axelthrasher's 818S Re-Build Thread!

[axelthrasher]

Hi All,

First, happy 818 day!

Allow me to introduce myself: I am somewhat of a Subaru addict... I have a 2013 Subaru BRZ (supercharged), 2003 Subaru WRX (STI swapped), 2002 Subaru WRX (STI swapped), and the 2013 FFR 818S, along with some motorcycles.

http://i.imgur.com/5wQiJFN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JSpqOAC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ThtXxEh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/YH1wjIc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LqoshoY.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SE0Kyj2.jpg

And let the rebuild begin!

[axelthrasher]

I purchased a "pro built," turn-key 818s that was not registered/titled yet... unfortunately, this is where the headache began.
http://i.imgur.com/dNurVrH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ggEGDxb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0w4xQ5C.jpg
Over all, not a bad looking car... but even getting the car was a PITA. I had it shipped from MA, scheduling was a nightmare, but I finally thought I was receiving the car. So on this cold, fateful Thursday night in March, the driver could not find my house... and spoke with a HEAVY accent. When he wanted to be understood he could be... but when I needed to communicate clearly with him... no such luck. So, we drove around until we found him (as he claimed he was at a school... and he was at a church). So, by time I find him the car is already unloaded :-/ and he is packed up and ready to take off... so here I am with a car stuck on the side of the road, Why am I stuck? Well, this is where the headaches truly begin...

The car has a dead battery, not just dead as I will find out later... So, I leave the car and go get jumper cables for it. I try charging/jumping it for about 30 minutes with no luck. Ok, whatever - I will go pull my battery out of my WRX to just get this thing home. So, after running home again... put in the new battery... crank, crank, crank... no start. Ugh! Start looking at fuses, wiring, connections, etc. Thankfully I popped the fuel cap, shook the car... not an ounce of fuel! Despite what my fuel gauge was telling me. :-/ So, we run out again to get a gas can and fill it with some 93... as soon as it got 5 gallons in, cranked right up. Now, I can finally bring this thing home. In addition, the rear view mirror was missing as well.

[axelthrasher]

So, over the weekend I begin analyzing my purchase...
http://i.imgur.com/1BfySNl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xZrkBXl.jpg
Both radiator tabs are broken.

http://i.imgur.com/dULxRjC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QjAacuk.jpg
Spring is sitting on the sway bar.

http://i.imgur.com/eAw4Xjv.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Uf29NeF.jpg
A bunch of leaks were found.

http://i.imgur.com/b3ZCPsx.jpg
I didn't receive the lug key with the car, so I had to resort to this.

[axelthrasher]

http://i.imgur.com/sHCuNCo.jpg
The car only had 3 wheel spacers... and yes, the wheels were very much the wrong offset.

http://i.imgur.com/Yh1Wb4Z.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bSKBNZd.jpg
The BPV gasket was leaking... and I found out, it was because there was no gasket... just silicone.

http://i.imgur.com/CWAjrK3.jpg
The alternator bracket was cracked.

Also, horn wasn't working - not a big deal, just bought a new one and it worked just fine. Also, back to that battery - thing wouldn't take a charge. So, I take it to Autozone - they tell me it has a dead cell. Ok, great - I buy a new battery for it. In addition, the seat belts won't retract on their own.

[AZPete]

Ouch. I hope you got a good price. On the bright side, the 818 now has a good owner with lots of Subaru experience.

[STiPWRD]

I recognize this one, I guess it's been making the rounds. What are your build plans?

[mikeb75]

1st: welcome to the brotherhood!
2nd: you bought an actually nice looking 818 - congrats!
3rd: sorry about the issues you've found with your car (and getting it) - but you seem like an ideal 818 owner/maintainer.

What are your plans for the car? Are you going to sunny day drive it or track it?

IMHO, the issues you're dealing with are annoying, but ultimately fixable without too much effort or cost. The leak is the most worrying: coolant or another (more vital) fluid?

The BPV gasket is just stupid, they're what $.68?

[wirenut]

What was the donor?

Good luck with hammering it out and making it your own.

[axelthrasher]

Thanks for the replies/welcoming fellas, the donor was a stock 2003 WRX... I already have done A LOT of work to this car. All of the issues you have read about have already been fixed as I will be updating this thread with additional pictures and progress that I've made over the past few months. As for the car making rounds - I am the second owner. The first owner purchased this kit with intent of doing it himself, but instead decided to purchase ANOTHER already completed 818S... so, as he enjoyed his complete car, he paid someone to finish this one. Once it was "finished" it sat for a year or two without being driven or registered. The condition I received it in wasn't exactly what I would deem "finished."

