RSX Type-S Hood Latch Fix: Revision Three

Hey guys,

So I just got finished moving to Wisconsin for a job that I took as a co-op with Drexel.  I have been quite busy getting my bed together and my new desk all ready so that I can have a room to live in hahah.  However, after a couple of smooth days on the job and after getting everything all set up, I have directed my attention back to making car parts and back to my hobby.

You may remember this: http://lexilaron.blogspot.com/2013/09/rsx-front-bulkhead-reinforcement-plate.html

This is a proposed fix for the problem that is common on the RSX where the front bulkhead rips after the stress of opening and closing the hood occurs over time.  It really is a simple part, and it's taking me a lot of time to create, but it's more for fun than anything else.

Anyway, I do have some updates!

After test-fitting the second prototype, I realized that the install would be made exponentially more difficult with the driver side brace (on the right in the picture) being as long as it was.  I determined that the resistance to shear forces would be nearly the same if only two holes were used and so I decided to make it shorter for installation purposes.

Notice the holes are bigger as well on the top.  These were made larger to fit around the welded on nuts that sit on the back of the bulkhead.

Let's take a look to give you a better idea of what I'm talking about.  This is the whole bulkhead that sits in front of the radiator:

Here's the part of the bulkhead (on the passenger side) that the hood latch mounts to.  Note the rusty threads.  These threads are part of the welded on nut that I mentioned before.  The nut is welded to the back of this thin piece of metal:

Other than these minor changes, the hood latch was untouched.  It will be test-fitted once more and then it will be ready to go out for machining.

Thanks for reading guys.