Haha, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" right? LOVE that movie!
Looks like the tear down is welll underway, will you just be swapping in a used engine or a rebuilt one?
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Haha, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" right? LOVE that movie!
Looks like the tear down is welll underway, will you just be swapping in a used engine or a rebuilt one?
Adam _____ Instagram @PopesProjects____ YouTube Channel
818 SRX - #91
Arrived 01/02/2014
First Start 10/31/2016
First Drive 05/22/2017
Registered 10/25/2019 BRAP818
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Well that is backwards in order to go fwd later on. Sad to see that right after registration. Or at any other time.
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
On today’s episode of ‘Dude, your engine’s jacked!’ we try to find the point of failure on a 192K mile ‘03 EJ205.
For our new contestants, a quick recap: during drive engine suffered huge loss of power/hesitation. There was a constant knocking sound that corresponded with engine RPM – knocking bad been intermittent before that. Also, a severe oil leak -the pan wasn’t dry, but below ‘low’ on dipstick and left a nice puddle on the garage floor.
Saw some very fine debris in the oil recovered from the pan.
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Pulled spark plugs; a bit sooty, probably from running rich, but no evidence of oil on plug tips.
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Oil pickup and pump also had some debris in it.
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Took off oil pan and found the mother lode! Chunks and grit.
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Didn’t see any obvious damage to crank & con-rod big ends, but didn’t grab & shake them. No burnt or discolored ends.
Looked in the heads intakes, valves are still there. Maybe a tiny bit of oil on one of the valves.
Very little oil in the intercooler/intake pipes or throttle body.
Quite a bit of oil on top of the block around the rear oil galley plug that had a pressure transducer installed.
Some oil evident weeping from the rear main seal.
Sooooo, anyone want to put down a marker before we pull the heads?
Looks so empty... must fill with something... soon.
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818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
The bearings are gone, the copper metal flake paint job on the inside of the pan tells me that.
Wayne Presley www.verycoolparts.com
Xterminator 705 RWHP supercharged 4.6 DOHC with twin turbos
Mike, now that we know for sure it's the bearings, will you repair or change engine?
Also I'm looking at your empty rear end and are those all of the wire harnesses that go in the engine bay or you completely removed some?
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
Frank, not planning on rebuilding engine; will replace.
That's pretty much all the wiring. The signals & light portion of the harness was removed with the rear bumper cover. So there is starter, alternator, engine harness to connectors, and a few misc. sensor leads, and the GPS antenna - most everything is zip tied out of the way right now.
Wayne, the metal flake is nice, but you should see the chunks. I thought about panning for gold... I think I'm going to have to tear it all the way down to find the failure. Oh well first time for everything -and I don't have to worry about breaking something.
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Still planning on the same engine specs or you might consider something different, like displ, or # of cyl, etc. Just curious to picture what you would put in next. It's sad this one died I admit! But it's also an opportunity for something new in the future.
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
Dropped a bunch of coin today... but now have one of these sitting in the garage:
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A JDM EJ207 v8 with dual scroll turbo, up-pipe, down-pipe and ECU. Estimated 50K miles on the clock and looks completely unmolested (ha -until we get our hands on it).
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Can't tell you how nice it is to have a relatively clean engine without rust & corrosion on every surface. Bolts came out so nice and easy.
Let the games commence!
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Nice stuff man, nice stuff! I wish I could spend my money on improvement parts that I'll have fun with, but I spend on useless parts required for regulations, so I damn hope you make that engine great and have a lot of fun with it! Why don't you do like Hammond and learn how to drift with it? (S01E13)
What's your goal? I mean besides dropping it in, are you planning on changing something?
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
Thanks all! Actually, we're planning to install it without major modifications.
We will take off the oil-not-a-cooler and relocate the oil filter as the previous install had.
The turbo & exhaust headers are not going to be changed.
We'll keep the intake manifold & injectors as they come right now - except for the cold air intake system that was in place.
