Picked up our STI-hybrid swap donor today!

[Tamra]

We (myself and my SO, forum name: xxguitarist) went and picked up our donor today. It's an 02 WRX with 171k on the chassis, 16k on the built STI hybrid motor, and 68k on the 5spd tranny.

We paid $6300, and the guy threw in a bunch of extra parts (STI axleback and catless midpipe, RWD center diff (car is AWD, this is just extra), extra fenders, two sets of extra headlights including Orciari Reps, V8 JDM STI Gauge cluster).

We plan on driving it for a week or so to make sure everything feels good, and then start the tear down process. Our 818 kit is due October 25th!


Note: the below stats are incorrect due to a lying seller. See page 2, post 79, for updated stats based on our engine build.
Engine:
EJ257 shortblock
JE 8.5:1 CR Pistons
STi Nitrated Crank
ACL Race main and rod bearings
sti headgaskets, 2.0 machined heads
NGK 1-step colder plugs
vf22 ball bearing turbo
cobb sf intake
Forge full recirc bpv
grimmspeed ebcs
sti tmic
850cc modded injectors
Walbro 255lph fuel pump
catless up and full 3" inch tbe catted blast pipe
27mm cobb rear sway bar
agency power pitch stop mount
Professionally tuned


Suspension:
Tein SS-P coilovers with cusco camber plates


Interior:
Custom WC Latheworks Teardrop Shift knob
Cobb Short shifter
Sony Touchscreen double din
Polk and kicker door speakers

Exterior:
Sedan front end conversion
Blacked out and cleared headlights
STi Side skirts
17x8.25 et30 XXR 535 Chromium Black
25mm ichiba rear spacers
225/45/17 Nexxen N7000 with about 3000 miles on the set
OEM fog covers
roof rail deletes from a Saabaru




Recent maintenance the prior owner performed in the last 14k miles:

New gates timing belt and kit
New killer b oil pickup
New oil cooler
New water pump
Oil changed every 2500 miles with rotella T6 full synth (winter) and motul v300 (summer)
New thermostat and coolant system flush
New fuel filter
New inner and outer tie rod ends
Stage 1 clutch with throwout and pilot bearings replaced
Filled transmission with uncle scottys cocktail.
Rear diff uses redline heavyweight.

28961289602895828959

[metalmaker12]

Nice donor

[DodgyTim]

Are you going to base line dyno it before teardown? I'd be interested to see the numbers:)

[xxguitarist]

Dodgy,
Not sure. It would be great to have a real number, but it's also paying for a dyno run twice, since we'll be getting tuned on a dyno after the build is complete.

[Tamra]

Just wanted to give a quick update.

We did a temp registration on the car for a week and had several CELs- P0301, misfire: cyl 1. Research on Nasioc tells us that phantom misfires seem to be common with built motors & lightweight flywheels, which this car has. The car is also running rich, which could contribute. The car doesn't noticeably stutter when the code comes on.

We had been a bit nervous about the engine, since it was built by the previous owner, as opposed to a professional shop. He seemed legit, and said that he had been quite careful about everything, but you never know. We decided to do a compression test to make sure all the valves & piston seals were good. We picked up a $20 compression tester and did a test tonight for peace of mind, and had solid results - all within 5psi of 140 in all four cylinders. We are still learning about WRX's, but I believe with the hybrid motor and 8.5:1 pistons, that is a solid number. At minimum, it's consistency made us very happy & rather relieved that there couldn't be anything too substantial to deal with down the road to fix the occasional CEL.

Glad to be done commuting in it- the level of noise coming out that 3.5" straight exhaust was a bit conspicuous!

We've been starting our tear down and discovering a few things. With all the modifications the car had, it meant that pretty much everything had been removed at some point in the car's life. This means that things are coming off fairly easily! Unfortunately, that is also partially because of all of the zip ties... mostly on body panels, thankfully. We haven't got into the mechanical parts yet, which is where I know we'll start finding the rust most likely. So far, most of the interior is out, and all of the body panels.


2937329374

[metalmaker12]

Compression looks great, but I would also do a leak down test. Hybrid motors can be very finicky and a tall order to get just right. If it's getting cels for the misfire,lightened flywheel etc it eventually needs a dyno tune by a experienced subaru tuner. How was it tuned, by who and do you have any data log/ dyno sheets from the seller. If and when your ready I know a few local tuners that have constant access to dynos. If anything you guys got a lot of extras for the money and if the engine and tranny hold up you did well. How's the tranny seem?

Btw if you think that's loud, try that with just a downpipe.

[xxguitarist]

Thanks Metalmaker,
We'll check into doing a leak-down once the engine is out (looks easier, or at least no harder, that way?)

It was tuned by "STi Mikey", who seems to be well received around the WRX/STi world, but I suspect it was done on the street. No datalogs made it to us, but it was "conservatively" tuned, which combined with the backfires makes me inclined to say it's rich if anything. Assume that it was open source tuned, as the car didn't come with an AP.

Locally I know we have "the shop" and "EFI logic", but we're open to alternate suggestions. We'll likely also pick up an OBDII bluetooth dongle so we can run Torque on my old Android for general monitoring, although it's too slow for proper datalogging.

Trans feels good so far! The shifter flops around a bit, but I think that's just the bushings on the mount. It goes into all gears, stays there, and doesn't grind. It'll drop into first with a little rev if your're at walking pace.

Sure it could be louder, but we'll be running in the other direction from there! I want to try with just a cat, but will look at some of the free flowing mufflers if that doesn't quiet things down enough.

[metalmaker12]

Thanks Metalmaker,
We'll check into doing a leak-down once the engine is out (looks easier, or at least no harder, that way?)

It was tuned by "STi Mikey", who seems to be well received around the WRX/STi world, but I suspect it was done on the street. No datalogs made it to us, but it was "conservatively" tuned, which combined with the backfires makes me inclined to say it's rich if anything. Assume that it was open source tuned, as the car didn't come with an AP.

Locally I know we have "the shop" and "EFI logic", but we're open to alternate suggestions. We'll likely also pick up an OBDII bluetooth dongle so we can run Torque on my old Android for general monitoring, although it's too slow for proper datalogging.

Trans feels good so far! The shifter flops around a bit, but I think that's just the bushings on the mount. It goes into all gears, stays there, and doesn't grind. It'll drop into first with a little rev if your're at walking pace.

Sure it could be louder, but we'll be running in the other direction from there! I want to try with just a cat, but will look at some of the free flowing mufflers if that doesn't quiet things down enough.

The leak down will be easier out of the car for sure, and will tell the real story. My current engine passed both test and decided to eat a ringland or some piston ring sealing issue with a base map. I gotta tear it out of my 818 and tear it down . Granted I was beating the absolute piss out of it, but that's why we build these crazy cars.
Those tuners are all very good and maybe it's just a base map from the way it sounds, or an off the shelf tune to get it up and running. When you get it in the 818 and running make sure to log it. You can get a cable to log it yourself from a laptop. I will send the info on what you need. If you need someone I deal with a few tuners and Wicked Innovations for all my specialty subie things. Great to hear your tranny seems solid, cause most are toasted. I meant the 818 will be much louder because the lack of exhaust volume.

[Tamra]

So far, the majority of the interior is out, and all of the body panels. Last weekend we removed the head unit, AC controls (annoying, with lots of mechanical cables this year), then moved on to the seats, passenger airbag, dashboard, carpet, and some of the other plastic panels. Made sure to spend lots of time tagging each connection we undid. I think that box of 1000 twist tie tags may come in handy.

We got a JDM V8 STi dash with the car, which we verified works perfectly, so we may use it in our 818. It has some neat features, like a user-selectable shift light. We might need to do something about the speedo being in KPH, though!
JDM V8 STI dash:
29552

Stock dash:
29553


Here is our basement with all of the parts accumulating:
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The panoramic makes it actually look like we're doing better than we are with storage space. We definitely need to get busy selling off the big pieces and a few spare sets of tires we have from the Mazda3 & Miata, so that we'll have room for all the remaining parts of the WRX.

