Honolulu 818S Hana (work/build) Thread

[RM1SepEx]

The reply back from the Hawaii SCCA is they are following the 2015 rules until the end of this season, which is April. So I will be in XP class for this one race. Then I will be moving into the EM class at the start of 2016 season this fall.

I bought a GoPro 4 Silver yesterday to get ready for the race. The video is pretty good but since the camera is encased in a waterproof case you can't hear much of the engine and just some clicking noises, I guess from the suction mount. So I ordered a remote mic and since I don't see any underwater filming in my near future I'll just cut a hole for the plug to fit through the case to the camera.

I do not have any experience with a GoPro, any advice? It is pretty cool that I can control it from my iPhone though.

It was AM in 2015, no defined class, XP would need an exception granted as all XP are PRODUCTION cars! ;)

[Aloha818]

Awsome, the Lee''s pretty much run scca hawaii are great people. Knowing the track is key to a clean run. I used to walk it a couple of times and sketch it out on a note pad. My memory is great but only last a couple of minutes. Lol. Hopefully I can get back out there in a couple of years. My kits in the garage and I'm planning to build as designed with as few exceptions as possible.

Walt, thanks for commenting on my thread!

Please have fun and enjoy building your 818. It's a great experience.

Today was the first day my wife really saw the car and the first time she road in it. It was a beautiful day here in Hawaii, a little on the breezy, cool side (low 70's) and full sun, great to be driving in an open top car.

[Aloha818]

It was AM in 2015, no defined class, XP would need an exception granted as all XP are PRODUCTION cars! ;)

Thanks for the clarification. Since it's the last race, and I'll be lucky to get around the track without getting lost, I'm not going to argue the point. Next year I'll be all over it ��

[Aloha818]

So let's talk about car shows. Who has been in what car shows?

Today I signed up to be in the Honolulu location for Hot Import Nights (http://hotimportnights.com), here at the Blaisdell Arena. It happens on April 23rd. My application was accepted and now I am communicating with a local photographer with help with photos and a model for the show.

Since this is kind of a tuner/rice'r event I figured the 818 would fit right in!

Should be a lot of err "competition"

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[Frank818]

That model on the pic is your gf I guess? :)

[Aloha818]

That model on the pic is your gf I guess? :)

Frank, nope. Just the ad for the exhibition! Gonna be Fun!

[Aloha818]

Today I'm at Hawaii Performance. Getting Aloha818 strapped to the Dynojet 248.

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After spending about an hour making small pulls and getting all the extra fuel pulled out that had in it to be safe he made the first real pull.

https://youtu.be/3Uwcl1OYtjw

This is about 180HP (wheels).

The 4eat (auto trans) automatically up shifts and won't hold 3rd gear, 1:1 drive. So the hard pulls, including this YouTube is with it in 2nd. He is also adjusting for real driving conditions in full auto.

More vids and chart after we finish today.

[Harley818]

Sounds good and looks good from the front, but the Aloha girl is missing...... been missing for a while now.....

[Aloha818]

Sounds good and looks good from the front, but the Aloha girl is missing...... been missing for a while now.....

Harley, thanks much! The Aloha girl is there, but they wouldn't let me up on the rack to get her in the pic and vid.

[Aloha818]

After a long 5 months of rewiring the entire car, rewiring the engine and installing the Haltech Platinum Sport 1000 ECU I have a car that's tuned and 95% safe to drive at will.

A refresher on my engine. It is a stock 2000 EJ222, single cams, single port heads, my design and fab'd SS header, up pipe, flow through muffler, one step colder plugs, fiveO supplied 550cc injectors, custom cold air intake, TD04 turbo, AWIC, and zero emission equipment. The advertised numbers for the Outback are 149tq and 142hp.

I arrived at my appointed time of 11:00am, took about an hour to get cars juggled around, the 818 on the ramps without anything dragging, and strapped down. The day was sunny and about 85 degrees, the dyno is in an unconditioned shop.

The tech spent about an hour or so reviewing the car and making small pulls and adjusting before making a first full pull. The first pull had the car at 136whp and 152wtq.

A side note about a 4EAT on the dyno. 3rd gear is 1:1, but the problem is the trans will downshift to 2nd under load with no user setting to stop it. So after this discovery all the pulls are in 2nd gear which throws the results low by 10hp or so.

