Silvertop
01-05-2015, 08:59 PM
Finally, I begin.
But first, an explanation – and something of an apology – to the friends I have made on this forum over the past few years in regard to my complete disappearance from forum pages a year or so back. I had been an active and enthusiastic participant on FFR’s 818 Forum almost since the company’s initial announcement of the 818 project, and was among 100+ enthusiasts who preordered their cars in the fall of 2012 over a half-year before the 818 even went into production. I took delivery on chassis #47 in October of 2013. Shortly thereafter, I disappeared from view. Here’s why:
I have never discussed it on the forum, but for nearly 20 years I have had the unhappy task of watching the health of my dear wife Mary slowly deteriorate right before my eyes because of advanced lung disease. About the time I took delivery of my 818S, Mary’s health had faded to the point that I needed to become a full-time caregiver, a situation that left little time -- and for that matter, little motivation – for working on my 818 project, or even for participation on the forum. So I set the project aside, and the kit simply sat in my garage, completely untouched, no boxes even opened, just waiting. It’s just a matter of priorities.
My Mary passed away on October 12 of 2014, not quite three months ago. It has been a sad and numbing experience, and I miss her beyond words. The courage she showed over the last year or two as her sickness robbed her of anything resembling a decent quality of life has left me with a deep and abiding respect and admiration for her. I really do not believe I could have done as well. She was just amazing. But I will not dwell on that further here. This is a build thread, and it is time to get it going. It is what she would want me to do.
So, over a year late, I am finally ready to begin building my 818S dream car. I have chosen to go naturally aspirated rather than turbocharged, mostly because I think the broader torque curve NA will provide will be more suitable for a street machine rather than what I think I would get with a turbocharger, and at my age (65), I simply don’t feel like I need the additional power the turbocharger would bring. However, the modifications I have chosen to make to the engine will likely result in the car being stupid fast anyways. :)
Project details:
1) Donor car: 2004 Outback Sport donor pallet from AJW performance, 2.5 liter NA engine, 5 speed manual transmission. Car was reasonably clean, and a nice runner before AJW took it apart.
2) Engine mods: High performance Techworks Engineering cams and valve springs were installed by AJW before shipment. Lightweight Grimmspeed crank pulley also added by AJW. Intake manifold has been ported and polished by Grimmspeed, but not yet installed. Air filter/delivery system yet to be determined. Custom stainless steel equal length headers engineered and hand-crafted by Techworks Engineering of Calgary, Alberta. Headers have been ceramic coated in a chrome-look finish by Straightline Performance of Forest Lake, Minnesota. Exedy 13 lb lightweight flywheel w/ stage 1 clutch is ready for installation. Tunable 2002 ECU has been substituted for non-tunable 2004 unit. ECU tuned to “Level 3” by Wm. Knose of Delicious Tuning, San Diego CA.
3) Transmission: Stock 2004 Subaru 5-speed manual. Quaife QDH3Y Limited Slip Differential purchased but not yet installed..
4) Wheels and Tires: Stock Subaru 16” five spoke mag wheels, probably to be painted white. Tires will be 205-50 on the front and 225-50 on the rear. High performance summer street tires suitable for occasional track day use, probably Bridgestone or Goodrich, specific tire model yet to be determined.
5) Seats: Possible use of the stock seats that came with the donor. But it is also possible sport seats capable of accepting a submarine belt will be used. Corbeau makes an interesting non-racing sport seat with slots for submarine belts for just over $600 per pair. We shall see.
6) Heat/AC: It will need to have a defroster, and some sort of a comfort heating system, either electric or conventional, yet to be determined. AC – maybe, but that it not critical in an open car.
7) Stereo: There will be one. Head unit yet to be determined, probably mid-priced Pioneer or Kenwood AM/FM/CD/MP3. Polk Audio PA-330 Preamp. Polk Audio Component Speakers, probably MM6501, door mounted. Possibly compact subwoofer mounted under one of the seats.
8) Options purchased: FFR front splitter. Also FFR rear spoiler. GTM-style sport leather-wrapped steering wheel.
9) Soft top: Haven’t ordered yet, but I’ll be buying one of the DTS Rod Tops units that FFR sells.
10) Color Scheme: My white gelcoat 818S will probably wind up with a paint scheme very much like the blue and white FFR prototype 818R track model. I have been quite taken with that ever since I first saw it. However, nothing is etched in stone.
I will begin opening boxes tomorrow, print out my build manual, and start inventorying parts. And now that I am finally getting to it, the excitement is ratcheting up. I have no idea how fast my project will come together, but I hope to get enough done to warrant updating my build thread at least once a week. I would love to finish the car by this June, in time to drive it to the FFR Open House. I know that is almost certainly an unrealistic goal, especially given the very rust-laden status of my mechanical skill set. However, I AM retired, and my time is now completely my own. I can work on this thing as much as I want. We shall see. In any event, much of the joy is in the build itself, rather than the completion, so there is really no urgency. I do know that I am going to have some fun! With Mary’s blessing.
