Since bringing Bumblestook back to road-legal status early last year I've been itching to drive her with the top off. Don't get me wrong, I love the Mugen hardtop. It's great for cold and hot days, track events and of course, it complements the looks really well but the S2000 is a roadster and on really nice days, nothing beats driving her with top off. The Mugen top itself isn't very heavy, it's only about 34lbs, but it's too big to safely remove and reinstall on the car by yourself. Now that I've moved to a garage with a higher ceiling, I finally got the opportunity to make this a reality by putting together a hardtop hoist so I can get the top off myself anytime I want.
Starting materials for the hoist - 8/25/2019
I picked up the smallest electric hoist I could find. It was a simple 220lb lift capacity hoist from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FPN64Z9/). I used two pieces of 6ft 90-degree angled aluminum from Home Depot to make sure it was going to be rigid enough to support the weight of the hoist and the hardtop. Since the hoist is mounted via square brackets, this worked out nicely since I can slide the hoist left or right to center it on the car as needed.
Hoist mounted - 8/25/2019
To support the front half of the hardtop, I used 5ft of 3/4" copper pipe wrapped in 3/4" foam insulation. Through it, I threaded 1/8" x 30ft of vinyl coated steel wire rope and attached it to the hook on the hoist. I obviously didn't use all the 30ft so I cut it to size once I was content with the height of the bar. The only problem left was to figure out what I was going to use to hook the back of the hardtop. I couldn't find anything in local stores last week so I only finished the hoist this week after buying a set of Rightline Gear car clips (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WR25KW). These are coated flat hooks that can hook over the rear of the hardtop without scratching it. I added some foam tape to further protect the hardtop from any marks.
Flat hook - 8/31/2019
Flat hook with foam tape - 8/31/2019
To attach the hook to the rest of the rig, I got a set of 16ft 1-inch tie-down straps (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FM4WGW2). The ones I got had an extra flap to prevent the buckle from contacting the hardtop.
1" wide tie down straps - 8/31/2019
Finally, to connect the strap to the hoist hook, I used a pair of aluminum carabiners (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KTXLKWL) so it can easily be detached when I'm not using the hoist.
Carabiner to hold the tie down strap - 8/31/2019
Now the moment of truth, with everything hooked up, I pressed the button to raise the top and it did so very easily. I held the top with my other hand to help guide to make sure it didn't swing or spin around but for the most part it actually didn't move much laterally and I had plenty of room, fully raised, to clear the Mugen wing in the rear.
Top off - 8/31/2019
Top off - 8/31/2019
I forgot how awesome it is to drive her through some mountain roads with the top off. You really get to use all your senses. The incredible sound of the engine and exhaust as it screams through all the revs, the feeling of the chassis as you bomb through the corners, the joy of looking up and seeing nothing but sky and getting blasted by the smell of fresh cool air. This is truly the essence of the S2000, what Shigeru Uehara called the "Open Sports Car Concept", and it is what really makes this car so special to drive each time. VTEC + Open Top + Open Road = grinning from ear to ear for miles on end.
Finally, Top Off...it's been a long time coming!
Seven Lakes - Bear Mountain - 8/31/2019
With some downtime in racing, I figured I'd take the opportunity to take care of a few things on Bumblestook. First I took out the passenger seat. It's being lent to a friend for Nationals. This was also convenient for me since I've been meaning to take care of some things on the passenger side and having the seat out of the way means I had more room to easily access various panels.
Passenger seat wrapped up to loan out - 8/10/2019
The passenger side hardtop weather stripping was sagging so it needed replacement. I've had the part for some time now and it was an easy enough swap. I'm surprised that these are just held on by a screw on both ends and friction. I'm going to have to leave the window up for some time to let it fully set.
New hardtop weather stripping - 8/10/2019
New hardtop weather stripping - 8/10/2019
New hardtop weather stripping installed - 8/10/2019
Next up was finally chasing this super annoying buzzing/rattle at 4500 rpms coming from the passenger side. I've been dealing with it for months and it's been driving me nuts. It takes away some enjoyment from driving the car and I often just put the windows down so the wind noise drowns it away. Well after checking every panel, I finally found the source. The top clip of the passenger side A-pillar was completely missing. I replaced it with a temporary clip and added some foam tape and took it for a test drive and I can finally drive with the windows up again without wanting to shoot myself. I'll order a new clip to fully secure it.
Source of the rattle - missing A-pillar clip
I was also finally able to test out my new Quickjack 5000SLX. I was told that the 110V version doesn't have the same lifting speed as the 12V version but it lifted the car up super easily and at a height where I can slide underneath on a creeper with no issues (and I'm not a small guy). I was trying to find the source of a weird metal on metal knocking sound when inching forward or backward. I found nothing loose which is good since I was worried it was my diff going bad. I ended up driving the car to SJF Performance to have Steve give it a look and it seems that the passenger side rear upper control arm solid metal bushing has some play in it. At least I know now this is just an annoyance rather than a safety issue so I'm clear to take her back to the track but I'll likely get this replaced before the next track day in late September.
