DLJ's build thread

[driveslikejehu]

Greetings,
I bought grabera7's just started 818r, complete with donor parts, so now I guess I'm in the game...
The work he completed- mostly front and rear hub carriers, suspension arms and steering- are first rate. Since he's already stripped the donor, a 2006 STI, I get to do the fun part...

A recently retired engineer, and always car guy, I'm enjoying it already. Though figuring out what has to be modified, changed, or adapted since its an STI gets me head scratching occasionally.

I'm located in the western suburbs of Chicago. I really hope to connect with other 818 builders located within an hour or two; what's the best venue for that? The Regional Discussion forums seem pretty sparse.
818 jd 2.jpg

[David Hodgkins]

That's a sweet kit!

Best of luck with the build. I upgraded your account to full rights so you can post pics, update your profile, etc.

Welcome to the forum!

[roadrashrob]

Welcome to the club!

[blomb11]

Welcome to the madness! I started my kit recently so I am still early on in the process, but also am building an 818R in "Brandon's 818R Build." Lots of learning and head scratching.

[Sgt.Gator]

Welcome to the forum. The first head scratcher is to figure out if you need to worry about the "broomstick test." If you are tall you won't pass the test at many tracks, and certainly won't in the organized racing bodies. If you won't pass now is the time to make the frame mods so you can pass. Which means either raising the rear roll bar or fabricating a full HALO cage. If you are shorter be glad!

[driveslikejehu]

I didn't say but I don't plan on actual racing. I do track days- last year about 8; probably 12+ next year. Currently using a Porsche Cayman, Hopefully 2023 season will be with the 818. Still, the broom stick test is relevant. In August, saw a car doing a slow roll over at VIR. The driver- and his instructor- tried pretty hard to make it happen but, "there but for the grace of God go I." So need to be ready...

My plan is to visit folks, if possible, and check the forum and see what seats are popular. But yeah, I want to get seats fitted in to check this, and before setting up the shifter, steering column, etc.

[Rob T]

Welcome aboard. It's nice to have another R that will be tracked. I used to live in the West Suburbs of Chicago as one of my 10 locations during my career But now live in SC.

[driveslikejehu]

This is my first build report, so be gentle...
As noted, I bought an already started kit. The previous builder had- very expertly- completed the 4 corners, the front firewall, and Wilwood pedal assembly.
It took a while to get a few supporting items completed before dropping in the "lump." Figuring things out like the STI axles, getting the frame modified for the 6spd, getting some aluminum and cut for a firewall. Anyway, got it in.
rr w eng.jpgw eng qtr.jpg
While waiting for stuff, got a few other things done; rebuilt the brake calipers, a few engine items- timing belt, cyl 4 cooling kit, and started routing brake lines. Since I wanted to play with brake lines, I needed to locate the remote cylinders, which meant locating the windshield bases, which meant cutting both R and S bases for the R frame members. The best thing about that profanity fueled effort was the smell of cut fiberglass; forgot how much I like it...
lft frt 1.jpg
windshield base.jpg

Up next: I'm not really doing much with the engine before getting it all together and determining where I want to go with it. BUT, a friend just had a nice little fire in his daily STI, when that rubber oil return hose behind the turbo burst and, yeah, you can imagine. So gonna replace that with a higher temp version.

[blomb11]

Nice work and progress!

You are bringing up something I have not looked at yet running the S windshield on an R. Looks like I need to look into this and how you would fill the master cylinder with the S windshield surround installed. I am thinking you would have to cut in some access holes to allow for a funnel or something. Do you have a side view picture of the master cylinders under the windshield surround? I am going to start routing my brake lines are well in the next couple of weeks.

[driveslikejehu]

My kit has the Wilwood pedal assembly which uses separate master cylinders and remote reservoirs. You can see the 2 bright chrome cans in the 3rd pic. I don't necessarily love these particular reservoirs, but in any case, remote units can be mounted away from the master cyl. Otherwise, yeah, I think you'll need to cut some access.

[blomb11]

I am looking at getting a Tilton tri master cylinder rather than using the Wilwood chrome ones. I missed them in your pic, but it is nice to see what the windshield surround looks like on the R chassis. Getting thinking about how things will fit down the line.

[driveslikejehu]

Got the first draft of the fuel hose system installed. I have a bunch of things still to figure out. I know I need a pressure regulator, but don't yet comprehend what exactly; a bypass type?, compensated? Where and how to connect? Do I need an aftermarket pump regulator?
I'll be digging into the Fuel System thread...
I enjoy messing with the AN hoses, gotta say. Takes me back to helicopter mechanic days.
fuel hose 1.jpgfuel hose 2.jpgfuel sys 1.jpg

[driveslikejehu]

