The Long Overdue Update on My Dream Honda S2000 Build. It's Not Good.

[@thebritishautochannel]

Bad luck old chap, hopefully gets done in time to enjoy the sun ☀️

[@fmvtec85]

It’s such a freaking mess when a dream is being shattered by such mishaps. But you are on the right way, thought-wise. Keep thinking positive and go on building your dream S2k. I‘ve got my 2nd S now and appreciate KZbinrs like you, caring and sharing their passion with „us“. Please go on. 👍

[@nornibres]

Ouch, Sorry to hear of your S2000 troubles. This is why I leave my cars stock, it's hard enough to find good techs to work on stock engines, let alone modified ones. I wish you luck on the build going forward.

[@simonleach6632]

I know how this must feel James, its utterly heart-breaking, I had my Morris Traveller with a supposed 'restorer' who was supposed to do some welding and renew the woodwork which was quite rotten, as I can't weld and since the woodwork is structural on those cars I wanted it done properly. I could not get in contact with the man for 2 years, not even by going down to the shop until I got a letter saying he was bankrupt and that I should collect the car. What I collected was not a car, but a shell, stripped for parts and left in a corner. I was both furious and heartbroken at the same time, so I know how it feels to hit a major set back, but my car is now back on the road, as I am sure yours will be! These things are rarely un-recoverable!

[@bunkaaa8726]

Damn thats utterly brutal!! How anyone can sleep with themselves after doing that to customers is beyond me.

[@marciosilva89]

That's a really touching story, a really inspirational too. Good on you for not loosing hope and wiil and hope you will enjoy very very much your restored car for the rest of your life.

[@simonleach6632]

@@marciosilva89 Many thanks Marcio, I fully intend to! The car is not finished, (what project ever really is?) but it is drivable, so ever excuse is being taken to drive it!

[@najuad]

Having owned a highly modified and yellow S2000 for years I feel your pain! It looks like with high-lift cams, the valve retainers rub on the rocker arms, some modification to the rocker arms maybe required to prevent contact with the retainers. I suspect that was the problem here

[@ickyconcrete5370]

Check the block serial number obviously. There's no way a top end build and tuning should take that long.

[@hotrodsather]

Yo mammas butt!!! thats good advice!!!!

[@shawnmungur4875]

I cringed at the news and my heart goes out to you. This happened on my AE86 and I am not ashamed to say I cried. Best of luck and hopefully the artwork will be available for purchase soon.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks Shawn

[@massimilianozeni1848]

Damn. I d be so pissed. You really took it great. Good positive way of thinking as usual Jay. Unfortunately when u buy second hand parts of the motor there is the risk that they have been abused. Actually the S2000 is probably the most reliable track car ever. Problem is they are often over revved because that amazing gearbox easily take any gear at any rev. Even in best motoring I have seen at least 3 different S overreved by professionals. Yes there are people saying the ap1 retainer aren t as good as the ap2. Honda made improvements through the years but aside for the banjo bolt issue the motors are bullet proof unless overreved. Good luck with the build. We will wait to see the S2000 in all his glory with those Toda ITB. Amazing content

[@Beer_Dad1975]

Probably a good idea to replace high stress parts before putting a second hand head on an engine. Rocker followers on OHC are just not the most robust design in an engine that revs to 8000+ RPM. Drive them hard, they are going to fail from fatigue eventually, and these engines are old now. Of course you get mechanical advantages for lift & duration which is why Honda designed them this way - but they weren't worried about what the engine would be doing in 20 years time. I had a Dolomite Sprint engine, which uses a single overhead cam driving the inlet valves directly, and the exhaust valves via followers - that engine failed on me due to a piston collapsing - but when they tore it down they found several of the follower arms had signs of cracking and would likely have failed shortly too. The engine rebuilder told me this was likely due to the exhaust springs being flogged out causing float that would have been making the followers very stressed.

