Wleehendrick's Build Thread

[Tamra]

Wow, that last photo is crazy! I just moved to CT from OR last fall. We had terrible fires in OR too (forest fires), and the smoke stuck around for months due to the mountain valleys, creating hazardous air conditions. I was spared any hurricane experiences last fall in CT, but I'm definitely dreading the day. People keep telling me they aren't a big deal.

I hope you, your family, your friends, and your 818 all make it out okay.

[wleehendrick]

Thanks, Tamra; it's looking good (for us, at least).

I grew up in south-east coastal Connecticut (Groton/Noank/Mystic area) and remember several hurricanes. They feed off warm water and lose most of their strength by the time they get that far north; Sandy was an exception and 'perfect storm' of circumstances.

I get up to OR for business and fun pretty often; really like it there.

[Xusia]

Do you ever make it down to Eugene Lee? I'd love to grab some lunch, or a beer, or something.

[wleehendrick]

Do you ever make it down to Eugene Lee? I'd love to grab some lunch, or a beer, or something.

Not usually... I get to Wilsonville for business pretty often. When I have the opportunity to have my wife tag along, well get around a bit more. Ill let you know next time Im up there.

Things seem to have settled down with the fires... the weather really changed last night, with the wind shifting from the ocean, evacuations around here have been lifted, and everyone I know made it through unscathed, luckily.

[wleehendrick]

Wow, hadn't realized I haven't updated my thread in a while. With getting up early to exercise, typically working long hours, I just don't have much time/energy to get much work done during the week and have had a lot of home projects on the weekends. I need to get this car built!

I did build a rear firewall, gave the motor a maintenance overhaul and bolt-on mods (timing belt, H2O pump, plugs, silicone hoses, TGV and air pump delete, etc...) and I just got Group N mounts, so it's ready to drop in. Once that's done, I'll almost be ready to bring it home from my friend's garage. Although I have much less space than he does, it'll be much easier to get time in on it when it's home; wiring, body and interior should be manageable in our tight 2-car.

I have prepped most of my body panels, polished the white gel-coat, and undercoated the raw side. I'll go 'naked' for a while until I commit to painting, wrapping or dipping it. I did, however, want to paint the speed humps, so these are Subaru Black Obsidian Pearl (Duplicolor). After sanding, priming, sanding, spraying, sanding, polishing and waxing, I now know why Wayne doesn't sand! It's not perfect, but I think acceptable for rattle cans in the back yard:

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I also brought my instrument cluster in to work to disassemble it, and install of on Larry's EEPROMs to reset the odometer to zero:

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I decided on an exhaust layout and ordered parts; I got a Kinugawa Turbo bellmouth, some 3" SS tubing, and a short FlowMaster. Polished up the end of the straight pipe and think it'll look good exiting the rear mesh with no tip.

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I need to fit it and cut/weld the pipes, but this will be copy of Brett's exhaust.

Finally, been waiting for wheel to be in stock for a while. I got XXR 530's in Chromium Black, same size and finish that GRM went with, but different style. They came yesterday (thanks, Wayne!). The first thing my wife said is that they'd look good on her car (in the back):

wheels.jpg

[Brando]

cover.jpg

Nice. I'm doing the exact same thing. I am still on the fence of gloss or flat black.

[wleehendrick]

Nice. I'm doing the exact same thing. I am still on the fence of gloss or flat black.

I like contrast between both color and finish. Since I'm planning on eventually going to a matte or satin wrap or dip, I painted/cleared and polished these glossy. If you plan to keep the white gel-coat as is (just polished out and waxed glossy) then I'd go flat/matte on the humps for that extra contrast that makes it pop.


Also, I was going to mention that on Tuesday, Ted (whose garage I'm building in, and some of you guys have met) got rear-ended and his car totaled. He was waiting at a red light and two kids not paying attention slam into the stopped traffic at full speed. He's still sore, but OK; luckily he had just dropped his daughter off at school and she wasn't in the car. Anyway, ironically we both have (had) Le Mans Sunset Z's. Since my plan was always to sell my Z when I get close to finishing the 818 (no need for 2 2-seaters since my wife and I have 2 other vehicles). Well, not long after he told me about his accident, he's asking to buy my Z... At least I won't have to deal with the crazies on Craigslist!

[Brando]

I did a CF wrap but realized it's somewhat cheezy. I decided to go with a satin black wrap just as you had mentioned.

