He has started with a car with a bent frame: no matter how hard any suspension shop has tried all 4 wheels will not point in the same direction at the same time. Costly and time consuming repairs haven't remedied the problem.
#2: Its now winter in Austin = rain, sleet, torrential rain, and then standing water. This car now runs on Falken Tires, the old ones. This is his ONLY car, as in the daily driver, as in he is driving on PUBLIC roads, in a car that state instituted safety devices have been disabled or removed for "lightness"
#3: He has little competitive seat time (less than 6 SOLO II events), no performance driving event seat time, and no seat time with an instructor, in any situation. Discussions with David Rierson at HPDE trackside, do not count as such. On the street he is unsafe, and has damaged other peoples cars: destroyed a CF lip in Houston on a 5th gen SH.
#4: He has little financial stability. Building a car and then going racing is not something you do when you live with mom and dad, and live off minimum wage. Funds being low mean that corners get cut, which effects safety.
There is a right way to do things, and there is this way. This situation is risking a fatal or life threatening accident.
1) The rear subframe was recently found out to be bent. It is going to be replaced with a spare from Raceworks, Sam Lockwood. That will fix my issues.
2) I still have the stock wheels with more rain oriented tires I can slap on. The lights were painted all red after constantly battling dirt on the inside due to improper sealing. Many old cars do not have airbags. I plugged the holes in the floor a while ago. I made a mistake and I paid for that lip a year ago.
3) I don't have much seat time, I'm not concerned. There will be time for that. This is not my only vehicle. I've slowed down. I keep it under 80 now. Haven't had a ticket in 3 months . I have interior door controls, but no handles. I can still get out. The roof is not completely bondo, only the very top. There is a thick piece of sheetmetal underneath.
4) I'm moving out soon. Corey Jacobs lives at home too. The H1 Prelude Driver. I don't make minimum wage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PreludeChick89
so the sunroof weighs 40lbs but how much did you add back in with 5 containers of bondo??? that stuff isn't that light
Paul, I will continue to tell you the same thing I have been telling you for months, you need to save every penny you have right now and invest it in first making your car safe to drive on the track if it is possible(bent subframe on a unibody car usually spells disaster), and then in as many HPDE's as possible. You are not helping yourself by cutting corners. You continuously flaunt yourself as a future H2/ITS racer, and I applaud your effort, but you refuse to listen to the people around you who are trying to lead you in the right direction. You have never been on a track in any car, and have a minimal amount of autocross events under your belt, where you and your car by your own admission were not close to up to par.
Myself, Zack, Brian and I'm sure countless others have tried to give you some advice on how you should be approaching this goal of yours, and you continue to disregard that advice and continue along your own path that becomes more and more unsafe the farther you go. I can totally understand your gumption to accomplishing your dream, and your vigor is admirable, but there is a right way to accomplish these things, and I have yet to see you follow it.
Point of fact, you yourself have admitted to me that if you cannot fix your bent frame issues, that you would get a different car to run instead, so why are you doing all this work on this one? You have made it completely impossible to resell, so that investment is totally lost(assuming you have paid it off to begin with), and you have multiple man-hours in something that may very well not work out. All any of us would ask is you think things through before you jump into them, and I dont think you are really doing that.
Point of fact, you yourself have admitted to me that if you cannot fix your bent frame issues, that you would get a different car to run instead, so why are you doing all this work on this one? You have made it completely impossible to resell, so that investment is totally lost(assuming you have paid it off to begin with), and you have multiple man-hours in something that may very well not work out. All any of us would ask is you think things through before you jump into them, and I dont think you are really doing that.
I greatly appreciate your concerns, support, and constructive criticism regarding my ideas. Please do not think I don't.
Now what I said was that if the car's frame is bent and unrepairable then I would buy a 4th gen and transfer everything into it.
Sean and I examined it a few weeks ago and found out the rear subframe has and bend in it. I am going to buy a replacement rear subframe from a former world challenge 5th gen prelude owner who had a spare one, and that will fix my problem. I feel this would safely and correctly fix the issues I have been experiencing.
I am going to continue to pursue the plan on this car. The rear subframe will only be 150 shipped while a new one cost 450 + shipping from majestic.
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