[@TheChannel1978]

Overrev or oiling issues can kill it like any engine. Replacing the valve retainers and banjo bolts on ap1 is pretty important for those driving it at high revs. What happened here is pretty unusual and I tend to blame the shop or the parts. I've had something similar happen on my car and honestly I blamed myself for letting a shop open my functional engine. I don't think the put it together correctly after a bottom end rebuild they 'advised'. Too many shops are cowboys. Keep your engines stock or do the absolute minimum and the F20c will last.

[@laserst1547]

agree! My K20 blown up due to the shop didn't tie the blot correctly when doing valve adjustments. I shouldn't let them do it when I know they don't use torque wrench at all

[@amduser86]

The f20c in first gen ap1 are not really reliable for track use. Oilcooling and oil starvation are real problemes with them. The first gen s2000 brake down on the autobahn. Most of the once delivered to germany have new engines due to those problemes ....

[@massimilianozeni1848]

@@amduser86 there was a recall for the banjo bolt. The rest was mainly people abusing them and/or running low of oil (which the motor eats a bit more than average in its very first iteration at constant high rpm) The f20C is the same identical motor of the F20C2 and following iterations aside from the valve retainers which were changed in order to resist to even higher over rev, which worked well but that s not a fault of the motor. I remember reading in a tech report that the motor could in fact take over rev up to more than 10,400 rpm or thereabout. Transmission is soo good that it takes low gear at pretty much any rev which also means over revs happened to a lot people and cars. Finally the reliability of the car was such that when they depreciate a huge percentage became a track rat of some kind. Ciao

[@paulmitchell515]

Thanks so much for the update. I am just about to buy my first S and having researched everything to the Nth degree such news does not surprise me. However, i will not be put off and if all goes well i will be hitting 9k rpm soon.....with a huge smile on my face

[@nickmurray721]

Sadly I’ve learnt that modifying an engine for increased performance means that you can enter a world of frustration and unexpected cost. As many have said, it’ll all be good one day, but having waited for 2 years for somebody to rebuild my Subaru motor it can be a stressful time.

[@Quentin-xi7wd]

Gutted for you, . I would be in tears (and still might be) - I imported my S2000 new from Cyprus 17 yrs ago (an early facelift car in Sept 2004). It has now been with a restorer since December as it has serious rust problems - I know i should have let it go when it failed its MOT - but i couldn't - it stirs the emotions like no other car i've owned. Good Luck to you with yours - i will continue to follow, fingers crossed for a good outcome. 🤞🏼

[@ikaros2k]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. It is worth noting that for the toda camshafts to be installed, the rocker arms must be grinded (the exhaust side). Therefore, you might want to consider if that part of the job was done correctly and to ensure that it will not happen again. (Assuming you have the toda camshafts as I remember from an older video)

[@jeffhallii7907]

Ap1 s2000 are famous for dropping valves. The retainers can crack and warp overtime. Everyone replaces them with ap2 retainers. I would ditch the f20 and do a k24 with k20 oil pump. Great video!

[@Notlobism]

On the verge of a new year, after a horrible gap, it would be great to hear where you are on the s2000 implosion and rebuild. Not as sexy as all your Ferrari stories for some perhaps, but at the heart of why I for one follow your pieces. Very much look forward to an update as we flop forward into 2024. Happy New Year.

[@fairygodbrother]

I loved my s2000 had one when I was 20 but would never go back to one. I never knew any one have problems like that with the car back then. Your car must have been ragged like hell back in the day.

[@ThistleThings]

This is why I will never modify a car. I’m part of a couple of Facebook groups, follow several car KZbinrs etc and I ONLY hear stories that go along the lines of “I modified my car now it’s broken and so is my bank account please help” I get why it’s appealing to people and it seems very enjoyable, like a grown up Lego set. spend a few quid on some plug in and play components and you’ve got your dream car, plus everyone needs a hobby so why not. but working as I do for an OEM I find it endlessly frustrating when people seem to think the cars themselves need upgrading because the manufacture was too lazy, too mean or too incompetent to make the car perfect in the first place. Car companies spend 1000s of hours and millions of pounds on every single component of the vehicle to make it work within very very tight constraints of cost, performance, reliability, comfort, refinement etc. with the best will in the world when someone modifies a car they may make it 10% better in one aspect but in doing so they will totally ruin it in all other aspects.

