TriathleteDave's Canadian NA 818S Build

[Triathletedave]

I started the tear-down and parts prep from my 2005 Impreza RS wagon (2.5 NA engine) over a year ago (Sept 2013), but I have just recently been convinced by Frank (CanadianYank) to create a build thread for my 818S.

I'm not creating this thread to showcase any particular skills as I am a complete noobie to building cars, and mechanical skills in general. I am creating this thread more to assist any others who may be in a similar situation to myself. Here are the challenges / obstacles that I faced from the start:

I am new to car building - I'm actually an accountant by trade
I chose a Normally aspirated donor to keep it as simple as possible, and I don' need too much horsepower
I have a Canadian donor car, which is NOT always the same as the typical American equivalent
I had to import everything into Canada, which had it's own challenges (Al Beix was a huge help)
I cannot weld, paint, fabricate, or design custom parts like so many others on the forum do so well
I have limited tools and resources at my disposal for this project.

Since I have received so much help and guidance from forum members, and from local builder friends and car nuts alike, I want to share the sorts of struggles and triumphs that I have had, and share my lessons learned as well. Most experienced builders may not get much out of my thread, but if I can either help out one builder or inspire another noobie to take on this awesome project, then it will be worth it.

I'll be posting pics and my own lessons learned along the way soon, so stay tuned.

Thanks again to Frank for encouraging me to share my experiences, and to my family and friends for all of the help along the way.

Regards,

Dave

[Triathletedave]

This was my donor car, a 2005 Impreza RS wagon with the 2.5 NA engine. It served as my daily driver for a year before I started the tear-down. Since I am not a mechanic, I needed to know that the drive train was in good shape before I started.

The car had only 69,000 km on it when I bought it. I put on another 5,000 during the year that I drove it. Everything worked great during that time, including all electric systems.

I had a major tune-up done on the engine and tranny just before I started the tear-down. That way any issues with the engine, timing, belts, tranny, or axles could be sorted by a proper mechanic before I started. That turned out to be a great investment, as everything was tip-top when I started. The only thing needed was cleaning and paint on the entire drive train.

Lessons Learned:

Go through the owners manual if you have it. Learn about what systems and options your car has. Find out what aftermarket systems or mods have been made to the car. This info can be very useful later on.
Talk to the mechanic doing the tune-up. I spoke to him before the tune-up, so he knew what my plans were. He focused on the engine and tranny, and ignored the brakes, tires, ABS, and many other systems. This saved time and money, and they gave am a full diagnostic of what 'might' go wrong in the future.
Advertise your tear-down on kijiji or another site. You can sell off so many parts if people know they work fine and that you simply don't need them. Contact the local Subie club if there is one. Someone is always looking for parts of some sort.

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[Triathletedave]

Day 1 of the tear-down was on Sept 7, 2013. I had 5 buddies over to help with the tear-down. It really is amazing what can be done in a single day when you have 6 guys working on it. With so many parts and electrical plugs coming off of the car so fast, it really helped to have several boxes of large freezer bags, and tape. We put many small parts and hardware into freezer bags which are easy to label and store.

We also had storage bins in various sizes to store larger parts. As parts came off of the donor, they went straight into bags and bins which were labeled right away. Better to keep everything together so that vital parts and hardware stay together.

Some plugs and parts had to be labeled by location when we didn't know exactly what it was (plug on front-left spindle) so that it could be identified and properly labelled later.

Lessons learned:
Have a large space ready for the tear-down. You need a lot more space than you think
Use lots of WD40 or penetrating fluid on any chassis or drivetrain bolts. Start a day early with the lube to give it time to work before you start loosening bolts.
have many bags and bins available
Have at least a dozen felt markers around
Do NOT use painters tape for labels. Use colored electrical tape
Label parts immediately. Things can get out of control in a hurry with 6 gorillas tearing a car apart!
Don't tell you buddies about the beer until AFTER the work is done! (My bad!)

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[flynntuna]

Are you going to transfer that bumper sticker to the 818?

[Triathletedave]

Tear-down progresses. Once you start pulling off larger parts, you certainly need a lot of space to spread everything out! Most parts are easily identified, but things like supporting brackets, specialized bolts, hardware and mounting systems can get easily misplaced or accidentally discarded. Sort and label everything as you go (I wish I had).

