Camera's 818C

[mcamera]

I thought I would start a build thread since I finally ordered an 818C! I found the 818 while looking to build a Cobra kit car back around 2014. With my first car being a 3000GT VR4 (twin turbo) and at the time owning an RSX Type-S that I supercharged, the 818 was closer to my style than a vintage replica. The allure of a rare, mid-engine car has kept me interested ever since. I've read through a LOT of this forum over the years so thanks to anybody that has contributed.

In 2014 I wasn't that far out of college so I didn't have the money to build a kit car, but I had a 2.5 car garage at my house in Toledo, OH. In 2015, I moved to Columbus, OH for a new job but was living in an apartment so I didn't have a garage. In 2017, I started to build a new house and even had the 2 car garage insulated and finished in anticipation of building an 818 there. I finally moved in the summer of 2018 and installed cabinets, a work bench, and a ceiling fan w/ extra lights in the garage as I settled into the new house. April 2019 (10 months after moving into my new house).... my company asked if I was willing to move to support larger customers. I agreed and moved into an apartment north of Detroit in August 2019. Once again I was without a garage, and it ended up taking until May of 2020 to finally sell my house in Columbus after 3 failed closings due to the financial uncertainty of the banks caused by Covid-19.

Having missed my opportunities to build an 818 over the last 6 years, I decided to be proactive and create the best opportunity I could. After buying 2 houses and leaving shortly, I'm not willing to buy another for awhile. I counted and I've moved 17 times since starting college in 2007! Maybe this should be called the nomad build? I found a few apartments that had garages but only 1 actually allowed car work in the garage and their rental terms were not good. So that was frustrating. I finally found a condo for rent in a nice area with an attached 1 car garage and jumped on a good deal. So after 6 years I finally have the money for the kit, a garage to build in, no house/lawn to maintain, and a long Michigan winter that I'll need to entertain myself. Not to mention the pandemic has given me more time at home and I expect that to continue to some extent over the next year.

Factory Five is expected to complete my kit on 10/10/2020 and I'm having it shipped via Stewart. Since I'm working in a 1 car garage and have limited space I'm getting a donor pallet from Very Cool Parts using a 2006 WRX with ~80,000 miles on it. I originally asked them to find a cheaper donor, but after thinking about it for a week I changed my mind and snatched it up. Now I'm excited about the newer donor and all the updates that brings (bigger 2.5L EJ255, bigger brakes, aluminum LCA's, improved oil pan to name a few). The extra cost seems small for so many improvements and relatively low mileage. Hopefully I'll get the donor pallet this month so I can start doing some maintenance, cleaning, and painting. I look forward to joining the FFR community!


- Mike

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[FFRWRX]

I built my first Cobra in a single car garage by hanging the body from the ceiling and working on the chassis under it.

Looks like you have your X-mas lights up early!

Rick

[Ajzride]

I'm mostly building my 818 in a single car garage. First thought that jumped into my mind was that there are a lot of sharp corners and cut myself up a bunch of times working around it in a small space. I finally bought some foam edge guard and covered all the sharp parts, and it's much better now.

[Ajzride]

I would also suggest you do a lot of research early and decide if you want to stick with the stock ECU or go aftermarket. If you go aftermarket you can ditch the immobilizer and get OBD2 communications. Both of which have been haunting me.

[mcamera]

I might have to do that with the roof panel. I'll see if I can fit it into my storage closet or spare bedroom closet. The Christmas lights are a little trick I learned from camping. I could either store them or hang them up for extra lighting. I think I made a good choice.

Thanks for the heads up! I'll grab some foam or towels to wrap the corners. I'm pretty set on keeping the engine, ecu, and harness stock for now. I've noticed a few people have had trouble with the immobilizer but as long as you keep the ignition, key, and ecu together that shouldn't be an issue right? Doesn't the stock setup have an OBDII or am I missing something?

[Ajzride]

I've noticed a few people have had trouble with the immobilizer but as long as you keep the ignition, key, and ecu together that shouldn't be an issue right? Doesn't the stock setup have an OBDII or am I missing something?

I have stock ignition, immobilizer module, and ECU (2 sets actually) and I still have random days where the car will not start and the immobilizer light is flashing, even though nothing changed from the day before. The subaru ECU has an OBD2 looking port, but it does not transmit standard OBD2 data. It transmits SSM data, which is a different protocol requiring a special cable to connect with and has very limited software available.

[AZPete]

Welcome, Mike. I've built 2 FFR cars in 1 bay of a 3-car garage which has been tight, but it made me plan ahead and put tools away. You can hang body panels on the ceiling and walls - especially the hard top on the ceiling. I also had some panels under beds. A rental engine hoist saved space and a dolly on wheels was handy to move it side-to-side & front-to-back for work space. Wheels and tires take up a lot of space so I waited as long as possible before buying them and ran the engine, finished brakes, steering and lots of wiring before bolting on wheels. Then it was out to go-kart the neighborhood.

For wiring, I dieted the donor harnesses, which was tedious and never-ending, but everything worked. I used the donor ECU and the OBD2 port worked just fine with my cheapy code reader and the reader my dyno tuner used to add maps and program my Cobb Accessport. As much as possible, I duplicated the donor wiring so I had cruise control, ABS, and the stalks for lights and wipers worked the same as on the donor. I know nothing about electronics so I was scared to make changes and I followed the donor systems with only shortening & lengthening where needed, which resulted in more wires than essential, but it worked.

Again, welcome to our world of fun challenges!

[mcamera]

Sounds almost like a loose connection or dying key transmitter. If it works some days then it has to be setup correctly right?

Thanks Pete! I plan on making a dolly to help myself out. I have room inside my condo to store anything I can carry so that helps. I bought a large shelf last weekend but I might need to buy another 1 or 2 to stay organized. I figure the less stuff on the ground the more space I'll have to move around. The wiring is one of my biggest concerns. I have no interest in doing a full diet or paying $2k to replace a part I just paid for. However, I've seen the pics and if there's a wiring issue after installation I'm going to pull my hair out lol. It might be a game time decision when I start running the wires.

[AZPete]

Don't panic when the boxes with your kit fill up your entire garage. Once you unpack and inventory, you'll be able to consolidate parts and throw out a lot of boxes. It's handy to label your consolidated boxes with the contents, of course, but you'll easily find space.

[mcamera]

I checked in with VCP last week and they're still looking for a matching ECU/security control for my donor pallet. I'm hoping to get my parts within the next month, but no ETA yet. In the meantime I'm starting to collect things for my build. I bought an assortment of things including an air riveter. However, I only have a 3 gallon compressor rated at 0.6 CFM @ 90psi and the riveter says it consumes 3 CFM @ 90psi... but also says 1-6 gallon compressors are good for intermittent work? Any chance my tiny compressor will be able to pull rivets?

I also built my chassis dollies this weekend. Here's the 1st video of my build!

https://youtu.be/JD88oKvD8VE

[mikeb75]

You should be fine with that compressor, unless you're planning on doing every rivet on your car in one session ;). I've used a 2 gallon POS Campbell Hausfield to do some panels, it had to run a lot to keep the pressure up, but worked with the driver.

[mcamera]

I'll do all the rivets in TWO sessions :). That's good to hear, I wasn't sure if it would run out of air mid-rivet or just lack the power. I didn't want to spend money on a barely larger 4 gallon compressor to reach the 3CFM @ 90psi the gun recommends.

[mcamera]

I got my donor pallet a couple weeks ago and have been going through the parts. Of course I've been out of town both weekends since it showed up so I've been mainly cleaning, organizing, and taking notes of things that need replaced and painted. I thought it was a complete donor kit as in donor kit + 818 kit = car, but I'm still missing seats, seatbelts, wheels, sideview mirrors, and the rearview mirror. All things I may upgrade in the future, but I thought I would have a choice. Still excited to start doing some work though!

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[mcamera]

While the engine was bolted down to the pallet, I thought it would be easy to replace the timing belt and water pump. Right off the bat I noticed a large hole punched in the timing belt cover. Since my kit also came with a Mishimoto radiator I'm thinking this car was in a front end collision at one point in its life. Inside I found the cheaper Chinese made pulleys so somebody had done this job before. I made sure to buy a higher quality Japanese kit. I replaced the pulleys, water pump, thermostat, a broken water pump bolt, the coolant pipe at the bottom that was rusting through, and the timing belt cover w/ new gaskets. It turned into a several day job waiting on parts to arrive and a few extra bucks but I have some piece of mind now.

My 818 kit is being picked up by Stewart late next week and should be delivered ~ Oct 26. Until then I'm going to tear down and paint some suspension/brake parts. The intake manifold and transmission housing are also on my short list.

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[AZPete]

Nice work on the pulleys, water pump and timing belt. After so many years wishing and planning, it must feel very good to be starting with real parts.

[mcamera]

It's a lot more fun when you have actual parts to play with! Prepping my last caliper tonight and painting them all tomorrow. I talked myself out of black calipers... I'm going with the tried and true red.

[Scott Meyer]

Nice work! Curious when you placed the order for your 818? Ours was ordered around 8/25 and FFR is giving us an 11/7 completion date. Who did you get the pallet from, VCP?

[mcamera]

Nice work! Curious when you placed the order for your 818? Ours was ordered around 8/25 and FFR is giving us an 11/7 completion date. Who did you get the pallet from, VCP?

I ordered mine on 7/22 with a 10 week lead time for about 10/10. Yeah I bought my pallet from VCP. I thought they had pallets in stock since their website lists 3 sets, but they had to piece together a pallet for me after I contacted them. That took about 2.5 months to arrive.

[mcamera]

My caliper paint didn't come in time so I decided to paint my transmission this weekend. I probably spent 10 hours on this thing (lots of corners to clean) but I really like how it turned out. I used the Eastwood self etching primer and Aluma Blast to paint it. The Aluma Blast had a surprising amount of metallic flake in it. Both products sprayed well and I will definitely use them again. I didn't bother cleaning the tail end covered by the grocery bag since it'll be deleted.

When I saw the red clutch I figured it was aftermarket and that was confirmed by a couple of retail stickers still attached lol. How lazy can you be that you won't peel off 2 gooey stickers before installing a clutch on your car? Lol. There's a white one on the outside and a green one just inside the fingers.

I also removed my A/C and P/S pumps to find a nest on top of my engine that I still have to clean up better.


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[mcamera]

Ideas? 818 comes on Monday and tomorrow is my last day to move the engine out of the middle of the garage. Here's my only idea at the moment.

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[Ajzride]

Use the hoist to pick up the front edge of the pallet, Slide two blocks of wood under the edge. Go to the back side, lift that edge up, slide two more blocks of wood under. Now the pallet is up high enough to slide the hoist under and get your motor. If you are worried about the motor sliding off while you have it tilted, use a ratchet strap to hold it to the pallet.

[mcamera]

That's a good idea. I'll have to raise the pallet a good 6-7" so I might do it in stages to keep it more level. Thanks!

[grabera7]

You could just put the pallet on a couple furniture dollies or remove it from the pallet.

[mcamera]

I like the furniture dolly idea. I can't remove the engine from the pallet though because I can't get my hoist over the engine to pick it up.

[AZPete]

I put my engine on a furniture dolly so I could store it under some shelves. So, after you use Ajzride's method, lower it onto a furniture dolly with wooden blocks to hold it on the mounts to protect the oil pan. Then, chill a bottle of champagne for the 818 kit delivery.

[Mark Eaton]

I had a similar problem with my 347 DART. Here's what I did

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?25895-Eaton-s-Mk4-9130-Oregon-Build-quot-Cobra-on-the-Coast-quot&p=300522&viewfull=1#post300522

[mcamera]

Well after some sketchy wood work with a floor jack, I got the pallet up high enough to get my hoist under it. I bought a furniture dolly to set the engine on and screwed a couple wood blocks on the back to rest the engine mounts on. Thanks for all the advice. I used a little bit of everybody's ideas. I'm happy with how little room the engine takes up now on the dolly and I can still move it around easily to work on all 4 sides of the engine. I wouldn't have had that luxury if I set it on a sheet of wood in the corner of my garage like I originally planned.

Can we also talk about how much of a nightmare taking the intake manifold off is? I underestimated how many things were attached to it and that the fuel lines that go through it on the driver's side would block it from just being pulled up and off the block. I think I took a more difficult approach by removing just the intake manifold. I've seen some videos where people pull the intake manifold with the TGV's/fuel lines/wiring harness/turbo inlet hose all still attached to it as 1 big assembly. I need to find a better way to put it back on after I clean/paint it.

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[Bob_n_Cincy]

Can we also talk about how much of a nightmare taking the intake manifold off is? I underestimated how many things were attached to it and that the fuel lines that go through it on the driver's side would block it from just being pulled up and off the block. I think I took a more difficult approach by removing just the intake manifold. I've seen some videos where people pull the intake manifold with the TGV's/fuel lines/wiring harness/turbo inlet hose all still attached to it as 1 big assembly. I need to find a better way to put it back on after I clean/paint it.

I took my intake off as an assembly. I didn't think it was too hard.
I would go this route putting it back together. Do a TVG delete while you got it apart.

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[mcamera]

I took my intake off as an assembly. I didn't think it was too hard.
I would go this route putting it back together. Do a TVG delete while you got it apart.

I know the TGV delete is common, but I'm still hesitant to do it. I've always had problems messing with the intake system on my other cars. Even a simple short ram intake on my BMW 335i sent me on a year long search for a stuttering problem. Turned out the oil on the aftermarket intake filter had fouled the MAF sensor, but it would still work when I put the factory airbox back on and turned off my tuner (JB4). I have this gut feeling that it'll mess up the low speed drivability or idle of the car. It also seems like a fair amount of time and work to grind out and seal the TGV's for a small improvement on a stock engine. Have you noticed any ill effects from your TGV delete?

I painted my intake manifold and ordered some new gaskets / silicone hosing to help with the reinstall when I'm ready. I used the Duplicolor Engine Enamel (high heat primer, paint, and clear) which worked well and I like the finish even though it dried a little darker than I expected. I'm glad I read the instructions carefully because their enamel has a 1 hour window for recoating or you have to wait a full week(!!!) for it to fully cure before you can add any more coats or the finish will wrinkle. Now I just hope some of the manifold will still be visible after the intercooler is in place :p

My 818 is officially in transit after a few delays. It sounds like it should be here tomorrow or Thursday at the latest!


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[Newkitguy]

removing the tgv is very common and very recommended by most tuners. Also allows you to cut down on some uneeded wires I'd highly recommend you reconsider

[mcamera]

My 818 arrived yesterday and I've been taking inventory of the parts. There are a dozen things on backorder but only a few missing parts so far. There are some scratches and chunks missing on the body and the parting line along the A-pillar is obvious, but overall it looks pretty good. This thing is really cool in person. I'm excited to get started.

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[aquillen]

We know the feeling - BIG FUN ahead - enjoy and post please.

[mcamera]

Last weekend I got all of the body panels and aluminum removed from the car. The body panels make the perfect accents for my spare bedroom. I mounted the roof to the ceiling to get it up and out of the way, but man is that a big piece. It's about 9.5' long and barely fits in the corner without out hitting my garage door opener. Since my garage is the bottom level of a 4 story townhome, the ceiling must be concrete. I could not get a drill bit to go through so I used the studs on the side walls instead.

I have my bottom panels fitted and drilled and I'm half way done with my front firewall now. That takes some more trimming and fitting since there are several pieces working together. Then I'm going to do the rear-rear firewall, as many have done, with some thin gauge (0.025") aluminum I got at Lowes and paint all those panels at the same time with Eastwood rust encapsulator and extreme chassis black gloss. The Lowes aluminum is pretty thin but I'm not very concerned about it. I'll eventually put some sound insulation between the rear firewalls to help reduce the cabin noise. That should be effective since it's directly between the largest source of sound (the engine) and the driver. That's the main reason I'm doing it, but it'll also give the back of the engine bay a clean surface that hides the frame rails.


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[roadrashrob]

Love the pictures. Makes me VERY glad we have a 3 car garage that I've moved most things out of to make room for the build.... ;-)

[DSR-3]

Isn't building in a small space great! Accordingly, I'm a big proponent of the "build from the center out" approach. It took me 3 years to install the suspension, even doing the full interior, carpet, wiring etc. first- it just get's in the way otherwise and destroys shorts pockets! While it's on it's side- Bedliner makes for a nice durable finish for the bottom panels and adds some damping.

