Chedda's 818S build thread

[chedda]

Mad shoutout to SixStar Cars!


This is an 818S from factory five and a '04 wrx donor. I'm so excited that I started to take the body panels off to put in a safe place.

Inventory of all parts and pieces coming this afternoon.
Pics for your enjoyment :D
Album - http://imgur.com/a/u3Op9


http://i.imgur.com/KPenlnx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3kOpsAT.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JDZPcwR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vzY5nwb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/vPcSNw8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/UY1GCIu.jpg

These are now on their way Enkei RPF1 5x100 17x9 +45 offset
34762

[chedda]

http://i.imgur.com/Fw4hXF6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fKG5i0O.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7PaP4Uk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KkaGOoO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LUdPHbC.jpg

[Mechie3]

I heard Keith from 6SC is a noob. ;) Did they deliver the car in their trailer or something? I'm sending him a box of goodies next week for his SEMA car. You should check them out.

Did you sit in the car and say "vroom vroom?" I think it's a requirement.

[chedda]

HAH! Kieth is a pretty cool dude. They did deliver it in their 24ft trailer. What kinds of goodies are you sending him? I saw the 818R when he was still trying to put the tranny in. I heard from Todd he was having issues trying to start it yesterday :(

[wleehendrick]

Congrats! Most of us have done the donor tear-down before kit delivery; that's gonna be one crowded garage!

[Mechie3]

Custom oil fill tube/cap, custom trans block off plate, titanium dipstick, and a special version of my coolant bracket.

[chedda]

O_o oooooh I can't wait to see

[chedda]

Because Race Car: http://youtu.be/3kKhPutm4b0

[chedda]

Day #1 of donor car tear down

http://imgur.com/a/aLyEd

I forgot a picture in the album
http://i.imgur.com/2qeSL8b.jpg

I will be posting the album links rather than overloading the page and waiting to get approved by mods :/

[chedda]

I'm on day 3 and the interior is gutted and only the wiring is left. Today I am going to try and pull the motor. In the mean time, recouped $400 bucks so far in part sales.

[chedda]

As the car sits now.

http://imgur.com/a/h9D1C

The frame and sheet metal are headed to the powder coater tomorrow. that will free up space for the engine and tranny to be worked on for the next couple of days. They are ready to be pulled once I put the cherry picker and engine stand together.

[svanlare]

Awesome! Looks like a great start.

[billjr212]

Congrats on getting started!

I noticed that you have wheels with +45 offset on order. My understanding was that you will have clearance issues with that. Have you also planned to install spacers or have you otherwise compensated for the wheel selection?

[chedda]

yes I have plan on installing spacers. When I spoke with Kieth at sixstar, he installed 15mm spacers and was ok with everything.

Update on the donor:
brakes are off and sold (they were brand new from the donor)
most of the interior has been sold off
I need helping hand on removing the motor and tranny. Everything has been disconnected. it is easier with another set of hands.

Update on the kit:
I shipped off the frame and sheet metal for powder coating
Rims arrived! http://imgur.com/a/cjne1

[chedda]

Before you ask on the brakes, I have wilwood 4 pot front and 4 pot rear along with wilwood 2 piece rotors and SS lines to go along with them. Bought second hand for 500 bucks.

[tdelta1000]

Cheeda thnx for the up dates and you're making great progress. Please your updates coming for a troll like me. Lol!!!

[chedda]

Well, the engine and tranny are out! Found the oil leak. I need a new oil pan. looks like that thing got munched just a little bit from the wreck.

Pics!!! (http://imgur.com/a/0X1Ba#0)

[chedda]

no pics today but here is an update. The steering rack is out and all the dag'on wiring. Jeebus there is a lot of wiring.

next:
pedals, ebrake, fuel pump, brake drum, clutch reservoir

[riptide motorsport]

Your flying along , sweet!

[chedda]

I'm stuck with some bolts for the rear stuff. Pb blaster and a breaker bar ain't cutting the mustard. I may have to grind off the bolts. The old donor body will be leaving Thursday to make room for the 818 chassis.

The pedals are out along with all the reservoirs for the clutch and brakes.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I'm stuck with some bolts for the rear stuff. Pb blaster and a breaker bar ain't cutting the mustard. I may have to grind off the bolts. The old donor body will be leaving Thursday to make room for the 818 chassis.

The pedals are out along with all the reservoirs for the clutch and brakes.
Sometimes a jack handle on a breaker bar give you a little more leverage.
35228

[wleehendrick]

Sometimes a jack handle on a breaker bar give you a little more leverage.

And sometimes that trick shears your socket in half! I still need to go to Sears to see get a replacement for one I did that to. I won't tell them how long my lever was. :p

chedda, have you tried an air impact? That worked better than a breaker bar for me for the RPITA bolts. The only one I couldn't free myself was one of the rear trailing arms. I brought it in to a shop and their first impact failed to loosen it, but they had a higher pressure line that did the trick.

[chedda]

I have used a 400lb impact wrench and a 600. No dice on the bolts and neither with the breaker bar. PB blaster only did so much and ended up stripping the bolts. I ended up cutting the bolts off without a hitch the pieces were separated :)

With success today, the donor parts have been removed and the car is going to the crusher tomorrow. Booya!

Also good piece of news is the 818 frame is completed from the powder coater. I'll be picking it up tomorrow.

[chedda]

alrighty, here you guys go. The donor is gone and the garage cleaned up and ready for the frame to come back home.

before/after pics of the garage. Who said it was going to be a tight fit? lol
http://imgur.com/a/iTroP

[chedda]

And... it's back from the powdercoater. These guys did a really good job.
http://imgur.com/a/1qc9b

[Louisromersh]

And... it's back from the powdercoater. These guys did a really good job.
http://imgur.com/a/1qc9b

Hi Chedda witch powder coated did you use?

[chedda]

I went to mile high powder coating. These guys took their time and made the effort to make this look really good. They had it sitting outside their shop to show off their work all day.

The frame is done with
T013-BK62
Black Hammer Semi-Gloss

the sheet metal is coated with
C241-BK303
Black Fine Texture Low-Gloss

it looks so good in person. Loisromersh, if you want to see it in person. Come on by and send me a PM for the address. I'm in Aurora.

[chedda]

After getting the other parts back from the powder coater, here is an update. I have started the rear suspension.

Pic :)
http://i.imgur.com/aCM7dqj.jpg

[xxguitarist]

Are the rear-rear lateral links really bent, or is something just strange in the picture?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

The routinely get bent by the copart forktruck

[chedda]

They are easy to bend back but if it fits, I sits :P

[longislandwrx]

if it fits, I sits :P

what does this mean?

don't bend them back, that is asking for trouble. New ones are dirt cheap and plentiful.

[xxguitarist]

Keep in mind, as is, they're shortening the rear side= toe out. (and likely not even equally so)

[Boog]

Looks like some jack stands would be a good buy.

Edit: Nevermind, I see them in the background.

[chedda]

alrighty then, I'll get some new ones. As of last night, I got majority of the firewall done.

http://imgur.com/a/8YJ59

[chedda]

today was a very productive day. Steering is in, upper mounts are in with the stupid ball joint (PITA), finished the front firewall.

http://imgur.com/a/yVTsV

Currently the aluminum control arms are being sand blasted to get all the old crap off of them.

Stay tuned folks.
Tomorrow, the world!

[chedda]

Huge update y'all. The front suspension is in and the pedals are in.

