Mechie3's 818S

[Harley818]

Mechie, you're making great progress along with all your extra parts and documentation.
I pick up my donor next week hopefully. 02 WRX. Then I can really get started.
All the best with the cold. It hovers around 35 - 40 here, but its a WET penetrating cold.

[Mechie3]

No real work done on the car. Too busy with other things.

Found out yesterday that the package due June 5th will be a girl. :)

Experimenting with a little bit if carbon fiber. This stuff is too thin but will prove the concept. I have a different sheet that I'll have laser cut that is quite a bit thicker.
http://i.imgur.com/I56VF7j.jpg

[07FIREBLADE]

Area those for the hood vents? Looking nice.

[svanlare]

Just ordered the coolant bracket, I'm sure I'm in for more parts in the future :-)

[wleehendrick]

Found out yesterday that the package due June 5th will be a girl. :)

Awesome... congrats again!

[Mechie3]

It's for the hood vent. I just traced the pattern and then cut it out. I ordered a 1 lb box of scrap carbon fiber from protech composites. It came with 1 12x24 sheet of 1mm thick and maybe 10 or so 12x24 sheets of .3mm thick. The .3mm stuff is too thin for anything beyond a simple veener, but is easily cut with scissors though the edges may be slightly rough.

[Santiago]

Found out yesterday that the package due June 5th will be a girl. :)


Woo-hoo! Enjoy the first 12 years!

After that, you'll have a teenage girl on your hands...nothing but DRAMA...every day, no matter what you do/don't do or say/don't say. In between you'll be busy fending off those little demons we call "teenage boys." 5-6 years later she'll come back from her first year of college a human being again, and you'll have your little girl back.

It will have been worth it. Ask me how I know. =)

Best,
-j

[Mechie3]

I told my wife yesterday "I think this means I need to go buy a shotgun". :D

[RM1SepEx]

mine is 17 and head cheerleader, I recommend an AK-47, more intimidating, all you have to do is pull the slide back to get uncontrolled flow from the bladder! :rolleyes:

[Frank818]

Found out yesterday that the package due June 5th will be a girl. :)

Congrats on the delivery! I'll pray it won't get BOed!

[metalmaker12]

No real work done on the car. Too busy with other things.

Found out yesterday that the package due June 5th will be a girl. :)

Experimenting with a little bit if carbon fiber. This stuff is too thin but will prove the concept. I have a different sheet that I'll have laser cut that is quite a bit thicker.
http://i.imgur.com/I56VF7j.jpg


Congrats Craig, very happy for you,your wife and families.

[Greg G]

I told my wife yesterday "I think this means I need to go buy a shotgun". :D

Just tell your wife to start saving your "Bail Money" now :p

[Greg G]

mine is 17 and head cheerleader, I recommend an AK-47, more intimidating, all you have to do is pull the slide back to get uncontrolled flow from the bladder! :rolleyes:

Guns are always good. The wife and I both have our OPEN CARRY permits (I love Indiana!), the wife has a .40 Sig Sauer and my daughter has a 22 long rifle with a scope. We are all stupid good shots too thanks to our brother-in-law who is a retired Marine Gunny.

The best thing I ever said to all my sister's boyfriends was, "...I don't mind going BACK to jail".

Worked every time!

[RM1SepEx]

Anniversary was yesterday, check out my wife's 30th anniversary present...

25570

Charter Arms, Pink Lady 38SPL aluminum anodized and hardened frame, SS barrel and cylinder only 12oz!

[JeromeS13]

OPEN CARRY permits (I love Indiana!)

What are those? :D THAT's one of the reasons I love AZ. Hell, we can even conceal carry without a permit (certain restrictions apply).

[Frank818]

Well, having this in Canada I would go to jail right away. It's good you guys have your own portable 818 anti-theft system. :)

[Mechie3]

Finally got to work on my car last night. Got the door skin fully moutned and the fender trimmed. Depending on how FFR cuts your fender you'll need to trim the backside. Metalmaker had to do this and looking at pictures of Erik's, Waynes, and the FFR built cars, there is very little lip to the fender. I didn't have to cut the top at all. Starting about 3/4 of the way up from the bottom I trimmed the lip to ~1/4". Still need to sand and smooth it out. Without this, the door skin can't line up with the crease on the side skirt and can't open. Be careful where you put your third screw to hold the bottom of the fender. If you put it too far back it will interfere with the door.

http://i.imgur.com/jZuSy3D.jpg

[Frank818]

Depending on how FFR cuts your fender you'll need to trim the backside.
...
Be careful where you put your third screw to hold the bottom of the fender. If you put it too far back it will interfere with the door.

Where are these spots exactly on your pic?

[Mechie3]

The pic is looking at the passenger door towards the front. The bolts aren't shown in this pic. Find my previous post about fender mounting. Look at the top of the gap between the door and fender and you'll see how the fender lip is very wide at the top, but narrow at the bottom. It all used to be wide.

[metalmaker12]

I personal would cut the top to match the part that gets wider so the lip does not seem to go out and in. It is pretty much what we all did if you look over all the cars. Looking good Craig, and I would go out and work on it except its like 5 degrees and with my heat basting it gets close to 30 if I am luckey

[Mechie3]

Well, I would work on mine but the radiator in my 02 popped today. Going to steal the radiator from my 818. Lol.

Im not sure what to do with the fender. As it is the gap at the bottom is non existent and gets bigger at the top. Cutting off more makes the gap even larger. I'll have to look at it some more.

[Mechie3]

Finally got a chance to work on this Sunday. Saturday was running errands and fixing the WRX. Doing repairs on older cars takes some of the fun out of working on the kit car as it just wears me out.

Finished mounting one of the doors. The catch plate drags some, so I have to adjust that. It's a bit awkward since adjusting that makes the gaps uneven. Maybe I'll let it "self clearance" and leave it at that. Mounted one of the mirrors too. Didn't really like how it looked. It's certainly functional, but looks like you took a mirror from a different car and bolted it on. I want to keep power mirrors too and there was nowhere to hide the wire.

I took the side panel that we remove and started to hack it up. Got it pretty close to where I want. It provides a place to hide the wires and makes it look like the mirrors belong. I still need to clearance the mounting bosses on the inside of the plastic to account for the thickness of the FFR mounting bracket. Two of the mounting bosses aren't held on by much anymore so I'll have to backfill it a little with some epoxy.

Left: Simple cuts to remove most of unused bracket Right: almost done
http://i.imgur.com/SnlYnyG.jpg?2

The FFR bracket actually fits inside pretty well. Wonder if they intended for us to use these in the first place, then decided against it.
http://i.imgur.com/YOEa6Ny.jpg?1

How it should look when done:
http://i.imgur.com/ZGJuSwr.jpg?1

Bolted on with FFR bracket:
http://i.imgur.com/wbBFxDe.jpg?1

Bolted on with plastic piece (note small gap due to standoffs not being clearanced yet)
http://i.imgur.com/62pVTcP.jpg?1

[Xusia]

Oh, Craig. Another awesome idea. I wasn't a real fan of how the stock mirrors looked, but couldn't find anything I liked better. This fixes my issues with the stock mirrors, so I'm really happy now! :)

[Frank818]

Brian, you can also wrap the mirrors with vinyl wrap of your choice, you know. :)

[Mechie3]

I just cut my second one and it doesn't quite match the first. The first one was definitely better. I'll have to see if I can get it laser scanned so I can make a better one and make them symmetric.

[Xusia]

Brian, you can also wrap the mirrors with vinyl wrap of your choice, you know. :)

Oh, I had already planned to do that! It was the mounting I wasn't happy with.

[Xusia]

I just cut my second one and it doesn't quite match the first. The first one was definitely better. I'll have to see if I can get it laser scanned so I can make a better one and make them symmetric.

How about offering a billet part? If you do, sign me up right now!

[RM1SepEx]

That is a perfect example for 3d scan and print

[Mechie3]

That is a perfect example for 3d scan and print

Exactly! Though I was thinking 3D scan and machine or 3D scan and carbon fiber!

I did find this last night: http://www.fuel-3d.com/

Coming this fall. $1100 3D scanner.

[RM1SepEx]

My friend Chris has:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/321266818489?lpid=82

http://airwolf3d.com/aw3d-hd-specs/

[Mechie3]

Been busy getting the nursery ready. It's too cold out to comfortably work on the car anyways as my motivation to work in 30 deg garage temps has waned considerably.

I've still been using my lunch times well though. ;) Modeled and machined a simpler version of the mirror cap. It's not as fancy as the oem, but will gaurantee the left and right are symmetric. I also didn't like how I had to epoxy the chopped up one to ensure it wouldn't fall apart. Needs some tweaking, but it's close.

http://i.imgur.com/oejZR0U.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/GvmCPe0.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/KcI5xmJ.jpg?1 (http://imgur.com/KcI5xmJ)

[Frank818]

Slick part! Again. :)

[ehansen007]

Very cool.

[Xusia]

OK. So how much for a set? :)

[indiana818]

i like how you slicked up the mirrors
kerry

[Mechie3]

OK. So how much for a set? :)

I'll have to get it quoted after I test fit it on the car. I'm going to guess they'll probably end up running upwards of $80/set if not much more. The little tiny delrin plugs for the ABS plates came back at $5.25/ea if I got 40. It's obviously cheaper the more I get, but there's risk to myself buying $400 worth of stuff only to sell one or two sets. These require two setups which increases handling and cost.