Attachment 33244
Attachment 33245

[ehansen007]

Doesn't look too terrible. I dipped mine and it's already peeling around the front where I handle it a lot. No big deal since I plan on painting too. Funny story, I had asked Tony Zullo if they had those CF covers left over from the white car and they had just thrown them in the trash the day before. DoH!

[wleehendrick]

So my new wheels come with nice centercaps and an XXR logo disc, but I don't want an aftermarket look, I want something that looks factory... Factory Five!

I got vinyl decals printed with the FFR logo, but since the XXR centercaps have a hole in the middle, I closed it off with some plugs I 3D printed at work. You can see the below:



I trimmed and put the decals in, all that's left is to apply a clear encapsulant over them for protection and a nice finish, them pop em in the rims.



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[Mifune]

Hi, it has been awhile. I’m one of the “strangers” that came on your kit delivery day and helped you muscle your car into your friend’s garage.

Looks like you need some optically clear, non-yellowing encapsulate that won’t react with your vinyl decals (may want to test one out first)

Have you started to mount body panels? It sounds like a two person job. If you need help let me know.

[wleehendrick]

Hi Gary, good to hear from you!

Thanks for the offer for help. Most of my body panels are roughly prepped (holes cut, trim mounted, gel coat buffed, back side coated with a rubberized undercoat, etc..) however, I'm a little ways off from mounting them yet. But If you're up for giving me a hand with some other work some time, there's still plenty to do... I'm going to have to travel for work a fair bit the next couple weeks, but should be home on the weekends; I'd appreciate any help!

I've had quite a bit going on lately, so haven't done much on the 818. I recently got summoned to Federal District Court Jury Duty, so was driving downtown for that, which really made me really appreciate living and working in North County, not having to deal with any traffic. It was an interesting trial though... a convicted felon was suing 6 correctional officers claiming they violated his 1st amendment right to free speech by retaliating against him, putting him in administrative segregation (i.e. solitary) for filing grievances. On it's face, that may seem to have some merit, but this guy is in for life without parole for kidnapping, rape and murder, spends all his time filing grievances and working the legal system, and was representing himself (not very well). I was the foreperson, and it took about half an hour to find for the defense.

Also, last weekend was my birthday and my wife and I went up to the Santa Barbara wine country for the harvest festival. We stayed in Solvang, the party was at the Mission, and that night Toad the Wet Sprocket performed (a Santa Barbara band that got popular in the 90's and recently reunited). Great weekend; I was hoping to have the 818 ready for the road-trip... there's always next year! We did take her 135i convertible, and we realized it was the first time it had been further away from home than OC. I usually do most of the driving, but she was having too much fun and didn't let me drive we took a few back roads and she wrung it out well.

For the centercaps, I used a acrylic casting agent to encapsulate the logo; no reaction with the decal, but the top surface came out a little wavy as it cured, so I'm in the process of sanding/polishing them flat; they should look good when done. Good point on yellowing; a UV blocker would be a great idea. I think I have some leftover from a headlight restoration kit.

Later,

Lee

[wleehendrick]

Build a car they said...

The wiring won't be bad they said...



It's actually not too bad. Just a few hours in to the harness; I'm still stripping off sheathing and ID'ing connectors. Since I didn't part out my donor, few of the connectors are labeled and it took me a while to wrap my head around it all. But I'm almost ready to start stripping out un-needed circuits.

I can't really complain... sitting on the patio in 80F weather while most of the country digs out of a blizzard...

Happy Thanksgiving!



harness.jpg

[Frank818]

Just a couple hours? Wow that's frickin quick! OEM harness or you intend to add/mod something?

[wleehendrick]

I've only spent a few hours so far, but I've just gotten started... It'll take a lot more time! It's the donor harness, and my plan is to remove as much excess as possible... Something like what Larry did (savage build)

My build will be simple, only adding a stereo, seat heaters and a 12V power jack.

[NBinSD]

Looks like good progress. I'm interested to see how the dieting goes for you. I'm still deciding what to do with my harness.

[07FIREBLADE]

Looks good. I gave up on my wife diet. After I got my car running I turned around and hit up Brian from iWire. Hey is currently knocking out my harness. Adding ac and a few other goodies so I really needed the room and security that my harness wouldn't be a weak point in my build.

[wleehendrick]

Thanks, the most involved prior automotive electrical experience I have is installing a car stereo. I'll post progress (although I cant promise how quick ) . I did talk to Brian a little while ago; he's not too far from me, so I figure if I muck it up, I can bring it to him!

