PeteM
26-09-2007, 07:09 PM
Well planned to wash the car today and try out some new polish but as it was drizzling this morning I didn't bother. So I decided not to waste my time and thought it was about time I fitted my SOS hatch struts that a friend had brought back from the states for me. I also wanted to stop using the plant pot cane that I stole from my girlfriend's flower pot.
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i24/petem_2006/Nsx/hatch1.jpg
Now because the hatch struts open the hatch up to a bigger angle you need to extend the demister electrical wires and to do this you need to remove the trim panel. I have read a few threads on nsx prime saying how the screws securing the trim panel were sometimes difficult to get out but I thought they must just be a bunch of limp wristed americans!
The first screw came out easy, however the second and third screw, after 30 mins of trying, were still having none of it. So off I go to a friend's garage to use some quality Snap-on tools. Still couldn't remove them.:(
So the only option was to try and drill the screw heads off. Using a right angle numatic drill to gain access to the screw heads, as a conventional drill is too long, I eventually got one head off but the other I had misaligned the drill bit with the screw head so it was off centre. So with what looked like a "nearly off" screw head i decided to flex the trim panel to assist the screw head off. Yep all that happened was i split the trim panel slightly around the screw head ! So after another 20 mins with a dremmel and a grinding tool head i eventually ground the last head off with some of the plastic trim. :angry:
So then after considering no more nails to re-secure the trim panel, i opted to drill out the remains of the 2 screws and tap the threads. If the job is worth doing it's worth doing it right !!
After all this messing around replacing the gas struts takes about 15 mins the rest of it took me 3 hours.
The end result.
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i24/petem_2006/Nsx/hatch3.jpg
So my advice is this, use original struts to save a lot of time and hassle. If you do want the hatch to open further and fit the SOS struts make sure you have access to all the tools as mentioned above and make sure you have lots of patience.
The quality of the SoS struts are top notch and I am happy with the end result. Driving the car back from the garage soon put a smile back on my face....
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exterior_performance_products/NSX/ScienceofSpeed/hatch_struts/
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i24/petem_2006/Nsx/hatch1.jpg
Now because the hatch struts open the hatch up to a bigger angle you need to extend the demister electrical wires and to do this you need to remove the trim panel. I have read a few threads on nsx prime saying how the screws securing the trim panel were sometimes difficult to get out but I thought they must just be a bunch of limp wristed americans!
The first screw came out easy, however the second and third screw, after 30 mins of trying, were still having none of it. So off I go to a friend's garage to use some quality Snap-on tools. Still couldn't remove them.:(
So the only option was to try and drill the screw heads off. Using a right angle numatic drill to gain access to the screw heads, as a conventional drill is too long, I eventually got one head off but the other I had misaligned the drill bit with the screw head so it was off centre. So with what looked like a "nearly off" screw head i decided to flex the trim panel to assist the screw head off. Yep all that happened was i split the trim panel slightly around the screw head ! So after another 20 mins with a dremmel and a grinding tool head i eventually ground the last head off with some of the plastic trim. :angry:
So then after considering no more nails to re-secure the trim panel, i opted to drill out the remains of the 2 screws and tap the threads. If the job is worth doing it's worth doing it right !!
After all this messing around replacing the gas struts takes about 15 mins the rest of it took me 3 hours.
The end result.
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i24/petem_2006/Nsx/hatch3.jpg
So my advice is this, use original struts to save a lot of time and hassle. If you do want the hatch to open further and fit the SOS struts make sure you have access to all the tools as mentioned above and make sure you have lots of patience.
The quality of the SoS struts are top notch and I am happy with the end result. Driving the car back from the garage soon put a smile back on my face....
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exterior_performance_products/NSX/ScienceofSpeed/hatch_struts/