ApexHunter

Howdy folks,
I spent the last couple of years doing HPDE with my lightly tuned, full comfort, true blue streetcar Evo 8. It was great, but a few months ago i realized i really wanted to be doing track stuff in an S2000, as it is a more challenging and engaging car that requires more skill and finesse. I had an AP2, but the car was mint and thus I couldn't afford to have something happen to it at the track. So i sold it and picked up a decent AP1 for about half the cost. This is what i should have bought in the first place.

I'll be keeping this thread updated as i go! I look forward to your comments and feedback!

Here is entry # 1: https://www.heeltoeauto.com/xcms_ent...cmsentryid=262

And just finished entry #2 yesterday: https://www.heeltoeauto.com/road-grime-the-re-awakening-of-an-s2000-enthusiast-part-deux.html

HarryD

Love the writeup and road-trip photos!

You probably already know that the AP1 will be more of a handful than the VSA-equipped 2006 you sold, but don't forget to be vigilant about checking your oil -- some [most] AP1s consume oil, and sometimes seemingly-overnight. Check every week for a few months until you're confident, and keep in mind the trick/proper way to read the dipstick...

F1 S2K

Please elaborate on the "trick/proper way" to read the dipstick.

ApexHunter

Thanks Harry!
Regarding the dipstick, reading it was funky on my AP2 also. This thread sums it up pretty well. https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-un...-986665/page2/

lookstoomuch

Nice write up and I can relate. I recently migrated from a miata and my purchase requirements were the most beat up but stock AP2 I could find. I test drove an almost perfect 2005 but price would have been $17K by time all said and done and I knew in the back of my head I'd be constantly worried about dings and dents.

Found an 2006 that had a filthy interior (smoke + dogs + no cleaning), ripped seats, and several dings but only mod was the K&N noise maker intake and clutch interlock bypass. None of this will bother me when I'm scooting around a track and I know I won't cry when I see my wife opening the door of our Honda Odyssey into it.

ApexHunter

^ Cool! I had a Miata before i purchased my AP2 How is the valve lash looking on your 2006? I was worried about buying a high miler DBW car, as that can be an expensive problem if owners aren't vigilant with valve adjustments. When i did the first valve adj on my 06 at 25k miles, all exhaust valves were already out of spec on the tight side :/

lookstoomuch

As yours was, mine was extremely tight on exhaust side. I did not go through trouble of finding the feeler gauge to see how tight. Hopefully the car is ok but it runs like a top so not too worried.

rpg51

So just out of curiosity - since I own an 02 - what's the deal with the steel valve guides?

Great right ups. Love that description about your first experience with the low mileage ap2. I can relate. My 02 had 8K this spring when I bought it. 17K now. I'm freaking out because I can't put it into storage for two weeks and we had a dusting of snow and little salt spread here and there on the bad corner down the road from my house. Ugh. Praying we get some rain to wash it away and then some warmer weather to dry it out!! YIKES.

seymourless

Great content!!

I had almost an identical experience with the cashiers check when i bought a Pontiac G8 GT in Detroit driving all the way from Virginia last year. I ended up having to drive to CLEVELAND and back from Detroit to cash my own cashiers check. What a nightmare.

I have since sold the G8 and now have an S2000. You can watch the G8 road trip and S2000 videos on my YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/c/GarageTopics

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

ApexHunter

^Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
Wow, that is insane. At one point i did consider myself lucky that it was only a 4 hour detour, rather than a 1 day+ detour like that...or worse.
Thanks for the link, i'll be checking that out for sure. Looks like you have some great stuff going on there!

Thanks! While i certainly don't miss the stress of keeping up a really nice AP2, i can say that i certainly am grateful to have had the experience and that there is something definitely cool about owning a prime example of any car. I wish you luck keeping the undercarriage clean! Dealing with corrosion really sucks, as i found out the hard way with a previous project that had spent a lot of time in the Northeast.

With regard to the valve guides, i do have some information for you. Let me preface it with the following, please. This information comes from a good friend of mine who owns a shop specializing in S2K service. He actually started out as a tech at Honda. He was there when the S2K debuted in the US. All the technicians at this dealer were not interested in learning about maintaining and repairing this completely new model, (the S2000) except for my friend and one other guy. So they received any and all special training etc from American Honda, which pertained to the S2K, and all S2000 related jobs went to them. Later, my friend started his own shop, and they've continued to provide great service to S2000 customers.

Over the years, he has had a number of S2000s come in needing valve guide replacement at much lower mileages than one might expect. In all cases, they had steel guides. He said that the majority of them were 2002s, with a sprinkling of 2003s in there as well. After seeing this phenomenon several times, he concluded that Honda had used steel for some heads, and bronze for others. We aren't able to narrow it down to a specific production date range here, but i figured i would just steer clear of the 02s in my own search. Just the same, it seems like there are plenty of healthy 2002 cars running around, so i don't think you have a whole lot to worry about