[mcamera]

Surprisingly I haven't been bothered by the small garage yet. Being able to dolly the car around really helps when you need more space. The frame is small by itself, but as you said once you add suspension, wheels, and body it will take up a lot more space. And rips some pockets on the way lol.

Front firewall is all fitted and drilled. Just waiting to paint it with some other panels.

I'm laying out my rear-rear firewall and nobody stocks rivnuts. I couldn't find them at Autozone, O'Reillys, Walmart, Lowes, Ace Hardware, or Auto Value). Looks like I'll have to order them online which brings up a question since there are several options. Do I want aluminum, steel, zinc plated, or stainless rivnuts? I feel like aluminum will cause galvanic corrosion with a steel bolt. But a steel rivnut will have the same issue since it touches the aluminum panel. I'm guessing the threads are more important so steel rivnut + steel bolt? Last thing I want is the bolt and rivnut to corrode and fuse together in a year.

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[Jetfuel]

I'll do the aluminum rivnut , a dab of white RTV before pulling it and a dab of antizeese on the bolt thread will go a long ways in preventing corrosion.
Wicks aircraft or aircraft spruce are good sources for rivnut

Jet

[Ajzride]

I bought some foam corner guard for the sharp edges on the frame until I put the body on. After a few nasty cuts you realize you just can’t avoid all the places this car will attack you.

[AZPete]

yup, aluminum rivnuts as Jetfuel suggests. I love the decor of your second bedroom and I my wife is a qualified interior designer, not that I've asked her.

[Hobby Racer]

I'm guessing the threads are more important so steel rivnut + steel bolt?

I used plated rivnuts and plated or stainless bolts depending on the location. They are everywhere on my car, I mean like have used about 150 of them thus far. I love them! I use them for many other things than just holding the aluminum panels so steel threads were important to me. I take things off and on my car a lot so I wanted durable threads that can handle a decent load. I usually get them via Amazon.

I have not had a corrosion or wear issue yet.

Just my $0.02

[DSR-3]

McMaster Carr (https://www.mcmaster.com/) for rivnuts, hardware, materials, drinking fountains, pretty much anything you can think of- usually in stock and ships same day.

[mcamera]

I ended up buying stainless rivnuts and hardware on Amazon. I like the idea of stronger steel threads for something that may be used several times. I also found some nice black oxide bolts to keep my firewall all black which I think will look good. I'm also going to try some 1mm nylon washers to keep the bolts from digging into my painted panels. Hopefully they keep tension and don't relax over time. If they do I'll just remove them.

I'm having a hell of a time getting the ball joint stud out of the lower control arms. I soaked them both in penetrating oil overnight and still couldn't knock them off with a dead blow hammer. I was able to get 1 off with a gear puller which made a loud cracking sound when it came loose. I thought I broke the gear puller in half! The 2nd LCA isn't budging. The gear puller isn't grabbing well enough and it already slightly tore the steel in 1 area. I'm going to soak it in penetrating oil while I'm out of town until Sunday. Any other tips or tricks?

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[Scott Meyer]

Ha...my tip costs money. Buy new parts! I gave up with our LCA’s and spindle knuckles.

[FFRWRX]

I'm having a hell of a time getting the ball joint stud out of the lower control arms. I soaked them both in penetrating oil overnight and still couldn't knock them off with a dead blow hammer. I was able to get 1 off with a gear puller which made a loud cracking sound when it came loose. I thought I broke the gear puller in half! The 2nd LCA isn't budging. The gear puller isn't grabbing well enough and it already slightly tore the steel in 1 area. I'm going to soak it in penetrating oil while I'm out of town until Sunday. Any other tips or tricks?


Maybe this is basic and you know it already, but you aren't hitting the nut are you? I find that putting pressure on it with a clamp or jack (in the direction of trying to push it apart), then hitting the side of the taper always pops them lose. Put the pressure on it with your gear puller if you can while leaving the side of the taper housing clear to wack it with a hammer. It will come apart.

Rick

[roadrashrob]

Wow. I have to admit that when I found my donor down in Georgia, I was somewhat disappointed in the drive I needed to take from NY to get it. Truth be told, I never intentionally thought to look for a car from the south, but now I am quickly realizing how lucky I was to back into it. These are my LCAs just removed from the car with no prep yet. The one ball joint stud simply fell out when I removed the nut. The other didn't, but I haven't even attempted to get it out yet.

Good luck with yours..... I've been having good success with Blaster penetrating oil.

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[mcamera]

Ha...my tip costs money. Buy new parts! I gave up with our LCA’s and spindle knuckles.

I looked up prices of new arms and was motivated to get this last ball joint off lol. However, $30 puller, $20 pickle fork, looks like I'll need 2 new ball joints $70, I'm going to paint these arms with Eastwood chassis paint ~$20, and about 6 hours of work... Maybe new isn't a bad deal


Maybe this is basic and you know it already, but you aren't hitting the nut are you? I find that putting pressure on it with a clamp or jack (in the direction of trying to push it apart), then hitting the side of the taper always pops them lose. Put the pressure on it with your gear puller if you can while leaving the side of the taper housing clear to wack it with a hammer. It will come apart.

Thank you for the tips! No I wasn't hitting the nut. That was how I had the arm when I was using the gear puller. I did try hitting the arm while the gear puller held tension with no luck. I went and bought a ball joint separater (aka pickle fork). After hammering that all the way in it still hadn't popped. So I started wedging wood under the handle and hammering that in. After 5 minutes of wedging it finally popped! Pics below to show my magic solution.


Wow. I have to admit that when I found my donor down in Georgia, I was somewhat disappointed in the drive I needed to take from NY to get it. Truth be told, I never intentionally thought to look for a car from the south, but now I am quickly realizing how lucky I was to back into it. These are my LCAs just removed from the car with no prep yet. The one ball joint stud simply fell out when I removed the nut. The other didn't, but I haven't even attempted to get it out yet.

Good luck with yours..... I've been having good success with Blaster penetrating oil.

My donor is from the south but these parts seem fairly beat up. I let PB Blaster sit on it for a full day.

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[mcamera]

Anybody know what size and grade bolt goes in the lower hole, of the front spindle to upper ball joint bracket? FFR supplies a 10.9 / M16 bolt for the upper hole and says to use the OEM strut mount bolt/nut for the lower hole. I'm missing the OEM hardware for the lower hole. I bought 8.8 / M14 hardware and now I'm second guessing myself if I should buy 10.9?

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[Bob_n_Cincy]

Anybody know what size and grade bolt goes in the lower hole, of the front spindle to upper ball joint bracket? FFR supplies a 10.9 / M16 bolt for the upper hole and says to use the OEM strut mount bolt/nut for the lower hole. I'm missing the OEM hardware for the lower hole. I bought 8.8 / M14 hardware and now I'm second guessing myself if I should buy 10.9?

138269

This is what I bought from Belmetric
12 x WFHV16 - Hardened Flat Washer (WFHV16) = $6.12
4 x BH16X1.5X40 - Hex bolt 10.9 (BH16X1.5X40) = $18.24
12 x NNH16X1.5 - Class 10 Nylock (NNH16X1.5) = $15.36
12 x NNH14X1.5 - Class 10 Nylock (NNH14X1.5) = $16.32
4 x BH14X1.5X60 - Hex bolt 10.9 (BH14X1.5X60) = $18.96
4 x BH16X1.5X65 - Hex bolt 10.9 (BH16X1.5X65) = $19.52

I was buying for 2 cars and the LCA mount bolts. So you may need to adjust your quantities.
Bob

[mcamera]

Thanks Bob. I also bought 8.8 bolts for my LCA mount bolts. I'm going to return all the bolts today and get 10.9 hardware with some extra washers. I mocked up my front suspension last night to make sure all the sizes worked and I agree washers look necessary for hex bolts here. Unless I can find flanged hex bolts today. See my question in red below.


This is what I bought from Belmetric
12 x WFHV16 - Hardened Flat Washer (WFHV16) = $6.12
4 x BH16X1.5X40 - Hex bolt 10.9 (BH16X1.5X40) = $18.24 LCA Mounts? The largest I can fit is M14 without drilling the car mounts slightly bigger. I also have to twist an M16 bolt to barely thread it through the bushing mount. Did you modify for a bigger M16?
12 x NNH16X1.5 - Class 10 Nylock (NNH16X1.5) = $15.36
12 x NNH14X1.5 - Class 10 Nylock (NNH14X1.5) = $16.32
4 x BH14X1.5X60 - Hex bolt 10.9 (BH14X1.5X60) = $18.96 Spindle Bracket Upper Hole
4 x BH16X1.5X65 - Hex bolt 10.9 (BH16X1.5X65) = $19.52 Spindle Bracket Lower Hole

I was buying for 2 cars and the LCA mount bolts. So you may need to adjust your quantities.
Bob

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[Bob_n_Cincy]

Looking back, I used M14 donor bolts on the LCA mount with belmetric nuts and washers. I had to significantly grind my hole to make LCA bracket fit. I also used som m14 x 60mm on the rear spindle.

[mcamera]

I found 10.9 hardware for the front suspension with all flanged bolts so that was nice. After mocking up my passenger side everything fit well so I stripped it back down to paint the bare metal pieces. I also painted my anti-roll bar cherry red which I think will look awesome up front.

I put my girlfriend to work riveting the bottom panels to the frame. We both really liked the air riveter. Having no stuck rivets made it quick work. The floor panels that came installed on the frame had some warping where they met the riveted panels, so I filled the larger gaps with extra RTV sealant to keep out debris and stop any potential sources for rattling.

Power steering lines have been deleted and it's looking much cleaner. One of the boots is torn and leaking so I'm waiting on a replacement.

I got the front firewall installed with some black rivets and it looks so good! The blacked out wall looks cleaner IMO.

I've been struggling for the last week to get the front axles separated. I've tried hammering and the pipe trick with 2 different sizes of pipe. No luck so far. If I get desperate I'll just drop them off at Subaru.

I've been taking everything off my car to paint it, so it still looks like a bare frame after a month. I'm excited to get my front suspension, steering rack, and anti-roll bar installed this week so it looks like I've been doing something with my time. The Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black paint I've been using for most of my metal parts seems to take a few days to truly harden. So I've been giving priority to those parts and painting them as soon as I can so they can start drying. While those dry I move onto other items. Rinse and repeat.

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[STiPWRD]

I've been struggling for the last week to get the front axles separated. I've tried hammering and the pipe trick with 2 different sizes of pipe. No luck so far. If I get desperate I'll just drop them off at Subaru.
Any chance the axles are aftermarket replacements? Others have had issues with those.

[mcamera]

Any chance the axles are aftermarket replacements? Others have had issues with those.

I think at least 1 is aftermarket. If you look in my pic the inner joint has a smooth cup on the closer axle, and 3 large grooves on the cup on the axle behind it. I can't get the inner joint apart on the further axle and there are different grooves on the axle shaft itself under the boots too. I'm dropping them off at Subaru so they can pull them apart for me. I've spent enough time on these and I'm sure my neighbors are sick of hearing the thuds from using the pipe trick.

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[Bob_n_Cincy]

I can't get the inner joint apart on the further axle and there are different grooves on the axle shaft itself under the boots too.

Hi Mcamera,
On the inner CV joints, there is a 3" diameter wire ring that has to be removed. Then the 3-lobe slides out with zero force. See my picture below.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=138606&d=1401150521

[mcamera]

Called local shop to separate my CV joints - Recommended a machine shop they often use

Called machine shop - said they don't do that

Called Subaru - said they don't do that and recommended I call a local shop

Called another local shop - took axles to them and after 20 minutes they said they couldn't get it apart - recommend Detroit Axle

Drive 25 min to Detroit Axle - They popped 1 apart and said the other was a Chinese knockoff that they couldn't get apart with their machine. I told him all I needed was the CV housing so he cut the guts out and $50 later I am back on track!

Just a typical Tuesday of trying to complete 1 task in between meetings and work. Glad I bought the Factory Five axles for the rear.

[STiPWRD]

I think at least 1 is aftermarket. If you look in my pic the inner joint has a smooth cup on the closer axle, and 3 large grooves on the cup on the axle behind it. I can't get the inner joint apart on the further axle and there are different grooves on the axle shaft itself under the boots too. I'm dropping them off at Subaru so they can pull them apart for me. I've spent enough time on these and I'm sure my neighbors are sick of hearing the thuds from using the pipe trick.

138598

That's interesting, the further one with the green pain on the inner CV joint looks to be OEM. I would've expected that one to separate more easily. You may want to check the spline count on the Chinese CV joint, I've rarely seen aftermarket CV joints that are compatible with OEM/FFR shafts.

[mcamera]

That's interesting, the further one with the green pain on the inner CV joint looks to be OEM. I would've expected that one to separate more easily. You may want to check the spline count on the Chinese CV joint, I've rarely seen aftermarket CV joints that are compatible with OEM/FFR shafts.

You're right the green one is the OEM. Bob pointed out there's a retaining clip on the inner CV joint of the OEM axle. On the aftermarket inner joint, there was no clip holding the tri-lobe in. That's why I was confused when the OEM didn't come apart as easily. I wasn't looking for a clip.

Both outer joints were installed in the front spindles when I got them so I know they fit. I bought new rear axles from FFR so luckily I don't need to reuse any of the front axles including the Chinese one.

[Scott Meyer]

Actually you need to keep the outer axle stub that goes back into the front spindle knuckle, and this gets bolted back into the hub with the large 32 mm nut. This is how the hub and bearings are retained on the knuckle.

[mcamera]

Correct, I only need the outer CV housings which came to me installed in the spindles. So I know they fit. I don't need anything else from the front axles to assemble the rear axles, since I bought fresh FFR rear axles.

[Scott Meyer]

Figured you knew that...sorry if it was obvious! We are at the same stage and Liam just finished the front suspension install last night with the fully loaded front knuckle and hub.

[mcamera]

Doesn't hurt to make sure what I'm doing makes sense haha. That's awesome! That's an ambitious Capstone project, I hope he's enjoying the build. I feel like this is a great experience to teach project management. You're constantly trying to plan and order items so they're available for you to work with, but something is always missing, late, or doesn't work the way you want it. It's keeping me on my toes. I've been waiting on a steering rack boot (donor was leaking) and new front lower ball joints (destroyed them during removal) to finish installing my front suspension/rack. The boot was on backorder but nobody told me until it was a week late. It'll be here Monday, 13 days after I ordered it with 2 day shipping.

[mcamera]

Front spindles are painted even though I'm not sure you'll ever see them when the car is completed. I bought a pack of silicone plugs to cover threaded holes during painting and they have been really useful. I'd recommend them if you're painting a lot of items since they save on prep time and keep paint out of sensitive areas really well. I used close to 10 plugs on each spindle and it only took a minute with cleaner lines compared to tape.

My package with new front ball joints and a replacement steering rack boot were finally delivered yesterday. I ordered them on Nov 24th. I can finally finish installing my front suspension when I get back in the garage on Sunday.

I had a lot of trouble disassembling my rear suspension parts from the spindle. It's difficult when they're not attached the car and move around while you're trying to break free rusted bolts. The first rear link I was working on, came off without the bushing that remained rusted to the spindle bolt. I ended up cutting the bushing off but didn't want to do that for each of the other 3 bushings. So I went and bought a 4lb engineering hammer at Lowes. This thing is AWESOME. It broke free the other arm on the same spindle, and the other 2 arms on the RH spindle with several good whacks. I didn't think it would be that much better than a 3lb dead blow hammer but I was wrong. It transfers a lot more energy and can actually break free rusted bolts. Spend the $25 at the beginning of your build. It would have saved me a $40 bushing that took 3 hours to ruin, and helped me before I ruined the other 3 bushings.

I spent Saturday working on my rear-rear firewall before Bruce (1 of my dachshunds) slipped a disc in his back and I spent the next 3 days at the vet/neurologist. He's on 6 weeks of strict crate rest but is already recovering quickly. He's walking pretty well but Monday we have a follow up and we'll decide if he needs surgery. Before I left town on Tuesday I finished and painted my firewall with high heat, gloss black paint so it could cure for 7 days while I'm gone. I think it's going to turn out well but I wish I used thicker aluminum. All Lowe's had was 0.025" aluminum sheets and it's flimsy and difficult to work with. I would recommend at least 0.040" like most of the FFR panels. The 2 bottom panels will get black rivets, and the top 3 panels will get black 10-24 button head screws so they can be removed. I have some thin 1mm self adhesive seal I'm going to use between the panels and the frame.