The biggest changes were doing during this install will be a small-overhaul of the fuel system: installing a Holly HydraMat with the Walboro 255 fuel pump to avoid having to run a surge tank. The fuel lines are going to be changed out from rubber to PTFE braided with AN-6 hardware.
The oil cooler will be replaced with a 1 size larger core (still Setrab) in the same location, but I will fix the body panel so the cooler actually gets air (inspired by Canadian818).
The harness bar is going to be reinforced and we will make a couple of track specific additions.
Frank, the ongoing saga of your trials to be complaint bring a tear to my eye -such a load of crap work. I thought MD was bad, but I won't complain about it again; promise!
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
No worries Mike, tnx for the support and subscription to my temporarily dead channel. lolll
Your list of tasks sounds interesting, many hours ahead but all good stuff and little improvements that will make the car even better. Maybe that engine blow up didn't happen for no reason.
I might have missed the whole thing about your build, but who's "we"?
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
Father-in-law is my partner in crime.
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Congrats on the new motor, but sorry to hear about the old one. You could probably part it out or rebuild it and have a spare. The new motor looks very nice though, good selection!
This update has been a long time coming -there has been no point on writing about disassembling the car or refreshing the motor.
So… not quite done yet, but the ‘new’ motor is in.
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The fuel system has been overhauled – installed a HydraMat which required significant modifications to the tank, replaced or replacing the fuel lines and filter.
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The wiring has been worked over -behind the dash is moved and re-organized. Not really better, but the fuse box is now in the passenger foot well.
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The Engine & bulkhead wiring harness is cleaned up a bit and we’ve added the control wires for the intake AVCS.
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We will keep plugging away
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Nice work! Bet it feels good having the new motor in there now.
Did the "new" motor come with a JDM ECU?
"Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement"
Owner: Colonel Red Racing
eBAy Store: http://stores.ebay.com/colonelredracing
818R ICSCC SPM
Palatov DP4 - ICSCC Sports Racer
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
Rev 1 gas tank. First had a marginal opening size to get the hydramat in to the tank. Then the surge cup in the tank interfered with the hydramat lying flat.
I put up a video on the build channel , but basically I cut open the top of the tank, cut out the surge cup, added baffles with hinged doors, installed the hydramat, added aluminum tie downs and a top plate, reassembled the pump then finally welded the tank back together. Took a few days to complete -I knew it was going to be a big (intimidating) job, but in'm glad I did it.
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Gen1, I got Gen1. I'm an old school like you. Awesome job you did there. No way in hell I have time or will to get the tank off, that mat will have to sit in place without any modification. I recall redfogo did without a prob but I wonder if he had gen1 or 2 tank... I thought Gen2 was worse.
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
We figured out an easy way to fill & purge the cooling system. Remember that we are using a different radiator that does not have a front rad cap, so filling and getting all the air bubbles out of the system was a major pain - it took a few days of start/heat/stop cycles.
So we added an inline radiator drain valve right in front of the radiator inlet.
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Now we can run a bit of hose to a fill reservoir that is placed above the highest point in the car and the system looks to happily fill and purge -left the rear expansion tank cap off and got eventually had a splash on the floor.
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Still need to run the engine and heat cycle to push the last of the trapped air through, but I'm thinking this setup will work for that as well.
The good news is we're getting close to being able to start the new engine!
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
did you do my cooling system mod?
Wayne Presley www.verycoolparts.com
Xterminator 705 RWHP supercharged 4.6 DOHC with twin turbos
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Welp, this weekend was a bit disappointing...
Was planning on first start, but rather we got to spend 2 hours tracing an electrical problem - the 80 AMP fusible link in the engine bay fuse box blew. I had shorted something when disassembling the switch console. Interesting problem: with the master power on we would get power through OBD2 to the RaceCapture and the horn, but the instrument cluster and everything else was dead. Replaced that and back in business.