[@justinmaccreery2490]

It sounds like a highly modified pro-built engine is the way to go. Thanks for the video and good luck with the improvements.

[@chrispraz877]

I have Honda mod issues as well Jay,..but too much invested, and I love my car too much. I'm not giving up !! So I get it. Cant wait to hear those Toda goodies sing!!

[@sweeney125]

Awww, love your S2 too.... get well soon!

[@mickeyhartsell6096]

I love ❤️ the Honda S2000 because they ROCK🔥 Jay I've heard Spoon S2000 engine's are built so good that they'll go a million miles, street driven of course 😉

[@jonathanellis6097]

I always try to see the bright side of things as well. I have to admit though I would be struggling if this happend to me, the S2000 is a bit of a dream car for me, I think I would be inconsolable. So we'll done you! 👍

[@xpictos777]

That's why you just put an air-intake (or do the airbox mod) to hear the engine better and keep the rest stock. It was a masterpiece from Honda. No need to mess with it.

[@stephenoverstreet9898]

You’re taking this VERY well, James. Much better than me. Your optimism is encouraging.

[@matthewelliott2213]

I've been a "Honda Guy" for twenty years and I have not seen this kind of damage without the addition of a turbo. Really has to be a series of failures that Spoon materials and tolerances will never allow.

[@Beer_Dad1975]

It'll be the second hand head having 20 year old followers that have been pounded and pounded at high rpm for god knows how many years in the previous application. They are a very high stress part, and often suffer from metal fatigue. These are great engines, but they are old now, and most of them have had a hard life under stresses that most engines in "normal" cars don't deal with.

[@richardcoope911]

I had the 6th S2000 in the country all those years back. Had many, many exciting miles in it, until one day I had an engine failure. They said that it was valve failure, so I suspect similar to this. The dealer wanted to just replace the broken bits and return the car back to me, so I contacted Honda UK directly who were surprised, so the whole engine was replaced.

[@matthewelliott2213]

@@richardcoope911 That makes my day! Honda always was proud of their engineering--I can see them making your situation right. Rare today-- Have you heard of the Subaru assembly line welding robot that had a slightly incomplete program for a door pillar weld a few years ago? A few thousand cars were delivered before they realized the mistake. Instead of a recall or quick fix, they flattened all the cars and gave everyone that had purchased one a brand new upgrade. They didn't want anything substandard on the road. Standing behind your work still exists in some places!

[@matthewjenkins1161]

@@matthewelliott2213 Scary that could happen in the first place though. Went on a school trip of the Ford's Dagenham plant around 1990 and even them then the Fiesta and Sierra bodyshells were mainly spot welded by robots. But every 3 hours a bodyshell was taken off the line, to be manually destroyed, ensuring the integrity of all the automated welding processes.

[@robster6868]

@@matthewjenkins1161 I remember doing that tour with my college class from Chelmsford when I was a young apprentice,in the mid 80’s though.Better times.

[@stoneautomotive]

Ouccccch 😰 glad you have stayed positive as that would have put a bad taste in my mouth and said bye bye! Watched your adverts all the way through so hopefully a smidge more revenue lol - look forward to the next part in the build

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks so much, every little helps!

[@LeonLeon-mx1nv]

Never had a failure on a VTEC engine. I let them warm up and cool down and keep the oil fresh. I once bought a non runner for parts. A valve had sheared and gone through the head, possible cam belt failure, and I decided, against better judgement, to have it sorted as the accord type r wasn't rotten. Big mistake, car came back several months later with compression issues causing mis-fires and the VTEC wasn't even working. The fact I had to pay is the outrageous part for substandard workmanship. I certainly wasn't going to give him a chance to rectify it either for the additional time and money! Jay you should have just bought a mint low mileage example for the money you'll have spent!

