Realistic build skills needed?

[Italian333]

What’s up everyone? I am curious to find out the realistic expectations and skills needed to complete the FFR 818s kit. I have heard everything across the board from people who completed roadster kits that never even used a hammer or done oil change before, and then stories of mechanical engineers who struggled through some builds.

I am highly considering the 818s kit with a donor pallet already striped, so any personal experiences or assistance would be awesome and a big help to push me over the edge! I am no means a mechanic, but I have done wrenching on my cars for the past 15 years ranging from my 300GT VR4 to my 97 Supra to my 96 Viper GTS (oil changes, suspension work, headers, high-flow cats, exhaust, spark plugs and wires, intakes, etc…).

Thanks fellas

[68GT500MAN]

Welcome to the forum. I have not been involved in an 818 build yet, but from the ones I have looked at you should do fine with your experience. Just take each section (suspension, brakes, engine, etc.) separately and ask questions if something does not make sense. Where are you located? A great resource is build parties to help move things along.
Doug

[Jaime]

I all depends how far off you want to stray from the "standard build". If you aren't happy with the fitment of body panels, you'll need to do more bodywork. If you want a unique and more finished interior, you'll need specific skills.

The hardest things I've done so far have all been optional. I reupholstered my seats - that job should be considered as an enhanced punishment for prisoners that misbehave in solitary confinement. I did some transmission work that I wouldn't recommend to someone who hasn't changed oil. I did a lot of "above and beyond" things while prepping donor parts, in particular the steering rack, that required more skill and tools than the base build does.

At the end of the day, you can always decide to do the things that you can handle and sub the rest out. Very few are going to do everything themselves - I'll bet at least 80% of us will pay someone else to paint our car. I see a good number of people in build threads that have decided that they don't want to deal with wiring and have purchased pre-modified wiring harnesses.

[AZPete]

You've got plenty of mechanical skills and you'll have fun if you have some patience, common sense and ability to use this forum (duh). I also started with a donor pallet but guys who tear apart their own donor say they learned a lot in the process. Read lots on this forum but also understand that, like everywhere, there are a few negative guys with complaints about everything and you'll soon learn who they are. Call Wayne at VeryCoolParts for a great donor pallet that comes from one of the most helpful and knowledgeable guys here. See Vendors tab at top. Building an FFR car is a Blast!

[FFRSpec72]

I built a challenge car and rebuilt it several time since the original build and since the 818 is new there are a lot of items that I find unknown that slow the build down and require some extra processing. So I don't think that it is a skill level, it is being able to get answers to things you don't understand or know which this forum helps you obtain. There will be things that you can't do, such as machine a part but seems like folks are doing that and you just have to come up with the extra bucks.

[gwarden]

You should be fine, the hardest hurdles will be wiring and body work.
I haven't done the 818 yet get my kit in June but did build a roadster 10 years ago.
Just take your time follow instructions get a copy of the factory service manual for your doner and don't be afraid to ask for help here on the forum.

[skullandbones]

At the HB Cruise In I asked a certain party who should know about the production schedule for the 818. He said they were about 8 months out. There is a long waiting list of people with deposits already sent in. So consider that as a factor in your plan if you haven't already.

One thing that is generally true about these kits is you must adjust or "tweak" many many things. They don't necessarily go together like lego blocks. I think that reality somewhat frustrates some builders. But if you reconcile that process, you will find the little road blocks don't bother you as much (you won't panic!). When something actually went together like instruction stated or went together without any modification, I celebrated! The hood hinge assembly was a good day for me. Sounds like you have the skill necessary if you have the resolve to pull the trigger. Good luck,

WEK.

[svanlare]

My experience before this project was odd and ends jobs on various cars, really to the level of oil change and brake pads. I have been racing in Lemons for a couple of years now with a group, but as the only electrical engineer on the team I'm the "wire" guy and I don't often get to touch the rest of the car. So I'm probably qualified for the wiring when I get there, but everything else is new.

I'm deep into donor work right now and that has thrown a few challenges my way, but the forum has been an OUTSTANDING resource. I'm positive things would not be going as well without it. I'm finding the kit to be very well designed and easy to work with.

[Italian333]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. I am located in Northern VA, about 20 mins outside Washington DC. Im not too worried about the waiting list as I would be selling my motorcycle to fund this, and don't want to do that at the start of summer! haha. And I would like to wait for all the "Gen1" 818s to be built to read about lessons learned and tips. I would also definitely buy a pre-modified wiring harness because I am not a fan of electrical work (sorry svanlare). I would also be buying a donor pallet from Wayne for sure once the right one comes along. I wouldnt stray too much from the stock build except for maybe adding in speakers, gauges, etc... As for the paint, I would either stick with the white and do carbon fiber accents, or my buddy owns a tint and wrap shop and can get a full body wrap pretty cheap.