The tech spent about another hour or so adjusting and pulling, a total of 7 more pulls. For the day we did not connect the boost controller.

We let the car cool for about a half hour and made one more pull (#9). The car was still heat soaked but it was about 3:30 and I had a date with my wife!

The last pull has a high of 177whp @ 4600 rpm's and 175wtq @ 5900rpm's.

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Here is a pic of the tuning screen after this last pull. You can see the the intake air temp is high at 114degrees.

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There is a way to temporarily bypass some trans solenoid's on the trans to make it stay in 3rd, I need to research this more for the next dyno day.

I would have thought the number would be higher, but I really don't know what I should have expected. After the tuning the car is much faster and runs much smoother.

I'll upload the last dyno run video later today on YouTube.

This thing is going to get me into trouble!

Let me know if you guys have any advice.

[wallace18]

Super job! That is plenty of torque and HP for such a light car. You have done a great job, IMO.

[Aloha818]

Super job! That is plenty of torque and HP for such a light car. You have done a great job, IMO.

Wallace, thank you very much!

I haven't had any time to drive it around this weekend to get a better feel on the newfound power. But I was having a fun time racing through traffic on the way home!

This weekend I had to pack up my little shop and move everything into a storage place. Bulldozing it down for a Whole Foods and a condo project. Kind of fitting timing though, I rented it to build the 818 and I have to move out the day after I can dyno it.

[Aloha818]

I just uploaded the last dyno pull on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/-nL07nuUBQE

[longislandwrx]

This weekend I had to pack up my little shop and move everything into a storage place. Bulldozing it down for a Whole Foods and a condo project. Kind of fitting timing though, I rented it to build the 818 and I have to move out the day after I can dyno it.

What an perfect ending to your build story. Congrats on getting everything sorted out!



ps nice flames on that first pull.

[Mitch Wright]

Now you get to really enjoy your car, it is definitely a ride to be proud of.

[Frank818]

The last pull has a high of 177whp @ 4600 rpm's and 175wtq @ 5900rpm's.

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I think you meant 175whp @ 4600 rpm's and 177wtq @ 5900rpm's.


Good torque in the 4k+.

[AZPete]

Thank you for posting your journey as you built this beautiful 818. I've learned a lot watching your build thread from the beginning and now I hope you'll stick around to lend your advice and your track adventures. And, I have a crush on your Aloha Girl!

[Aloha818]

Now you get to really enjoy your car, it is definitely a ride to be proud of.

Mitch, thanks for the positive comment!

It really is fun to drive. Looking forward to the SCCA event April 3rd! I need to get a little friendly street competition to see how it compares.

[Aloha818]

I think you meant 175whp @ 4600 rpm's and 177wtq @ 5900rpm's.


Good torque in the 4k+.


Frank, your right of course, sorry for writing it backwards.

[Aloha818]

Thank you for posting your journey as you built this beautiful 818. I've learned a lot watching your build thread from the beginning and now I hope you'll stick around to lend your advice and your track adventures. And, I have a crush on your Aloha Girl!

Pete, I appreciate that my time documenting this build has been beneficial for you. Thanks for your kind words.

I am open to answer any questions asked. There are so many talented builders on this site that I am reluctant to offer my opinions on others threads without being asked.

April is going to be a fun month for Aloha818 and the Hula Girl! The SCCA event on the 3rd and the exhibition Hot Import Nights on the 23rd. I have a GoPro with external mic ready to go, so more pics and vids coming!

[Hindsight]

As apposed to the passenger side which required filler in about 7-8" and about 1/8" thick at the fender side to level out. On both side the lip of the engine cover is notched to be level with the fenders so that the bottom of the trunk would be flat.
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Is it an illusion or are you actually filling the area between two panels with filler then scribing a line through it before it starts to cure, and then sanding after full cure? I did see in another post, if I read correctly, that you apply the filler one panel with the adjacent panel removed, then after it cures you lay the adjacent panel over the top of the cured filler and trace a sand-to line, but in the pic above it almost looks like there is some filler bridging the two panels.

Thanks!

