Camera's 818C

[RPGs818SNA]

Tail light components.jpg

It’s unfortunate that FFR hasn’t updated the manual with a photo like the one above showing the new tail light connector components. They do note that the grey socket isn’t used, and show the female connector assembled and connected to the socket, but one more picture would give us a clue on how they go together.

I agree with Jim that crimping with the right tool gives you the best electrical and mechanical connection, but finding the right one can be a challenge, unless some kind soul gives us a link to it, like Jim did, and the manual should have.

I think your solution will work fine as long as the tape holds. If you come across the connector housing or can get one from FFR, your wires should plug into it. BTW, I’ve soldered all my crimps so far, and probably will on these as well, as it takes a lot of new tool for 6 crimps.

Thanks for sharing so much of your work. There are so many great ideas in your thread.

[mcamera]

PMRPGs818SNA that 3 barrel connector with the metal clasp looks familiar but I can't find them in any of my boxes. Did that come with your kit? Maybe I lost mine in my move?

I compared my tail/brake lights to a production car. My test is not very scientific and pictures can only tell half the story... but here's my summary

Tail lights on, not braking
Brightness is similar and neither hurts my eyes
IMG_3860.jpg

Both cars braking
Similar brightness, both strain your eyes if you stare directly into them (I really hope my neighbors aren't watching me hop back and forth between 2 cars blinding myself)
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SUV braking, 818 not braking
The SUV is noticeably brighter
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In my half baked conclusion, the LED's I'm using for the 818 brake lights are similar to OEM brake lights. The SUV's brake lights (when braking) are noticeably brighter than the 818 tail lights when not braking which is good. The LED's in the 818 shouldn't be obnoxiously bright for cars behind it. That's not to say that the simple, round housings of the 818's lights don't project more light though. I was standing close to the SUV and 818's brake lights for my little test. From 100 feet back, maybe the 818 lights don't spread the light out as much as the SUV?

This is what I bought
Kitchasy LED's on Amazon (type of bulb is 1157, I bought the red LED's)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

On another note, I installed the LED flasher relay so my blinkers blink at a normal speed now and not 2x as fast. I found a post that helped me figure this out (thank you FFR forums) but I'm going to put this in my own words for others that aren't sure how this installs. It's really easy.

- Turn your hazards on
- Find the relay that you hear clicking and unplug it (the new LED flasher relay will replace this)
- There are 3 wires on the OEM connector, cut the black ground wire
- Splice the black wire from the new LED flasher relay into the OEM black ground wire
- Plug the LED flasher relay into the connector so it connects the other 2 wires on the plug

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I also started to knock down the parting lines on the body and after doing a small test area I realized that a wide/flat pink line was more noticeable than a skinny/raised red line. So I'm leaving the parting lines as they are and just going to clean up any leftover mold wax.

IMG_3858.jpg

[J R Jones]

Thank you RPG. I will rain a bit more by pointing out that soldering creates embrittlement in the wire at the connection. Dynamic conditions like near hinges put the wire at risk of fatigue failure.
As I mentioned a proper crimp provides a crimp around the bare wire and a crimp around the insulation to provide stress and fatigue relief.

Another caveat, not all wire is the same. Aluminum wire or copper over aluminum wire has poor fatigue and environmental durability. It can deteriorate through corrosion of dissimilar metals.
Pure copper is not appropriate for automotive use. Tinned copper wire is best, and silicone based insulation is more supple.
jim

[RPGs818SNA]

Yes, Mike, they came with my kit in Feb 2019. The parts list describes it as follows:

80011 3 pin signal connector consisting of the following:
80464 black connector housing, 2 ea
80465 2.57mm female terminal, 6 ea
80466 blue connector seal, 6 ea

The connector housing has this number stamped on it: 357 972 753
See https://www.ebay.com/itm/183077448505

Thanks for the rain, Jim. That’s what makes flowers grow, and provides a valuable learning experience. I wholeheartedly agree that a proper crimp is the very best way to connect automotive wiring, as apparently do all the auto manufacturers. Being new to auto wiring, I don’t feel I have the tools or experience to make a proper crimp, so I do the best I can crimping for mechanical support and then soldering for electrical conductivity. I then lace the wires to reduce the risk of fatigue failure from embrittlement. I also use the old style lead tin solder which isn’t quite so brittle.