[Blitzkrieg]

30° garage is like summer.

[indiana818]

id like ti try a set

[Mechie3]

Hey...this thing still on?

Oh...hi!


I didn't get much done yesterday as it didn't get above 45 degrees until around 3pm. I just got over a cold and have no desire to get another one so quickly. Reorganized the garage, replaced a few rivets with rivnuts and screws, mounted my other V2 fender mount, mounted a mirror, and swapped the winter tires on the WRX for the summer tires on the 818. Felt good to actually do something to the car other than walk past it in the garage.

The front fender: Used 10-32 rivnuts. FFR says to use rivets, but then if you ever want to remove your fender, headlight, etc, you need a drill, rivets, and a rivet gun. Now I just need an allen key.
http://i.imgur.com/WhqMr1o.jpg

Mounted the mirror. The part I machined fits well. It completes the underside of the mirror, but I'm still not a fan of the gap at the top between it and the windshield. I might start looking for other options. I have a rather large gap between the door and windshield frame too due to the shape of the door.
http://i.imgur.com/6L5xlIv.jpg

Here's one of the reasons I haven't worked on the car in so long. The othe reason was it was so cold. This used to be the collect junk room. The floor used to have ~1000 hotwheel cars organized and lined up. :lol:

http://i.imgur.com/qwklQSg.jpg

[Pearldrummer7]

Pics of the hotwheels cars!

Mirror looks good! Need something to hide and protect the wiring for the mirror power, now.



Frank

[Mechie3]

The wiring will end up going into the door frame. I didn't want to drill the hole just yet. You'll only see about 1/8" of it total once it's in the door. I just bent it back for the pic.

[Pearldrummer7]

The wiring will end up going into the door frame. I didn't want to drill the hole just yet. You'll only see about 1/8" of it total once it's in the door. I just bent it back for the pic.

Ah, gotcha! Sorry about the confusion. Looks like the mirrors were actually made for the 818 now.

[RM1SepEx]

any baby news?

[Mechie3]

any baby news?

She apparently likes it when I shout at the dogs. I like to get them all riled up and shout "whoo whoo pebbies!" (the one dog is named pebbles). When I do that, the dog gets all excited and runs around. I did it once and she (the baby) kicked my wife so hard my wife said "owie!!!". Since then she'll usually kick on command when I shout "whoo whoo!".

Hahaha!

[RM1SepEx]

When is she due? My niece is due soon, complaining now that she can't see her feet! :rolleyes:

[Mechie3]

June fifth.

[Scargo]

I painted my son's room similar to that. Did blue and clouds on the ceiling, too. When he could get up, he grabbed the butterfly mobile I made and tore it to pieces.
Who did the decorating?

[Mechie3]

My wife and I did it together.

[EricScottZehnder]

My wife and I did it together.

Clearly...I mean, it does take two to tango... ;)

[metros]

Congrats on the incoming addition to the family. If this is your first then start stocking up on sleep now. The first 12 weeks are rough on sleep. My son is almost 4 months now and just starting to allow me to sleep more at night. A great adventure overall though.

[RM1SepEx]

The sleep depravation can last much longer... my daughter is going to be 18 in August LOL

[Mechie3]

Clearly...I mean, it does take two to tango... ;)

Hahaha!


Congrats on the incoming addition to the family. If this is your first then start stocking up on sleep now. The first 12 weeks are rough on sleep. My son is almost 4 months now and just starting to allow me to sleep more at night. A great adventure overall though.

My wife's dog is giving me good practice. Last night he woke me up at 4am to go out, Monday night he woke me up at 2am to go out (we didn't even get to bed until midnight). :unamused:

[Mechie3]

Old video from February I never posted.

https://vimeo.com/91300658

[longislandwrx]

Can we take up a collection to get you some new pants? :cool:

[Mechie3]

He he. I already have a new (wrecked) pair. The knees are just as bad but the crotch is intact. Hahaha!

[Mechie3]

Video from this weekend is still in process. Here are a few pics:

Did a rough cut of the back:
http://i.imgur.com/jU3I2zk.jpg

The issue I was describing earlier with uneven door gaps (not to mention I can't even open the doors more than 12" without them simply hitting the fenders and stopping).
Passenger side:
http://i.imgur.com/OaMyA5U.jpg

Driver side:
http://i.imgur.com/uOfj41u.jpg

Gaps at the front of the door. I've seen some others that have added fiberglass in these areas to fill it in. I might need to do that. This is the passenger side. I didn't fully trim that fender and the door can open more than the driver side. The driver side I fully removed the lip on the inside edge of the fender and the door can't really open. I need to mess with that and see why.
http://i.imgur.com/DsWjlGX.jpg

I test fit the side bezels and decided against them. I think Metalmaker was the first to do this, so we'll call it the metalmaker mod. I found all of the bezels don't quite match the bodywork 100%. For example, on the hood, the radius on the innermost edge of the bezel doesn't match the radius of the hood indent. The straight pieces match up pretty well. What you end up with is a nice 1/8" gap around the flat edges and then random gaps around the corners that make it look like the part was made wrong.

On the side bezel, the bezel itself tapers to a point and doesn't quite flow, IMO. The top edge is also mostly horizontal while the body tapers up and out thus making for a bezel/body mismatch again. I used a hole saw (1.25") for the bottom and a 1/2" diameter sanding drum to make the upper corner radii. Rough cut with a air saw that kept binding up and then filed it smooth. The outside flange is ~1/2". I'll mount some sort of screen behind it. It'd be cool to have a bezel like on teh aventador.

http://i.imgur.com/Jue9NgC.jpg

http://www.lambocars.com/images/lambonews/aventador_capristo_070812-10.jpg

Lastly, the disposable masks were letting some dust in as my nose felt dry afterwards. I got this bad boy on Amazon. It's the 3m 7500 series size medium. It's actually pretty nice.
http://i.imgur.com/ClOI6XU.jpg

[RM1SepEx]

Craig, how tight is your engine cover to the roll bar tubs? I'm thinking the 5/8 dimension is too short, even the photo on page 349 looks more like 3/4 inch!

[wleehendrick]

http://i.imgur.com/ClOI6XU.jpg

Luke... I am your Father!

[Frank818]

Your door opening issues seem quite of a problem.

[Mechie3]

Craig, how tight is your engine cover to the roll bar tubs? I'm thinking the 5/8 dimension is too short, even the photo on page 349 looks more like 3/4 inch!

It's decently tight, certainly rubs (it also rubbed from FFR during shipping and made wear makes through the PC to the steel).

If you move the body back, the doors won't reach the hinges. Ithink that's one of my problem.s The sheet metal on the front of the passenger firewall was flared out slightly (maybe 1/16"?) so when I measured my 5/8, it ended up being closer. That's why the passenger door fits well and the driver doesn't?

[Mechie3]

Messed up one pic above. It should have been this for the side vent:

http://i.imgur.com/4tdpT0G.jpg

[icky]

it looks like the gap is tighter at the bottom than the top. Maybe lifting the door hinges and tilting the door down a little so it still hits the striker?

[Mechie3]

Yeah, I'll have to try somethign like that. I'll need to mess with slotting the mounting holes some more.

[RM1SepEx]

It's decently tight, certainly rubs (it also rubbed from FFR during shipping and made wear makes through the PC to the steel).

If you move the body back, the doors won't reach the hinges. Ithink that's one of my problem.s The sheet metal on the front of the passenger firewall was flared out slightly (maybe 1/16"?) so when I measured my 5/8, it ended up being closer. That's why the passenger door fits well and the driver doesn't?

I need to look at a completed car in that area to see these areas. Can you measure the distance from the front edge of the rear firewall (FFR's thick one) to the fiberglass between the humps? That will help us understand the body position issue.

I think that if we move thr rear back it will be easier but as you said the doors and fenders will become an issue.

I also think that 6 months sitting flat didn't help our panels. I need to figure out the middle support for the engine cover and trunk

[metalmaker12]

Yea take some measurements and side pics etc, to me it looks like your front end needs lean back further to close the gap or the quarters need to go further forward . Maybe a little of both. What's you measurement of the quarter panel ( lower flat well of it, not the lip)

[Mechie3]

Can you measure the distance from the front edge of the rear firewall (FFR's thick one) to the fiberglass between the humps?
I posted this picture on your thread.


Yea take some measurements and side pics etc, to me it looks like your front end needs lean back further to close the gap or the quarters need to go further forward . Maybe a little of both. What's you measurement of the quarter panel ( lower flat well of it, not the lip)

What do you mean the lower flat well, not the lip? The quarters are 5/8" from the front firewall. Even if that side panel moves forward/back, the fender is lined up with the triangle mark on the side body that matches the V crease of the fender so that doesn't help the door not being able to open.