[Aloha818]

Is it an illusion or are you actually filling the area between two panels with filler then scribing a line through it before it starts to cure, and then sanding after full cure? I did see in another post, if I read correctly, that you apply the filler one panel with the adjacent panel removed, then after it cures you lay the adjacent panel over the top of the cured filler and trace a sand-to line, but in the pic above it almost looks like there is some filler bridging the two panels.

Thanks!

I think in that pic I had already filled some of the large radius edges and was spreading filler to level the engine cover with the rear fender. Especially on the passenger side, that flat area of the engine cover had a good sized valley that I wanted to fill level.

I typically wait till the filler is hard before cutting any away as I would be concerned about the filler loosing its bond. It's easier to make several small batches and work the details little by little rather than using a lot at once and trying to cut/sand so much. At least for me anyway.

Did this answer your question? Let me know.

[Scargo]

It is a good trick to use an X-Acto knife or razor blade while the filler is still rubbery. Also, you can make shapes in the edges of spreaders and, with practice, drag in radii. Remember, there are many variations on fillers. Some are highly filled (and coarse) and some are like butter. Some will shrink more than others, and of course, how much catalyst you add affects the working life of it and shrinkage.

[Hindsight]

Thanks for the reply. I was mostly wondering if you were applying the filler while both panels were resting in place, then somehow separating them after the filler cures. I've been reading various techniques for this but in most of the ones I've read so far, people put a piece of cardboard between the panels to keep them separated and when the filler is partially cured, the remove one panel and break the carboard off before the bond becomes too strong. Was curious as to your technique on this since your gaps are so nice.

[Aloha818]

Thanks for the reply. I was mostly wondering if you were applying the filler while both panels were resting in place, then somehow separating them after the filler cures. I've been reading various techniques for this but in most of the ones I've read so far, people put a piece of cardboard between the panels to keep them separated and when the filler is partially cured, the remove one panel and break the carboard off before the bond becomes too strong. Was curious as to your technique on this since your gaps are so nice.

Thanks for the extra info. In my case, if I remember correctly, I used filler to fill in most of the large radius of the corner of the fender first. The large radius on all the fiberglass panels make the car look more fiberglassy than production, in my opinion. Then after I had straight lines I installed the adjacent panels and would let just enough filler flow over into the gap to be just beyond what would be my final gap so I could trace a line. I used a stir stick to gauge my gaps. I would run my stir stick along the finished/straightened panel with a pencil and then block sand to my pencil line. Then remove the panel and fill/finish the small turned down edge to that straightened/panel matched line.

I worked to make all the panel edges 90* first, then worked slowly to sand in a smaller radius on all the edges, closer in size to metal car panels.

[Hindsight]

Thanks for the additional info - very helpful.

[Aloha818]

Tomorrow will be my first SCCA event. So today I gave Aloha818 a bath and experimented with the placement of the GoPro and remote mic.

I ended up using the suction cup mount in the forward middle of the top of the engine cover with the mic placed about neck level on the front of the passenger seat.

I uploaded a quick video of a run in the parking lot of my old shop. Everybody has been moved out, bulldozers start next week. This is 0-50, I think I was having a little tire spin😄.

http://youtu.be/qYOw2Cx9sa8

Hula Girl is now occupying her permanent home!

[Hindsight]

Nice! Good luck at the event.

[Aloha818]

The long awaited day arrived for me to actually drive my creation and be able to benchmark it against an assortment of stock to race prepped vehicles in a fair venue!

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I believe this is the first 818 to run in the state of Hawaii and I can assume the first 818 with an automatic transmission to compete in an event.

Today was pure sunshine and 85 degrees. The Rookie class worked the 3rd heat, and ran the 4th heat. I was at the course at 7:00 and we didn't run until 2:00. As you can imagine cars and people are a little heat soaked.

We walked the track 4 times in the morning and once with an instructor after lunch. Driving the coarse is very different that what you think when you walk it and watch others driving it. Very quick and what you think is not much of a slalom really is!

Today's track was a pretty fast track. The best time I saw was about 33seconds. Most of the advanced performance guys were running between 36-39 seconds.

Here in Honolulu we get 4 runs. On my first run, with an instructor, I overshot the last slalom and missed the turn, got back on track for a time of 52.340sec.