I'm still waiting on the heads to come in for the motor. Hopefully those will be here Thursday. I ordered new rotors for the wilwood kit. The old ones looked pretty roughed up and grounded down.

[Hindsight]

How kon earth have you managed to get so much done in under a month?! Nice work.

[Hindsight]

what does this mean

http://i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/009/266/funny-pictures-if-it-fits-i-sits.jpg

[chedda]

How kon earth have you managed to get so much done in under a month?! Nice work.


I get home from work at 2:30 every day. I also have a great girlfriend that if there are not plans on the weekend, I can work on race car :)

[chedda]

Well, I gotta put the project on hold for a couple of days. I ended up getting sick. We had our first snow last night and I wasn't up for the challenge on working on the car. What I can do for you guys is provide a pic of the progress on the front end.

http://i.imgur.com/J2jWhCb.jpg

[Frank818]

First, get well.
Second, until the last few words, I thought you were to provide us a pic of the damn snow, but thankfully you posted a car pic. :)
Third, which brings me to a question, I can't clearly see due to the angle, but were you able to screw all the threads in on the longer sleeves of the UCA?

[chedda]

The UCA has not been tightened down yet. I wanted to get all pieces on first and then adjust. I havent gotten that far.

[RM1SepEx]

Well, I gotta put the project on hold for a couple of days. I ended up getting sick. We had our first snow last night and I wasn't up for the challenge on working on the car. What I can do for you guys is provide a pic of the progress on the front end.

http://i.imgur.com/J2jWhCb.jpg

The right side triangle piece is mounted wrong, the holes are supposed to be on the vertical tube in front of the end of the tunnel, one hole for the shift cable the other big one for wiring

[Bob_n_Cincy]

The right side triangle piece is mounted wrong, the holes are supposed to be on the vertical tube in front of the end of the tunnel, one hole for the shift cable the other big one for wiring
While we're being picky. You are missing the aluminum block off plate behind the master cylinder.
I would not fix the triangle. Drill a new hole for the shifter cable. Use the existing holes for wiring.
Happy building
Bob

[chedda]

the aluminum block off plate, I could not find in the kit. I looked in all the boxes and found none.

everything else, what?

[STiPWRD]

It's in a small bag with some other aluminum parts. It should be with the rest of the sheet metal aluminum or the expanded metal mesh.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

the aluminum block off plate, I could not find in the kit. I looked in all the boxes and found none.

everything else, what?
Here is where the book says the hole go.
35651

[chedda]

oh snap! uhhh shwing... LOL

[Frank818]

Here is where the book says the hole go.
35651

The short sleeve of your UCA is toward the rear?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

The short sleeve of your UCA is toward the rear?
Yes, yours are backwards. see below.:cool:

35652

[Frank818]

Yes, yours are backwards. see below.:cool:

35652

Yeah that's an old picture. I switched back months ago.

Then why did I ask the question? :confused:

[chedda]

in the instructions, it showed that as followed for the UCA to have the shorter arm in back.

[Frank818]

That's correct and I must have known cuz I checked again yesterday for another reason. I guess I need some vacations...

[chedda]

I got some sad news everyone... I was replacing the heads on the motor and while putting on the new heads, the headbolt snapped. So now I am in search for a new block. Unfortunately it is outside my scope on how to do. A couple of guys on the south denver subaru club page are helping me out. Hopefully I will have an update after the holidays.

[Frank818]

Yeah that's sad news. I know how you feel, I've been through a ton of such sad news cuz of one other person.

Does it block you from moving on on other things on your build or you can still progress somewhere else?

[Mechie3]

Why do you need a new block?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I got some sad news everyone... I was replacing the heads on the motor and while putting on the new heads, the headbolt snapped. So now I am in search for a new block. Unfortunately it is outside my scope on how to do. A couple of guys on the south denver subaru club page are helping me out. Hopefully I will have an update after the holidays.

Chedda
please explain why this is a big deal.
My first thought is to take the head off and use an easy out screw extractor then reassemble. There must be more to your decision to get a new block.
Bob

[Hindsight]

Sorry to hear it Chedda. Were you re-using an old head bolt or something? Do you know why it broke?

If you can't extract it yourself, I'm sure a machine shop could do it for you.

[metalmaker12]

Why do you need a new block, you can get it out, or a macine shop will. You certainly don't need a new block man.

[chedda]

The reason for the new block is because the steel head bolt (re-used) snapped in the threads while trying to tighten it down to spec (75lbs). I got to 35 lbs of torque and it snapped. The bolt goes into the block 3-4 inches before it starts to thread. I guess about 1.5 inches of thread is stuck inside the block. It is highly recommended by all shops and subaru to replace the block. Yes, a machine shop could drill it out and then use a larger bolt with thread but you would have to do it on every single one. Now it is out of spec and trying to find the right threads in the size could be dangerous. Instead of hassling with it, a new block it is.

[STiPWRD]

You can still extract the part of the bolt that broke off in the block without drilling the hole out and making it bigger. Just saying, you don't have to scrap your block. All you need to do is drill a small hole into the part of the bolt that is broken, and use a bolt extractor bit to pull out the thread. The thread is just sitting there and should spin out easily since there's no bolt pre-tension anymore. I've used this technique before multiple times. Since it's a deeper hole as you mention, I'd recommend securing the block on a drill press or mill for stability. Once the broken bolt is out, chase the threads and you're good to go.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

You can still extract the part of the bolt that broke off in the block without drilling the hole out and making it bigger. Just saying, you don't have to scrap your block. All you need to do is drill a small hole into the part of the bolt that is broken, and use a bolt extractor bit to pull out the thread. The thread is just sitting there and should spin out easily since there's no bolt pre-tension anymore. I've used this technique before multiple times. Since it's a deeper hole as you mention, I'd recommend securing the block on a drill press or mill for stability. Once the broken bolt is out, chase the threads and you're good to go.

When drilling the small hole in bolts that is way down in there. I use a bushing around the drill bit to keep it centered. With this method a drill press really isn't necessary.
Bob

[chedda]

The problem I need a drill bit long enough that is on the smaller side. Anything that is too long, it will snap.

[Mechie3]

I drilled a 1/16" hole in a titanium piece with a 6" long drill bit the other day. I had to be careful, but it was doable and precise enough to press in a roll pin when I was done.

If you want a new block it's a good excuse to get a new one. If you don't want one/budget won't take it you don't need a new one.

[STiPWRD]

When drilling the small hole in bolts that is way down in there. I use a bushing around the drill bit to keep it centered. With this method a drill press really isn't necessary.
Bob
I like the bushing idea but since a small drill bit needs to be used, the drill is still prone to tilting if held by hand, which can snap the bit. A drill press or mill will keep everything square.


The problem I need a drill bit long enough that is on the smaller side. Anything that is too long, it will snap.
Correct, doing the repair is easier said than done but a drill bit is much cheaper than buying a new block. I'd at least give it a shot. Good luck either way

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I like the bushing idea but since a small drill bit needs to be used, the drill is still prone to tilting if held by hand, which can snap the bit. A drill press or mill will keep everything square.

Correct, doing the repair is easier said than done but a drill bit is much cheaper than buying a new block. I'd at least give it a shot. Good luck either way

The drill bit really isn't that small.
For the M11 bolt the recommended drill bit is 1/4"
I don't have a drill press or a mill that an engine block will fit in.