Cleaned some of the permanent marker off so the shape of the opening shows up better.
http://i.imgur.com/xexLXD8.jpg

Installed one of the carbon fiber side skirts.
http://i.imgur.com/xrOGniS.jpg

The instructions say put in a few rivets to hold the body as the rivets that hold on the side skirt will also hold the body to the frame. My side skirt is a good 1" away from the nearest frame member. Maybe the made a change? Not really sure. Either way, I lined up the bottom edge of the body with the edge of the frame (it was already close) and put in a few harbor freight rivets. I use these rivets when I plan to drill them out later. Cheap, and quality doesn't really matter. For the side skirt I clamped the rear end and used a jack to hold up the front as there is no clamping surface. Started in the corner, then about 3/4" in from the inner edge I put in a rivut every 6". I then put a matching rivnut in on the outer edge about 3/4" in from the outside of the body. I then added marks to attach the body to the frame in this same line. I ended up with 3 bolts/rivnuts in a row every six inches. The side skirt is attached to the body only. I used 10-32 rivnuts and button head screws (don't come with the kit).

http://i.imgur.com/1Pdazr5.jpg

[longislandwrx]

Guessing they cheaped out and shrunk the side skirts. Your solution looks good.

That picture makes it look like you are rocking snow tires.

[Mechie3]

They are snow tires. lol.

I actually like this way better I think. This way you can remove the sideskirt without removing the body and vice versa. I like it when things are independent so you're not trying to line up 3 things at once.

[Erik W. Treves]

Yeah be careful how far "out" you put those side skirts...yours look good... your "natural" approach to the car has you stepping right on the side skirt as you lean over to open the door! None of my cars ever had a side skirt so my habits had to change and it was HARD to do...I still catch myself almost stepping right on them!

[Mechie3]

Thanks Erik. I tried to make them flush front and back as there were no other alingment marks. I did imagine I'd have issues. Not just with me, but with passengers! I've considered making "no step" stickers for the sideskirt and the inside door frame and a "no handle" sticker for the windshield so they don't try to hoist themself out using that.

[metalmaker12]

I meant the curved part of the front lower section of the quarter, the one the aluminum wheel attaches to. 5/8 is good, can your tops of your fenders lean back at all, or the tops of your doors go in more?

[Mechie3]

ders could lean out a little...maybe. I have supports there already that pull them outwards a bit so they'll clear the hood. My doors actually contact near the bottom of the fender not the top. Doors could go in some but the fender crease is already further out than the matching door crease.

[wleehendrick]

Yeah be careful how far "out" you put those side skirts...yours look good... your "natural" approach to the car has you stepping right on the side skirt as you lean over to open the door! None of my cars ever had a side skirt so my habits had to change and it was HARD to do...I still catch myself almost stepping right on them!

Easy solution... since you're an aviator, you must be used to seeing these, right?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=27831&d=1397233683

Seriously, that is something I'm worried about (passengers stepping on them, that is)

27831

[Mechie3]

Well, this thread is coming to a bit of a pause. :)

Lorelai decided to surprise us Easter morning, about six weeks early. She's doing pretty good and breathing with minimal support on room O2 levels. We leave the hospital tonight but Lorelai has to stay several more weeks.

I still owe a few people parts from Zero Decibel. My goal is to get them out by the weekend as I should have some down time then. Didn't want anyone to think I forgot them or was trying to rip them off.

[wleehendrick]

Craig,

Beautiful name! Best wishes for for having her home soon with no complications... take care of your family.

[Frank818]

That's awesome Craig! Another "delivery" for you! :)

[thestigwins]

Congrats Craig! My son was born 6 weeks early as well and is currently in the nicu. We are hoping to take him home this week. It's hard leaving the kid to head home, however I am sure you guys have a lot of loose ends to tie up like my wife and I did. Get some rest while you can.

Grant

[Scargo]

Best of luck with the newborn. Life is full of surprises, isn't it?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Congratulations Craig

[indiana818]

congrats on the new addition!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Santiago]

HUGE Congrats Craig!! That's really a surprise entrance! :o

[AZPete]

Beautiful name! Best of everything for you all.

[Canadian818]

As everyone else said, love the name. Congrats!

[metros]

Congrats on the addition to the family!

[Xusia]

Congrats Craig! And I seriously doubt anyone thought were ripping them off. You are a stalwart of the 818 community!

[Aloha818]

Congratulations on your Easter Surprise! The FFR community will still be here when you have time to visit and get life back to normal, or should I say, the new normal, with the addition.

We all wish you the best and especially Lorelai!

[longislandwrx]

Congrats on your wonderful surprise. Hopefully she's home soon.

:D:):D:)

[GUNS]

Congrats!

[nikbrewer]

Congrats! Our twin girls came almost 9 weeks early last year. Tey both weighed 3 lbs, 14 oz. THey were in NICU for 1 month and came home at 5 lbs. THey just hit 8 months and1 is almost 18 lbs, the other 15.5 or so. The NICU is hard, but they are the most caring nurses and doctors ever. n a couple of months, you will miss having someone watch them and change the diapers for you! Trust me, i know. If you have any questions about premies' or the NICU, just shooot me a PM

[ehansen007]

https://vimeo.com/84042208

Video. You can see how many times I had to fit, trim, fit, trim, repeat on the headlight bucket the first time.

This is great. I had to do this today with my spiders. Thanks for posting this.

[Harley818]

Hi Mechie,
Awesome build so far.
Way back in post 23 you mentioned you chiselled off the dust shields for the rear brakes/hub. Do we not need them, or are they in the way of the wheels most are picking?
Thanks

[Mechie3]

I did it for weight reduction and to open up the rotor a bit for venting (I didn't have forced vents, so the shield acted as an insulator). The fronts are bolt on units that I removed back in 2007. I DD the car for another 5 years without every having problems with rocks getting caught in my caliper. The rears take more work so I never did them until the entire knuckle was off the car.

[Harley818]

Thanks Mechie.
BTW, congrats on the family addition. Take the time to enjoy them. I've got 3 kids and have enjoyed every minute (almost, except when the girls were cranky in their teens). Time flies, my youngest is 16 now and helping me with the build.

[Mechie3]

This thread has been quiet for a while. My schedule lately looks like this: Wake up, go to work, come home, eat, go to hospital, come home, go to bed. Rinse, repeat. I do manage to get some time to work during my lunch time still.

As part of the FFR Community award I won I was given a $100 gift certificate so I picked up their harness bar. Overall it's a pretty good piece but does require some modification (as per their instructions) and per my own wishes.

First, you need to trim the bar on each end in order for the solid rod ends to be able to tighten in far enough to reach the holes on the frame. FFR uses a swaged tube which comes in standard lengths and having you trim it is a cost savings measure. I put it on the lathe to do this. To fit the lock nuts, you need to trim it down even farther. The total amount to trim was too much IMO. I took the nuts that were .43" thick and machined them down to .25" thick. This let me leave an extra .18" per side on the rod itself. Total I had to cut off .44" from each side. There is still a good amount of thread left for engagement so I was satisfied.

FFR uses a cut tube as a spacer. It's a bit longer than it needs to be IMO at about 1.5". I didn't like how little contact area it had so I made a shorter spacer that was also fatter. I was able to close up the ID a little (.5" to .43") as well to reduce looseness. Now, when pulling on the bar, it creates much less of a moment vs the mounting point and puts less stress on the bolt (less likely to bend). I also made it out of titanium because I could. :D

As it comes from FFR:
http://i.imgur.com/647S5ii.jpg

With some Ti goodness installed:
http://i.imgur.com/ZjHIlbB.jpg

How the belt fits with the shorter length standoffs:
http://i.imgur.com/UUSa9Xy.jpg

[Pearldrummer7]

Wow! Great mod to the harness bar. I think a lot of people plan to run them; I bet you could start selling that spacer!

[Mechie3]

I could do it in stainless. In Ti it'd probably cost $80/set. Don't know if fancy colors are worth that much more. ha!

[Pearldrummer7]

I could do it in stainless. In Ti it'd probably cost $80/set. Don't know if fancy colors are worth that much more. ha!

How cool would the frame look in Ti.........


But yeah, in stainless for we that don't have access to a machine shop!

[07FIREBLADE]

Can always blue the stainless if you want.

[Xusia]

I also made it out of titanium because I could.

THAT was just plain awesome!

[taco20]

Hey by the pictures on FFR page the bar goes on the back side of the role bar. Could that be why the spacers are so long?

[Mechie3]

That's what I thought at first, and tried test fitting it before contacting FFR. When I had it that way it contacted the body and rubbed the frame. The area for the belt mounting was shifted towards the outside as well since the angle braces in the hoop blocked off some of the available area.

Here's a shot directly from the install instructions.29306

[taco20]

29313

This is the picture on FFR parts site. Looks like it worked better behind since now it won't hit the seat. My seat with the Boyd tank will almost hit the bars with the tilt back I have. So having the bar in front wouldn't work. I would be worried your seats would hit unless you have them pulled forward with the stock tank.

[Mechie3]

I have the stock tank and haven't refitted my seats yet. I had seen that pic which is why I tried mounting it behind. There's another photo in the instructions that show the bar installed on the green car in front of the roll hoop with the aluminum seats. Worst case I'll have to scavenge for some more titanium. :D

[billjr212]

wouldn't putting it behind the roll bar lessen the chance of a weld failure on the tabs in the event of an accident - particularly if you had 2 people in the car at the time? Basically as you pull forward on the belts, if there is any flex the bar would hit the roll bar and reduce the force/stress on the outer mounting points?

Just food for thought.

[Mechie3]

Yes. I had considered that too. I'm also thinking of making a bracket to secure the middle to the frame to effectively cut the moment arm of the bar in half. I think if it's behind the brace that the X takes up too much room and the belt will interfere with it. Not sure as my seats aren't currently in the car.

