We all work hard in some capacity. How hard we work, however, is really up for interpretation-training for a marathon, taking an extra job to make ends meet or sweating it out in the final level of Call of Duty 4. But we can all agree that a serious tuning project is no easy task, inevitably requiring a good dose of sweat equity. From the planning stage to setting budgets to all the labor and everything in between, one thing is clear: you better expect some serious hurt and hustle.
Nic Chow, from Calgary, Alberta, is one of these guys who claim to go over and above on his projects. Sure, who doesn't? But a quick look at this featured silver '01 S2000, his claims of countless hours and sleepless nights are obvious. This goes for his last two projects as well: a stunning '92 Prelude turbo and a white JDM Integra Type-R.
Though having a good group of friends to help with labor and establishing some decent hookups working at one of the top shops in the region, SpeedTech Racing Development, may have eased the pain. It is Nic's persistence to build only the best car he possibly can, without any compromise if he can help it, that declares all this extra effort-working another shift to pay for the better seats, or hanging back on the weekend if this means a few extra bucks for those perfect wheels. It's this tenacity and hustle that allows Nic to raise the bar with each project he reveals, keeping the masses in suspense for "the next one."
After selling his '92 Prelude, Nic was after a newer Honda model with healthy aftermarket support. He explains, "But the thing was, I would have to gather enough funds to purchase the car and modify it to how I wanted it to be. On a very tight budget, I purchased my S2000 for a good deal from a friend, which really helped." The focus was to build a great track car doubling as a daily driven demo vehicle for Nic's own enjoyment.
Working closely with Ben Leung from AJ Racing in Vancouver, British Columbia, this AP1 was headed for JDM bliss, including an engine bay crammed with J's Racing and T1R goods. Using reputable brands, coupled with Ben's help, everything fit perfectly without any real challenges. "The F20c responds great even to minor modifications," Nic explains. "I looked to J's Racing again using the titanium 60RS exhaust system matched with T1R test pipe. The backpressure was relieved, but adding a T1R header, J's Racing intake and throttle body, I noticed better mid- to high-end powerband and much better throttle response as well." To better handle the new power-adders, an Exedy clutch was installed with a Rick's rear gearset for a preferred gear ratio.
Suspension and overall handling, Nic feels, are the most critical parts in building his vehicles. This explains why he went through three sets of wheels before settling on a size and model he liked: Volk Racing CE28N wrapped in Falken FK-452 245/45/17. In addition, having just ordered the new J's Racing wide fenders, he needed to run a wider wheel/tire with a lower offset, thus, settling with Volk Racing.
"I opted to go with a non-stagger because this offered a more balanced setup with the S2000, opposed to the conventional stagger setup," Nic says. "Along with that, the Seidoya brake pads matched to Spoon calipers and J's Racing brake lines and rotors offered a great braking setup, which was very important to me." T1R comprised the vital suspension components including a front cross strut tower bar, driveshaft spacers, and both front and rear anti-bumpsteer kits. He says, "The anti-bumpsteer allowed me to be more comfortable with the car, not having it pull and jerk along uneven surfaces when riding at such low ride height." A few other parts include a Spoon front X-brace, a Spoon rear lower arm bar and J's Racing slotted rotors.
By Amee Reehal
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