About 2 years ago I had a starter snap off the bottom of my boat engine.
(mercruiser small block chevy)
We only had about 5" of clearance between the bottom of the boat and the engine block.
Using an angle drill with bushing drilled the hole. Could not even see what we were doing.
Tapped in eazyout and the bolt came right out.

Question For Chedda.
With the head off, how deep is the broken off bolt?
Bob

[chedda]

I'll take pictures for you guys tonight and post them. I have avoided the garage since it happened.

Edit:

Pics of the bolt that snapped.

http://imgur.com/a/ZJdVk

[TahoeTim]

back to the front UCA's.

Do the grease zerks go up or down?

Yours are up on one side and down on the other. I reassembled mine so they were up.

[RM1SepEx]

put them however you like, the effective position of the pivots does not change, up or down... the suspension is defined by a line through the center of the ball joint pivot and the center of the inner arm pivot. Mine are facing down

[chedda]

Gaskets, ARP studs and the new motor will be here this week. Woot!

[chedda]

Keith at SixStar has once again delivered! I'd like to thank him for a great price on the new motor and being pretty lax on the getting the old motor to him. I can't wait to start working on the new motor tonight :D

[coloskydiver]

Congrats!!! Glad to see things worked out.

[chedda]

Congrats!!! Glad to see things worked out.

Thanks!

I have started working on the motor. YAY!!!! I have the heads on and that is about as far as I got last night. I had a buddy get a flat and he didn't know how to change a tire. I lol'd for a second and took his man card. Let me tell you, he knows how to change a tire now.

updated pics :D
http://imgur.com/a/kKJru

[wleehendrick]

I have started working on the motor. YAY!!!! I have the heads on and that is about as far as I got last night.

Congrats... good luck with the build!


I had a buddy get a flat and he didn't know how to change a tire. I lol'd for a second and took his man card. Let me tell you, he knows how to change a tire now.

Seriously? Who didn't learn that in drivers' ed? I would have told him to call AAA! The last buddy I had to rescue on the side of road really deserved all the **** we gave him. A bunch of friends were up at Mammoth Mountain; we had skied all day, partied that night. Around midnight one friend who was coming up late called to say he ran out of gas on the highway a few miles short of Mammoth. For those of you who don't know, if you're driving in the High Sierras in winter, you go prepared! chains, water, blankets, etc... (remember the Donner Party?) running out of gas is just so foolish. Well I hopped in the Audi and came to his rescue. His excuse? He filled up before leaving and always made it on one tank before!

[chedda]

Congrats... good luck with the build!

Thanks!

another update for tonight. I started working on the motor and taking things off the old. I got to the water pump and by gholly, work called. Being on call sucks. Finished the work crap 3 hours later. I came back outside and finished lots of things.

pics
http://imgur.com/a/3WeIB

[Kurk818]

Dont forget to install the back timing covers before putting on the pulleys.

[chedda]

I don't have the covers. I'm not going to worry about the covers :P

[Hindsight]

They are cheap from the dealer and if some road debris kicks up or falls down into there, you run the risk of bending valves due to timing belt interference, breakage, etc

[chedda]

Well, I was able to almost finish up the motor over the weekend.

Things that are left

Oil pan install
Oil cooler transfer (stuck hose on old block)
2 coolant rubber hoses need to be replaced (knicked while taking the old block out)
Cam gears for the passenger side (stuck gears - the threads or bolt is not stripped, just being a PETA)
New engine mounts need to be purchased - the old ones got munched pretty good

Pics!
http://imgur.com/a/9TPRl

Let me know if the headers would not work. It would be a bummer

[chedda]

Well, it has been a while for an update. So many issues/parts missing from the donor. AUGH!

I had put in majority of the hoses that cracked and needed to be replaced. Then I started working on the tranny to convert it. Well that was going all nicely until I had to put it all back together. I found out there was a hairline crack in the casing. When I was shifting the gear case over, it broke off. YAY!

http://i.imgur.com/CzemjT7.jpg

I ordered the new gear casing from subaru. Shortline Subaru sold me the part at a deeeeeeep discount. They gave it to me for what I could find a used one for. I am waiting on the bearings for the shift mechanism since the old ones cannot be used. Soon the tranny will be complete :)

Some good news, I had enough waiting to put the motor in. After a good 20 minutes, I was able to get that darn tootin' thing in. Lots of exploit deleteds happened during the whole process. I put it in myself. Lots of stop and go but it went it beautifully!

http://i.imgur.com/2LC7rYF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kxdVqv0.jpg

I was able to get the wheel studs in finally. I borrowed a neighbors grinder to get them through the speed hole. Torqued those puppies in and bam! The brakes were on as well. I need to get the brackets for the rear. Kind of a bummer that I didn't have them but hey, at least the fronts are in. :) I don't have any pics of the brakes on but osh well.

[xxguitarist]

If you want to prevent the motor from leaning forward so much on the mounts before the trans is attached, you can block up between the firewall area and the engine (say, alternator bracket) until it sits mostly level. Might need to jack from underneath to get it into place.

[chedda]

Well, lots of goodies happened today.
http://i.imgur.com/EKtZwj0.jpg

It wouldn't go in without a fight.
http://i.imgur.com/2THZ9h0.jpg

AAAAAND it's in!!!
http://i.imgur.com/ewp3ICD.jpg

[chedda]

well, it has been a while hasn't it? I have done some touch up here and there and nothing major to report. I am back from Brazil and eager to get going again. Fun money has kind of stopped at the moment since I am changing jobs. grrr money ugh... yeah. I have ordered some wheel spacers and brake brackets for the rears. I will get the speed sensors back in and the e-brake cables into place. I will have this bad boy wheelable soon :)

[chedda]

Things have been going slower these days due to parts missing and trying to figure a few things out. I had some progress today. Rear brakes on and new to me trailing arms and lateral links.

http://i.imgur.com/baCNy24.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/STb1Omo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WE0vLho.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2WQKuhp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PkrvQum.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2m3hfdH.jpg

[chedda]

After smashing my toe trying to do the axles, I have been out of commission for a minute. Before then, I had installed the brake lines, clutch lines and started the coolant. The problem I have doing the coolant is trying to put the flex hose into the stock radiator hose. I have tried lubing up both sides and heating the rubber to accept the larger flex hose. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I have tried the search feature and haven't found anything on it.

http://i.imgur.com/Oz3QKdG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/o8FUAO8.jpg

Once I take a picture of a surprise that I picked up for 7 bucks on amazon (thanks capital one rewards) I will post it up.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Chedda,
connect the bottom of the radiator to the water pump. looks like your thinking of connecting it wrong.
Bob

[chedda]

I knew someone was going to comment on that. The tube is just sitting there resting. I was trying to put it on the lower part of the radiator.

[chedda]

As promised, something to go chu chu chu

http://i.imgur.com/AluSCai.jpg

[chedda]

I guess I am alone on trying to figure out the coolant lines.

[xxguitarist]

A little isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol does wonders for slipping coolant hoses over the metal tubes.

[chedda]

I'll give it a try.

[chedda]

I tried getting it on last night with the rubbing alcohol. I wish I could say I had success. Even tho these are brand new hoses, they are turning out to be a huge PITA.

I may just buy the tubes and call it done. http://www.replicaparts.com/818%20parts%20page.htm

My troubles:
http://i.imgur.com/aa1n5Km.jpg

[xxguitarist]

Is the hose cold? Get it up to at least room temp to improve flexibility.
Otherwise, don't know what to tell you.
Our brand new ones went on with no substantial trouble.
GATES 22885
GATES 22886

[chedda]

I bought mine from Subaru and they were at room temperature.