Hooray for QuickJack and no more scary jack stands - 8/10/2019
As some of you that follow my blog know, in my last outing with Bumblestook during the 234 Tech Day, I had a bit of a battery problem with my Antigravity ATX-30. I contacted Antigravity and their assessment was that somehow my S2000 charging system overcharged the battery. We can't really tell for sure since it's illegal to ship a possibly defective battery even though the battery now works again so I can't really get the battery back to them for further analysis. They did, however, warranty replace my ATX-30. Due to my previous issue, they replaced it with an ATX-30-HD (heavy duty) version instead. This was just released and is a whopping $160 more than the ATX-30 (msrp) and no, I was not asked to pay the difference.
New Antigravity ATX-30-HD LiFePO4 battery
This does weigh a bit more than the ATX-30 I originally got (7lbs 12.5oz vs 5lbs 11oz) and it doesn't have their Re-Start technology which I'm fine giving up if this one works just fine. What it does give me is a pretty insane 970 CCAs which is a bit nutty because that's almost the same CCAs as the H6/Group-48 Antigravity battery I got for the Cayman. More importantly, it's focused to work on Performance Street/Race Vehicles, Larger Touring Bikes and, um...experimental aircraft. This means it has a full battery management system to protect from over-discharge/over-charge as well as thermal protections.
New Antigravity ATX-30-HD LiFePO4 battery
Needless to say, this battery is going right in and hopefully that's the last of my battery problems. Huge shout out to Antigravity for standing by their product and making sure I as well taken care of. They could've just sent me a direct replacement for my old one and had me scratching my head on whether or not I would put it back in. Instead, they listened to the my issue, the application this is for, and sent me a battery that at least on paper, is a more appropriate fit for what it's installed in.
It's been over 6 years since I've taken Bumblestook to Tony's house (a.k.a. 234) for a Tech Day mostly because for most of that time she was stored outside of NY and trailered only. When Tony told me he was going to do a tech day so we could work on his dad's S2000, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to head out there, hang out and take care of few issues I've been noticing with Bumblestook the past few weeks.
Tech Day at 234 - 6-29-2019
Today was particularly hot, certainly the hottest day we've had this year and I got stuck in pretty heavy traffic so it took me almost 2 hours to get there. As soon as I pulled in and shut the car off, I realized I lost all power. I couldn't unlock my trunk and the dash wouldn't light up when I turned the key. We measured the voltage across the battery and it was over 14V but it was hot and there was slight deformation on the side facing the header. I suspected that perhaps the battery had gone into thermal shutdown and sure enough after letting it cool in the shade for 20 minutes, I was able to start the car again. This is unacceptable. A battery designed to be used in automotive applications should be able to handle the heat from an engine bay (and mine isn't even that hot since I have vents). I could've been stranded if I had stopped somewhere midway like a gas station. I ended up going to Autozone and picking up a Deka EXT14 battery which I've used several times in the past on both Bumblestook and Lupa and popped that in for now while I contact Antigravity about this issue. I didn't want to get stranded getting home and the last thing I need is a Lithium battery catching fire in the engine bay. I'm glad this issue surfaced where it did though.
Failed Antigravity ATX-30 Battery - 6-29-2019
Next I got under the car to try and figure out a weird rattle I was getting from the back of the car and got the shock of my life. The bottom bolt holding my driver side rear damper had almost fully backed out with the lock nut just barely clinging on.That could've ended up in a really bad situation if that bolt decided to eject itself at the wrong time so I'm glad I caught it. There's still a slight knocking sound I hear when I reverse slowly which I think is play in the diff. I might have to put in my backup diff soon but for now I'll just keep an eye on it since the car is generally driving just fine.
Source of the rattle - 6-29-2019
Next, I wanted to address the slight tire rubbing in the rear after I switched to the wider 255 Advan A052. A dremmel and some quick work to take off about 1/4" from the overfender and bumper tab and she was good to go.
Creating clearance for rear tires - 6-29-2019
I also started chasing around random rattles inside the cabin wrapping a lot of stuff in foam tape. I got most of the annoying noises out but I still have a few left to find. We finished up installing Eibach prokit springs on Tony's dad's car, put in a test pipe and fixed the stumbling idle caused by a sticky IACV, something I experienced myself early last year. It now looks great and drives like a champ. Of course, it wouldn't be a proper 234 tech day without Tony feeding us so much meat was consumed.
It was definitely good to see everyone again. Probably the best thing about S2000 ownership is the friends I've made throughout the years because of it. Big thanks to Tony and Jose for helping me out. Knowing that Bumblestook is back to normal and uncovering a fatal flaw in the Antigravity battery that could've bitten me hard at NJMP next month is icing on the cake.
Yesterday we had our 2nd Annual S2K TakeOver at the NY Safety Track in Jefferson, NY. It's an S2000 only (with one or two exceptions) track day organized by Brad from s2ktakeover. I got there the day before to meet everyone, do the track walk and meet new faces. Track days are always fun but being able to go to the track with all my S2000s brothers and sisters makes it extra special as we can all share in the love we have for these cars and enjoy them to the fullest.
