Frank818 -1993 VW VR6 Turbo donor- Build Thread

[wicked93gs]

I can fully understand. I have yet to order my kit(still a couple thousand away from ordering) but I plan on using a Ford 3.7L v6(from a 2012+ mustang) and a STI six speed, mainly because I am unimpressed with the Subaru engine choices. I want a nice simple 300HP NA 6 cylinder that gets 30mpg....and Subaru has no such thing, and the H6 options they do have are 40HP down on the goal while being heavier than the EJ25(the Ford Duratec37 is the same weight). Your build in particular interested me because my engine choice will inevitably push the axles back at least 2-3 inches(and require extensive frame modification). Of course there is no adapter plate for a Ford v6 to Subaru trans, but it wont be the first time I have made an adapter plate from scratch. Making an adapter plate is easy assuming you have a large accurate caliper. The trickier part is the custom flywheel and extended pilot bearing needed(you can do without a custom flywheel a lot of times if you use an engine-side starter and your bellhousing has enough space to fit a factory flywheel and whatever clutch-disc, pressure plate combo you end up having to use...but when using a 4 cylinder trans with a 6 or 8 cylinder engine, most often the bellhousing space available is severely limited...in particular 4 cylinder flywheels are significantly smaller diameter than their 6 and 8 cylinder counterparts...and bellhousing depth is shallower too...so when looking a modern v6 that uses a thick dual mass flywheel and trying to fit that into a 4 cylinder bellhousing....you wont have much luck there). What interests me is actually the factory Subaru 2WD transmissions. I know they have automatic versions of these transmissions...but do manual versions exist? They are interesting for 2 reasons...they are shorter(an advantage when pushing the axles back, I fear using the STI 6 speed will end up with the back of the trans even with the rear bumper cover) and you don't have to convert them to 2wd...which is neither here nor there...but being designed as 2wd, they may well be stronger in that role than a converted 4wd trans. For instance....the 1st gen dodge neon 5speed transmission can handle 400HP stock...I know because I pushed those numbers from an old neon of mine with a factory trans(can you say peg-leg torque steer?) Speaking of trans weight, what is the weight of the Subie trans anyway out of curiosity?

[Scargo]

I can fully understand. I have yet to order my kit(still a couple thousand away from ordering) but I plan on using a Ford 3.7L v6(from a 2012+ mustang) and a STI six speed, mainly because I am unimpressed with the Subaru engine choices. I want a nice simple 300HP NA 6 cylinder that gets 30mpg....and Subaru has no such thing, and the H6 options they do have are 40HP down on the goal while being heavier than the EJ25(the Ford Duratec37 is the same weight). ..
I fear using the STI 6 speed will end up with the back of the trans even with the rear bumper cover)...

I am puzzled by your ruminations.
There are 4 cylinder NA engines that can make decent power. OTOH, my '08 DAVCS engined STi was able to get 34 MPG if I kept my right foot out of the turbo.
The six-speed will poke out the back regardless. You might do better fit-wise with a Porsche transaxle.

[wicked93gs]

I am puzzled by your ruminations.
There are 4 cylinder NA engines that can make decent power. OTOH, my '08 DAVCS engined STi was able to get 34 MPG if I kept my right foot out of the turbo.
The six-speed will poke out the back regardless. You might do better fit-wise with a Porsche transaxle.