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[Jetfuel]

Green sweater guy is the helper/ copilot...right???

Jet

[AZPete]

Work looks very good. I'm glad you are taking good care of Bruce.

[mcamera]

Green sweater guy is the helper/ copilot...right???

Jet

Yes he is. Doesn't even need a jack to get under the car.


Work looks very good. I'm glad you are taking good care of Bruce.

Thanks. We got good news this morning that he doesn't need back surgery. Just a solid month of rest. Best news this year.

[roadrashrob]

Feel better Bruce! My dog blew out his ACL a year ago. Who knew dogs could have such human (and expensive) ailments?!! ;-)

I've been powder coating some of my parts, so have the silicone plugs for that process. Agree they have come in handy while painting as well. Easy in, easy out...

Pickup our kit a week from today! Can't wait.

[mcamera]

Feel better Bruce! My dog blew out his ACL a year ago. Who knew dogs could have such human (and expensive) ailments?!! ;-)

I've been powder coating some of my parts, so have the silicone plugs for that process. Agree they have come in handy while painting as well. Easy in, easy out...

Pickup our kit a week from today! Can't wait.

Congrats! Good luck with the pickup and inventory. It's fun just going through the different parts.

[mcamera]

Front suspension, steering rack, sway bar, and rear-rear firewall installed. I used 1.5mm thick, 1" wide foam in between the rivnuts for the firewall. My rivnuts stand out 1mm from the frame so this will fill the gap in between and hopefully stop any rattles from the panels. I found the foam on Amazon and now that I've used it, I can say it's high quality. Dense closed cell material, great adhesion, and rated -60-300ºF. Here's a link for anybody that's interested.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WK2J1BN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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[Scott Meyer]

Progress looks great! As we just finished our fuel tank and fuel lines, I might suggest you be prepared to remove that rear firewall a few times to fit the tank, and run the big fill hose and the supply/return/vent lines to the engine.
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[mcamera]

Thanks! The firewall will be removed for most of the build. I just wanted to line everything up before I riveted the bottom panel on permanently. Looking good you guys are moving quickly. Have you pressure/leak tested your fuel tank since it's common for the FFR tank to leak? Or considered an extra vent tube since it's difficult to fill with the inlet being half way up the tank? Are you going to do any foam/hydramat in the tank to help with the fuel starving issues?

I see you already have your engine in. I'm hoping to drop mine in within the next week. I'm going to change the spark plugs, engine mounts, swap in a Killer B oil pickup, and do the coolant pipe mod before I drop it in though.

[Scott Meyer]

Good luck with your engine install. If you can get a hand it’s not too hard, we were halfway up in the air with the engine on the hoist, and had to stop and think...and then my son and I had it in within 5 minutes. He’s the driving force behind the speed of our build.

Since we have a 2007 NA donor, our fuel pump is not what’s depicted in the manual. Got it figured out and yes, we are adding a dedicated large diameter vent right above the filler tube location. I’ve not considered filling or pressure testing the tank. Might be scared to try it now...he’s got electrical harness stung all across the tank and frame.

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[mcamera]

I'm very close to dropping the motor in but I had a laundry list of items I wanted to do first:

- Wayne's coolant mod
- STI Group N engine mounts
- Killer B oil pickup
- Spark plugs
- Alternator
- Throttle body

The arm on the tensioning bracket for the alternator cracked, but luckily it's above the locking bolt so the belt's tension doesn't rely on it after the locking bolt is torqued down. It might have cracked from putting it in my dishwasher? I know cast metals are porous but I didn't think a 200ºF bath would be a problem for a part attached to a hot motor.

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[mcamera]

I also started to convert my transmission to 2WD, but I'll have to wait until I get the axles attached. The gears are spinning when I try to take off the last few parts so I can't get them loose.

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I'm waiting on some backordered FFR brackets to assemble my rear suspension, so in the meantime I got my control arms and trailing arms cleaned up.

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[DSR-3]

Great progress- keep on it (and posting).
Maybe it's just me, but I am always surprised when I see the stock lateral links* with the sway bar mounts "not removed". Cut and grind those warts off!
*AC Delco makes nice adjustable ones for ~$100 a pair so you don't need to use/be limited by the eccentric mount bolt adjustment.

[roadrashrob]

Ha! I don't even have my kit yet (on the board to pick it up next Monday!) but made sure I cut those ears off before I powder coated the links. They would have drove me crazy!

139659
The paint job looks amazing!

[RPGs818SNA]

The arm on the tensioning bracket for the alternator cracked, but luckily it's above the locking bolt so the belt's tension doesn't rely on it after the locking bolt is torqued down. It might have cracked from putting it in my dishwasher? I know cast metals are porous but I didn't think a 200ºF bath would be a problem for a part attached to a hot motor.

I think maybe the previous owner tried to adjust the tension without loosening the locking bolt? While you are waiting on the axles, be sure to pop the race out of the back of the transmission housing if you haven't since you took the photo. Wouldn't want it rattling around inside. Very nice color on the control arms.

[Scott Meyer]

You can use a long blade screwdriver and “wedge” the gears inside the front axle I put shaft splines to keep the tranny from spinning whilst you use an impact gun to remove the subject nut. Same from reinstalling it with the 2WD conversion part.

If you’ve not already bugged Bob in shipping at F5, he and I have exchanged many emails and think they shipped us the POL parts for the upper IRS brackets today via FedEx

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I also started to convert my transmission to 2WD, but I'll have to wait until I get the axles attached. The gears are spinning when I try to take off the last few parts so I can't get them loose.

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I'm waiting on some backordered FFR brackets to assemble my rear suspension, so in the meantime I got my control arms and trailing arms cleaned up.

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Don't forget to take out this top bearing race. You don't want in bouncing around in your transmission.
139672

[mcamera]

I have to leave room for future projects right (upgrading the suspension/links)? I didn't even think about cutting off the old sway bar mounts.

That makes more sense for the alternator. I didn't realize it was cracked until I was installing it and the arm was wiggling a good amount.

I emailed David at FFR about the IRS brackets I'm missing. I'm still waiting on a corrugated tube that's been missed twice and shipped out 3 weeks ago? Who knows with the shipping this month haha. I'll take another look at wedging the trans so I can get that nut removed.

Thank you guys for pointing out the race I left in the trans! If it's not in the upcoming instructions I may have missed it.

I was up until 230am last night getting the motor in the car. It took me 5 hours... nobody else? Just me? My first attempt was a really steep angle that didn't look good so I backed it out and started over. I had to crank my load leveler all the way to one side and slowly inched it in. It was a very tight fit for the header heat shields on the bottom and the intake inlet on top. I removed the coolant bottle, a ground cable, and a mounting bolt for the intake so I could flex it under the top frame rail. I was literally sliding the engine in using the cardboard I wrapped on my frame. Then I put the trans mount bolts in first and I had 1" more to go for the engine mounts to find their slots. So I figured they were put on backwards. I took them off, swapped the mounts and brackets around, compared them to the OEM mounts, had a 5 minute talk with my imaginary friend, and we decided they were right the first time but needed to slide into place before the trans mount. Then I noticed that my engine hoist, on it's furthest setting, was hitting my frame so I couldn't slide the engine in the last 1". Eventually I pushed the engine mounts in place and pulled the trans mount into place. The trans mount is a little stretched just sitting there BUT!... the engine is in and nothing broke. Tonight we beer to celebrate.

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[Scott Meyer]

Glad you got the engine installed by yourself! We decided to forego the load leveler and used three nylon straps, and one of us lifted / pushed the tail of the transmission to adjust the angle.

Thanks Bob for posting about the upper bearing race. I didn’t catch that on ours and realize we need to remove the transaxle cover and shatter that puppy out of there.

[mcamera]

Glad you got the engine installed by yourself! We decided to forego the load leveler and used three nylon straps, and one of us lifted / pushed the tail of the transmission to adjust the angle.

Thanks Bob for posting about the upper bearing race. I didn’t catch that on ours and realize we need to remove the transaxle cover and shatter that puppy out of there.

A flathead screwdriver and needle nose pliers weren't working for me, even with a lot of force, but a 90º pick fit behind the race and pulled it out very easily.

[Scott Meyer]

Do you think it would have come out eventually? We have a lot to disassemble now to get back inside...the rear housing.

[mcamera]

Do you think it would have come out eventually? We have a lot to disassemble now to get back inside...the rear housing.

Initially I thought no when trying with the pliers, but it's just a well toleranced hole. Once I used the pick, it slid straight out easily. I can imagine the vibration of the car working it out pretty easily.

[mcamera]

I have a couple questions about the Boyd fuel tank, but they're closed until 1/4.

Will I need to change anything to work with the Aeromotive Stealth 340 pump that's included?

Which fuel level sensor option works with the WRX gear? Standard No Fuel Level Sensor / Add 0-90 OHM Sensor / Add flange block off kit

Thanks for any help!

[roadrashrob]

If you get through to Boyd, please let me know. I reached out to them a month ago to try and purchase and identical tank to Bob_n_Cincy's, but they said that with Covid they were behind and not taking on any custom tanks until the new year. I emailed them and said I was in no rush, but never heard back. Now that I have my kit, I was planning on following up with them next week.

[STiPWRD]

I have a couple questions about the Boyd fuel tank, but they're closed until 1/4.

Will I need to change anything to work with the Aeromotive Stealth 340 pump that's included?

Which fuel level sensor option works with the WRX gear? Standard No Fuel Level Sensor / Add 0-90 OHM Sensor / Add flange block off kit

Thanks for any help!
The Aeromotive 340 is a drop in replacement for the stock fuel pump and comes with its own new hanger in the Boyd tank. One thing to consider is that it is a higher capacity pump and will draw about double the current of the stock pump at high load (full throttle). The stock fuel controller will support the Stealth 340 but I wouldn't consider it a reliable long term solution. To be on the safe side, I went ahead and upgraded my fuel controller and power wires. Some others have also just bypassed the oem fuel controller and run a thicker 12V power wire directly to the Stealth 340 but this presents 2 possible issues - (1) running the pump flat out all the time reduces its lifetime and (2) the oem fuel pressure regulator has difficulty keeping up with the higher flowing pump so the car will run a good bit richer. I also ended up getting an Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator for more consistent fuel pressure.

The Subaru fuel level sender is designed to read 104 ohms empty and 4 ohms with a full tank. I believe Boyd's sender comes 0 ohms empty and 90 ohms full, so you will need to take it apart and flip the float lever, which is pretty easy.

[mcamera]

Thank you for the explanation! I "hotwired" the fuel pump in my old 3000GT like you've mentioned with the thicker wire directly to the pump. I'll keep the fuel controller and FPR in mind for when I move beyond stock power and stress the fuel system more.

I added the optional 0-90 fuel level sender to my Boyd tank, so I'll make sure to flip that around to 90-0. I found a few posts about this on the forum and it sounded like the easiest way to have an accurate fuel gauge. No adding resistors to manipulate the sensor readings, no fuel gauge that never reads full, no guessing when the car is actually near empty.

[mcamera]

I randomly read a comment that the dead pedal aluminum isn't mentioned in the instructions. Sure enough, it's in the pic but not talked about so I had to go back and fit those in. I'm overly proud of my solution on the passenger side where I already had rivets from the front firewall. I drilled out holes so the aluminum would sit flat rather than on top of rivet heads.

140444

Is there a piece that's supposed to cover this hole where the coolant pipe goes under the dead pedal? I'm ready to add sound deadening to the floor and I want to make sure all the aluminum is down first. There has to be something that covers this hole.

140445

My gas pedal flexes a good 1/4" when pressing it so I'm looking for a way to stiffen it up. Most of the flexing is coming from the gap between the pedal and the metal bracket. There is also some flexing of the metal bracket itself though. I tried this aluminum shim which helped but not enough. I might need to make an extra brace or bracket out of angle aluminum. I'm open to ideas if anybody has one.

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[roadrashrob]

[QUOTE=mcamera;440452]Is there a piece that's supposed to cover this hole where the coolant pipe goes under the dead pedal? I'm ready to add sound deadening to the floor and I want to make sure all the aluminum is down first. There has to be something that covers this hole.

140445
In the class, that got closed off much later in the project....

[RPGs818SNA]

Here's what the piece looks like when installed. It takes some adjusting to get it to fit nicely.140448

[roadrashrob]

Do you actually have your box 6 with all the Aluminum? It would be in that.

[mcamera]

I have box 6, I just can't find in the manual where it says to install it or the part number. I'll take a look at the parts sheet for box 6.

I don't see a problem installing it now. I'll still have access to the coolant pipe that passes through from the outside of the car if I need it.

[roadrashrob]

Lucky you!!! I'm not looking to putting on those bottom panels later whenever I finally receive mine. Was hoping to do it with the car on its side, and even flip it upside down and coat the bottom with Bed Liner. May still be ambitious and build a rotisserie for the car! but that may be over-ambitious given everything else that we need to do... :-)

[aquillen]

Rotisserie - I used my engine dolly from Harbor Freight for a few days on one end of the frame, and the other hung on a BIG c-clamp hanging off my chain hoist hook. Hairy looking but worked great.

[RPGs818SNA]

My gas pedal flexes a good 1/4" when pressing it so I'm looking for a way to stiffen it up. Most of the flexing is coming from the gap between the pedal and the metal bracket. There is also some flexing of the metal bracket itself though. I tried this aluminum shim which helped but not enough. I might need to make an extra brace or bracket out of angle aluminum. I'm open to ideas if anybody has one.


There are several good ideas here:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26364-Throttle-Pedal-Stop

I’m better at woodworking than metalworking, so I used half a 2x4, notched it to fit, painted it black to look like steel, and bolted it in. I had to chisel out a little under the pedal to get full depression, using old fashioned carbon paper to mark the spot. I’m pretty sure it’s stronger than I am.

140485

[mcamera]

There are several good ideas here:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?26364-Throttle-Pedal-Stop

I’m better at woodworking than metalworking, so I used half a 2x4, notched it to fit, painted it black to look like steel, and bolted it in. I had to chisel out a little under the pedal to get full depression, using old fashioned carbon paper to mark the spot. I’m pretty sure it’s stronger than I am.

140485

I like the pedal stop ideas, I might have to do something like that. I'm more concerned about the gas pedal wiggling side to side when being pressed though, than the bracket being pressed too far and needing a stop.

[mcamera]

Painted the rusty rear spindles. I thought they would be an eye sore in the engine bay if I didn't.

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From sitting in the car without a seat, the steering wheel seemed really close to my body and I've seen the gap between the column and dashboard in other builds so I compressed the column 1" to start. I had to drill a 3rd set of mounting holes to bolt the column in. I'll do a final check whenever I get seats and the dashboard in. I might compress it more.

140620

I bought a red caliper paint kit, but decided I didn't want to show off how small the Subaru calipers are so I returned it for a black paint kit. TireRack has awesome customer service. It turned out really well. Time consuming prep work and not as smooth as powdercoating, but unless your face is 2ft away you would never know. Especially once they're hiding behind rims. Custom decals are on the way but I might just leave them black.

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I've been running brake lines which is proving to be tricky. I'm very particular though. I'm worried about rattling or buzzing if the line is too close to surrounding metal so I've been very careful with my routing.

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[Scott Meyer]

How did you go about compressing the steering column? We’ve mocked our new seats up and the steering wheel is definitely too close for comfort. Brake lines are fun, aren’t they! We just got ours completed along with clutch lines, but haven’t tried to fill or bleed the system yet.

[Ajzride]

How did you go about compressing the steering column? We’ve mocked our new seats up and the steering wheel is definitely too close for comfort. Brake lines are fun, aren’t they! We just got ours completed along with clutch lines, but haven’t tried to fill or bleed the system yet.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?10668-longislandwrx-Insert-Cool-Nickname-Here-Build-Thread&p=150494&viewfull=1#post150494

[mcamera]

How did you go about compressing the steering column? We’ve mocked our new seats up and the steering wheel is definitely too close for comfort. Brake lines are fun, aren’t they! We just got ours completed along with clutch lines, but haven’t tried to fill or bleed the system yet.

I marked every 0.25" inches on the middle tube with a sharpie so I could see how much I was compressing the column. You can see it in this pic. Then using a hammer I gently tapped the middle tube down 1". Then I hammered the top skinny tube down 1". It compresses easily with a hammer.

