Sign Up Today for the Factory Five 818S Build School!

[Mad Dog]

The team at the Factory Five Build School held at Mott Community College in Howell, MI are excited to announce that they are now accepting students for their new 818S build classes. Similar to the Mk4 Roadster and ’33 Hot Rod classes, you and a group of students will spend three days with the Mott Community College instructors and build a Factory Five 818S from the bare chassis up to the completed car.


Factory Five Build School instructor helps students install the chassis aluminum on a Mk4 Roadster.

The first 818S build class is being held on March 6 – 8. Click here to sign-up now on their website and for future class dates.

You can get a good overview of what a Factory Five Build School class is like in this episode of “Two Guys Garage” as host Willie B. helps the students build a Mk4 Roadster.

[Silvertop]

Well, DANG!!!!!!!! I'm IN!! Faxed my registration in 15 minutes ago. Dang!!

[flynntuna]

Would be worth it just for the body work assemby tips.

[tmoretta]

By the way, what is up with those vertical slots (brake vents) in the front bumper of the red car shown? They are nothing like the vents supplied by FFR. Is trim available to finish off the cuts?

[07FIREBLADE]

Just from that front end pic looks likes there is some new bracket for the headlights to help mount them properly to the front bumper and also the different style brake vent cutouts too. Part numbers please, might help others complete their builds

[JeromeS13]

If I'm not mistaken, that's a picture of the pre-production Blue 818R test mule.

[edwardb]

Hey Guys. March 6-8 is the same weekend as the Detroit Autorama at Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit. Probably 30-40 minutes from the build class location. There are Autorama's all around the country, but this is the big one featuring the Riddler Award. If you have a chance, maybe you could drop in one of the evenings. It would be worth your while. You may even find me with my Mk4 Roadster. I'll be showing it there as well.

[Mechie3]

I believe Jerome is correct. That red car is the first car they built before they switched to the existing brake duct surrounds. When they switched it seemed everyone raved about the change, now the old style is piquing interest. lol.

[Silvertop]

Hey Guys. March 6-8 is the same weekend as the Detroit Autorama at Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit. Probably 30-40 minutes from the build class location. There are Autorama's all around the country, but this is the big one featuring the Riddler Award. If you have a chance, maybe you could drop in one of the evenings. It would be worth your while. You may even find me with my Mk4 Roadster. I'll be showing it there as well.

Sounds like a fun idea to me. I wonder how many of my classmates I'll be able to drag along with me. I'm REALLY looking forward to this build school.!!

[wleehendrick]

The team at the Factory Five Build School held at Mott Community College in Howell, MI are excited to announce that they are now accepting students for their new 818S build classes. Similar to the Mk4 Roadster and ’33 Hot Rod classes, you and a group of students will spend three days with the Mott Community College instructors and build a Factory Five 818S from the bare chassis up to the completed car.

Where was this a year ago when I started building?!?

I believe Jerome is correct. That red car is the first car they built before they switched to the existing brake duct surrounds. When they switched it seemed everyone raved about the change, now the old style is piquing interest. lol.

I prefer it that way, and made my cut outs like that. Call me old school.

[Louisromersh]

Question: Build School use to give a $500 gift card for ordering kit if you did the build school would this still apply here? or did they stop doing that?

[Andrago94]

I did the '33 Hot Rod class last March and it was really great. They already had the Subaru donor for the 818 at the time but were just waiting on a kit. Decided to build an 818S afterwards. FFR still gave me the $500 credit on my 818S kit.

Now I have to decide whether I want to take the class for the 818S. I got a ton of build tips on the '33 Hot Rod at the class, I imagine it will be the same for the 818.

[Mad Dog]

Yes - we are still offering a build school discount, but it is now $250 and it can be combined with any other Factory Five offer like the current Winter Special.

[Silvertop]

Yes - we are still offering a build school discount, but it is now $250 and it can be combined with any other Factory Five offer like the current Winter Special.

Since I already have my 818 kit, will I be able to apply my discount toward major accessories purchases -- such as the available soft top, the wiper kit, trick wheels, etc, perhaps on some sort of pro-rated basis ?

[Mad Dog]

Sorry, but the Build School discount is only good towards new kit purchases and cannot be used for buying parts and accessories.

[Scott Shumaker]

I'm in, but I'm one of the instructors!!!

Should be a good time, hanging out with about 15 guys and talking and building cars for the weekend. The Autorama just makes it that much better. You will be involved with the complete build of this car, and I am sure that after you attend this class, you won't have any problems with your build.

Hope to see you there.

Scott Shumaker

[Silvertop]

I'm in, but I'm one of the instructors!!!

Should be a good time, hanging out with about 15 guys and talking and building cars for the weekend. The Autorama just makes it that much better. You will be involved with the complete build of this car, and I am sure that after you attend this class, you won't have any problems with your build.

Hope to see you there.

Scott Shumaker

Really, REALLY looking forward to it. And also planning to hit the Autorama. Just curious. How do they prepare you to be an 818 build instructor? And are you also an instructor for the Roadster and the '33?

[Scott Shumaker]

Study the manual and build the school car. While tearing down the car, write the curriculum for teaching the class. That is mainly how we learn the process. Yes, I do also teach the Roadster and the 33 classes.

Scott

[Mad Dog]

A bunch of students have already signed up for the March 6-8 818S build school class. If you are interested in taking the class, sign-up now before the class fills up!

Click here to sign-up now.

[Mad Dog]

Bump - the class is only a few weeks away!

[Silvertop]

Bumping Again! The class is only eight days away, and there is still plenty of room! Spoke with the Mott College folks this morning, and they are holding registration open for latecomers even though they usually close it down 10 days before the class. The class WILL come off, but they would like to see a few more participants.........If anybody is on the fence on signing up, now is a good time to jump off!! Gonna be fun!!!

