new S2000 owner - Have a few questions
 

Hey guys, I'm new to the site and I will be picking up a 2000 Honda S2000 in about 5 days. I currently own a 1998 civic HB and a 1991 Acura NSX. I'm in Southern Utah where there aren't too many enthusiasts but I like that I don't have to worry about theft like ome other more populated places. I'm very happy to finally pick up a S2000 as I have liked them since their release in 2000. My first vehicle was a 1995 Civic. Purchased it when I turned 16 in 1998 and then bought a new 2000 Honda Civic Si when I was a Sr in High School. I've owned MANY more hondas since then which is why I'm here now.

So on to the real business. The S2000 I purchased is a 2000 GPW with Red interior. It needs A LOT of work. I'm hoping you guys can point me in the right direction on a few things.

First off, the OEM soft top is completely shot. Now, I'm pretty sure I have a hard top already sourced for it which is a NEW oem hard top but it will need to be painted to match as it is silver right now. But what I'm wondering is, when you have the hard top on, do you completely remove the soft top? Or does it stay on the car but more tucked away? Hopefully I can just remove it and throw it away so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

Second is the front bumper is cracked. I will probably just order a new one from Honda but is there a better way? Do alot of guys upgrade to the AP2 front bumper? I like the look of the AP1 bumper with the OEM spoiler but maybe someone needs to change my mind.

The drivers seat is tore and I'm hoping to find a replacement set of good red seats. But I also wondered if there are any companies that make a good quality replacement cover to match the OEM red leather.

And lastly, it has a Comptech NOVI 1000 supercharger kit. But, I think the supercharger is due for a rebuild. I called Paxton and they no longer service that model. It does NOT have the after cooler. What would you guys suggest? Get a supercharger and after cooler? Will they work with my current brackets? And should I ditch the FMU and do aftermarket injectors with some sort of ECU upgrade and a tune?

Thanks for your help and I'm glad to be here on the site. Any feedback is appreciated.

The hardtop will go on the car with or without the soft top. Most people leave the soft top installed.
Levi

Looks like a several month project. Good thing winter is coming. I assume you have a garage?

I'd concentrate on getting the car running before fooling with roofs, bumpers, and seats. Getting the supercharger fixed may cost you more than a complete new unit so tread lightly there. I'd look for an exact replacement on Ebay or here. No aftercooler is very strange.

The S2000 is a roadster and mine is top down almost daily during the driving season. I'd get a new fabric roof professionally fitted to avoid the water leaks and flooded trunks common to botched installations. I decided to skip the hardtop long ago. Once a hard top is on the car it's "just another coupe." :)

AP2 "facelift" front bumper will fit and is a common change.

Unless there are already 17" wheels on the car they'd be near the top of my list after getting the car running. OEM staggered AP2V1 reproductions are available.

-- Chuck

Thanks for the reply. Yes I have a garage at home where I do all my work. I will have to consider your advise about the soft top. I just love that hard top look. And also yes it has CE28N wheels in 17”.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.s2k...a10345696.jpeg
This is what the car looked like about 7 years ago. The owner moved and didn’t have a garage and wasn’t able to properly take care of it so it no longer looks this good.

Good luck on the reconditioning. Having torn seat bottoms myself, I've kept an eye on the market...AP1 style seats are fairly common, less so in red but I've seen some. Some vendors on ebay sell replacement seat covers which replace the OEM covers but have seen mixed reviews, not sure if that's due to the installation method or the quality of the product. There's also the Clazzio seat covers which seem fairly well liked.

Agreed with most sentiments on the hardtop however it's a must for long trips and the track for me. I built a hoist to swap it off/on easily.

Have you considered removing the s/c setup and running stock? This might allow you to learn the nature of the S2000 before dealing with the potential headaches of a broken boost setup.

Look at the S2000 Facebook groups. There are a handful of "Parts fo Sale" "Marketplace" etc, where you can find parts, Seen a handful of AP1 and AP2 seats lately.

I have considered going that route but if I can get it repaired easily then I would prefer to just go that way.

I too would just get a new softtop and install yourself. Get the 2002+ that had the glass back window. About $400 and you are good to go. The hardtops are nice, but for the stupid prices they go for you can buy a lot of other stuff for the car :) Plus, if the hardtop is on and I am out and about, sun comes out and its nice, I cant just put my top down if I have a hardtop. Kinda kills the whole point of the convertible to me. So I too thought about it for about 10 minutes, realized I could revalve my konis, turn them into coilovers with hyperco springs, buy 17X9's with 255's installed, buy a header, etc and still spend less than what the hard tops were going for .. so that ended that thought for me!

I too have tears forming in my drivers seat (01 model), but have seen seats pop up online from time to time so I may just wait and buy one that way. I may get a quote to have it fixed though just to see. I will post back on here if I do that before you fix yours.

:hello: and welcome