All body panels are removable? (numpty Q!)

[goldtop]

OK, so I'm new to NSX ownership, and I'm as green about it as my car... I've got a question about the NSX's construction; are all of the outer body panels bolt-on/off?

I've seen many photos of the naked NSX chassis but not really thought about it until now. It seems that the only weld-fixed external body panel is the B pillar/roof.

That said, I've searched here and seen some horror threads about repairs where the new panels, once bolted on, do not line up right. So I presume that replacing a dented panel is not quite as easy as buying a replacement from one of the NSX breakers on Ebay and bolting it on?

(First reason for wondering is that my green NSX has a 20p-sized dent on the bonnet, where a spanner fell off a shelf in the previous owner's garage - ouch. So had been wondering about the cost of proper repair versus buying and bolting on a second hand bonnet.)

[britlude]

quick answer... Yes! Everything except the roof panel unbolts!

[Senninha]

equally quick reply ... panel alignment varies due to the hand built construction ...

[nigel]

A nearly as quick opinion,
If you can find a repairman / shop that can repair the dent and do proper paint work to NSX standards it should be much cheaper to repair the bonnet than replace it.
If it isn't to bad you might have a "Paintless Dent Repair" done. They can work wonders. Usually 30 quid or so per dent.

Cheers
nigel

[goldtop]

Thanks, fellas. I got a recommendation for a local bodyshop place today, so I will see what they think about repairing the bonnet. I'd hate to buy one in and then find that panel gaps were all over the place, with the result that wings/etc needed extra finessing.

So repair may be the best approach, although the underside of that bonnet dent is obscured by a diagonal brace. Which has such a small gap available that I presume it would hamper access for a typical dent removal tool...?

[britlude]

repair is the easiest option! Repair paint and blend in the bonnet would avoid matching issues.... Did you know there are 2 tones of charlotte (or brooklands if you prefer) a blue shade and a green shade...

[Kaz-kzukNA1]

Hi, goldtop.

If you download the Body Repair Manual from NSX Wiki at NSX Prime, you will understand the structure side of our NSX.
There are two zip files. One for the 91 – 94 pop-ups and the other one for the NSX-T.

For the panel fitment, I’m afraid it’s like a lottery.

I don’t even want to remove the bumper unless it is 100% necessary for accessing the parts behind there.

Each NSX uses different thickness of shim at many places and even you put them back at the same position in the same angle, you still struggle to get the panel alignment right.

On top of this, each panels were polished by the selected craftsmen at the factory and they used welding hammer, file, hand made gap gauge, etc to polish and adjust the original shape of the panel to align each others so almost impossible to achieve the same result if you just install the replacement panel.

If you have Youtube account, send me your ID through the email.
I have the video showing how the NSX was built at the factory and you will understand why it is almost impossible to align the panel without going through these special processes.


When you feel on the panel, you need to be able to sense the difference in the order of 0.02mm!!

Kaz

[mjames75]

Thanks, fellas. I got a recommendation for a local bodyshop place today, so I will see what they think about repairing the bonnet. I'd hate to buy one in and then find that panel gaps were all over the place, with the result that wings/etc needed extra finessing.

So repair may be the best approach, although the underside of that bonnet dent is obscured by a diagonal brace. Which has such a small gap available that I presume it would hamper access for a typical dent removal tool...?

The dent should be removable from above so access underneath may not be an issue, fingers crossed!

[Nick Graves]

In those circumstances, they glue a stick onto the paint & yank it.

Ideally, one needs to heat ally to de-anneal it and then again to re-anneal it afterwards, but a small dent may be tuggable without.

[WhyOne?]

When I bought Y! the car had a couple af car-park dents in the passenger door and a mysterious small dent in the bonnet. No paint damage though.

I was seriously concerned about whether or not these would be removable because I knew if they remained, they would drive me nuts.

I contacted a dent-magician fellow I had used to great effect previously on both my Prelude and S2000.

His father owns a very large Jaguar franchise on the south coast, and because of Jag's recent move to aluminium body panels, he had been honing his skills to remove dents from ali panels.

He did an absolutely superb job on all 3 dents - I am damned with an eye for detail, and I genuinely cannot see where the dents were. The bonnet dent, like yours, was difficult to get at because of an underlying structural element.

I'm not sure where you are, but if you are in the South East it would be well worth a journey to his workshop (he also has a mobile unit, but the lighting set-up in his workshop is perfect for doing this sort of work and I think gives him every chance of doing a perfect job).

[goldtop]

Thanks all - have now downloaded the body repair guide info from NSX prime wiki. Will digest that first. Kaz - thanks for explaining just how the bodywork was done, and finessed into shape by hand.

As you guys have had such good results from these dent removers, I may give it a go after all. I'm not close enough to the Sussex Coast for it to be a quick trip, but plan to visit Brighton at some point this summer.

Didn't know about the two shades of charlotte green - worth knowing about this added complication. (The NSX seems to be full of them!) Thanks; mine seems to look more green than blue, but I should get along to a meet and see others.

[WhyOne?]

There are a lot of 'dent magicians' out there with a wide range of skill level.

I would thoroughly recommend ensuring whoever you entrust with this work to is experienced with ali panels. The chap who fixed my dents used a large ice-pick type tool at one stage - I had to leave him too it when he started wielding that!!!!

[goldtop]

Yes, I've had some very young guy do a great job on an old Mercedes W201, but that was steel, and there were a few small dents he just couldn't do.

I'll definitely use someone with aluminium - pref NSX - experience.