The second run, with an instructor, was a clean run with a time of 44.175
http://youtu.be/NbjuKUSRcK8

The third run I ran solo and ran 43.847
http://youtu.be/2VXWUq-xc9s

The fourth run I ran with an instructor and ran 41.342

I was having issues with my GoPro and iPhone because of the heat before the last run, my iPhone was too hot and shut me out so no video on the last run.

My rookie friend with the 911 was running about 42 seconds and my other rookie friend in the Lotus was running 39 seconds. They have been running most of this year so I feel pretty good about my first time out.

The best news is that it was fun, nothing broke, and I didn't hit any cones! BTW, the 4EAT was basically invisible, it was always in the right gear and power was always available.


Official times are posted. 114 drivers, best time was a Lotus Elise in SSM class of 32.611.

Mine are 52.340 +dnf, 44.175, 43.847, 41.342

[walt555]

Nice runs....great first for the 818!

[Zarf]

Well done :D looks like a lot of fun...
Andrew

[Hindsight]

Racing cars in Hawaii..... could it get any better?

[Frank818]

Racing cars in Hawaii..... could it get any better?

Racing cars with chicks in bikini in Hawaii?

[carbon fiber]

Racing exotic hypercars with naked chicks on a private track I own in Hawaii... Man I'm so much better than you guys at this!:p The car looks great. Good to see you get the trans and tune all sorted, it sounds like you're having fun.

[Hindsight]

I'd just settle for racing an 818, or being in Hawaii. Right now, neither one is happening for me lol.

[Aloha818]

Nice runs....great first for the 818!


Well done :D looks like a lot of fun...
Andrew


Racing cars in Hawaii..... could it get any better?


Racing cars with chicks in bikini in Hawaii?


Racing exotic hypercars with naked chicks on a private track I own in Hawaii... Man I'm so much better than you guys at this!:p The car looks great. Good to see you get the trans and tune all sorted, it sounds like you're having fun.


I'd just settle for racing an 818, or being in Hawaii. Right now, neither one is happening for me lol.

Thanks all for the positive comments and humor! I'll have to read the SCCA rules to see if they allow bikini clad passengers😎

The HIN Hawaii 2016 show is the 23rd, so the next couple of weeks I will be wet sanding, buffing and waxing. Hopefully have some professional photos taken by then also.

Everyone, enjoy yourself during the building process, but after the build, time with the 818 is fun too!

[RM1SepEx]

Thanks all for the positive comments and humor! I'll have to read the SCCA rules to see if they allow bikini clad passengers��

As long a she wears a helmet and the required belts a bikini is "all" that is required :o

[svanlare]

Happy to see Aloha Girl made the ride as well!

[Aloha818]

As long a she wears a helmet and the required belts a bikini is "all" that is required :o

A worthy goal for the next season!

[Aloha818]

Happy to see Aloha Girl made the ride as well!

Aloha Girl is my new "G" meter!

[Aloha818]

With the HIN Honolulu show two weeks away my attention is back to esthetics.

First up is color sanding. I know, boring. Since this step along with all the buffing is about a 40 hour project by itself, I spent a little time reading up on tricks and tips.

As this is the 5th car I've painted I'm not new to the concept, but when you don't do it everyday it's good to read up. Especially since one slip means repainting the panel.

I've typically started with 1000 grit. But in reading some tips from professionals some start with 600. The reasoning being that 1000 grit can ride over some imperfections (nibs) where 600 will cut through the nibs.

600 was scary for me so I tried some 800. So I tried 800 for most of one of the quarters. But I could see that 800 still tried to round over the nibs. So being careful, and not getting close to edges, sanded the next panel with 600 to the point that 80% of imperfections were gone. Then a once over with 800 to the point that 95% of the imperfections were gone. Along with speeding up the process I can tell I'm getting a flatter surface.

One of the other items I read while studying up was the concept of shrinkage. I've noticed a few places where this was happening. It happens around areas that have been patched and filled. As the bodywork/paint heats up in the sun and the carrying agents evaporate some shrinkage occurs. I believe if the paint is baked after shooting this happens sooner than later. When I wet sanded the rear deck a few months back, my first test panel, I could smell the solvents still in the paint. Today the smell is more stale smelling, no solvent smell at all. So now is really a good time to sand as hopefully all the shrinkage has occurred and can be sanded out without popping up again later.