4 Cylinder NA Subaru engines that make decent power? Nope, I dont want a high strung race engine with wild cams and no low end torque. The idea is pretty simple, I have built plenty of max power high strung engines...turbo and non-turbo alike, these days 300HP in a 2000lb car is more than enough. I would rather not deal with the extra heat turbo engines produce...and NA 4 cylinders that make 300HP are not practical and reliable...that leaves 8 cylinders and 6 cylinders. 8 cylinders are too heavy(and too long generally). So a stock NA engine that weighs the same(within 50lbs) as a EJ25 and makes 300HP with factory reliability limits choices to a Duratec37, GMs LFX v6(Camaro, etc) and various Japanese 6 cylinder options(The Subaru EZ30 and EZ36 fall short on power). While I have nothing against the LFX or the Japanese options, I already have a Duratec37 that's been sitting in my garage for a year with 15k miles. Then there is also the "cosmetic" auditory aspect, simply put a v6 sounds better than a 4 cylinder, so that's always a plus. Besides all of that, I always have to build my cars in some odd way. As an example, I have a 77 Celica...decided to swap in a Dodge Neon SRT4 engine I converted to RWD with a Chevy MA5 trans. Or my other current project car...an 86 RX7 with a Ford 2.3T with a Volvo DOHC head backed by a T-5 trans. To me the fun is the build more than the finished car, so the more off the wall I can make it, the better, within reason of course. A Porsche transaxle is undoubtedly a better option for my plans, but parts availability is also a concern...much easier to find a STI transmission. I would just as happily use a 5-speed Subie trans if I could find one with a LSD already installed(and if they didn't have such an worthless 1st gear)

P.S. My apologies to the OP for derailing the thread. I look forward to more updates.

[Frank818]

AFAIK the 02-07 5sp is about 100-125lbs dry.

When I opted for the G50, all the flafla with flywheel, clutch, etc. were already solutioned, cuz I wasn't the first and KEP sells all the pieces for a great street orientation. I didn't need to think about which clutch, which bearing, which fork, which flywheel, etc. I told the guy I have a G50-01 coupled on a VR6 and I need something for spirited street driving. I got awesome parts in return cuz I love how the clutch picks-up and so far the flywheel seems perfect as well. The driving feels OEM, and it really didn't on my Corrado, so I have a better engine now (fixed some HUGE exhaust restrictions) with a better gearbox configured. Can't complain so far.

If you go that route with your 3.7 I'm curious to see what mods you'll do on the frame (and body panels) and how. Hopefully I won't miss your build thread once you start it.



Returning on my CV boots, it's "Hyper Speed Aero CV Boots". Similar, VERY, to those on the NASA NP01. So I'm pretty sure my Plan B and C would both work if tightening the boots doesn't. I just need to time a moment with a friend to go at the track and test this.

[longislandwrx]

so the more off the wall I can make it, the better, within reason of course.
P.S. My apologies to the OP for derailing the thread. I look forward to more updates.

Let's keep this train off the tracks for one more minute.
You should take a step back and reread Frank's thread... unless you have buckets of money to burn, as Frank has undoubtedly done by this point, it might pay to stick a little closer to the script. The engine bay in this car and the drivetrain location are very unlike the other cars you mention. I've put big engines in small cars before.. and the recipe has always been the same, pull the engine, bang here, dent there, extend the steering joints, weld up a crossmember add a little tunnel sheet metal and voila, success. The 818 is a different animal, it doesn't particularly lend itself to reengineering there is no big old engine bay, you are tucking a uniquely shaped engine into a uniquely shaped spiderweb of tubes and braces. Even FFR has still not put their long awaited, long promised eco boost option into production. If they cant get a second powertrain going in what... 2 years now? Then you have a long road ahead of you. I'm not knocking your ambition, skill, or budget I'm just saying think it all out before you plink down the money for the kit if you don't like the ej powertrain. I think Frank would agree with me on these points.

If you are really looking for something different, I still think a supercharged fa20 would be stellar in this car. It would still take some work, and maybe one of your adapter plates, but it works dimensionally. Combine that with the fact that several of the supercharger kits on the market come with a2w intercoolers and it's an even better fit for the 818. You can even start NA and add the boost later.

Good luck whatever you end up doing.

[Frank818]

I think Frank would agree with me on these points.

Yeah you got that right, Long. Anyone who wants to fit something different than Subaru H4/H6, some EV motors or some small engines (rotaries, I4s, bike engines, etc.) need to carefully look around the space. It seems big but damn nothing is square in there, it's a web of tubes that cut space exactly where you need space. But maybe he did look into that already and is ready to mod a bunch of stuff. I wish he is cuz I want to see that.