[Mechie3]

Ooops, I accidentally a prototype. :D

http://i.imgur.com/SYcpjzm.jpg

Just something quick and dirty I whipped up with parts I had lying around. It doesn't look pretty but only took a couple hours to make (2 lunch breaks). Once I verify it works as intended I'll make some fancy smancy CAD models and make it look all pretty and such. At least it looks better than the cardboard piece I used to mock it up. Ha!

General work on the car has been at a standstill since Easter still. The baby is home now though and things are going quite well. I spent some time getting my Fmod ready for an event this past Sunday (took FTD :D ). It was on a small figure 8/oval asphalt track with concrete walls. My last run I put down a super great time. My co-driver asked how I did it. I had previously said "after the slalom floor it, when you see the wall say "oh crap a wall, oh crap a wall" and then brake. My last run I said "oh crap" three times and then hit the brakes" ;)

I've got some other exciting Zero Decibel news to report soon too. I'll probably post an update here but it might hit Facebook first. Check out my page (see my signature) to see all my parts and some hints at to what is coming this weekend.

[Scargo]

Is this all 1:1 ratio?
I am doing a close-ratio six-speed and have this little whirly-jig* I got from FFR. Don't know what to do with it or how to mod the transaxle to make it work.
*"1 1 80743 EACH 05/03/2014 $299.00 WRX STI AWD-TO-FWD ADAPTORINTERNAL TRANSAXLE COMOPONENT ONLY - REQUIRES OTHER COMPONENTS FOR FULL CONVERSION"

Any thoughts about making parts/kit for a six-speed conversion?

[Mechie3]

I don't have a six speed to work off of. This can be 1:1 or something else. I have two holes right now that are slightly different so I can test out the feel and see which I like best. Might make it with multiple holes to allow for adjustment.

I think that part FFR listed is the internal locking sleeve. The other parts needed are the cable mounts and lever arm for the shaft I'm guessing.

[Pearldrummer7]

Ooops, I accidentally a prototype.

YES! I'm excited. Keep us posted on this guy...Consider me a buyer when you are ready to sell them!

[MrDude_1]

Ooops, I accidentally a prototype. :D

http://i.imgur.com/SYcpjzm.jpg

Just something quick and dirty I whipped up with parts I had lying around. It doesn't look pretty but only took a couple hours to make (2 lunch breaks). Once I verify it works as intended I'll make some fancy smancy CAD models and make it look all pretty and such. At least it looks better than the cardboard piece I used to mock it up. Ha!

General work on the car has been at a standstill since Easter still. The baby is home now though and things are going quite well. I spent some time getting my Fmod ready for an event this past Sunday (took FTD :D ). It was on a small figure 8/oval asphalt track with concrete walls. My last run I put down a super great time. My co-driver asked how I did it. I had previously said "after the slalom floor it, when you see the wall say "oh crap a wall, oh crap a wall" and then brake. My last run I said "oh crap" three times and then hit the brakes" ;)

I've got some other exciting Zero Decibel news to report soon too. I'll probably post an update here but it might hit Facebook first. Check out my page (see my signature) to see all my parts and some hints at to what is coming this weekend.

forget the shifter thing... did you cut the rest of the rear housing everywhere where its not needed?
I have been eying that mod ever since I first read the 818 manual... just make a cover for the hole, and chop off all the un-needed housing.. Leaving plenty of room for a center exit exhaust, and possibly a shorter shifter.

[Mechie3]

forget the shifter thing... did you cut the rest of the rear housing everywhere where its not needed?
I have been eying that mod ever since I first read the 818 manual... just make a cover for the hole, and chop off all the un-needed housing.. Leaving plenty of room for a center exit exhaust, and possibly a shorter shifter.

Uhhhh.......maybe. ;)

[Kurk818]

Take a look at this thread. Ive already done the conversion for the 6speed. Just have the shift mounting left. Feel free to PM me with questions.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?11695-who-will-be-the-first-to-try-putting-the-sti-6-speed-tran-in


Is this all 1:1 ratio?
I am doing a close-ratio six-speed and have this little whirly-jig* I got from FFR. Don't know what to do with it or how to mod the transaxle to make it work.
*"1 1 80743 EACH 05/03/2014 $299.00 WRX STI AWD-TO-FWD ADAPTORINTERNAL TRANSAXLE COMOPONENT ONLY - REQUIRES OTHER COMPONENTS FOR FULL CONVERSION"

Any thoughts about making parts/kit for a six-speed conversion?

[pwnoz]

I spent some time getting my Fmod ready for an event this past Sunday (took FTD :D ). It was on a small figure 8/oval asphalt track with concrete walls. My last run I put down a super great time. My co-driver asked how I did it. I had previously said "after the slalom floor it, when you see the wall say "oh crap a wall, oh crap a wall" and then brake. My last run I said "oh crap" three times and then hit the brakes" ;)

I thought that was you out there. I meant to stop by and introduce myself (I was one of the blue WRXs). Congrats on FTD! I was working that heat, it was a super quick run.

[longislandwrx]

Too bad you cant use the cooling bracket as the triangle piece. dimensions look close!

[MrDude_1]

Uhhhh.......maybe. ;)

no uhh maybe about it, I see the saw marks... have any other pics of what it looks like when its been cut down? How is the shifter shaft supported inside the case? Can that be easily shortened? is it supported the whole way? is it just a matter of cutting it shorter and milling in a new seal mount?

edit: wait... you make CNC parts.... by chance did you measure the whole thing out in the hopes of making a new rear cover?

[Mechie3]

no uhh maybe about it, I see the saw marks... have any other pics of what it looks like when its been cut down? How is the shifter shaft supported inside the case? Can that be easily shortened? is it supported the whole way? is it just a matter of cutting it shorter and milling in a new seal mount?

edit: wait... you make CNC parts.... by chance did you measure the whole thing out in the hopes of making a new rear cover?

Hmm, I never saw this post. Sorry.

I can take some pics. It's taken me longer than I wanted so getting pics when it's finished will be too long from now. Shaft is supported by two roller linear bearings. It has balls captured in a cage that allow a shaft to spin and translate. These are different than most I've seen in that the cage itself isn't constrained so the entire cage can also slide forward 1/4" or so.

I didn't mill off the part that has the seal mount. That's one reason that portion has stayed the same length as OEM. The support bearing is also very close to the seal. I do have a CAD model of the rear cover. The seal isnt in the rear cover though. You'll need to weld up three different sections if you do this mod as well.

My rear engine cover panel gaps were terrible. The gap tapered from 1/8" to over 1/2" and back to an 1/8". Didn't help I put them on in winter when they weren't as flexible. I made up this little cross brace. It rivets to both side panels in 3 places to spread out the load. The ends are RH and LH so I can push out or pull in the sides by rotating the center shaft. Hours of frustration this winter ended in 10 minutes. Panel gaps are now sweet. I'm going to try and integrate a support for the center of the engine cover as well. Once it's where I want it I can lock it down with jam nuts and then redrill the frame mounting points.

http://i.imgur.com/f1LIxe0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kgPxNW2.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qGLHsqq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qGEbbUH.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Uku29iL.jpg

[C.Plavan]

Very nice. Looks like a great solution.

[Mechie3]

My wife's cousin was here all weekend so I didn't get any garage time minus the 15 minutes to install the brace. I stayed a little late after work today and machined this little bracket I had designed a week ago or so. I'm working on a larger project that this is a part of. I'm clocking my compressor housing so it is just past vertical so it lines up better with some other items. This bracket lets me reuse the stock waste gate actuator in the stock location.

http://i.imgur.com/BD43V9o.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5r4mM1E.jpg

[longislandwrx]

with that clocking are your coolant/oil lines in a good spot?

[Frank818]

Hey are those your CNC rad upper mounts?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?15071-30-Day-818R-Build-Progress-Report&p=161249&viewfull=1#post161249

[Mechie3]

with that clocking are your coolant/oil lines in a good spot?

Well......they're in the same spot that Subaru put them. ;) I did have to bend the oil line a little bit to make clearance with the coupler on the turbo. There's a few more pics on my facebook for the AWIC I'm mocking up. The bracket looks different now. Had to fix a few interference issues. It also needs a secondary brace as I don't like how much flex it has. I designed another one that has much less flex according to the FEA analysis, but it's impossible to install, so it doesn't matter. lol.

http://i.imgur.com/XNtYle1.jpg


Hey are those your CNC rad upper mounts?

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?15071-30-Day-818R-Build-Progress-Report&p=161249&viewfull=1#post161249

No. They're similar, though it looks like they didn't use the factory rubber bit. Mine have a little more roundess to them too. The'd be simple enough for FFR to machine in house.

[RM1SepEx]

Do your rear wheels seem closer to the rear fiberglass than the front? looks that way in the photo on post 866. Mine are closer in the rear too... I'm thinking the rear carrier isn't tilted forward enough

[Mechie3]

I haven't messed with any alignments at all so I wouldn't look at my spacing of those components.. I have adustable trailing arms too adding to the mix.