BTW, if patience is the key, I might be in BIG trouble!

[Goldwing]

It sounds like I have a similar background. Handy, familiar with cars, but by no means mechanic. So far, nothing has been insurmountable, but I have had a few challenges I had to work through. This forum is a priceless tool to help figure out the questions, more important than a good impact wrench to take apart the donor (which is really important). I went the donor pallet route. If you live in the north with salty roads in winter, the pallet will save you a load of trouble. If you live in the south, and find a southern donor, I would go for it. A few odds and ends that aren't required, but nice to have will likely not be in the pallet. I think you would be more prepared to tackle the wire harness if you remove it from the donor yourself. I'm finding the harness a bit of a challenge, where this forum shines again. All in all, it's a fun project, you get to enjoy even more when completed. Expect a challenge, expect to part with more money along the way. If those are acceptable, join us.

[Goldwing]

My motorcycle funded my build too. Thus the handle, "Goldwing". There are a few other builds in your area, and I know one who is seriously thinking about it near Baltimore.

[custome]

I have a new virgin kit for sale if you want to get started.....

[Jaime]

A big part of making this successful is planning out the project. Running over budget is the easiest way to stretch a build into several years. That being said, a novice builder should really look at where he can put in time to reduce costs. Tearing down a donor is a lot of manual labor and really hard work if things are heavily rusted. However, anyone can spray PB Blaster and jump up and down on a breaker bar. The biggest advantages of a pallet donor are reduced effort, reduced time, and donor selection. Since most 818 buyers will be waiting a long time for delivery, reduced time doesn't get you much. Reduced effort is a real thing, but you can save some serious cash by putting in the hours to tear a car down.

If you have eight months to burn, waiting for the right donor at the right price and tearing it down yourself makes a lot of sense. Even if you don't have the right tools and you break a lot of things, most donors are close to zero cost after selling the leftover high-dollar items.

If I had to cut corners to afford this car, I would consider doing teardown myself long before I considered tackling any of the other tasks that might be subbed out.

[WIS89]

If you have eight months to burn, waiting for the right donor at the right price and tearing it down yourself makes a lot of sense. Even if you don't have the right tools and you break a lot of things, most donors are close to zero cost after selling the leftover high-dollar items.

If I had to cut corners to afford this car, I would consider doing teardown myself long before I considered tackling any of the other tasks that might be subbed out.

I think Jaime has a great point here! Not only will the skills you gain (or refresh) while tearing down the donor useful, the cost savings can be significant! Additionally, you may not have to invest a great deal to get started on the tear down, and can reserve your cash hoard and your bike, until it is really needed.

There are a number of folks here who have torn down, or are in the middle of a tear down of their subarus. Additionally, there are countless others who have torn down various Mustangs. There will be no shortage of people here willing to help you and answer questions to assist you with the tear down, and 818 build.

You may wish to give this some thought, and I second Jaime's suggestion. Plus, there have to be large numbers of torn-up Subarus in Northern VA. Every time I drive up there, I see countless potential donors!!

Best of luck.

Regards,

Steve

[Brando]

I have a similar amount of mechanical experience. I have breezed through 90% of this build, but the other 10% stopped me in my tracks. This forum is the only reason I have gotten past that 10%. I did the tear down and if i could do it again I would still do a teardown although personally I don't think I learned any skills to assist my build and I was unable to use most the parts from my donor. This is partially because I chose a poor donor and partially because I wanted better parts. There are a shortage of good WRX's where I live so that didn't help.

I spent 700 on a donor with no motor/trans and spent 3500 on a JDM 2004 Ej20 with 40k mi.

I DID enjoy the tear down process. It was a good stress relief ripping things apart with no regard and it added to the entire experience of the build.

[GUNS]

I agree with what pretty much everyone has said. I'm pretty much in the same boat as you and so far it hasn't been too bad (even when I drilled a hole through my thumb last week). The key is to be patient, learn from your mistakes and have fun doing it! I've learned and continue to learn an incredible amount.

[metros]

STiPWR and I are both currently building 818S models in northern VA. You're more than welcome to come check mine out.

If you're questioning your skills then I would recommend doing the tear down yourself. You will save yourself a lot of money to reinvest in your kit but also have hands on experience with the parts that you'll be using. For me it's much easier to put things together if I have taken them apart myself.

[Wayne Presley]

What’s up everyone? I am curious to find out the realistic expectations and skills needed to complete the FFR 818s kit. I have heard everything across the board from people who completed roadster kits that never even used a hammer or done oil change before, and then stories of mechanical engineers who struggled through some builds.

