With the launch of the Honda S2000 in 1999, a good chunk of these cars are now over the 20-year mark. A few now old enough to drink, but AP1's have been drinking oil for a while now. With all these years blowing by, the Honda S2000 has seen its fair share of the sun. Just like your skin, the soft top begins to show signs of age as well as wear and tear if you don't take good care of it. But replacing your top is a lot easier than fixing your skin after years of exposure.
The beginning of the soft top process is quite simple, we remove both seats and plastics from the car. As well as making sure that any electronics that get in the way are unplugged and put aside. After unbolting a few pieces on the chassis, we reach the frame and have it removed and begin the next step.
For this project, we were able to source a brand new soft top frame. Our client only wanted what was best for their car, so we searched high and low for this one. Typically these frames undergo some moderate cleaning before we apply the new soft top. This includes removal of any residual adhesive on the frame and replaced the foam at typical wear points.
Every frame undergoes meticulous care during our restoration process. When we drill out the rivets in the frame, we take extra precaution to ensure that the pre-drilled holes for the rivets do not enlarge. As for the replacement rivets, we only use rivets that are identical in shape and size to the factory rivets.
Once the soft top has been installed, it is highly recommended to keep the top closed for approximately two weeks. This is to ensure that the glue is able to settle and have the fabric stretch to the appropriate shape. It may be a long couple weeks to wait, but you will at least be able to enjoy riding your S2000 without any holes and tears. Or enjoy the sweet sun and breeze again with the top down.
Book an appointment today and restore your soft top!