Dizzyman’s 818s Build

[jbs72697]

Well today the donor arrived! Found this at an auction. It’s an ‘02 Impreza, not a WRX. It’s filthy, ugly, rusty, and doesn’t run. But it was dirt cheap, price of the car, auction fees, and truck to transport it was under 700.00. Not running doesn’t bother me. Whatever I found I planned on going through the engine anyway.
Still a long way off on ordering a kit but at least this is a start

[Flamshackle]

Good on you!

[mikeb75]

That bring back memories (shudder) ;). That back seat looks like my kids sat there (a few years ago now).

Welcome to the madness.

[jforand]

Welcome! Enjoy the 'virtual' ride at least until you get one going! Tons of great people out here to help you along. I started working on mine in the beginning of March 2020 and have already gotten a ton of great ideas and help.

[Jetfuel]

Way to go...heck of deal for a great start
Forget Covid....get a tetanus shot

Jet

[aquillen]

Great news - every added 818 is another party for all of us. My doctor refused tetanus shot unless I came in with bodily damage making it "necessary" (which I didn't have that day). Since then I've probably needed that shot about 10 times and yet to get it. (Tetanus or the shot I'm lucky to say)...

Tear-down and refurb is as much fun as the build IMO.

[sgarrett]

Tear-down and refurb is as much fun as the build IMO.

Yep. I agree with Art. And they are MUCH MORE fun than the wiring harness (IMO).

Welcome aboard!

[jbs72697]

Thanks everyone. Even though I’m tearing it down I’m going to put on hooded Tyvek suit, gloves and a respirator and deep clean the interior. It smells so bad in there I wouldn’t be able to work. I’m sure progress will be slow. I’m in the boat business and our hectic season is here, plus I have an Aprilia motorcycle that needs some work too, and oh yeah We’re planning on moving in the coming months. It’s a lot but the car was so cheap I had to jump on it. I know I’m going to love this whole process
Thanks again and have a great weekend!

[jbs72697]

https://youtu.be/NkJQFFWaaKY

[jbs72697]

Finally got my wife to Factory Five today! Wanted to show her what the place and the cars are all about and to show her the 818 that’ll be occupying my time on a few months.
We met with Dave Lidnsey who showed us around and answered our questions. Dave Smith even stopped over to say hi
We’re finally closing on our house Wednesday so after that’s done and we have our debts paid I WILL be placing the order!
Lots to clean up in the garage while I’m waiting. Really looking forward to the whole process!
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[chmhasy]

So what car did your wife like while you were at factory five?

[jbs72697]

Sure really liked the 818, but I think her favorites may have been the 65 Coupe or the hot rod truck

[roadrashrob]

Welcome aboard! We just picked up our 818C yesterday!!!! A piece of advice that I wish I knew as I purchased our donor before ordering our kit was that the build manual also includes the steps to harvest the pieces you need from the donor. I got a WORD list from David, but then when I asked for a .PDF of the manual, I realized there were step by step instructions! You'll figure it out either way, but sure nicer to see "pictures" of exactly what you need...

[jbs72697]

Yesterday!? Yours was probably the 818c that Dave smith let us peek at in the delivery area to see what a raw kit looks like. May be the facts that I am also a Smith and I was wearing my stylish new Christmas present, an awesome Factory Five jacket had something do with it
Seeing that really helped her appreciate how much goes into building one. It could have also worried her a little that it’ll be more of a project to take on than I figured

[jbs72697]

One thing I did last spring was buy and download the 818 assembly manual
I think I’ve read it about three times now. That’s been a great motivator and prep for the build and yes it starts with a good guide and how to take the donor down, with pictures

[roadrashrob]

Yesterday!? Yours was probably the 818c that Dave smith let us peek at in the delivery area to see what a raw kit looks like. May be the facts that I am also a Smith and I was wearing my stylish new Christmas present, an awesome Factory Five jacket had something do with it
Seeing that really helped her appreciate how much goes into building one. It could have also worried her a little that it’ll be more of a project to take on than I figured

From meeting him, I think Dave is just a super nice guy and really proud of the company and the product! Glad you got to see ours in the "raw" kit stage.... We're still doing inventory, but extremely excited to actually start the build!