Arrived at NYST - 5-9-2019
It's always great seeing familiar faces and some new ones too. There were a number of people that have had their S2000s for a while now and are now just popping their track time cherry as well as a few that had come out with us in other cars before and have since bought an S2000 of their own. It's good to know that even though S2000 prices are creeping up, truly passionate owners still come out and use them for what they were made for.
Track walk - 5-9-2019
Track walk - 5-9-2019
The grip on this track has always been quite good and I was excited to drive it again. Of course as luck would have it, on the track day itself it was windy and rainy. The track was quite damp but thankfully no puddles on the racing line.
Ready for track time - 5-10-2019
Ready for track time - 5-10-2019
The track was pretty slick during the morning as a result. I was thoroughly impressed with these new Yokohama Advan A052 tires. At least in damp conditions they were quite fast and very controlled. I was logging data via the Track Addict app and was recording up to 1.3 laters Gs in the damp. Since they have stiff sidewalls I set the pressures to what I had on the RE71s (30psi front, 28psi rear). It seemed to like that quite well. I set the fastest NA lap time in the wet at 1:49 in session 2 second only in lap time to the supercharged DeftMotion S2000 who were also running the same tires.
Arrived at NYST - 5-9-2019
Session 2 in the wet, 1:49s - NYST 5-10-2019
They're also a bit wider than the RE71s for the same "size". I was actually rubbing a tiny bit on my rear bumper tabs on big dips in the road on my drive up to the track but at the track itself, I had no rubbing. I'll likely have to trim the rear bumper tab a bit more for perfect clearance.
Yokohama Advan A052
After lunch time, I filled up the tank again and as I was about to go out in drying conditions, one of the cars on track had his oil filter back out and oiled the entire racing line. I went out for a recon lap and deemed it unsafe for me to continue so I parked it that session. It didn't look like things were going to clear up so I started to pack my stuff.
JJ lent me this sweet color matching compressor
Of course as luck would have it the sun came out and dried the track completely for the last two session. As I was contemplating taking my stuff out again to get dry runs, I got a weather alert on the phone about a chance of a tornado in the area and there were clouds above us again. I decided not continue and of course, the tornado or the rain never came and people were putting some nice flying laps in the dry. I really wish I could've tested these in full dry conditions. The DeftMotion guys did set the fastest lap overall in the dry on the same tires and they were already old tires for them. They also said these tires love the heat but frankly even in cool conditions, I felt they were at least on par with RE71s. Granted, I didn't test them in full wet conditions with standing water so I'll reserve my judgement on them as a good "wet tire" until then.
Conclusion of another fun and safe track event - 5-10-2019
And here's the video Kwesi Peters (Topi Digital) put together of the event.
S2K TakeOver NYST Feature Video By: Kwesi Peters (Topi Digital)
Finally got my oil analysis back which includes wear from the track day at The Glen towards the end of last year. Everything's looking pretty stable which is great. I think an individual oil analysis is good but being able to see the historic trend is even more valuable.
Blackstone Labs oil sample results - 4-26-19
The little shocker at the dyno a few weeks ago with my power being down got me a bit worried and as the data and evidence continues to show no issues with the engine, I'm more and more certain the worn down clutch was 100% to blame. Great seeing this before we head out to NYST this week for the S2K Takeover.
I probably should just clear bra the car if I really cared but the black part of the CR lip has already taken a bit of a beating from road debris in just a year. When the car was resprayed, the entire bumper was painted yellow and the bottom piece painted over black but obviously rock chips and stuff cause the underlying yellow to show.
Black paint chipped from road debris - 5-3-2019
It doesn't make sense to keep doing a "proper" paint job on this part alone since I'm sure it'll just keep happening and I'm not really trying to be super precious when I drive her around (that takes away from the pleasure). I was initially thinking of wrapping that part in black vinyl but instead I decided the easiest thing to do is just to spray that part with matte black plastidip. It's easy to apply and I can keep repeating the process as many times as I need to make it look normal again.
Plasti-Dip with "Can Gun" - 5-3-2019
After about two coats - 5-3-2019
It's not perfect but at least it doesn't look too bad and I won't be upset if it chips again. It's actually one of the best uses of plasti-dip I can think of. While I was at it, I also plasti-dipped over the Zunsport logo on the grill we installed last weekend. I don't really mind that it says Zunsport since I really like what the company makes but it's a bit of an eyesore having a white logo in the front of the car where there's nothing else white.
Zunsport logo blacked out
Also, after much waiting, I finally got new hardtop locks from Heel Toe Automotive. I already had their locks but one of them was no longer locking and while I'm sure the hardtop is perfectly safe with just one side locked that bothered me so I installed new ones.
New hardtop locks - 5-3-2019
I'm sure a few people were wondering why the heck I was driving Bumblestook around after dropping Kay off at the Meadowlands for the NJ ProSolo this weekend. Partly it was just to keep putting miles on the clutch but more importantly I needed to grab a datalog of the car now that the clutch is broken in to make sure my AFR is all safe for next week's track day.
Rare instance of both cars being out a the same time
