Giving the S2 some love

[Ian Simmonds]

I can’t believe how much time passes between updates.... however...

I’ve gone ‘deep clean’ with the S2 today. As the old girl isn’t doing much I thought I’d take my time...

So, I gutted it...



Both front seats were wobbly as the nylon runners had failed because of the retaining clips.

This image shows the hole where the retaining clips should be.



So I used a push stud (and a blob of superglue) to replace the failed clip.



And the finished interior without seats...

After a full on vax, scrub and Meguiar's interior detailer.



And with



Today didn’t include the dog kennel boot which is another day in itself. Then there’s the bigger issue of the failing door cards and headlining....

I suspect this could be a long haul ideally suited to where we are today....

[stealthy]

great read

[Ian Simmonds]

My better half dropped me off down the town earlier, not often I get to see the S2 on the road as it’s usually me driving it...



Item of note - Sea drenched Border Collie howling in back window....

[ra28gt]

wow what a build

[s2driveruk]

Funeral duty for the S2 this week. I know what you Coupé owners are thinking, that's every week.... But it was the proper, serious, black suit, black tie, official, family departure.
We, as a family, rocked up in the S2 Estate. Up the avenue of deliverance and around the garden of rememberance... 3" Miltek and 15mph speed limit (so first gear and annoying the Parakeets with a white/red hot, fuel laden single box exhaust) ...It "cough" sounded (fzckivg) lovely, popping, pinging and chirping (but I'm biased).... And received some appreciative comments. Especially from one of the 'next' mourners who I accidentally caught taking a piccy of the S2...
In all seriousness, it's days like these that galvanise my desire for our cars. We bought the S2 two weeks after the birth of our first child, it was the ultimate kiddy wagon, she left school with all her GCSE's 6 months ago. It's been the baby wagon, the nutter sports loony car, the work motorway hack, the 'sophisticated and eloquent' socialite and the ..... I need a boostfest pornstar.... IT IS FAMILY... So it's slightly uncomfortable it's now doing duty at the other end of the human lifecycle... But, in true S2 style, it does it with SUCH class....

It's an expensive addiction, but, gawd, we all love it to bits....

Great post and i know what you mean about them being ‘family’ was going through stuff prior to house move and found an old Audi Driver mag with picture of my car on the lunch parade with son upfront in the child seat...he is now 6ft and 14!

havent had the chance to drive it much in the last 12months due to various things but after being cossetted for that time in my Touareg (which i absolutely love) driving it to new home yesterday reminded my how much more real the driving experience is in these old cars. 18yrs on and it still gives me a smile!

[slacky]

Exactly what ringbearer said

[John.]

I know what you Coupé owners are thinking, that's every week....

Practical Sports Car is the estate !

A good friend used his 10v Coupe (with full stainless exhaust, inc. manifold) for his Dad's funeral, it made it a better day......I hate funerals.

[ringbearer]

Sweet tale

[Ian Simmonds]

Funeral duty for the S2 this week. I know what you Coupé owners are thinking, that's every week.... But it was the proper, serious, black suit, black tie, official, family departure.
We, as a family, rocked up in the S2 Estate. Up the avenue of deliverance and around the garden of rememberance... 3" Miltek and 15mph speed limit (so first gear and annoying the Parakeets with a white/red hot, fuel laden single box exhaust) ...It "cough" sounded (fzckivg) lovely, popping, pinging and chirping (but I'm biased).... And received some appreciative comments. Especially from one of the 'next' mourners who I accidentally caught taking a piccy of the S2...
In all seriousness, it's days like these that galvanise my desire for our cars. We bought the S2 two weeks after the birth of our first child, it was the ultimate kiddy wagon, she left school with all her GCSE's 6 months ago. It's been the baby wagon, the nutter sports loony car, the work motorway hack, the 'sophisticated and eloquent' socialite and the ..... I need a boostfest pornstar.... IT IS FAMILY... So it's slightly uncomfortable it's now doing duty at the other end of the human lifecycle... But, in true S2 style, it does it with SUCH class....

It's an expensive addiction, but, gawd, we all love it to bits....

[Ian Simmonds]

How easy is the waste gate scrub up?

I think John just dismantled it and put it through a degreasant , checked it for damage/ tolerance and reassembled it. He did similar plus a buffing wheel polish to the RallyRep oil cooler bypass valve that was sticking. After 25 years it's amazing the state things get into.

[BrianSmith_S2]

How easy is the waste gate scrub up?

[Ian Simmonds]

Good spot Dave,. The car was originally L9AFN as an AFN dealer demonstrator.. It then got a standard plate. My old GT back in the early 1990's was from Sinclaire Garages, Swansea and was STH925Y. As a nod to the S2's past and my old coupe, I stumbled upon L9STH about 16 years ago. It's been on it ever since.

[Tractor Dave]

Nice work. You have a Pembrokeshire registration! My neck of the woods

[Ian Simmonds]

Ever since the Milltek exhaust went on, I suspected that the turbocharger was getting a bit leggy. It subsequently started to get a bit smokey if idling hot... It wasn't for the best. Checking the intercooler hoses also showed some oil.

Bear in mind the car probably only does 3000 miles a year, this has 'evolved' over a couple of years.

Anyway, a while back I purchased a spare Borg-Warner kkk24k standard turbo from a gent on the S2 forum (used but fit for refurbishment) and subsequently squirrelled it away down shed number 2.

When the idling smokiness got to the point of embarrassing it was time to pull the trigger.

So, the spare kkk went off to Jamie at Turbo Dynamics in Christchurch and the folk there completely refurbished it and massaged it (just ) a bit.

Anyway....


It was fitted yesterday complete with replacement N75 valve hoses and a wastegate scrub up....

Ohhh my gawd.... What a difference...

Seriously, my destroyer of worlds is back.... It is a properly, properly fast car again...:tup:

[Ian Simmonds]

For the first time since the 2005 the S2 has been used for a family holiday... With two high school aged kids, a Border Collie and a weeks' worth of luggage the fear was it'd all be too much for the old girl to accommodate...

Not a bit of it, it all fell in... Easier than the Land Rover (to be fair, that does have the full dog cage in)... But even so, the S2 has proved an absolute and accomplished beast. Powerful, sure footed when fully loaded, agile, comfortable and quick... It's also cleared 30mpg on the motorway work and 25mpg on the fun stuff...

Couple of teasers until I get a few more uploaded...