[wleehendrick]

I tried getting it on last night with the rubbing alcohol.

Yow!

I'll be installing coolant pipes soon, so I'm curious to see what workss for you. I read soaking in earm water helps.

[AZPete]

I heated the hose with a heat gun and used liquid dish soap.

[svanlare]

I may just buy the tubes and call it done. http://www.replicaparts.com/818%20parts%20page.htm


+1 for Mike's radiator tubes, that is what I did and it went together smooth.

[chedda]

I'm going to try the heat gun effect again when I get home. I have been in talks with Mike already. He has a kit set and ready for me to be shipped out wednesday at the earliest. He may get a paypal payment over the weekend :P

[Kurk818]

I slipped mine on with silicone lubricant.

One word of caution though, during the dyno tuning of the car at approx 3 hours into it, the hose burst. Once at the engine and the other at the top connection of the radiator. I would suggest getting a larger hose and not forcing it on. Its not worth the $15 a hose costs to be broken down on the side of the road with a busted hose.

[chedda]

Well, I said screw it and went with Mike's kit. After struggling with it for a few hours today with all your tips and tricks, I've had it. I want to do it right and silky smooth lines make me happy :)

Today was also a monumental day today. I got the axles done and lowered it down for the very first time in it's life. I still don't have my 5mm spacers for the front because people don't ship things when they say they do. I know I have to adjust the steering since it is crazy toe in due to the steering being short. (Sorry for the potato quality) grease got on the lense.

http://i.imgur.com/cUCeLYs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/n9kdR2D.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/44LYULp.jpg

[Tamra]

Congrats! Awesome milestone!

[icky]

Hell yeah, I want a ride!

[chedda]

wow, has it been a month? Stupid snow and not enough room in the garage for a heater.... Well, I got some new parts and slapped them all on.

Perrin turbo inlet tube - PITA to install
TurboSmart BOV
Replicaparts.com (http://www.replicaparts.com/818%20parts%20page.htm) coolant tubes. My god are they awesome!

as she sits now

http://i.imgur.com/KzDhMKe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pi4Uhoi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z0RQlPL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4VfD47C.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FitCmQN.jpg


Onto the wiring diet... I have contacted Brian from iWire to see how long the wait is. No word yet but that is because it is Sunday.
http://i.imgur.com/4JQk5ZG.jpg

[metalmaker12]

Snow? What snow..... I got 3 1/2feet- 4 feet in my front yard after a week of melting and we have had about 100 inches of snow in just jan and feb. .... Btw car looks good bro 39396

[chedda]

It has been a warm 2 days and that is where all the snow went. I can't complain to the peeps on the east coast. When it is cold, the plastic parts break off easily. I had to replace the turbo inlet tube since the rubber on the hose basically turned to plastic and snapped the tube :/ That was a pain in the rear to replace.

[chedda]

A buddy of mine is really wanting to tackle the exhaust work. What are your guys' thoughts? I'm liking the tear drop idea.

http://i.imgur.com/nW1I8Yx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KxO6gbX.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/OFT9Lri.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Uz2NzoW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FHBFtbO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wgrV3rx.jpg

[Mechie3]

Terrible terrible work. Whatever junk he makes you should just scrap* it.


*please call with time and location of scrapping such that I can "salvage" it.

[Frank818]

Wooo, those welds man, those welds! Why would you need our opinions when you already know them? :)

[chedda]

It is all about the tip. Tear drop or straight out. He does amazing work. He is extremely fair for his price.

[STiPWRD]

Tear drop or straight out.

Those r some amazing looking tear drops but they seem more hot-rod-ish, I vote straight


It is all about the tip.
giggity

[Mechie3]

Can he make something not round or tear drop from folded sheet?

Think, Aventador or P1 GTR.

[chedda]

I guess it has been a month since my last post... wowzers.

Installed the dead pedals

http://i.imgur.com/NijcdzS.jpg

Took the car to a buddies shop to do a compression test and fabricate the exhaust.

http://i.imgur.com/ap1Q2Dp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2vSW8k9.jpg

I decided to fill the motor with oil and see if it would leak.. sure crap it did... Looked where it leaked and the head we leaking. Tracked it down to the covers and took them off. Noticed that there some snapped bolts for the cam covers and that is where it was leaking :(

Grr ARGH!
http://i.imgur.com/2Ht5GSY.jpg

We decided to pull the motor out to get the heads off and thought about doing the TGV deletes as well.

http://i.imgur.com/99VSiOQ.jpg

[chedda]

ARP head studs are not bomb proof. Somehow they got scored and took the whole thing out of the block. :( ARP head stud is on it's way!

http://i.imgur.com/qB2ZDoB.jpg

Took apart the heads and it was gross underneath
Before:
http://i.imgur.com/hzuXZsU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/UHArTMa.jpg

After:
http://i.imgur.com/lhk5qxb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RBTwfbZ.jpg

While the heads were at the machine shop getting the broken bolts out of the cam covers... I decided to do other things. Went to a metal depo and bought some pieces that were missing from the kit and that are included in the new kits. I built a rear firewall and under the floor cover that goes under the seats.

http://i.imgur.com/TbLpYNm.jpg

[chedda]

http://i.imgur.com/EhrrcGS.jpg

Test fitting the behind the seats firewall
http://i.imgur.com/a4Q0zK0.jpg

And as always... Shinnanigans always happen in the shop :)
(not me)
http://i.imgur.com/3O7ACOu.jpg

[Tamra]

I'm trying to remember, didn't you buy new heads or a block or something? Had you modified the heads at all or were they sold to you like that?

What a bummer

[chedda]

The block is rebuilt and the heads were sold to me like this sadly. Finding all of that after putting it all together and I was really close to a start. Now it will be properly built and completed. This is what I get for trying to hurry up and build the car.

[xxguitarist]

So you bought them already assembled to each other, then? Otherwise you would have had a hand on the head studs, cam brackets, and the valve cover?

The carbon & stuff is not ideal, but pretty expected for a used head.

Make sure you clean up the valves & seat where they interface- it looks like it's pitted a bit. Lapping is fine, or you can have it machined if you wish.

[chedda]

yes, I had put the heads on but they were put on at OEM torque specs. All went well going in until I moved the car. The bolts snapped. Good thing they snapped now and not while running the motor.

[Canadian818]

Great job on the build. I love the wheels. I know the rears are 17x9 +45, mind sharing what the fronts are?

[xxguitarist]

yes, I had put the heads on but they were put on at OEM torque specs. All went well going in until I moved the car. The bolts snapped. Good thing they snapped now and not while running the motor.

ARP studs have a specific torque value and method, which is unique from the OEM spec.

When you mention the "cam cover" you mean the valve covers, right? Those go on with barely any torque, just till they start to snug up, and don't forget the RTV at the cam cap corners.
The actual cam caps (the bolt-on bearing part) has an incorrect torque spec in the 02 FSM for the smaller two bolts per cam (front pair)

Also, if you lap the sealing surfaces of the valves, you should re-check valve lash, it's likely tight now.

[chedda]

Yeah I put the head studs in at the proper torque but they somehow got stripped. I am thinking it was from the socket when I was taking them off.