Bonus pics of things coming apart:
http://i.imgur.com/C1fk786.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/u6is8vs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/25SMkr2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4cofE0P.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nErCVh1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0TsX6Tj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DlhMfYD.jpg

[axelthrasher]

On to some updates of the progress...
http://i.imgur.com/hG7LSvm.jpg
I couldn't stand the original version of the gas cap... so I upgraded to the MUCH nicer billet version.

http://i.imgur.com/kKeYelh.jpg
Wasn't a big fan of the intake manifold... so I removed it!

http://i.imgur.com/L3XvCYo.jpg
Went with a JDM V9 TMIC, Forge BPV, along with long-runner intake manifold, thus deleting the TGVs, plus other goodies to be named later.

http://i.imgur.com/JITtCBb.jpg
Also put the wiring harness on a diet - no need for a bunch or random plugs that go no-where.

http://i.imgur.com/VDpcrEw.jpg
Also decided to port the throttle body. :-)

http://i.imgur.com/KnK1kar.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WPm2co1.jpg
Ahh yes, it all went back together nicely.

[axelthrasher]

http://i.imgur.com/zKHLl6C.jpg
And of course, purchased some wheels that are the correct offset, along with some WIDER meat for the rear end. ;-)

http://i.imgur.com/GtfFn35.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/V7pWv1c.jpg
Opted for some STI Aluminum lower control arms, rather than the stamped steel WRX version... much better when sand blasted and cleaned!

http://i.imgur.com/RPOg5vF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PIDGcdz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lt6r9qG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MAEi2Wp.jpg
No more soft, junk rubber for me! Whiteline Poly bushings FTW! Along with some Zero Db steering rack cradles! Thanks Craig! :-)

[axelthrasher]

http://i.imgur.com/2whw4P2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6qc9r9H.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WlDa06B.jpg
Not to circle back, but when I was doing the STI aluminum lower control arms - also did new ball joints, inner tie rods, and outer tie rods when I had the front end apart. Unfortunately, the builder decided to spray paint everything... which locked everything on the threads and splines (for the wrx steering link) something fierce!

http://i.imgur.com/M0QxE1z.jpg
Decided to ditch the WRX link, and go with the STI stout link!

http://i.imgur.com/e8RA6Vd.jpg
Ahh, so much better! :-)

[axelthrasher]

http://i.imgur.com/fgtgnjQ.jpg
All of this work was extremely exhausting (ya see what I did there!?!)... which really got me thinking...

http://i.imgur.com/KKsNH3W.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jDjwP9l.jpg
Mmm, bellmouthed... 3" which was a nice upgrade over no bellmouth and 2.5"

http://i.imgur.com/ydBsXRE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Uykjp4t.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pGCAagX.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z7VyeRc.jpg
Also, decided to hog out some of the material from the stock exhaust manifolds... dressed nicely with Grimmspeed crossover and up pipe... thanks fellas!

[axelthrasher]

http://i.imgur.com/cNElH4Y.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nkpIVaM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tLGRCtP.jpg
Then, it was time to address my brake issue... I decided to do the Nissan 7/8" master cylinder swap as I hated the way the pedal felt... much too hard for my liking. The clevis for the pedal was drilled higher than stock... so I needed to do the swap to get the brakes to feel how I wanted... but as long as I had to bleed brakes... might as well swap to the STI brembos too! ;-)

[axelthrasher]

http://i.imgur.com/LAABeXj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/281DGzU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qVzafn6.jpg
Then, I turned to the interior with the knife!

http://i.imgur.com/2ozMGY0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Ocd3Zbx.jpg
Drilled some new holes and collapsed the steering column a bit to give me a little more leg room and it made the steering wheel feel like it was in the right position finally.

http://i.imgur.com/zFiggEA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ydHdick.jpg
Unfortunately, found a few things like this while I was in there... I had pulled ALL of the fuses except for the bare essentials to make the car run... after I fixed all of these lovely finds, I replaced some of the relevant fuses, and blammo! No more shorts/battery drains!

