Brando's Newbie 818R Build Thread

I was having some issues getting the electromotive ECU tuned in my area and decided I wanted to go with the stock ECU.
I had a custom harness made by Brian (iwire). Brian has been a huge help and he is simply a great guy. He does one and only one thing...WRX harnesses. He is crazy good with these things.

Wayne was kind enough to exchange my harness for a few different bells and whistles. Most notable is the AWIC. Wayne has been nothing but a good experience and he has put up with plenty of my BS...so shout out to you Wayne, thanks bro.

http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...pscb236133.jpg

The switch to the left is for my lights/high beams, blinkers and horn (using wheel horn as well). This switch slides behind the dashboard and is still easy to press the buttons. It's been a nice alternative to using the clunky stock column switches.

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Picture is worth a thousand words, and since i need to leave for work in 10 min ..... :p

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Wow is this LCA mount dirty! Note to self...clean your parts!

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Including blinkers and backup lights. (thanks Brian!)
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I need one last thing before I can enjoy that coveted first start & drive. I am replacing my turbo with a bolt on instead of this import which would require extensive custom plumbing. Dru (DruOdil) has that replacement in hand and I’m picking it up today. In a perfect world next week I will be taking my car for a spin. See you soon Dru!

I think that's it for my updates. Please note I realize some hose clamps are missing, fuel rails need to be locked down and there are some other lose ends.

Have a great Easter and hope to see some of you in HB next week.

Brandon

Looking good!

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Originally Posted by Brando

I think that's it for my updates. Please note I realize some hose clamps are missing, fuel rails need to be locked down and there are some other lose ends.

Have a great Easter and hope to see some of you in HB next week.

Brandon

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Looking good Brandon, I agree that Brian @ iWire knows his stuff and does great work and easy to work with, I should have my harness back from him next week. Thanks for being the template for the wiring harness much appreciated as it saved me a trip down to drop off my car. Good luck with start and keep us posted.

Hey Brandon, you've been quiet... but obviously busy! Thanks for the info on iWire; he's only a hour up the road, so I just may use him when I tackle my harness soon.

How much was brian service for your wiring harness?

Hey guys, figured I would post here directly. Brandon's was the prototype so it's not perfect and a has couple design issues (aesthetics not to my liking) that will be sorted out with the next one. What he paid reflects that. The harness is going to be around $2,200 with parts and labor on a custom R harness built to your specs with the goal being that it's entirely plug and play.

The exposed loom you guys see in the front and the back hasn't been wrapped up yet so avert your eyes when it comes to the wiring in those pics. ;)

After I finish up Anthony's so I have better pictures of the final product and will post up a vendor thread with more details.

Your roller looks great Brando! So close! Looking forward to hearing about the first drive.

Best,
-j

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iWire

Hey guys, figured I would post here directly. Brandon's was the prototype so it's not perfect and a has couple design issues (aesthetics not to my liking) that will be sorted out with the next one. What he paid reflects that. The harness is going to be around $2,200 with parts and labor on a custom R harness built to your specs with the goal being that it's entirely plug and play.

The exposed loom you guys see in the front and the back hasn't been wrapped up yet so avert your eyes when it comes to the wiring in those pics. ;)

After I finish up Anthony's so I have better pictures of the final product and will post up a vendor thread with more details.

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It is cool that someone is building harnesses, but 2,200 on a ten thousand dollar kit is going to be high for most. I understand what it takes and the labor and material involved, just saying it's going to be a big investment.

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Originally Posted by metalmaker12

It is cool that someone is building harnesses, but 2,200 on a ten thousand dollar kit is going to be high for most. I understand what it takes and the labor and material involved, just saying it's going to be a big investment.

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Given that the real cost is between 15 and 20k when complete, 10% is a reasonable amount to spend, also when I'm spending $3-400 on a race weekend I can't afford to have an electrical issue as I went through this with my challenge car and then got someone who knew how to build a proper harness.

Ascribing "value" on something like this is tough. I'm having a friend do my harness, but if I wasn't I'd be looking for super-reliable options as well. Having been driven mad before with all manner of electrical gremlins on old cars, I can see the value of dropping some coin on a well-developed solution.

BTW, Brando do you always work on your car barefoot? Oh wait [as he checks location], yep, knew it...California. :o

Best,
-j

Quote:

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Originally Posted by metalmaker12

It is cool that someone is building harnesses, but 2,200 on a ten thousand dollar kit is going to be high for most. I understand what it takes and the labor and material involved, just saying it's going to be a big investment.

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I totally agree, it's not cheap, but I believe the end result will speak for itself. Consider that the man hours to build one complete plug and play harness to customer spec is well over the 20 hour mark as I'm basically building them from scratch using bits from the original Subaru harness and stringing it all together with high quality fresh wire. This kit is meant to be high end and do understand it will be outside the budget for some. I will try to introduce lower cost options as I get deeper into the market to see what people are asking for, their budget, their goals, and what is feasible/practical.

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Originally Posted by FFRSpec72

Given that the real cost is between 15 and 20k when complete, 10% is a reasonable amount to spend, also when I'm spending $3-400 on a race weekend I can't afford to have an electrical issue as I went through this with my challenge car and then got someone who knew how to build a proper harness.