Lessons Learned:

There are a million pieces! Take your time removing and labelling each one!
Have a tear-Dow and build dolly ready to go from the start. That makes a lot of the work much easier
Have 4 jack stands available for the tear-down and the build. This affords an extra level of safety and versatility
Ask experienced builders what tools are needed for the tear-down. Beg and borrow as many of them as you can. Buying lots of tools can blow your budget in a hurry. There were also many tools I never expected to use, like a reciprocating saw, crowbars, breaker bars, blowtorch, flashlight, and many, many more!
Build or borrow a small trolley for the engine and / or tranny. An engine stand will be very useful later as well.
Have a storage area prepped for all of the bags and bins. They will take up a lot of space.
Consider an air compressor and air tools before you start. I could have avoided several busted tools and knuckles if I had these from the start.
Do not put bolts, nuts, washers, Etc. back in the original part unless you are sure you need the whole part. I lost some needed hardware when unused brackets were thrown out with the bolts still in them. Use a freezer bag for hardware and always label each bag.
Have a 'parts purgatory' area. The list of donor parts needed is not 100% accurate. If you think some parts are not needed, put them into purgatory storage until you can confirm if you need it or not. I stored a bunch of stuff under a tarp in the back yard until I was certain that it could be sold or recycled.

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[Triathletedave]

Stripping and removing the carcass. When we had the shell stripped down as much as possible, we used the shell and lots of duct tape to 'contain' the parts heading for the auto recycler.

Lessons learned:
I rolled down the power windows before I unhooked the battery. Getting the door latches out would have been much easier with the windows up!
Remove and keep the door latches, strikers, and seat belts from all doors on the car. The tear-down instructions are not 100% accurate for each model, so keep everything until you are done.
Sell off as many parts as possible before you send the carcass to the auto recycler. You'll get a lot more back selling parts yourself. I only got enough back from the recycler to pay for the removal itself.



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[Triathletedave]

Are you going to transfer that bumper sticker to the 818?

My wife will surely buy me a new one!

[Jaime]

I rolled down the power windows before I unhooked the battery. Getting the door latches out would have been much easier with the windows up!

I rolled my windows up with a 9V battery and some alligator clips.

You're right about the unexpected use of tools. I not only used my reciprocating saw, I used it enough to go through several blades. Although, I went a little more crazy than you did:

[CanadianYank]

Alright Dave! Cant wait to see the rest of your build pics!

Frank

[Triathletedave]

Catching up on the entire build is going to take some time! As soon as the carcass was removed, we had a lot more space to work with. With a bit more free space, we were able to separate the tranny from the engine, start removing fluids from the engine, tranny, rear end, Etc.

Lessons learned:

Start saving 1gallon and smaller milk bottles early! You will need several ( plus a funnel or two) to capture all of the fluids. You will have brake and clutch fluid, coolant, washer fluid, engine oil, tranny fluid, and gasoline to drain from the car. All of it needs to go to proper recycling, so be sure to label each bottle.
Penetrating fluid and an air impact wrench will save you many busted knuckles! Use them whenever possible!
Pictures! Take lots of pictures! If you think you need 2, take 4. Also, take pictures from different angles to get a better sense of size and perspective of each part or system. Storage is cheap, and pictures can be deleted easily later. These helped me in re-assembly on many complex parts after cleaning and painting.
Don't get freaked out by the apparent complexity of anything, including that crazy wiring harness. All you need is time, and the support readily available through the forum. A journey of 10,000 miles starts with a single step!

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[riptide motorsport]

Your storming along, enjoy the. Build!

[Triathletedave]

Cleaning and prepping donor parts. Man, that seemed to take forever! There are so many donor parts to clean that it seemed impossible to get it all done. Since I didn't discover the 'bucket 'O doom' (courtesy of Rasmus) until after I had cleaned all of the donor parts, my favourite tools were the bench grinder with a wire wheel attachment and spares, an angle grinder with several wire wheels, and my trusty high speed Dremel with numerous grinding and cutting attachments. It is also important to have eye protection, several dust masks, gloves, at least a case of shop towels, masking tape, small brushes, and paint and grease strippers (I purchased the full kit from POR 15).
I also purchased a cheap engine stand and a small dolley for the tranny right away. Draining fluids, cleaning, and painting were much easier with the major parts being mobile.

Cleaning and painting is a slow and tedious process, but it is also a great way to get a lot of before and after pics too. It's good to have evidence of all the hard work!

Lessons learned:
Cleaning is very dirty work. Try to use a separate area, or at least a far corner in the garage. Use the bucket of doom method to strip rust and corrosion off of as many parts as possible. That would have saved me several days' work!
Clean all bolts and hardware at the same time as the parts. Paint them together as well to keep them together and organized.