140627

I had to drill new holes to bolt the column to the frame, just below the 2 sets of holes that came on the frame. In this pic it's the furthest holes, towards the front of the car. Make sure you leave enough room for the bolt head when you choose the location for the new set of holes. Not a lot of room to play with since the bracket is angled.

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[Ajzride]

If you also want to drop the column along with shortening it, I have a 3D printable bracket to drop it and also move the holes back so you don't have to re-drill.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4197710

[mcamera]

If you also want to drop the column along with shortening it, I have a 3D printable bracket to drop it and also move the holes back so you don't have to re-drill.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4197710

Did you print it as a solid part or partial fill? Is it PLA? I think you'd want it to be pretty strong so your steering wheel doesn't fall in your lap while driving.

[Ajzride]

Did you print it as a solid part or partial fill? Is it PLA? I think you'd want it to be pretty strong so your steering wheel doesn't fall in your lap while driving.

I printed it in PLA with solid infill, it's very sturdy. I also printed it in PETG but it was too springy.

[mcamera]

Still working on the brake/clutch lines. The instructions only talk about bending the lines but I had to cut and double flare a couple lines to make them fit well. You would have to bend some crazy shapes to take up the leftover brake line length in some areas. I don't think there's a good way to avoid cutting and flaring with the supplied brake lines. I painted the hats on my rotors black so they don't rust and after a lot of research on whether I could paint the braking surface or not I just went for it. It's a heated debate on some forums about the paint ruining the brake pads the first time they scrape the surface clean and you should never paint a braking surface, but it seems like plenty of people have done it without issues. It's easier to paint the whole surface and let the brake pads scrape the paint off of the braking surface. Leaving the rest of the rotor nicely painted.

140902

I'm missing the flexible clutch line that attaches to the slave cylinder so I ordered one along with a carbon fiber turbo jacket (my turbo is currently a beautiful rust color, and this will also reduce heat in the bay), a new fuel filter (recommended in the FFR manual since I'm about to start working on the fuel system), and some black Muteki lug nuts (I don't have any and they put me over the price needed for free shipping). I reinstalled my slave cylinder and my clutch fork was too short and jammed against the trans housing. I did something strange when I mated my transmission back to my engine so I had to pull them back apart a little bit and pull the fork up to reach the slave cylinder. Easy fix and everything is moving normally now.

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Still waiting on IRS brackets for my rear suspension which are holding up a few things. I'm not going to put my rear brakes on until I get the suspension installed. So I'll have to wait to bleed my brake lines. I still find it funny that FFR can assemble an entire car kit in 10 weeks, yet this bracket has been on backorder for 6 months. Supply chain is a tricky beast lol. They've been good at communicating with me though which is appreciated. My Boyd fuel tank should arrive tomorrow too!

[Scott Meyer]

Hey if you need a brand new banjo bolt (free) for the WRX slave cylinder let me know. I’ve got one that didn’t fit our 2.5 NA transmission.

Sorry you didn’t get the rear IRS brackets yet. I bugged Bob @ F5 shipping incessantly and that’s the only POL item he sent us to date (oh and some black plastic trim). We still don’t have Box 6 (all of the aluminum). Just about ready to start the engine and we don’t have any under body aluminum.

At this point I’m not sure if call their communication good, or just polite when they reply a day or two later when I ask for a status update.

As for the brake lines, I think I’ve cut the factory end off every one that was going to the OEM connection and double flared new Metric ends on, so we didn’t have to use the adapters, but your correct, it’s nearly impossible to use the lengths provided without having to do the flared ends.

[roadrashrob]

Did you print it as a solid part or partial fill? Is it PLA? I think you'd want it to be pretty strong so your steering wheel doesn't fall in your lap while driving.

I picked up a solid piece of 1/2" Aluminum from OnlineMetals.com and will fab a bracket similar to the 3D model Ajzride printed, but with holes where I need them not grooves as I can't mill the grooves. Will also cut out a good portion of the center to shed weight/bulk.

[roadrashrob]

Also, 6 months on the IRS brackets??? That would have me at summer before I can even think of a rolling chassis.... :-(

[mcamera]

Scott Meyer
Hey if you need a brand new banjo bolt (free) for the WRX slave cylinder let me know. I’ve got one that didn’t fit our 2.5 NA transmission.

Sorry you didn’t get the rear IRS brackets yet. I bugged Bob @ F5 shipping incessantly and that’s the only POL item he sent us to date (oh and some black plastic trim). We still don’t have Box 6 (all of the aluminum). Just about ready to start the engine and we don’t have any under body aluminum.

At this point I’m not sure if call their communication good, or just polite when they reply a day or two later when I ask for a status update.

As for the brake lines, I think I’ve cut the factory end off every one that was going to the OEM connection and double flared new Metric ends on, so we didn’t have to use the adapters, but your correct, it’s nearly impossible to use the lengths provided without having to do the flared ends.

Thanks for the offer but I should be set. Ordered a clutch line and I have the original banjo bolt. Missing Box 6 shouldn't be too bad for you guys. You'll get a good shoulder workout drilling and mounting the floor aluminum though! I'm being polite since they respond to all my emails within a day, but not a lot of action is being taken. I only used a metric fitting on the brake master cylinder where the line has to stay low to clear the windshield surround. I had to cut that line anyways. The only other cut I made was the middle of the brake line running down the driver side. Everything else I managed to bend the lines to avoid cutting and flaring.


Also, 6 months on the IRS brackets??? That would have me at summer before I can even think of a rolling chassis.... :-(

I ordered my car at the end of July and I'm still waiting on a few parts including the IRS brackets. I'm being told some of my parts are being shipped at the end of this week so we'll see.

[mcamera]

It's here, it's aluminum, and it's beautiful. I've seen some people put foam under the fuel tank when they install it. Has anybody tried anything else that they did or didn't like? I have 1mm thick foam I could easily use as a buffer.

Also do the slotted holes in the floor at the back of the fuel tank area need to stay open? I'm guessing this is for water drainage since the 818 normally doesn't separate the engine bay from the gas tank and water could collect there and rust. I have a 2nd firewall between the tank and engine so I'm less concerned about this. I'm more concerned about road noise and the fuel tank being directly exposed to the road through these holes.

140982

[mcamera]

Good news and bad news. Bad news, it looks like Boyd changed their internal baffles so my $180 Hydramat may not work. I'm going to contact Holley and see if they think it will still work with both ends sticking up over the baffles. Good news, the new baffles look like they should be much more effective. They create a square cup around the fuel pump to retain fuel locally and also have floor-to-ceiling baffles about a foot past those to stop fuel from sloshing side to side across the entire tank. All the baffles have their corners cut so fuel can move between compartments. Pics and diagram below.

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I reversed the float on the sender as the guys before me have pointed out is necessary to work with the subaru equipment (must read 90ohms when the tank is empty). Just mark and remove the long skinny float rod and install it on the otherside of the pivot. Then rotate everything under the cover 180deg.

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Fuel pump assembly from Boyd using the Aeromotive 340 Stealth pump. I have an 07 donor that uses an in tank fuel filter which won't work any more. I'm switching to the 02-04 fuel filter which mounts outside of the fuel tank. I prefer OEM quality and barbed hose fittings vs an aftermarket fuel filter which uses 6AN fittings and cost 3x as much.

140993

[STiPWRD]

Has anybody tried anything else that they did or didn't like? I have 1mm thick foam I could easily use as a buffer.
I used 40 mil thick vinyl from home depot - the kind normally used as a moisture barrier. It's cheap and worked well.


Good news and bad news. Bad news, it looks like Boyd changed their internal baffles so my $180 Hydramat may not work. I'm going to contact Holley and see if they think it will still work with both ends sticking up over the baffles. Good news, the new baffles look like they should be much more effective. They create a square cup around the fuel pump to retain fuel locally and also have floor-to-ceiling baffles about a foot past those to stop fuel from sloshing side to side across the entire tank. All the baffles have their corners cut so fuel can move between compartments. Pics and diagram below.
I've also got the hydramat but the older Boyd tank and have never experienced a fuel starvation issue. As I understand, as long as any part of the hydramat is touching fuel, it will work as intended. If the edges are sticking up, that shouldn't be an issue.

[octobersknight]

Watching this thread with great interest! Amazing progress so far. I'm also working in a one-car garage when I have free time, it's taken me two years to get a full rolling chassis. That's mostly because of other life duties, not because of the 1-car. If I could change anything it would be to figure out where to store the hardtop. Working under/around that is a real bear most of the time. Good luck on future progress.

[roadrashrob]

Watching this thread with great interest! Amazing progress so far. I'm also working in a one-car garage when I have free time, it's taken me two years to get a full rolling chassis. That's mostly because of other life duties, not because of the 1-car. If I could change anything it would be to figure out where to store the hardtop. Working under/around that is a real bear most of the time. Good luck on future progress.

How high is the ceiling in your garage? Can you hang the hardtop? I did that to keep it out of the way, yet not let it "flatten" out by sitting on the ground. I'm fortunate in that I have a utility barn, so just wrapped it well to keep the birds and dirt off of it.
141108

[mcamera]

STiPWRD - Thanks for the feedback on the vinyl sheet. I haven't seen that yet, I'll check it out. I heard back from Holley and they said it would probably work but it's not ideal. The same response I'd expect if I asked if I can drive on 3 wheels. They recommended switching to a smaller hydramat with an incompatible 3/8" NPSF fitting.

octobersknight - Thanks! This is definitely a time consuming project. I've already put 250 hours into the car, but I'm not in a huge hurry. The 1 car garage hasn't been an issue yet. The car is small without the body and wheels. I did what roadrashrob did and hung the roof from my ceiling. There's a pic in post #33. I ran a rope through PVC pipes in a way that I can lower the front with 1 rope and the back with 1 rope. So I can do it by myself. I wish I covered the roof like Rob because it has collected a lot of dust and overspray from painting in a small garage.

[DSR-3]

I used a sheet of rubber from McMaster under the Boyd tank.
Leave the slots/holes open. If you have a fuel leak, you want the fuel the exit the car. I have real-world experience with this one...

[mcamera]

DSR-3
I used a sheet of rubber from McMaster under the Boyd tank.
Leave the slots/holes open. If you have a fuel leak, you want the fuel the exit the car. I have real-world experience with this one...

Very good point with fuel leaks. The slots are staying open.

[mcamera]

I'm using Noico 80mil sound deadening mat + Noico Red 315 mil insulation for the cabin of the car. It's been easy to work with and sticking really well. I used some behind the fuel tank before I forgot and tried to install the tank. I didn't realize the Boyd tank came with no fuel fittings and there was a learning curve when shopping. The firewall is only a few inches above the top of the fuel tank and the fuel hose is stiff, so I wanted 90deg fittings for easier routing. I attached a pic of my order from Summit Racing to work with the latest Boyd fuel tank + FFR fuel lines. I'll confirm once I know it all works.

For the pump outlet, I ordered a male -6 AN ORB fitting that adapts to a male -6 AN fitting. Then a 90deg fitting with a female -6 AN to a 5/16 barb for the fuel hose. The ORB fittings are also called a straight cut o-ring fitting or o-ring boss fitting, but they're different than a -6 AN fitting. And even though it has a "-6" for it's size, a lot of sites talk in standard units like 9/16-18". It was confusing.

For the fuel return, I got a male 3/8NPT that adapts to a male -6 AN fitting. Then the same 90deg fitting as above with a female -6 AN to 5/16 barb for the return hose. The return hose is 1/4" but it should stretch over the 5/16 barb.

I also had a hard time finding a 70mm fuel filter bracket for the 02-04 WRX fuel filter. I should have just ordered one from Subaru but I'm trying a different one I found on Summit. I've decided to use my leftover 1mm closed cell foam under and behind my fuel tank for some padding as you can see in my pic.

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Here's the Noico sound mat laid down under the seating area. I still have to add the insulation on top of this. I didn't do the foot wells yet because they oil can really badly and I want to fix that before I insulate. I've ordered a 1/8"x12"x36" sheet of aluminum that I'm going to cut in half and use as a heel plate for both foot wells. The 12"x18" panel will fit without any extra trimming and hopefully stop the panel from oil canning. I'll RTV and rivet it in place and check before I insulate. I think I can get away with only reinforcing the back half of each foot well since that's the only place you stand to get in the car. Cheaper and easier than buying bigger panels to cover the whole foot well. Or burning through your powdercoat by torching/quenching the floors. Or cutting the floors out altogether and replacing them with thicker metal. I almost bought sheets of plastic but wanted to make sure my sound deadening would stick well. And even though steel is stiffer and cheaper, aluminum is 1/3 the weight and doesn't need to be painted for corrosion resistance. We'll see if my plan works out or if my (supposed to be) easy fix snowballs into more metal purchases haha.

I plan to cover the front half of the foot well with sound mat, so there isn't a 1/8" lip where the aluminum stops. Then cover that aluminum and sound mat with another layer of sound mat. And finally insulation. That way I have a smooth floor and avoid any annoying lip that could catch my heel when driving.

141476

I finally got my IRS brackets!!! 6 months after ordering my car. I painted them a few days ago and started installing the rear suspension last night. I'm going to clear so many parts off of my bench that have been waiting for the brakes/suspension/axles to go on! I also got my caliper decals and really like how they turned out. I tried to think of something that was close to the same amount of letters as "Subaru" which was originally painted on there. For me that was the only way to get proportionally sized letters for these calipers. Not tiny text you can't read, and not 3 big letters that only fill half of the flat spot on the calipers.

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[mcamera]

The fuel fittings I ordered work great. They fit underneath the firewall and installed easily. My driver side firewall hits the fuel inlet on my Boyd tank before it can reach its final position though. I'll have to bend the horizontal section of the firewall or shim the bottom up about an inch to clear that.

141618

The fuel filter bracket I took a gamble on is perfect. The mounting holes are the exact same spacing as the old mounting holes for the AC compressor. I just need to drill out the mounting bracket holes a little bit, and buy 2 shorter bolts. This makes good use of dead space on the engine (where the AC compressor used to be) and I don't have to mess with mounting the filter to the frame rail and through my rear-rear firewall as the manual recommends. Here's the part number and a link if anybody wants a cheap and easy fuel filter setup using an 02-04 WRX filter. I had to switch over since my 07 filter was mounted in the fuel tank and now I need an externally mounted filter.

$19 - Canton Racing Filter Mounting Bracket - Part# 26-893 (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/CTR-26-893)

141620

Here's how I tried to fix the oil canning of the floor pan. It's a huge improvement but I can still make it pop if I put all of my weight in the middle (160lbs). Of course I will never be standing straight up in the finished car, so I also tried getting into my car with the steering wheel in place, just to confirm that I don't need to make the floor stiffer. My feet never make it near the front of the plate and there's less weight on your feet when you're climbing/falling into the car. I think this is enough to fix the issue. I'll be adding sound deadening and insulation to the floor which should also help a little. More videos in the posts below.

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https://youtu.be/wr0gc--17uY

[mcamera]

https://youtu.be/Mw44r8kWHPo

[mcamera]

https://youtu.be/CUoFWxfh-qs

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Mcamera
This is how Eric Hansen fixed his floor oil canning.
Bob


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ8JZunruRA&feature=emb_logo

Here is a link to his build page
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?11755-33-Machine-electric-818e-build-Sold!-Headed-to-China!&p=171885&viewfull=1#post171885

[aquillen]

I did that torch thing with some good some bad results. I've read it works better with a hotter flame - acetylene - but need practice first? Eventually I ran some wire feed beads that worked on my first try...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?20434-Art-s-818-build/page2

post #43

[mcamera]

I saw that torch trick when I was researching and it is clever. I wasn't sure if that could take out the larger warps in the floor though. Looks like Art has seen some areas that it didn't fully solve the problem. I also didn't want to burn through my powder coat. For me gluing and riveting a panel in was the easiest. The floor is a lot better but still pops if I put all my weight on it (which will never happen in the finished car). If I did it again, I would buy a larger sheet of aluminum and cover the entire footwell. Not only to make it a little stronger, but to remove the lip created by my heel plate. I surrounded the plate with deadening mat, then covered all of that with deadening mat, then will cover that with insulation, and finally carpet. I can still see the plate lines through the insulation so far, but I'm hoping with carpet it's not noticeable. Minor but annoying.

