New build... advice on shoulda woulda coulda didn't

[Canada818]

Hi Everyone,

I took the plunge and ordered a 818S. I've been scouring the forums on advice but it's kind of overwhelming. Since there have been quite a few 818 cars built, could you please give me advice on things that you wish you did/added but now it's too late or too complicated to change. Feel free to point out things you did and you're glad you did also !!!

My donor is a 2002 WRX. Planning to build pretty much as explained in the manual without any modifications (so far !)

[Mechie3]

I wish I hadn't ordered a powdercoated frame. Everything else is fixable/easy to change, but any mods to the frame and the PC gets messed up.

[RM1SepEx]

I wish I hadn't ordered a powdercoated frame. Everything else is fixable/easy to change, but any mods to the frame and the PC gets messed up.

Same here

[wallace18]

I would agree only if you are going to make mods to the frame. If not the powder coat is worth it IMO. If you can afford it an aftermarket harness and ECU like from VCP is the way to go if your state allows it. Just get the best donor you can to avoid spending so much to make the donor parts right.

[Canada818]

Too late for Powder Coat... The chassis is already ordered with PC

[Hindsight]

My personal take on powder coat: The frame isn't going to be very visible and you can paint spray paint over it in areas you've done repairs. For example, the fuel tank is powder coated. I used air sander to strip areas of the powder coat off so I could weld a bung and angle brackets to it, then I spray painted satin black over about half the top of the tank, taking no care to blend properly or feather the sanded powder coat edges before painting (just left them 80 grit sanded from the sanding disc I used). You can see the results in my build thread. It looks ok to me. I don't think anyone is going to notice.

I am spending a lot of time and money on my fuel and oil system. Unless you really want to, I would avoid AN fittings for the fuel system and just go with standard high pressure fuel hose instead. The AN fittings and AN hose and all the tools required added up way beyond my projection. Same goes for the external oil cooler..... if you aren't going to track it, you don't need the external oil cooler. Stick with stock.

Air-Water intercooler is a must, and IMHO a limited slip differential is a must as well. Any money spent on improving the shifting mechanism is money well spent too.

[STiPWRD]

Take advantage of the parts and improvements offered by many of the builders. They can often save you time and trouble later on. For instance, I wish I would've bought Mike Everson's brake cylinder bracket instead of all the time I spent on getting the stock pedal assembly to fit. Rori's steering wheel spacer and radiator spacers were nice. Also, the Boyd tank was a must for me to gain enough comfortable leg room. There are a number of vendors supporting 818 parts.

Also check out: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?11115-818-assembly-tips-add-yours&highlight=assembly+tips


Too late for Powder Coat... The chassis is already ordered with PC
The PC is the last step so if there's time, it can probably be removed from the order. I didn't make any changes to the frame (so far) so it was worth it for me to just have FFR do it.

[AZPete]

I think for most guys building the 818S powder coated frame is best. "Most guys" means guys who don't weld, don't have a CNC machine, metal lathe, milling machine, an engineering degree or a stable of custom cars. Guys like Craig (Mechie3), Dan (RM1SepEx), and a few others are skilled enough to do frame modifications so they prefer bare frames. Of course, those guys are among the best contributors to this forum so read their posts carefully.

If I were starting now I'd look carefully at the wiring systems available now, such as iwire and Infinity. I spent many weeks learning to read wiring diagrams, stripping/cleaning the donor harnesses, labeling terminals, cutting out useless stuff, extending/shortening/splicing wires and my console is packed full of wires. There are now much better ways available.

Try to buy your donor car, or pallet, from a state outside in the rust belt.
If married, budget for revenge spending.

[Buzz Skyline]

I would have saved the console from my donor and used it in the cabin like Kurk818 did.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?17383-Installation-of-06-07-OEM-center-console-Success!&highlight=console

I also should have followed his lead on keeping the stock seat sliders.