Its been quite a while since I posted, but got a lot done before a summer break, and now I'm back at it...
Pretty happy with the wiring. I probably left more than is needed but wanted to get it started before cutting more. And it cranks!
wire and cables 9-4-22.jpg
I decided as others have to leave the M/B fuse box forward as it many serves the lights, rad fan, etc. It meant adding a couple of hefty wires back to the alternator, but it allows spreading out the fuse boxes.
Also happy with the e-brake solution and the position relative to the ZDB shifter and cables.
ebrk and shftr.jpg
with the stock firewall in place
f-wall 9-4-22.jpg
Should be go-karting in the next day or so.
rt ft 8-27-22.jpg
A little concerned about adjusting the ZDM shifter/cables. For now its feels pretty crunchy

[driveslikejehu]

I've been pretty pleased with the wiring layout I ended up with. I have the brown F/B fuse box and one relay bar inside and the black M/B fuse/relay box in the front area closer to what its connected to; headlights, fans, horn, etc.
wiring under dash.jpg
I reworked the console aluminum to fit the ZBD shifter layout and allow for some extra gauges. I made a little door to access the F/B.
int alum w gages.jpg
I was stoked to find this gauge; intake air temp measured at 2 places; I put before and after the IC. Should useful to check airflow tweaks. Is anybody else using this?
IAT gage.jpg
I modified the passerger side "interior" firewall since I have a Boyd fuel tank. It allows mounting the passenger seat back further.
pass f-wall mod.jpg
I made a version of the bicycle lever reverse lockout. Probably will tweak this as it's over complicated.
rev lo .jpg

Hoping to kind of wrap up the cockpit soon and start trying to fit body panels.

[driveslikejehu]

Positioning the seats and harness mounts before final cockpit sheet metal install. I lowered the driver's seat as much as possible and still have to scrunch a little to pass the broom stick test.
Trying to figure out the shoulder harness mounts. As others have noted, the seat belt bar in the R is higher than the harness manufacturers recommend. The belts should go straight back to slightly down, not up.
Didn't know this would be an issue when looking at seats, but the shoulder belt opening might interfere a little. Nothing for it now.
Belt going up to the R bar
belt over bar 1.jpg
Belt going to ?
belt side under bar 1 .jpgbelt under bar 2.jpgIMG_2404.jpg
I'm considering a bolt in bar in the over the engine. Don't want to weld it in and permanently hurt engine access. Needs to be stout though; might have to find a calculator and commit an act of Engineering!
Also needs to fit in and around the engine cover and block off plates; ugh
Am I over thinking it? Maybe okay around town, but I'm setting up for track day work

[Shawn818c]

I think the belts in the engine bay will lead to premature failure of the webbing.

[driveslikejehu]

I think the belts in the engine bay will lead to premature failure of the webbing.

I agree in general. I was thinking of the area shown in red, above the close off aluminum, or somehow shielded.
belts bay bar.jpg

[Hobby Racer]

I also needed the shoulder belt mounting position to be lower. It's a good idea to keep them out of the engine bay. I welded the shoulder eyelets to the lower section of the 1.5" main cross bar that the roll hoop ties into. I also added some thick steel plates for added strength since the square tube is only 0.095" thick.

IMG_20230107_142120127.jpg IMG_20230107_142132324.jpg

[driveslikejehu]

Yeah, H.R. that's a solid solution. The height I need would put my attachment pieces on top of that square tube, which would make it easier. I will have little room to implement it, as the seat is far back, but may work. I thought I saw something about the shoulder belt anchorage not being too close to the seat/shoulder but I don’t find it mentioned in my Sabelt instructions.
Welded options are a pain as I have to take the whole rig to my guy. Not fun in a Chicago winter. ( I need to learn to weld…)

[driveslikejehu]

When its warmer (30+) I'll heat up the garage and work a while. When its colder I'm in the basement cutting out body vents.
Got the FFR mono wiper installed. Not adjusted, gonna need a windshield for that. At least got the electrical handled.
wiper 1.jpg
Also working on trimming out the shifter and e-brake areas a little. Needs a bit more work, but getting there. I like the idea of covering this aluminum with wrap material. Hides a few hammer marks.
ebrake cover.jpg

Still figuring out the shoulder harness anchoring. Thinking of a bolt-in bar across the whole width behind the rollbar legs, sitting on the square tubes back there. Puts it about the right height. The HANS device actually raises where the belts head thru the seat and so helps the angle a little.
helmet and belts.jpg

I forgot to mention; I made a little boot for the ZBD shifter from a steering rack bellows. Is there a better solution?
zbd boot.jpg

[driveslikejehu]

I installed the wiper motor a few weeks ago; easy, good instructions, all parts as expected.
wiper 1.jpg

Finally laid the windshield in place temporarily to check arm and hood clearance. Using the provided hood support it fits well. I will trim the return flanges on the hood, but will trim in this area as well.
piper in place.jpg

3 tweeks to the wiper arm. The little button screw in area A hit the arm, I just reversed its orientation.
At B, I bent it down a bit as recomended in the instructions
At C, I bent it the other way to ensure the base come close to the glass, and under the hood.

wiper bld.jpg

[driveslikejehu]

As others have noted, fitting the fenders and hood is quite a 3-d puzzle. After a few trys, I backed off and measured everything (nearly).

hood tips.jpg

I found the hood to be even and square. The significant thing I found was the left fender was between 1/2" and 5/8" longer. I measure along the path shown in green and point to point
hood fit.jpg

So a nice looking fit in that area is future John's problem...