Thanks for the caution on aluminum wires. All my donor wires seem to be plain stranded copper, which I’ve reused throughout my 818. If I run out of dieted wire, I’ll look for tinned copper and silicone insulation.

RPG

[mcamera]

My gauges are looking better. I got a low profile head, black bolt for on top of the gauges so it would blend in better than a big silver bolt. It's also longer so I could add a spacer on the back to raise the gauges in the opening. My odometer button was jammed against the dash, but now it has clearance. Raising the gauges hid some of the silver trim on top of the tachometer but it's the lesser of 2 evils for me.

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I bought 3 point seatbelts and the install hardware kit from seatbeltsplus.com and they're nice quality. I had to mount them differently than the FFR instructions for the Subaru belts. I didn't install seatbelts when the FFR manual said to (before the side pods were attached) because I was going to do harnesses. But FFR was no longer selling their harness bar, I didn't trust myself to design a new bar quickly, and it's something I can upgrade later if I want. It was just another hurdle as I try to get the car on the road this summer. I didn't have access to the reel from outside of the car so I had to cut off the plastic cover so I could install the reel from inside the car and have room to attach a bolt.

IMG_3934.jpg

I drilled a new hole in the middle of the chassis mounting plate to attach the reel in the best position I could find. The seatbelt wasn't retracting well because of the sharp bend to get out of the cover plate so I cut the opening in the cover plate almost twice as wide and now the belt flows more freely and retracts well. You'll notice I also cut a clearance hole in the cover plate for the mounting bolt. Just another compromise / side effect of using a universal seatbelt. It'll get covered with carpet eventually and it's behind my seat where nobody will see a small bulge in the carpet.

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There was plenty of space for the bottom mounting brackets, but not a lot of room for where the receiver/lap belt come up around my thick seats. Some trial and error got me to a good setup that depended on what order I assembled the "kebab" of brackets, washers, and hardware. I also like the big 4" washers I got for the bottom anchors (not shown in pics). They go under the car to help distribute the force and help reduce the chance of the bolts tearing through the floor during a crash. In the end I like how everything installed. It took some careful measuring and thinking, but now I have a comfortable seatbelt that's well anchored.

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[mcamera]

The upper rear firewall didn't fit great at first. There were large gaps around the seal at the top corners and I had to cut off the ends of the firewall at the bottom so I could raise it to the correct location. The ends were interfering with my sidepods. After trimming the top of the firewall, it raised into a much better position and sealed all around. There are still gaps on the ends and underneath the firewall where I'll try to add more sealing. Ready to pop the glass in!

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[Shawn818c]

Great progress, I'm envious! How much is left? Seems like you're getting down to the finishing touches

[Jetfuel]

Really digging the smartcar in the pic..

Jet

[J R Jones]

Mcam, Have you tried heat gunning the tube seal pinch section to get it to bend VS cut? I do not know if that works.
jim

[mcamera]

Shawn, it feels like finishing touches but I keep finding things to do. I still have a bunch of aluminum covers to fit/paint, the exhaust tip I'm cutting/rotating to point down, I need to design a center console since my shifter/handbrake setup isn't typical, carpet will wait until I drive the car for a bit so I have access to the wiring in the tunnel, install glass, and finish up the passenger door. I'm more or less on page 535/570 in the build section of the manual!

Jet, that's my fiance's commuter. She loves it and I hate to admit how fun it is to drive. It has an automated manual so it shifts for you like an automatic but has the big pause and jerk of a manual. Makes it feel like a 70hp go kart. Plus it's a convertible!

