2005 NFR AP2 - Here We Go Again.....
 

After being out of the S2000 scene for about 3 years, I pulled the trigger on an 05 AP2 with 59k miles in WIlmington about 2 weeks ago. Car is completely stock, but won't be that way for long. After building 2 other S2000's in the past, I'm familiar with what works and what doesn't work. This car will need some maintenance items addressed such as rust abatement on suspension components and brake components and fluids changed. First thing I did on the car was replace the elastic straps for the top as the old ones were completely shot. Always surprising to me how people will spend $1k+ on getting a new top installed but they don't get the straps replaced. This was the 2nd S2000 I looked at with that situation, but oh well.

Plans for the car are as follows:

Install high flow fuel pump
Install clutch with higher hp/tq holding power
SUPERCHARGE!!!
Pair of racing seats (I'm 6'3, I need these to drive the car properly)
Set of wheels (previous owner did a number on the OEM wheels on the car)
Aftermarket radio/amp install (stock sucks, we all know that)

Car will not be a daily driver as I have a truck and 2 bikes I can use for commuting as well. Plan to do some autocross and track days with the car so it's going to get driven hard. Would like to find a meetup to get back into the scene.

I'll do my best to document the upgrade/repair process of this car. I'm in the Raleigh/Garner area if anyone wants to meet up for beers.

:tipwink:

Here's the car outside Flying Machine Brewing in Wilmington shortly after buying it:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...4a87a5040d.jpg

Might be interested in the AP2V1 wheels if you decide to part with them. I'm in the Charlotte area but occasionally make it over to Raleigh.

Cool. I'll most likely be getting rid of these wheels once I get an aftermarket set. There's a fair amount of curb rash in 3/4 wheels so they're not gonna be show winners, but will get the job done.

Welcome back to the club. It really says a lot about the S2000 when so many people leave for some thing different but eventually come back. Myself included. Congratulations on the purchase. She looks really nice!

Im in Wilmington if youre ever back in the area. I track pretty often and theres only a handful of track guys in the area so we tend to know each other and hang out pretty regularly but Im sure theres a lot more up where youre at.

Congrats and welcome back! I'm also in Wilmington, a brewery meet or something sounds cool. I see a few cars around town, we moved from
Pa a few years ago and we had a very active community in the Delaware valley.

I know some can't afford to go this route but I also bought a low-miles AP2 years ago but after one track day, decided to preserve it for Cars & Coffee, Sunday drives, Dragon Runs (from Maryland, over 2K miles each time) and going to bicycle rides (have a Chase Race hitch). I bought an AP1 with higher miles that had been molested to turn into a track-only car with any mods I want to do. Just another guy trying to preserve the really nice ones like this. After all, as Colin from TrackDaze says every day, when you bring a car to the track you have to be fully ready to drive it to the edge of a cliff and push it off the side. It happened to my first "track-only" car. Bought a 200K beater ruined by a kid with a blown diff and diff colors on each fender and each bumper. Fixed it up, got a cheap paint job, replaced all the brakes complete, all rotating parts in engine, more, and when something broke in the rear under heavy braking, became a passenger into the tire wall @ 84 mph. Now on my second "shell" converted and my third engine. You really shouldn't track this car. Autocross, OK, but too nice to risk at the track.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...cbe64c681a.jpg
Current status, happy owner, '07 custom w/54K and '02 w/100K for flogging (not on any of my track wheels).
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...002a873e8f.jpg
At VIR this year, it all ended in an instant at Oak Tree corner. Could sleeve this block, perhaps.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...8d8a7c117b.jpg
Nice how all the metal parts "plated" the head as it pounded all the valves to smithereens. Head is a total loss.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...449d04ae53.jpg
After peeling off the remains of the fenders and hood. Decided it wasn't worth time at a frame shop so stripped it and cut it up. This engine went in the black '02 where it blew. Now the OEM '02 engine is rebuilt and back in the original car.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...3b05d67421.jpg

Wow! Great job on the keeping the S2K alive!
its always good to see and hear people who enjoy there car, and not complaining about it! I enjoyed reading your journey back Congrats! No Garage Queens here...lol where at in garner area?

I'm near 401 and Ten Ten Rd, near Wake Tech.

Congrats on the purchase!

Did some maintenance work on the car this Sunday:

- Replaced the cabin air filter (see picture of old one below)
- Oil change with synthetic Mobil 1
- Transmission fluid replaced with Torco RTF synthetic
- Clutch delay valve removed
- Stainless clutch line installed
- Clutch fluid flushed and bled. Old stuff was pretty gross

Need to get the swirls removed from the rearview mirrors. Going to try various compounds I have, if none of that works I bought some flexible adhesive-backed mirror plastic I could stick over the existing glass. Also need to replace the rear diff fluid and brake fluid.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...4154c8d60d.jpg

I Dremel'd a slot into the area around the snap ring to be able to get a small screwdriver underneath one end of it, then pry it out. I tried using two picks, that didn't work. Others have drilled a hole near the ring to be able to get a pick in the area, but the slot was the best method.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-un...emoval-789870/

There's no need to cut the slot as deep as in this picture, just do it deep enough that you can manipulate the snap ring.

Seems like all our cars have a cabin air filter that looks like that when we buy used. Makes me wonder what my other cars filters have or if they even have one.

-- Chuck

Well glad to see you back in the saddle again, Josh. You sure do love your NFRs :p

I would have thought you learned that it's the fastest color by now.... :)