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.
C-West/BC/Hankook S2000 Shatters Records Again On July 12, 2008The Super Lap Battle was another good shakedown session for the C-West/BC/Hankook S2000. After our win in Utah we were intent on getting even more power out of the car. The new BC 2.4L stroker engine and GReddy T618Z turbo should be able to handle horsepower levels in the 600-zone, but we are only at half that power. As happy as we were about finally finding the problem that led to a loss in power, it was the challenge of solving the issue that was killing us. We were able to get the power up but we had to rely on deactivating Honda's VTEC control. This was a temporary fix because the car should jump up in power once the issue is resolved. We're looking to make over 100-plus more horsepower out of the engine once we can solve the VTEC issues. Nevertheless, the boost was not falling off like it did in Utah, and power was pulling throughout the powerband so we were forced to run the car as is. Upon our first run session we decided to run the boost controller on low and also run the C91 Hankook tires at a moderate pressure. After our first three passes, race driver Tyler Mcquarrie explained that he had to battle a slight understeer issue at the high-speed turns as well as an aerodynamic drag issue in straight-line, high-speed performance. When the timing sheet was posted, it revealed that we broke last year's track record time of 1:28.10 posted by HG Motorsports. On the S2000's first run session it blasted a time of 1:25.05, shattering the record by over three seconds. For the next pass the decision was made to lower the wing by 10 degrees and reset the tires to a much lower pressure and change the rear shock adjustments. On the Honda's second pass it was obvious the changes worked when a 1:23.50 time was announced. The next closest competitor was Tanner Foust in the Crawford Subaru with a 1:37.20. With two more runs left in the day, we were left with the one of two decisions: unload even more power in case one of the competing teams was holding back or play it safe or leave the car as is. The decision was made to try and get more power using a set of BC prototype cams for our third run. During the run it was obvious that we didn't have the proper fueling and timing, so Mcquarrie decided to scratch session three. The original BC cams were reinstalled and boost was turned up 4-more psi for the fourth and final run session. With track temperatures cooled off, the S2000 stopped the clocks at a record 1:23.14. Due to traffic, the car was not able to get a clean third pass, and results have always shown us that with the Hankook tires the third pass always runs the fastest with the rubber up to temperature. While we did ended up winning the event with a record time for the Super Lap Battle, an interesting note about the time was that it is the only production car to run that fast at Willow Springs, compared to full-tube chassis cars and open-wheel cars. The time falls in Willow Springs record list at number 26 in the Top 65 cars fastest to run at the track. Keep in mind that this weekend's win is all testing for the big race coming this weekend at California Speedway. Be sure to look out for upcoming magazine coverage in Super Street, Modified, Turbo, Import Tuner, and Sport Compact Car. Hope to see you all at Auto Club Speedway, formally known as California Speedway.Gary Castillo, Team Design Craft
Redline Time Attack, Buttonwillow, Mar. 22-23First Place Unlimited RWDFirst Place Unlimited ClassFirst Place OverallOne of five cars to run in the 1:48 timezone
Super Lap Battle, Long Beach Grand Prix, Apr. 19-20Second Place Unlimited RWD
Redline Time Attack, Utah, June 28-29First Place Unlimited RWDFirst Place Unlimited classFirst Place OverallFirst Place Super Session BattleTrack record
With the oil pump mounted,...
With the oil pump mounted, the timing chain and tensioner can be mounted correctly.
Millennium Motor Sports, of...
Millennium Motor Sports, of Temecula, Calif., performed all the finishing machine work. The block decked required the timing chain cover to be machined to match the deck surface of the block.
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.
The timing chain and guide...
The timing chain and guide rails were installed before the front cover was bolted up for final assembly.
The factory single valvespring...
The factory single valvespring was replaced with a BC dual valvespring along with a BC titanium retainer.
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.
To ensure no oil leakage from...
To ensure no oil leakage from the timing chain cover, Honda bond was used on the block and cylinder head surface.
A set of BC Stage 2 turbo...
A set of BC Stage 2 turbo cams was installed.
Castillo adjusted the valves...
Castillo adjusted the valves for the new cams with an intake set at 0.007 inch, while exhaust adjustments were set at 0.009 inch.
The cylinder head was torqued...
The cylinder head was torqued to ARP's specs of 85 lb-ft of torque.
On the left is the stock T518Z...
On the left is the stock T518Z GReddy turbo, which comes with the S2000 turbo kit. To the right is a prototype T618Z used for this build that GReddy will be offering soon as a turbo upgrade for the S2K kit.
Rocker arm assembly.
On the left is the stock T518Z...
On the left is the stock T518Z GReddy turbo, which comes with the S2000 turbo kit. To the right is a prototype T618Z used for this build that GReddy will be offering soon as a turbo upgrade for the S2K kit.
If wide wasn't wide enough,...
If wide wasn't wide enough, Design Craft made the C-West dry-carbon widebody kit even wider with custom canards and overfenders to fit a set of 275/35-18 C91 compound Hankook tires.
Due to the design of the C-West...
Due to the design of the C-West radiator inlet, Design Craft was forced to set up the Mishimoto radiator to work with the exit air outlet on the hood.
A set of 1,000cc RC injectors...
A set of 1,000cc RC injectors maintain proper fuel delivery.
Just how wide is wide? You...
Just how wide is wide? You be the judge
An ACT-lightened flywheel...
An ACT-lightened flywheel and heavy-duty extreme pressure plate with a six-puck un-sprung disc keep the tires spinning on the track.