141835

[roadrashrob]

So, now that I have my bottom aluminum I'm getting ready to install it this weekend. I had no oil canning on the driver's side, so was feeling lucky. As a result of this post, I really checked carefully both sides. Not so lucky on the passenger side. Absolutely terrible. I have an acetylene torch, so will try "torching" and cooling it, and post the results in my build thread. Depending on the results, I may additionally, or alternatively, still cover and bond some .125 aluminum to the interior. A small weight penalty, but the oil canning would bother me every time someone gets in the car.

Thanks for raising my attention to it before I was further into the build! Stay tuned for my results....

[mcamera]

First and foremost I'd like to thank mikeb75 for noticing in an earlier pic that I used the coolant hoses as fuel lines. I had a couple boxes open at the same time and grabbed the wrong hoses. The coolant hoses are not compatible with fuel and I'm sure I could have found out a much more difficult way. The hoses have been swapped out with the correct fuel lines. Thank you Mike!

I spent 1 minute trying to mount the cinderblock of a Subaru charcoal canister before I realized I wasn't going to use it. I was inspired by some guys on the Roadster forums to make my own canister from a PVC coupler filled with activated carbon. It should eliminate any gas fumes in the garage. For now I'm leaving it open to atmosphere but I'm going to look at adding the purge solenoid in the future to make it a closed system again.

142233

On to the kraken. Wiring is not my strong suit so I'm learning a lot already. I was unhappy with how constricted and stiff the OEM harness was so I unwrapped all of it which gave some sections extra length. It's a messy job removing all the tape, sheathing, rubber, and plastic sleeves. My fingers are still sore from peeling. However, everything is laying out better and takes up less room without the bulky coverings. After some planning, I cut my alternator wires so I could move a large section of the harness and a couple fuse boxes up to the passenger footwell where I have more room to mount them. The manual says to mount the fuse boxes above the gas tank but when FFR redesigned the rear firewall a few years ago, they eliminated that space. Unless you mount them on the interior of the car directly behind the passenger seat. I only have to extend 4 alternator wires for this move which seems worth it.

142234 142235 142236

My ecu wires didn't reach the manual's suggested location behind the passenger seat on the engine bay side well, so I mounted it to the middle of my rear-rear firewall on the cabin side. This also allowed more slack for some wires near the pedals, keeps the ecu out of the hot engine bay, and is still in a serviceable location. I didn't want to use a bolt/nut to mount it because that would be hard to remove in the future (the nut could spin when you try to remove the bolt), so I used a rivnut. I also didn't want the ugly end of a rivnut sticking out of the wall in the engine bay so I actually added the rivnuts to the ecu mount. All you'll see is the button head of a bolt in the engine bay.

142238 142239

My driver side firewall doesn't clear my Boyd fuel tank. It hits the top of the inlet housing before it sits all the way down. So I'm raising my entire rear firewall up using 3/4" square tubing to clear it. The 1/8" aluminum firewall is too hard to bend and this keeps my horizontal shelves for storage behind the seats. Downside is I'll have to cut ~1/2" off the top of the firewall

142240 142250 142252 142243

[mcamera]

I'm still working on wiring but my rear wheels were delivered so I had to try them on. They're a decent 45mm offset so I'll probably need spacers to gain more clearance to the front lateral link and push the wheels out to be flush with the body. We'll see when I get to that point. The fronts are expected today unless this snow storm effects shipping.

Wheels - Enkei Tuning TS-10 (Storm Grey)
Tires - Firestone Firehawk Indy 500

Front 17x8
45mm offset
205/40R-17

Rear 18x8.5
45mm offset
255/35R-18

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[mcamera]

Well I'm frustrated. I've been spending most of my nights for the last 2 weeks staring at the wiring and doing very little work. My harness came with my donor pallet and there are a lot of connectors that were just cut off. So I have no idea what the loose wires went to. On that note, what should I do with all the cut wires I'm not using? Just fold the end over and heat shrink each wire individually as a dead end? I'm guessing I don't want random ends touching each other.

I also can't find the plugs for my fuel pump or level sensor. I'm using the Boyd fuel tank so where do I splice the 2 wires from the fuel pump into the harness? Which wires go to the universal level sender on the Boyd tank?

I need to keep making progress on something to keep my morale up. I want to figure this out so I learn more about wiring but I'm confused.

Thanks, Mike

[roadrashrob]

Best source out there is Mechie3's guide at https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?11880-Wiring-Guide-06-WRX-Sedan-with-Auto-AC-HVAC

I'm having mine done by Wayne at VCP to avoid the frustration you are facing. I think I "could" have done it, but decided was better to spend my time on the physical build. Wayne was working on it this week, so hope to get it back fairly soon. With any luck, the engine will be dropping in next week.

[mcamera]

I've been using Mechie3's guide and it's been very helpful. It would be a lot easier if I had removed the harness from the WRX and I wasn't missing connectors. In some areas I have a cut bundle of 10 wires. I don't know how many connectors may have branched off of those 10 wires or which wires are for which system. If I just solve 1 problem per night I'll eventually run out of loose ends. Focusing on the fuel pump/sender wiring right now.

Is it ok to use a different size wire for splicing? I've already extended my brake/clutch pedal wires using the supplied FFR 16gauge wires and the OEM wires are 18gauge. Slightly bigger shouldn't be a problem right?

[roadrashrob]

Bigger is never a problem. Only smaller... ;-)

[STiPWRD]

As someone who dieted my harness I can try to offer a few tips.

1. The Subaru factory wire harness diagram is key - I couldn't imagine trying to diet the harness without it so hopefully you have the one for your model year. If not, PM your email and I can send you one. The diagram will hopefully answer your question about what connects to the Boyd level sender etc.

2. I found Larry's dieting guide most helpful, this is what I followed: https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?12055-The-Savage-build-thread&p=152338&viewfull=1#post152338

3. Most of the work is in the prep such as labeling all the connectors. Since some of your connectors have been cut off, this may be tricky but not impossible, it will just take more time. You will also want to remove all of the harness sheathing, trust me this will allow you to identify and remove wires and will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

It took me about 80 hours to diet my harness so it's a fair bit of work but well worth it in the end. If you break up the work into sub-tasks (Larry's guide) it becomes a lot easier. I began as a Subaru wiring novice but can now troubleshoot just about any wiring issue as a result of this dieting process.

[sgarrett]

I completely agree with those 3 points. The Subaru wiring diagrams need to become second nature for you. And DEFINITELY, remove the sheathing...all of it. I wish I had done that entirely before I started putting it into the car. The harness has still been my biggest nemesis so far in the build (doors are second and windows are third at this point, but windows are making a strong push for second...). In the end it is such a huge felling of accomplishment though once you have it done.

[mcamera]

Does the plan in my picture make sense? I know where my fuel pump relay is so I think I can trace from there. I've never read an electrical schematic before so I apologize if something stupid is in here :p

142895 142896

[Scott Meyer]

Michael,

My son is doing all of our wiring, it’s great to see him figure this out! As others suggested once you figure out the FSM diagrams you can trace anything pretty quickly. If it would help you, I can send you his phone # and you guys can compare notes or questions. He’s actively dieting off the items we don’t need now since the engine is running. Every time he removes a branch he’s confirming engine will still start!

Also / there is a separate sub harness that connects the fuel tank senders and pump to main harness. I know this cause somehow ours did not get saved from donor...and Liam had to buy a new one at the cost of $110!
Thanks
Scott

[STiPWRD]

Looks like you have the NA wiring diagram, there are wiring differences with the turbo version so just want to make sure you have the correct diagram (your signature shows 07 wrx). On the turbo wiring harness, the fuel pump wires run directly from the fuel controller. You'll want to connect the BW wire from the fuel controller to the Boyd Aeromotive pump (-) and the BOr wire to the pump (+). One of the fuel level sender wires runs from the sending unit to the ECU (LgB wire on connector C28), the other wire from the sending unit goes to ground (anywhere on the chassis).

142899

[mcamera]

Michael,

My son is doing all of our wiring, it’s great to see him figure this out! As others suggested once you figure out the FSM diagrams you can trace anything pretty quickly. If it would help you, I can send you his phone # and you guys can compare notes or questions. He’s actively dieting off the items we don’t need now since the engine is running. Every time he removes a branch he’s confirming engine will still start!

Also / there is a separate sub harness that connects the fuel tank senders and pump to main harness. I know this cause somehow ours did not get saved from donor...and Liam had to buy a new one at the cost of $110!
Thanks
Scott

Thanks for the offer Scott. I think I need to learn a little more before I can ask relevant questions lol. I'll let you know if I need to talk to him.


Looks like you have the NA wiring diagram, there are wiring differences with the turbo version so just want to make sure you have the correct diagram (your signature shows 07 wrx). On the turbo wiring harness, the fuel pump wires run directly from the fuel controller. You'll want to connect the BW wire from the fuel controller to the Boyd Aeromotive pump (-) and the BOr wire to the pump (+). One of the fuel level sender wires runs from the sending unit to the ECU (LgB wire on connector C28), the other wire from the sending unit goes to ground (anywhere on the chassis).

142899

Thank you for the correction, I do have the wrong diagram. Your fuel pump notes make sense. For the sender, did you mean the BrW B10 connector on the ECU? It looks like the LgB C28 wire goes to the Pressure Control Solenoid.

[STiPWRD]

Thank you for the correction, I do have the wrong diagram. Your fuel pump notes make sense. For the sender, did you mean the BrW B10 connector on the ECU? It looks like the LgB C28 wire goes to the Pressure Control Solenoid.
That's right, it's the BrW wire from the sender to the ECU, good catch. I just wanted to mention that I too had no idea how to read the wiring diagram when I started. But going through those steps in Larry's guide, it was very tedious but things began to make sense. Just take it one step at a time and if you get stuck, we're here to help.

[octobersknight]

Agreed with all points above. I kept all my wires segregated with the wraps while labeling so I could identify from the diagrams which connectors were which based on location and nearest-neighbors. Then I stripped off the sheathing. I also did my own diet and have had no problems (so far), but it is a big task. I added probably way more extension wire than I needed because I didn't move the "rear" fuse box to the front until I realized it would be in the way of the firewall. Just keep chipping away at it, take breaks to work on other bits to keep moving, and you will get through it. There is an amazing amount of brainpower and experience here (and on NASIOC in a pinch) when it comes to this. As you can see from all the responses, someone's probably been there and is super willing to help!

[mcamera]

The manual says to connect 2 red wires from the fuse box to the starter. I think this is because the battery is directly linked to the same starter stud. So the fuse box will get power from the starter stud. Correct me if I'm wrong.

143030

However, I don't see 2 red wires. I have 1 black wire coming out of the main 120A fuse on the fuse box. Should I wire this 1 black wire to the starter stud? Is this the single wire that brings power from the battery to all of the car's fuse systems?

143031 143032

[Scott Meyer]

Michael,

That’s correct. We struggled with that but Liam confirmed the color was black coming from fuse box. F5 supplies a 10 ga wire to connect to the 8 gauge on the OEM fuse box, which we didn’t like, so we did two wires.

[Ajzride]

Depending on where you are locating your fuse box and battery, consider installing some circuit breakers on each end between the battery and alternator, battery and starter, and battery and fuse box. I'm a little wary of having a hot 12v signal running the length of a mid-engine car.

https://smile.amazon.com/KUMEED-Circuit-Breaker-Trolling-Inverter/dp/B0756D7P5N/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=150+amp+12v+breaker&qid=1613839907&sr=8-11

[mcamera]

Thanks Scott and Liam. Sounds like the 2 red wires FFR talks about in the manual are (2) 10gauge sections you're supposed to splice into the 8gauge OEM wire. Like you've done, you probably need (2) 10gauge wires to handle the amps of a single 8gauge wire. Since my fuse is even higher (120A turbo / 100A NA) I'm going to buy an 8gauge wire to match the Subaru wire just to be safe.

Ajzride, I like the breaker you linked since it can also be used as a kill switch. My battery is in front as FFR intends, and my fuse box is under the passenger dash. Here's how my power lines run:

-Battery in front to starter in back (no fuse, wire not protected)
-Starter in back to fuse box under passenger dash (120A fuse at the fuse box, wire not protected)
-Alternator in back to fuse box under passenger dash (fuse at fuse box, wire not protected)

Couldn't I just put 1 breaker near the battery and it will cut power from battery to starter & therefore starter to fuse box? Then 1 more breaker from alternator to fuse box since that's a separate power source that my battery breaker wouldn't cover? I'm not great with electrical so sorry if something is wrong here. I appreciate the suggestions.

[Ajzride]

Couldn't I just put 1 breaker near the battery and it will cut power from battery to starter & therefore starter to fuse box? Then 1 more breaker from alternator to fuse box since that's a separate power source that my battery breaker wouldn't cover? I'm not great with electrical so sorry if something is wrong here. I appreciate the suggestions.

That should work just fine.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

That should work just fine.

I worry about a breaker between the battery and the starter. With a cold engine (0 deg F) you might see 300 to 400 amps. Just my 2 sense.

[Ajzride]

Bob has a point, I forget about cold weather issues since I don’t encounter them. On my car the starter is actually fed by an old school 1960s style solenoid, so the wire is only hot when cranking and no breaker is required. I have a line from the battery to the fuse panel with circuit breaker. I don’t daisy chain like the manual calls for.

[Ajzride]

Link to solenoid:

https://smile.amazon.com/Products-Solenoid-Motrocraft-SW-1951-C-Assy-Starter/dp/B07MH7BW3P/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=1965+mustang+starter+solenoid&qid=1613915474&replacementKeywords=starter+solenoid&sr=8-1-spons&vehicle=1965-54-688------------&vehicleName=1965+Ford+Mustang&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFJNzZYM1dVODBKMEImZ W5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwMzIzOTgyNUtNMVU3VEhGVkwmZW5jcnl wdGVkQWRJZD1BMDAwMjgwOEs2VTQ5Q0laQ01VWiZ3aWRnZXROY W1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdEx vZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

[mcamera]

Ajzride I think you answered one of my next questions. Instead of running an 8awg wire from the starter to my fuse box under the dash, I ran the wire from the battery directly to the fuse box. It's much shorter this way. There's also 2 less live wires running the length of the car (eliminates battery to starter & starter to dash wires). Sounds like this is a safe alternative to daisy chaining it like the manual says?

Good call Bob. I won't add a breaker to the main battery wire.

Any advice for good grounds? Just sand a bare metal spot and through bolt like the engine ground strap? Can I use a steel rivnut for a blind ground?

[Ajzride]

Add dielectric grease to the grounds.

[RPGs818SNA]

I tested a combination of rivnut, threaded hole, and threaded hole with nut, with and without dielectric grease. The dry threaded hole with nut was best, dry threaded hole without nut second, and dry rivnut a distant third. Dielectric grease increased the resistance in each instance, but not enough to outweigh the corrosion resistance it offers. Here are the voltage drops in millivolts at 100 amps. Really, any of them are acceptable.
Dry Greased
Bolt with nut 0.8 1.7
Bolt no nut 1.7 2.5
Rivnut 5.8 7.5

I ended up using a ¼-32 bolt into a threaded hole in the frame tubes, with the paint sanded off under the ground strap or ring terminal. For me, it was easier to drill and tap for a ¼-32 than drill for and install a rivnut.

Like you, I installed the main fuse box up front. I ran the battery plus to one side of a power cutoff switch up front, and connected the fuse box to the other side. I also ran 4 gauge wire from the switch to the starter and another 4 gauge wire from switch to the alternator.

To protect the long battery wire runs, I put a slow blow Megafuse between the battery minus and the frame. The slow blow feature avoids blowing the fuse during the initial current spike before the starter starts to spin. Fusing the negative side is unconventional, but equally effective, and easier to implement.

I understand your concern regarding the alternator as another power source. However, if the battery is fused, a short on the long alternator wire will cause the battery to push current into the short and blow the battery fuse. Then the short will pull the alternator voltage down to 1 or 2 volts, killing the engine. So you will get some current in the alternator wire, but not for long. That’s why I didn’t see a need to fuse my alternator wire.

By the way, I’m new to building cars, so I may have overlooked something important. You may want to wait to hear from the more senior members just in case.

[mcamera]

I have all the wiring connected and temporarily mounted. I've capped the ends of my exposed/cut wires with heatshrink so nothing is accidentally touching. Once I get my grounds attached I'll put the steering column back in and I should be able to turn the key to accessory for the first time to start troubleshooting.