[@TheHondaTuner]

Yea its FRM cylinders. also the pistons should match this so they expand the same as block when heated. its diffucult coz you dont get much parts, i used S2k pistons in my H22 (also Fiber-reinforced-metal) as an upgrade. Also i think you dont need new headbolts, just check the original honda manual, theres ALL the information and very detailed. Honda manuals are worth gold. However similar engines dont need that to replaced.( B/H/D Series ) Oh and I would say stroking to 2.2 still is okay for 9000rpm. Should be 90mm stroke. I run 95 (2.3) in my H22 with 8200 (real not gauge) rpmwith ~26m/s pistonspeed for 2 years now daily/track. Oil is everything

[@1HeatWalk]

AP1 engines F20C are known to have week valve retainers. The F22C AP2 engine has resolved that.

[@mr.hernandezdrives]

sometimes i wonder if i should just keep mine in stock form since these things can and tend to happen quite often.. i was one of those asking for an update and i did imagine things didn't go as planned. this is my favorite car of all times and i hate how you are not getting to enjoy yours now, i know you love driving it. but stay positive sir, these precious metals are only (wants) in life. thanks for the update and i can't wait for the s2000 news. big fan.

[@jamesrobert4106]

Keep it stock. There are a million and one idiots who always think they can do better than the manufacturers. The fact is ...They can't. They never do and always ultimately fail.

[@zpzp96]

I am so sorry that happened to you! As an S2000 owner, I have been waiting for your S2000 build videos. I can’t wait to hear about the ITBs even though that’s something I may never do it myself to my car, but still :D

[@philharris9631]

Oooof! Just what you needed! Still, could be worse ... my TVR went in for "a two week engine rebuild that'll take three weeks" and that was seven years and £13k ago ... I no longer get a reply from the garage that have it!

[@chrisslater3174]

Funny that, just been drooling over a local 1988 'S' for sale. I'm already aware of the pitfalls of TVR ownership, but it doesn't stop me from wanting one. However, I think I'll keep the necessary £10k safe and warm for now...

[@drivetrain1746]

I sent my tuscan to Crawley down south..forget the name of the garage but it was gone for 7 months...7k bill. Don't think they exist any more. I'm going back 15 yrs or so.

[@philharris9631]

@@chrisslater3174 - to be quite honest I ran my TVR as my only car in all weathers for six years doing over 100,000 miles and it failed to get me to my destination *ONCE* in all that time. That once was a mechanical issue (a drive belt pulley bearing) that I knew was there and had been putting off doing so I'm counting that as being my fault. The issue with my engine rebuild (which was with 160,000+ miles on the clock) is down to the somewhat "relaxed" attitude of the guy doing the work ... the £13k has also included rather a lot of other work as well, not just rebuilding my 4.0 V8 as a 5.0, chassis stripped and recoated, all new suspension wishbones all round, new shocks and springs, faired in LED headlights, rebuilt gearbox, new clutch, propshaft UJ bearings renewed etc. It's just that the last time I saw it it's still in bits and the guy doing it seems to always have other things that are more important to do with his time... 😞

[@chrisslater3174]

@@philharris9631 I've heard good AND bad reports to be fair, but thanks for sharing. What TVR have you got, Phil? Been a lifelong fan, and they always make me smile.

[@philharris9631]

@@chrisslater3174 - 4.0HC Chimaera … took the opportunity to get it rebuilt as a 5.0. They’re not actually bad cars as long as you keep on top of them … the worst thing to do with them is keep them locked away in a garage and just take them out once or twice a year when they then get ragged silly … I daily drove mine for 20,000 miles a year and once any niggles are sorted they’re actually really simple and quite docile … they only really bite if you’re being an arse.