[axelthrasher]

http://i.imgur.com/IAl04kD.jpg
Also, somewhere in all of this work, I decided to add the FFR harness bar, ditch the WRX seat belts, and toss some harnesses in.

http://i.imgur.com/bj444se.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EojT30a.jpg
So, why did I pull the entire dash apart? Well, I hated that bent metal center console... also, wanted to add some Prosport Halo gauges (oil temp, oil pressure, boost), along with an STI guage cluster. I also wanted to fix the stereo so that it actually works.

[axelthrasher]

http://i.imgur.com/STiyQsL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/I9NJ047.jpg
And that's the story of my 818 thus far... happy 818 day, fellas!

Also: to be continued... ;-)

[phil1734]

Glad to see somebody else rocking the Falkens. I've ran them on our LeMons car for years and it's impossible to find a better performance/price bargain. Nothing else is even close in my opinion (and it helped that we got an additional discount with them at the time.) Easily 95% of the dry grip as Bridgestones or Dunlops at literally half the price.

As for the "professional" build, it's a shame but most of these cars are put together this way. I have a co-worker that owned a beautiful second hand roadster. Flawless paint, body, interior etc. He also ran into an electrical gremlin and pulled the dash apart to discover that everything out of sight had been done with 14-2 and screw-on wire nuts.

[Samiam1017]

looks great!

[axelthrasher]

Glad to see somebody else rocking the Falkens. I've ran them on our LeMons car for years and it's impossible to find a better performance/price bargain. Nothing else is even close in my opinion (and it helped that we got an additional discount with them at the time.) Easily 95% of the dry grip as Bridgestones or Dunlops at literally half the price.

As for the "professional" build, it's a shame but most of these cars are put together this way. I have a co-worker that owned a beautiful second hand roadster. Flawless paint, body, interior etc. He also ran into an electrical gremlin and pulled the dash apart to discover that everything out of sight had been done with 14-2 and screw-on wire nuts.

I usually run the Dunlop Direzza Star Spec or the new Star Spec II. This is my first time on the Falkens... these are the new + which were an absolutely unbeatable price from Tire Rack.

http://i.imgur.com/afjGzQi.jpg
To cap off 818 day (which is also coincidentally my birth date - August 18th), took the female and the car out for a nice drive to dinner!

[wirenut]

All the right mods. Looks great!

I'm going to put the center console in like you did. It really finishes the interior out nicely!

[Frank818]

Wow that's some great work starting from a badly built 818, nice job man!

What is that billet fuel cap?
When you removed the OEM seatbelts, did you notice in how the parts were installed for the adjuster covers in the back of the head rests? I tried to fit mine and they prevent the belt hanger from moving. Just asking in case...

[axelthrasher]

Wow that's some great work starting from a badly built 818, nice job man!

What is that billet fuel cap?
When you removed the OEM seatbelts, did you notice in how the parts were installed for the adjuster covers in the back of the head rests? I tried to fit mine and they prevent the belt hanger from moving. Just asking in case...

The billet fuel cap is what is included in the new 818 kits. The old, first version typically failed, and were very difficult to use. Also, the first version just didn't look as nice IMO. In regards to the seatbelts, I am not sure which components you are referring to. I may have had the same issue you are experiencing, as my belts didn't want to retract, which is why I decided to get rid of them all-together and go to the harnesses.

[axelthrasher]

I have probably forgotten a few mods here and there, but here is my short list (not including small purchases for hardware, hoses, trim, gaskets, etc):

To Do:
FFR Carbon Fiber Side Skirts/Rockers
FFR Carbon Fiber Front Splitter
APR Carbon Fiber Side Mirrors
STI Chrome Interior Door Handles
Mitsubishi Eclipse Vents (Still need to figure out heat)
Mishimoto Radiator
Mishimoto Radiator Fans
Grimmspeed 160 Degree Thermostat
Momo Floor Plates/Floor Mats (need to cut templates to send to Avery Floor Mats for custom mats to be made)
Also need to figure out the fuel tank issue... fuel pickup is not happy. I may go with the Boyd Aluminum Fuel Tank.