[tebriel]

So Just wondering, what happens to the cars that are built?

[Silvertop]

So Just wondering, what happens to the cars that are built?

The instructor demonstrates that the car works (we don't get to drive it for insurance reasons). Then they take it apart and build the same car again in the next class!!!

[tebriel]

Oh nice! I was suspecting that this might be the case :-D

My dad and I are looking into signing up, need to figure out which time works for us though. Busy schedules.

[svanlare]

My son and I have signed up for the June class and we'll do this after he gets out of school for the year.

[theburner9]

The instructor demonstrates that the car works (we don't get to drive it for insurance reasons). Then they take it apart and build the same car again in the next class!!!

That kind of makes me think that you're not going to learn much about the body assembly. Like all the trimming and fitting panels - potentially the most difficult part of the project.

[Scott Shumaker]

We try to leave the body as "raw" as possible so you can see how much you will have to trim to make it fit. You will see the car as shipped, all the way through completion and a test drive by one of the instructors. Trust me, it will be well worth your time to get your hands on a car before you start on yours

Scott

[Slatt]

First, a blurb about me. I'm good at what I do but I do not drill straight holes, grind things flat, or keep sockets on bolts. I'm not familiar with all the tools or terminology of the auto mech trade. I've swapped many suspensions out of my WRX with good results but am sad about my bracket for the trunk battery.

The class is over, I attended, and I'd like to share a few comments.

There were 7 students, usual minimum class size is 8. There were 4 instructors, and Jay and Jesper of FFR were also there for 1-1/2 days.

Mott has been holding these classes for something like 14 years so they have 'logged a few laps' doing this and the instructors seemed to have firm ideas regarding what should be demonstrated vs what should be discussed (for example they laid out their wiring harness and talked for an hour or so about their unfinished diet and some better solutions than what the latest manual offered but they did not trim any wires in class).

We built a car in 3 days. Sort of. We, the students, did NOT diet the wire harness, did not build the a-arms, did not assemble the shocks, did not attach the glass to the windshield frame, etc). The car which did donuts in the parking lot (or maybe didn't due to insurance reasons, I dunno) was NOT the kind of car you or I would take to the DMV for registration. For example there were some aluminum panels not installed yet and many of those which were installed had too few rivets or rivnuts. And some rivnuts were cross threaded, which I apologize for. :/ What the final car DID have was a great mixture of things we built, problems we fixed, and work we knew still had to be done.

I think here is where I should point out that even if Mott started with a brand new kit for each class and capital "F"-Finished it (that's impossible, eh?) you would still have to build your own car later. I think the benefit of seeing fiberglass bits fly through the air is easily overstated and the benefit of seeing what still needs to be done (and so clearly why) is easily understated.

So, I've 'apologized' for the class and explained a little bit about how the school works. But what did I get out of it? I got an atropine injection to the heart. There is little else that can describe taking a bare frame to a steerable roller in one day. In just that first day I gained a great insight into what it will take to complete my car. And after these three days I have a valuable perspective on how the entire project will flow. I now know what tools will fix my inevitable mistakes. I know how to look at the manual and change the build sequence to suit me.

And what will others get out of this class? Well, if you've built cars or airplanes before then maybe only a few pointers which you would've figured out yourself anyway or learned from the Internet. But if you're new to the tools of the trade then you will learn how to use those tools. If you're new to car kit building then you may learn what is a problem vs what will likely work itself out later.

Was the class perfect? Of course not. For one thing, as one instructor noted, "it's a bit like herding cats". I think Mott should structure the environment just a little more rigidly. For example one student could take the role of tool-monkey for an hour while a partner watches, fetches needed tools, and provides a third hand when needed. That kind of discipline did not exist. Yet, I must say, the class was FUN, just like building the kit should be. Another thing is that the instructors seemed to find a surprise or two. But this was the first class for an evolving kit and we must expect that. Let me point out here, again, that FFR was there and they took many photos. If I must speculate... Some of those photos will result in build manual revisions or even kit revisions.

Overall I rate this class as a no brainer. It will easily payback the time and expense I put into it.

[svanlare]

Thanks a lot for the class feedback. I'm signed up for a future class and while I'm working my way through this project, I'm very much looking forward to figuring out what I've done wrong as well as what to expect about the things I haven't gotten to yet. Throughout this whole process, as I finish each section, I keep saying to myself, "wow, now that I figured that out the next one is going to so much simpler". I'm hoping the class will server to give me a quick preview of what is ahead so that my current car can benefit from the practice.

[Silvertop]

I was also one of the seven students at this weekend's first 818 build school. As Slatt noted above, to achieve a three-day build, the school had to take a few shortcuts. Some components were partially preassembled, donor components were not cleaned, painted, or generally spiffied before installation. And, of course, the car was NOT truly finished. But it was done enough to drive. The instructors DID spend a little time demonstrating how to deal with the parts they preassembled, and before the next class, I'm guessing that they will have those donor parts looking a little better after they take it back apart to prepare it for the next class. In any event, those are not things they need to to show us how to do. Pretty sure I cross-threaded a screw or two myself, by the way.........

The whole thing was also great fun, even though I spent two of the three days suffering from some sort of stomach flu. I enjoyed working with Slatt and the other students, and all of the instructors were knowledgeable and entertaining as well.

The build school is absolutely worth the price of admission. If you are on the fence -- just DO it!

For me, the biggest thing I took away from the school a solid belief that I can do this! Diving into my project in a big way this week. Stay tuned.

[svanlare]

Anyone who went to the build school going to Huntington beach this weekend? I'll be down there and hoping I might be able to run into someone to talk about the school.