[Jetfuel]

Can't wait for you guys to get these projects going and see what your vision is...

It will be cool if you could update your profiles to show location so that if needed some of the 818 family could come up to speed up or slow down the process...lol

Jet

[jbs72697]

I agree. Dave Smith’s pride and enthusiasm in his company, people, and cars was very evident in the brief moment he stopped over
It was a really good day there. Seeing the 818C and sitting in it again really got me looking forward to my build too!
I might even start tearing parts off the Impreza and getting some shop equipment today

Good luck with the inventory. We closed on our house yesterday so after figuring out what we need to spend on our new place and paying down debts I’ll be ordering a new shock for my Aprilia SL1000 then placing the order for the 818! ����
Are you guys in Mass too? I’m in Braintree

[jbs72697]

Thanks. I can’t wait either. I’ve spent the last year on this board and YouTube watching others and their projects
It’ll soon be my turn, we’ll in several weeks. That’s what Dave Lindsey estimated their lead time is, which is fine with only because I don’t really have much garage space yet. Going to need a big dumpster and a pitchfork
I don’t really have a specific vision quite yet, other than following the manual. I’m sure that will change once I get started with it though

[AZPete]

I looked again at your short video showing your donor engine and heard you ask, "what have I done?" Did the corrosion clean up okay? Do you feel better now?

[jbs72697]

I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t even touched the Impreza yet. With everything going on this year, selling the house, work demands, etc it’s still sitting on the driveway with a cover over it so it’s not a huge eyesore for the neighbors
I’m really hoping to dig at it soon though

[roadrashrob]

Can't wait for you guys to get these projects going and see what your vision is...

It will be cool if you could update your profiles to show location so that if needed some of the 818 family could come up to speed up or slow down the process...lol

Jet

Thanks for the tip! I just updated my profile. Being somewhat new to the forum, didn't even realize that was an option! ;-)

[jbs72697]

Can't wait for you guys to get these projects going and see what your vision is...

It will be cool if you could update your profiles to show location so that if needed some of the 818 family could come up to speed up or slow down the process...lol

Jet

At this point I don’t really have a specific vision other than following the manual and trying not to mess it up too badly. I’m sure as I get into the project that’ll change so I’m sure to be posting along the way with updates and for advice (especially advice)

[jbs72697]

Ok it’s official. I just placed the order! Wooo hooo!
Let the madness begin!
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[Shawn818c]

What options did you end up choosing?

[Mad Dog]

Congrats Judson! Got your order over to one of our techs to review. They'll finish getting everything processed through our system, and we'll follow-up with your updated invoice and a What to Expect letter shortly. Look forward to following along with your build thread!

[idf]

Ok it’s official. I just placed the order! Wooo hooo!
Let the madness begin!
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I noticed you are in Braintree, MA. I'm next door in Hingham and would be happy to share my experience and let you take a look at my 818S.

[jbs72697]

What options did you end up choosing?

I didn’t go crazy. I chose powder coated frame, FFR steering wheel and adaptor, carpet set and padded interior. I need to conserve money as much as I can now. I still have to outfit the garage with more equipment too

[jbs72697]

Congrats Judson! Got your order over to one of our techs to review. They'll finish getting everything processed through our system, and we'll follow-up with your updated invoice and a What to Expect letter shortly. Look forward to following along with your build thread!
Thanks Dave! Was good to meet you the other day. Bringing my wife by was a big step. Once she saw the showroom and 818C she was quite impressed
I’m really psyched to finally pull the trigger!

[jbs72697]

I noticed you are in Braintree, MA. I'm next door in Hingham and would be happy to share my experience and let you take a look at my 818S.

Oh that would be great! Thank you!
If you 2ant to send a DM maybe we can work out a time?

[idf]

Oh that would be great! Thank you!
If you 2ant to send a DM maybe we can work out a time?

PM sent.