JR, I haven't tried a heat gun but I have tried not cutting it and forcing it to bend around curves. It's constantly trying to pull itself off or binds so bad it pushes itself off. Relief cuts have been the best way for me to take tension out of the seal on sharp bends. It doesn't look great up close but I don't notice it when it's installed. I would guess heat won't allow it to stretch or shrink enough to make it around sharp bends but it's worth a shot. I'll try it on my aluminum cover panels when I get to them. If it works I'll go back and redo the rear firewall. Good idea.

I installed the glass for the rear firewall. Getting the glass in wasn't too bad but getting the locking lip of the seal to fold under itself was tricky. Lots of WD-40 so the rubber seal would zip up like a zipper. Takes a decent amount of force and I slipped and scratched my firewall a couple times, but no broken glass! So you can see how the seal zips up, here's a pic of the seal partially zipped.

IMG_3965.jpg

Installed

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[sgarrett]

Lots of WD-40



Yep! I second that statement. Once I basically created a flooding situation it was actually pretty easy to do.

I am having troubles getting my hatch to stay open. Would you mind sharing where you attached the struts to the frame and to the hatch itself?

1. Distance along the frame from the clamp to the end of the tube it is on
2. Distance from the strut bracket to the edge of the area where the hatch hinge is mounted

I find that the hatch is only staying about 1/2 way open for me and when it is fully closed the struts aren't in the right position to fully pull it against the seal along the top edge of the hatch (the edge along the roof).

Any insight woudl be appreciated.

[mcamera]

Lots of WD-40



Yep! I second that statement. Once I basically created a flooding situation it was actually pretty easy to do.

I am having troubles getting my hatch to stay open. Would you mind sharing where you attached the struts to the frame and to the hatch itself?

1. Distance along the frame from the clamp to the end of the tube it is on
2. Distance from the strut bracket to the edge of the area where the hatch hinge is mounted

I find that the hatch is only staying about 1/2 way open for me and when it is fully closed the struts aren't in the right position to fully pull it against the seal along the top edge of the hatch (the edge along the roof).

Any insight woudl be appreciated.

Hey sgarret,
When I was installing the struts my first attempt lifted the hatch all the way open by itself, but lifted the top of the hatch off of the seal when closed like you're saying. I moved just the strut mount on the frame further away (towards the front of the car) and then my struts were too weak to open the hatch with the weight of the glass. So I went in between and now my hatch sits down against the seal when closed, but only opens half way by itself. I have to assist it to get it to raise all the way but it stays open by itself at the top. I had to tighten the bolts on the hinge also to stop the top of the hatch from lifting off of the seal.

Here are my driver side measurements. Measured from the same spot on the frame. My passenger side is slightly different since it reached fully open half a second before the driver side. So I moved the frame mount slightly further away (towards the front of the car) so it would open at the same speed as my driver side. The hatch now opens evenly and at the same speed on both sides.

Wish mine would open all the way by itself AND stay sealed at the top when closed, but I had to compromise. Hope this helps!

IMG_3973.jpg IMG_3972.jpg

[J R Jones]

mcam, There is almost nothing FFR that fits on my 818 project. I have to build and find everything.
When it came to my frunk and engine cover I chose Gasspringshop.com for struts.
Their on-line spread sheet takes the geometry including hatch dimensions, weight and anticipated opening angle. Out comes the struts, mounting locations and cost.
I found during the layout, the frunk strut mounts were 0.5 in too close to close completely. A minor adjustment and they are perfect.
Delivery of the heavy (rear) set with black rods was delayed but customer service was great.
Made in USA.
FFR does not provide mounting locations???? Maybe they don't know.
jim

[mcamera]

Mocked up a sheet of metal to see how high my center console needs to be to hide the shifter/handbrake mechanicals. 2.75" seems to be a sweet spot. Not a lot of room under the handbrake handle but it's useable. If I find time I might try to scallop the metal in that area for more hand room and it'll add a little depth to my otherwise flat, boring cover.