[RM1SepEx]

too many adjustments! :eek: I'm bringing mine to the local independent BMW, Porsche, Mercedes shop. His laser based equipment to align is awesome. http://www.autowerkesmaine.com/ Won't be cheap, well worth it though

[Mechie3]

Made a heat shield to fit over my turbo since the stocker and my Cobb heatshield won't fit with the strut tower brace. I'm having it quoted at a shop in stainless and titanium. This one is just a simple plain coated steel version.

http://i.imgur.com/aP5JLXP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uQ41Ods.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QKZypDE.jpg

[Kurk818]

Ive noticed youre one of the first to install a heat shield on the turbo. Do you think running without one will have a negative side effect other than some potential loss of paint? Have you considered a turbo blanket?

[Pearldrummer7]

Ive noticed youre one of the first to install a heat shield on the turbo. Do you think running without one will have a negative side effect other than some potential loss of paint? Have you considered a turbo blanket?

Just my experience before... but on my WRX, I ran a heatshield for a while and that proved insufficient for autocross days in the summer in Reno. I made a second heatshield and put a turbo blanket (hacked up a little) between the two of them. Worked way better. Kinda used the outside heatshield to clamp the blanket inside.


Just remember, heatshield doesn't mean less heat....just heat in a different area (hopefully removed from the intercooler!)

[longislandwrx]

Well......they're in the same spot that Subaru put them. ;)

ok there mr smarty pants :D ... I meant are they in the way of the outlet. pictures answer my question. plenty-o-room

[Mechie3]

Ive noticed youre one of the first to install a heat shield on the turbo. Do you think running without one will have a negative side effect other than some potential loss of paint? Have you considered a turbo blanket?

It'll definitely heat soak more when not moving. I took mine off my WRX once when I was having turbo issues and wanted to be able to quickly see it. The side of my IC hung over the top of the turbo and got very hot. FFR mentioned heat soak issues too. I've thought about blankets but I don't remember if anyone has a td04 blanket.


Just my experience before... but on my WRX, I ran a heatshield for a while and that proved insufficient for autocross days in the summer in Reno. I made a second heatshield and put a turbo blanket (hacked up a little) between the two of them. Worked way better. Kinda used the outside heatshield to clamp the blanket inside.


Just remember, heatshield doesn't mean less heat....just heat in a different area (hopefully removed from the intercooler!)

I'm hoping to use one of the original IC vents to blow air over the turbo so heat goes out the back. I'm going AWIC. One of the lines feeds directly over the turbo. It'll at least cut down on radiant heat.

The factory heatshield is a two layer unit which does a much better job than single piece units. It's also much more expensive and requires dedicated tooling.


ok there mr smarty pants :D ... I meant are they in the way of the outlet. pictures answer my question. plenty-o-room

Tee hee :D

[Pearldrummer7]

I'm hoping to use one of the original IC vents to blow air over the turbo so heat goes out the back. I'm going AWIC. One of the lines feeds directly over the turbo. It'll at least cut down on radiant heat.

The factory heatshield is a two layer unit which does a much better job than single piece units. It's also much more expensive and requires dedicated tooling.


Woah, the TD04 factory heatshields are two layers? My 2012 WRX had a single layer heatshield.


That is a great way of doing it. Like you mentioned- higher idling temps but that's usually not where it counts. Hopefully blowing it towards the body doesn't mess up the fiberglass....might be worthwhile to consider cutting some body away and adding chicken-wire

[RM1SepEx]

I bought a blanket and have made up a thin aluminum heat shield, Blanket in route with new IC. Then I'll work through mounting, ducting and piping w/Craig... :rolleyes: I may rotate the turbo, depends on how well the ducting fits.

My factory heat shield is a single layer, It may work if you hack it up, as the 818S comes, she don't fit

[Mechie3]

Hmm...maybe mine isn't dual layer. I thought it was due to the shape.

[RM1SepEx]

two layers where a brace is welded on perhaps? It's in a box in the garage, I could check.

Is your AWIC stuff on order? As soon as my new IC comes in I'll contact you for plumbing supplies. Need a good source to do the Boost bypass, I've found only later model ones... I do have a nice chunk of aluminum here tho. I'm also haing trouble finding a tube with the bypass tube connection, thoughts?

Just ordered a chunk of AL for my steering wheel spacer. I decided to go w/o a quick release.

[Mechie3]

The AWIC core and heat exchanger showed up Saturday. Need to order couplers now. Project might be delayed....again. My DD WRX needed a clutch, but was driveable. Now the uppipe completely blew open so I make a lot of noise and zero boost. I need to put in a new uppipe and clutch and then sell it.

[RM1SepEx]

My life just keeps getting in the way as well... my lawn tractor lost crankshaft seal, oil everywhere. bring over the extra from my mom in laws, daughter twisted up the blade belt mechanism in less than 1 hr! I should pave the yard and paint it green. Would be perfect to drive the neighbors crazy as I would have a test track for the shifter karts!

[Hindsight]

Which core and exchanger did you decide to go with? Did the core come with air and water manifolds or are you going to fab them up yourself?

[Mechie3]

The core and exchanger already have end tanks on them. I'll have pictures later. Fixing the Subaru is taking precedence now.

A part I made yesterday during lunch:

http://i.imgur.com/7ME4M7f.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BGBzLqi.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YvaJPZK.jpg

And here's one reason I'm taking apart my DD. The elusive 3 piece uppipe. This part came off by hand. The other two flanges and pipe sections are still bolted to the car.

http://i.imgur.com/nZJXuVu.jpg

[Frank818]

That's probably the highest performance part you've ever made! Awesome looking.

[longislandwrx]

i'd make a joke, but then I'll go out to my car and mine will disintegrate on startup.

#salt life !

[Mechie3]

Just a teaser of something I made today before I go to bed.
http://i.imgur.com/UHTjNM4.jpg

[bbjones121]

Sweet!

[Boog]

Awesome! And compared to the trim, I bet they even match the curves in the hood.

I can see those selling well.

[07FIREBLADE]

Now that should be a another ZD part. Looks sick

[Frank818]

If you intend to make that for all air scoops and vents, I'm down to it. :) Especially the side vents.

[Mechie3]

Awesome! And compared to the trim, I bet they even match the curves in the hood.


They dont quite match. The angle of the hood is actually very steep. I did add some curve to it though. My inspiration was the lotus at the last autocross that had the curved vents on front. I got the general idea from Vspeedraptor works. It's just a personal preference thing, but I like vents that aren't straight across on a more modern car. It was a little trickier to figure out how to make it work with curves but not too bad and I lke the results.


Now that should be a another ZD part. Looks sick

That's the plan. :)

Here are some more pics. I need to make some adjustments. Currently the outline matches the FFR trim, but I want to make it work with the plastic trim that Aloha818 used. I forgot he needed to make the inside diameter curve 1". The FFR pieces are much tighter. The back inner corner is currently filled in to match the curve of the vents because it's too small to be it's own vent. I think I want to just leave this open as it looks more like a mistake when it's installed. The bottom vent needs some bend relief. It was too hard to bend by hand and I made irregular bends on one using a hammer. Whoops! That's why we make prototypes...to figure out our mistakes. Final part will be thicker. I used some scrap I had lying around that was thinner than I wanted.

You can see the filled in section here:
http://i.imgur.com/9YazinH.jpg

Lots of airflow:
http://i.imgur.com/8ap6LlT.jpg

Front view. You can see the left vent is a little deformed at the bottom from the hammer:
http://i.imgur.com/H8DoRVQ.jpg

Front view showing louver vs FFR supplied mesh:
http://i.imgur.com/E5esTNW.jpg

[Canadian818]

Looks amazing! I'd been hopeful that vRapter would make their style vents for the 818, but I'm glad you beat them to it. Any plans to make larger versions like on the new FFR red 818-r?

[Mechie3]

I could look into it. There would have to be enough interest in the larger one to justify making an order.

[Frank818]

Looks amazing! I'd been hopeful that vRapter would make their style vents for the 818, but I'm glad you beat them to it. Any plans to make larger versions like on the new FFR red 818-r?

VRaptor currently has no time to design parts for the 818, cuz they have a lot of GTMs and other kits on the priority list. However, if anyone would come with a design ready to fabricate, they said they could potentially do it. But mechie3 here designs and fabs all the parts. :)

[freds]

Nice piece, received yesterday, however where your photo on post 866 of this thread (copy attached) has been done before mounting the rear deck lid hinges.
In that position it interferes with the hinge assembly. It seems it will have to go much further to the rear to clear the hinge operation. (see photo attached...and yes I know I have it resting above the fender lip...this is just for checking!)

Am I missing something?

fred

3262032621

[Mechie3]

No... bah. I missed something.

I don't have my hinges in place and didn't think to check that. I was messing around with not using the factory hinges but didn't complete that yet. I don't know how well it works in a rearward position. If it doesn't work for you and you don't want it I can refund you.

edit: Looked at some other photos I had. I can't quite tell if there is room to move the brace farther forward to sit inside of the curve of the hinge or forware of the hood pin. I'm not at home and can't look in person.

[RM1SepEx]

Nice piece, received yesterday, however where your photo on post 866 of this thread (copy attached) has been done before mounting the rear deck lid hinges.
In that position it interferes with the hinge assembly. It seems it will have to go much further to the rear to clear the hinge operation. (see photo attached...and yes I know I have it resting above the fender lip...this is just for checking!)