[jbs72697]

Huh. Sure hope I can get this ready by the time my 818 is ready
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[jbs72697]

Well covid has reached our house. Two of us are positive, myself and one daughter are negative
But we all still have to quarantine for a week anyway. So maybe a helpful thing in the battle to get the garage cleared out

[Hojo]

I watched all 35 videos from Grassroots Motorsports several times. Wayne Presley who owns Very Cool Parts, has built a number of 818s including being in charge of this one, sells great parts for our 818s and has great advice all over this forum. I can’t figure out how to paste the link in here so just search in YouTube for “project 818 part 1”. You will want to go to Zero Decibel Motorsports and buy other essential parts from Mechie3. His advice here is prodigious and profound. You can’t go wrong with anything you get from anyone who advertises here.

[jbs72697]

I watched all 35 videos from Grassroots Motorsports several times. Wayne Presley who owns Very Cool Parts, has built a number of 818s including being in charge of this one, sells great parts for our 818s and has great advice all over this forum. I can’t figure out how to paste the link in here so just search in YouTube for “project 818 part 1”. You will want to go to Zero Decibel Motorsports and buy other essential parts from Mechie3. His advice here is prodigious and profound. You can’t go wrong with anything you get from anyone who advertises here.
Thank you! Any new info, videos, etc will be great ways to pass the time and learn

[Shawn818c]

Sorry to hear about the Covid within the household, hope ya'll recover quickly. As for VCP and 0dB, both top notch, bought a few donor parts from Wayne and a bunch from Craig. The hood hinges are a must have as is doing something about the FFR provided shifter.

[jbs72697]

A little bright spot today, my little powder coating gun arrived today. Can’t do much with it yet, but it’s a bit of a morale booster
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[FFRWRX]

Same powder gun I've been using for years. I did a mod I read about on-line and it helps a lot. Drill a few small holes in the long air tube that goes into the bottle. Helps to aerate the powder better. And I don't use that deflector thing at the end; the blue plastic thing. Maybe that would be good for large things being coated but I do small parts.

[roadrashrob]

I find it very helpful to use that blue deflector and the lower power setting to get into corners and channels that experience the faraday effect. Hit those tight spots first, then take it off and switch to high power for the rest of the part.

I do like FFRWRX's idea to drill small holes. I do find it either packs down, or otherwise needs a gentle shake once and a while. Could you post a picture of the holes you drilled?

[FFRWRX]

Just went down and took a picture. You can see the three holes I added near the top of the tube. Really helps to stir things up. Also, though its been a number of years, I seem to recall the "lid" that came on the gun didn't thread very well onto the plastic bottles. I took the blue tubes off, and the lid thing that came on the gun and used one of the bottle lids instead; obviously drilling holes to suit. Now the bottles thread in nicely. Don't know if that was just an issue with mine or not.

Rick

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[roadrashrob]

Thanks. That helps! I've heard of a lot of people complaining about the "lid" on the gun, but I've had no problems with mine ... Hope I didn't just jinx myself....

[Ajzride]

My lid has been just fine, I bought mine about 18 months ago. Best money I've spent on the 818 project so far.

[jbs72697]

Thanks for the info. I also just picked up my last bit of equipment I needed to get, a decent compressor
But I haven’t felt well enough to get very much done in the garage since I’m still getting over covid. Hope none of you get this. My whole house has been very sick for a few weeks now. It really takes a lot out of you

[roadrashrob]

So, I drilled the holes in my tune per the suggestion, and the results were extremely poor for me. I generally run very low pressure (< 10psi) and unless I upped the pressure a lot, I got now powder flow. Ended up taping the holes closed and going back to my tried and true method of low pressure and nice light passes....

[FFRWRX]

Strange. I just did some powder coating this morning and checked the gun. I have a pressure regulator right on it and it is 8 psi. Since I usually do very small parts (custom badges for cars) I rarely have the trigger all the way in; too much powder for a small object. So I'm usually just feathering it and letting the cloud of powder do the coating; maybe that makes a difference. It is still 8 psi at the gun though.