[RM1SepEx]

Powder coating: their quality varies, I'd save the cash. Our early frames had mistakes that have been fixed so less modification is required. EX: I had to grind and cut my frame to install the front LCAs (hard to do after shelling out $400)

Wiring: I went iWire, Brian does a great job. Craig, Pete and I waded through the total quagmire of the stock harness, when I did some engine upgrades, it came up dead after first start and 3-4 miles in go kart mode. I bailed, the iWire harness is so damn neat and clean. Wayne's wiring option with aftermarket CPU is nice too but not inspectable in my state. I have to have the ODBII interface and a CAT.

Engine: no stock WRX or impreza oil pans... car is too capable, oil starvation is probable, minimum of STI pan and pickup. The stock IC location is poor, can lead to high intake temps and resultant boom. I went with a 50% more capable AAIC on the side, I'll add a scoop, AWIC is also a great option.

You NEED a LSD of some kind, too much power for the weight. If you like one tire fire... don't do an LSD. A Quaife or the OBX (it has to be rebuilt as rec. new... Erik did a great write up) is a good compromise.

I like the revenge spending quote! You may want UPS and FedX to deliver to a friend down the street... Most revenge spending isn't on enjoyable, Victoria's Secret type stuff!

[Canada818]

Thanks for all the advice. i especially like the center console.

Way ahead of you guys on the revenge spending... started off right by taking the wife to a week-end in Boston (saturday morning at FFR) while she shopped. Best investment I ever made !!

I am correct in saying that seat sliding is limited by chassis cross bar. Would it not be easier to have sliders on the pedals ?

When I visited FFR, I got out of the 818 by grabing the top of the windshield and it seemed a little weak. Any issues or fixes for this or am I worried for no reason?

[metros]

Must haves IMHO: AWIC, iWire harness, All the brackets that Craig/Rori sell

Nice to have: K Tuned shifter, Boyd tank (I don't have the boyd tank but it would've been nice)

Wish I had bought: LSD - Will ultimately probably purchase and install over next winter.

[Lumpyguy]

Where are you from in Canada

[Canada818]

South of Montreal, a few miles from New York border

[RM1SepEx]

I removed that cross bar and added sliders so the petite wife could drive the car... easy to do. The new FFR tank allows more legroom if you are tall, our original tanks are fine if you are short

[iblackwe]

I removed that cross bar and added sliders so the petite wife could drive the car... easy to do. The new FFR tank allows more legroom if you are tall, our original tanks are fine if you are short

I am just starting the build process and haven't heard of the leg room problem. What would it be like for a 6' guy?

[Canada818]

I'm 5'10''' . The seat is in the right position for me but my wife is 5'0'' ... happy wife happy life . i want to make it driveable for her as well

[Harley818]

I used a 2002 donor and most things went well. I bought the 2006 aluminum front LCA's. I also bought the ebay lateral links and trailing link which are now all adjustable, and my 2002's were rusted and terrible.
Definitely rebuild your wheel hubs since you have them off.
I added longer wheel studs, but I copied Mechie and got them from Touge Factory rather than the longer ones from ARP.
I bought a new mishimoto aluminum rad (didn't want any cooling issues or rad leaks), Cobb air inlet and silicone turbo inlet (my donor didn't have any air intake). This fits great and most Subie guys say the Cobb performs well.
I also bought the Cobb Accessport which allows you to retune, and monitor all your engine data - either live or log it.

I'm 5'11 and I went with the FFR fuel tank, and Recaro knockoff seats. With my seat at the angle I like, I can't go back any further anyways as the top hits the rollbar.
Its comfortable with the position of he steering wheel and seat that I have.
Compared to my wife's mini cooper S, its not any more cramped, and the mini is fun to drive.

Check out the thread on "simplifying the EJ" on the engine and trans threads. Lots of good info there.
I did my own wiring from the donor, and although it was alot of work, it fired right up, and was just one more challenge that I overcame.

Take your time...... if you run into a problem, move on to something else and consult the forum. Either someone will help you or you'll figure it out as you work on something else. Most times, someone has already had your problem and the solution is simple or practical.

good luck...... I'm hoping to register it in the next 2 months here in BC.