Am I missing something?

fred

3262032621

I'm going to shorten the hinge by redrilling the hinge and cutting off the extension beyond the curved piece. You can gain a couple inches. I won't be using a brace tho as my trunk will be adding support across that area

[freds]

No... bah. I missed something.

I don't have my hinges in place and didn't think to check that. I was messing around with not using the factory hinges but didn't complete that yet. I don't know how well it works in a rearward position. If it doesn't work for you and you don't want it I can refund you.

edit: Looked at some other photos I had. I can't quite tell if there is room to move the brace farther forward to sit inside of the curve of the hinge or forware of the hood pin. I'm not at home and can't look in person.

Mounting the hinge requires the carriage bolt to be fitted from the hinge side (the side with the round hole and not the slots ...clever!!). I squared the hole with a file and used a decent sized washer under the locknut to bridge the slots in the chassis.

It may be possible to notch the swing arm of the hinge somewhere to clear your brace. I'll check the end positions of the swing arm when the deck is fitted, and get back to you.

Meanwhile thanks for the comfort of the "returns accepted". We'll talk after my final checks....which will be a while as I am busy with some other stuff right now.

Thanks

fred

32634326353263632637

[Mechie3]

Meanwhile thanks for the comfort of the "returns accepted".

IMO, nothing is worse than selling something that doesn't work as advertised (whether on purpose or accident) and then throwing up your hands and saying "well....oops, too bad, your problem now".

[freds]

I'm going to shorten the hinge by redrilling the hinge and cutting off the extension beyond the curved piece. You can gain a couple inches. I won't be using a brace tho as my trunk will be adding support across that area

Yes! I am going to do that too. There is hardly any load on that hinge and that doesn't affect the geometry.

thanks

fred

[freds]

IMO, nothing is worse than selling something that doesn't work as advertised (whether on purpose or accident) and then throwing up your hands and saying "well....oops, too bad, your problem now".

Agreed and appreciated!

[Mechie3]

I had a couple of hours on Saturday morning to tinker with the 818 again. Got the air flow portion of the AWIC setup complete. It's currently held up just by the silicone pieces. I need to make mounting brackets for the AWIC core and the heat exchanger. With the clocked turbo the length of aluminum piping is on the order of 12 inches long.

http://i.imgur.com/72UmUTe.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YAhsw1T.jpg

[Aero STI]

That looks nice and neat. Great work on an elegant solution. I assume you will add your BPV or BOV to the pipe between the turbo compressor outlet and the AWIC?

[Mechie3]

That is one option, yes. I want to try and make an adapter that welds or bolts to the driver side of the AWIC and reuses the stock BPV and return hose. If that doesn't work, I might just modify the AWIC to bolt a vent to atmospher BPV directly onto the side of the AWIC and plug the turbo inlet.

[nkw8181]

Man that is sexy!

[Mechie3]

Thanks. :D I'm glad with how it's turning out. It's taken a bit more effort to get it this way, but in the end I'm glad I did it. It shortens the travel path, looks nicer (IMO), and uses less pieces overall. The only downside of this method if that if I make it available as a kit the end user needs to clock their turbo housing. It's not hard, but can be intimidating.

[indiana818]

how did the shifter brackets work? my shifter seems stift looking for better idea
kerry

[Mechie3]

how did the shifter brackets work? my shifter seems stift looking for better idea
kerry

Hi Kerry,
Are you talking about the brackets that drop it down? They seem to work alright, though I haven't go karted yet. It was too cold when I finished the go kart then I started the body and haven't taken it all off yet to go kart and look for leaks.

Managed to snag a few hours in the garage yesterday evening. First was taking a play from Aloha818's play book. I enlarged the hole on the hood, used the plastic trim, and then test fit my louver panel. I like the trim much better than the flat aluminum trim. The 3D effect it has lends more for an OEM look and less of a home made look.

http://i.imgur.com/erXfKwC.jpg?2

Next I went to town with a belt sander. I purchased the sander last May and finally took it out of the box yesterday. Trimmed down the sides of the engine cover and trunk cover until they were flush with the side panels. Unlike Aloha818, I'm not going to spend a few months making the edges squared off with body filler and epoxy. I'll settle for being flush. My friends don't drive Ferrari's so I don't have to match their fit and finish. ;)
http://i.imgur.com/VppLxAD.jpg?1


I did find one rather large void unfortunately that I do have to fill. The glass was about 1/8" recessed from the gel coat. There's a bit more void still there but I wanted to maintain the square corners for now so when I go to fill it I have a reference. Are other people using body filler only or building it up with epoxy and then filling just the pin holes with body filler?
http://i.imgur.com/6jodIP2.jpg?1

All this work is giving me gray hair too.
http://i.imgur.com/alPBz7M.jpg?1

[Brando]

http://i.imgur.com/72UmUTe.jpg

When I had my AWIC in that spot my lid hit it. How did you get yours to clear?

[Mechie3]

When I had my AWIC in that spot my lid hit it. How did you get yours to clear?

Magic!

It's close, but there's maybe 3/4" clearance? I need to make a bracket to hold up the rear center of the engine cover too. The AWIC doesn't quite angle straight up either, it angles back a little. I originally set it up with a short pipe and two couplers between the core and the throttle body but then found out it worked this way too.

[Wayne Presley]

Mechie,
Can I suggest changing your fuel pressure gauge mounting to steel fittings or remote mounting it with a SS hose? I'd hate to see the vibration crack the brass over time and fail, spewing fuel over a hot engine...:eek:

[Mechie3]

I hadn't thought of that. It's the same setup I had on my 06 WRX for 4 years, but that doesn't mean it won't crack later. It's easy enough to make and I like preventative stuff. Thanks!

[Wayne Presley]

It's just the gauge is on an arm 6" from the solid mounting bolts and could have a little flex that would get amplified over that distance.

[Mechie3]

Protip. When test fitting your inner door liners don't shut the door without first having access to the lock mechanism.

oops.

[Wayne Presley]

I had the door not open once before I put the door panels on and thought safety wiring the latch unlocked was a good idea...Still haven't done it though :cool:

[Mechie3]

Sad part is, I had a cable attached to it to prototype something else and I took it off because it kept getting tangled on things as I fit the door. haha!

Prototype #1 of my trunk hinge. Need to replace the steel washers with nylon so it doesn't eat at the aluminum.

http://i.imgur.com/KzFuMcF.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lyR3qlh.jpg

[wleehendrick]

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33485&d=1410565436
Is that the hinge to go with the rear fender brace?

33485

[Mechie3]

It is. :)

[Mechie3]

Found a few hours in the garage last night and mounted my AWIC heat exchanger. I did it a litte differently that most people. Instead of mounting it to the front side of the upper subframe bar I mounted it to the top. This lets it sit flush against the rail (I need to add a thin strip of foam insulator) so it's tucked in closer and the cap can be removed without having to undo anything. :)

The side brackets themselves were strong enough to hold everything in place, the upper mounting points will just prevent it from rocking. The brackets are 1 piece and are angled to help with alignment and placement. The hoses go around the side of the radiator. I need to trim a small amount of the driver side bumper. Passenger side doesn't touch since the heat exchanger is offset to the side for better hose routing.

http://i.imgur.com/drn6G1n.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oHboR7P.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ns3AiPH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nMcKZcV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QVA5JJD.jpg

[C.Plavan]

Have you tried that with the front bumper on? You will probably have to do some trimming.

[Mechie3]

Yes. My front bumper bolts on/off so it's easy to test fit. Passenger side needs nothing, driver side needs minor trimming to clear the weld on bung for the fitting. I already had to trim both sides to clear my radiator and subframe anyways, so another 1/2" or so taken off won't hurt anything.

[Aero STI]

That looks well thought out and perfectly executed. Good work as always.

[Frank818]

Pretty nice! Never realized you had an R, or an S with R shocks.

[Mechie3]

S with R shocks. :)

[metalmaker12]

S with R shocks here too

[Mechie3]

Early builders got some extra treats. :)

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Early builders got some extra treats. :)
21 & 22 came with yellow :(

[RM1SepEx]

I received a pair of each and chose to go yellow. Reds are valved for the stiffer R springs, the S was custom tuned with KONI help with the yellow shocks. If I chose the reds I'd have run them upside down to reduce unsprung weight, the yellows can not be run inverted. Depends on how you plan to use the car... as many of us know setting up a car even for autocross can rapidly compromise street comfort. :eek:

[Mechie3]

Where to start?

My plan is to rivet together the three large front aluminum pieces and then bolt that to the chassis. If it needs to be removed I can take it off without drilling out rivets. Two bolts on the upper subframe supports and four on the chassis mount. Didn't rivet it yet so it's easier to mount the splitter and if I decide to powdercoat these I don't have to drill out rivets.

http://i.imgur.com/BbQvn1r.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cQZwinv.jpg

I didn't like my first hinge design. Too many parts, heavier than I wanted (though lighter than stock), and look clunky and amateurish IMO. I redesigned it and made most of the pieces yesterday. I only have one of the curved arms made because I ran out of time and, in the event it didn't work, I wouldn't have to remake two pieces. It ended up working out quite nicely. The new design has fewer parts, lighter parts, and shorter bolts (less weight). Oh...and it doesn't rub on the engine cover. :derp:

Old on top, new on bottom:
http://i.imgur.com/BkvjahS.jpg

Old left, new right (used random bolts lying around, need to order correct length button head screws)
http://i.imgur.com/sW54NQV.jpg

New left, old right (old was hacked up a bit to test optimized fitting).
http://i.imgur.com/HHpu6yA.jpg

The hinge as seen from the side with the door open. I made my arms out .375" plate (had lots of it) while the previous one was .25" plate. I like the look of the .375, but the .25 was a bit lighter and still strong enough.
http://i.imgur.com/KIahX3o.jpg

[JeromeS13]

It would be awesome if you could incorporate some sort of catch to keep them in the open position. I've had mine slam shut several times (including a few on my head), which can't be good for the fiberglass.