As for the cam covers, these are the few that got stripped.

http://i.imgur.com/C3Ns6D1.jpg

The valves are being lashed and new seals are being installed. We completed one head last night and it was looking pretty good. Things were lining up very nicely. I will have pics of the heads tonight.

[Tamra]

The FSM calls for 14.7 on those and it is wrong. There is a revised manual that calls for 7 on the end caps, 14.7 on the others. If you did 14.7 on the end caps (circled in your picture), you'll break them every time (we did too).

[chedda]

Mine held until the car started moving. They snapped right off once the motor was building pressure. Thankfully there was very little scoring on the heads and were able to be machined out. I'll take some pictures of them when I go back to the shop today.

[chedda]

One head almost done.

http://i.imgur.com/wdTB99f.jpg

[STiPWRD]

In the photo, the right cylinder chamber looks like there might be two small cracks between the valve and spark plug threads. It could be an optical illusion but you may want to double check, it's a common problem on the 2.0 heads.

[chedda]

It is a very good optical illusion :) just a random marking.

[chedda]

Well, last night was kind of productive...

http://i.imgur.com/uGfWVjb.jpg

Windscreen holder is on!

http://i.imgur.com/2OnijUM.jpg

Left Heads

http://i.imgur.com/Q91HYrR.jpg

We had a dead soldier when polishing. It got launched across the room and hit 2 walls. Pretty impressive. Luckily we had some on standby. It has a very slight bend and it didn't make me happy with the sliding motion.

http://i.imgur.com/gSy1vQs.jpg

My buddy is putting the left head back on as we speak! Squeee! TGV Delete is happening also today so there might be a chance that the motor will go back in today, if not tomorrow.

[chedda]

Great job on the build. I love the wheels. I know the rears are 17x9 +45, mind sharing what the fronts are?

The fronts are also the same. I wanted the extra grip in the front as well since it will be taking high speed turns. I have 5mm spacers in the front and it almost clears front wall. I am going to try 10mm and 15mm spacers to see what clears properly.

[R.Spec]

You have no idea how much I am also struggling with those damn coolant hoses onto the corrugated crap. I wanted to punch a hole in my face. GRRRRRR Idk what to do. I am using subaru hoses. Maybe I will buy some gates from oreilly and see if they are a touch larger.

[Kurk818]

You have no idea how much I am also struggling with those damn coolant hoses onto the corrugated crap. I wanted to punch a hole in my face. GRRRRRR Idk what to do. I am using subaru hoses. Maybe I will buy some gates from oreilly and see if they are a touch larger.

I would go with larger hoses. I had two connections blow out during the dyno tuning. Worth the $15 now to not be stranded on the side of the road.

[R.Spec]

I would go with larger hoses. I had two connections blow out during the dyno tuning. Worth the $15 now to not be stranded on the side of the road.

Yeah I read that in your post a couple pages back. Which hoses did you end up going with? Should I just go down to oreillys and try stuff out?

[Kurk818]

Yeah I read that in your post a couple pages back. Which hoses did you end up going with? Should I just go down to oreillys and try stuff out?

Exactly. Mine ended up being the outer diameter of the OEM hose to be the new inner diameter of the NAPA replacements. Bends to match what you need. You can usually find one hose to have multiple bends that you need in one.

[chedda]

I was never really a fan of the bending hoses. They can hold air in between ripples and may cause flow issues. The tubes from ReplicaParts.com are pretty awesome and they are bent perfectly.

I had some fun last night. I got the other head on and did the timing belt.

http://i.imgur.com/sc7Cq3B.jpg

AAAAAAAND.... It's in again

http://i.imgur.com/0QYXB22.jpg

I didn't take anymore pictures since I was cleaning up the shop and putting the cherry picker back in its closet space. Hopefully the TGV's are going to be deleted and polished today. I am going to take a break today since I have been at the shop from after work to about midnight to 1AM. Getting up at 5AM and doing it all over again is killing me slowly and I miss the GF.

Before I put the headers back on, I am going to be head wrapping them. I didn't like how close they ran to the oil pan. I thought about ceramic coating but the cheaper option would be the heat wrap. Plus it is lighter doing that too. I want to start this damn thing next week.

[coloskydiver]

Progress is looking good and are getting closet. You mentioned you were getting an iWire harness, what are you using to start it next weekend? Keep up the good work and keep us posted. Looks like based on the build threads we may still be able to have a 818 meet in Colorado late summer.

[chedda]

Yep, Brian at iwire is doing my harness. I have yet to send it to him since he is so far out. I am just going to set all the cabling out and plug in all the stuff needed to run.

[coloskydiver]

Best of luck. It's a big step and very rewarding when you get to go rip around the neighborhood. Keep us posted

[chedda]

Things have been pretty slow. My buddy and I are meticulous on deleting the TGV's perfectly. Unfortunately I don't have any before and after pics, just in the middle of welding the holes shut. I know, bad Mikey....

http://i.imgur.com/Xw39bZ7.jpg

But while we were doing all of that, I decided to clean the transmission since everything else was all sorts of shiny.

Before:
http://i.imgur.com/0QYXB22.jpg

After:

http://i.imgur.com/FCxo2ra.jpg

And then the TGV's were done and also cleaned the intake manifold along with everything else on it. Here it is almost all the way put back together.

http://i.imgur.com/5Lcq4EA.jpg

I will be heading to the shop tonight. Last night I had no progress since I got screening tickets to the Avengers (which was awesome btw). The exhaust heat wrap came in so now I can wrap up the headers. I want to wire up the fuel connectors just to start it. I can't find any documentation as to what connector goes to what on the donor fuel tank. My harness is an '04. I can't wait for Brian at iWire to say, hey! yours harness is coming up soon. Send in your stuff dude haha.

[chedda]

Well, she is back together. I didn't take pics since my buddy was being silly and fell off the roof. he is ok but just really sore. I will post pics when I go back over there today hopefully. (Yes he is dumb when he drinks vodka haha)

[Quiny]

I noticed the clutch fork return spring, was that stock? There wasn't one on mine but there is a spot for it. I wondering if I should use it. I have go-karted about 10 miles without one and it seems to be ok. I also don't recall seeing anyone else with one. It actually looks like a clutch assist spring like its trying to apply the clutch.

[Jaime]

Over long periods with the clutch not depressed, the arm is allowed to vibrate against the clutch cylinder, which could pack the actuator arm in. Then, when it comes time to use the clutch, it may take a few pumps to get it firm again. Not that I've ever seen it happen, but that's my understanding of why its there.

[chedda]

You are correct Jaime. Since the car will be in storage in the winter time, I don't want the clutch fork pushing so much on the actuator and being a PITA.

I'm getting super excited to start it this week. yay! I will record the event when it happens.

[chedda]

Well, I didn't get a chance to start it yet. My buddy that is making me brake and clutch lines called up and said bring the car over. I did manage to take new pics before we moved it for you guys.