Stay tuned!
But first, an explanation – and something of an apology – to the friends I have made on this forum over the past few years in regard to my complete disappearance from forum pages a year or so back. I had been an active and enthusiastic participant on FFR’s 818 Forum almost since the company’s initial announcement of the 818 project, and was among 100+ enthusiasts who preordered their cars in the fall of 2012 over a half-year before the 818 even went into production. I took delivery on chassis #47 in October of 2013. Shortly thereafter, I disappeared from view. Here’s why:
I have never discussed it on the forum, but for nearly 20 years I have had the unhappy task of watching the health of my dear wife Mary slowly deteriorate right before my eyes because of advanced lung disease. About the time I took delivery of my 818S, Mary’s health had faded to the point that I needed to become a full-time caregiver, a situation that left little time -- and for that matter, little motivation – for working on my 818 project, or even for participation on the forum. So I set the project aside, and the kit simply sat in my garage, completely untouched, no boxes even opened, just waiting. It’s just a matter of priorities.
My Mary passed away on October 12 of 2014, not quite three months ago. It has been a sad and numbing experience, and I miss her beyond words. The courage she showed over the last year or two as her sickness robbed her of anything resembling a decent quality of life has left me with a deep and abiding respect and admiration for her. I really do not believe I could have done as well. She was just amazing. But I will not dwell on that further here. This is a build thread, and it is time to get it going. It is what she would want me to do.
So, over a year late, I am finally ready to begin building my 818S dream car. I have chosen to go naturally aspirated rather than turbocharged, mostly because I think the broader torque curve NA will provide will be more suitable for a street machine rather than what I think I would get with a turbocharger, and at my age (65), I simply don’t feel like I need the additional power the turbocharger would bring. However, the modifications I have chosen to make to the engine will likely result in the car being stupid fast anyways. :)
Project details:
1) Donor car: 2004 Outback Sport donor pallet from AJW performance, 2.5 liter NA engine, 5 speed manual transmission. Car was reasonably clean, and a nice runner before AJW took it apart.
2) Engine mods: High performance Techworks Engineering cams and valve springs were installed by AJW before shipment. Lightweight Grimmspeed crank pulley also added by AJW. Intake manifold has been ported and polished by Grimmspeed, but not yet installed. Air filter/delivery system yet to be determined. Custom stainless steel equal length headers engineered and hand-crafted by Techworks Engineering of Calgary, Alberta. Headers have been ceramic coated in a chrome-look finish by Straightline Performance of Forest Lake, Minnesota. Exedy 13 lb lightweight flywheel w/ stage 1 clutch is ready for installation. Tunable 2002 ECU has been substituted for non-tunable 2004 unit. ECU tuned to “Level 3” by Wm. Knose of Delicious Tuning, San Diego CA.
3) Transmission: Stock 2004 Subaru 5-speed manual. Quaife QDH3Y Limited Slip Differential purchased but not yet installed..
4) Wheels and Tires: Stock Subaru 16” five spoke mag wheels, probably to be painted white. Tires will be 205-50 on the front and 225-50 on the rear. High performance summer street tires suitable for occasional track day use, probably Bridgestone or Goodrich, specific tire model yet to be determined.
5) Seats: Possible use of the stock seats that came with the donor. But it is also possible sport seats capable of accepting a submarine belt will be used. Corbeau makes an interesting non-racing sport seat with slots for submarine belts for just over $600 per pair. We shall see.
6) Heat/AC: It will need to have a defroster, and some sort of a comfort heating system, either electric or conventional, yet to be determined. AC – maybe, but that it not critical in an open car.
7) Stereo: There will be one. Head unit yet to be determined, probably mid-priced Pioneer or Kenwood AM/FM/CD/MP3. Polk Audio PA-330 Preamp. Polk Audio Component Speakers, probably MM6501, door mounted. Possibly compact subwoofer mounted under one of the seats.
8) Options purchased: FFR front splitter. Also FFR rear spoiler. GTM-style sport leather-wrapped steering wheel.
9) Soft top: Haven’t ordered yet, but I’ll be buying one of the DTS Rod Tops units that FFR sells.
10) Color Scheme: My white gelcoat 818S will probably wind up with a paint scheme very much like the blue and white FFR prototype 818R track model. I have been quite taken with that ever since I first saw it. However, nothing is etched in stone.
I will begin opening boxes tomorrow, print out my build manual, and start inventorying parts. And now that I am finally getting to it, the excitement is ratcheting up. I have no idea how fast my project will come together, but I hope to get enough done to warrant updating my build thread at least once a week. I would love to finish the car by this June, in time to drive it to the FFR Open House. I know that is almost certainly an unrealistic goal, especially given the very rust-laden status of my mechanical skill set. However, I AM retired, and my time is now completely my own. I can work on this thing as much as I want. We shall see. In any event, much of the joy is in the build itself, rather than the completion, so there is really no urgency. I do know that I am going to have some fun! With Mary’s blessing.
Stay tuned!