[Mechie3]

I was considering miniature gas struts. I have about 8 in my desk drawer I saved from the scrap pile. For production pieces, the struts are rather expensive. Otherwise I'm just going to use nylon washers with a lock nut to create friction.

[Frank818]

Yeah I want those hinges.

[Mechie3]

$15k and I'll make you all the hinges you want. ;)

Because I get employee pricing at the laser cutting shop I also get last preference. August is their busiest time of the year and they're actually on target for this September to be one of their busiest months ever. I have a few items out for quote with them now but they are (understandably) on the back burner. This will get quoted there too eventually except for the mount which needs to me milled, not laser cut.

[Rasmus]

http://i.imgur.com/72UmUTe.jpg
Mechie,

Who's AWIC is that? Model?

I love the way you clocked the compressor housing to better route the piping. Nice.

[Mechie3]

Mechie,

Who's AWIC is that? Model?

I love the way you clocked the compressor housing to better route the piping. Nice.

It's my AWIC. :D ....it's just ready yet. :(

Sending you a PM.

[metros]

Hinges look great. Love seeing the progress of your build and all the cool parts that you come up with.

[Frank818]

Yeah, $15 for hinges on all 3 hoods is awesome. Tell ya what, I'll be generous and I give you $200 for hinges on the 2 rear lids and front hood. :) Seriously, hopefully you'll build such a set and that it could be ready for say April or May. You never gauged interest for that, I think. Can't remember seeing a gauging interest thread.

[Mechie3]

Not $15, $15k. ;). If you buy me my own Fadal cnc I can kick parts out all day. :D

No interest thread yet since I don't have any quotes. Laser shop is backed up so won't be able to quote my stuff for a little while. I have a rough cad model to figure out the geometry for a front hood hinge. I stead of a simple pivot its an unequal length dual arm setup. It picks the hood up then rolls it forward and down away from the bumper. No time yet to translate that motion geometry into the right brackets to test fit. Just finished making cardboard templates to make my AWIC core mounts tonight.

[Frank818]

It's just a letter Craig, not important. :D

But seriously, do you have in mind designing at some point hinges for all 3 hoods? I see you have for the rear lid (though not for sale yet?) and soon front hood, but what about the middle one over the engine (hump lid)?

[Mechie3]

Haven't planned anything for the middle. I need to redo my front bracket geometry since my AWIC will interfere with it now. The light green/blue is the profile of the front bumper and hood with the angled edge on the left representing the radiator. The curved gray part is the hood.

http://i.imgur.com/cQ3Hfah.png

http://i.imgur.com/ffk9H9l.png

[STiPWRD]

Definitely interested in all of the future latch offerings, they'll bring the car that much closer to an OEM look

[nkw8181]

People like you (Craig & Wayne) keep causing my budget to grow!

[Mechie3]

2 solutions:

1: Buy a CNC and copy my stuff
2: If you don't have a budget, you don't need to increase it.

I can't comment on which is cheaper in the long run. lol Though, alternatively you can have 1B: Have someone else buy a CNC and convince them to let you use it.

[Rasmus]

1: Buy a CNC and copy my stuff
You wouldn't download a car would you?
Oh I would if I could. I'd print out cars like Zimbabwe prints money.

[Hindsight]

2: If you don't have a budget, you don't need to increase it.


This is the only thing that works for me. I do set a monthly allowance though... helps keep from getting too carried away and avoid impulse buys. For example, I'm running air tools on a 3 gallon pancake compressor and having a really hard time not going out and blowing $800 on a 60 gallon 2-stage lol.

[Frank818]

Design em, make em, test em, sell em, plz! :)

[RM1SepEx]

Craig, Did you need to do any trimming on those three big pieces of aluminum for the nose? I like your mounting method, agrees with my plans, I'm making everything that I can removable. I tend to use 10-24 nutserts with the flanged SS pan head cap screws... I used them for all the body mounts under the rockers and to hold the rear clip to the rear fenders

Hindsight Pancake too small, 800 two stage may be overkill, compromise and get another tool. I prefer the networking approach, they borrow my stuff I borrow theirs, attempt to not duplicate...

What is a budget?

[Hindsight]

I am doing that for times i need to MIG but sadly i only know one person with a compressor and he cant be without it. I will need the big two stage for when i do the paint... But trying to aquire all this stuff gradually.

[Mechie3]

Well, you can't just hit "copy" and get my stuff. Lol. You'd have to figure out dimensions and whatnot yourself but the basic idea is there. Lots of my stuff is borrowed. Not necessarily from the 818 or subarus but I see an idea and think "that's cool, how can I use that for my application? "

Dan, no trimming. The small 90 flange on the end of the vertical parts has to be pounded out to 45. The FFR manual has you rivet the bumper in place so installing these parts is a bear. With the bumper off it was a cinch.

[nkw8181]

I want at 2 stage compressor. Oh and you can "NEVER" have to many tools :D

[Mechie3]

Made a bracket for the rear of the AWIC. It doesn't quite fit. Bolted to the transmission much better than I thought it would. My access to sheet metal fab equipment is limited so my bends can be a limiting factor to accuracy. The upper hole needs to be offset about 3/4". The couplers holding the IC in place are so rigid I couldn't even force it over that much. I guess that's a good thing though. Need to make the bracket slightly offset and try again.

It's quite stiff even only being made from .125" aluminum. The side bent pieces is what makes the stiffness. Final version will have the bottom of the bent flange welded to the bottom tab piece for even more strength.

Flat:
http://i.imgur.com/yMaH2SK.jpg

Bent:
http://i.imgur.com/XdpmusD.jpg

Test fit:
http://i.imgur.com/vV1s1xu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ttRjdoe.jpg

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Hey Craig,
When you make the next one, make the side bends toward the front of the car. It will look a little cleaner. But you can't go all the way to the top.
Great Job AGAIN.
Bob

[Mechie3]

Good idea Bob. It would look more solid that way. I need to flip the wording and then flip the entire bracket around. I need to fix the ribs at the top too. The mounting pad for the AWIC is at a 15 degree angle. I need to be able to bend the top to match that.

[Rasmus]

Nice!

[longislandwrx]

You could also just make the bottom tabs a little longer and not drill the holes until you mock it up.

[Hindsight]

Nice Bracket! I might be interested if the price was right (since I will be running the same AWIC core), and you decide to offer them. Probably won't need one until after your cutter is out of their busy season so the timing should work well.


I want at 2 stage compressor. Oh and you can "NEVER" have to many tools :D

I've done a lot of research and the Harbor Freight 60 gallon two stage appears to be the best value on the market. Unlike a lot of HF stuff, this particular compressor's tank is made in the USA (South Carolina), the pump is made in Italy, and the regular in Germany. All for $800. It doesn't ever go on sale though and coupon's don't apply to compressors. Still a deal at $800.

[Mechie3]

Not many updates on my car itself, but a few fun stories to share.

1: We had a huge cleanout at work. We scrapped over 10 full size dumpsters (the long ones that are delivered by 18 wheelers). The rule has always been that as parts are scrapped you can grab items you want for personal use. The only thing not allowed is reselling (ie ebay). Our centrifuges have a 4' x 3' .125" thick aluminum back. about 75% of it is clean. No holes, no slots, nothing. I snagged a bunch of these to use for prototyping brackets. Score! I was running low and almost at the point of needing to buy material. Many dollars saved!

2: Two years ago I bought an 02 WRX with 184k miles for $3350. Did some maintenance work when I first got it, sold parts I didn't need, and swapped parts from my wrecked 06/818 donor as needed (trunk, coilovers, subframes). Friday I drove home from work and hit my driveway right at 200,000 miles. I parked it and never drove it again. Guy came last night to test drive it and left with it. Got 90% of my asking price and sold for $5400. :D

[AZPete]

What? Bought a 10-year-old WRX for $3,350, put 16K miles on it in 2 years, then sold it for $5,400. What a country.

[Mechie3]

Pretty much. I saw bugeye prices getting ridiculous. Hard to say no to that given I had minimal attachment to the car.

[Frank818]

You are still in the process of designing the side scoops, side louvers, front hood louvers, front bumper louvers, rear deck lid louvers, front hood hinges, rear deck lid hinges and middle rear deck lid hinges? :) Don't leave us alone on that, we need you. :)

[Mechie3]

I am. Progress slowed a little this week as I did final touches on the WRX I sold. Tomorrow is the final autocross points event. I may or may not have awesome news tomorrow.

[Frank818]

Craig we all appreciate your work a lot.