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[Frank818]

My wife will surely buy me a new one!

But she does own a horse, right?

[Triathletedave]

Painting donor parts - it sure was nice to see how so many old parts could end up looking so much nicer with a proper coat of paint, or even a nice spray bomb. I even went so far as to buy the Eastwood home powder coating kit. I was able to watch a number of excellent YouTube videos on powder coating that really helped me to get started. I even found a good oven for free to bake the powder coated parts.

As with everything else, the hardest part was always the preparation. Making sure each part was properly stripped, cleaned, and ready for paint or powder takes the most time. I enjoyed learning a new skill in powder coating. Now I'm looking for other things around the garage to powder coat!

Lessons learned:
Prepare well, and you only need to paint once. Spray bomb and hand painting usually works best with a few thinner coats, but the results are worth the time invested
Be sure to use the right product. There are high heat paints well suited for calipers, headers, and the engine block. POR 15 was my choice for the engine pieces and transmission. Very durable and hard wearing
Powder coating requires patience. Follow the directions closely, and try to handle each part as little as possible

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[Triathletedave]

But she does own a horse, right?

Yup, and a very expensive one at that! Her horse costs more than all the toys in my garage, and feed and boarding are big tabs every month! Needless to say, my wife allows me quite a bit of freedom on this project.

[wallace18]

It is nice to see a N/A build. You are doing a fine job on the donor parts. I still think a N/A 818 is going to be a Hoot! My wife's BRZ is plenty strong and weighs a lot more.

[Triathletedave]

It is nice to see a N/A build. You are doing a fine job on the donor parts. I still think a N/A 818 is going to be a Hoot! My wife's BRZ is plenty strong and weighs a lot more.

Thanks. I have video of the first start and go-cart stages to post soon too. I think it sounds nice. Sure was a blast to drive the first time!

[Frank818]

Her horse costs more than all the toys in my garage

I think you got it the other way around, that's cuz your toys aren't expensive enough, I'm sure you can fix that.

Needless to say, my wife allows me quite a bit of freedom on this project.

Well that's great cuz you will need freedom if you want to work on it and make it like you want, after all it's the purpose of a kit car. Let her ride her 1hp and ride your few hundreds!

[Triathletedave]

The FFR kit finally arrived on Feb 21, 2014. We were just giddy with excitement! I used Al Biex at Western Canada Cobras to handle the shipping, customs, brokerage, and all of the paperwork. The only thing I had to arrange was delivery from the depot in Calgary to my garage. As it turns out, there was another builder in Calgary who ordered an 818S (Steve Baird), so there were two deliveries in Calgary that day.

My friends who are helping me out with the build warned me to have lots of space available for the massive crate when it arrived, and be sure that the donor car is long gone. Good advice, as my 3 car garage was just big enough for the massive crate when it arrived. The crate is well built, and weighs as much or more than the car itself!

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[Triathletedave]

Unpacking the crate was just like Christmas! Every box was a new surprise and a new thrill! We had the build dolly ready when the crate arrived, so all we had to do was move all of the boxes and remove the attached body panels before we could lift the chassis onto the dolly.

Storing all of those parts and panels was quite a challenge! I had installed a number of overhead racks in the garage, plus we have storage in a large shed in the back yard. Still, we ran out of room in a hurry! My wife was not too happy when I had to put the side and front panels in the bonus room above the garage, and the windshield was under our bed for safe keeping.

Lessons Learned:

You never have enough space! I thought I had plenty of space for the donor parts, chassis, boxes, and body panels, but I wasn't even close! Thank god the donor and excess parts were already gone!
Pictures. Even now, I wish I had taken more pictures of each step along the way. Go crazy with the pictures, and delete the junk later.

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[Triathletedave]

After the crate was fully unpacked and removed, I had to get rid of the crate materials and that massive platform before doing the inventory. Sadly, no-one wanted that very well built pallet, so it all ended up being chopped up as firewood. 6 months later and I still have 10 boxes of firewood left over from the crate. That is a lot of wood!

Getting the inventory done right away was very important. As a noobie, I needed to become more familiar with all of the parts, their location, and intended use. My paperwork did not include a 'backorder' list at delivery, so I had to request a copy from FFR after I completed the initial inventory.