Done by me:
All previous issues corrected as listed in this thread...
Enkei RPF1s (17x8 +45 front, 17x9 +35 rear)
215/45R-17 Falken Azenis RT615K+ and 255/40R-17 Falken Azenis RT615K+
5mm Wheel Spacers for Front
Muteki Black SR48 Lug Nuts
FFR Billet Fuel Cap
FFR Harness Bar
OMP Harnesses
OEM WRX Rearview Mirror
NRG Carbon Fiber Shift Knob
Carbon Fiber License Plate Frame
2005-2007 WRX Center Console
2005-2007 WRX E-Brake Handle
Sickspeed Horns
STI Gauge Cluster
STI Gauge Cluster Overlay
STI Steering Joint (Between Column & Rack)
STI Aluminum Front Control Arms
STI Brembos Front and Rear with DBA Discs
STI JDM Spec C Long Runner Intake Manifold
STI JDM V9 Top Mount Intercooler
STI Pink 565cc Fuel Injectors
Forge BPV
New Ball Joints/Inner Tie Rods/Outer Tie Rods
Prosport Halo Gauges (Boost, Oil Pressure, Oil Temp)
Custom Exhaust using bellmouth into 3" inlet/outlet Vibrant Streetpower 1127 Muffler
Grimmspeed Up Pipe
Grimmspeed Cross Over Pipe
Grimmspeed Electronic Boost Control Solenoid
Grimmspeed Black Delrin Oil Cap
Mishimoto Silicone Intercooler Hoses
Mishimoto Silicone Turbo Inlet
Mishimoto Carbon Fiber Radiator Caps (2)
Cobb Silicone Post MAF Hose
Ported Exhaust Manifolds
Ported Throttle Body
Zero Db Steering Rack Upgrade
Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings
Kartboy Battery Tie Down
Fuelab Fuel Filter
Autometer Fuel Pressure Gauge

Work not done by me:
Tune
Alignment

Done by previous owner:
Donor w/85K miles (new clutch, timing belt, etc.)
FFR Steering Wheel
FFR Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser
FFR Carbon Fiber Spoiler
FFR Wiper Kit (Removed and holes plugged)
Cobb Intake
Cipher CPA-2001 Seats
Valor ITS-301D Head Unit and Back Up Camera
Polk Audio 5.25" Speakers
Manzo Adjustable Lateral Links
Techna-Fit Stainless Steel Braided Brake Line
Techna-Fit Stainless Steel Braided Clutch Line
Speedway Side Mirrors (these are awful as all they do is bounce around)

[Frank818]

On the fuel cap again, do you know the FFR part num? Or do you know if it's the same number as the original one?
Also does it lock with a key?
Very interested if it does...


On the belt, I'm referring to this:

72578

When I try to fit it, it locks the hanger in place and it can't swivel anymore to allow the belt moving left-right a little.

[axelthrasher]

On the fuel cap again, do you know the FFR part num? Or do you know if it's the same number as the original one?
Also does it lock with a key?
Very interested if it does...


On the belt, I'm referring to this:

72578

When I try to fit it, it locks the hanger in place and it can't swivel anymore to allow the belt moving left-right a little.

Fuel cap part is 33913 it cost me $150, it isn't locking though - still just twist-close. Amit at FFR was extremely helpful in getting what I needed.

As for the belt, I don't remember mine swiveling. This was one of the first things I replaced though, so it's been about 5-7 months since I've seen it.

[aquillen]

Excellent work - like your mods and all that cleanup work. The Repsol is a hoot too, I know that is fun-fun-fun.

[Frank818]

Tnx Axel.

BTW Amit has been replaced by Dan. Amit is still around but Dan does the orders now.

[axelthrasher]

Sold my 818s, and one of my WRXs - so parts have to go now:

Parts are located in Saint Charles IL 60175 and prices do not include shipping.

$100 Prova shift knob
$30 MSISUB01-00-030 MSI Power Steering Pump Adapter Kit (Brand New)
$100 Okada Projects Plasma Spark boots
$440 Okada Projects Plasma Direct coil packs
$30 Covert Performance Swirl Pot/Surge Tank (Brand New)
$150 APR Performance Carbon Fiber Formula GT3 Universal Mirrors CB-100004B (Brand New)

$500 Mishimoto X-Line Tripple Pass Radiator and Plug & Play Mishimoto Aluminum Fan Shroud MMFS-WRX-01P & MMRAD-WRX-01X (Both Brand New)

$1000 Factory Five Racing #80844 Gen 1 818 Carbon Fiber Front Canards, #80718 818 Carbon Fiber Front Splitter, #81157 818 Carbon Fiber Rocker Extensions

[brian b 36]

Do you know what brand and model seats were in 818