IMG_4009.jpg

Used the brake at work to bend a new cover

IMG_4010.jpg

The new cover fit the console great, but the wider FFR supplied aluminum cover at the back made it flare out so I cut off the interfering corners so everything would sit flush

IMG_4012.jpg IMG_4013.jpg

I still need to mount my dash and decide how I want to connect the console to it. I've been playing with the idea of a curved piece so the dash isn't just 1 boring, sharp angle but that'll make it hard to mount anything to it since it's a curved surface. On the bright side it looks easy for me to add a couple cup holders already! I also need to extend my gas pedal wires and I'm hoping the steering column wires are long enough to tuck up out of the way.

IMG_4015.jpg

[wallace18]

Looking Good!

[mcamera]

I'm trying to have some fun here. The Subaru wiper system is huge so I have an idea on how to convert it to a single arm system.

IMG_4017.jpg

I see other people have done it but I think I've found the simplest (laziest) way to make it work. The tricky part is making sure my modified linkage system doesn't bind up since the motor linkage rotates 360 degrees, but the wiper linkage only rotates about 90 degrees back and forth. So I did a study to find the correct length of the new arm and how far the wiper will sweep before I start cutting.

IMG_4020.jpg IMG_4019.jpg

I'm waiting on a new wiper arm since my donor pallet was missing them. Then I can confirm if my idea works. It should only need a nut/bolt to convert and then we'll see how well it mounts and works!

[lance corsi]

After seeing the ffr method of installing wipers, I went another route. I took the wiper setup off an ‘07 Chrysler minivan, the type that cross up in the middle. I’ve always liked those for some reason, but in this case, with the roof scoop, I felt as if water was going to be a problem if driving in rain. Looked to me like the water would be directed into the roof scoop as the wipers operated. I’ve modified the roof scoop also, so….hopefully I’m correct.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

This method was so much simpler for a single wiper system.

[RPGs818SNA]

Nice work on the graphical analysis of the wiper linkage. Thanks for sharing that.

It's probably not as much fun, but you can always get the FFR single wiper kit at https://www.factoryfiveparts.com/811...ono-wiper-kit/

Rev 1Z of the manual even deleted any mention of reusing the donor wiper mechanism.

[mcamera]

Lance that sounds like a cool setup. If I'm picturing it correctly you'll be able to wipe almost the entire windshield with just a triangle at the top center remaining. That'll be nice for driver visibility. I'm worried I'll have to chose between a low parking spot for the wiper where it's out of the way and looks good on the car when it's not in use or having the wiper go all the way parallel with the a-pillar so the driver's side gets completely cleared. I'm only adding a wiper for legal reasons and won't purposely drive the car in the rain so I'll favor the good looks of a low parked wiper vs perfect wiping area for the driver if I have to.

Bob I agree and that's my backup plan if things don't work out. I thought it would be nice to use the existing plug and keep my intermittent, low, and high settings on the stalk while using free donor parts. I'm hoping I can develop a simple solution for other guys that don't want to spend extra money or lose full functionality. Plus it seemed fun to redesign the existing setup. Two questions for ya. Are you using the Subaru wiper arm and is it wired to your Subaru stalk or a new switch in the car?

Thanks RPG. There's a +/-5mm range for the new arm length (hole center to hole center) that looks like it should work. Any longer or shorter and the system binds in my analysis. I'm excited to see if it works. The $400 FFR kit is more expensive than I want. I have a marine wiper picked out for $100 as my backup plan. I don't see any mention of wipers in my manual either.

[mcamera]

I'm still working on the wiper. I've had some success but it looks tricky to install.