I got VERY lucky I needed to mod just the minimum with the VR6 and a G50 gearbox. It's a miracle.

[wicked93gs]

Let's keep this train off the tracks for one more minute.
You should take a step back and reread Frank's thread... unless you have buckets of money to burn, as Frank has undoubtedly done by this point, it might pay to stick a little closer to the script. The engine bay in this car and the drivetrain location are very unlike the other cars you mention. I've put big engines in small cars before.. and the recipe has always been the same, pull the engine, bang here, dent there, extend the steering joints, weld up a crossmember add a little tunnel sheet metal and voila, success. The 818 is a different animal, it doesn't particularly lend itself to reengineering there is no big old engine bay, you are tucking a uniquely shaped engine into a uniquely shaped spiderweb of tubes and braces. Even FFR has still not put their long awaited, long promised eco boost option into production. If they cant get a second powertrain going in what... 2 years now? Then you have a long road ahead of you. I'm not knocking your ambition, skill, or budget I'm just saying think it all out before you plink down the money for the kit if you don't like the ej powertrain. I think Frank would agree with me on these points.

If you are really looking for something different, I still think a supercharged fa20 would be stellar in this car. It would still take some work, and maybe one of your adapter plates, but it works dimensionally. Combine that with the fact that several of the supercharger kits on the market come with a2w intercoolers and it's an even better fit for the 818. You can even start NA and add the boost later.

Good luck whatever you end up doing.

Oh I am very much aware of the challenges. I also noted how FFRs 4 cylinder duratec23(ecoboost) required relocation of the triangular cross braces at the top of the engine bay(a v6 would require somewhat more extreme relocation...a couple inches wider). However....a Duratec23 is only 1/2" shorter than a Duratec37. So if FFR can cram a Duratec23 into that engine bay, a Duratec37 can be done with only a little additional work...especially if it turns out the crank and alternator pulley can actually fit inside the triangle at the front of the engine bay. Obviously the firewall would need to be installed on the fuel tank side of the engine bay in this case. So far the greatest challenge I see with the swap is the water outlet location on the Duratec 37. That triangular bracing at the front of the engine bay looks like it will run directly in front of it, which means I will have to make a custom water outlet(wont be the first time) and/or have to relocate that brace as well, but you would be amazed at what a grinder with some cutoff wheels and a welder will accomplish. To be truthful, I would much rather make a new waterneck than cut and move that brace(the ones at the top of the engine bay aren't nearly as critical)...but it wont be the first time I have made serious structural changes in a car to fit a chosen drivetrain. All that being said, in the end I will buy the kit, do some test fitment and make a final decision on whether the Duratec37 is viable. If not I will likely chose the sub-par EZ36 and deal with its issues.

[longislandwrx]

right on dude, good luck!

[Frank818]

These boots, same looks as the NASA EP01 and Hyper Speed Aero, are from a... Agera RS! 1 of 25...

CVBoot1.jpegCVBoot2.jpegCVBoot3.jpeg

Gotta have a freakin good eye to see those flying by on a video, especially when the video isn't about axles at all.

Speaking of Koenigsegg, they spend 3500 hours on finishing the body alone. I think 3000 hours to build a full car (mine) isn't that bad then. Quality isn't the same at all and the use of carbon fiber (real weave matching fiber) is inexistent on mine, but still... 3500 hours!

[longislandwrx]

internal boots? that's neat

[Frank818]

Ah crap, WTF happened here. Things changed after I tested my exhaust 100 times and welded a 1" long 3" pipe to get the tip out of the engine bay. For some reasons now it's 0.25" inside the engine bay! I don't have the tools to cut a 3/8" long 3" pipe. I hope this will pass inspection!