We've been beginning to recognize the challenges of working in a 200 sq ft garage. There's another similarly sized one adjacent, but the two areas are separated by a concrete wall with only a standard sized door opening. The tool chest had been in the other side, which has a workbench. That wasn't working, so we picked up an additional chest and moved them into the front of this garage. We have about 2ft on either side of the car to work with.

29551


The car is starting to look pretty gutted on the inside:
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Last night, we met up with a local bugeye owner, chatted for a while & sold him a few parts. We had someone anxious to get ahold of the Tein Coilovers that were on the car, so we got it up onto jackstands about as a massive thunderstorm rolled through. Luckily, the wind was going away from the garage opening.

29555


We pulled off the wheels, WOW they were on tight. Took my impact gun some time to get them free. We'll be inspecting those studs before the 818 goes together, but initial impressions were no obvious damage.
The screwed on clips for the brake & ABS lines came off easily- first good sign! Then we removed the top nuts for the camber plates, also easy, and the strut began to drop down away from the frame. Looks like we got lucky, and the suspension's static droop is more than the length of these coils!



The spindle/hub connections to the coilovers came off quickly with the impact gun too, and then it was free! Repeat 3x. The whole job might have taken a half hour. We were shocked, and very happy about that!

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We wiped them down to see what we would be trying to sell, and got a nice surprise, they're Tein Super Street as opposed to the expected Street Basis. The labels are faded, but they have the damping adjustment knob on the top. They also seem to have Cusco rear camber plates & Tein front camber plates. These should bring in some extra cash in the part-out.

29557


We are going to dig into the suspension more tomorrow and Saturday. Sunday we have an autocross event and will be taking our Miata out for the day, and giving the Subaru a break.

[Tamra]

Last weekend started out with some cleanup following mid-week brake work on the Miata between auto-x events (one pesky brake keeps hanging up). Once that was out of the way, we caught up on photos of parts for sale, texted with a few potential parts buyers, then started freeing and labeling the harness, starting at the rear of the car.

One potential buyer came by, looked at parts, ran off to the bank to pick up cash, and was never seen again. The joys of craigslist. The other two were no-shows. We just want the space in the basement for all of the "keep" parts! We finally got a bite and sold the front end of the car (hood, fenders, bumper, grill), which cleared up a lot of space. So far we've made back $800 (close to 50-50 CL and Ebay, with some Nasioc), and still have a lot to sell.

We had been keen to get the rear differential, driveshaft section, axles, hubs, etc out. We tried to separate the flex brake line from the hard line as instructed by Factory Five, but the fitting was pretty stuck. We just removed it at the calipers, not sure if we'll wind up doing braided stainless lines anyway. Next was the ABS sensor line, then the E-brake cables. Got all of those hanging freely, then had a look at what to remove to get the assembly to drop out. Not sure if we took the most direct path, but it allowed us to drop the thing pretty completely, with a minimum of fasteners that we couldn't use the impact gun on.

Things were going unexpectedly smoothly, zip zip zip, set the floor jack to support the assembly, undo the last couple, and it settled down and came right out of the car. Awesome! We dragged it out the back of the car for a photo op.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/photo1_zps7bf8e375.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/photo1_zps7bf8e375.jpg.html)

Then, it was time for further disassembly. The bolts holding the bracing on came off without too much trouble. They took some effort, but a ~600 ft-lb impact gun does help with that.



THIS ONE, however. Ugh. One long bolt that holds the two lower control arms in place, mated to the hub. It's exposed on the inner face, which gets blasted with all sorts of road grime, and also collects water. It was pretty well seized on, on the drivers side. We got it off with the help of PB blaster, impact gun, dead blow hammer, and air hammer.

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/photo2_zps66c39f64.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/photo2_zps66c39f64.jpg.html)

It's out!

The passenger side, on the other hand.. We have soaked it in PB blaster, we've run all around it with an air hammer, we've spent plenty of time on it with the impact gun, and we've tried the breaker bar on it. No luck. The front control arm won't even turn on it, though the nut removed easily. We picked up a torch, and attempted to disassemble as much as we could before heating things up. Unfortunately, we could only remove the caliper because we didn't have a 32 mm socket to fit the hub knut. Despite blasting the thing with the torch, it still wouldn't budge. All we managed to do was get the front control arm off by burning out the rubber, but the interior metal sleeve is still securely fastened to that PITA bolt. We managed to break a rubber hammer on it too. Anyone have any ideas on how to get it out????????
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/photo3_zps755122b6.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/photo3_zps755122b6.jpg.html)

Makes a good case for anti-seize on all similar parts when re-assembling.

Sunday was Auto-x, I edged out my SO (xxguitarist) and ended up 2nd in the class. I'm looking forward to the 818 as an autocross car, although a bit worried, since the corners already come up so fast in our little 130HP Miata.

[metalmaker12]

Pb blast is a God, lol coming along guys.

[Jaime]

All we managed to do was get the front control arm off by burning out the rubber, but the interior metal sleeve is still securely fastened to that PITA bolt. We managed to break a rubber hammer on it too. Anyone have any ideas on how to get it out????????

There's a good chance it will never come out. My driver's side did the same thing and I ended up cutting the bolt at the inside edge of the sleeve (cutting through the sleeve, not the bearing housing). You can also try cutting the bolt head off and pulling it out the wrong way.

[xxguitarist]

Thanks guys,
We picked up a higher torque impact gun (1295 ft-lb loosening) to see if we can get the best of that long bolt. It's nearly 2x my other gun, so it can't hurt! Well, except for if it breaks the bolt, but then at least I can separate things & bring it to work to use the arbor press.

Otherwise, last night we just pulled the radiator, AC condenser, and front brakes. Seems like a pretty good trajectory for our kit pickup in October.

[Tamra]

We got it! A friday evening of bolt-breaking


I'm just going to come out and say it. We got that damn bolt free!

Ok, now the backstory.

We ordered a new impact gun to step up our game, an Aircat 1150. It felt noticably stronger than our Craftsman, which was by no means bottom of the line. This one is spec'd at around 1200 ft-lb of loosening torque.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd8/xxguitarist/photo22_zps5d384902.jpg

Sadly, that wasn't enough to break it free.

We rattled away on it for a while, heating up the impact socket.
Next air tool to line. We spent some more time with the air hammer/chisel. Nope. More torch. More PB blaster. Nope.

Grabbed the cutoff tool, and cut through the far end of the bolt, next to the hub. Took some time, thick bolt & even our pretty significant compressor was having trouble keeping up.

Eventually got through it, air chiseled the chunk off of the hub, gave it a few heavy whacks with a hammer, then more with the impact gun, and it broke free!
The bolt had mushroomed at the far end from the hammer, so we spent a little while longer with the cutoff tool cleaning up the bolt to round, then we were able to extract it!

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd8/xxguitarist/IMG_5999_zps7f7d28c2.jpg
Yeah, you could say xxguitarist was happy.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd8/xxguitarist/IMG_6004_zps6d6214d5.jpg
Pile of tools involved in getting it free!

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd8/xxguitarist/IMG_6008_zps74bfeeb6.jpg
We finally had all the necessary parts off and out of the rear end. Plenty of cleanup left, but it felt like great progress!

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd8/xxguitarist/photo12_zpse0149319.jpg

In other news, my SO (xxguitarist) took a few minutes at work to print out a keychain for the future car.
Came out pretty well, I think. He is working on getting his own printer up and running, so we might able to offer these to other builders. Could make them for whatever text was desired too.

[CU9DZ]

I had a lot of trouble with the long bolt on the drivers side rear that holds the spindle to the two lateral links. I used WD40, impact wrench, air hammer and big hammer. Actually bent the tip of the bolt slightly. Finally used a torch to heat up both ends where the bolt goes through the spindle assembly and it finally came out. Now I need to de-rust a bunch of parts.
Dave

[Tamra]

The past few weeks we didn't work on the WRX, mostly due to having to do a clutch job on our autocross Miata, longer than average work schedules, and family obligations. This weekend, however, we got in about 10 more hours and made huge progress. Everything is out!

It took us 51.5 hours to get everything removed from the WRX, over the past 1.5 months. Now it's time to start refurbishing parts.

