Matt's s2k Build (Project Mess2k)

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Matts96HB

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I found this in Houston over the weekend and decided to bring it home! It's a 2000 (AP1) S2000 with 63k on the odometer; I paid $11k and will be the third owner. The first owner drove it for a while, then bought an M3 and parked it for several years. It was then brought to Texas and the second owner began building it for the track.

Here's the only pic I have right now:
received_784387565413427.jpeg


Engine:
F20C with <2k miles on a fresh OEM rebuild
AP2 valve springs and retainers
K&N cold air
DC header
GReddy Ti-C single exit exhaust
Mishimoto aluminum radiator
Samco hoses
J's racing ECU

Transmission/Drivetrain:
Stock AP1 (<2k on new stockish clutch)

Suspension/Brakes:
Tein Mono coilovers
Rotora front big brake kit (330 mm)
Enkei 17x9 square setup
Dunlop 255/40/17 square

Exterior:
ASM wide front fenders
Shine ASM front bumper
ASM rear over fenders
Big wang (can't remember brand off the top of my head)
APR splitter
Carbon hard top
Carbon hood

Misc:
Gutted (and I do mean gutted..) interior
Hard dog roll bar
Cobra racing seat (fits me perfect, it'll stay for now)
Scroth 6pt harness
Sparco wheel
Shift knob and some carbon interior bits

Extra stuff given to me with sale:
2 sets of buddy club seat rails
Spare alternator (needs to go in)
Misc interior pieces
Mishimoto thermostatic oil cooler

Needs:
Engine is ticking.. going to adjust valves, replace J's ECU with stock ECU, drain and replace gas (car has been sitting for 6+ months)
Splitter needs to be mounted to chassis
Needs Castrol SRF bled in (because I love that stuff)
Alternator is shitting bed, need to bolt up the replacement and see where that gets me

I'm happy with the deal. I suspect this thing weighs less than 2500 lbs, which should make for a fun track toy!
 
looks pretty!

less than 2500lbs? still about 700lbs heavier than my kia hahaha

Tin can cars ftw!

So, does this mean the ZL1 is gone?

Looking forward to your fast-window down mod and 20k under the hood!



The ZL1 is gone, yes. No time/need for two fun cars right now. All the focus will be on the s2k.

If you want to see F&F.. wait until you see the stickers on the rollbar....
 
But it is a Kia..

Nice pickup! Looks like you got a great deal!

Thanks man! I looked at several cars that were near stock but had 150k+ miles, minor accidents, etc. and the seller still wanted $12k+. When this popped up, it seemed like a no-brainer.
 
I bolted up the new alternator last night which resolved the charging issue. I also bolted up the Mishimoto oil cooler and ran the lines but I still need to install the sandwich plate. This weekend I need to:
  • Install HID ballasts and bulbs. Previous owner removed them for weight reduction :rolleyes:
  • Install oil filter sandwich plate
  • Change oil
  • Figure out this "tick" coming from the engine
    • TCT was replaced by previous owner with an InlinePro TCT
    • Valve lash was also recently done
    • The gas in the gas tank has been sitting for about 6 months, so I guess it could be bad gas?
    • If none of the above resolves it, I'll put the stock ECU back in
  • Figure out surging idle.. it just started doing this last night
 
my friend with a track s2k recommends a billman tct, once that is squared away do the lash again.

6 month gas shouldn't be too bad... maybe put some drygas in if you are worried.

surging idle is most likely a vac line or gasket. put some dish soap and water in a squirt bottle and spray gasket areas. if the idle smoothes out you found the culprit.
 
surging idle in a honda, from my old school knowledge, low coolant for FITV fast idle thermo valve.
that's all I have to contribute to this one
Nice ride though, looking forward to those track videos.
Hopefully the engine tick isn't something too serious.
 
Thanks for the ideas, gents. I checked the oil again, checked idler and pulley bearings for play, pulled the accessory belt off and started the car.. noise is still there. I will get my hands on a billman TCT but in the meantime, can't hurt to do the valve lash.

Going to check the coolant level and purge any air out of the system after the gym.

The good news is that I got the fenders and headlights mounted up, as well as the oil cooler.
20200111_092530.jpg


Valve cover is off so I can do the valve lash this afternoon.
20200111_092424.jpg


20200111_092411.jpg
 
I adjusted the valve lash and the car sounds perfect! They were all way too tight. I also verified the car does have AP2 springs and retainers.

I need to drill some holes for the anti-sub part of my 6 pt harness. The guy told me he had them in the car but there are no mounting points available. I'm also going to fix the slider. On the driver's side and prep the passenger side for a second seat.

I forgot to investigate the surging idle issue but it appears it only happens when the car is cold. I'll get to that tomorrow hopefully.
 
If no vac/intake leaks id see if ecu has shotty tune on it that has some weird start up/cold start
There's really no way of knowing what is on the ECU. It's a J's racing, which is programmed based on mods before it is shipped. This one was bought second hand, so I've just tossed the stock ECU back in for now.

Got a ton accomplished today.. anchor points for anti-sub belts, oil cooler is completely mounted, and we fixed the slider on the seat. Tomorrow I'm hoping to get the car inspected, but have to travel for the rest of the week so I won't get much done until next weekend unfortunately. Last thing I need to do is change the brake fluid and it's track ready.
 
glad the lash was an easy fix :)

Same here!

So, while installing the sandwich plate and oil cooler, I realized that I can't see any information regarding the oil. So I think I am going to get a set of cheap gauges to monitor oil pressure/temperature and water temperature. In the long term, I'll be going with a Haltech ECU and a RacePak which will tell me everything I need to know on one screen.
 
I'm in for the read. Seems like more fun to drive and would require more skill to go fast than a 650 hp Camaro.
 
I'm in for the read. Seems like more fun to drive and would require more skill to go fast than a 650 hp Camaro.
The Camaro was an easy car to drive relatively quickly but on the absolute edge, it was far from easy.

I made progress on the s2k this weekend. I got the splitter mounted to the chassis, Here you can see the brackets mounted to the APR splitter:
20200119_131109.jpg


And the brackets on the chassis:
20200119_131114.jpg


Highly recommend the Devsport splitter chassis mount. Great hardware, no fitment issues whatsoever. I also finished up the oil cooler and got the engine bay (mostly) put back together. I still need some mounts for the K&N intake box but for now I'm just letting the filter dangle.
20200119_134224.jpg


I did a quick shakedown run around the neighborhood and realized I didn't have running lights or turn signals. Came home and checked for leaks (thankfully there weren't any) and then began to diagnose. Checked and replaced a few fuses and corrected the wiring for the AP2 tail lights and everything is working as it should now. I may need a new battery, though - the car was slow to crank after I brought it in the garage and shut it down. I should be able to get the car inspected tomorrow and registered this week so I can put some miles on it and get out to the next track day.
 
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