[nkw8181]

Any updates? I read in another forum that you got the spyder headlights. Any pics installed?

[wleehendrick]

Any updates? I read in another forum that you got the spyder headlights. Any pics installed?

I opened the box

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Seriously, though... I think Brian got the same ones you can see on his build here:

weddingcar 280.JPG

I've been travelling for work and my build is slow due to being in a friends garage and me being time constrained. As far as where my build is at... I started on my harness and worked on it the last few weekends... stripped off all the sheathing, labeled all connectors, removed the unneeded circuits (ABS, airbags, AC, etc...) and realized it's still a rat's nest and will be a lot of work to get it the way I want it (one run down the center tunnel, cleaner fuse/relay boxes...). So I just gave Brian (iWire) a deposit to get my place in his queue.

I should be trailering the 818 home soon and hope progress will pick up from there. It's pretty much a glider, but a lot of things are 90% complete. I hope to get it all buttoned up (and maybe even start on body work and interior) by the time Brian finishes my harness, so I'll be ready to go-cart right away.

[07FIREBLADE]

Good call on giving Brian a shot at your harness. You will be very pleased with his work and it's really worth it.

[wleehendrick]

Good call on giving Brian a shot at your harness. You will be very pleased with his work and it's really worth it.

I'm sure I will be. He's been very helpful with planning, and all the reports on his product have been extremely positive.

Thanks,

Lee

[wleehendrick]

I hit a milestone today.... I dropped the motor in, installed the axles, finished the rear suspension, bolted the wheels on and trailered her home! I had been building in a friend's garage, but being half an hour away really limited build times to when I could devote a good chunk of time. Now that it's mostly in one piece, it's manageable to work on on my smaller garage. I'm hoping progress will really pick up, since I'm off til Jan 5th, and after that I'll have much more opportunity to work on it an hour or two at a time.

The motor install went surprisingly easy. I have the smallest (1 ton) Harbor Freight hoist. I read recently that it wasn't up to the task, but it actually had just enough reach at max extension. I recently put Group N motor mounts on, and must have got it right, since everything lined up perfectly. I removed the exhaust manifold, as well as the dipstick, and half way through pulled the oil filter off. What really helped was tilting the chassis backward (with the front on jackstands all the way up, and the rear wheels on the floor) and using a balance bar with a sling under the tranny. Didn't have to muscle it in at all, just took our time. Started with it pitched forward, and as it got close, went back and forth dropping it an inch, tilting back, moving forward, etc...



It was also a pleasant surprise how manageable it was to roll it up on the flat bed with just two people. When we got home, my wife 'drove' as we pushed it in the garage and she had no trouble turning the wheel at a standstill. Power steering? Hah!

She's now safe at home, next to my wife's baby (Le Mans Blue 135i). After working on it up on jackstands for so long, it's shocking just how low the 818 actually is.



It was, however, a bittersweet day... to make room (and finance the 818) I sold my Z . It was the plan all along, but I'll miss her. Here we are snagged by the Mulholland photog:



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[Frank818]

So you finally brought her back home in your garage? That's a good move!

[wleehendrick]

Yeah, feels good! I pulled the tail of the tranny off and removed the center diff and transfer gears today. However the locking collar wasn't where I thought it was. I spent an hour looking before finding it. Grrr... I really need to get reorganized now that its all in one place. (Well my body panels are still in storage)

[Tamra]

On the ground and in the garage, congrats! It is crazy how much it suddenly grows when you put wheels and tires on it.

[jayguy]

Nice milestone, congrats.

I see your wife shops at Lululemon, too. Great reusable bags.

[billjr212]

After working on it up on jackstands for so long, it's shocking just how low the 818 actually is.

I had the exact same reaction just last week when I set mine down on the tires. Next to my wife's Grand Cherokee in the garage, it looks like a glorified go-kart! Congrats on the milestone!

[wleehendrick]

On the ground and in the garage, congrats!

Nice milestone, congrats.

Congrats on the milestone!

Thanks, everyone!

I see your wife shops at Lululemon, too. Great reusable bags.

How do you know I'm not the one shopping there? I could be the one with a closet full of yoga tights!

[jayguy]

How do you know I'm not the one shopping there? I could be the one with a closet full of yoga tights!

