"The first problem was the S2000 chassis," Ben points out. "It has the steering rack sitting in front of the F22 engine. On the S13 chassis, it sits between the oil pan in the rear. Modifying the shifter to work was also one of the hard parts, because it didn't line up on the S13 shifter hole unless you cut the fire wall. Also, the power steering on an S2000 is electronic, so there is no power steering pump. The 240 is old school and needs a power steering pump. Last, we had a few dismantled S2000 engines so we had to piece one together."
It's hard to believe that these problems even existed, much less got fixed within a short span of two and a half weeks. In other words, I'd like to know what coffee they were drinking to continue at such a fast rate, because that is some hyphy-ass coffee. In the end, the cost to build hasn't been totaled yet. "Let's just say a lot, because an S2000 engine and tranny isn't cheap," laughs Ben. "You figure most of the money went to that since all the fabrication work was done by us."
Inside the S2000 motor, Ben and his team of professional engine builders installed Crower camshafts, valve springs, retainers and crankshaft, going raw like in the nude. Passin' the dutch and relaxin', puffin' and hittin' is a Ben Schwartz custom special exhaust system made out of aluminum. A set of DC Sports custom 4-into-1 headers pull plugs like outlets and put the motor in the mood to flow. Ben also opted for an AEM intake, Okaida Racing coil packs and, lest we forget, a Garret GT28RS turbocharger, better known as the Disco Potato. This muthaflippin' large turbo boosts the convertible into the 350 horsepower range and the 360 lb-ft of torque levels. It's sick, plain and simple.
Handling the handles like Tim Hardaway handles the rock is a set of Kei Office coilovers, which are not only used but also blown. "Jerry Tsai from Pac Rim gave them to me," Ben shakes his head, "The adjustment screws don't even work anymore so I don't even know the settings on the dampers." This is apparently not hampering all his handiwork because he hasn't hit a wall yet in competition. To help roll the drop top through the twists like Chubby Checker is a set of ultra, chika-chika-fresh Work Emotion Kai 18-inch wheels, laying down 9.5-inch wide tracks in the front and 10.5-inch wide in the rear. Naturally, they're covered in Falken tires, using the sticky RT-615 model, which is coupled with some Project brakes to help stop the car on the track and the street. Yes, the street. According to Ben, "It's registered on the street for at least the next two years," which brings us back to Ben. Where will see him in the next two years?
The natural answer is on the track, driving some Sears-sponsored ride, and maybe in the process of helping fabricate an unusual hybrid or two at Design Craft Fabrication. We really don't know, but we do know that Ben, as previously mentioned, may be a card-carrying member of V4L. His nerdy hobby includes playing sweaty, poop-in-your-pants, carpal-tunnel inducing, week-long games of World of Warcraft. It's ironic, really, that even though Big Ben's life as a professional racecar driver and fabricator is one of the most coveted in the industry, it's actually just filled with playing World of Warcraft until your pupils cease to dilate. At any rate, regardless of what he does on his free time, he still boasts a pretty cool job and one of the freshest S13s in all of 240SX land.
By Roel Concepcion
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