Here is an example. Inside the red circle is where I deleted the hood pin. This was fiberglassed and then smoothed with filler. The surface is after the first pass with 600.

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Then gone after a second pass

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Tomorrow I should finish getting the entire car sanded to 800. The plan is then to go to 1500 and then to 2000, black takes extra work!

And if all goes according to plan, next Saturday I have an appointment with a photographer for some professional shots.

[Hindsight]

I haven't wet sanded a car in over 20 years. I remember it being a LOT of work, and not having any fingerprints when I was finished.

Looking forward to seeing those professional shots!

[Aloha818]

I haven't wet sanded a car in over 20 years. I remember it being a LOT of work, and not having any fingerprints when I was finished.

Looking forward to seeing those professional shots!

After today I have 90% of the car sanded to 600, 800, 1500, 2000. And yes, little left of my fingertips, my phone is having a hard time reading my thumbprint! It's the kind of work no one appreciates unless they have done it themselves.

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I'm meeting with an upholster tomorrow to see about custom carpet and floor mats.

The photographer texted me some head shots of the model he will be using with my car, set for next Sunday at 11:00 am. I think I'll be changing my avatar soon. Still a lot of work to be done to get the car ready.

[Aloha818]

All dressed up but no place to go!

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Rain today so the photo shoot had to be postponed. Date unknown but the photographer covers the HIN event so we are planning a mini shoot during the show..

[Scargo]

It's gorgeous. No doubt. Do you have a cover for it? Seem keeping it pretty might be a chore, but some are into keeping things shiny...
I hope to keep that in focus with my R and think "functional race car". Function over beauty. Lots of gravel dings, etc. Hard to not want it all (and ever finish).

[Aloha818]

It's gorgeous. No doubt. Do you have a cover for it? Seem keeping it pretty might be a chore, but some are into keeping things shiny...
I hope to keep that in focus with my R and think "functional race car". Function over beauty. Lots of gravel dings, etc. Hard to not want it all (and ever finish).

Thanks for your reply and compliment!

One of the interesting things about car restoration, building, and especially with the 818. Using the same "canvas" way different results can be achieved. Since I live in an urban environment and the only outlet for "performance" is the SCCA events, I chose to spend my energy on looks with a minor in performance. (Although I still beat the times of a 911, STI and others, raw time, on my personal first competitive driving experience).

No one persons build choices are the "best" only what is best for them. That is what's great about the 818, so many choices!

I do not have a cover, yet. As the car is always garaged I haven't felt the need, although after sitting for a week or two it does get a little dusty. As a realist I know the car is getting more of my attention now than in the future. Especially through the car show and photo shoot. So a cover will probably be a good investment.

Gravel dings. I have a lot of rash on the lower front of the rear quarter flares. The plan is to make some black stick on skins to cover that area.

[AZPete]

After seeing where you are sanding (post #1043 looks like a parking garage), it looks like you should have covers on all the other cars! :D
I'm looking forward to your professional photos.

[Aloha818]

After seeing where you are sanding (post #1043 looks like a parking garage), it looks like you should have covers on all the other cars! :D
I'm looking forward to your professional photos.

Thanks for commenting Pete.

All of this "color sanding" is with water, so no dust. The buffing stage can get a little messy if you sling the compound, so that was done elsewhere.

Monday I dropped Aloha off at Teds Top Shop to install carpet in the footwell and custon floor mats.

They insulated the front firewall in different thicknesses to create a flat surface across it. The floor mat is backed with a thick rubber back to hold its shape and stay in place without any mechanical fasteners. The footwell area is glued and the floor mat is loose for easy removal in case I get them wet in a surprise rain.

I wanted to keep with the black and red trim theme of the seats and steering wheel so I had him use matching red edging on the floor mats. I'm really happy with the results, and it's hard to believe but the carpet makes the car seem more "real" and solid.

The carpet is Black 201N Wilton, wool.

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Do you think the red is too much?

We also discussed my bikini top plans. This will be my next major improvement so Aloha can be more of a daily driver. He has some ideas and we will start mocking some stuff up here in the next few weeks.

[Hindsight]

I think everything looks great. Very clean!

[Mitch Wright]

I like it very nice.