143231

I unwrapped a front wheel last night and wasn't happy with the tire fitment. The 205/40R-17 tire is not wide enough for a 17x8 wheel. The rim sticks out and doesn't look great. Thankfully TireRack has a 30 day return policy so I called and talked to them. They don't have a wider 215/40R Firehawk tire to match my rear tires, so it looks like I'll be buying 4 new tires, swapping them onto my rims at a local shop, and returning my Firehawks for a refund. Great customer service and why I chose TireRack. A lot of sites don't allow returns on wheels/tires.

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[Bob_n_Cincy]

Just as a picture for reference.
I'm running 17x9 rims front and rear.
Toyo R888 235 front, 255 rear.
Bob

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[mcamera]

I've seen some creative solutions for the shifter on here, but there's a variation I haven't seen yet. I want the plastic FFR shifter, flipped around for rear exit cables (I bought Mechie3's bell crank), and mounted to the unmodified rails. I want a shorter shifter for looks, but I don't want to spend a lot of money or time on it lol. The problem I'm seeing is the vertical post in the middle keeps me from hanging the shifter in the correct location. I have to move the assembly forward several inches to stay in front of the vertical post (further reach), or stay behind the post (possibly too close and my elbow jams up against my seat).

Factory Five recommended position. Cables going to the front. Possibly punch the moon on a hard shift to 3rd.
143360

Shifter hanging under rails, behind the vertical post. Shifter flipped around so cables are going to the rear. Already ordered a straight short shifter since the crooked shaft now points away from me and far forward.
143361

With the lowered shifter behind the rails you can see my elbow is already by my side in the neutral position. There may not be enough room to move my arm back with seats. Can anybody suggest whether or not mounting this far back is a bad idea? I'm thinking I do this and if it's a problem when I get seats, I can move to plan B.
143359

Plan B is to cut the sides of the plastic shifter and straddle the vertical post. That way the shifter is closer to the FFR recommended location.
Plan C is to cut the rails and hang a steel plate to mount the shifter on.

[Ajzride]

Just cut the rails and mount the shifter where it is comfortable. Rails are easy to modify.

[lance corsi]

I mounted my seat first, insuring enough leg room. Then, I placed the steering wheel at the distance I like. After I had established these two parameters, I could sit in the seat, let my hand fall naturally from the steering wheel, and that is where I mounted my shifter in neutral position. It’s very critical, I think. I don’t want a far reach for buttons either. When belted in, everything must be accessible and comfortable.

[mcamera]

So I partially have electrical power. My security light blinks until I turn the key to accessory and then it turns off, which is good. And my odometer is lit up. But my fuel gauge hasn't moved down to empty, the dash lights don't work, and no hazards. I don't see any more female plugs to connect anything. I'm thinking some of the wires on my donor harness that came to me cut off, are the missing connections. I'll have to trace a few gauge wires tomorrow.

[mcamera]

I noticed today that the shifter location in my BMW is half way up my thigh. So mounting my shifter further back in the 818 shouldn't be bad ergonomically. But I'm going to wait until i have my seats as Lance suggested.

143381 143382

[mcamera]

4 months into building and I've made a Christmas tree. There's power! I had the wrong plugs connected for one of the steering column connections. It should have been obvious since one connector was blue and one was white, but they fit perfectly together. I was able to find the correct plug by tracing the power wire from the fuse box. I'm heading to Utah in a couple hours but the next item is getting the gauge lights working...

143418

[Scott Meyer]

Great job! Wow, did your donor really have 189k miles?

[mcamera]

Great job! Wow, did your donor really have 189k miles?

I hope it's just the cluster, the engine is supposed to have 80k on it. When I bought the donor pallet it was sold as an 06 kit. When I asked where the aluminum LCA's were I was then told it was actually an 07. Pallet didn't include wheels, seats, mirrors, and seat belts like I was expecting. I was told the mirrors and belts were accidentally left out. I've asked for them 3 times since August and still don't have them. Not to mention the hacked up harness. Who knows what my pallet actually consists of?

[Shawn818c]

So I partially have electrical power. My security light blinks until I turn the key to accessory and then it turns off, which is good. And my odometer is lit up. But my fuel gauge hasn't moved down to empty, the dash lights don't work, and no hazards. I don't see any more female plugs to connect anything. I'm thinking some of the wires on my donor harness that came to me cut off, are the missing connections. I'll have to trace a few gauge wires tomorrow.

you have the boyd tank correct? You have to flip the float so it will read correctly. Also, I have a set of 06 WRX front seats that I probably will not be using.

[mcamera]

you have the boyd tank correct? You have to flip the float so it will read correctly. Also, I have a set of 06 WRX front seats that I probably will not be using.

I did flip the float and it read 90 ohms at empty before I installed it. I don't think I have the correct wires hooked up. Today I took it out and held the float up with no change on the gauge. I did get a low fuel light to pop on though! Thank you for the seat offer but I've already picked out a pair of racing seats 🙂

[AZPete]

I believe it's illegal to sell used seat belts, which is logical, so don't expect them in your pallet. I bought new ones at seatbelts.com

[mcamera]

I spent a long weekend in Utah which was beautiful, so I'm just getting back to wiring. I fixed my fuel gauge issue. The wires were backwards on the fuel level sensor and the gauge took a good 5 minutes to fall all the way to empty. Without the battery hooked up, my resistance readings were inconsistent at the sensor and confusing me. It would jump from 0 to 120 and more often than not it would get stuck around 50. I couldn't figure out if I had bad connections or grounds but it doesn't seem to be an issue after I connected the battery. I also eliminated the SRS (airbag) light on my dash by jumping a power wire to complete the circuit. I still can't figure out why the gauges won't light up but I feel like I'm close.

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I bought a Torque Solutions short shifter which seems to be a great buy. The shifter looks normal now and the stick is no longer facing away from the driver at a strange angle (due to flipping the shifter around 180 degrees for rear facing shifter cables). It reduces the height by 2.5".

143646 143647 143648

[mcamera]

I'm trying to get the lights for the gauges to work, including the backlight for the outside temp screen. You can see in my picture that only the odometer backlight works. Yesterday the outside temp backlight came on while I was eliminating the ABS light. So it has power, nothing is burned out, and it must be grounded. Thinking I just had a bad ground I checked it using my multimeter and it shows a closed loop from the connector pin to the chassis ground bolt. The outside temp backlight has come on 1 out of 10 times I've turned the key on and the display always reads the outside temp. Any ideas on what else to check?

143736 143737

[aquillen]

In the process of working on about 5 different combo meters, for my build and fixing for some other guys, I was amazed at how many of the bulbs were burned out. Make sure they are good lamps... Lookking at an 08 schematic however, (don't have 07 here) I'm guessing you have newer LED based backlight unit, computer controlled. Not easy to guess what would be wrong without in hands or previous experience others may have here.

[mcamera]

I found the problem area for the the gauge lights but I still can't figure it out. Am I going about this the wrong way or not activating the relay correctly?

143749 143750 143751

[mcamera]

I fixed the outside temp backlight... by smacking the gauges. No joke. It flickered to life along with a flashing cruise control light. Net zero gain lol.

143784

[RPGs818SNA]

For your gauge lights, you’re on the right trail and just need to go a little farther. On slide 3, you have power on both sides of the relay coil, so it isn’t activating. Now follow the BW wire labeled POWER in green to section 24 Clearance Light and Illumination Light System to find out why it isn’t grounded. That wire goes into the Lighting Switch and when turned on connects to the Black wire that should be grounded. Be sure it is. Hope that works for you. Good luck.

[FFRWRX]

This won't help you at all (sorry) but I am in the same position. I have my wiring pretty much done and all the external lights work, but I never checked the gauge lights until now. Someone else asked me if mine were working after deleting the body control module; I didn't know until I just checked now and they aren't working. So there is something simple (hopefully) going on that we are missing.

Oh, I found this:

"Backlighting goes through the integrated unit. A simple workaround is to wire up an on/off switch that grounds the Orange/White wire to turn the lights on full brightness. More complicated is to create a simple pulse width dimmer that's controlled by the dimmer knob. It should only be about ten bucks worth of electronics parts."

I tried grounding what I think is the correct wire from this description but it didn't do anything.

Rick

[RPGs818SNA]

You’re right, Rick. My suggestion only gets power to the lights through the relay. Their ground goes through the Body Integrated Module, so you need both. I’d suggest checking the hazard switch light which uses the same power and ground as the gauge lights. There should be power on White Red and ground on Orange White. If you have power, you can try grounding the Orange White wire and see if the Hazard Switch light comes on. If so, the gauge lights should come on too. If that works, I’ll suggest some parts for a work around for the missing Body Integrated Module.

[mcamera]

We're getting there! I don't have the lighting switch so I just grounded the wire to check that the gauges work. Which it looks like the coolant/fuel bulbs might be burnt out. Now to see if I can wire the gauges to the stalk with the headlights like it's supposed to be.

143834

[FFRWRX]

There should be power on White Red and ground on Orange White.

Sorry for the small high-jacking of your build thread. I don't have power on the white/red wire so I'll have to hunt down what I did there. I suppose I could just put power on that wire, but I'd rather go through the schematics and see where it should be coming from and what I eliminated that cut the power.

Rick

[Scott Meyer]

Michael,
Liam found a place to get all new LED indicator lights and replaced them all with a nice blue color, but I think there were other options for color.

Let me know if you want a link...

[mcamera]

Michael,
Liam found a place to get all new LED indicator lights and replaced them all with a nice blue color, but I think there were other options for color.

Let me know if you want a link...

Yes please Scott! Thanks.

[roadrashrob]

Me too Scott! :-)

[Jetfuel]

Yeah Scott ...share the goods...:-)

Jet

[Scott Meyer]

Here’s the link to the blue ones Liam got:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-T5-74-2721-2723-1-led-blue-or-white-DASHBOARD-LED-CAR-LIGHT-Choose-Colors/270669279427?hash=item3f052570c3:g:Ia8AAOxyY9VRQYz q

[mcamera]

Things are coming to a crawl. The amount of work getting done for the amount of time in the garage is not good right now. I bled my brakes and clutch a couple days ago and had several leaks on the brake line. 3 out of 4 were from joints where I cut and double flared the end myself. I've spent several hours trying to reflare those connections with no luck. I don't think the cheap flaring tool from Autozone is very good. Those leaks also ruined my paint in a couple areas. Has anybody else had trouble with the cheap flaring tools? I'm about to spend $60 on a better Eastwood flaring tool.

Still can't figure out why my blinkers/head light switch don't work. Does the B71 connector (shown in pic) normally connect to the dash mounted dimmer in the WRX? Mine is currently not connected to anything so the blinker stalk does nothing. If I add a jumper from pin 1 to pin 2, the LH blinker works on the dash. If I add a jumper from pin 2 to pin 3 I get nothing. Is everybody manually wiring this in or am I missing a connector? Thanks for any help.

143849 143848

[RPGs818SNA]

B71, a semitransparent white connector, connects just under the turn signal stalk. That may help.

[mcamera]

B71, a semitransparent white connector, connects just under the turn signal stalk. That may help.

These are the only 5 connectors I have on my steering column. None of them match the headlight/blinker B71 connector.

143850 143851

[FFRWRX]

It isn't on a lead, it is up under the column near the steering wheel.

143852

[mcamera]

I found it along with 2 other connectors that didn't have a home. Thank you guys so much. This is one of the downsides of buying a donor pallet, I didn't remove these connectors from the WRX so I didn't know they were hiding under the steering column cover!

143853

[Scott Meyer]

Get a better double flaring tool! But I also had leaks everywhere but just kept going back and retightening the joints/connectors. After vacuum bleeding last weekend we’ve not had any more leaks, thankfully.

[STiPWRD]

Get the Eastwood double flare tool and it will save you a ton of headaches.

[Hobby Racer]

Get the Eastwood double flare tool and it will save you a ton of headaches.

I agree, one of the best tools I've purchased.

[mcamera]

Thanks for everybody chiming in. I'll buy the Eastwood double flare tool this week.

I'm working on relocating the coolant bottle. It interferes with the frame at the stock location. I need to get some longer coolant hoses to push it out a few inches.
143871

As I get closer to my first start, I'm trying to close up the engine. I capped the brake booster port on the intake manifold and I need to close the air pump system. For now I'm just looping the 2 ports together to close the system. Once I get everything working I plan to delete more items.
143872

[sgarrett]

You don't need to move the coolant tank. Just make a couple of brackets and 'tip' it forward. This is what they did on the FFR one in their showroom too.

143873

[Scott Meyer]

Craig also sells a machined bracket that does this relocation:

http://zerodecibelmotorsports.com/products/coolant-bracket-relocation-kit/

[mcamera]

sgarrett
You don't need to move the coolant tank. Just make a couple of brackets and 'tip' it forward. This is what they did on the FFR one in their showroom too.

Attachment 143873

I'll take another look but I didn't see an easy way to make this happen. I have a large bundle of wires underneath the bottle that keep me from lowering it in the stock location. My plastic bottle might mount a little differently too.


Scott Meyer
Craig also sells a machined bracket that does this relocation:

http://zerodecibelmotorsports.com/pr...elocation-kit/

I ordered this (along with other parts) at the end of December but last week Craig said he still didn't have them. He shipped out the other items last week.

[idf]

You don't need to move the coolant tank. Just make a couple of brackets and 'tip' it forward. This is what they did on the FFR one in their showroom too.

143873

I used some aluminum angles to move it out.143880

[Kurk818]

I used some aluminum angles to move it out.143880

Make sure to support the tank from the side/bottom as mine ended up breaking off when only supported from those two points as shown in your photos.

[mcamera]

Kurk I'm glad you said something. I've been wondering about that. I designed plastic degas bottles for Ford/GM/FCA for several years and one of the hardest tests to pass was the shaker table. The bottle would be bolted to a table at all of its factory mounts, filled up, and shaken at a certain frequency for hundreds of hours. The mounts often broke on early designs and would need to be made thicker or have ribs added for extra strength. I was surprised when I saw everybody mounting their 818 bottles to 2 out of 3 mounts and leaving it to hang there. I felt like it was a problem waiting to happen but I haven't seen anybody mention any failures. I'll make sure to add support for the bottom mount. I'm using flanged bolts and washers to distribute stress also.

[sgarrett]

I DEFINITELY did not use only two mounts. By tipping it forward I still used the bottom mount in exactly the same location. I agree that only two mounts could be a problem.

[idf]

Kurk I'm glad you said something. I've been wondering about that. I designed plastic degas bottles for Ford/GM/FCA for several years and one of the hardest tests to pass was the shaker table. The bottle would be bolted to a table at all of its factory mounts, filled up, and shaken at a certain frequency for hundreds of hours. The mounts often broke on early designs and would need to be made thicker or have ribs added for extra strength. I was surprised when I saw everybody mounting their 818 bottles to 2 out of 3 mounts and leaving it to hang there. I felt like it was a problem waiting to happen but I haven't seen anybody mention any failures. I'll make sure to add support for the bottom mount. I'm using flanged bolts and washers to distribute stress also.

Mine has been on the road for 5 years with no issues.

[mcamera]

I ordered new tires to fix the fitment issue on my front wheels. Except the Monro Muffler that Tire Rack recommended I send my tires to, couldn't install 35 series tires on their machine and failed to contact me within the last week. I found out when I got there this morning. I had to take 2 trips to move everything to a Belle Tire. And then 2 trips to get everything back to my condo since I'm returning the other tires. I emailed Tire Rack about their recommended installer and they gave me a $25 refund for my hassle and their customer support gave me a $50 voucher / updated that Monro's profile to reflect the tire size issue for future customers. Great customer service as always.

The fronts are much improved. The rim doesn't stick out nearly as much with the wider 215's.

Old 205's
143981 143982

New 215's
143983 143984

[mcamera]

I've been out of town for the last week so not much has happened on the car. Before I left, I spent a night cleaning up the garage. I disassembled the large plywood paint booth I had behind the car so I have more space for when I add the radiator/nose piece and the car gets longer. I also got my 1st set of tires returned to TireRack, made a smaller paint booth, and painted the front nose supports so they could cure while I was gone.

144542 144543

Last night I tried some new blue gauge lights which didn't quite hit the mark for me. Worth a shot for $6, but I've already ordered another set. I'm trying another brand in white for higher contrast.

