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.

RSX Front Bulkhead Reinforcement Plate: Fixing Your Broken Hood Latch (UPDATE)

So if you own an RSX you have probably heard about the hood latch problem which is prevalent among these cars.  Well, chances are that's because the problem IS prevalent and there's also a chance that this has even messed up your day!

Well, if you follow Lexi.Laron, chances also are that you have seen a post that I made which talks about my solution for this problem.  Since you've last read it, I have also been working on it and have made significant progress as well.

Again, my friend Eric sent me his design with the moved bolt holes.  You can't notice it here, but the second hole was moved on the left side of the picture.

After taking his design and tracing it onto cardboard, I took notes.  Some hole resizing is necessary and some relocation is necessary as well.

Note that the right brace in the picture was also cut.  I have determined that the added reinforcement by the third hole on this bracket will be minimal and will also make installation more difficult.

Next comes my second revision where I will take angles on the bulkhead to determine how much curvature or bend will be required to produce the parts.

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Go to ClubRSX for exclusive details on what is involved with this bracket.

http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?p=41090209#post41090209