Stock wipers
IMG_4030.jpg

Cut the arms and hammered the end of the motor tube flat. Drilled a hole at 130mm (center of motor pivot to center of new hole) to create a new arm from the motor pivot to the wiper pivot. It works without any binding but has 1 small side effect that wouldn't bother me. When the wiper first starts to wipe, it goes down an inch before it starts moving across the windshield to the driver side. This is due to where the modified motor arm is at in its rotation when the wiper is parked.
IMG_4044.jpg IMG_4050.jpg

1st attempt, Subaru arm is too high, can't close hood
IMG_4043.jpg

2nd attempt, mounted motor flatter and bent the Subaru arm flatter, better but still too high
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3rd attempt, mounted motor further forward, this looked really nice and low profile so I got excited, but it's too far back and the wiper falls off the windshield on both ends of the wipe
IMG_4048.jpg

4th attempt, mounted the motor flat further back. Subaru wiper arm will hit the fiberglass during its sweep.
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5th attempt, this is about as good as you can get, but the Subaru wiper arm still doesn't fit between the 1" gap between the hood and windshield
IMG_4049.jpg

At this point I need a really thin wiper arm or to admit defeat and buy a marine wiper. I'll give it another hour of playing around.

[mcamera]

I debated a couple spots for my APR carbon fiber mirrors. At the top of the door vs the small triangle on the a-pillar.
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I thought the a-pillar looked too high. Getting too close to the hippo ears on the Superlite SLC and Ultima GTR so I went with the more traditional door mounting.
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I finished mounting my front fender wells. I'll have to cut some access holes for my headlight harnesses since I mounted them in the way.
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I have a big question that was brought up again while I was working on the wheel wells. My turning radius is not good. I currently have steering rack limiters on the car to keep the tires from hitting the frame. I couldn't make a lot of turns when I was go karting the car around my neighborhood last year. Has anybody found a way to improve the turning radius? I'm considering wheel spacers but I don't think that will help much. Does it get better after you do a steering alignment? Do I just need to replace my brand new rims/tires with a narrower set? Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks!

[J R Jones]

mcam, I do not recognize your wheels. What size and offest (backspace) are they for reference?
jim

[mcamera]

mcam, I do not recognize your wheels. What size and offest (backspace) are they for reference?
jim

Enkei TS-10 wheels
17x8
45mm offset

215/40R-17 tires

[mcamera]

I was quoted $400 to install the front windshield, rear windshield, and 2 sail windows. Is that on par with everybody else? All the early build threads said $100 but I'm guessing those were convertibles that only had the front windshield.

[J R Jones]

Enkei TS-10 wheels
17x8
45mm offset

215/40R-17 tires

Mcam, That is about what I have with FFR wheels. have you roughed-in the alignment? Do you have little or negative caster?

[mcamera]

Mcam, That is about what I have with FFR wheels. have you roughed-in the alignment? Do you have little or negative caster?

I've only adjusted the suspension parts to the FFR recommended lengths while building the car. I haven't done an alignment since I've assembled everything. My tire hits the frame near the coolant pipe at ~1.5 turns. Would adding caster move the tire further back and make it worst?

[J R Jones]

No, positive caster positions the bottom of the tire forward, which typically increases the "return to center" feel after a turn, and does increase steering effort.
The FFR spec is +3-4 degrees. If you have been watching the roadster and coupe guys, they run +6 to get straight line stability and then add power steering because of the effort.
It is not easy to measure, there are techniques on the web.
jim

[TheHelixx]

I was quoted $400 to install the front windshield, rear windshield, and 2 sail windows. Is that on par with everybody else? All the early build threads said $100 but I'm guessing those were convertibles that only had the front windshield.

I cracked my windshield bringing the kit home. I paid just over 300 for a replacement windshield with installation and I gave the guy 60 bux when he came to glue in the the other 3 for me. He said he would just do it but I already planned on tipping him anyway.

As a side note it took 3 appointments to get someone that would install it. Safelite scheduled me a week out and 10 minutes before the end of my arrival window called me and said they couldn’t locate my windshield at any aftermarket source… when I told them I could have just gotten the glass from FFR, the told me they would not install anyone else’s glass period. 2nd was Glass America.. Their tech was a younger guy that was nervous installing it because it touched the Pilar at the bottom on both sides. 3rd was a senior guy from Auto Glass fitters local to to my area. He wasn’t concerned about the touching, but said it was too tight for a molding.