[jbs72697]

It may not look like it but garage cleaning progress is being made. Covid really sapped my energy so I find myself getting wiped out pretty quickly. If you look towards the back you can see my new compressor, the smoker that I’m going to try to use as an inexpensive powder coating curing oven, and the box below that is my bench top sandblast cabinet. Still a long way to go before my 818 delivery date near the end of April

[jbs72697]

Not particularly interesting, but a brief look into the big project of cleaning and prepping the garage. It’s turning into a pretty big job in and of itself

https://youtu.be/T0OA27W2azA

Did get the workbench inside today though

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[Jetfuel]

JB...don't take this the wrong way but... bro...you need wall to wall shelves

Jet

[roadrashrob]

I'm thinking a "POD" would be a good start! Move it all out, then organize what you need on the Wall-to-Wall shelves as Jet suggested! :)

[jbs72697]

I completely agree with you guys! If you can believe it the state it’s in now is WAAYYY better than it was. It’s at my brother in law’s house and we combined households. When we moved in the garage was, no joke, packed tight floor to ceiling and front to back. We already filled up one 30yd dumpster and I have another here now. Lots of what’s left is what I or my brother in law wants to save,but it’s still a lot. I spend lots of time out there just looking at the piles feeling overwhelmed and wondering what I’ve gotten myself into
It’s good to have the April deadline though it helps keep me motivated.

[jbs72697]

I noticed you are in Braintree, MA. I'm next door in Hingham and would be happy to share my experience and let you take a look at my 818S.

Thanks again for the visit today! It was really cool seeing a complete car that an actual owner built and yours looked awesome! Sounded great too! Now I wish I could get mine sooner than April.

[jbs72697]

Well there it goes today, the payoff check to FFR for my 818s!
Counting down the days

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[AZPete]

Congrats! Now you won't be able to sleep through the night until your baby is safely home.

[jbs72697]

Congrats! Now you won't be able to sleep through the night until your baby is safely home.
True. It’ll be sharing space in the garage with my current baby (the one in the foreground ��)
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[aquillen]

My Hayabusa I bought new in 02 shares space with my 818. Good company. You'll agree. What you can't get in trouble with on one you can in the other. etc. etc. etc. Just so it's all in fun.

[jbs72697]

My Hayabusa I bought new in 02 shares space with my 818. Good company. You'll agree. What you can't get in trouble with on one you can in the other. etc. etc. etc. Just so it's all in fun.
It always is in good fun!

[jbs72697]

I know it doesn’t look like it, but progress really is being made. It better. I pick up the 818S two weeks from today!!
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[AZPete]

Yikes, it's going to be a busy 2 weeks! The 818 and boxes take up about twice the space of a finished car. Stop reading this and get out to the garage. :D

[jbs72697]

I know. I have been. Just came in now for some lunch then back at it!

[jbs72697]

ITS FINALLY HERE!
Plans fell apart and I couldn’t pickup the 818 when I hoped to so today I gave a buddy a few bucks and he picked it up for me
So it’s finally here and I’m relieved and happy though there’s part of me that wonders if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew
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[fletch]

ITS FINALLY HERE!
...there’s part of me that wonders if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew


Of course you have. Give your right brain a chance to breathe for a few minutes and look what happens. Congratulations and good luck. You're in for a great ride.

[idf]

ITS FINALLY HERE!
Plans fell apart and I couldn’t pickup the 818 when I hoped to so today I gave a buddy a few bucks and he picked it up for me
So it’s finally here and I’m relieved and happy though there’s part of me that wonders if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew
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147079147077

Great news. Remember I'm just a few miles away.

