GotRPMs

It makes since to contribute to S2Ki since I have been a member for so long. This thread will document the build an activity around my 2005 Suzuka Blue S200. This post will be edited overtime to show the current state of the car and provide links to specific modifications and maintenance.

Interior
- Renegade Motorsports Countersunk Titanium Shift Knob
- GT Goods Leather Shift Boot
- Honda AP1 Radio Door
Exterior
- Honda License Plate Plugs
- Honda Clear Side Markers

GotRPMs

I was lucky enough to drive an S2000 early in my life. I had a 2003 Suzuka Blue S2000 with an OEM hardtop from the spring of 2004 until I foolishly sold it in 2016. Besides being a fantastic car, I made many memories while owning the AP1. It made me major in mechanical engineering, I took my wife on our first date, I drove to my first real job, and I drove my wife home from our wedding. Selling the car for less than a hardtop sells for now, while painful was the right call, I needed something more practical and I didn’t have time to maintain the car any longer, but i never forgot it.



I cycled through several practical cars and, in 2020, bought an FK8 Civic Type R. This reignited my passion for fun Hondas, and although the FK8 was a great car, I always dreamed of owning an S2000 again. As practice as the Type R was, I missed the refined looks of the S2000 and the raw basic nature of the car compared to the FK8.



I needed a daily driver and wanted a first-generation Insight that I eventually bought, so I set up email alerts for insights and S2000s on Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids. I eventually purchased an Insight, but every time a S2000 was posted, I would check out the listing, and one Monday morning, I found it. A 100% mechanically stock 2005 Suzuka with an OEM hardtop was posted on Cars & Bids for sale in California. On Tue, May 31st, 2022, I won the auction for $27,000, and considering the market for S2000 in 2020 with a hardtop, I felt like I got a great deal. The car had 69,200 miles from two owners and spent its entire life in California near the Bay Area. The only modification was an Alpine head unit and an unknown plug-and-play harness with dash controls.



I didn’t trust anyone to ship the car, and I needed to meet in person to finalize the sale; plus, I also wanted to look over the vehicle before handing over the check, so I decided to drive it back. I left Texas on Thursday, Jun 9th, 2022, landing at the Oakland Airport early on Fri, Jun 10th. I caught an Uber to a credit union to finalize the sale.

I pulled into an AutoZone to purchase some cleaning supplies. I borrowed a 14mm wrench and screwdriver, so I could install the first two modifications, a countersunk titanium shift knob from Renegade Motorsports and a Panavise phone mount bracket paired with a ProClip MagSafe mount I already owned, in the parking lot.



After filling up, I hit the road and started my journey back to Texas.

collin228

Beautiful car.

Toonces

What kind of mods are you planning on?

GotRPMs

During my drive back to Texas through Lake Tahoe, Salt Lake City, and Durango, a few issues and other things I wanted to change made themselves apparent. Cosmetically, I wanted to address a few things I had done to my previous AP1: pulling the windshield tape, removing the front license plate, and installing clear side markers. I also realized I was not fond of the silver AP2 trim on the center console and radio door. Finally, a few problems surfaced: the stock shift boot was stiff and cracking, the hardtop seals were letting in a lot of air noise, the phone mount was not in a great spot, and something was wrong with the suspension.

I found Jael Nava’s YouTube channel before purchasing the car, so his company, GT Goods, was the logical choice when replacing the worn-out shift boot. I initially thought about black leather with black stitching but opted for black leather and blue stitching.






The blue interior on the Suzuka S2000s is one of my favorite parts, and it would be so easy to ruin it with the wrong color blue, but Jael and GT Goods nailed it. The boot fits excellent, has high-quality leather, and looks like it could have come right out of the Honda factory in Suzuka.

The hardtop seals were next up on my list. I turned to the venerable Shin Etsu grease and some examination of the hardtop latches. The driver's side latch was missing one bolt, and the other was finger-tight. I corrected this and liberally applied Shin Etsu, solving all my problems.



Next, I moved on to some cosmetic updates. On the exterior, I installed clear CR side markers. I had these on my AP1 with the idea of eventually installing the JDM clear headlights. I am still considering that mod on this car, but I think the AP2 headlights look much better with clear side markers.



Next was the front license plate; thankfully, color-matched plugs were still available from Honda.



Now for a terrifying mod, pulling the tape. I remember doing the really soon after I purchased my AP1 with no issues, but the tape was significantly older this time. After fighting the old UV-damaged vinyl for what felt like hours, I finally had it all off. There was a single spot that looked like it had been sanded with 600-grit sandpaper, so I continued sanding with finer and finer grit, ending with wet sand and a final polish, causing the spot to disappear.



Back inside the S2000, I needed to address the silver trim. I remember many people swapping in AP2 radio doors, but I wanted to go in the other direction. I picked up an excellent blue AP1 door and frame in excellent condition and swapped it over. The color-matched door is much more subtle and exactly the look I wanted. At the same time, I removed the phone mount and vinyl-wrapped the silver switch panel and cup holder cover with a brushed black 3M vinyl. I wasn’t going to paint the OEM pieces, so wrapping made the most sense, but this color wasn’t perfect.

B serious

Cool read so far.

I have a lot of longing for road trips through the west...and even more longing for buying cars sight unseen and then flying out to drive them home from somewhere cool.

Big thumbs up!