[@davidcassidy2731]

This is a very similar story to my GT86, bought the car second hand in Aug 2020 61,000 miles all seemed well. Fast forward a few months engine spun bearing February 2021 just 2 weeks past my 6 month warranty after a bit of pointless back and forward with the finance company I found a Subaru engine specialist near me and after a bit of head scratching went for a rebuild so far no regrets as it's been absolutely perfect. I was lucky enough to be able to find the cash for the rebuild which seemed costly but was preferable to paying finance on a car I no longer had.

[@rossworthington4469]

I like yr positive attitude. Do the Celica, Toyota's don't break so easily you can safely get 400hp from yr GT four

[@johnmozley8877]

Oh no. Enjoyed the video. I bought an early S2000 new. Sadly, like most if not all the early ones in the UK, I wrote it off coming off a roundabout.

[@kennytaylor5849]

Honda S2000 engine is so unique. I would never modify the engine as it was so precisely made..

[@simoncouldry7174]

That’s seriously unlucky! Loved my S2k and it really never put a foot wrong! Only let it go due to the arrival of the first sprog. I do remember being in Cambridge Honda when another S2k was flat bedded in. Apparently a stone had holed the rad and instantly drained the coolant. No coolant to register a high temp and the engine had seized. A short engine with goodwill from Honda was in the region of £12k and this was 13 years ago 😱

[@rtaylor0361]

At least in the US , most people don’t have access to a track to race .For that reason one needs to access what is best when driving back roads . When driving such roads , we all have to make judgments as to how fast we will go on the straights as well as the corners . Let’s face it , if your car has so much power that you find yourself feathering the throttle all the time to stay under your defined safe limits that’s no fun. For an example look at Savage Geese driving the Nissan GTR on a back road . It’s nothing but total frustration . So on a good back road romp it’s not how much power you have , but do you have the power to reach the safe limits where you drive . On handling improvements if your mods in your judgment enable you to safely drive faster on the roads you drive then there worth doing . I your mods don’t change how you judge the road then face it what you have is nothing more then extra car show bling .

[@Christian---]

I don't really mind that you don't work on cars yourself but I do still like that you're transparent about it when you say you want to modify the Honda.

[@johnvigolo4972]

I learnt a long time ago to never do things half cocked after learning the hard way. You may think your saving a few dollars, but in the end reality bites you in the butt & you end up paying twice as much. Especially when it comes to modifying engines, would’ve gone to a complete modified engine from a reputable engine builder that is very experienced with Honda engines such as Spoon & 4 Piston Racing in US or Stafford Engines in UK. That way you have a complete new engine that is professionally built with no hidden surprises & the choice/options to keep the original engine, if down the track you decide to sell the car with or without the modified engine.

[@leemeredith9411]

Word of advice, don't get a Spoon long block, it's just a blueprinted OEM block with a few Spoon labelled parts. Plenty of places in the UK that can build better for less! Give MMR Race Engines a shout, he specialises in Honda engines, K, F, B Series

[@maxmoughal5183]

Sorry to hear the bad news James, hope you get it all sorted soon.

[@ric355]

Sad to hear, but it feels like a lesson in knowing when to stop to me. There's got to be loads of other things you could spend the extra 10 to 13 thousand quid on that would return significantly better value for money, surely?

[@andrewmoorhouse687]

Sorry to hear this James. You must be gutted. I guess the muted shirt today is in recognition of how you feel! 😁

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Looking forward to what comes next. Things can only go up from here.

[@normls8615]

This is why it important to remember car manufacturers who build performance vehicles engineer reliability, especially Honda. Condolences on the possibly matching number engine.

[@beaches2mountains230]

Sorry to hear about this James !! I'm shocked to hear this..usually the top end of B series and F series engines are nearly bulletproof..Wonder if the computer upgrade deleted Rev limiter and or they over revved the engine...?

[@beaches2mountains230]

Spoon engine!!??? That things going to be an absolute beast James ! Say hello to 10k rpm capabilities !