[jbs72697]

Of course you have. Give your right brain a chance to breathe for a few minutes and look what happens. Congratulations and good luck. You're in for a great ride.
Thanks. It didn’t seem so bad today after a good night’s rest. Inventory this weekend. I went over the pacing list and there were some shortag3s, but not too many really. Given my schedule these days it will be quite a while until I’m at the assembly stage so being short a few things doesn’t bother me at all
I’ll keep y’all posted on any progress I make

[jbs72697]

Great news. Remember I'm just a few miles away.
Oh I certainly know. I’ll definitely keep you updated on any progress I make. I’m sure I’ll have questions and a need for advice

[jbs72697]

Nothing too exciting today. Mostly going through all the boxes and doing inventory. Didn’t find any discrepancies, just one thing I need to get in touch with FFR about. I called it a day when I got to the big box of hardware. Everything was in separate bags but no individual item numbers. I figured I’d tackle that with a clear head tomorrow

[jbs72697]

Only a little progress today. Moved all the boxes and loose body panels upstairs to the garage attic. Made more room in the garage to work around, plus now the chassis is more open so I can see more of how it’s going to go together
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[Shawn818c]

Just one tip. Remove all the duct tape else it will leave a lot of residue you'll have to clean off. Else everything is looking good!

[jbs72697]

Just one tip. Remove all the duct tape else it will leave a lot of residue you'll have to clean off. Else everything is looking good!
Thank you. I know, I am going to take it all off soon and then hoping to get started on actual work

[jbs72697]

Started taking panels off the assembled for shipping body. This is as much as my concussion recovering head could manage
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[jbs72697]

Makin a little more progress ripping up the Impreza today. Still lots to go, but moving ahead
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[jbs72697]

Not a lot off regress dismantling the Subaru, but there is progress nonetheless
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[Shawn818c]

have to keep making progress little by little, I haven't touched mine in almost 3 months again...

[jbs72697]

Sorry that I haven’t posted in quite a while. We’ve been busy with work, life, family, house renovation, and still clearing and setting up the garage. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I won’t be getting all the space in there. So I’ll just have to be creative and patient when I’m working and make them best of the space I do have
So now that in this frame of mind I’m going to really get serous on the 818. Sorry I don’t have any pics to post just yet, but I’m sure I will soon

[jbs72697]

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. But the last few days I’ve made progress organizing the garage and today’s nice weather I took the opportunity to continue on the Impreza. Concentrating on the wiring harness today. It’s fun knowing that when taking the car apart I don’t have to put it back together. I can just cut or rip things apart to get to the stuff I need
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[jbs72697]

Finally got the wiring harness out! Just doing that was quite a project. But now it’s a big heavy ball of wire, plugs, fuse boxes, and controls sitting in a box. I think if there’s one thing that I have the greatest chance of messing up, it’ll be this.
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[FFRWRX]

I took around 20 lbs out of the harness. As a bonus, I have enough spare wire now for other projects….probably more than I’ll ever use up!

[jbs72697]

I do plan on cleaning it all and removing all the unnecessary stuff. Since my donor was a plain old Impreza I’ll need to trim all the extra weight I can

[jbs72697]

I know it may not look like much but progress is being made. Got the chassis jacked up to work under. I decided against tipping it on its side. I don’t have much room around it plus an uneven and cracked garage floor I felt with my luck I’d drop it and cause damage. Next I went looking for the two undercar panels. Turns out they were in the biggest box that was buried behind all the others in the attic :(
After moving everything and digging out the panels I finally got them clamped to the chassis. Next step marking, drilling, painting, and installing.
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[jbs72697]

I’m kind of regretting my decision to not tip the chassis on its side to drill and rivet the undercar panels 178242

[idf]

I remember the position well. My favorite picture of my son and his best friend helping with a similar part of the project: 178257

[cob427sc]

It's not too heavy to lift and turn on its side, plus you gain floor space to work around it! I have a 4 post lift but I still sit it on its side and use the lift to raise and lower to an agreeable (for my back) height.

[lance corsi]

I’ve used a cart about 28” tall for my entire build. It seems to be a comfortable height. It has 4 hd casters so I can move it about. A fully assembled car isn’t easy to push while on the cart. The center of gravity is just above the drivers head in the center of the car.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I’ve used a cart about 28” tall for my entire build. It seems to be a comfortable height. It has 4 hd casters so I can move it about. A fully assembled car isn’t easy to push while on the cart. The center of gravity is just above the drivers head in the center of the car.