Here it is put back together and cleaned

http://i.imgur.com/OraSnwy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/814A6ck.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QCPIuRW.jpg

Shenanigans
http://i.imgur.com/4dx0kL9.jpg


I put the front seats back in and installed the brackets. I got 1 left backet and 3 right brackets for the seats. I had to chop up one of them to make it work but I eventually got it after a few hours of cutting and "custom" fitting haha.

http://i.imgur.com/fdno0it.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/105s4iz.jpg

Fixed up the lock issue of rubbing. Good thing I have grooves in the tires in just the right spot. Super lucky haha

http://i.imgur.com/xoldVYY.jpg

[chedda]

Some bit of news as of late. I have the steel braided lines in and flushed. I just need to secure them and I can finally check that off my list. I have sent my wire harness to Brian at iWire. Hopefully he gets to it soon. I am eager to get it started :)

I am going to start mocking up my exhaust and had a really neat idea. Could anyone take a picture for me with their body panels on in this direction?

http://i.imgur.com/gKO59yQ.png

[matteo92065]

not my car...
42115

[chedda]

Thanks! that is the exact angle but the only problem is that it is black. I can't really mock up the exhaust and carbon fiber cover properly.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

How about this picture
42140

42145

[chedda]

That is perfect! Thank you so much!

[chedda]

Well, There has been many updates since my last posting. I have had quite a few setbacks and then got sick for 3 weeks in the middle of all of it. I have mounted quite a bit since. I put in the shifter, e-brake, oh yeah! The wire-harness from iwire! Brian does a top notch job!

http://i.imgur.com/mx8y79K.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jMv5mAS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6VBpfyg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/dLqciF6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xin9Q28.jpg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXP-QoHYC_E

I know it doesn't sound too happy. It is running very very lean for the amount of mods and airflow. It is using the stock tune just for the first start.

[mikeb75]

Congrats on the start!!
Dumb question, are you sure every cylinder was firing? Sounded a bit odd at first.

[chedda]

Once the motor gets to about 2500-3k the motor flattens out and is happy. Idle is very rough since there is not enough gas going in. It has new coil packs and sparks.

[chedda]

Has anyone gotten burnt out on this project? I'm tired of things going wrong all the time and frustrations galore.

[Hindsight]

A number of times. A few people on the forum gave me some good advice last time it happened to me: Create lists on paper. Refer to them while you are bored at work or whatever. Shuffle stuff around on the to-do list so it's in the perfect order. Make sub-tasks etc. Then when you feel like working on the car, you can cross items off your list as you do them and it helps you see the forward progress. May not work for everyone but has definitely helped me.

All that said, your build has progressed very quickly so that could explain the burnout. Maybe pace yourself a bit more? ;)

[chedda]

I wouldn't say it is the build progress in the speed. At this point, I just want the motor to run so I can move on. I have been stuck at this point for a very very long time. Upgrade here, modify this, machine that. The damn thing runs like ****. I have taken the motor apart 4 times now and every time it is something new. The motor is a complete rebuild and new parts. I dunno....

[Tamra]

Is it a problem with the motor or does it just need a tune? If you are running the stock tune it probably won't run well. Between the TGV deletes, the lack of exhaust back pressure, and any other changes you made in the build, I would imagine it would run terribly on the stock tune.

[chedda]

I have low pressure on the passenger side. pressure goes to each cylinder cycle. 140,120,150,120. I have not done a leak down test but once I get that, what else is next?

As far as the tune, I have used the accessport to use a OTS map from cobb to support the mods except the TGV delete.

[STiPWRD]

Have you data logged or monitored your AFR? Just keep trouble shooting different systems and you'll figure it out. Sometimes its a bad sensor, or a bend before the MAF, or bad ground on one of the coil packs or something like that. I've gotten frustrated many times but I refuse to give up. You've made quick progress, just take a step back and regroup. The more you tell us, the more we can help. Why did you take the motor apart so many times? Find any signs of damage? Is there an air leak? Does it rev ok?

[chedda]

I haven't logged any data as of yet.

First time I took it apart was because the heads were bad. I put the new heads on. The head bolts snapped in the block. Got a new block and ARP head studs. Put it all together and it looked all fine and dandy. I put the timing belt on and then the cams weren't lining up right. Took it apart and lined everything up. Everything went well and looked correct. Filled it with oil to check for leaks. Primed the motor and one of the heads started to leak. Took the heads off again, machined it all, took the time to polish the valves. Put the heads back on and primed the motor again. No leaks yay! Hooked everything up and started the motor. Things don't sound right, shut it off and retune for what it needs. Troubleshot the motor and since it has a vf39 maybe it was looking for more fuel. Put in WRX dark blue 560cc injectors. Tuned it once again and still runs the same. The only thing we can come up with was that there was not enough pressure somewhere. Did a pressure test and found not enough on the passenger side. The driver side has one that has too much. good thing? lol So now here I sit, having to take the motor out again... and see what is going on. Possible that the lashing on the valves not correct, bad heads, shims are not right, new motor borked somehow? I've been having motor issues since December.

One of the heads sounds not happy like it is slapping. No air leak. When it warms up, it sounds the same. When revv'd to 3k it sounds almost normal but not.

[Tamra]

I would think that an off the shelf tune is probably not sufficient for your mods list. I would see about bringing the car to a tuner to see if they can assist. They can also help diagnose if the issue is with the tune or the engine itself.

Assuming the problem is the engine and not the tune, have you considered simplifying things for yourself and either sending the motor out to a professional or just picking up a stock longblock and using it?

[508wrx]

That sounds exactly like my car did on first start. Try to get a new cam position sensor (its on the driver side near the oil filler neck) or make sure it is plugged in. Mine ran like that when it had no cam sensor.

Also, Are you running open turbo in that video? I can't see a downpipe... maybe its just the angle of the video.

[Mechie3]

Has anyone gotten burnt out on this project? I'm tired of things going wrong all the time and frustrations galore.

I have had moments were I just didn't feel like working on the car. It was mostly after I got to body stuff and wrapping up details. Sometimes progress is just slow and it feels like the work in and the results out don't match. Usually I get most frustrated when things that are supposed to work don't (or don't work as well as I think they should). One big thing for a long time was harness mounts. The R has them, the S doesn't, probably about $5 in material, $10 in labor to bend them, $20 in labor to have them welded. Would save a lot of time for the majority of S users that don't use factory seatbelts yet....they're not there. IMO, it's one of the "we can save money here, but we shouldn't". I've finally gotten around to making some mounts and have 1 welded in.

[STiPWRD]

Things don't sound right, shut it off and retune for what it needs. Troubleshot the motor and since it has a vf39 maybe it was looking for more fuel. Put in WRX dark blue 560cc injectors. Tuned it once again and still runs the same.
When you retune, is this happening on a dyno? If not, how are you tuning? Are you monitoring AFR, if so, what is it at idle and under boost? Did you scale the larger injectors in your ECU? Do you have a large fuel trim happening? Maybe it's a bad upstream O2 sensor? As far as the engine building - did you record your bucket to cam shaft clearances? And are you using shimless buckets (sti)? I wouldn't pull the motor out just yet, there's still a lot of data logging and troubleshooting that could be done. Have you checked your oil pan for metal shavings?


One big thing for a long time was harness mounts. The R has them, the S doesn't, probably about $5 in material, $10 in labor to bend them, $20 in labor to have them welded.
The newer S chassis started adding harness mounts. Mine (#150) has them.

[chedda]

That sounds exactly like my car did on first start. Try to get a new cam position sensor (its on the driver side near the oil filler neck) or make sure it is plugged in. Mine ran like that when it had no cam sensor.

Also, Are you running open turbo in that video? I can't see a downpipe... maybe its just the angle of the video.

I can try another sensor. It is connected but the driver side is ok with compression. The passenger side has less compression. That has to be mechanical right?

Yes it is open turbo and could explain no boost since there isn't any back pressure at all.