[@jehl1963]

Ouch! Did you change the cams or valve springs as part of the upgrade prior to the blow-up? It sounds like the rockers may not have a lot of design margin in them, and stiffening the valve springs or adding a cam with faster ramp angles may have pushed the rockers over the edge. You might want to have the rocker arms crack tested before you install them in the new engine, and maybe even check on if there are any treatments (i.e. cryo-treated, shot-peened, etc. some research may be in order) which might improve their longevity.

[@pauljames8651]

Good advice!

[@lawrenceneech9517]

Gutted - but keep going! Thrilled you’re sticking with the project although the cost makes me wince for you!

[@Rice_Cake_]

Yuck, that sucks. I was debating between AP1 or AP2 in Canada, and I went with AP2 to try and avoid some of the earlier engine reliability issues. Good luck with the build!

[@glasair38sr]

Hate to hear it. Had mine since new in 06 (AP2). ‘Ok…ok…I’m leaving this car BONE STOCK. Nope! Not touching it! ….(erm…yeah. Right). That worked about as well as anything I’ve had that floats, flies, or rolls. Performed all of the wrenching on my own. So as of about ‘08 its ‘stock’ form was OEM hardtop, custom offset OZ 3 piece wheels, KW V3 coilovers, chassis bracing, Chargespeed front end (about to replace with J’s racing), and due to Oscar Jackson Jr’s reputation I’d had a deposit on and received one of the first Kraftwerks centrifugal SC setups pushing 10lbs boost on a stock head gasket. Tune by Hondata. Car has about 58k miles on the clock and has been absolutely bullet proof. (Oh yeah…rear end gears lashed & cryo’d with stock gear ratios, heavy duty caps installed, Kaas 1.5 LSD). Stock absolutely will not handle 380ish to the rear. I knew this going in…but ask me how I *really* know ;-). Had no idea it would turn out to be a really desired piece now 16 yrs later. But having kept it 16 yrs through life changes, divorce, etc etc…should speak for itself. It’ll be worth it man. Hang in there. They’re a ton of fun, and just super predictable. Like driving a go kart. Hammer on one that’s boosted without leaving the VSA engaged…and you’ll be staring at your own arse end sooner than later. Likely as well as wrapping you around a telephone pole as the old school 930T’s were known for. Funny to watch the computer struggle to get a handle on things while I’m ‘pedal to the metal’. Good stuff. Good luck mate, hang in there. SLR

[@cdnstache]

This is the car that got me to subscribe to your channel. Best of luck! Watching with interest.

[@chrisrumble2665]

What a bummer. Had the rebuilt original engine on my 124 Coupe blow up after 2k miles so I feel your pain.

[@rattymcclelland]

Dam, the old FRM liners, the bane of any H22 owner and oil consumption. In my H22 prelude I got steel darton sleeves in with high comp pistons, the epic side is many hursepurrs, the downside is even more epic oil consumption and jerky ride at low revs from the high comp pistons and big cams.

[@robertmaddock1813]

Tough news fella, thanks for all the great content generally...

[@johnshaw359]

I feel for your situation, however, that's a highly stressed engine in stock form. Not something I'd try to modify.

[@jamesrobert4106]

I have just echoed that sentiment. The audacity of these countless idiots who think they can improve on the genius of Honda or other brands. It ALWAYS ends in disaster, because their talent pool is more of a puddle.

[@nakoma5]

Reason why Honda didn't try to extract even more power from it during its production run. I'm sure they could but that would have made it less reliable and usable for street use.

[@jamesrobert4106]

@@nakoma5 This insatiable need for power driven mostly by people without the skills to use it in any case. I have a completely stock 2004 Civic Type R. Low torque, allowing the 197 bhp of that K20 to reliably rev out to near 8k on the V-Tec is a thing of near perfection.

[@sportzntouring]

Every cloud of oil smoke has a silver lining! Really excited for when it's back on the road. Loved driving that car!

[@marcnobel3938]

Sad News for now but I am very excited to see the result when it is finally finished.