Lance, you have a very short torso if the center of gravity is above your head. Bob

[jbs72697]

I remember the position well. My favorite picture of my son and his best friend helping with a similar part of the project: 178257

That’s a good picture. After a long time of not much getting done, I’ve had a small run of progress. Almost ready to put your rivet gun to use!

[lance corsi]

Bob, I should’ve said the lift point of balance is about where your head is. I’m using a crane, so I put my strap around my roll bars above where my head is. Does that make any sense?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Bob, I should’ve said the lift point of balance is about where your head is. I’m using a crane, so I put my strap around my roll bars above where my head is. Does that make any sense?

Yes Lance lifting point balance make more sense.

I have been tinking about finding the COG of my finished car. From that point I want to pull sidways on the car at 1.2 G's to make sure all 4 wheels are pependicular to the ground giving me the best traction in corners.
Bob

[CU9DZ]

Hi jbs72697. This is Davis out in Springfield Ma area. I have a first gen 818s, white with the original difficult to work with front end. There is another guy in Monson Ma with a 818s similar to mine and someone else almost done with 818c in red. Anything we can do to help, let me know. Davis

[jbs72697]

Hi Davis. Thank you very much for the offer. Im really not that far along in the build despite having my kit here for almost two years ��
But I am still doing what I can on it and if I complete a significant step I will post some pictures

[jbs72697]

My 92 year old dad is in the hospital. He’s been declining a lot lately and is very frail and weak now. It’s possible he may not last a long time (I hope I’m wrong). He was interested and enthusiastic about me building the 818. I even took him down to FFR to see the showroom and take the factory tour when they still held them
It makes me sad that he probably won’t be able to see the finished car in person. Even if I took pictures to show him they wouldn’t be very impressive unfortunately

[idf]

Sorry to hear about your Dad, Judd. Maybe as Spring arrives in New England he'll rally a bit too. As always I'm available to help with the 818 project.
Ivan

[jbs72697]

Thank you ivan. I do hope he will do better in the hospital getting the proper treatment and take it from there
Between him and the spring uptick at work the 818 isn’t getting too much attention

[jbs72697]

I am very sad to say dad passed away peacefully early Wednesday morning. My wife and I were there by his side holding his hand as he took his last breath. Though I’m glad we were with him (and my mom a couple years ago) it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done
He instilled my enjoyment of mechanics and was a great teacher. I’m extremely sorry he won’t see the 818 when it’s done. I guess I’ll have to figure out a frame to display his prayer card, as well as the other family members we’ve lost the past few years

[Jetfuel]

jb so sorry for your loss
May he forever find everlasting peace

Jet

[blomb11]

I am so sorry for your loss JB! My condolences to you and your family.

[jbs72697]

We had Dad’s services on Friday. It all went great. The funeral home was very professional and made the whole process easier. Even though dad won’t see the 818 completed, maybe I can stick his prayer card to his tool chest he passed down to me so he’ll be with me during the process.
Love you dad

[jbs72697]

Taking a lie down break to stop the dizziness that began again while doing a little bit of work on the 818 today
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[Bicyclops]

Touch the project every day, if you can. If you can work on it 2 hours a day, it will happen. I like to set out tools and materials for the next step before I leave the shop so I can slot right back in without having to figure out what's next. Momentum

Ed

[jbs72697]

I’m going to make a real effort to stay consistently doing something with it every day, even if I can only last a few minutes at a time. With everything else going on lately I have neglected it big time!
Thanks for the words of encouragement

[Bicyclops]

My nephew wanted to build an airplane but wasn't sure he could so he decided to set aside 2 hours every day starting with cleaning out his garage. It took him a couple few weeks, and he got it done so he ordered a sheetmetal practice kit figuring that if he could stick with that and do it OK, he'd order a tail kit. He got the tail kit and started in on that with the thought that if he could do it and not mess it up, he'd consider ordering wings. Well those are now built and in the den (he's building in a 1 car garage) and he's done with most of the fuselage and working on the finish kit with engine and prop on order. The big takeaway for him has been the joy and satisfaction of not only learning new skills and seeing lots of eye candy grow, but the pride he's taking in his own perseverance. He didn't think he had it in him.

