Has anyone ever permanently put a roof on their s2k? I don't mean something like a oem hardtop bolted down. I'm talking about welding a top to the car so that there are no seams and it's actually a structural part of the car.

I love the S2k but I dont really like convertables. I know the way the s2k was designed and made that even as a convertable it's structurally just as stiff as a coupe.

For even more rigidity, would it be possible to integrate a cage into an existing hardtop(kinda like how RUF integrates cages into Porsches) and weld the metal parts to the front and back of the cabin. Also while blending the front and rear seams of the roof to the rest of the car so that it's as if the car came as a coupe from the factory.

OR

Make an all metal top that's built and attached as if the car was a non vert from the factory and do away with the integrated cage. Make it look like the oem hardtop.

I know this same effect can be done by just welding in a fully cage, but then the car isn't very suitable for daily driving. This way you could have the rigitity of a cage while still being able to drive the car safely without wearing a helmet and keep your interior in tact. Blending the top into the car and getting rid of the seams would also cut down on wind noise. Obviously the softop and all associated hardware/motors would be taken out. maybe more trunk space could be created?

Hope i don't confuse anyone with this idea, I tried to explain it as best i could.

 

I am confident that both are VERY possible... It's just a question of if you have enough money.

 

yea, it would be expensive for sure. i hope someone has done this. it would be very cool to see.

how much more trunk space could you get if the softop storage space was sealed off and opened up to the rest of the trunk?

any pics of an s2k with the softop removed?

 

There are a number of race prepped S2000s with their hardtops welded on. If you search the gallery a little, you'll be able to find a bunch of example pics. Here's a pic I saved from a while ago, but can no longer recall the thread from which it was acquired.

 

yea that looks nice. i'll check out the galleries. maybe check in the "official" hardtop and cage threads?

 

That looks sick

I have all my soft top components gutted, I used hardware that you could only use by doing so:





With this hardware on the car it feels very different. Due to the loss weight and the hardtop really feeling like it's part of the car. This is my second S with an OEM hardtop. On my first S I had the Honda OEM hardware, and IMO it was horrible! It would rattle over bumps, or even just crappy roads. With bolting it to the car ir is completely silent. If you wanted to gut the softtop and have basically a "coupe" S this is the most cost effective way to do it. The hardware costs $80 compared to almost a thousand from Honda.

Granted, it doesn't look completely "seamless". But it feel seamless.

 

I'm pretty sure with the fixed brackets you could also trim the interior paneling so that the car didn't look so gutted. If I bought a hardtop I'd probably just but the fixed brackets at first unless the top came with everything I needed. It's a good way to get a hardtop and spend a good $500 less.

 

Not much -- take a look at the space that the soft top tray takes up. You'd have to remove the trunk liner and spare as well.

 

I do have the interior panels on now. And yes, it did require some trimming. Those are just pics of what it looks like without the panels.

 

more pics!