We have also already sold $2,309 in parts, and think we will end up somewhere between $3k-$4k in parts sold, which will put us at a donor cost of $2k-$3k. That's pretty good in our opinion, considering we got a built hybrid motor, newer transmission, bigger turbo, upgraded injectors and fuel pump, slotted rotors, and other goodies . Our $2,309 sold to date (1.5 months since purchase of WRX) is $1,274 is from Nasioc, $385 from Ebay, and $650 from Craigslist so far. Most of the Nasioc funds were from the coilovers.

Now, a few pictures from this weekend:

Saturday we spent 6 hours removing 6 bolts, which was depressing.

The metal sleeve inside the bushing on the driver control arm froze and would not come off, despite the torch. We ended up cutting it off. Next we had a weldnut break off inside the wheel well, which then required us to cut through two layer deep metal to get vice grips on it. That took about 2 hours alone, mostly due to our air compressor having a hard time keeping up.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6191_zps32b320fb.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6191_zps32b320fb.jpg.html)

Sunday moved a little smoother, and in about 4 hours we had the wiring harness off and the engine and transmission out.

Wiring harness:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/D3DBFDCA-1D3E-4B3A-A324-844131DB0E59_zpsicbdm492.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/D3DBFDCA-1D3E-4B3A-A324-844131DB0E59_zpsicbdm492.jpg.html).

We didn't have room to drop the engine and transmission under the car as Factory Five recommends, so we went up and out, although we nearly didn't have room to do that either:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/046B1DA2-AFA4-4BFC-884B-1194C8F2D6FC_zpscxwjr4h2.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/046B1DA2-AFA4-4BFC-884B-1194C8F2D6FC_zpscxwjr4h2.jpg.html)
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/B856EB10-EE1D-43C6-85C0-C37A54819C4D_zpsd9469und.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/B856EB10-EE1D-43C6-85C0-C37A54819C4D_zpsd9469und.jpg.html)


http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/DB63FF1D-8290-4D2F-8CFE-8A0181EB54D8_zpskbngnmih.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/DB63FF1D-8290-4D2F-8CFE-8A0181EB54D8_zpskbngnmih.jpg.html)

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/6F7E63E6-4D07-4F53-8777-4EC3167EA982_zpso5boktnb.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/6F7E63E6-4D07-4F53-8777-4EC3167EA982_zpso5boktnb.jpg.html)


Dang that feels good!
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/A3F4BB18-93DF-4CC9-A5F7-7BB007BA0719_zpsdyxyxtz4.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/A3F4BB18-93DF-4CC9-A5F7-7BB007BA0719_zpsdyxyxtz4.jpg.html)

[Hindsight]

Great build thread. It's so cool that both of you are interested in this! Most of us count ourselves lucky if we get permission from our better halves. Enjoy the build together!

[metalmaker12]

Ditto lol, my wife could care less. Happy building

[RM1SepEx]

Looking great so far!

engine comes out a lot easier if you take out some aggression on cutting off the front of the chassis

I'm lucky my wife of 30 years is very understanding (and autocrosses with me too) We also own Miatas but autocross karts, they are faster!

[xxguitarist]

I'm pretty sure I got lucky with this one!
It has been fun (also: tiring & frustrating) working on the project together so far, but the "together" part has been great. We're both looking forward to the rest of it.

Dan,
Agree- Not much that would have to be cut off there to really reduce the amount of lifting required, but we wanted to leave the shell mostly intact so it could be offered as a rally base if anyone was so inclined.

[RM1SepEx]

Dan,
Agree- Not much that would have to be cut off there to really reduce the amount of lifting required, but we wanted to leave the shell mostly intact so it could be offered as a rally base if anyone was so inclined.

First, not lucky, skillful, relationships take work! :)

My shell was toast, I understand trying to get the most out of the scrap!

BTW what has been done to the Miata? I have 3, 91 daughter's car, 90/96 hybrid, 90 rust free chassis, 88K 96 M version drivetrain, flyin Miata conversionframe stiffners, monster Miata roll bars, konis etc... (grad present for my 22 yr old son next year) , 99 wife's car

We autocross karts, started when the kids were 10, both in college soon

[Tamra]

I think we both got lucky :) Especially me... since I really wanted to do the 818, but I'm not that much more help than just a skilled tool passer and general assistant! But, I am learning, and having a blast.

The Miata is e-street class legal, with Konis & FCM bump stops, Direzza ZII's on the hollow stock wheels, and a new oem clutch & flywheel through Mazdaspeed motorsports (that was a significantly easier job considering we brought it with us from the salt-free state of OR! Especially appreciated now that we've seen what a North East car looks like). It is a 97 with 130k on it, open diff. From autocrossing it this year, it has sealed the deal that we want to add an LSD to the 818.

Do you autocross yours? We are thinking of going to one of the EvoSchools that will be in our area at the beginning of August.

[Tamra]

PS - that is quite a collection! We are thinking of doing some chassis stiffeners on the Miata once we aren't worried about it being e-street legal. How do you like the Flyin Miata one?

There are some karts at our local autox club and they are incredibly fast, but the Miatas always have the best turnout.

[RM1SepEx]

The shifter is a beast, I have a 2 speed RM1DD2 by Rotax... only 33 HP for a race weight of 385, the bike engine shifters have 6 speed motoX engines and 45-50 HP, too much shifting for me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK1ZigQucs0 I was late on a couple shifts and was second by 1.5 seconds, not a great showing

The stiffeners and Monster Miata sway bars make it a rough beast on the road compared to the stock 99 and 91 but it handles well. It's only autocross action was cut short after 3 runs at Loring 2 years ago. 3rd run it just stopped running. The new Mazda sourced timing tensioner failed, the engine jumped a couple exhaust teeth and it sheared the steel locating pin and destroyed a cam gear.

We jokingly call our club the cumberland Miata Club as 10% of the participants are driving Miatas from old tired stock NA to turbo beast NA and NB as well as a couple NC, one with the hard top.

There will be plenty of areas where you can get your hands dirty... kit assy it isn't like assembling Legos... :confused:

[Tamra]

Well that's good, because I've never been very good at assembling legos! ;p

That cart looks fun.

[Tamra]

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, we've been spending a bit of the weekend time at our family's place by the water and enjoying the summer.

31866

We've finally sent the shell on its way to a new home. We tried to sell it for $100, then in exchange for a little beer, but FREE finally got it moving. It'll just be used for a rocker panel, but it saved us from having to chop it to bits, then rent a truck to haul it off to the scrapyard, just to break even on scrap/cost.

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Since the car left, we cleaned up the garage, got tools de-grimed a little, and changed the setup to make room for part refurbishing. Here's the new view!

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High on the list are suspension parts and trimming down the wiring harness. We're probably going to replace the rear lower control arms/lateral links. One bushing is shot, and the arm got a bit heat-treated in the process of freeing that long bolt. It'll also allow us some additional alignment adjustments. We're also trying to decide what other components we want to upgrade/replace. A limited slip diff is high on the list.

On a more amusing note, we were negotiated UP on the price of some parts we were selling on Craigslist tonight... we were asking $180, the guy offered $200, we nodded in agreement, and he offered $220, then felt terrible that he only could find an extra $5, so we settled on $205.... Now he's interested in coming back for the seats which we are asking $75 each on, and he ended with "okay, so $200 for the seats..." yeah sure, buddy!

We are now just shy of $3k on our parts sales.

[wleehendrick]

On a more amusing note, we were negotiated UP on the price of some parts we were selling on Craigslist tonight... we were asking $180, the guy offered $200, we nodded in agreement, and he offered $220, then felt terrible that he only could find an extra $5, so we settled on $205.... Now he's interested in coming back for the seats which we are asking $75 each on, and he ended with "okay, so $200 for the seats..." yeah sure, buddy!

Somebody needs to tell him, regarding negotiating 101...

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We are now just shy of $3k on our parts sales.

Good job!

[RM1SepEx]

Well that's good, because I've never been very good at assembling legos! ;p

That cart looks fun.

so much fun that I bought a second one... driving both at Loring AFB next week. Imagine a B52 base.... 2.8 mile long parallel runways and acres and acres of other paved surfaces....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRd1CkXPkcU

that course is 1.5 miles long, runs in excess of 90 seconds!