I have had moments were I just didn't feel like working on the car. It was mostly after I got to body stuff and wrapping up details. Sometimes progress is just slow and it feels like the work in and the results out don't match. Usually I get most frustrated when things that are supposed to work don't (or don't work as well as I think they should). One big thing for a long time was harness mounts. The R has them, the S doesn't, probably about $5 in material, $10 in labor to bend them, $20 in labor to have them welded. Would save a lot of time for the majority of S users that don't use factory seatbelts yet....they're not there. IMO, it's one of the "we can save money here, but we shouldn't". I've finally gotten around to making some mounts and have 1 welded in.


I have a 5 point as well and I think I have a solution without welding anything new. Just sucks being kit #9*something and there isn't anything to attach to.

I guess I'll figure it out somehow.

[Mechie3]

DOH!!

The upside (and downside) of being an early kit. Well, good to know that someone at FFR realized it would be very good to add them in.

[Tamra]

Ours is 297 and we did not have seat belt mounting tabs. I'm jealous! :)

[Hindsight]

Mine is mid 200 I think.... 220-something maybe? I have a tab for OEM seat belts but not for a harness. I'm going to have to weld something on.

[STiPWRD]

I hope I'm not confused but I'm referring to the harness bar mounting tabs, not any mounting tabs on the floor.
43597

[Tamra]

I was referring to tabs on the floor. Our kit came with the harness bar tabs.

[matteo92065]

My S #222 has no other brackets/tabs other than what is shown on this picture. STiPWRD's picture shows the tab for the factory belts shoulder guide.
I welded in 5 point harness tabs last night. I never thought I would want or use them, but after experiencing the speed of this car I don't want anything less than 4 point.
43598

And I guess the harness bar attaches to that tab also.

[Mechie3]

Yeah, floor mounted brackets for the lap and crotch belts.

[chedda]

I have quite an interesting update for you all. Last night I broke down and figured it was time to take the motor out again.

I started at draining the coolant, depressurized the fuel lines, disconnected the shifting mechanism, removed all the beautiful wiring from iWire. I took off the intercooler and started on the intake manifold. Since I left the turbo on, I had to take one of the TGV assembly/injector housing. I was just about to remove the throttle body/intake manifold, I noticed something a little weird on the wire harness that wraps around it. There are some exposed wires where it T's off from the main harness. I further investigate and to my surprise, there are 4 wires cut. I thought that was mildly interesting and followed the wires down to where they go. They went to the coilpacks on the passenger side that holds compression but at a lower rate than expected. hmmmmm I thought... This could really be the reason as to why the engine ran like crap since it was only firing on 2 cylinders.

I was mildy excited by this... Last week I went to my parts guy for bigger injectors (06-07 dark blue 560cc) and picked up a intake manifold harness just in case. I quickly ran to my STI since I never took it out of the hatch and kind of danced for a minute haha! Very funny for a chunky white guy trying to dance.

So I swapped out the harness and put it all back together. All that is left is to put the battery back in and verify all the grounds are good to go. I left the shop around 2AM trying to button everything up on the motor. I got to work at 6AM and all gitty like a school girl on prom night. I won't be able to hit the shop tonight since I have decided to start working out again. I hope to have some good news over the weekend.


So our thought process for the low compression is that since the one side hasn't burned or anything, the piston rings have not set in yet. They have only gone back and forth without the proper heat. It would make perfect sense as to hold constantly at 120PSI without any issues. *crosses fingers* that is all that it was.

[Kurk818]

So excited to hear it running like a dream for you. Totally know and love the feeling you're experiencing.

Looking forward to a perfectly running engine video. :)

[chedda]

Well, Friday night it started right up after a few troubleshootings with the new harness. It didn't have some crap sensor that doesn't mean anything. It ran for a good hour or so. The header wrap smoked for a good 30 minutes. Things were looking really really good. Took it out for a spin around the neighborhood and just after doing so, put it in neutral and was about to turn off the motor and it abruptly stopped. It was a sound that was not a good stop. We tried to hand move the crank it wouldn't budge. Hmmm that was weird. So we brought out the breaker bar and the timing belt "jumped" 3 teeth on the driver side intake cam. so gravy train... another hiccup. Drained all the fluids including oil and there were very very small metal flakes. All I can think of was the worse. Opened up the valve cover on the driver side and holy crap batman! With the motor running on just that side for a minute with all the previous troubles, the cam cover bolts came loose and walked themselves out. The cam went crooked and seized into the head. what a major pain it was to get that dang thing off! Good thing I had ARP headstuds and was able to take them all out to remove the head. No need to pull the motor :) I was able to track down another set of heads for super cheap from another subaru member in the local car club. I cleaned the head up with some ammonia and pressure washed it. Looked like he also had them machined but sat in storage and got dirty. The good news is that none of the valves or anything on the previous head got damaged. I will be transferring all those over to the replacement head and lashing them properly.

Hopefully the new head will go successfully and start it back up later this week.

tl;dr - things broke and new/old parts have been purchased.

[Flamshackle]

Well, Friday night it started right up after a few troubleshootings with the new harness. It didn't have some crap sensor that doesn't mean anything. It ran for a good hour or so. The header wrap smoked for a good 30 minutes. Things were looking really really good. Took it out for a spin around the neighborhood and just after doing so, put it in neutral and was about to turn off the motor and it abruptly stopped. It was a sound that was not a good stop. We tried to hand move the crank it wouldn't budge. Hmmm that was weird. So we brought out the breaker bar and the timing belt "jumped" 3 teeth on the driver side intake cam. so gravy train... another hiccup. Drained all the fluids including oil and there were very very small metal flakes. All I can think of was the worse. Opened up the valve cover on the driver side and holy crap batman! With the motor running on just that side for a minute with all the previous troubles, the cam cover bolts came loose and walked themselves out. The cam went crooked and seized into the head. what a major pain it was to get that dang thing off! Good thing I had ARP headstuds and was able to take them all out to remove the head. No need to pull the motor :) I was able to track down another set of heads for super cheap from another subaru member in the local car club. I cleaned the head up with some ammonia and pressure washed it. Looked like he also had them machined but sat in storage and got dirty. The good news is that none of the valves or anything on the previous head got damaged. I will be transferring all those over to the replacement head and lashing them properly.

Hopefully the new head will go successfully and start it back up later this week.

tl;dr - things broke and new/old parts have been purchased.

Wowsers!

[Frank818]

Wow, holy crap batman and robin!!! :)

[chedda]

All the goodies from the old head were still good thankfully. I transferred all the parts to the new/used head. It was already machined and ready to rock and roll. I put the head on and sealed it up. I had to wait for the half moons to dry before I can add oil and stuff. The cam gears have to be tightened and the timing belt still needs to go back on. Hopefully after all the double and triple checks, we can start it again tonight :)

[chedda]

She lives once again!!!!

Only thing wrong at this point is that the water reservoir leaks on the tube going down. It doesn't hold too much pressure. It is a very very slow leak and leaks under temp. This issue I can handle at this point.

[xxguitarist]

Did you re-measure valve lash & replace buckets/shims on the new head?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

All the goodies from the old head were still good thankfully. I transferred all the parts to the new/used head. It was already machined and ready to rock and roll. I put the head on and sealed it up. I had to wait for the half moons to dry before I can add oil and stuff. The cam gears have to be tightened and the timing belt still needs to go back on. Hopefully after all the double and triple checks, we can start it again tonight :)
Chedda,
Did you do all this with the engine in the car?
Bob

[chedda]

Did you re-measure valve lash & replace buckets/shims on the new head?
Absolutely!


