"Yellow Jacket" Aero & Cooling
In the first installment of Project AP1, I picked out a set of wheels, tires, and coilovers, and paid a visit to Evasive Motorsports where they rolled the factory fenders, and properly aligned the car. The fresh handling, without question, increased the car's fun factor ten fold. The next order of business was to add a little aero to the equation while increasing cooling efficiency; still retaining a clean and aggressive overall look. Here's how it went down:
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Project AP1 2001 Honda S2000 - Wrenchin'
Face Lift (APR Performance)
After seeing so many S2Ks sporting the Amuse front bumper, I was torn. I loved the look and the integrated front splitter, but there were just too many cars with the same exact appearance. To get the benefit of a front splitter and a slight face lift, I contacted APR Performance of Walnut, CA. Since 1999, APR has produced track proven race parts for just about every type of performance vehicle you can imagine. Their AP1/AP2 GT front bumper produces a pocket of high pressure along the lower lip that increases down force. Aesthetically, if you look closely, you'll notice the fender body line is continued onto the upper portion of the bumper (between the headlights) giving the car an even sleeker look.
Coolin' In The Hood (Seibon)
To aid in cooling under-hood temps, and add a more aggressive look, I headed over to Seibon (just a few miles from APR). They offer hundreds of carbon fiber hoods for various cars, and even have multiple options available for the S2000. I picked up a CW Style hood to help drop the bay temperature. Weight savings aren't substantial due to the super light construction of the OEM hood, but the Seibon piece includes a slick set of built-in vents that will help to evacuate hot air.
Out Patient Surgery (Chapparone Auto Body)
I planned to color-match the hood and bumper, but after thinking it over for a bit, I decided to leave the vents in their original carbon fiber finish. Paint duties were fulfilled by Chapparone Auto Body in San Diego; one of the very few body shops that has always delivered on time. They told me to give them a week to properly fit the bumper, blend the fenders, and paint the hood. Sure enough, the car was 100% ready for pick-up in just one week. Other local body shops could take a lesson in customer service and estimated delivery times from this group.
Time To chill (Mishimoto Automotive Performance Technology)
Mishimoto is a company that's been making quite a bit of noise recently. Their line of aluminum radiators is earning praise from every direction, with products available for a number of models from Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and more. I ordered their lightweight, dual-core, S2000 radiator and dual-fan shroud kit. To compliment the kit, I brought home a set of heat resistant silicone hoses, and a bottle of Liquid chill radiator additive. Because all of the components are direct replacements, installation is simple and straightforward. The only trouble you might run into is changing the upper radiator hose, since Honda buried it behind the back of the motor and it's very tough to get to. I brought the car back to my good friend Shaun "old skool" Joseph's garage for some help with the swap.
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In order to power the fans, you'll need to harvest your plugs from the factory fans. Shaun preps the Mishimoto wires to mate with the OEM plugs.
Continuing The Yellow Jacket Theme
While Shaun finished filling up the radiator, I took a few minutes to swap out the valve cover. The factory red cover looks silly in a yellow bay. Sportcar Motion had a spare AP2 cover that I borrowed (forever) and dropped off with Olympic Coatings in San Marcos, CA. The matte black textured finish looked so good that I had them refinish the bronze Password:JDM shock tower bar as well.
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Carefully place the new radiator into the factory rubber mounts. Hold the flashlight and shake your head while one friend struggles to route the new hoses to the motor, and the other wastes your flash batteries while firing off multiple shots of said struggle.
Note: The only thing you need to run an AP2 valve cover on an AP1 motor is a new PCV valve.
Hey Man, What's The Password Again? (Password:JDM)
When it comes to S2000 parts, Password:JDM is chock full of quality goodies. I went to their website and found pages of cool engine upgrades and couldn't resist. Here's what I came up with.......so far.
Dry kevlar header heat shield: PWCHH-APX-K10
Dry kevlar engine heat shield: PWCEH-APX-K00
Dry kevlar spark plug cover: PWCSP-F20-00K
Billet battery tie down: PWETB-HON
VTEC solenoid cover: PWESC
Theft-proof oil cap: PWEOC-HON
2 pt shock tower bar: PWSTB-APX-F2PBZ