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Beautifully said.

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Originally Posted by Santiago

Ascribing "value" on something like this is tough. I'm having a friend do my harness, but if I wasn't I'd be looking for super-reliable options as well. Having been driven mad before with all manner of electrical gremlins on old cars, I can see the value of dropping some coin on a well-developed solution.

BTW, Brando do you always work on your car barefoot? Oh wait [as he checks location], yep, knew it...California. :o

Best,
-j

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I usually work in sandals or barefoot. Haha

I'll get a thread posted up so that we can discuss any questions/concerns over there and leave this thread to drooling over Brandon's car. :D

The wiring harness is the favorite part of the build for me. Because I am very proud of my work when it do and I did it my self. I am very experienced in doing this kind of work.

I think $2200 is a very good price for a proper harness as I know the hours it takes.
I will have 50+ hours into my harness studying, investigating parts, building harness and intalling and testing.
Bob

For 2K, you could buy the ISIS system cut the weight and and have the ability to expand and add custom options. http://www.isispower.com/

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Originally Posted by flynntuna

For 2K, you could buy the ISIS system cut the weight and and have the ability to expand and add custom options. http://www.isispower.com/

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But you still don't have the wiring for the motor...

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Originally Posted by flynntuna

For 2K, you could buy the ISIS system cut the weight and and have the ability to expand and add custom options. http://www.isispower.com/

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With either Wayne's or Brian's system you get the weight cut (from 49lbs to between 7-10 lbs) you get expandability and you get a complete harness (body, dash and engine) and they connect to factory plugs, I bet you with the ISIS system you are well over 3K when your done and hours of labor.

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Originally Posted by Wayne Presley

But you still don't have the wiring for the motor...

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Exactly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FFRSpec72

With either Wayne's or Brian's system you get the weight cut (from 49lbs to between 7-10 lbs) you get expandability and you get a complete harness (body, dash and engine) and they connect to factory plugs, I bet you with the ISIS system you are well over 3K when your done and hours of labor.

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I would say you'd be in it at least 3k and the labor to build the system is probably only marginally less if you factor in wiring up the engine. They give you the control box, which is simpler (maybe) but you still have to get the input/outputs where they need to go which means running wire through the car anyway.

Brando - what wheels do you have and what size, offset, etc.?

Thanks

Good luck with build!

Thanks Isxsean!

Bill,

Wheels:
Enkei Kojin
17x8 + 45 Front
18x8.5 + 45 Rear

Tires:
Hoosiers R6
225/40-17 Front
255/35-18 Rear

I should probably mention that it took 20mm spacers on each rear to have the inside tire clear the trailing arms. With the extra width the tires rub the fenders so I opted for Waynes trailing arms which shift them inward an inch or two. I am installing those tomorrow and will let you know how they fit...keep in mind my toe-in is eyeballed. I should get a proper alignment this week.

B

Thanks, Brando; I, too, have Wayne's trailing ams. I'll bet they fix your problem.

Bill

So I flipped on my ignition to find out my injector o-rings were not seated well. After cleaning the fuel that sprayed everywhere I came the conclusion that I needed to do some more engine work. I had to address some missing water lines, vacuum hoses, reseating the fuel rails, fixing another fuel leak at the fuel filter and replacing the turbo & plumbing.

Last night Brian @ Iwire came by after his hockey game to button up a few things and Dru’s engine builder Ron was assisting me on a few things outside my capabilities. It was around midnight when I flipped the ignition and all fuel leaks were resolved. I disabled the fuel pump to kick over the motor and prime the oil. I hit the start button and to my surprise it fired up! I didn't realize that the pressure already in the lines was enough to fire the engine up. That was good for a shot of adrenaline!

When I say surprise…mind you I live in a close quarter family neighborhood. Having the garage wide open and this thing firing up unexpectedly at midnight setting off the fire alarm a few seconds later was an adrenaline filled 15 seconds. I have never ripped apart a fire detector that fast. Let’s call it a night guys…high fives for all.

This morning I wanted to enjoy that satisfaction one more time….

http://youtu.be/jjSAARukZhs

Congrats on a major milestone !

So jealous. That is cool. I cant wait either.

There's life in it! Congrats, Brando!

hah yeah always pull the fuse when you are cranking! nice job. the smile on your face says it all.

Congrats, Brandon!

Attachment 28218

w00t w00t!

The look on Brandon's face when it fired up unexpectedly was priceless! Also got to test the master shutoff in the process (it worked). lol

Way to go Brandon!

Awesome Brandon, I
just finally ordered my kit!! :)

I went to the Long Beach Grand Prix the weekend before last. Great time as always.
Has nothing to do with my build...but since it's racing it's still an acceptable post on my build thread right?

How cool would that 2 seater F1 car be...scare the life out of anyone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A0ji9z3ZIE

cool.
not an F1 though, just an Indy car.

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Amazing crowd. I gotta be there next year in my 818.

Aren't you glad you brought it? :)

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Originally Posted by ehansen007

Aren't you glad you brought it? :)

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The shirt or the car? ;)

That was a really fun day, sad my 15 minutes are over.