Pitch black. This is the brightest the gauges will ever be. They still look dim and the numbers are not as clear as the OEM bulbs. Poor contrast.
144539

Dark with a light on in the back of the garage. Closer to real world driving with other cars' lights / street lights around you. I don't like how the the red gauge markings don't show up with the blue lights (redline on the tach, empty fuel gauge mark, high coolant temp mark). The lighting is also uneven. You can see how the FULL mark on the fuel gauge is brighter than EMPTY because the bulb is closer. Same with COLD being brighter than HOT on the temp gauge.
144540

Stock lights. Clear and even lighting. High contrast is easy to read.
144541

[aquillen]

The red rays of light have to exist from the light source or you won't get much red just because the plastic is red, etc., etc. Hence must either use white lamps mostly or carefully placed lamps of correct color behind the colored "parts"...

[Jetfuel]

Remove the non existing lights when normal (batt,check engine,oil and brake ) and see how it looks
Also give your eyes about 3-4 minutes to adjust to darkness before calling it too dim.
Jet

[mcamera]

I like the new white LED's much better. They have 3 LED's per bulb (1 on top, 1 on front, 1 on back) to put out more light in all directions. The blue LED's had 1 LED on the end like a flashlight which made 1 spot bright but did a poor job filling the surrounding area with light. You can see it best on the fuel/coolant gauges where 1 end is much brighter than the other. The white LED's make the needles and redline stand out again which I want aesthetically. Although it's now more of a pink-line haha. I actually prefer the brightness at half power with these. The 2nd pic I turned down the exposure on my camera so there's less glare. In real life I don't have any glare, everything is clear and sharp.

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stock, cheap blue LED, higher quality white LED

144657

$11 on Amazon. I might try their ice blue lights for fun. I'm hoping those are white enough to retain the red gauge features but add a blue backlight.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L8CZMWX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

[mcamera]

I got my Eastwood brake flaring tool (https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-on-car-flaring-tool-for-3-16-tubing.html) and fixed my 3 bad leaks. This tool is well worth the money and would have saved me hours + some paint that got eaten away in my front bay. Brakes are bled and leak free. My clutch pedal wouldn't push in all the way and wasn't moving the slave cylinder, so I had a friend pump the pedal for me instead of vacuum bleeding the system. The clutch pedal now moves well and the slave fully extends .

I added the front nose/radiator and finished the cooling system. Just need to cap the vent and overflow nipples on the radiator before I fill it. I did the VCP mod on the engine coolant pipe so that's where my venting will happen. I haven't found any good caps for the coolant nipples so I'm just going to clamp a bolt into a short rubber hose as a plug. I feel like I'm getting close to my first start!

144926 144927

[mcamera]

I got the engine closed up, filled the car with fluids, and had my first start yesterday! It went well and the car was actually not that loud with just the cat. I also learned a few things.

1) Even though I had the oil pan off to install the Killer B oil pickup, there is still a fair amount of oil in the engine. Tilting the motor to drop it in the chassis must have moved some of this oil back to the pan. I didn't expect anything to come out when I took the drain bolt off so naturally I spent 30 min cleaning up an oil spill on my garage floor.

2) The car wouldn't crank when I tried priming the oil system. I figured out it was just the clutch switch not being fully depressed by the clutch pedal. I adjusted the switch so it would be pushed in further by the pedal and the car started cranking. It took me about (5) 30 second cranks for my oil pressure light to go out. With a minute rest between cranks for the starter.

3) A Mighty Vac is too small to vacuum bleed a 3.5 gallon cooling system (also this car has a 3.5 gallon coolant system!). A couple hundred pumps later I gave up and used a shop vac to vacuum bleed. I just held it to the hose that goes to the barb on the engine coolant pipe (VCP mod). Just kept filling the coolant degas bottle as it got drained.

4) Even with my vacuum bleeding, there was still a little air in the system. My first start got near the hot side of the temp gauge after idling for 15 min. I turned off the car, let it cool down and pull some coolant from the recovery bottle, and the 2nd start never got past half way on the temp gauge.

5) Pour your trans fluid into the dip stick tube slowly. I poured too fast and the fluid burped and spilled on my trans a couple times. I have a bunch of dark water spots on my trans now that I'm hoping I can clean off without damaging the paint.



https://youtu.be/RP0zbVrGunc

[Scott Meyer]

Very cool! Glad you’ve gotten to this stage, and worked through some of the items that you were asking about.

Curious why your rear wheels were engaged and spinning after the start and when you walked around to the rear?
What are you going to do for tuning the engine? Liam hooked up with “RisingSun Tuning” here in Ohio and was able to get a basic tune loaded via the Tatrix 2.0 adapter and RomRaider open source program, to delete a bunch of stuff and really helped eliminate our excessive smoking (rich) and high idle, and also got rid of the check engine light.

We used a vacuum bleeder tool from Harbor Freight on the cooling system at both the engine fill port and radiator cap, and had no air in the system. Agree it took about 3 gallons of coolant.

[mcamera]

Very cool! Glad you’ve gotten to this stage, and worked through some of the items that you were asking about.

Curious why your rear wheels were engaged and spinning after the start and when you walked around to the rear?
What are you going to do for tuning the engine? Liam hooked up with “RisingSun Tuning” here in Ohio and was able to get a basic tune loaded via the Tatrix 2.0 adapter and RomRaider open source program, to delete a bunch of stuff and really helped eliminate our excessive smoking (rich) and high idle, and also got rid of the check engine light.

We used a vacuum bleeder tool from Harbor Freight on the cooling system at both the engine fill port and radiator cap, and had no air in the system. Agree it took about 3 gallons of coolant.

I'm not sure why the wheels spin, the car was in neutral. I can stop them with my hand and they stay still sometimes so the clutch isn't engaged. I feel like I've had other cars do the same thing. If anybody on here knows I would be interested to hear why they spin when in neutral.

I'm leaning towards a Cobb Accessport for tuning but now they charge $675 for the tuner, and require a $150 class to be allowed to use their software. Not including having the car professionally tuned for $500. You have my interest with the Rom Raider. $170 Tactrix cable + ~$500 tune is still less than just the Accessport!

[Ajzride]

I bought an Accessport and sent it back without taking it out of the box once I learned about RomRaider and the Tactrix cable. It's a way smarter move if you can handle the tuning yourself or can find a tuner who doesn't care about locking their work.

[roadrashrob]

I just (finally) got my wiring harness back from Wayne at VCP, and I'm extremely impressed! Way neater and more streamlined than I could have hoped. Will post more about it in my thread, but as many know he swaps out the ECU with a MegaSquirt based MS3 Pro. It has a built in USB port, CAN bus, and still has a serial port (why??), and I've been reading / studying a lot about TunerStudio. Only like a $50 upgrade from the free version to the upgraded version, but key is that it unlocks the "AutoTune" feature which seems really helpful. Can't wait to get the harness installed and connected.

[aquillen]

I think the trans rolling the wheels in neutral on a stand is typical. Mine does that as well. Easy to stop the wheel/s as you mention too.

[mcamera]

Fixed a coolant leak at the outlet on the engine and tightened all of the other clamps to be safe. My engine has been getting too hot and I can see bubbles in my coolant recovery tank when the car's running so the system is still working some air out. The coolant pipes on the sides of the car weren't even getting warm so coolant wasn't circulating. I've heat cycled the car a few times and it took another quart of coolant. Now the pipes are getting warm so there is circulation. I'm going to cycle it a few more times until the engine stops drawing extra coolant from the recovery tank.

Every website is sold out of the Cipher 2001 Euro seats that I want. I found a site that had them in stock so I ordered them, but 2 days later they said they're unavailable. I had a feeling that was going to happen! Also can't find my 2nd pick the Cipher 2009 seats. They're back ordered until June. My 3rd pick just shipped today, Cipher 2009RS seats. Black with black stitching. They don't have the "ribbed" cushions that I like but still look awesome. For twice the price I'm hoping they're sturdier and don't fade like I'd expect generic seats from Amazon to. I had entry level cloth Corbeau's in a previous car that flexed and faded pretty quickly, so I have little faith in generic seats doing better.

2001 - 2009 - 2009RS (what I bought)
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I have the Zero Decibel's bell crank mocked up on my trans and I'm going to turn the FFR plastic shifter around so the cables head to the back. I laid out a FFR shifter cable to see how excessively long it is.... it's a 14ft cable covering a 7 foot span. I don't like the idea of looping/hiding that much excess cable. Time to shop for custom cables like everybody else.

Back to cleaning up my wiring and modifying my rear-rear firewall for wires/hoses that now pass through. So I can fit my rear firewall/center tunnel.

[Ajzride]

If you get the Cipher and don't like them, I love my Braun Elite-X seats.

145455

[Russellmn]

I think the trans rolling the wheels in neutral on a stand is typical. Mine does that as well. Easy to stop the wheel/s as you mention too.

Was explained to me as just drag in the bearings imparting a little torque through to the output shaft. When the tires are on the ground there's more than enough resistance to prevent it from spinning.

[mcamera]

If you get the Cipher and don't like them, I love my Braun Elite-X seats.

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I looked at the Elite-X's but the sites I checked were also out of the style I wanted. That diamond stitching looks nice!


Was explained to me as just drag in the bearings imparting a little torque through to the output shaft. When the tires are on the ground there's more than enough resistance to prevent it from spinning.

Now that my engine has idled for more than an hour, the wheels rarely turn. Whatever friction was causing them to turn has gone away. Everything has been sitting for months and now that it's moving again, some corrosion has been knocked down or something is well lubricated again.

[mcamera]

I got my Cipher 2009RS seats yesterday and I really like them. The leatherette feels like a quality material and the stitching looks great. I have a little room in the waist, the bolsters are snug at my lats, and the harness holes are slightly above my shoulders. These should work really well for me. I'm 5'9", 155lbs, and have a 32" waist.

It looks like a great fit on the driver's side where the firewall is further back, but I don't think there will be room for the seat on the passenger side. I'll probably have to modify the passenger side firewall to match the depth of the driver's side. I'll work on fitting them this weekend.

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Side note, I noticed my Mishimoto radiator cap was slightly hissing on cool down so I ordered an OEM replacement cap. According to FastWRX, they prefer the OEM over any aftermarket caps. Sounds like leaking is a common issue for them. Just an FYI for anybody with an aftermarket cap.

[Kiwi Dave]

It looks like a great fit on the driver's side where the firewall is further back, but I don't think there will be room for the seat on the passenger side. I'll probably have to modify the passenger side firewall to match the depth of the driver's side.

I have the Euro version of those seats and I think they are cool-looking and comfortable. I am putting in the passenger seat today with the standard tank and rear firewall and I am mounting it in on home-made brackets so it clears the angled bar coming from the floor.

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It's not movable, but it is set in a comfy position. An option for you if you don't want to modify the firewall.

On the drivers seat, I used the sliders that came with the seats to get an inch or two of travel - I bolted them to a steel plate that is my floor in this area. You can have both adjustable if you modify the firewall.

Cheers

Dave

[mcamera]

I have the Euro version of those seats and I think they are cool-looking and comfortable. I am putting in the passenger seat today with the standard tank and rear firewall and I am mounting it in on home-made brackets so it clears the angled bar coming from the floor.

145815

It's not movable, but it is set in a comfy position. An option for you if you don't want to modify the firewall.

On the drivers seat, I used the sliders that came with the seats to get an inch or two of travel - I bolted them to a steel plate that is my floor in this area. You can have both adjustable if you modify the firewall.

Cheers

Dave

That's a good idea Dave I'll keep that as a backup plan. Working on my driver's seat more this weekend, but so far I have the slider mocked up so the slider handle is just behind the angled bar. Like that, the back of my slider is only ~2" from the firewall. So as expected, I can't do the same setup for the passenger side where the firewall is ~4" closer to the seat.

Another option is to modify the slider handle so it doesn't hit the angled bar, which allows me to move the seat forward another 2". The seat would still have to go up and over the angled bar like you're doing but I might be able to keep the slider.

A diagram for anybody that hasn't crossed this bridge yet.

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[FFRWRX]

Yes, that angled bar is in a really inconvenient place. It limits how much travel you can get from seat sliders; minimal on the drivers side and pretty much nothing for the passenger. I'm using the sliders on the passenger side but only as a means to mount the seat.

[Ajzride]

I cut out the angled bars, but mine is built for the street, not the track.

[DSR-3]

I used Sparco sliders (looks like all the others), tilted the seat 1.25" up, and it clears that bar mostly. The adjuster handle hits when forward (which is pretty far), so I did some fancy bends and cuts on the first side to get more travel, and left the other to start. Turns out that at 6ft tall I never move from almost full-back unless looking for things... Never been an issue on either side. I see you have the stepped tank, I would think you're "stuck" (sorry), but you won't miss the adjustment.

[mcamera]

Yes, that angled bar is in a really inconvenient place. It limits how much travel you can get from seat sliders; minimal on the drivers side and pretty much nothing for the passenger. I'm using the sliders on the passenger side but only as a means to mount the seat.

The driver's seat may not have a lot of adjustment but I want there to be room for a little fine tuning.


I cut out the angled bars, but mine is built for the street, not the track.

I'm keeping the angled bar for some added side impact safety. I think the chance of getting t-boned is much higher on the street (intersections/driveways) than on a race track where everybody is going in the same direction. I sat in my seat last night and had no support under my legs at the front of the seat. I need to raise the front anyways so I'll just go over the bar.


I used Sparco sliders (looks like all the others), tilted the seat 1.25" up, and it clears that bar mostly. The adjuster handle hits when forward (which is pretty far), so I did some fancy bends and cuts on the first side to get more travel, and left the other to start. Turns out that at 6ft tall I never move from almost full-back unless looking for things... Never been an issue on either side. I see you have the stepped tank, I would think you're "stuck" (sorry), but you won't miss the adjustment.

Looks like I need to raise the front of the seat at least 1" too. I'm going to buy some more steel this evening. Does your adjuster handle move with the seat? My adjuster handle doesn't so I have it set to just behind the angled bar and it stays there. One less headache for me. Even at 5'9" I'm close to all the way back (32" inseam for pants), but we'll see when I get the front of the seat tilted up more. I have a Boyd tank, but my firewall is still stepped. Depending on how my driver's seat install goes, I may cut the firewall to remove the step on the passenger side and duplicate my driver side install. Backup plan is to ditch the adjustment handle (interferes with angled bar) and just mount the slider in 1 position. I think similar to FFRWRX.

[DSR-3]

My handle moves forward- someday it will bite someone...
I find that even the little adjustment I use can be nice, mostly to change the back angle. The top of the seat is always maxed out, and there's really never enough leg room...
I bolted the rear holes (or did I drill more?) in the sliders to the frame tube. In the front I put a 1.25" steel tube across, bolting the silder to it, then the tube to the frame.

[mcamera]

Here's a little ergonomics study from installing my driver's seat. Hopefully this info will help somebody down the road. I know I debated a lot of options on how to install the seats and how well I'd fit in the car with them.

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[mcamera]

My shifter install with an ergonomics study. Hopefully this helps somebody figure out what to do on a future project. Or what not to do lol. To each their own.

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[Ajzride]

That is pretty much where mine sits now, you will be happy with it. I also went with an electric parking brake so I don't have any conflict with a handle or cables.

[DSR-3]

My shifter install with an ergonomics study. Hopefully this helps somebody figure out what to do on a future project. Or what not to do lol. To each their own.

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Suggest you design something stronger than thru-spacers for mounting. Consider some 1/2" Al plates. The loads on a shifter are high, sometimes really high, and you need something strong and stable with the beating it will take. Not a fun failure to deal with either.

[Hobby Racer]

Suggest you design something stronger than thru-spacers for mounting. Consider some 1/2" Al plates. The loads on a shifter are high, sometimes really high, and you need something strong and stable with the beating it will take. Not a fun failure to deal with either.

+1

I broke a shift lever off at high speed while coming into a chicane on a race track once, not a fun experience.

[mcamera]

Suggest you design something stronger than thru-spacers for mounting. Consider some 1/2" Al plates. The loads on a shifter are high, sometimes really high, and you need something strong and stable with the beating it will take. Not a fun failure to deal with either.


+1

I broke a shift lever off at high speed while coming into a chicane on a race track once, not a fun experience.