I found out after talking to some auto body guys that they can grind the edge of the glass to fit them. Most guys are paid by the job not the hour so they can’t be bothered however.

Hope it helps you cause this was an aggravating part of my install taking about 2 weeks to sort out.

[Dave 53]

I've only adjusted the suspension parts to the FFR recommended lengths while building the car. I haven't done an alignment since I've assembled everything. My tire hits the frame near the coolant pipe at ~1.5 turns. Would adding caster move the tire further back and make it worst?

Get as much caster as you can. My alignment guy got mine from 3.3 degrees to 4.8 degrees and it was noticeable. Going from 3.3 to 4.8 doesn't seem like much of a change, but the car became more stable and removed all the "dancing around" experienced under hard acceleration. More caster beats tire rub in a U turn or any increase in steering effort.

[lance corsi]

I’m running 5 degrees on mine.

[J R Jones]

I’m running 5 degrees on mine.

Says the guy with a Corvette front suspension!?
jim

[mcamera]

I have an appointment for Safelite to come install my glass next Friday. Initial quote was $500, after giving them more details it dropped to $400 because of the smaller side windows, and today they said they're pricing moves around and it was down to $300. I'm happy with $300. Another company quoted me $530 and another company never got back to me. Going to paint the fiberglass edges black and I'll be ready!

[mcamera]

Friday I drove to Frankfort, KY to apply for a title since the Lexington office said I had to go through the capital's office. The first thing they told me was I had to do it back in Lexington because that's the county I live in. They also said I shouldn't be doing a rebuilt title which Lexington told me I had to do since I'm using major parts from another vehicle. Either way they said I have to apply for a new VIN number first. So I dropped off an application for that at the state building. Once I get that, I think I can get my title/inspection at the Lexington office. Nobody seems to be certain but they gave me an email of an official that can help guide me.

I painted the border of my headlight lenses black. I left the headlight covers off this long because the headlight buckets aren't sealed and I thought fiberglass dust would get inside if I sealed them up before I finished the body work. I still need to permanently attach the covers. I used a white "universal bonding" primer from Rustoleum which after I removed the tape left a hairline border of white next to my black paint. It's not terrible so I'll see if I can clean it up a little but I wouldn't recommend a white primer for black paint.
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I've given up on the Subaru wiper. I ordered a marine wiper but I don't think I ordered the best one for this car. I'm having trouble mounting it nicely. The rod that sticks out of the motor is too short so the wiper arm/wiper comes out at a bad angle and the wiper can't lay flat on the windshield. I made a couple 45deg spacers to mount the motor at an angle to help but I still don't like it. I can cut out a large part of the fiberglass, move the motor up, and make a new mount but I don't think that will look nice and my wiper arm is still really short. I'm going to look for a different motor and longer wiper arm. Suggestions for a marine motor/wiper arm are welcome.
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I also picked up this little tool for $14 on Amazon to roughly adjust my front alignment. I need to reduce my tire/frame interference so I can improve my terrible turning radius.
Camber Caster Tool.JPG

[roadrashrob]

I've given up on the Subaru wiper. I ordered a marine wiper but I don't think I ordered the best one for this car. I'm having trouble mounting it nicely. The rod that sticks out of the motor is too short so the wiper arm/wiper comes out at a bad angle and the wiper can't lay flat on the windshield. I made a couple 45deg spacers to mount the motor at an angle to help but I still don't like it. I can cut out a large part of the fiberglass, move the motor up, and make a new mount but I don't think that will look nice and my wiper arm is still really short. I'm going to look for a different motor and longer wiper arm. Suggestions for a marine motor/wiper arm are welcome.

Any reason you didn't just go with the Wiper FFR sells? I'm not up to that part of my build yet, but I am "assuming" it at least functions on the "C" windshield, hence why I purchased it with my kit.

[mcamera]

Any reason you didn't just go with the Wiper FFR sells? I'm not up to that part of my build yet, but I am "assuming" it at least functions on the "C" windshield, hence why I purchased it with my kit.