I rebuilt an airplane and built another one. I went flying today after driving the car I built up and down a really fun canyon road. What I have learned is how to be too stubborn to take no for an answer when a project is difficult. Sometimes I have had to drop tools and walk away before I damage something - and that's not easy either - but I always come back and tackle it with a new idea and a fresh attitude. Frustration is a thing for sure, but I think the satisfaction of solving problems and moving ahead is far more powerful. Remember, you aren't building a car, you are building small portions of a car until, one day, the to do list comes down to stuff like filling the fluids and trying to start it up. Then you still have the body to look forward too. ;-)

Ed

[BigDanSubaru]

What helped me maintain motivation and momentum in my build was entering in car shows. First show I brought it to the car hardly had any bodywork on it and no wiring harness at all. We pushed it up onto a trailer and brought it in its current state. People we super curious and supportive. I am taking it back to that same show again this weekend with the car running and most of the body together. Things aren't quite lined up and there are still many things to do, but what I have noticed is that people don't seem to care if it isn't done. They respect that it is a huge undertaking and love seeing it progress. It fills me with joy and motivation to bring it back each time with more work completed. Although towing it there every time is getting annoying. Hopefully next year the car will be road legal and I can just drive it there.

In short, set goals for yourself and make a checklist of things you need to do to get there. Check one box at a time and try to ignore the others if possible. It's very easy to feel overwhelmed and just do nothing. Tackling small tasks may seem somewhat insignificant at the time, but when they add up over time you will wonder how you came so far. When I am done working on the car for the night, I often just stare at it for another 30 minutes in disbelief that I have come this far while simultaneously planning my next project to tackle on it. You'll get there!

[jbs72697]

Hey I actually finished a step, the front firewall!

[idf]

Hey I actually finished a step, the front firewall!

Judd: Glad to hear you are back at it. Remember I'm 5 miles away with lots of time on my hands and glad to help. Even if just parking my 818 in your driveway for motivational support. Give me a call when you plan to be out in the garage.
Ivan

[jbs72697]

Judd: Glad to hear you are back at it. Remember I'm 5 miles away with lots of time on my hands and glad to help. Even if just parking my 818 in your driveway for motivational support. Give me a call when you plan to be out in the garage.
Ivan
Hi Ivan. Thanks for offering, but next task to do is to pack it all away for a while. We’re finally going to replace and expand the garage! Im pretty excited at the prospect of not having to climb over and negotiate through all the stuff in the way to even do any work! My dizziness is still constant but had some tests that may finally give some answers so it can be treated by the time the garage is done

[jbs72697]

I just realized I forgot to post pics of what little progress I’ve made. It’s not much but it’s something
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[jbs72697]

The replacement of the garage has begun! I feel really bad that just about all the work of cleaning out the old is falling on my wife and brother in law. My vertigo is getting worse. I can barely do anything. Thankfully I have a surgery date next month to hopefully fix it. Even though it involves cutting into my head I’d do it tomorrow if I could!
This is one of two storage containers getting delivered to house all the 818 stuff, the donor parts, my Aprilia, all my tools and equipment, plus all the other garage stuff and what was storage in the upstairs attic. It’s way more than we thought it would be!
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[jbs72697]

It’s demo day!!
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[jbs72697]

What a week it’s been! Underwent brain surgery on the 19th to plug and resurface my left inner ear superior semicircular canal. Came home from the hospital last night. This is one of those things that gets worse before it gets better cause my brain has to relearn my whole vestibular system. The vertigo and nausea are severe but making little improvements each day. Hopefully by the time the garage is done and spring rolls around I’ll be good as new to build the 818 and ride the Aprilia!

[lance corsi]

Good luck on your recovery.

