HCT Roof Scoop Installation

Note that this roof scoop has been improved in design compared to the prototype roof scoop I initial fabricated in my Honda City Turbo Senna Edition video. Because of that, the installation of this roof scoop will be different than what you see in that video. And because of the new design, you will not need support tabs like I used in the video. Your roof scoop is literally better than my own prototype in my real Honda City Turbo Senna Edition!

The only area that will need possible sanding is the top area that is visible when mounted (the actual scoop and roof portion). Initial sanding this area before gluing the pieces together (and onto the car body) might be a good idea for a head start without affecting the other pieces. You only need to sand the top surface (and edges) of the top piece (circled in green). The bottom piece wont need any sanding and is never visible from the outside of the body.

Familiarize yourself first with how the two pieces fit together. You’ll notice the inside slots help guide the positioning of both pieces.

There may also be some micro bits in and around the scoop’s intake area that can be cleaned up as well, with micro tweeters and with a micro file or very fine grit sandpaper. Because this air induction system is actually functional in helping cool off the ESC (if your ESC is position towards the back of the chassis like mine), then it may be a good idea to clear out any particles in there now before you permanently glue these pieces together.

Once you’re happy with the initial tidying of both pieces, use E6000 glue (or similar) to join them permanently together and let cure. DO NOT GLUE TO THE BODY JUST YET. Only glue the two pieces together first. Using a firm but light clamp to hold these two pieces together during the curing process is ideal. Below is how the two pieces should look when bonded together.

Reference sections in my Honda City Turbo Senna Edition where I install the (prototype) HCT Roof Scoop:

Here are 4 options moving forward:

Option 1) You do not plan on smoothing and painting the roof scoop:
If you just want to just install the roof scoop as is without any prep to either the roof scoop itself or the car body, then place the roof scoop into the sunroof and glue into place and let cure. You’re done!

Option 2) Your City Turbo body is already painted and are OK with seams:
Go through the process of using putty and wet sanding (repeat as necessary) to smooth the roof scoop by itself. Test fit the roof scoop inside the sunroof hole for fitment, keeping in mind that when you apply primer/paint/gloss to the roof scoop, it will have a tighter fit when placed in the sunroof hole. Once fully smoothed and dried, go through the process of primer, paint, gloss and wet sanding to the roof scoop. Place the roof scoop into position and glue it permanently into place (from inside the body only) and let cure. I used clamps to hold the roof scoop in place while curing. You’re done!

Option 3) Your City Turbo body is already painted and want to join it seamlessly:
I have NOT personally tested this method, so do this at your own risk! Remove the existing roof paint around the sunroof hole (not the whole roof) by sanding the inner sunroof lip of the hole, including a 10-20mm rim around that hole so that the putty/primer will now have unpainted areas to grab onto. Now follow the directions in option 4 to complete the process. Don’t forget to mask out all the areas outside the sunroof hole so you don’t primer/paint the windows, hood, etc.). Note that various colored paints may still show an overlap between the old paint and new paint. A full sanding of the entire roof might be best for optimal results or simply use a new body from the get go.

Option 4) If you want to smooth and paint the roof scoop and body seamlessly:
This is the process I did to my Honda City Turbo Senna Edition (starting with an unpainted raw body) if you want to reference that. Place the cured, single-unit roof scoop into the sunroof hole and glue it into place and let cure. I would ensure you have plenty of glue in and around the sunroof hole area and in/around the areas where the roof scoop meet the body (the last thing you want is for the roof scoop to pop out from a collision and causing chipping/flaking in your paint job). I used clamps to hold the roof scoop in place while curing.

After it has cured, go through the process of using putty (only on the outside of the body that is visible) and wet sand it to smooth the seems where the roof scoop and body meet together. There may be areas on the roof scoop that might need a little more smoothing to better blend with the body’s roof. This is the stage to do that patiently and the most important stage out of all of this. Do not rely on the painting stage to hide any seems/dimples/bumps. Once you’re completely satisfied with the smoothness of the roof scoop and how it joins with the body’s roof (and is fully cured), then you can now primer, paint, gloss, and wet sand the body and roof scoop surface as needed, as you would normally do.

If you have any questions about installing this part, please let me know and I'll add that information to this page!

General Installation Tips For All Parts

Some parts may still have some support tree remnants. Using needle nose pliers can pluck those stray strands off the main part.
You can also sand down the parts to make them smooth, but be aware that it may lighten or dull the sanded area as compared to the rest of the part if you don't plan on painting them (I didn't paint any of the black parts and kept them bare).
If a bolt needs to get through a stubborn hole, a hole reamer, a micro rat tail file, or even a simple hex driver may be all that's needed to make the hole larger for the bolt.
Some of the large flat surfaces with speckled/rough texture may have residual hot bed adhesion glue residue still on them. If you want to remove that slightly sticky surface, simply clean it with warm water and a micro dot of dish soap (and a soft green Brillo pad can be used to help get the residue off faster).