The shifter assembly is actually really stiff with the nylon spacers. They have a thick 1/8" wall thickness so they're not flimsy. I slammed the shifter around once I had it installed and there was no movement, but my cables aren't hooked up yet. Maybe the assembly will move more once there's a load on the lever. I'll look for metal spacers next time I'm at the hardware store now that I know my setup works. The nylon spacers were 1/4 the cost to try out. I don't think the nylon or my grade 5 bolts would ever fail, but I could see the nylon deforming and allowing some slop in the system. I agree it would be a pain to replace later so good call.

[fletch]

1/4 pipe works well in my opinion. That’s what I used to drop our MR2 shifter under the tunnel. Our spacers weren’t as long as yours but I agree rigidity is key here.

[Ajzride]

Mine is mounted in about the same spot, but I added additional 1" square tube to the floor frame and bolted it down rather than hanging it from above.

[mcamera]

Working on my center console. The first thing I did was cut the aluminum into 3 pieces so the top can be removed by itself. Now I won't have to remove both seats to pull off 1 big piece of aluminum on future repairs. Since I insulated the floor of my car, the aluminum also sat a 1/2" above my rails. Now it sits flat on the rails.

My shifter is mounted further back, so I don't have a lot of room for the handbrake. I'm playing with the mounting location but it looks like I'm going to buy a smaller Lokar handbrake like many others on here. The OEM wiring harness takes up a lot of space near the back and I won't be happy with a crooked handle across the console or a straight handle that squeezes between my seat and shifter.

I also ordered 8' shifting cables from Midwest Control. These are the only things keeping me from go karting.

I mocked up a side pod which was way more satisfying than I expected. Just 1 body panel made it feel like a real car lol. I wanted to see how far my rear wheels stuck out because I have very little clearance between my wheels and trailing arm. I wanted to buy the correct wheel spacers to be flush with the fender before I go karted, but I don't think I can accurately measure this until I have the rear bumper/hatch installed. It may push the fender out more. I'll live with the small clearance for go karting.

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[mcamera]

I reached out to 2 companies recommended on the Rom Raider website and neither have responded in a couple weeks. So I just purchased an Accessport. Gotta see what codes are keeping my check engine light on.

I've spent way too much time researching shift knobs haha. The Subaru knobs are $150. The Amazon ones are cheap, don't a have boot retaining ring, and often use a flimsy adapter. I don't like the look of the sphere knobs. The aftermarket metal knobs get too hot in the sun and my car will sit outside at work often. The aftermarket plastic knobs are boring and too light. I finally found a knob from Grimmspeed that should make me happy. Stainless steel w/ a textured black powdercoat. Looks nice, has a ring to hold up the shift boot, shouldn't be stupid hot like bare metal, weighs a hefty 675g, and cost less than $100. All it's missing is the shift pattern which isn't printed on top. Has anybody had any good/bad experiences with a shift knob they've tried? I know I'm over analyzing this but it's part of the fun building a car. Deciding what is and isn't worth it to you.

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[roadrashrob]

I got this on ebay and it's great. (and dirt cheap) https://www.ebay.com/itm/312278182177

Polished up the ZDB "shaft" on the shifter and it looks amazing.146400

[Ajzride]

If you want something that won't get hot look for a Delrin shift knob. I have a 450gram shift knob on mine, but I have the mechanical linkage, not sure how it would feel with cables.

https://raceseng.com/topology-build-your-own

https://www.hybrid-racing.com/products/hybrid-racing-130r-delrin-shift-knob

https://www.maperformance.com/products/ams-performance-version-1-delrin-shift-knob-with-logo-mitsubishi-dsm-evo-evo-x-ams-01-06-0104-1

[idf]

We like this Momo leather shift knob. Also have a FFR knob we will not be using and would be happy to sell. 146429146430146431

[J R Jones]

Mcamera, I have had a book on ergonomics and body-mechanics, but I can not find it. My memory is that a "punching motion" is natural and comfortable. When the forearm is pitched down, perceived forward effort is greater, I think.
I am dealing with 818 shifter issues and I am interested to know how you resolve the shifter spring load with the assembly rotated 180 degrees? The original configuration has a lever spring load on the left side of the pattern (1-2). In your photo the lever spring load is on the right side of the pattern (5-R). Is that acceptable, or do you have an additional modification?

[jbs72697]

We like this Momo leather shift knob. Also have a FFR knob we will not be using and would be happy to sell. 146429146430146431
I’m scheduled to pick up my kit next week. Hope you’ve been able to drive your 818 with the good weather we’ve had recently
I didn’t order a shift knob with my kit. Do you still have it available?

[idf]

I’m scheduled to pick up my kit next week. Hope you’ve been able to drive your 818 with the good weather we’ve had recently
I didn’t order a shift knob with my kit. Do you still have it available?

It is available. Let me know if if I can help with the pickup.

[jbs72697]

It is available. Let me know if if I can help with the pickup.
That’s a nice offer. As of now, my 89 year old dad wants to go but if his plans change I can let you know
Shoot me a DM or email how much you want for the knob. When I placed the order I thought I’d look around to find one I liked better, but the more I looked the more I thought the FFR one would be cool

[mcamera]

Ajzride
If you want something that won't get hot look for a Delrin shift knob. I have a 450gram shift knob on mine, but I have the mechanical linkage, not sure how it would feel with cables.

https://raceseng.com/topology-build-your-own

https://www.hybrid-racing.com/produc...rin-shift-knob

https://www.maperformance.com/produc...s-01-06-0104-1

I like that Topology knob. All of these would be in my top 5 if I don't like Grimmspeed knob. I almost got a Killer B delrin knob but decided to be adventurous and try a weighted knob. I'm hoping it adds a little confidence to my low shifter. Still waiting on my cables to see how shifting feels.


idf
We like this Momo leather shift knob. Also have a FFR knob we will not be using and would be happy to sell. Attachment 146429Attachment 146430Attachment 146431

Thank you for the offer. I already ordered a knob and it looks like you have another buyer.


J R Jones
Mcamera, I have had a book on ergonomics and body-mechanics, but I can not find it. My memory is that a "punching motion" is natural and comfortable. When the forearm is pitched down, perceived forward effort is greater, I think.
I am dealing with 818 shifter issues and I am interested to know how you resolve the shifter spring load with the assembly rotated 180 degrees? The original configuration has a lever spring load on the left side of the pattern (1-2). In your photo the lever spring load is on the right side of the pattern (5-R). Is that acceptable, or do you have an additional modification?

I'm not worried about the effort being too high, but the motion just feeling unnatural. I should know this week when I get my shifting cables and go kart. Flipping the shifter 180 degrees will reverse the push/pull of the shifting cables. I have a 5 speed bell crank from Zero Decibel Motorsports to reverse the motions again at the transmission. So they are back to normal.

[Ajzride]

I had the factory shifter reversed for rear entry for a while until I got a billet one. If you have the lever pressed out and turned around or get a straight lever, then the ergonomics are not affect. Flipping the shifter around does not change the effort, just the action as noted already.

[mcamera]

Has anybody else had to modify their shifter cables? I'm using the FFR plastic shifter turned around 180deg for rear exit cables + the Zero Decibel bell crank. I ordered 8' long cables from Midwest Control and I don't know if I ordered the wrong cables or they just need some slight modifications. The metal sleeve that the ends slide in and out of look too long and limit the travel at the shifter connections. I can cut those back 1" easily. But the cable for my side to side shifting looks several inches too long. I'd have to cut and tap that rod so I thought I'd ask before I ruin my cable I waited 10 days for.

Here's the Midwest cable I bought (x2)
https://midwestcontrol.com/shop/40-096-BH-BH-3-MSF-4-QD250

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[Sgt.Gator]

Side note, I noticed my Mishimoto radiator cap was slightly hissing on cool down so I ordered an OEM replacement cap. According to FastWRX, they prefer the OEM over any aftermarket caps. Sounds like leaking is a common issue for them. Just an FYI for anybody with an aftermarket cap.
First off there are two versions of the oem cap, one with ears and one without. See below, they are quite different and you don't want to reverse them....

Almost everyone puts the included Mishimoto Cap on their new Mishimoto Radiator. That is incorrect, here's what it says on the Mishimoto website:
"Caution
The provided Mishimoto radiator cap should replace the stock cap located on the expansion tank. The stock cap attached to the radiator should be installed on the Mishimoto Performance Aluminum Radiator. The Mishimoto radiator cap is a two-way valve, while the stock radiator cap is a single valve. Due to the difference in construction, the Mishimoto cap cannot be used on the radiator. If the Mishimoto cap is fit on the radiator, overheating may occur."

Of course that's assuming you are still running the stock oem setup with the degas/expansion tank and oem overflow bottle. Our 818 builders have used a variety of different methods. There's a couple of good threads on how to setup the system.

Whenever I hear a Subaru is having cooling issues (as in a WRX/STI/LGT) I always check the caps first. The oem cap with NO ears goes on the radiator, the oem cap WITH ears goes on the expansion tank. Folks get them reversed all the time because they are so used to having the radiator cap with ears on all their other cars. Subaru did that because they don't want you to open the cap on the radiator, all filling should go thru the expansion tank.

[FFRWRX]

I'd have to cut and tap that rod so I thought I'd ask before I ruin my cable I waited 10 days for.
]

Looks like it should not be a problem to run the thread farther down the rod and then cut it off shorter. If you have a die, you can try running it down the rod (clamp it in a vice) and see how it goes before cutting the rod off.

[J R Jones]

Mcamera, My 818 cables are # 80238 0974W and they do fit. I am the third owner and assume these cables came with the kit. Your cables are a different format. You will have to alter cable and case to get the FFR dimensions. I would call the supplier and get the right cable format.
The ZDM transaxle cable mount kit that I have seen on fletch's car does not reverse the cable action. As stated on their web site the ($364) kit fits an MR2 shifter or a plastic Impreza shifter. facing forward.
If you reverse the Impreza shifter you may have issues with side to side lever travel. The shifter action is not symmetrical side to side. N to 1-2 is longer than N to 5-R.
Your nylon shift housing stand-offs are likely to deflect when you are shifting enthusiastically (IMO).

[mcamera]

J R thanks for pointing out my incorrect shifting setup. I didn't realize the MR2 shifter and a backwards facing FFR plastic shifter didn't function the same. I thought the bell crank was used to reverse the motions for both but it doesn't reverse anything. As is, my plastic shifter is backwards on the side-side motions and the front-backwards motions. I spent some time playing with the bell crank to see if I could reverse the motions but the amount of time it would take to develop a fix, make it robust, and look nice is too much. It's a tight area and it would affect my cable mounting or cable length. It's a complete tear up. I'm taking the easy way out and buying the Zero Decibel mid engine shifter. There's too much else to do. I also tried to cut threads on my shifter cable after shortening it and couldn't do it. The metal just spun in my vice and chewed up the end piece. It takes a lot of force to cut threads even with a new die set. Yes I used oil. I have to buy another cable with custom lengths once I get the new shifter in the car.

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I got my Cobb tuner and uploaded the lowest tune which is necessary to use all of the gauges/features. I only pulled 3 codes related to emission items that I removed and the missing secondary O2 sensor. Those will be suppressed when I eventually get a tune. But no big surprises! (yet)

147000

I bought a Lokar hand brake which is so much better than the monstrous OEM unit. I got it mounted straight, in a comfy area to grab, and only hooked up 1 brake cable to save on mounting room. I made a bracket with 1/4" thick scrap steel so I could mount this as far back as possible. 1/4'' is necessary, there's a lot of force on this bracket that was bending my 1st bracket. The cable took quite a bit of preload to work correctly but now it locks up the passenger wheel and the brake still doesn't drag with the handle down. I really hope the ZDB shifter doesn't interfere with this. It's perfect right now.

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My passenger seat is now mounted. I previously said I would mount it the same as my driver's seat but things changed once I got to work. There's no reason to slide the seat further forward so I ditched the adjuster bar (interfered with the frame bar in front of the seat) and have the seat set at a fixed distance. I set the seat as far back as I could go while still having a comfortable tilt that's not completely upright. I used the sliders for mounting so if I really need to, I can still slide the seat forward for fine tuning. It's not perfect but I had a 6' friend test the seat and decided that was plenty good for anything less than a long road trip. The seat bottom is still tilted to get over the bar in front of the seat.

147005

I also adopted a stray dog for an hour. Bear wandered into my garage while I was working and offered some advice. Everybody has an opinion.

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[Ajzride]

I didn't realize we had two shifter threads going on at once. We just went through the flipping around a shifter issues here:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?39408-Shifter-help

[J R Jones]

Mcam, That looks like a good dog, someone may be distraught. Coincidentally I was in Madison last week working under my MR2 when a dog licked my face. It was a visitor with a recent adoption from Alabama. WT? not enough dog owners in the south?
Threading the cables is complicated by chrome plating which is hard and brittle.
I have another roadster project with Lexus parts and a small cockpit. I had to angle-skew the handbrake handle to the right to clear the shifter. The ergonomics actually feel good.

[aquillen]

I suspect you are not going to revisit trying to thread the cable end(s) but if you do some tips -
Must be a good sharp die (you said it was new), not a cheap die from a low cost tap/die set either.
Sand/grind off chrome if exists (as mentioned above it is another problem spot).
Put a little taper, say 1/4" or less, on the end of the shaft to help the die get started.
You just about must have a lathe or other alignment jig that will hold the die and the shaft in center alignment to each other or the die will walk off center very easily creating a nasty, crooked set of threads that run further off center of the shaft as you get deeper through the die.
Top notch threading lube.
Grip/hold on both the shaft and die must be very strong - this takes a lot of force to cut the threads.
Not easy to do this particular task, especially without prior experience.

[mcamera]

I suspect you are not going to revisit trying to thread the cable end(s) but if you do some tips -
Must be a good sharp die (you said it was new), not a cheap die from a low cost tap/die set either.
Sand/grind off chrome if exists (as mentioned above it is another problem spot).
Put a little taper, say 1/4" or less, on the end of the shaft to help the die get started.
You just about must have a lathe or other alignment jig that will hold the die and the shaft in center alignment to each other or the die will walk off center very easily creating a nasty, crooked set of threads that run further off center of the shaft as you get deeper through the die.
Top notch threading lube.
Grip/hold on both the shaft and die must be very strong - this takes a lot of force to cut the threads.
Not easy to do this particular task, especially without prior experience.


It was surprisingly difficult and maybe the chrome was to blame as you guys have pointed out. I did add a taper and even then it was very hard to get started. I only got a couple threads cut before the whole piece started spinning and getting chewed up. I spent $65 on a tap/die set thinking I would use it again at some point, but a new cable is $60. I'll just have Midwest Control make me the correct cable with their purpose built tools.

[mcamera]

I'm waiting for my ZDB shifter so I'm tying up loose ends so the car will be ready to go kart. Torqueing down suspension bolts, finishing the rear firewall, mounting my homemade charcoal canister, making sure wires/brake lines won't rub moving parts, and putting the wheels on. Last night was the first time I've had the front wheels on and they hit the coolant lines at less than 1 full turn of the steering wheel. I mocked up a 6mm wheel spacer and there was no improvement. What kind of wheel spacers or steering limiters are you guys running? I don't like the idea of limiting the steering so I want to get wheel spacers but need the body installed first to see how far the wheels can be pushed out. My wheels are within the FFR recommended size but might have a higher offset if I remember correctly, they are 215/40R17 with a 45mm offset. I think FFR says a 40mm offset max.

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[Ajzride]

I might be a little disoriented, but looks like you will hit the side pods before you actually hit your hose. Make sure your hurricane bushings are not upside down, that can cause this issue.

[RPGs818SNA]

It does appear from your first photo that your hurricane bushings are upside down. Rev 1Z of the manual includes a photo of the recommended orientation with the flat arm up. The other issue is the coolant pipe protrudes outside the frame piece below it. One of the splash guards requires it to be inside the outer edge of that frame piece. I could not make my coolant pipes behave that way except by bending them upward and inward 7 degrees 6" from the hard pipe end. A little more bend wouldn't hurt.

Thanks for sharing so many helpful details about your build. I've thoroughly enjoyed following it.

[J R Jones]

RPG you have a good eye for detail I had to look several times to spot the C/A mount bracket. I think the Subaru orientation has to be pulled off and rotated 180 degrees to get the flat tab up and outside.
On the coolant tube. It may help to move the rubber coupler aft. Is the coupler too long? Moving the coupler aft will let the flex tube turn inward sooner, and away from the tire.
jim