2017-06-20 08.38.56_1.jpg2017-06-20 08.39.10_1.jpg

I have ideas like fitting a 4" pipe on the inside of the grill and let the exhaust tip go in it, but I don't have time for that now, I gotta finish the details on body work and wrap the panels so I can go at inspection. We're already in July, damn it.

[frankc5r]

A lot of auto parts stores have little chrome extensions that slip on and are held in place with screw. Some are straight, some are 90 elbows.

[Frank818]

True.

Even better, some slide in with clips: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-Car-S...5Y3yzf&vxp=mtr

My hole in the grill is not 4" it's like 3.5" or 3.75" so I need something really thin around the 3" tip. In the short term it's certainly a better idea. Tnx!

[longislandwrx]

frank this has a slip and should be perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/Dynomax-36505...max+3+in+inlet

[Frank818]

Tnx Long, judging by the pic it would probably fit inside my grill's hole. As long as the tip doesn't move too much but that's ok to pass inspection. Starting from that link I could see a bunch of others that would probably fit too, so the choices is vast and easy to fix my weird construction/installation error. loll

[Frank818]

Well I took a decision.

Savor the pix below my good friends, this is the last time ever you will see the car....................... in white.

Tomorrow I start wrapping this girl up! Last build step of all... Can you f*ing believe it? I f*ing don't.

Still need to test my CV boots and do a few panels' adjustments, very slight ones, but I know it can be done after the wrap, I won't need to modify or trim the panels anymore. God sanding is LONG! When you apply gel coat on a hole or deep scratch, often after sanding it shows up again, cuz the gel coat didn't fill up deep enough. Grrrr. There are other challenges about applying/sanding gel coat to fix weaves (waves?), pin holes, chips, hollow areas, etc. If you want to know more just ask me.

I have bought new LEDs in my garage, my phone is having trouble adjusting the contrast when there's too much white.

Sorry for the blue photoshop editing on the front end, it's one of the DMV's rule that I'm ashamed of cutting in the 818's looks, hence hiding the mod.

2017-06-26 19.16.44_1.jpg2017-06-26 19.17.07_1.jpg2017-06-26 19.17.20_1.jpg2017-06-26 19.17.34_1.jpg2017-06-26 19.17.49_1.jpg2017-06-26 19.18.28_1.jpg2017-06-26 19.18.46_1.jpg



Can you tell the difference? On the driver's side I filled her up! The gap was way too huge and like Aloha I filled up that girl! With gel coat to make a thin gap (what were you thinking?). The gap was thin at the front, then getting larger and larger, than smaller and smaller to the rear. Pretty ugly!!! And was pretty long to fill it up AND make it straight 3-ways. Yes 3-ways, 1-way: The gap must be about the same all along. 2-way: Needed to be straight on the vertical side of the gel coat. 3-way: Needed to be straight on the top horizontal side of the coat.

On the passenger's side I didn't do anything, seems "good enough" for that side of the car.

2017-06-26 19.20.40_1.jpg2017-06-26 19.20.55_1.jpg


Again the phone thing, but this is my air filter. Fresh air from the top side scoop, whatever air goes there, and some from the huge side scoop, should have plenty that won't be coming too hot from the turbo.

2017-06-26 19.21.13_1.jpg

[axelthrasher]

I really like the extra venting - looking forward to seeing that done! I'm guessing you will be adding some NACA ducts?

[Frank818]

Tnx man.

Yes NACA-like ducts, 6 of 'em. 2 in the bottom rear of the side sails (they are on the pix but transparent), 2 on the top sides of the engine cover and 2 on the under engine belly pan.

4 will be wrapped, 2 in blue and 2 in black (to contrast with the black and blue sections where they'll be fitted). The belly pan's won't.

[EODTech87]

What are you using the NACA ducts on the sides for?

[Frank818]

Trying to get more airflow in the engine bay, more airflow in the side pods (coolant hoses run there and it's hot without much airflow) and more fresh air on the air filter side.

I also think the look will be cool once I put colors on, so even if it doesn't work, I'm expecting it to look cool.

[Frank818]

Wrapping is so damn difficult!!!
Wrinkles, wrinkles and more wrinkles, that's what wrapping is all about.

Vvivid version 8 of wraps. The matte black is extremely hard to work with!! If you stretch it too much, even cold stretch, it glasses out and discolors! Same if you heat it too much, even without stretching.

2017-06-30 06.00.21_1.jpg2017-07-01 06.40.57_1.jpg

Thank god this last section is hidden (not the first one though!) but you can see the wrinkles and I tried to post-heat it but that film/color is bad for that, it glassed out.

It also scratches easily, the matte black. Was scratched before I could apply it.

2017-06-30 05.50.02_1.jpg

For those who think EVERY single body imperfection will show up on a wrap, it's not true.
2017-06-30 06.27.26_1.jpg

The above imperfection is hidden by the wrap, which means those little pinholes are not required to fill up.

The wrap sticks a lot on gel coat, quite less on fiberglass though. Sticks so much that when I remove it to adjust its placement, check out what I get underneath:

2017-06-30 06.30.52_1.jpg

It removes gel coat.
But the big issue is I end up with too much wrap all the time. I checked a bunch of tube vids on wrapping but none of the cars seemed to have the corners the 818 has. There are way too many tight corners on this car. And I can't stretch the film. So it does that (see discolor on 2nd pic cuz I stretched too much):

2017-07-01 08.10.22_1.jpg2017-07-01 08.28.43_1.jpg2017-07-01 09.31.58_1.jpg2017-07-01 09.32.07_1.jpg

4h later I trashed the wrap and my rear spoiler was still unwrapped. I got so pissed off I hit the wall in frustration. I will have to use the "inlays technique" in order to get around this spoiler (though less beautiful) and the front nose. God the new nose will be so hard to wrap!!


My blue wrap works better, it doesn't discolor/glass even if I heat or stretch a lot. I try not to heat much but in some places I did. They say that if you heat a wrapped area (after you wrapped it) and it doesn't unstick or grow bubbles, then the job is done right. I did the rear deck lid, thinking it was a flat piece and easy. Haw-haaaaaw!!! Yeah right... almost 5h later it was done, in 2 colors I admit. But after trying the heat trick it didn't bubble, even though for the 2 loops (near the engine cover humps) I had to heat and stretch the film.

In the end I am very unhappy with the result, although most of the imperfections will not be seen by people cuz they will be flabbergasted by the overall look of the car. I will get it re-wrapped by a pro next year, if I can find a real pro wrapper (and no pro rapper, yo!) around here. I wish I was living in the States. You guys are so lucky for almost everything, I envy you so much.

[Frank818]

This is why I say wrapping is hard.

2017-07-04 05.45.42_1.jpg

Only way to make it is to heat up the wrap and stretch with 2 hands to get a wide stretch area. I couldn't do it as I couldn't find a way to hold the hood (big piece) firmly in place while I can use both hands. Fortunately it's in an area I believe only the best eyes could see. People should be too overwhelmed about the overall car and won't see that.


Speaking of which, 8h later it didn't turn out that bad after all.

2017-07-04 19.44.29_1.jpg

Don't believe that was easy! The round lower front section took a long time and retries to get right, needed a lot of cold stretch and some heated stretch too but not excessive.
Hood looks very simple to wrap, but it's not. I guess the doors are extremely complicated to do as a one piece, like many other parts.

Worst part so far, the new front nose insert. It requires a LOT of inlays.

[C.Plavan]

Use Avery Dennison wrap. So much easier. Won't discolor by stretching, and use a little heat (not too much) to help stretch around corners- you will not get wrinkles like that. Do not go cheap on wrap. The more expensive wrap, the easier it is.

[RetroRacing]

So, like The Chad said, use Avery or 3M only. We tried one piece of cheap stuff and it just doesn't work. You are under heating. 3M sais 150 degrees is the working temp for their wrap, so don't be afraid. We did the whole nose with just two pieces, the doors are one piece, the rear fenders are one piece up to the center of the door. Two, sometimes three people, heat as needed. Metalics and mirror can be over stretched, but it takes allot to do that. Hood took us two hours, a complete rear fender, same. IMG_1258.JPGIMG_1261.JPGIMG_1255.JPG

[Frank818]

Bought some Avery matte black today, I'll see how it compares. About same price as Vvivid, it's (Vvivid) said not to be the best but not the worst either. It's ok for the blue though, but for black I'll see how's Avery.

I have done quite many black inserts yet (and all this design idea started when I saw Retro's result when he first posted pix of his wrap lol), so since the color is slightly different between the 2 brands (should be), I have to be careful as to where I'll use Avery. So far only the side scoops and rear spoiler caused me discoloration.

Avery does not have the blue I was looking for, couldn't find it elsewhere than Vvivid. But like I said that's ok for blue at the moment, I don't seem to have the issues of the black.


Retro I did the hood in 1 piece, 1 person. Just needed some heat at the very bottom front and of course the super highly pointy arrows on either side of the windshield.
Yeah about heat, it seems a good job requires as little heat as possible. But does heating at say 100F is called heating and would overstretched? How much heat can be used before there's too much and it'll peel off after some time? That I don't know and it varies from one vinyl to another. But when I saw that video about the guy who doesn't heat to wrap a car, he heated a little the door handle showing how people wrap using heat and then showed how it peels off after. This is why I'm afraid to use heat at all. But then again it may depend on the vinyl.

[Frank818]

Like I said, some difference between the Avery matte black and Vvivid matte black.

Vvivid is on the lower left.

2017-07-07 13.24.49_1.jpg

Vvivid has a deeper black and more... vivid. I prefer the vivid colors of Vvivid but in this particular case (rear spoiler), it was too hard to do a one piece with the matte black. If Avery can do it, I'll live with it.

Hell even The Stradman uses Vvivid, see at 1:05.




After scrapping a full 51x34 piece for the door (and 2h), I finally found a way to wrap the doors alone with just 2 hands. You really need to get creative when you are wrapping alone!! If anyone does it and wants to know my trick, let me know.

Unfortunately, I couldn't wrap the doors with 1 piece. I needed to do an inlay, which I messed up on the passenger's door of course, we can see a thin white line. I have an idea to fix it and it's gonna be very rare that someone could see it anyway, so that's ok. Worst case I can re-do it, that's the good thing with wrap. BTW Avery's matte films are good for 12 years, they say, if mostly indoors. Wraps are getting better every year.

But if you wrap, beware, when you peel off the wrap to reposition, it will peel off some of the gel coat touches you applied and will expose crevices and pinholes you spent so much time fixing. Then since the gel coat is stick onto the wrap, it will build an imperfection if you reposition. No, it's not that easy to remove dust or dirt from the sticky surface!

I found another trick: to make it easier to wrap without wrinkles or other issues, I use different color inlays. It takes some time to prep, apply, cut, etc. but it's easier on the sharp corners. And it will give a nice distinctive color scheme. When you can't physically beat wrap, you need to get smarter.

[Frank818]

Here's another one for you guys: left side vs right side WHEELBASE needs to have a 10mm or less difference. If one side has a longer wheelbase by more than 10mm, you're illegal.

I have 6mm. Phew!

[phil1734]

Here's another one for you guys laughing at my DMV: left side vs right side WHEELBASE needs to have a 10mm or less difference. If one side has a longer wheelbase by more than 10mm, you're illegal.

That's probably to prevent someone from trying to register a circle track car.

[Frank818]

Yeah maybe Phil, I didn't know those cars had different wheelbase. I asked the DMV guy the effect of that and they don't know! They are looking into it, he said.

Does it make a car turn easier in the direction of the shorter wheelbase?

[phil1734]

Yes, but it has more to do with most circle track cars running a solid axle rear end, and if you angle the axle you're essentially dialing in a bunch of rear toe.

Generally speaking, doing so is a last ditch effort to get a car to turn in and is simply masking a more complex/difficult issue with the front end, the same way dialing in a bunch of rear toe on any car will help it rotate on turn in at the expense of grip everywhere else on track.

On a car with independent suspension there are a lot more steering moments, jacking forces, etc that come into play but the net effect is similar, with the one big difference being that it doesn't "dog-track" in straight lines.

[phil1734]

P.S. One of the 12 incredibly simple requirements for registration in Michigan is having a "differential" - it's so you can't build a street-legal go-cart.

[Frank818]

Tnx for the info Phil.

Having a diff in the gearbox? What if you go EV without a gearbox? lolll You could plate an EV go-cart! loll
But in the end I admit, having a diff is a requirement that checks off by itself.

Is Mike with the plastidip black 818C in Michigan too? I'll check his thread. I remember he had a few requirements, probably around 10, and needed to pass inspection twice.

[phil1734]

If you want to laugh and raise your blood pressure at the same time, the requirements for michigan are here:
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/TR-54_38480_7.pdf

And it's literally only the first page of that too. The only functional checks I had were for lights and wipers. Otherwise the car never even moved or ran. Took one call to the state police to send a trooper out and 30-40 minutes right in my garage at home.

Haven't heard of a Mike, but there are one or two on the registries that I've never met or talked to so he could be one of them.

[Frank818]

What the? "One" taillight? lolll
No ****! Windshield washers! I thought QC was the only place in the world asking for that. How come I haven't seen anyone's solution for that.
What are you doing with the front bumper? The frame is about 10" from the ground. Rear not sure, might not even clear 14". Or do the fiberglass panels count as bumpers?
"where the original design included a tailpipe and resonator" - What "original" design? And does a resonator = a muffler?

A lot of vague rules, which makes it easy to comply with if they aren't picky. But even taken to the hardest and most restrictive way, pretty easy.

[phil1734]

My solution for the washers was to keep the donor one and zip tie it in place for inspection. If you head over to the Roadster or any dune buggy forums you'll find that most pass inspection by keeping a bottle of windex in the passenger seat.

The bumpers are supposed to be 2.5mph bumpers, which the 818 clearly doesn't have, but my inspector said implementing them would ruin the look of the car so he signed off on it .

In all reality, the definitions of everything there should be per the Michigan vehicle code, but since nobody has ever read that common sense and logic prevails.

[Frank818]

Gee, ridiculously funny. Let's keep America great always!

[Frank818]

Avery vs Vvivid.

The Avery films are easier. Easier to reposition, thinner film, more malleable, stretch easily too. However they still discolor but less than than Vvivid, it's barely noticeable so I can live with it. Too bad the matte black color is not as cool as Vvivid's. Avery smells weird though. Smells like... church stuff or some funeral stuff, weird. Anyway took 30mins to wrap my rear spoiler! Only 30mins! I then continued on the front nose (with Vvivid) and I see I'm getting faster in wrapping, now.

If you want Avery's colors, then get Avery (or 3M), it's easy and fast wrapping. Just don't mind about the smell. loll

Vvivid smells hard vinyl. So hard every time I enter my garage I can smell it.

[Frank818]

2017-07-11 14.09.07_1.jpg

Do you have any idea how many inlays I used for this part? 14!!! FOR TEEN!!! I mean FOUR-TEEN! I think this will be by far the longest part to wrap. Hum 25-30h I'd say. But what a final result. And it'll probably get chipped soon enough...

[mikeb75]

Looks fantastic, Frank! That matte black looks so smooth, like what my 'dipped car would want to be when it grows up.

[Frank818]

It is smooth and deep, really nice matte black color. Highly recommended, just be careful not to hot spot it or stretch it too much.