2012 running around the other way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxhX-9-gMfE

[Tamra]

We've only been auto crossing on much tighter parking lot courses... I would have a hard time not getting lost on something that big!

We are going to an Evo School this weekend on Long Island for my birthday. I'm pretty excited to get some feedback on my driving. Have you ever been to one?

[RM1SepEx]

we are having a school at BNAS in September

I've been lost

I hit a slalom cone last year at 80+ at Loring... Dislocated or broken thumb, didn't feel right until a month or so ago

The big venues are amazing, seat time with instructors... ++++++++ best thing to improve skills

[tango68ss]

so much fun that I bought a second one... driving both at Loring AFB next week. Imagine a B52 base.... 2.8 mile long parallel runways and acres and acres of other paved surfaces....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRd1CkXPkcU

that course is 1.5 miles long, runs in excess of 90 seconds!



2012 running around the other way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxhX-9-gMfE

Dan (RM1SepEx),

Great to see that Loring is being used for something fun! I was stationed there in the late '80s/early '90s as a B-52 pilot... I taxied the "beast" around that track you were running on! My kid was born there! Thanks for the memories!

TC

(Tamra, sorry for the highjack...BTW, the donor work looks good!)

[Tamra]

we are having a school at BNAS in September

I've been lost

I hit a slalom cone last year at 80+ at Loring... Dislocated or broken thumb, didn't feel right until a month or so ago

The big venues are amazing, seat time with instructors... ++++++++ best thing to improve skills


Ouch! I hadn't thought about hitting a cone in a kart, especially at 80...
Also, I hope you recover quickly - I saw on your build thread that you had an MS attack. Sorry to hear about that.



Dan (RM1SepEx),

Great to see that Loring is being used for something fun! I was stationed there in the late '80s/early '90s as a B-52 pilot... I taxied the "beast" around that track you were running on! My kid was born there! Thanks for the memories!

TC

(Tamra, sorry for the highjack...BTW, the donor work looks good!)

No worries! All autocross discussion, even memories, is okay here :)


The last few days we pulled apart the rear hubs, started cleaning parts, pulled off the transmission, etc.

The transmission removal has one extra step that we weren't aware of before some Google searching (after struggling to pull the transmission for awhile) - there is a pin that must be removed in order to free the throwout bearing (helped by the use of the timing belt cover bolt recommended by Nasioc):

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/D89353C4-F93C-4535-82F4-0738AE9B5DCB_zpskcihuedb.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/D89353C4-F93C-4535-82F4-0738AE9B5DCB_zpskcihuedb.jpg.html)

The transmission is off. Guess it's time to get our OBX LSD ordered. We're looking into their sponsorship/contingency program, hoping to hear back from them soon.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/E7C3CA24-5ED6-4CF4-BACD-92276AF7CA41_zpsfj58njah.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/E7C3CA24-5ED6-4CF4-BACD-92276AF7CA41_zpsfj58njah.jpg.html)

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/DAA8D93A-86C6-4D5B-9305-3B6482A1FC6F_zpscyahvsi0.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/DAA8D93A-86C6-4D5B-9305-3B6482A1FC6F_zpscyahvsi0.jpg.html)

We thought the previous owner had mentioned the car having a lightweight flywheel, but we realized tonight that it just has a newish Exedy stage 1 clutch. The flywheel has quite a bit of cracking, and it weighs a whopping 24lbs, so we are likely going to replace it with a lightweight flywheel... time to do some research.

Unfortunately, what this also means is that our "phantom" CEL was not caused by the lightweight flywheel that we thought we had. Guess it's time to dig into that a little further too. At least the compression numbers were good... so hopefully there aren't any major problems. Would you guys recommend a leak down test next? We were hoping to avoid actually opening the engine up too far, considering it is a new rebuild with less than 15k on it. The previous owner said he tried to chase down the CEL and could never figure it out.


And on an entertaining note, our Craigslist friend came back tonight with his friend, knocking on our door at 10pm (apparently we missed his text at 8:30 notifying us that he was on his way), and bought our spare set of beat up no-name wheels for more than we had originally asked for them. We're now just shy of $3300 in donor parts sold! Plus, they're thinking of coming back for the seats...

[metalmaker12]

Do a leakage test, it will see how well valves and rings are sealing. What was compression

[Tamra]

Do a leakage test, it will see how well valves and rings are sealing. What was compression

All four were within 5 psi of 140. We'll look into picking up a tester. Is the Harbor Freight one sufficient?

[STiPWRD]

Have you scanned ur ECU? What code is causing your CEL?

[Tamra]

We drove the car for a week and it had several, all P0301, misfire: cyl 1. The car was running fairly rich, which might have contributed as well. When it would pull the CEL, it would not stutter or give any other sign of an actual misfire.
It is a built 2.5 block with 2.0 heads. You can see the engine mods, as given to us by the previous owner who built the engine, in post 1.

[Tamra]

We're in the garage right now and just did the leakdown test. Results don't look promising. We're not sure of the calibration of 0 of our HF leak down tester, but all 4 registered at about 45% leakage and we can hear air coming out of the crank case (oil fill) and some from the exhaust valves (lots less). Anyone know how big of a deal the blow by into the oil fill is?

[metalmaker12]

Are you guys sure it was at TDC of the compression stroke, I think something was wrong with your test

2-4% leakage is normal on a wrx engine. 6% is kinda of the max on a properly running motor, but on the high side IMO. I have seen higher on turbo engines ( like 10%) but they almost always had ring, ringland,ring/ piston out of spec clearance valve seat/ guide, and or headgasket issues.

[Tamra]

We think it was at TDC. The piston was definitely at the top of the cylinder and we tried both "tops" to be sure. It doesn't make sense though, because the leakage readings were within a few % points of each other, so very consistent at 45% (we would have thought that if there was an issue, one would have spiked differently than the others), and the car drove awesome for the week before we started the tear down. The only symptom was the Misfire Cylinder 1 code, with no apparent stumbles from the car, and the car appeared to be running rich.

The test was performed cold, and months since it was last started. I'm not sure how much this would effect the readings.

With the tester disconnected from the car, the tester was very slow to register 0% leakage, and we couldn't get it to actually 0 out if left for five minutes. However, the air coming through the oil filler was audible and I could feel it with my face (not so much with my hand), although we aren't sure how much is "normal."

Considering the above, what would you recommend from here?

[metalmaker12]

32327 mine had higher leakage at #1 and #3 and air bubbles appeared from the radiator neck so the head gasket was my issue. And after a teardown it proved it

Those values are off the charts of a subaru or any clean running cars spec sheet, so your prob not at the right location for TDC. TDC between the exhaust and intake strokes is not the right place to test, You need to make sure both valves are closed and at TDC. Take the intake manifold and headers off or valve covers and make sure both valves are closed and piston is at TDC than perform the test. Also check your pcv valve for defects. If it was running good than it prob fine, but if you wanna know the true values you gotta get the results to spec out. Hope this helps ya,,,If you feel you performed the test correctly and your compression test were good but leakage was that bad, sounds like you heads need a flow check and rebuild. But if it was running good than get it all together and see how if behaves, just know of the test was done correctly and you have those results it will only be a matter of time before something gives.
On the flip side , the motors cold and maybe not fully broken in. Get the motor in the 818 and drive the cart around and check oil consumption and listen for piston slap. I would run it an see what happens, if it not broke don't fix. Get it warm and run your test again. The compression test looked good, so if leakage is funky at worst could need heads machined rebuilt and new gaskets and seals etc.


Any how my motors at the machine shop as of tues and will be getting some detailed measuring and goodies

[RM1SepEx]

Tamra

The Loring course is too long to walk so they allow driving through it slowly... here is a slow drive thru of today's course

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DopcuWfjtR8

[Tamra]

We tried a different methodology today. We set the air compressor regulator at 120psi, then set the leak down regulator to 100psi, and watched the psi drop once connected to the engine. It consistently dropped to 95-96psi on all four at TDC, which would be a 4-5% leakage rate. Can you see any flaw in this method? We did do a test and turned the engine over 180 degrees, and it dropped to 80 psi, indicating 20% leakage.