There were dozens of parts that I either could not identify, or had mis-labeled initially. Once again, taking a lot of pictures and sharing them on the forum was extremely valuable. I was able to properly identify all of the parts, and compile a list of the missing and / or backordered parts. I called Joe at FFR, and got a copy of the backorder list right away. He was very helpful, and shipped me any truly missing parts right away.

Lessons learned:

Pictures. Yes, again! Take lots of pictures. Especially the panels already mounted on the chassis. Those help in locating panels when you are installing them, and getting the proper order of installation
Labels on the plastic packs. So many came off during shipping that I had to match the bags up with labels again. I think they fell off due to the cold. Use electrical or duct tape to tape every label onto the pack.
Arranging the boxes. The inventory list is organized by box #, so try to keep the parts in the proper box until it is needed. Write the part number on larger parts (aluminum panels) if possible. Again use a strong tape to write on.

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[Triathletedave]

Before I started drilling and installing aluminum, I needed to decide which panels and parts should be powder coated. After discussing the matter with a few other Cobra builders, I decided that the best strategy was to powder coat ALL of the aluminum and laser-cut steel. I got a better price for the entire package, even if some parts really didn't need it. This was before I learned to powder coat myself, so it made sense to do everything at once.

I spoke with the owner of the powder coating shop, and he was fine to split the job and use a few different gloss levels on certain parts. All of the exposed aluminum trim was done high gloss, and the rest was done flat black to hide scuffs and marks from the install process. I ended up with a great price on the full job, as it was over 80 pieces that required powder coat, including the door frames.

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[Triathletedave]

Starting the actual build on the new chassis was a treat after 6 months of stripping, grinding, sanding, and painting. My 9 year old son was keen to help out, but only after all the 'dirty old parts were new again'!

The forum has served as my guide in every step of the build process. I learned early on that there are usually some minor issues or tricks to be aware of at each step. I got into the habit of checking the forum and searching for posts related to the assembly steps and parts that I was planning to use next. More often than not there were valuable insights posted by other builders.

The hard part was due to the fact that I had a normally aspirated 2005 (Canadian) wagon as the donor. Very few other builders started with this donor, so I often ran into issues not encountered by other builders. My donor even had a few peculiarities that FFR were not aware of. For starters, my 2005 donor steering rack matched the 2002-2004 US version while the fly by wire gas pedal and seat rails and mechanisms matched the 2006-2007 US models.

Lessons learned:

My son loves to help on the car, so long as all of the parts are 'new and clean'
Never assume that the build instructions are 100% accurate. Scan the manual for matching parts even if the year and donor model may not match.

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[Triathletedave]

When I fist started the assembly process, my intention was to complete the car as 'stock' as possible with zero modifications. That way there should be no surprises or changes that I would be forced to make. Plus, my buddies warned me that every tiny change can have a ripple effect through the rest of the build.

The assembly of the suspension components started off fine, and only a few very minor changes were required. The front suspension was fairly easy, so long as I carefully followed the instructions for the Wagon version of the lower control arms. The wagon arms are a bit shorter than the sedan or WRX, so they had to be mounted in the outside holes. The only modification I made was to cut a round access hole in the aluminum behind the left LCA to allow for proper torquing of the inner bolt, and to eliminated steel on aluminum rubbing. I used a simple grommet to plug the hole for air flow.

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[Rasmus]

..every tiny change can have a ripple effect through the rest of the build.

Ain't that the truth.

Hotrodding: The process of making 3 small and 1 large modifications to get another modification to work.

[Frank818]

Your son does the right thing: he starts with the easy tasks first.

[Triathletedave]

I have not added any more history to my thread for a while. I got sidetracked by a knee surgery that I've been waiting 2 years to complete. Now that I am in recovery mode, I should get a bit more build documentation complete.

My son is only 9, but he has shown a keen interest in figuring out how everything works. He loved getting into the suspension components and seeing how they all work. Most of the suspension went together easily, so long as
I used the tips and tricks posted by previous builders

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[Triathletedave]

Putting in the front aluminum was much easier after my buddy loaned me his air riveter. I don't think putting in several hundred rivets by hand would be much fun, and I wasn't keen to find out either

I cut a hole on the left side aluminum in front of the LCA to prevent rubbing, and to allow access to insert a torque wrench. I used a simple grommet to plug the hole afterwards to stop air flow and keep the look clean and simple.

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[Canadian818]

Glad you decided to start a build thread Dave. There's not a lot of threads from guys with your limited mechanical background, so it's awesome to show that all you need is ambition. Looking forward to seeing your startup and go-cart videos!