Then we got to spend the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out why no oil pressure (or any oil for that matter) when priming the system with the starter. Our first guess is the Killer-B oil pick-up isn't installed properly (I had some concerns about it but stupidly gave it a go). Headers are back off and next get to drop the oil pan... again. fun.
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Do EJ's build oil pressure with just the starter? Obviously my engine is a different animal but I seen no movement on my oil pressure gauge when cranking. I removed my turbo's oil feed line and confirmed she was pumping. Then on first start up I wrapped my 100psi gauge! Turns out rotaries run a fairly high pressure, lol.
Adam _____ Instagram @PopesProjects____ YouTube Channel
818 SRX - #91
Arrived 01/02/2014
First Start 10/31/2016
First Drive 05/22/2017
Registered 10/25/2019 BRAP818
Rotary's do build pressure with the starter, 10-14psi
our ej builds about the same with the starter. And yes, Mazda turbo oil pump will put out stupid oil pressure at start up, we see 130psi!
Yay, have oil pressure!
Had to replace oil pickup tube - for some odd reason the Killer-B ultimate oil pickup was incompatible with this EJ207 block. There was a slight gap between the face of the pickup and the block after the bolts were snugged down... strange since this same pickup fit perfectly on the prior EJ205 block.
Also had to replace the oil pressure transducer I added at the oil filter block. Go ebay garbage; transducer arrived dead - read 2.5 volts at 0 PSI. For now I have a 500 PSI transducer installed, which will be bad for correct resolution and scale, but at least it reads .5v at 0 PSI.
onward.
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
818S #22 Candy Blue Frame, Front Gas Tank, 2.5L Turbo, Rear radiator, Shortened Transmission, Wookiee Compatible, Console mounted MR2 Shifter, Custom ECU panel, AWIC soon
My Son Michael's Turbo ICE Build X22 http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...rts-818S-Build
My Electric Supercar Build X21 (on hold until winter) http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...e-Build-Thread
Keep up the good work Mike, we want to see you on the road very soon and driving a for a long long trip in perfect sound harmonics.
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
First and most important thing: thank you to everyone who makes it possible to enjoy my freedom and hobby - especially those to whom this day is dedicated.
Second and less important thing: engine breathed fire for the first time in the 818 today -good times
Lots of other updates are coming, but this one was a pretty major fight to get to. After fighting the oil pickup issue and the oil pressure sensor the fuel pump died. Wasn't quite sure how I was going to deal with that since I assed up the fuel tank when I assembled it, but pulling and replacing the fuel pump was a 30 minute job, almost as easy as changing out a non hacked tank one.
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Lol, your vids are so funny. He said "10sec" but it was 28sec.
Re-loaded, re-first, re-start! Great thinking!
I like the end! You turn around, re-smile and re-thumbs up!
Well yeah! Thumbs up for the re-engine!
Frank
818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
Build Completed Winter 2021
Re-thumbs up! Fire extinguisher still full and it makes good smell. Re-Congrats.
818S/C : Chassis #25 with 06 WRX 2.5 turbo, ABS, cruise, PS, A/C, Apple CarPlay, rear camera, power windows & locks, leather & other complexities. Sold 10/19 with 5,800 miles.
Mk3 Roadster #6228 4.6L, T45, IRS, PS, PB, ABS, Cruise, Koni's, 17" Halibrands, red w/ silver - 9K miles then sold @ Barrett-Jackson Jan 2011 (got back cash spent).
Thanks guys! Was a good day.
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Congrats Mike!
This car needs a rear wing -because race car!
First step is to build the wing mount. Other builds have put together very nice pieces -we put together something simple because of limited skill level and tools available. For whatever reason, I bought 1.5” square tubing. I’m sure 1” would work just as well. We have a Harbor Freight cut-off saw and originally a Dewalt metal cut-off wheel that was crap -wasn’t flat so the blade vibrated and didn’t cut true. A second (thicker) blade solved that problem.