Chedda,
Did you do all this with the engine in the car?
Bob

Having ARP head studs makes life so much easier. I totally left the motor in while replacing the head this time around.

The carnaged head....

http://i.imgur.com/K17MygF.jpg

[chedda]

I've been busy trying to get to this point but here is a drive. The reference in the beginning were to my friends not believing me that it doesn't run/drive.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gebOuRAN7o&feature=youtu.be

[Hindsight]

Congrats! Despite the issues you had with the engine, you got to go-kart stage pretty quickly.

[chedda]

Thanks!

I do however have to drain the coolant this weekend for an extra little cooling goodies being installed. New mishimoto radiator and something a little more powerful to pump the coolant through the system. Too many blown motors on the forums due to cooling issues. I am making damn sure it won't happen again.

[wleehendrick]

Thanks!

I do however have to drain the coolant this weekend for an extra little cooling goodies being installed. New mishimoto radiator and something a little more powerful to pump the coolant through the system. Too many blown motors on the forums due to cooling issues. I am making damn sure it won't happen again.

Congrats on the 1st drive! Are you putting a AWIC in? That'll provide more protection for the motor than just upgrading the radiator.

[Tamra]

I believe the primary cooling issue is the intercooler temps, not the engine coolant temps. The OEM top mount intercooler does not do well due to lack of cold airflow, so most people are switching to an AWIC. I don't think I've seen anyone on the forums have cooling problems relating to the OEM radiator.

[bbjones121]

I've been busy trying to get to this point but here is a drive. The reference in the beginning were to my friends not believing me that it doesn't run/drive.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gebOuRAN7o&feature=youtu.be

Awesome! Congrats!

[chedda]

I believe the primary cooling issue is the intercooler temps, not the engine coolant temps. The OEM top mount intercooler does not do well due to lack of cold airflow, so most people are switching to an AWIC. I don't think I've seen anyone on the forums have cooling problems relating to the OEM radiator.

I've been trying to eliminate any kind of cooling issue that there might be. I will eventually go with a AWIC but haven't gotten that far.

Thanks for all the help guys! I do appreciate it. It was hilarious driving this thing to the subaru dealership since it is just down the street from the house. I pulled all the managers, sales guys, tech guys, parts guys and even the owner since he was there. They were all asking questions and having a ball with it.

[wleehendrick]

It was hilarious driving this thing to the subaru dealership since it is just down the street from the house. I pulled all the managers, sales guys, tech guys, parts guys and even the owner since he was there. They were all asking questions and having a ball with it.

I bet they were all...

44214

[chedda]

Is it sad that now that the car is go-kart mode, I've lost all interest in doing the body? I have odds and ends to do before the body but my god is this kit a piece of crap to put together. If I had someone with me that was going to help me be motivated, I'd finish it. I have zero fiberglass experience and it scares the hell outta me.

[AZPete]

Oh no, I think maybe you have been reading the complaints by a few whiners who are having trouble getting body panels to fit. Many others of us have made things fit and look good but not posted our successes. I have no fiberglass experience but I'm able to think about how to make things fit, think twice before cutting/sanding, and ignore the few guys here who always complain. To get a running go-kart you've already cleared most hurdles so have confidence that you'll figure out the body and be cruisin' soon. Like your go-kart, it's just lots of baby steps so start by clamping the side sails and rear "bumper" in place. Don't let the whiners take you down.

[chedda]

It's primarily a crap kit that we have to fabricate so much to get things to fit properly. FF still denies that there is a heating issue with the coolant system. Engineer this, engineer that, I was not expecting this much engineering to go into a kit of here, put this together. I'm just frustrated with the build process. My biggest gripe is the seat brackets at the moment. None of the brackets fit at all for the seats I have and they were mixed and matched from the get go. You don't know that you have the wrong brackets until you get to that point. If I had to do this all over again, I would have just bought an Alpha 4C. The time and money spent on this build to get this far would have paid for that car lol.

[bompus]

Just look forward to how awesome it will feel when things start fitting together :) Knowing that everything put into the car was customized by you. Nothing can be more exciting and make you more proud than knowing exactly the amount of effort put into your project :)

[Mechie3]

The body isn't the most fun, but it's doable. I likely won't do the major body filler others have done to make the lines perfect. Fill some voids or holes, yeah. But it'll be a 5 footer.

[Hindsight]

I hear you Chedda. You don't need to know how to work with fiberglass to get it done though. And honestly glass work is pretty easy. Basically just buy glass cloth, wet the surface you apply it to with a good slow cure epoxy, then lay the cloth on, wet out with more epoxy, add more layers. You shouldn't need to do much, if any of that. But yes this isn't like working on an OEM vehicle where everything just bolts on. At the $10k kit price, I'm not sure how feasible that would be, but I'd certainly love it if it were like that!

Check out my post here for some hints: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?20622-windshield-fender-hood-then-maybe-the-doors&p=237176&viewfull=1#post237176

In the back, the engine cover, trunk, and rear bumper set the width of the side sails. Not much adjustability there. Pull up at the rear side sail fender arches and push inward onto their perches and bolt/clamp in place to get the gaps how you want back there. Use washers underneath if you need them.

[Frank818]

I would have just bought an Alpha 4C.

That's such a nice car, itsn't it? It's my second choice after the 818. But, take a break for a while then come back on the body and I'm sure you'll make it. Some other people here have done a lot of engineering on their kit that's not even in go-kart yet, there's no reason you can't. :) Maybe don't want to, but think of the result after some good work. You'll smoke those 4Cs in every aspect (but the carbon fibre frame, but the electronic cluster loll). :)

[chedda]

Ok guys, I know it has been a long time. I am resurrecting the build thread. I figured, I should post updates on the build. I can only do that with pictures.


https://i.imgur.com/JQ1pMMP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Y4ki3eo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FC51LDu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/l40X0wF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jvqgQPL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oHRGvoj.jpg

[chedda]

https://i.imgur.com/fNnyAhv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zCfotLi.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CYC6j1b.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/LDHqHkY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TOdfqRh.jpg

[Frank818]

Biker guy. :)

[chedda]

The blue one is hers and the black one is mine. We have a riding relationship :)

[lance corsi]

Chedda, I lost my momentum last year and took most of it off, but when I returned, it was with renewed enthusiasm. I first tackled things that were obviously needing finishing before moving on to the next step. Next, I picked out something that I would have fun with, then throw in a mundane task or two, then back to some fun stuff. If my build takes 3 years, then so be it, four years, whatever, but there's no turning back at this point. Do I wish it were less complicated? Yes. Are there other cars I'd rather have built? Not really. I've looked at the rest of available kits and none fill my needs quite like the 818.
You should think about visiting someone else who is or has built one of these. Maybe that will spur you to get back on course. You can do it!

[Larry J W]

If it would help PM me and we can take a ride up Deer Creek in a painted 818. I can also go over some of the things I've learned in working the body. The doors are the worst. There is also a problem with the head lights in the first generation you are probably aware of.
Larry

[mistasherm]

Chedda - read a lot of your build thread this morning, no particular reason, but you have a lot of pics and that is what helps me along with my build. Nice work!

[chedda]

Thanks guys! I have been working on it and just got lazy about updating the thread.

@Larry J W, what issue do you speak of on the head lights? I've been in the dark on that one.