The C-West S2000 first gained noto- riety in November 2005 when the dry- carbon Honda was freshly shipped in a container from Japan just a few days before its U.S. race debut. With minimal changes performed on the vehicle's suspension, the car was quickly whisked off to Buttonwillow Speedway as it prepared to wage war in the Super Street and eurotuner Time Attack (Super Lap Battle). The S2000 competed in the Unlimited FR Class and was driven by Eiji "Tarzan" Yamada, using of all things a stock JDM 2.0L motor. The naturally aspirated S2000 ran an amazing 1:53.147 time and was named the Unlimited FR Champion that year. The win was a bittersweet victory for C-West and its S2000 because the car was immediately taken back to the U.S. facility, never to be seen again, sitting in storage for the next two and a half years.
When the '05 champ seemed to have been forgotten, the car was surprisingly resurrected, with the help of Gary Castillo, owner of Design Craft Fabrication, in early 2008. Castillo just so happened to work in a shop adjacent to C-West, walking past the S2000 on a daily basis while the car sat around catching dust. Sympathetic of the car's status, he knew something had to be done. With a '08 season proposal to run the S2000, with C-West Japan's approval, the car was given a basic tune-up before it was officially un-retired and trailed back out onto the tracks. Using an over-the-counter GReddy turbo kit on the factory engine, the car was taken to a local track event where the now-turbocharged powerplant and lightweight chassis seemed to work well for both driver Tyler Mcquarrie and the C-West S2000.
As time progressed, the S2000 went through numerous changes and picked up sponsors like BC (Brian Crower) and Hankook tires-lending a helping hand to improve its record-setting times at numerous tracks events. Follow along as Turbo magazine and Design Craft Fabrication prepares to swap out the tired 2.0L mill with a custom 2.4L powerplant. You can bet this team, with its new engine displacement and numerous upgrades, is eyeing the coveted track record of 1:43.523 that was set by HKS and its CT230R at Buttonwillow in 2007. Only time will tell before this carbon machine has what it takes to be crowned this year's Super Lap Battle champion.
Editor's Note: This article was written by Gary Castillo three days after the new engine was installed and the shakedown at Willow Springs Raceway during a Super Lap Battle qualifying event.
In building the new 2.4L engine,...
In building the new 2.4L engine, Castillo used a set of ACL flash-treated rod bearings. BC offers a full set of ACL flash-treated bearings with its stroker kit, which was used for this engine. The advantages of flash treating a bearing is a surface that is stronger, due to the similarities of being heat treated. Because the bearing is sold through BC, they can offer close-to-factory-spec clearances.
Ring gaps were measured per...
Ring gaps were measured per cylinder.
Here's an image comparing...
Here's an image comparing the stock Honda piston material sleeve to a Darton ductile iron sleeve. The Darton sleeve fortifies the sleeves while making it a closed-deck block. The sleeves were installed by Steve of Race Engine development in Oceanside, Calif.
The newly acquired CP pistons...
The newly acquired CP pistons were measured half an inch from the bottom of the skirt to get accurate bore size. A quick measurement of the piston revealed they were 88.91mm.
The BC rod uses the same center...
The BC rod uses the same center to center with the factory rod but pin location on the piston is modified to accept the larger 2.4L stroke.
Castillo prepares the ring...
Castillo prepares the ring gap clearance for the pistons. The CP pistons come with a ring gap spec sheet designed for street, strip, and race applications. The C-West/BC/Hankook S2000 went with a race application gap.
The oil ring set comes with...
The oil ring set comes with a fourth oil ring expander, which compresses the oil ring to make up the difference of the pin height placement rather than using aluminum buttons.
A close-up of the stock block...
A close-up of the stock block water jackets.
The Darton iron ductile sleeves...
The Darton iron ductile sleeves were machined for closed deck yet it allows coolant passage for extra cooling through the cylinder head.
ARP head studs come with Allen...
ARP head studs come with Allen heads on top to tighten by hand and ensure install heights are correct.
ARP main studs and head studs...
ARP main studs and head studs were used, along with ACLmain bearings.
A drawback when using ARP...
A drawback when using ARP head studs is the bolt and stud protruding a little higher than the factory studs. Here's a photo of the area we had to modify to give clearance for the oil pump.
The assembly shows the main...
The assembly shows the main girdle on the block using ARP studs.
Using a die grinder, the surface...
Using a die grinder, the surface area was modified to make clearance.
In order for the new BC spring...
In order for the new BC spring seats to be installed, the old valve seals were removed and replaced.