With the hard top there is just enough room to situate the wing if it’s at the extreme back of the car, so within those limitations we measured, planned and said a quick prayer -then off to make some cuts.
First, the rearmost box was 33” wide and would stand 17 ¾” over the rear most tube of the frame. Tacked it together and lined it up on the back bar. John had the good idea to use a piece of PVC to steady the box while we got measurements and checked for squareness & true.
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The upper braces are 21” and will tie in to the rear strut brace using the upper bolts. Initially we had a stack of weld on tabs, but with the 1.5” tube there would only be 2 faces to weld, a 1” and 1.5” seam. We looked at boxing the end of the tube, but then saw some hefty angle iron I had bought for another job. Perfect. We get a huge amount of overlap for weld seams and can cut to length (3”) to tie into the bolt and let the side tube rest on it.
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Cut the upper tubes to length and weld them to the back box. Last step is to add tabs to the rear bar. Those weld on tabs came in handy here and with a 1” length of angle iron we have a strong mounting bracket. The brackets were drilled and we ran lag bolts through to anchor the wing mount and still allow removal.
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I am still checking clearances, but there seems to be enough room to install a hug-jazz muffler between the transmission and vertical stay. Also, I should be able to add a rear crash bar to the outside of the wing mount at the height of the shifter linkage. Lastly, I need to relief cut the angle iron to make a cross bar about 5” in front of the back bar to complete the wing riser stays, and I’ll use this same piece to anchor the rear corners of the hard top.
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Some finish welds (heh) and paint and this job should be done!
(timelapse of a very long day)
https://youtu.be/09UgQ_Byp4c
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Very happy with how everything is looking now that we've put the hard top back on for sizing and fit. Some preview pics
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818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits
Been busy with the punch list of things to fix/finalize or rebuild, but I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel -actually I'm in final re-assembly with nothing major to fabricate!
This update is to the interior treatment of the hard top. As most C builders know, the headliner assembly is a bit of a black art. There is a roll of (pretty nice actually) headliner material and an aluminum sheet that is cut to sort of fit in the raw fiberglass recess formed by the air channels.
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And as most C builders know, the aluminum panel doesn't really like to stay up with mortal glues.
So I trashed it. Instead I bought some replacement (and not quite as nice) headliner material and a can of 3M High Strength 90 spray adhesive. The first change was fixing the ridge formed by the bonding of the plastic air channels to the inside of the hard top. My initial thought was to sand down the edge to smooth it out. After the first hour of sanding I wasn't so crazy about that idea. Never fear - I have Bondo... er Evercoat Rage Gold.
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A few applications later I had smoother transitions from the plastic to the fiberglass. Didn't need to be perfectly smooth because the headliner is foam backed. Next to glue in the headliner material.
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I covered the A and B pillars first, then the main area front to back. For my first time applying a headliner it isn't terrible... about a '6'.
The spray adhesive is crazy strong. I peeled up one of the B pillars to try to improve the seam and it didn't come off without a major fight... and sanding... and acetone. I think it will be pretty robust for a few years.
Then I made fill in blocks to address the gaps between the upper firewall and the windows. Again, if you're a 'C' builder, you know the black stripe on the vent windows is where the firewall sits - and you know that because these windows are mounted to the outside there is a gap between it and the firewall. A small block stuck here first wrapped in gold reflective foil because race car then the front wrapped in headliner because vain with a little gasket applique to address the curve of the glass does the trick to fill this area.
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Again, about a 6 out of 10, but much better than how it was. And everything (almost) seals up tight which is a HUGE improvement from how it was. I think some Alcantara and a bit more skill in application would really transform how the interior looks. Maybe for build phase 3...
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Oh, and spare a thought for my partner in crime. FIL may have a detaching retina -so major world of suck there. We will find out more tomorrow.
Last edited by mikeb75; 07-10-2017 at 09:33 AM.
818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits