S2000 Restore to better than Factory (eventually)
Discussion
Hey, Been a while since I been on here, I wanted to kind of condense my progress on the S2000 over the past 2+ years into a small thread. Not finished but each year I save and do a bit more. Fortunate to have friends with their own garage business's, to rent ramps from and do work with me which has made this possible.
It started life as a Royal Navy Blue 2004 GT which comes with the Hard Top, this is the best year IMO, you get the facelift of new shape, the improved suspension and other revisions but retain the lower tax for 1 short year of production.
110k on it but full Honda service and the last owner had it since 2007, very much enjoyed but cared for. Seen worse on 70k miles so snapped her up, little tatty but generally very nice example to start as a base for my plans.
Progress to date (I wont include everything because I have literally replaced every bolt too ):
Top side:
>Full window out/inside and out respray by Dusty Knuckles in Waterlooville, in a Toyota green colour they use in Asian markets
>New arches
>Smoothed front bumper and JDM imported new rear bumper (brand new from Honda)
>Mugen style Carbon Wing tinted with body colour laquer
Underside:
Completed by Fairway automotive and myself over a week and a half
>Fully stripped, pre treated and refurbed underside plus a yearly lanoguard, no rust, just a damaged jacking point, but it was a completely a preventative step. Degreased, sanded, used rust converter treatment all over, raptor coat primer, and upol underseal. Completed by Fairway automotive and myself over a week and a half
>Subframes, arms etc all dropped, blasted then zinc coated for rust prevention and then powder coated
>Every bush replaced on the subframes/Arms with Hardrace, new tie rods etc completely replaced for hard race too
>Bilstein b14 coilovers
>Milltek Exhaust
Misc:
>Mirror Integrated reverse camera
>New bluetooth headunit/speakers
>numerous sensors and plastic parts all over kindly sourced by Tegiwa from Japan to save me costs
Engine:
>Upgraded rad and some air box mods so far.
>cut out the rad area in prep for an air scoop direct to the grill for better cooling
Engine side is very much the focus this year and where I am right now. I will be lifting the engine out to full strip and treat anything that needs it, then respray body colour before reassembling with no doubt numerous new bits to get it like new.
Untill then doing the easy wins like restoring the Rocker cover whilst I check the valve spacing etc and replacing/cleaning some bits like split hoses
I have missed stuff but I will dump the pictures below and try form an order
PS I did have headlight tints on for a bit, then changed me mind and pulled them off, not to everyones taste I know but for a while I loved it, then I liked being able to see at night.
It started life as a Royal Navy Blue 2004 GT which comes with the Hard Top, this is the best year IMO, you get the facelift of new shape, the improved suspension and other revisions but retain the lower tax for 1 short year of production.
110k on it but full Honda service and the last owner had it since 2007, very much enjoyed but cared for. Seen worse on 70k miles so snapped her up, little tatty but generally very nice example to start as a base for my plans.
Progress to date (I wont include everything because I have literally replaced every bolt too ):
Top side:
>Full window out/inside and out respray by Dusty Knuckles in Waterlooville, in a Toyota green colour they use in Asian markets
>New arches
>Smoothed front bumper and JDM imported new rear bumper (brand new from Honda)
>Mugen style Carbon Wing tinted with body colour laquer
Underside:
Completed by Fairway automotive and myself over a week and a half
>Fully stripped, pre treated and refurbed underside plus a yearly lanoguard, no rust, just a damaged jacking point, but it was a completely a preventative step. Degreased, sanded, used rust converter treatment all over, raptor coat primer, and upol underseal. Completed by Fairway automotive and myself over a week and a half
>Subframes, arms etc all dropped, blasted then zinc coated for rust prevention and then powder coated
>Every bush replaced on the subframes/Arms with Hardrace, new tie rods etc completely replaced for hard race too
>Bilstein b14 coilovers
>Milltek Exhaust
Misc:
>Mirror Integrated reverse camera
>New bluetooth headunit/speakers
>numerous sensors and plastic parts all over kindly sourced by Tegiwa from Japan to save me costs
Engine:
>Upgraded rad and some air box mods so far.
>cut out the rad area in prep for an air scoop direct to the grill for better cooling
Engine side is very much the focus this year and where I am right now. I will be lifting the engine out to full strip and treat anything that needs it, then respray body colour before reassembling with no doubt numerous new bits to get it like new.
Untill then doing the easy wins like restoring the Rocker cover whilst I check the valve spacing etc and replacing/cleaning some bits like split hoses
I have missed stuff but I will dump the pictures below and try form an order
PS I did have headlight tints on for a bit, then changed me mind and pulled them off, not to everyones taste I know but for a while I loved it, then I liked being able to see at night.
That's an absolutely superb save and build; that colour is stunning and this picture is just 
My pals that have Grinspeed up here in Lancashire are getting a lot of S2Ks in now for full overhauls and refurbs; lots of parts blasted and treated and lots of galvanising etc
Such a good car; too small for me unfortunately, but loved them since they were released. One would have been a good replacement for my EF8 CRX back in the early 2000s; but it never happened, too tall/too wide
My pals that have Grinspeed up here in Lancashire are getting a lot of S2Ks in now for full overhauls and refurbs; lots of parts blasted and treated and lots of galvanising etc
Such a good car; too small for me unfortunately, but loved them since they were released. One would have been a good replacement for my EF8 CRX back in the early 2000s; but it never happened, too tall/too wide
In 2004 my work mate took his 1 year old Accord in for a service one frosty January morning and alluded to the garage he was interested in replacing it with a S2000. This was a small lie as he had a new baby and was not interested in downsizing, but fancied a day in the S2000. I arrived at his house to drive to work and we set off to work at a rate of knots. I had been driving RWD cars for years before, my mate had not so I knew what was coming. He gave it a boot out of his road some 30
seconds into the journey and promptly lost the back end and we spun 360 degrees into a stone wall hitting every panel. The car only had 147 miles on the clock! It was a sheepish phonecall to the dealer he had to make
seconds into the journey and promptly lost the back end and we spun 360 degrees into a stone wall hitting every panel. The car only had 147 miles on the clock! It was a sheepish phonecall to the dealer he had to make
That dash brings back some memories!