I am highly considering the 818s kit with a donor pallet already striped, so any personal experiences or assistance would be awesome and a big help to push me over the edge! I am no means a mechanic, but I have done wrenching on my cars for the past 15 years ranging from my 300GT VR4 to my 97 Supra to my 96 Viper GTS (oil changes, suspension work, headers, high-flow cats, exhaust, spark plugs and wires, intakes, etc…).

Thanks fellas

You can do it and there is plenty of help here on the forum or I'm just a phone call/text away.


Thanks for all the replies fellas. I am located in Northern VA, about 20 mins outside Washington DC. Im not too worried about the waiting list as I would be selling my motorcycle to fund this, and don't want to do that at the start of summer! haha. And I would like to wait for all the "Gen1" 818s to be built to read about lessons learned and tips. I would also definitely buy a pre-modified wiring harness because I am not a fan of electrical work (sorry svanlare). I would also be buying a donor pallet from Wayne for sure once the right one comes along. I wouldnt stray too much from the stock build except for maybe adding in speakers, gauges, etc... As for the paint, I would either stick with the white and do carbon fiber accents, or my buddy owns a tint and wrap shop and can get a full body wrap pretty cheap.

BTW, if patience is the key, I might be in BIG trouble!

I have plenty of donors in stock. 06, a really clean 05, a mixed donor with a JDM 2.0, an 07 with a VCP harness and Electromotive ECU and aluminum arms.

[Italian333]

STiPWR and I are both currently building 818S models in northern VA. You're more than welcome to come check mine out.

If you're questioning your skills then I would recommend doing the tear down yourself. You will save yourself a lot of money to reinvest in your kit but also have hands on experience with the parts that you'll be using. For me it's much easier to put things together if I have taken them apart myself.

Thanks, sent you a PM about meeting up to see the build.

Appreciate everyone's thoughts and tips, definitely making me think I am over thinking the complexity of the kit. I see the pros and cons for both sides of the donor vs donor pallet also, so I will have to make a decision about that. Its not so much a cash saving issue, more of a space saving issue. But I will 100% lean on this forum and the other builders when issues come up.

Wayne: Im sure when I get my kit your number will be utilized, and I will also call about the donors as well.

[Mechie3]

I know some mechanical engineers that go into the shop at work and their skills consist of driving material too fast through a band saw and belt sanding. Don't be afraid if you've heard some ME's have struggled.

[RM1SepEx]

1/2 of the Engineers that I went to school with I wouldn't allow them to change the oil in my car... Statistics, I only want to deal with the top 10-15% or so of the bell curve, in EVERYTHING :rolleyes: esp doctors!

[Jaime]

1/2 of the Engineers that I went to school with I wouldn't allow them to change the oil in my car.
Half? I wouldn't trust half of the engineers I graduated with to get a free body diagram right. There is an observation called Sturgeon's law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law) that goes "ninety percent of everything is crap".

In my experience, engineers don't have a higher likelihood of possessing mechanical ability than any other line of work. But, the top 5% are the kind of people that can make a working submarine out of old furniture.

[ruckus racing]

Rate my applicable skill level please... ive done full builds on 2 1st gen subarus, including converting a jdm v5 STi to lhd and installing into a blank shell and a metric f'ton of engine mods. Rebuilt the suspension and motor in my 89 bmw. And ive been a mechanic for the US army for 9+ years, and have ben the most knowledgible, well versed mechanic in my last 3 units.

I just cant weld...yet

[Wayne Presley]

No welding required to build this car. You have plenty of skill to build it.

[Blitzkrieg]

What’s up everyone? I am curious to find out the realistic expectations and skills needed to complete the FFR 818s kit. I have heard everything across the board from people who completed roadster kits that never even used a hammer or done oil change before, and then stories of mechanical engineers who struggled through some builds.

I am highly considering the 818s kit with a donor pallet already striped, so any personal experiences or assistance would be awesome and a big help to push me over the edge! I am no means a mechanic, but I have done wrenching on my cars for the past 15 years ranging from my 300GT VR4 to my 97 Supra to my 96 Viper GTS (oil changes, suspension work, headers, high-flow cats, exhaust, spark plugs and wires, intakes, etc…).

Thanks fellas


My brother and I are 17 and 16... You should be fine. I think the hardest part of building a kit is solving the small problems you come accrossed.

[68GT500MAN]

The "realistic expectation" is that you can build the car and will run into problems that need answers from those who have done the same thing before.
Doug

[ruckus racing]

Awesome... cant wait. Gotta creap for a while until I move home all perminant like...

[Doowop]

funny that people think that mechanical engineering has anything to do with cars. Most engineers I know are retarded when it comes to build anything. From all the guys that graduated with me a while back, maybe a couple could build this car or change a light bulb. :)
You'll be fine. The only thing that I see, is that the more I read up and see some of the 818 out there, the more I realize that it is really not as advertised and that there are a lot issues with parts fitting together. This might just require some more creative skills... :)