[insurance guy]

omg
your car is beautiful
I wish mine can come out half as nice as yours. I am having trouble trying to get the front hood lined up. How were you able to have room for the wiper? My hood is lying right on the windshield, this is no space for a wiper. Appreciate any help let me know where in your build you might show the hood placement and fitment

thanks
its really pretty

[Aloha818]

I think everything looks great. Very clean!


I like it very nice.

Thanks for you input!

[Aloha818]

omg
your car is beautiful
I wish mine can come out half as nice as yours. I am having trouble trying to get the front hood lined up. How were you able to have room for the wiper? My hood is lying right on the windshield, this is no space for a wiper. Appreciate any help let me know where in your build you might show the hood placement and fitment

thanks
its really pretty

Thanks for the compliment!

Here are a few "tricks" I used.

I opened up the bolting slots in the windshield frame a bit to push the windshield rearward as far as possible.
I pulled the front bumper forward a little where it attaches to the forward frame crossmember. This pulls the hood and the fenders with it.
I use a different mounting concept for the hood. No pins. Part of what I have is a center hood support, located between the hood vents, that is slightly higher than how the hood wants to lay. This gives a little more room between the windshield and the hood.
I trimmed the fiberglass return on the rearside of the hood to just over 1/2" to give more space.
I modified the wiper arm by eliminating the thick, spring loaded part of the arm and replaced with flat plate steel. The pressure applied by the arm against the windshield is all in the mounting of the motor assembly.

Let me know if this helps or if you need any more info.

[insurance guy]

that is great info
can you elaborate or take a pic if available of
1. I trimmed the fiberglass return on the rearside of the hood to just over 1/2" to give more space.
2. I modified the wiper arm by eliminating the thick, spring loaded part of the arm and replaced with flat plate steel. The pressure applied by the arm against the windshield is all in the mounting of the motor assembly.

I have a single arm marine wiper that others have used. I would love to install it without cutting into the hood.
any pics you have on your wiper install would be appreciated. I keep going over your thread finding ideas. Are you an experienced body guy?

[Aloha818]

that is great info
can you elaborate or take a pic if available of
1. I trimmed the fiberglass return on the rearside of the hood to just over 1/2" to give more space.
2. I modified the wiper arm by eliminating the thick, spring loaded part of the arm and replaced with flat plate steel. The pressure applied by the arm against the windshield is all in the mounting of the motor assembly.

I have a single arm marine wiper that others have used. I would love to install it without cutting into the hood.
any pics you have on your wiper install would be appreciated. I keep going over your thread finding ideas. Are you an experienced body guy?

Give me a couple of days to reply further, getting ready for the HIN Honolulu show.

[Oppenheimer]

Do you think the red is too much?

Not at all, it looks great! I have an S2000. Have you seen how much interior red some of them have?

[Aloha818]

Not at all, it looks great! I have an S2000. Have you seen how much interior red some of them have?

Thanks for the input! After the HIN show last night my car is pretty tame, even with the red!

[Aloha818]

Last night was the car show. A little different than most. Show starts at 5:00 pm and goes till 11:00. Almost all the cars are heavily modified. A lot of "talent" walking around with a beauty contest as part of the stage show. Lots of tuner cars, some muscle cars, a few exotics and a couple one off customs. But here are a few pics to give you an idea.

Hula girl was the center of attention, lots of photos taken to make sure she was in the pic.

I'm sure FFR's website got a few extra hits last night!

Suicide Bunny stage show
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Danielle Lo, miss HIN 2016 is second from the right
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Lamborghini
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Bimmer
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There is an RX-7 under there somewhere
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Slingshot
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Bimmer
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Danielle Lo
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You know you did good when hotties are taking pics of your car (see her phone screen)
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Stay tuned for some more pics of Aloha 818

[flynntuna]

Gotta love that neg camber on the silver car next to yours. :rolleyes:

[Aloha818]

Gotta love that neg camber on the silver car next to yours. :rolleyes:

Yea, there were several cars there that looked like a meteor landed on their roof and squished out the wheels/tires.

Some pretty cool lighting tricks, lots of money spent for sure. As different as the 818 is, it can't compete with lighting and music. But since that wasn't my goal I'm happy with the attention and compliments I still received.