It's $430 shipped. I didn't think it would be this difficult to make a wiper work. I see even the FFR kit requires you to bend the wiper arm to make the wiper fully contact the glass. Just an awkward combination of angles even with their purpose built 3D printed base and adjustable wiper arm.

[roadrashrob]

It's $430 shipped. I didn't think it would be this difficult to make a wiper work. I see even the FFR kit requires you to bend the wiper arm to make the wiper fully contact the glass. Just an awkward combination of angles even with their purpose built 3D printed base and adjustable wiper arm.

Got it. Thanks for the heads up!

[mcamera]

My glass got installed on Friday. $300 through Safelite for all 4 pieces. I disconnected the struts on the rear hatch before the glass got installed. They put enough force on the fiberglass hatch to warp it so I didn't want the glass to get glued in while the corners were curled up and freeze them in place permanently. My corners do sit more flush now after the glass glue cured.
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I bought another more compact wiper motor with a longer 3.5" shaft. Even with the longer shaft, I couldn't mount the motor flat and get the wiper arm to clear the bottom of the windshield.
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I made a bracket to tilt the motor forward so the wiper arm would clear the windshield. Then I made a hood stand off to hold the hood a little higher and trimmed the back of the hood to give the arm enough clearance. I reduced the wiper sweep from 110deg to 100deg because the bottom of the wiper was almost going off the windshield at the end of the driver side sweep (meaning I couldn't put a longer wiper on) and it was slightly interfering with the hood at the end of the sweep.
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I'm using this small washer kit from Amazon. Seems perfect because it's small (~2 liters) and only $20. The quality is better than I expected. I made sure to make the washer hoses from the tee to both spray nozzles the same length so they would get the same pressure. I didn't want 1 super nozzle and 1 lazy nozzle.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZZ8YJL...roduct_details
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Wiper / washer test with a short 12" wiper blade. Now that everything works it looks like I can fit a longer 20" wiper blade. Everything is already painted black and waiting to go back on. All wiring/hoses will get covered in black sheathing to hide it.

[FFRWRX]

It looks like with the single wiper in the park position it stays fairly high up on the windshield. I suppose there is no way around this with having near 180 degree sweep. Can you get a motor like that with more sweep angle? But then the motor would have to be mounted higher up, closer to the bottom of the windshield, so maybe that wouldn't work.

I have the stock stuff that came with my kit (the 2 wiper arrangement), that I think involves cutting some of the hood away. Not sure what system to use right now, but I appreciate the detailed description of what you found and how you did it.

Rick

[mcamera]

It looks like with the single wiper in the park position it stays fairly high up on the windshield. I suppose there is no way around this with having near 180 degree sweep. Can you get a motor like that with more sweep angle? But then the motor would have to be mounted higher up, closer to the bottom of the windshield, so maybe that wouldn't work.

I have the stock stuff that came with my kit (the 2 wiper arrangement), that I think involves cutting some of the hood away. Not sure what system to use right now, but I appreciate the detailed description of what you found and how you did it.

Rick

I just added a few more notes to my post. I actually reduced the sweep from 110deg to 100deg so I can fit a longer wiper on it. The wiper is parked higher than I had hoped for, but that was the best all around setup I found. I have an arm with an adjustable tip so I can rotate the wiper more horizontal, but then the far end of the wiper doesn't contact the windshield. I could then bend the arm down more so the wiper makes better contact, but then it interferes with the hood. I left it for now so I can pass inspection. It was hard enough and time consuming to get to this point. It's satisfactory, but I'm sure I could get the arm slightly lower with some fine adjustments. I think my hardtop is set further forward than preferred making the gap for the wiper smaller.

I've only seen the Subaru 2 wiper system work after cutting out a big (10"?) chunk at the back of the hood. I showed how to convert it to a 1 wiper system but that was still really challenging to fit in the car and get the angles right. It wasn't going to happen with the bulky Subaru wiper arm for me.