My dad had an S2000, in what was a pretty PH move, he traded in his S Type Jag for it. So we had 2 parents, 2 teenagers and a dog for holidays etc and the only 4 seat car we had was now mum’s Fiesta…
A great car, I remember him giving me a lift to my work experience, I was 15 and it was during the 2006 World Cup. We must’ve looked a right pair with the roof off and both of us in shirts and ties.
Anyway, in 2012 he traded the S2000 in for a 2011 C63, which he kept until he sadly passed away earlier this year. I have now taken on the Merc and am setting off for Lake Maggiore in it tomorrow.
Enjoy the S2000.
My dad had an S2000, in what was a pretty PH move, he traded in his S Type Jag for it. So we had 2 parents, 2 teenagers and a dog for holidays etc and the only 4 seat car we had was now mum’s Fiesta…
A great car, I remember him giving me a lift to my work experience, I was 15 and it was during the 2006 World Cup. We must’ve looked a right pair with the roof off and both of us in shirts and ties.
Anyway, in 2012 he traded the S2000 in for a 2011 C63, which he kept until he sadly passed away earlier this year. I have now taken on the Merc and am setting off for Lake Maggiore in it tomorrow.
Enjoy the S2000.
Thanks for the lovely replies!
I forget how far it's come till I look at the old pictures like this.
Hopefully get the bay up to scratch before the end of the year, patiently waiting for the pwder coaters to finish with rocker.
Addressing some slight kanagarooing between 5 and 15mph. Replaced the o2 sensors so now going to clean up the map sensor and butterfly, but also spotted the pcv breather was splitting when I took it apart so it is most likely that!
New hose coming from america along with new coil pack, sparks, air condensor/drier and seal.. my air con needs topping up every 2 years so time to just replace it all i think.
I forget how far it's come till I look at the old pictures like this.
Hopefully get the bay up to scratch before the end of the year, patiently waiting for the pwder coaters to finish with rocker.
Addressing some slight kanagarooing between 5 and 15mph. Replaced the o2 sensors so now going to clean up the map sensor and butterfly, but also spotted the pcv breather was splitting when I took it apart so it is most likely that!
New hose coming from america along with new coil pack, sparks, air condensor/drier and seal.. my air con needs topping up every 2 years so time to just replace it all i think.
2 weeks off the road and few more bits ticked off.
Air con stopped working mid heat wave last month new condensor and drier from rock auto in America for under £60, and a mobile air con man to empty for the work and refill after £70, quite pleased with that.
Easy to see why it was not working...
Rocker cover removed to do the valve gaps, they had never been done in 115k from what the paperwork shows, all but 1 corner had tightened outside tolerance.
Now sounds much smoother and less tappy! Had a friend who rebuilt his k20 in for this bit since he is a bit of an expert on these.
And new powder coat, acid stripped not blasted and nothing to touch the inside as per my fussy request to the powder coaters, £80 for both spark cover and rocker, pretty pleased
Some other boring bits like new oem cone I take, split pcv hose, spark plugs etc not worth a picture
Air con stopped working mid heat wave last month new condensor and drier from rock auto in America for under £60, and a mobile air con man to empty for the work and refill after £70, quite pleased with that.
Easy to see why it was not working...
Rocker cover removed to do the valve gaps, they had never been done in 115k from what the paperwork shows, all but 1 corner had tightened outside tolerance.
Now sounds much smoother and less tappy! Had a friend who rebuilt his k20 in for this bit since he is a bit of an expert on these.
And new powder coat, acid stripped not blasted and nothing to touch the inside as per my fussy request to the powder coaters, £80 for both spark cover and rocker, pretty pleased
Some other boring bits like new oem cone I take, split pcv hose, spark plugs etc not worth a picture
meemo said:
@trails !
Thank you kind sir. It is moving along nicely. Only snags are rusty snapping bolts but i gloss over that drama and just show the good pictures
PH loves a snapped fixing or two!Thank you kind sir. It is moving along nicely. Only snags are rusty snapping bolts but i gloss over that drama and just show the good pictures
Looking forward to seeing the bay painted to match...are you going to look at a re-trim once thats all done?
trails said:
PH loves a snapped fixing or two!
Looking forward to seeing the bay painted to match...are you going to look at a re-trim once thats all done?
You must be reading my mind, only subtly though. I really like the seats actually and like a oem ish look, plus there are no pretty buckets that fit in these. So intend to go for a nice alcantara/leather with teal stitch when the time comes, but that could be a year or so down the line, only once I finish in the engine bay Looking forward to seeing the bay painted to match...are you going to look at a re-trim once thats all done?
meemo said:
You must be reading my mind, only subtly though. I really like the seats actually and like a oem ish look, plus there are no pretty buckets that fit in these. So intend to go for a nice alcantara/leather with teal stitch when the time comes, but that could be a year or so down the line, only once I finish in the engine bay
That will look cracking I had some Buddy Club buckets in mine briefly, fitted but could not find a comfortable seating position so ended up selling them on. Very annoying after all the grief getting them in...Pole Positions fit though, and do allow the seats to be moved to the closest position.
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