[Aloha818]

One of the traveling HIN models (Seatle) was gracious enough to pose for some pics with Aloha 818. Real cute and funny.

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There was a crowd of about 20 people, including photographers taking pics of her posing with Aloha. That would have been a good pic if I would have thought of taking it!

[Aloha818]

Hula Girl is giving up her ocean view parking and moving to the burbs!

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After just graduating from living in a commercial space during the build (booted out by soon to be Whole Foods), now moving again just a couple of months later, I'm afraid she might get a complex.

So moving to Kahala (4 miles away) where she can enjoy living in a two car garage. And maybe get more attention now that access will be easier.

The bikini top is now high priority, especially since I have an upholster anxious to fabricate the material as soon as I finish the hardware. The move will take me the next couple of weeks but I have ordered a couple of aluminum clamps to connect the rear top bow to the hoops. I'm going to bend 1/2" electrical conduit for the rear bow and fabricate an anchor point inside the engine cover side vent openings to the frame so they will be out of sight, for the rear supports. I was almost done fabricating the windshield support over a year ago, time to finish up.

I'm assuming that everyone has appreciated the photos from the HIN Honolulu car show? I have had 4681 page views in the past two weeks. We were supposed to be doing the real photo shoot yesterday but Lauren (http://teaselifestyle.com/models/lauren-lala/) didn't feel well. So that's delayed another couple weeks till after moving.

[Wayne Presley]

We were supposed to be doing the real photo shoot yesterday but Lauren (http://teaselifestyle.com/models/lauren-lala/) didn't feel well. So that's delayed another couple weeks till after moving.

Wow she's gorgeous!

[Brett33]

It's been a year, I need some updates on the car and transmission

Brett

[BN]

Brett33 are you thinking to put and automatic transmission because I did it but yet driving far Enough to change gears

[Brett33]

yes i am. sent you a pm

[Aloha818]

It's been a year, I need some updates on the car and transmission

Brett

Yea, it's been a while since I last posted, sorry.

Car is running great! No issues with the trans at all. Still loving that I went with an automatic since we have so much traffic here in Honolulu.

I've been busy building up a 1969 Mercedes 230, with a built 6.0 LS engine, so I haven't raced it this season.

But besides weekend "enjoy the sun" days, I drive it to work a lot too. So wicked fast! Clicks past 100 before you know it!(disclaimer; closed course��) So much fun.

Only issue now is we moved to a house in Kahala that has a carport instead of an enclosed garage. Being black it's always dusty, seems like I spend too much time washing it.

Let me know if you need anything.

[Brett33]

Thanks for the update glad things are doing well with the car. Gonna need some more details about the benz with that ls in it. Wow! My questions were about the transmission push button controller. Do you have specifics on which model you used?

Thanks again.

Brett

[Aloha818]

Thanks for the update glad things are doing well with the car. Gonna need some more details about the benz with that ls in it. Wow! My questions were about the transmission push button controller. Do you have specifics on which model you used?

Thanks again.


Brett

The controller is from PCS, Powertrain Control Solutions. This unit only takes the place of the actual gear selector (lever) and cable.

The transmission electronics is still controlled by the Subaru TCU. In my case I installed a Haltech ECU to actually run the engine, kept the Subaru ECU connected for only receiving feedback from the engine and supplying information to the Subaru TCU.

[RM1SepEx]

Progress update on your bikini top? Mine's ongoing...68281682826828368284

The aluminum on the windshield header also adds a drip channel. I'm using SS snaps to attach at the front and fastek buckles and 1 in straps to attach in the read at the humps. Instead of a hoop between the vents I'm building a targa bar that will remain in place.

What are you using for top material?

[jbs72697]

Hello
I’m new to the group. I live in Massachusetts only 45 minutes from FFR so I’ve been down twice and two tours
I’m realistically a year or two from building my own 818. So I just went through your build thread. May I say that car looks AWESOME!
I’d be happy if I could make mine look even half as good
The main reason I read your thread is because around me the availability of a WRX or Impreza with a a manual shift is slim, so I was hoping to see how you got an automatic to work in your 818. It seemed fairly straightforward, or was it really a pain in the neck?
Thanks and congratulations on finishing up such a nice car!

[bow2091]

jbs72697 I sent you a PM