[Mechie3]

Turns out I do indeed have awesome news. Today's autocross went off amazingly smooth in the fmod. Top 3 in overall year end PAX were within 5 points with me currently in the lead. I managed to extend my lead to 10 points and clinch the year end PAX championship win! Points are given as a percentage of your time compared to top pax so it's possible for two people to both earn (for example) 95 points per event. My old region gave 50 for first and 45 for second, 42 for third, etc. Made it easy to get runaway wins. Indy regions ratio method makes for fun exciting ends and plenty of good natured trash talking.

[Brando]

That's pretty darn cool. Props!

[Rasmus]

Nice win man. Always feels good to be on top with good natured trash talk among you and your competitors/friends all the way there. Spend $2000 to win a small plastic trophy that you can lord over your friends for a few weeks. Good times!

Also got a link to how that Percentage of Points system works for your regions PAX competition?

Say
Top guy ran a 60.000s (PAX adjusted)
2nd 60.250s
3rd 61.000s
4th 61.001s
....
....
100th (last) got 84.500s

How many points do they get in that case?

[Mechie3]

Year end PAX winner gets their name added to a traveling trophy. There's several national and multi national champions on that including current national champ (and 5 time total) Clemens Burger in B modified. It's taken me 5 years to get back on top (I won PAX in CNY in 2008, but that was a smaller region with no national champions, Indy has at least 5...I'm not one of them, lol)

Per event:
The top guy gets 100 pts
Last gets 10
In between gets 100-(150*(competitors time-top pax time)/top pax time)

It's essentially taking the ratio of your time to top time and giving it a 1.5X bonus factor to give slightly more reward to the top guy. Thus, for the times you listed they would get the following points:

60: 100pts
60.25: 99.38pts
61: 97.5pts
61.001: 97.5pts
84.5: 10pts

If the 150 in the equation was made 100 (ie, direct ratio) then the 60.25 guy would end up with a 99.58 and the 61s guy would have 98.33.

If you do it straight up 1st gets 50, second gets 45, third gets 42, then subtract 1 for each place after, the 60.25s guy is already down by 5 points. Do that at a good handful of events and you can walk into the last event untouchable. It rewards getting first place more, but leads to less tight competition.

[RM1SepEx]

Congrats Craig, and you did it with a fast, high PAX vehicle too!

We just do it in inverse order of finish, if 100 competitors best PAX gets 100 2nd place 99, slowest gets 1, we also drop events so it can get complicated when you take pax and class entry/finish points from events, you never know who is running for what, which is more important to them!

[Mechie3]

This forum is moving! I don't update for 9 days and I drop to page three.

Few new pieces.

New design for the coolant bracket.
http://i.imgur.com/UFMslWV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gQqBkUf.jpg

Revision 2 prototype of my rear AWIC mount. Reversed the bends and corrected the 2 axis offset for the mounting hole. We'll see how it works.
http://i.imgur.com/BQIHt9y.jpg

[Mechie3]

Had friends over for dinner last night but managed to find 5 minutes to test fit this piece. Fit perfectly! Need to spot weld the seams now to make it permanent, but I at least know that the geometry is right. I can just fit a finger between the AWIC core and the engine cover and there's a smidge of clearance over the push style clutch (pull style will have plenty of room). Even without the front brace installed it's extremely stiff. I wouldn't want to rely on just a rear brace though. A brace for the body would be good too. Straight from FFR it sags in the middle. That will only help my clearance.

http://i.imgur.com/irGuOan.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EIL0Yo0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/x30QNoX.jpg

[metros]

Dear Santa,
I would like a zero db AWIC brace, rear fender brace, t-shirt, and hinges x3.

Updated brace looks good.

[Mechie3]

T shirts were done printing today. :) They're in NY though (where I'm from). My brother is picking them up for me. AWIC brace will be ready once I finish the front brace.

[Rasmus]

Like V2 of the brace. Nice work.

[Mechie3]

Sometimes I ponder to myself "if it's noon, but I didn't machine anything, is it really lunch time?"

Brace for the front of the AWIC core. We'll see how well I measured my roughly cut cardboard template.
http://i.imgur.com/nyjGhfl.jpg

[Rasmus]

Q: "if it's noon, but I didn't machine anything, is it really lunch time?"

A: No.

[Harley818]

And the rest of us are thinking....... "mechie didn't post anything today so I guess he didn't stop for lunch"......

and secretly we are thinking...... I wish i had equipment like that to use for lunch......

Keep it up Mechie

[Mechie3]

Made an adjustment to the bracket to fix a misalignment in angle. It fits now but wasn't as smooth as I wanted. Going to make another tweak to it.

http://i.imgur.com/ATGfaqW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lqUgtrL.jpg

On the right is what the non clocked turbo version will look like. I still maintain that the clocked version is better (1/2 piping length, fewer bends, fewer couplers) but not everyone wants to clock their turbo.
http://i.imgur.com/ohXxzAc.jpg

[thall818]

I like it. I'm guessing people don't want to clock the turbo due to oiling issues? or is it due to hooking everything else up and all the changes?

Also, I can't see your BOV on the clocked version. Is it out of camera view or am I just not seeing it?

[MrDude_1]

I love it how I have idea after idea, an then someone else does it. Clocking the outlet, and running it to the A2WIC flipped the other way was the first thing I thought of, back when I first saw one on an 818.

[Mechie3]

I like it. I'm guessing people don't want to clock the turbo due to oiling issues? or is it due to hooking everything else up and all the changes?

Also, I can't see your BOV on the clocked version. Is it out of camera view or am I just not seeing it?

Only the compressor housing is clocked. The CHRA and exhaust housing don't move. The reason you wouldn't want to do it is because you have to remove the snap ring, drill a new locating pin hole (the easiest part), and put it back. It's not hard just can be a little nerve wracking the first time you do it because of the size of the snap ring. It helps to have a big set of snap ring pliers.

The BOV is in magic land. I'm going to machine off the right hand side mounting pad, face off the front, and bolt it directly to the IC just like stock. It's a knock off Greddy BOV with all aluminum parts (vs some knockoffs that use plastic pistons). Initial reviews were good, Google didn't show any long term issues so I'm willing to give it a go.


I love it how I have idea after idea, an then someone else does it. Clocking the outlet, and running it to the A2WIC flipped the other way was the first thing I thought of, back when I first saw one on an 818.

I'll be honest, it wasn't my idea. When I was googling/researching setups in Subarus I came across a very similar setup and liked it so borrowed from it. They used 3 90's because the subaru chassis didn't allow the use of the one metal tube.

[Mechie3]

Here's where the BPV mounts. I machined off the boss I didn't need, made a flat spot, drilled a hole to pass the air through and tapped two M6 holes. My setup wasn't great so I had to take off more than I initially wanted to. Still ended up with a ~.2" wall and 4 threads to bolt to.

http://i.imgur.com/Pw1kMLL.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6sQZabM.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AnzSNbS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/wjl4aeQ.jpg

[Rasmus]

Nice use of space for the BPV. Excellent choice of location.

[Mechie3]

Just another idea I borrowed from google images. :o

:)

[MrDude_1]

excellent packaging. I really like it.
While you're drilling and tapping the intercooler, are you going to add a bleeder valve on the water side? or is it not needed?

[Mechie3]

That's the plan. I just ran out of time during lunch today to get that far. I need to make a jig to hold these and adjust angle better. My setup was slightly hokey and took way too long to setup and machine because it wasn't rigid enough.

[Hindsight]

Mechie, when you clocked your turbo, did you have to modify the support bracket at all to resolve any clearance issues between the compressor housing and transmission? I see it looks like you modified the wastegate bracket (unrelated).

[Mechie3]

No. The only thing I had to do aside from the wastegate bracket was separating the coolant feed and return lines (thin piece of metal connects both for faster factory assembly) so I could massage the location of the lines if needed. Also had to massage the oil feed line slightly.

[C.Plavan]

Are the Front Hood Louvers available yet? Any thought of doing the rear "trunk" panel also?

[Mechie3]

Louvers are going out for quote Monday along with 8 other pieces. I have a cad model for the trunk lid louver. Have not had a chance to make it to test fit yet.

[Frank818]

8 other pieces.

Nice. :)
Once you get all the louvers and hinges ready, I think my order will be big :)

[Mechie3]

Those 8 pieces don't count hinges. Lol

[metros]

Damn it! 8 unknown additions means I need to re-adjust my budget again. My build budget has really become more of a monthly budget than overall budget.

I too have been holding off to order several things all at once.

[Mechie3]

You've seen most of the pieces already.

Front AWIC bracket
Rear AWIC bracket
Driver side HE bracket
Passenger side HE bracket
Hood Louver
Turbo Heatshield
Turbo heatshield support bracket
Revised coolant bracket
Turbo clocking bracket

Still need some tweaking before quote:
Trunk latch (4 unique pieces)
Trunk Louver
Rear AWIC bracket for non clocked turbo

Still a decent ways out:
Front hood hinge
Shifter mechanism
Naked rear license plate/diffuser mount
Naked rear GT3 style bumper insert

[Frank818]

Oops, no side scoops on the "decent ways out" list...

[Mechie3]

Those aren't laser cut so I didn't put them on that list. :)

[Frank818]

Oh sorry, thought the list was meant for all other parts, not just the laser stuff.

[tmoretta]

Any thought of a hinge system for the trunk panel over the engine (behind seats)? It would be nice to check the oil without removing pins.