Well they do make mens wear also, I have pants, shorts, and a cap from them, but it was all purchased by my fiance. We have half a dozen of those bags, at least, around the house.

Yoga helps with getting in and out of low cars, by the way.

Jay

[wleehendrick]

Yoga helps with getting in and out of low cars, by the way.

Jay

I had no trouble getting into/out of the 818 at Huntington Beach withe to soft top on, but some of the "bigger" guys had trouble!

My wife does yoga regularly, and occaisionally drags me along, but I have a decent home gym and prefer my own routine of weights, cardio, core and flexibility... I do incorporate some pilates and yoga moves which help with functionality. The extra strength and flexibility comes in handy in the build, especially with things like the trans drain plug I removed yesterday... I hammered on it with an impact, but it simply wouldnt budge, so I used both hands on a breaker bar with one foot braced on the frame to break it loose, kinda like a sideways deadlift. Guestimating it took at least several hundred ft-lbs, more than my buddies impact could put out!

[Harley818]

Hows your wiring coming along? Was hoping you were going to be about the same time as me so we could compare notes.

I finally reached the a-ha moment last week and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I didn't think it was going to fit, but after dieting and pre-organizing, it slipped right in.
Had to lengthen the front lights and rad fan wiring, the brake and clutch pedal wires, but the engine harness and fuseboxes all fit right in eventually (all at the front of the tunnel).
Had to lengthen the 10 Ga wires to the relay panel to the alternator, as well as smaller alternator connections.
I'll post more pics on my thread in the next couple days.

[wleehendrick]

Hows your wiring coming along? Was hoping you were going to be about the same time as me so we could compare notes.

After dieting the unneeded circuits and realizing a lot needed to be done to get it the way I wanted (particularly the fuse/relay boxes) I got back in touch with Brian (iWire) and will have him finish it. His work is so nice that he now has a backlog, but I gave him a deposit to get my place in line. By the time he gets to my harness, in a month or so, I'll be ready to plug in and go-cart.

[wleehendrick]

So starting on the cooling lines I noticed that my donor's radiator has a broken nipple (the coolant return). This would blocked off anyway, but I'm not confident in a repair to the plastic end-cap, as these OEM radiators do have a tendency to crack. I was going to just use the old rad, despite it being the ugliest thing on the car, but now I have the perfect excuse to upgrade to an all Aluminum one. I'm thinking Mishimoto MMRAD-WRX-01. Koyo also seems popular. Any opinions or fitment issues on the 818?

[Wayne Presley]

Fits fine. I sell them You could have it soon as they are in stock in the wet coast warehouse

[wleehendrick]

Discussion moved from longislandwrx's Build Thread:

Tell me about it... Whenever anyone ask how the car's coming, my response is "if you want to finish a car project, don't buy a house". Roof, paint, landscaping, flooring, and building a small wine cellar. All while the poor 818 sits neglected in the garage.

Wine cellar for her, man cave for you.

Ironically, the wine cellar was more my idea and project; we both enjoy wine, but I'm more of the wine geek/snob! After buying our small place in Encinitas last year, we removed a wall and obsolete built-in entertainment center to open up the downstairs and I thought this was a much better use of the awkward space available between our dining and family room. I went a little overboard with it: actively cooled, redwood racks, reclaimed wine barrels for flooring and broken down wooden wine boxes for decoration, LED lighting, etc... I'm proud of it:



She's actually the one who insisted on the epoxy floor and organization in the garage (which we just completed, and I now appreciate). It's small, but a much nicer workplace now:



Now I have no excuses, and just need to focus my attention back on the 818 so I can update this thread with some real progress!

cellar1.jpgcellar2.jpgcellar3.jpggarage.jpg

[UnhipPopano]

From the first photo that included your wife, you should think about adding a keg cooler and Tap.

[longislandwrx]

yeah I was going to say the same. clickbait headline reads: man builds beautiful wine cellar, wife switches to beer.

[Frank818]

Nice wine cellar, but she's drinking a beer. What gives? lolll

[wleehendrick]

From the first photo that included your wife, you should think about adding a keg cooler and Tap.

yeah I was going to say the same. clickbait headline reads: man builds beautiful wine cellar, wife switches to beer.

Nice wine cellar, but she's drinking a beer. What gives? lolll

Thanks, yeah everyone comments on that photo. A winemaker once told me "It takes a lot of beer to make good wine"... and yes, it took a lot of beer to build a wine cellar!