Then, we tried using the gauge as it's meant to be used and set the leakdown regulator to about 10psi which made the leakage percentage gauge settle quickly to about 0%, then creep past 0 (could not get it to stay flat at 0), and got quickly settling readings of around 12-15% on the one cylinder that we checked. We are not sure why the gauge would have read 45% last night and 15% today... so still not totally confident in using it this way.

Could the high pressure have re-seated the rings/valves to give more accurate readings on the leakdown tester? Is the first method we tried today which gave us 5% leakage readings accurate? Air was still present through the oil filler but much less than last night per psi input.

[Tamra]

Dan, that looks like a fun course. How long did it end up being at full speed? You definitely get your money's worth on courses that big. Our local club runs courses that are closer to 30-40 seconds, and tight.


Tamra

The Loring course is too long to walk so they allow driving through it slowly... here is a slow drive thru of today's course

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DopcuWfjtR8

[metalmaker12]

We tried a different methodology today. We set the air compressor regulator at 120psi, then set the leak down regulator to 100psi, and watched the psi drop once connected to the engine. It consistently dropped to 95-96psi on all four at TDC, which would be a 4-5% leakage rate. Can you see any flaw in this method? We did do a test and turned the engine over 180 degrees, and it dropped to 80 psi, indicating 20% leakage.

Then, we tried using the gauge as it's meant to be used and set the leakdown regulator to about 10psi which made the leakage percentage gauge settle quickly to about 0%, then creep past 0 (could not get it to stay flat at 0), and got quickly settling readings of around 12-15% on the one cylinder that we checked. We are not sure why the gauge would have read 45% last night and 15% today... so still not totally confident in using it this way.

Could the high pressure have re-seated the rings/valves to give more accurate readings on the leakdown tester? Is the first method we tried today which gave us 5% leakage readings accurate? Air was still present through the oil filler but much less than last night per psi input.


4%-5% leakage is great, and I have done the test either method. Your results are not consistant, I am unsure why. With the motor cold your results can be higher on a newly rebuilt engine do you guys are prob ok. Like I said run it and when it's warm do a compression and leakdown. Mark on the crank bolt and plastic where tdc is so it's easy when engines in. Good luck

[Tamra]

Thanks Metalmaker, will do. We are very relieved. We will still have to chase down that CEL, but at least it doesn't seem like it's going to involve an engine rebuild. Knock on wood.

We pulled apart the axles and cleaned them up tonight, as well as the leakdown test done. Tomorrow is autocross with the Miata - hopefully I'll remember everything I learned at the Evo School. XXguitarist beat me by .002 seconds last time.

[RM1SepEx]

Dan, that looks like a fun course. How long did it end up being at full speed? You definitely get your money's worth on courses that big. Our local club runs courses that are closer to 30-40 seconds, and tight.

Usually they are over 90 seconds, Here is the first real video that someone posted to facebook. Patrick has a Scion TC that makes serious HP and is lightened over 500 lbs from stock

http://youtu.be/MokMdbkWDKM

Pre reg had almost 100 people, we usually get 5-7 runs a day up at Loring, not bad for $35

[Tamra]

No wonder they let you guys drive the course instead of walk it, Dan!

Our autox went well this last weekend. Evo School must've made a huge difference, because I've been trailing two guys all season, one with a GTI by about 1 raw second, another with a BRZ by about .4 pax seconds. I came in ahead of the BRZ, and ended up .4 raw seconds ahead of the GTI (although he got me by .05 pax seconds! So close). Basically, it means I was driving about 1.4 raw seconds faster on a 45 second course than I was two weeks ago. I still have areas I can pick apart my runs, but I was still pretty excited to feel the progress. XXguitarist also shaved off nearly 1 raw second, and we are now tied in the overall standings by points.

Here's a video of my fastest lap. Ignore the vacuum/boost gauge, we forgot to remove that and so it's not calibrated correctly. Our Miata is stock, not turboed!

http://youtu.be/M7oqnVrJIHQ

[Oppenheimer]

Some stuff from HF is a great deal for the DIYer, some stuff is junk. The HF compression tester I bought was the later. It gave consistent readings, just about 50 psi low. I've heard very similar reports from others on another forum about this same unit.

I rented one from Autozone, their brand is called OEM, and it worked properly. I returned the HF unit.

I wouldn't be surprised if the HF leakdown tester was just as flawed as their compression tester. Try renting one from a local parts store.

[RM1SepEx]

Tamra, there are a bunch of videos up now, cumberland motor club on facebook

Couldn't agree more with Oppenheimer re HF stuff, great to get wrenches and stuff for limited use, other stuff can be hit or miss. When you need accuracy you need a good tool, beg or borrow as req.

[wleehendrick]

Couldn't agree more with Oppenheimer re HF stuff, great to get wrenches and stuff for limited use, other stuff can be hit or miss.

Agreed; I've bought a lot from HF recently to build my 818, but always check the reviews on their website before buying anything from them. Some things are built well and work great (their DA polisher seems just as good as the industry standard Porter Cable at less than half the price on sale). However, some tools are utter garbage.

Is this what you got?:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cylinder-leak-down-tester-94190.html

If you look, there are a lot of bad reviews that say it doesn't work properly, so that's probably the root cause.

[Tamra]

We've been absolutely awful about updates lately, for a couple reasons.

1, Sanding, sandblasting, de-greasing, and brake-parts-cleaning things isn't very exciting.

2, We also just got back from a week long roadtrip vacation in "Frog" our Miata up through Maine, New Brunswick, and around Nova Scotia, including the Cabot Trail. We had a great time, and thoroughly enjoyed the seafood!

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/Cabottrail_zpsd31cc03c.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/Cabottrail_zpsd31cc03c.jpg.html)
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/FrogCabotTrail_zpsc1233c19.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/FrogCabotTrail_zpsc1233c19.jpg.html)


Now that we're back, things are starting to come together.
We got our Group N motor & transmission mounts, TGV to intake & block gaskets, Injector seals, OBX "front" LSD, placed a massive Subaru OEM parts order from North Coast Subaru (if you call them, they'll give you a better discount)- STi Oil pan (only $93!), valve cover gaskets, CV joint boots, lots of exhaust related gaskets, etc etc.

We also have finally been making progress on cleaning up parts in a way that feels rewarding. All the calipers are cleaned and painted with the VHT caliper paint, which looks great! The axle parts are all cleaned out from LOTS of old grease packed in there. Hint: Degreaser & a rag first, then when it's almost all out, use WD-40 as a solvent to finish, it worked better than brake parts cleaner to thin the grease.

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/305CA72D-ADF6-4608-9480-9306E73A4884_zpsgcvuiz2a.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/305CA72D-ADF6-4608-9480-9306E73A4884_zpsgcvuiz2a.jpg.html)

We also painted the OEM header with another VHT product. Before & After:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/C64E09BE-2095-42FC-8258-F91DB78F58BB_zps71obypid.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/C64E09BE-2095-42FC-8258-F91DB78F58BB_zps71obypid.jpg.html)

Other parts on the list to order are an Exedy Stage 1 Heavy Duty Clutch and ACT Street Lite flywheel, an AWIC (most likely Frozen Boost), FFR lateral links set, steel braided brake lines, a cheap CAT to get through emissions, and racing seats TBD.


On Tuesday we took another trip up to FFR to check out the new options, sit in the 818S that wasn't available last time we were there, and see the new red R car.
We knew we needed to get a better idea of what to expect with the kit, and it was a valuable trip.

Things we figured out:


Wipers are an option, not included. We'll probably have a go at setting up our own, but FFR's kit looks pretty nice.
The trunk kit is decent sized, and most of the way ready. We'll probably make our own to fit around the AWIC kit that we've decided to go with.
Body panels are not perfect, but they're pretty good. We think we'll be OK with some wrap.
Seating and steering positions are pretty good for us, although we will need a rather low seat mount to pass the "broomstick" rule.
Kits will be coming with the "old" gas tank for a while still.
Shifter as delivered isn't mushy at all, if anything, it's a bit too mechanical feeling, it'll take some time to get used to. It also sits really high if you don't undermount it in the tunnel.


The red R has a Frozen Boost kit installed:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/9C7676C1-5471-4A9C-AFB2-24314D931238_zpssvsaz7dg.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/9C7676C1-5471-4A9C-AFB2-24314D931238_zpssvsaz7dg.jpg.html)


We've sold a little over $3600 in donor parts so far. We haven't been promoting them as heavily lately, so things slowed down a bit. We are pretty confident we will still hit over $4k before long, especially since we just listed an STI TMIC and some extra exhaust parts.

[wleehendrick]

We also just got back from a week long roadtrip vacation in "Frog" our Miata up through Maine, New Brunswick, and around Nova Scotia, including the Cabot Trail. We had a great time, and thoroughly enjoyed the seafood!

Nice! Looks a lot like PCH through Big Sur. I've had some fun runs on that road in my Z (when not stuck behind an RV). Can't wait to take the 818 on a road-trip like that.


use WD-40 as a solvent to finish, it worked better than brake parts cleaner to thin the grease.

Now you tell me! I went through a bunch of BrakeClean getting my CVs ready.


Wipers are an option, not included. We'll probably have a go at setting up our own, but FFR's kit looks pretty nice.
The trunk kit is decent sized, and most of the way ready. We'll probably make our own to fit around the AWIC kit that we've decided to go with.


Good to know, I'll probably order the wipers soon, and will consider the trunk when there's more info on it.


Seating and steering positions are pretty good for us, for me, I'll need a rather low seat mount to pass the "broomstick" rule.

If you go with fixed back racing seats on side-mounts with a little recline, like I did, you should have no trouble getting under the rollbar. You might, however want to drop the steering wheel a bit, some longer spacers and bolts is all it takes.

[xxguitarist]

Nice! Looks a lot like PCH through Big Sur. I've had some fun runs on that road in my Z (when not stuck behind an RV). Can't wait to take the 818 on a road-trip like that.
Now you tell me! I went through a bunch of BrakeClean getting my CVs ready.
Good to know, I'll probably order the wipers soon, and will consider the trunk when there's more info on it.
If you go with fixed back racing seats on side-mounts with a little recline, like I did, you should have no trouble getting under the rollbar. You might, however want to drop the steering wheel a bit, some longer spacers and bolts is all it takes.

The WD40 was especially useful on the ball/retainer style ones. The others, we weren't worried about just removing everything to clean, but after doing the fronts, we figured it might be hard to get everything back in!
We finished off with brake parts cleaner to get the WD40 off, but it would have taken a lot longer without that intermediate step.

That "I" was actually me- I'm around 5'11. FFR's S car has a nice kirkey road race seat mounted up on some 1.5" square tube, which put me almost completely level with the rollbar. We'll just have to get the sliders positioned quite low at the longer end, which should work well for both of us.

[longislandwrx]

Are you planning on running heat shields? if not, cut all those extra bits off the manifolds, it really cleans it up and saves some weight.

FFRs wiper kit looks ok, but hacking up the hood seems pretty whack, I wonder if they'll offer a hood with a bump up near the lass instead.

[wleehendrick]

That "I" was actually me- I'm around 5'11. FFR's S car has a nice kirkey road race seat mounted up on some 1.5" square tube, which put me almost completely level with the rollbar. We'll just have to get the sliders positioned quite low at the longer end, which should work well for both of us.

I'm 5'11" also, and with NRG seats mounted low I have adequate clearance. I have a slider for the driver's side so my wife will be able to reach the pedals. Without a Boyd tank, there's very little range of motion, with the firewall moved back around 3" it works for me pushed back, and she should be able to reach with it forward.

[xxguitarist]

Tamra & I don't think we'll need the boyd or FFR's new tank, we hope. We both like to be up pretty tight on the wheel for auto-x.
I'll probably be a little closer than preferred for street driving, but oh well. Just hope I can get into & out of the car with the stock (non-quick release) steering wheel in place..

[wleehendrick]

Yeah, get your seats first and mock it before you commit to replacing the tank. I got the Boyd tank and modded the firewall not for extra reach (a hub for an aftermarket wheel will probably push the wheel closer), but leg-room. I hate the bent-knee, straight-arm, 'Italian' ergonomics, so I had to tinker with it.

As I mentioned, I lowered my wheel, which you'll probably want to do also with a low mounted racing seat. I kept the tilt adjust on the column functional and set it up so adjusted high it's not too bad to get into/out of (with a 320mm wheel) but to high for comfortable driving. Once seated, use the tilt to drop it down. So I have a pretty low position, but didn't have to go to a removable or flat-bottomed wheel.

[Tamra]

Got through a few things today. Pulled off one of the valve covers due to a small oil leak. Going to clean it up and put in new gaskets:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6804_zps071b0a84.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6804_zps071b0a84.jpg.html)


Drained the oil so we could replace the WRX oil pan with an STI one we just bought. We're Mazda fans, so we got some humor out of the Mazda oil filter:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6806_zpsa92b86c4.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6806_zpsa92b86c4.jpg.html)




We came across a few unpleasant surprises today. Guess our seller was a liar.

This definitely doesn't look like a Killer B Oil Pickup:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6809_zpsd7a9798e.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6809_zpsd7a9798e.jpg.html)


Less sure on this one, but it doesn't look like images of the STI Nitrated Cranks we can find on Google. Any ideas?
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6811_zpsc6f3a336.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6811_zpsc6f3a336.jpg.html)

Can't find much on Nasioc on this one either. Any ideas on why the exhaust valves would be different colors?
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6818_zps5b51ab91.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6818_zps5b51ab91.jpg.html)
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6820_zpsd0516f4f.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6820_zpsd0516f4f.jpg.html)


50% of the way through the TGV deletes. We're not going to delete the rods or the motors, but we are making room for more airflow:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6821_zps18c938a7.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6821_zps18c938a7.jpg.html)


Not pictured, but we also finished de-powering the steering rack, but still need to decide about and then weld the quill and put it back together.

[metalmaker12]

Need more pics of crank, but the rest is definitely a scamer theme. I hope all runs well for you guys , next time your going to be around just give me a few days heads up and I can set something up.happy building

[xxguitarist]

What photos/angles would help with ID'ing the crank? (you know, within the restrictions of leaving the block built)

Will let you know next time we're going to be heading through!

[metalmaker12]

You gotta be able to see these numbers, remove the baffle and post what you have. We will go from there. Here's and example 33551

[xxguitarist]

Would that be on the extreme rearward or forward end of the crank?
None of the in-between surfaces had any markings.

The baffle that sits under the oil pickup is off. Not much to be seen.. Just a crank that's a little less black looking than anticipated, on the faces.

[metalmaker12]

You gotta be able to see these numbers, remove the baffle and post what you have. We will go from there. Here's and example 33551

[metalmaker12]

Sorry posted it twice, thought it didn't post.

[metalmaker12]

That's true you prob won't be able to see it. You might catch a slight viewing angle, but prob not good enough to make much out. That's about all I can say sadly. The ID is on the foward most side.

[longislandwrx]

Did he claim to have the motor built or bought the car with that setup?

My guess is "the guy I bought it from told me..."

I would return your valve cover gaskets and get a Subaru master gasket set, pull the heads and see if anything the guy said was accurate.

Best case you'll have some nice fresh head gaskets, worst case you'll realize you need a rebuild but you'll be halfway there.

Otherwise I would start to worry if I had a stock short block, and possibly a poorly assembled long block

[xxguitarist]

He built the motor aprox 16k mi before we bought the car from him, following blowing the stock motor.
It's certainly a 2.5L block, and I do believe they're 2L heads, and the car was running pretty well when we bought it.

The fuel pump, injectors, etc were upgraded as described, just the brand was wrong on the pump. Flow ability was comparable.

The oil pickup was listed as a "recent maintenance item" along with the timing belt & water pump (which do look relatively fresh)

[longislandwrx]

ok then perhaps you are fine. I would just be concerned if I paid for a built block and ended up with a stock one, a killer b pickup is a pretty bold lie as its so prominent and easy to check.

[xxguitarist]

Agreed. We're deff considering pulling the heads. Not all that bad to do it at this point, and the JE pistons that it's supposed to have would have a significant impact on the CR that the engine actually has, being a hybrid build.

[Tamra]

The cam gear bolts were a pain to get off:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6894_zps11d8a3cc.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6894_zps11d8a3cc.jpg.html)

On a positive note, it looks like the guy did replace the timing belt and water pump, since they look pretty new. Not a Gates kit as advertised though - the belt was stamped Contitech. We'll be replacing the belt at a minimum:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6888_zpsdb35dd30.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6888_zpsdb35dd30.jpg.html)


Pretty sure we have a stock short block:

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6898_zpsff098397.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6898_zpsff098397.jpg.html)

Cleaned up a little to try to better identify:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6906_zpsf73c0f39.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6906_zpsf73c0f39.jpg.html)

Anyone think otherwise?

Also, heads were not machined to match the diameter of a 2.5 cyl as advertised:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_6902_zpsad5d8419.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_6902_zpsad5d8419.jpg.html)

Guess we're going to learn how to build an engine...

[Aero STI]

That's unfortunate your motor was "misrepresented". Do you still have the original seller's contact information? I think they owe you an explanation and some money.

[xxguitarist]

Agreed.. We do have his contact information, and have tried to get in touch. We'll send him some registered mail for a fun little "date" next.

[metalmaker12]

What a liar, stock short block with miss matched head bowls, what a jerk.

[xxguitarist]

Yeeeep.

Opinions seem to vary on the heads. Some claim quench is improved by the mismatch, others say it's harder to tune around.

We'll have to decide which way to go, especially since when we install those low compression JE pistons, it'll be dropping our CR to about where we want, machining the heads might put us too low?



In other news, the turbo is juuuust within tolerance on axial play, and well within spec on the deflection at either end. We'll run it for a while, and probably start saving the pennies for an upgrade.

[longislandwrx]

others say it's harder to tune around.


What a liar, stock short block with miss matched head bowls, what a jerk.


Otherwise I would start to worry if I had a stock short block, and possibly a poorly assembled long block

bummer. :|

[Tamra]

Well the short block is fully disassembled:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/C8B0C4E7-D890-4B92-B29B-5B699E6722E1_zpsg9oluym3.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/C8B0C4E7-D890-4B92-B29B-5B699E6722E1_zpsg9oluym3.jpg.html)

Looks like OEM pistons, rods, and crank, but it's been opened up before because the bearings were ACL. Everything looks in pretty good shape. Good crosshatching on the cylinder walls.


Metalmaker, you mentioned you could tell what our crankshaft was by these numbers? We tried Google and couldn't figure it out. Any ideas? We will measure tomorrow or the next day to confirm if it's 75mm or 79mm.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/03B5A897-8DDD-4123-900C-CE22EE9F32C0_zpsexfs4xsl.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/03B5A897-8DDD-4123-900C-CE22EE9F32C0_zpsexfs4xsl.jpg.html)

[longislandwrx]

Those are just factory machining numbers and as far as I know don't tell you about the composition/treatment.

From the look of it that just looks like a plain ol' 12200AA370 pre 2008 crank. not a 12200AA430 (nitrided) or a 12200AA330 (induction hardened).




get those rods off... there's a chance he was getting rod knock and just changed out the bearings :/

[Tamra]

Thanks Longislandwrx. We'll be replacing everything... looking for opinions on our possible motor build now:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?15814-Destroked-hybrid-build-opinions

[Tamra]

We decided on our engine build plan and purchased the parts today.

We are going to build a 2.34L destroked short block, built for up to 650whp, but we will be tuning it to around 350whp. 2.0 Heads will have an upgraded valve train. Oiling will be our limiting factor, so we will be running it at 8k rpm max to start. We are still deciding on the turbo.

Fidelis Motorsports is helping us meet our build goals (and budget) and will help us tune the car when we get it going. We will be doing all of the assembly. Larry's Power will be doing the machine work on the heads and block and balancing the rotating assembly.

2.34L destroked short block
-MPS +2mm H Tuff rods
-JE FSR Pistons
-75mm WRX crank
-upgraded Tool Steel Wrist Pins
-King Race and Main Bearings
-ARP Subaru EJ Series DOHC Headstuds

Supporting mods:
STI oil pan
Killer B Motorsport Ultimate Oil Pickup
Killer B Motorsport Oil Baffle Windage Tray
OEM oil pump
Partial TGV deletes
Cobb intake
NGK 1-step colder plugs
Header TBD for twin scroll
STI catless up-pipe (TBD for twin scroll)
Forge full recirc bpv
Grimmspeed ebcs
255lph fuel pump
Gates Racing Timing Belt
Group N engine and transmission mounts
Frozenboost AWIC

2.0 Chamber Matched Machined Heads
-Shimless buckets
-GSC Beehive Valve Springs w/ Titanium Retainer Valvetrain Kit
-GSC Chrome Polished Intake Valve
-GSC Chrome Polished Exhaust
-Injector Dynamics Fuel Injectors Top Feed 1000cc

Other items:
ACT StreetLite Flywheel
South Bend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch
OBX LSD (upgraded washers/bolts)
FFR adjustable lateral links
Stainless steel braided brake lines
Cobb 27mm sway bar (TBD if we use this or a smaller one)
Koni 30 series shocks with 500lb springs (R package)
Race seats TBD
Wheels TBD (likely RPF1's) with Hoosier A6's
The car will be street legal and registered


Other project creep TBD

[Tamra]

We installed the OBX limited slip today. We upgraded the washers and bolts, and followed Eric Treve's guide here. (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?8783-OBX-LSD-rebuild-step-by-step-pics-inside) It was actually very easy, with the only pain being how much time it took to torque the bolts properly. We also swapped the bearings over from the old open front diff to the OBX. Removing them without damaging them was a little challenging, but using an arbor press, some thin walled aluminum tubing, and a piece of steel cut to match, we got them off. Pressing them on the OBX was a piece of cake since they just slide right on.

Old and new (prior to bearing swap):
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_7035_zpsfd398ae5.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_7035_zpsfd398ae5.jpg.html)

Between the factory service manual and Jaime's thread here (http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?13827-Jaime-s-Western-New-York-Build&p=146081&viewfull=1#post146081), we are pretty confident that we figured out how to adjust the backlash properly
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_7061_zpsf573d337.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_7061_zpsf573d337.jpg.html)

Here's some photos of the marks - please critique away if you see any issues.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_7071_zpsd521fb9a.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_7071_zpsd521fb9a.jpg.html)
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_7070_zpsbe63a703.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_7070_zpsbe63a703.jpg.html)


Final product:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_7068_zps702b864e.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_7068_zps702b864e.jpg.html)


Now we're just waiting on our latest order from Subaru to install some new seals and close it up.


In case you ever need to ship your Subaru heads anywhere, Jackstand boxes are a perfect fit. Shipped ours off today to get the chambers matched the EJ257 block.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/IMG_7048_zps6864560c.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/IMG_7048_zps6864560c.jpg.html)


Exciting parts starting to filter in... We ordered from Fidelis on Thursday at lunch, and these packages showed up on Friday! The other half of our parts are due Monday. Now that's fast service! The Konis are for our Mazdaspeed3. Unfortunately we can't start our engine build yet, since our OEM Subaru parts aren't here yet... still waiting on the 75mm crank and then have to send it off to the machine shop for balancing. We're hoping to be able start putting our engine together the weekend of the 17th, which is the weekend before our 818 kit will be ready for pickup!

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/10678734_10101182253476494_9019617713406428751_n_z psee065f00.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/10678734_10101182253476494_9019617713406428751_n_z psee065f00.jpg.html)

Still have the engine build and the wiring harness left as the big ones to work on, then just some general smaller parts cleanup left.

Lots of tools to buy too, since we'll need a micrometer good to a tenth of thou and a bore gauge to the same. Also, a good valve spring compressor and piston ring compressor. We've never done anything like this before, but we've been taking it one step at a time and it's been a fun learning experience so far.

Time to start researching turbos. It's hard to find a non twin scroll that is capable of 350whp and spool by 3.5k... so we're looking into what it would take to do the Borg Warner S200SX. Also, we have to figure out whether we are going to shim our 10mm oil pump or go with a different one too... so much research.

We are at over $4100 in parts sales to date, and just listed all of the engine parts and our VF22 turbo, which is already pending sale.

[Hindsight]

$4100, nice. Hope I get even half that. Thx for consolidating the LSD links; I am waiting for mine to show up so the info will come in handy.

[metalmaker12]

Good work guys, looking good!!

[Tamra]

$4100, nice. Hope I get even half that. Thx for consolidating the LSD links; I am waiting for mine to show up so the info will come in handy.

You'd be surprised at how the parts sales just keep trickling in. Just don't count the amount of hours you spend responding to pm's, updating posts, and meeting people from CL...the hourly rate is not good I'm sure. I wouldn't be surprised at this point if we hit $5500+ in parts sales by the time we're done. Our donor did have some valuable aftermarket parts though. Which is good, since we've had a few more expenses than we originally planned on...

We are going to deliver our short block to Larry's Power in Groton, CT on Friday too. While we're at it, might as well get it bored and honed to start completely fresh.

"While we're at it...." that's the definition of project creep. We keep saying it more and more lately it seems...

[Hindsight]

Don't forget about the time you spend making custom boxes to safely ship large, heavy and awkward objects lol.

Good luck with the machining! Always fun to get shiny clean machined parts back from the machinist.

[xxguitarist]

She hands me those fun packages :rolleyes:

[Tamra]

15 days until we pick up our kit!!!

[Rasmus]

I know the temptation is going to be to start thrashing right away but be sure to go through the boxes and make sure you've got everything. I was missing 1 large aluminum panel that would have cost me oodles to have had shipped from FFR.

[xxguitarist]

We've got a few things to do on Sunday after we pick up Saturday, but the rest of the day will be spent on inventory & organizing.
We also took an extra day off work a week ahead, so we can get the garage cleaned up, and re-organized for building.

[Tamra]

The engine is out to the machine shop for boring to 99.75mm with a torque plate for accurate shape. We media blasted the engine case halves before sending them off to the machine shop, so they're.. well, a whole lot cleaner than they were. We didn't have a ton of time, so they're not perfect. Good enough, though! Plus saved a bit of $.

Before:
34613
After:
34614

Today and tomorrow we'll give the transmission the same treatment. Now we will be able to button it up & set it aside with new axle & shaft seals.

We've also started in on the wiring harness.
First out was all of the airbag/SRS system, followed by most of the ABS, radio, AC, etc. Lots of wires left, but we've gotten a good chunk of them out of the way. It started out at 48 pounds. Fourty-eight. We'll see how much we can trim off.
34615
Here's what we've deleted after about 2-3 hours of work.
34616


So far, we've spent 52 hours disassembling until the shell was out of the garage, and an additional 66 hours on the parts clean-up and prep, for a total of 118 hours spent so far. Keep in mind there are two of us, although I'd only count myself as 25% or so of a second person, since I went into this process barely even knowing how to change the oil in my car. Andrew (XXguitarist) has never done anything like this before either, although he is an engineer, which helps.

We are up to over $4900 in parts sales.

[first time builder]

Any results with the prior owner about what was told to you and what was really done ?

Kenny

[Tamra]

No response from him, so we are working on figuring out small claims court in CT

[Tamra]

We had incredible turnaround time from Larry's Power in Groton, CT - picked up ALL of the engine components yesterday (after only one week!!)! Heads were machined to match the 257 block, and decked. The block was bored to 99.75mm and honed using a torque plate, and decked. Also had the new oem EJ205 crankshaft, ACT flywheel and South Bend pressure plate balanced. Apparently the flywheel and pressure plate "really" needed it.

Block:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/enginehone2_zps05f0e376.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/enginehone2_zps05f0e376.jpg.html)
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/enginehone_zps662d3cee.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/enginehone_zps662d3cee.jpg.html)

MPS H-Tuff rods and JE pistons arrived. The JE's were all less than a gram difference in weight. One of the MPS rods we will need to balance, but nothing major.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/MPS_zpsec8a6a04.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/MPS_zpsec8a6a04.jpg.html)

Subaru Master Gasket kit... organization sold separately.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/mastergasket_zpsb5c4d231.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/mastergasket_zpsb5c4d231.jpg.html)

Today we lapped the valves first. Before and after (right):
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/Valvesbeforeandafterlapping_zps52b3cc1d.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/Valvesbeforeandafterlapping_zps52b3cc1d.jpg.html)

Lapped valve seat @ left, worn & pitted @ right.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/lappedvalves_zps07c98842.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/lappedvalves_zps07c98842.jpg.html)

[Tamra]

For installing GSC beehive springs, we searched everywhere looking for a good tool. We contacted GSC and they recommended this one. It is a EuroExport valve spring compressor (with a beehive adapter for a different motor) and it worked great!
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/EuroExportcompressor_zps20a78064.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/EuroExportcompressor_zps20a78064.jpg.html)

GSC Beehive springs w/ Ti retainers:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/GSCbeehivesprings_zpsf5392950.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/GSCbeehivesprings_zpsf5392950.jpg.html)

Final product: GSC intake & exhaust valves, Machined to match EJ257 cylinder diameter.
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/heads_zps0ad80098.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/heads_zps0ad80098.jpg.html)


We still have the other head to do, and then tackling the engine itself. But, it feels like we are making progress! In one week, we will have to make our build thread. 7 days til kit pickup!

Oh yeah, and we media blasted and then painted the transmission:
http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/Transmission_zps7e0ebf99.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/Transmission_zps7e0ebf99.jpg.html)

[metalmaker12]

Nice!! Great turn around, I am on a month plus. The shop I use is slammed and there's only two machinist.

[wleehendrick]

Nice.. I grew up in Groton/Mystic CT area, but moved to CA 20+ years ago. Glad someone in my hometown did a good job for you!

[xxguitarist]

We worked out a trade with our repeat parts buyer for these PF01s, They're 17x8 +45, we hope that with a spacer we can run them as daily wheels, with RPF1 as auto-x wheels.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd8/xxguitarist/photo8_zpse5b64d58.jpg

Bonus, they came with TPMS too, so we can sell those!

[Tamra]

We picked up fairly accurate scale. The pistons with the upgraded pins were balanced from JE at .1 gram variance across all four. That is excellent, so we did not have to do anything. The rods took a bit more effort to get balanced to .1 grams, as one was out of spec by nearly 2 grams.

Used our Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharper as a mini bench grinder. It came in handy - small, and with a variety of grits to get just the right amount of material taken off and then polished smooth.

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/FD10583C-05D5-4284-AC4A-62A2F6DCAB29_zpsak2xmtad.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/FD10583C-05D5-4284-AC4A-62A2F6DCAB29_zpsak2xmtad.jpg.html)

All the rods measured out to 573.1 at the end. Thankfully, Manley had them measured on the small end and the big end in a perfectly level fashion, so when added together they equaled the total weight exactly, which we double checked with our scale which measures to .1 gram. This made it easy for us to balance the small and the big ends, since we already knew what they were from Manley, and could just take off a little on one end at a time to get them all to an equal weight.

http://i1374.photobucket.com/albums/ag408/wrx818/Teardown/B2F88EBE-FE5A-4841-B8E1-2E8BC9E6C8DF_zps3fdxmy9e.jpg (http://s1374.photobucket.com/user/wrx818/media/Teardown/B2F88EBE-FE5A-4841-B8E1-2E8BC9E6C8DF_zps3fdxmy9e.jpg.html)


Had some fun last Sunday at autocross. We had the opportunity to warm tires for a friend with an S2000 CR in A Street. That was a blast. I can't even imagine an extra hundred horsepower and 900lbs shaved off...
I spun out 2 out of 4 runs, and coned the other two, but still won the ladies class by a 1.5 secs (um yeah...sorry about that girls). Definitely will take some adjustment when we get the 818 going.


http://youtu.be/Lq-DbFwrG6I

[Tamra]

We picked up our 818 today! Time to make a build thread, since we're done with the tear down and cleaning, and now it's time to start assembling! See our new thread here: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?16067-Andrew-amp-Tamra-s-818SR-EM-Autox-Hybrid-Destroked-Long-Rod-Build