[@modality14]

I probably would've sprung for a complete toda or k-tech engine but that's just me..spoon is cool too but close to an oem engine

[@joshuasantiago6069]

USUALLY when a rocker arm fails its due to the valve adjustment nut being over torqued when adjusting the valve lash.. 14 ftlbs is all it needs for the s2000 I believe on a stock head

[@MarkB4444]

Sad to hear. I fitted the Toda ITBs to my S2000 race car and had a 2.2 build which failed. Let me know if you need help with options. Anthony at Taikyu / Spoon UK will help you with a short block but there are UK race engine builders who can help on the bottom end.

[@tuscantales]

Sad news. Glad you're going to get it singing again though, well done!

[@garethmarcus4515]

sorry for your loss bud R.I.P S2000 engine born 2003 passed away 2022 😭🤧😭lol

[@camrunner6633]

My gto went off 2 years ago for a clutch and turbos and is now a rolling shell waiting on a full rebuild / upgrade

[@JacksonODJ]

I feel for you, James. I have a custom block window in my 135's engine at the moment, but all of my own doing. I hope you get the car back on the road, even better than planned. Thanks as always for sharing with us.

[@tomasjones3755]

"In for a penny - in for a pound" It's sad , when that happens. I'm currently refreshing a '97 Volvo V70 T5. My situation is not as harsh as yours. That said, there have been a few surprises

[@chrispraz5198]

I've actually seen a couple online vendors here in the states that sell a s2000 block: Icb motorsports in Az. & jhpusa in so. Cal. As a self professed Honda nerd, I am sad. But! No problems, just solutions. Don't get discouraged.👍🏼

[@puddymod]

Good luck on the rebuild :) keep us posted on you plan to do with the differential and axles

[@super_hondas]

What a nightmare! The S2000 is on my shopping list of cars that I want to own. The Spoon engine replacement sounds epic!

[@ksteak27]

Tossed ya a like to help with the costs. Enjoying the channel!

[@jtothepmusic]

Seriously, I couldn't keep chucking money like that at it - especially when you have other toys to play with. Fair play if you stick with it.

[@KL50450]

What a bummer. Good you take it on the chin😅 and move on. I went through a similar experience with a Lotus Exige in which we put tons of Monkeywrench stuff. It all went up in smoke due to (probably) wrong torque on the rod bearings. Am still pissed about it. Anyhow, good luck with the Honda. It’s an awesome looking car and hopefully will be running again soon Also..you’re now at 207k subscribers 💪🏽. Have been watching your stuff since the lotus days. You’re one of the very few (with Jeremy C) that I watch 15 minute + videos of. It just feels natural. Keep it going!

[@markusluftner8418]

ah shit, you and me both. Had to swap my engine too. Had oil pressure issues .... Car is running again!

[@Keroppikun]

The J/Yen is weak against both the dollar and the pound at the moment. A good time to buy what you need!

[@sterlingsilver320]

Props for taking this as well as you are. Wouldn’t win me any favors, but I can’t say I would have done the same. Gonna be pricey, but I’m sure that once it’s done, this project will be worth it for you.

[@Karalco]

@Jay as an s2000 owner ap1 like yourself as one the worst fears on our cases owning the F20c.

[@joeleonard9965]

Damn dude the prices on replacement F20Cs are nuts. It was my dream to stick one in my E30 318iS but they are literally nearly the value of the car.

[@davelee9791]

A bit confusing you say at the beginning that you don’t want to take away from an already great car it’s good points then are looking at £25K changing everything you love about the car trying to make it better or something very different…I guess it’s good content for the channel.

[@francobanzini665]

I know the feeling A bit cheaper and low tech but 1380 supercharged A series mini engine cracked the block on the dyno -instant sauna Now running Avonbar 1310 supercharged motor Only taken 4 years to put it together! Meanwhile next project started so mini will have to go Why do we put ourselves through it?

[@fransb8543]

Ah the joy of project cars.. Sorry to hear of your misfortune, Jay. We'll all have to be a bit more patient before we can hear your ITB screamer. I, for one, am anxious to hear and see it! Possibly, you could get some footage of the build process? I'm sure a lot of us would love to see it. Cheers!