[jbs72697]

Thank you. The last couple days have been bad lots of nausea, vomiting, and pain. Hard to sleep through that night. If it’s not better in. The morning I may may go back to the hospital

[idf]

Judd: Sorry to hear you are going through this. Hopefully will turn around soon.
Ivan

[jbs72697]

Hi Ivan. Thank you. I won’t lie, it’s been rough but I do see teeny bits of improvements. Unfortunately I wasn’t up to going on our annual trip to Stowe VT this year, so my daughters and brother in law went. I’ve also resigned myself to the fact that skiing is off the table this year too. I’m just hoping to be well by the time spring rolls around
Take care

[Sgt.Gator]

I hope you get well soon. I have a pretty good idea of what you are going thru.

[jbs72697]

Thank you. It has been miserable recovery at times but I do see improvement fairly consistently
I’m just looking forward to get tang back to building the 818 once the new garage is done next year

[jbs72697]

Slabs were poured today!
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[idf]

Looking good. What are the dimensions?

[jbs72697]

The garage space will be 24’ wide and 40’ long, but we will be using about half for household storage and get rid of the self-storage unit we’ve had for a while. I’ll be gaining about five feet of width and twenty or so of length. We are going to use the back space as household storage so we can get rid of the self-storage bin we’ve had for a while. The little back slab is going to be for yard equipment, snowblower, lawn mowers, tractor, tools, gasoline, etc so it’s separate from the main garage
Honestly, I’m just happy to have a little more room and mostly a new, flat and level floor
I’m also getting one single wide door. I figure it’ll give me more flexibility how I can bring the 818 and bikes in

[jbs72697]

Framing begins today
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[jbs72697]

It’s growing
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[Bicyclops]

I think I speak for many who have 20x20 garages... Jealous!

Ed

[idf]

Looking good. Any chance of a heated floor?

[jbs72697]

[QUOTE=Bicyclops;571350]I think I speak for many who have 20x20 garages... Jealous!

That’s what I had, along with a crumbled and buckling floor and with lots of junk around so the 818 chassis barely fit. But I’m not getting the whole space for only thee garage. About half the depth we’re using for storage.

[jbs72697]

Looking good. Any chance of a heated floor?
No, no heated floor. We’re pushing the budget as it is. But it’ll be fine. I’m used to working in the cold with a couple electric heaters pointing at me

[jbs72697]

Thought I’d put up some pictures of the garage progress
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[jbs72697]

Siding is on and some plumbing, electrical, and ductwork are going in!
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[idf]

Perfect when the garage is as big as the house.

[Ajzride]

perfect when the garage is at least as big as the house.

ftfy

[jbs72697]

Took a walk around my yard today as long as I could until the dizziness caught up with me. Most of the drywall is up!
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[jbs72697]

It’s coming along. The lighting is really bright. Sure beats the old garage
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[jbs72697]

Still making progress. I really like the way it’s coming out. Looking forward to loading it up with everything and try to get back to building the 818, as well as working on the Aprilia and catching back up on maintenance on the family’s cars. I bought a cot to lay down on in case my dizziness and vertigo get bad while I’m out there. It’s going to be really slow getting back to normal, if I ever do.
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[jbs72697]

I haven’t posted in a while. I’m still trying to recover from the dizziness. It’s taking much longer than I’d hoped. I still have a really hard time doing anything for very long before I have to lie down
We were able to move our stuff out of two storage units and one of the storage units in our yard. So now it’s all in our garage for us to go through and purge. The last thing to move in is the 818’s chassis. But the Aprilia is in so that’s motivation. Who knows if I’ll ever be able ride it again
Any 818 build progress is going to be painfully slow, but I’ll give updates from time to time
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[jbs72697]

Made good progress today, well for me anyway. Finally got the 818 chassis into the garage. Took several breaks when vertigo spiked, but it’s done
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[idf]

Great to hear, Judd. Looks like it is going to be a great building place.
Ivan

[jbs72697]

Thanks Ivan. Yes, I think it’ll be good. Just needs a good clean out and organization. It’s just really slow when I can only last vertically (and wobbly) about ten minutes then have to stop and lay down for half an hour because of the vertigo, as it shows in my first picture with my left foot lying down on the camping cot I have in the garage