[@lm971120]

Hmm Spoon Sports… from what I know (of course I don’t have a S2000 so might be different), parts they actually make themselves are crap, but the ones they sell that were (mostly) made by the others are good - but with a hefty premium (albeit with somewhat better appearance)

[@ricepony33]

It’s going to be that much cooler in the end and the story is

[@crztank9298]

The liners are FRM. fibre reinforced matrix. Used in nsx, prelude, euro r accords and the s2k. Best of putting a k20 or k24 in. The f20c is great on paper but not very flexible engine. K20 is far more tuneable

[@djcraigtm]

Maybe look at a K Series swop with ITBs James? If you want to retain a displacement of more than 2 litres, a K24 block can be used. Either way, I'm sure you'll sort it out & enjoy your 9000rpm screamer.

[@yoyomcdingdong4889]

Sorry for your loss.

[@cargen12]

Sorry to hear, but you're really going the mile with this extra build, choosing nothing but the best parts. S2000's, in the US at the very least, have been going up in value so if you ever had to cash out of your s2000, all this $$ spent modifying it the proper way is not all going down the drain. Can't wait to see the finished thing and watch you thrash it on track days! I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end as you watch your 20yr old honda outlap most modern sportscars :)

[@CYMRU619]

Tough to take and this is part of the reason I work on my own cars and rarely take them to a garage. It's not about not trusting anyone , rather just being able to know it's your own fault when something like this happens...Somehow comforting. Regardless of what happened to the engine I don't think you should take your car back there - they took way to long to do the work. Like others have said I think you're better off putting a K in the bay at this point.

[@laserst1547]

Does K engine runs smoother than the F and having the same power?

[@CYMRU619]

@@laserst1547 I don't know the specifics but they are cheaper to buy and there is a lot more aftermarket support/parts availability.

[@FuelwithDave]

Gutted, good to have an update and hope you get it sorted

[@quest8795]

Gutted, that's a real shame. Best of luck with the rebuild.

[@Andy-pu2iv]

Just a word about Car Vertical. I was in the market for a (in today's money) not very expensive car (about 5 or 6 thousand pounds). I spent about eight quid on a Car Vertical search and it came up with 2, TWO! outstanding finance agreements. From a dealer, to boot. Needless to say, I did not buy said car and maybe, maybe not, saved myself a massive headache. I bought from elsewhere and do not have a headache. At the moment... So, for even a "cheap" car purchase, you could save yourself some grief.

[@MarkB4444]

If they were on sale or return (most dealers don’t own all their stock) then the finance will still be active until the point you pay for the car, then it gets cleared by the dealer

[@GM-fh5jp]

Patience young Padawan...serve you well it will. S 2000 no bai wa...kawai so :/ Sugu ni James san no Honda wa genki desu (nozomimasu) Gamanshite kudasai!

[@peaktraveller]

Sad. What a shame. Good luck going forward.

[@HerbsmanRevs]

Heartbreaking James :( but this is tuning. At least it's not your only car.

[@pixelmixture3067]

still no update on the s2000 ?

[@spencersgarage]

I wonder what happened??? Incorrect valve adjustment? The retainers in the 2.0L are common to crack/break, too.

[@I.LikeCars]

A year later now, did the Spoon engine ever arrive?

[@OldCarsNewVan]

Perhaps you could replace it with Hubnut’s Foxanne 😂😂😂😂

[@Vinttro]

Forget all that James, one of our members is selling a very nice S2000 that we can probably get you a great deal on.

[@SabretoothBarnacle]

Jay, if you are tempted to get it re-lined you need to watch Sreten's channel M539 to see what happened to a Alpina block that was re-lined with a different material than Alpina specified.

[@stomer8125]

I'd personally drop a K20 into it... less hassle and easier to get parts

[@simons4474]

Yeah those fc engines are not great.I’ve seen a few people put k,s in them.