I was pretty happy with cutting down the hood flanges.
hood ht.jpg

I tried a few tools; a body saw, an oscillating tool, dremel, then ended up using a hack saw blade in a pull to cut configuration. Used the oscillating tool for a few plunge cuts along the path, then the hacksaw. A little slower, but lots of control and not a ton of dust. See the little bit I cut off in the top of the tool pic
tools.jpg

The rear is coming along as well. I found one fender was slightly over 1/8" wider and the opposite flange was wider. After measurring to a center, I got them positioned within 1/16" at fender to shock tower, and a good fender to eng cover gap.

[driveslikejehu]

A friend who builds boats and does a lot of fiberglass work, recommended an oscillating tool for cutting the composite body panels. There may be a less clunky name for these things but that's what I see everywhere.
They work well with the right blade; goes thru the panels with less violence than a body saw and way less dust than just sanding them down. I’m only getting started with these, so my first cuts on the hood I used the oscillating tool to plunge in a few places along the cut line.
osc tool.jpg

Then I cut the rest of the way manually with a hacksaw blade
saw cut.jpg

goes pretty fast

[aquillen]

The helmet is a hoot. BUT the shifter really looks great - guts all visible and at the same time has a simple elegance in showing them. Boot rigged up is my kind of thing - repurposed instead of landfill - love it.

[driveslikejehu]

The helmet is a hoot. BUT the shifter really looks great - guts all visible and at the same time has a simple elegance in showing them. Boot rigged up is my kind of thing - repurposed instead of landfill - love it.

Thanks! My daughter does my helmets. She's a graphic artist and uses a technique called gesture drawing that I really like. It’s a little scary to give her a white helmet and see what I get back.

[driveslikejehu]

Big shout out to Blwalker105 for his headlight mounting method; at least that's where I saw it first. It worked well. I used his strings and weights concept to try to keep the screws parallel. This is IMPORTANT for fitting the buckets up.
hlight screws.jpg
I didn't read his write-up thoroughly so had to add heat later to make the bucket fit better. Aluminum foil and an old shirt make a pretty good insulating blanket, lol.
hl bucket heat.jpg
Also, made some doo-dads to make the nut fit easier.
hlight spacer.jpg

[driveslikejehu]

Pictures of the dash cut outs for R frame.
mydash 1.jpg
mydash 2.jpg
another R dash; sorry, I fogot whose it is...
interior 2.JPG

[blomb11]

Thanks for sharing this will help me a lot. Pretty standard for the R to require some cutting and mods

I just found that other picture from Mitch Wright and his R dash. These help to provide context where the manual falls short.

[driveslikejehu]

I used RomRaider and the Tactrix cable to clear the DTC codes. Thanks and props to mcamera for the how-to. I ain’t gonna lie, it’s a pucker up moment when you hit return to upload your modified code to the ECU.

Then I realized the other dash lights weren’t related to the ECU; ABS, Airbag, Rear Diff, parking brake/level lights. Gathering info from various other posts, here’s what I ended up doing. This is for my 2006 STI based car. Based on what I've read its applicable to other post 2004 cars; not 100% sure though.
A couple of notes: I’m using the nomenclature from the manual referring to the 3 green connectors to the gage clustering; A=i12, B=i10, C=i11. Also, power to the dash; the RW wire going to C7 on the cluster is powered when switch is On. BW wire going to B1 is powered when engine is running.

ABS light: LgY wire from B3; shorted to ground. Light stays out.

Rear Diff light: YR wire from B4; shorted to ground. Light goes out when engine is running.

Airbag light: GR wire from B18; jumpered to RW wire for switched power. Light stays out

Brake light: Sb wire from A2; shorted to ground, light stays out

I fretted a while about the DCCD text thinking it was a warning light. Then I realized its just text for the DCCD control area of the dash.

From this
dash before.jpg
To this.
dash after.jpg

Now for some Four Roses…

[driveslikejehu]

So I when I did my beautiful brake line work 14 months ago, I put the proportioning valve on the rear line. I guess I relied on the Wilwood instructions or old experience. Now I realized the manual as well as forum discussion indicate it should be on the front. I get it, potentially too much braking on the front with the weight bias change.
Feel free to tell me I’m wrong, before I redo it, lol.

[driveslikejehu]

Like some other folks, I don’t like the idea of the air coming out of the radiator just being uncontrolled in the under-dash area. (tho this is the case in most road cars- air exiting the rad just finds its way under the engine and car).
So, I added an additional aluminum wall and fab’d ducts to extract more air. These increase the exit area by close to 50% over the hood vents. Can go more if needed.
Had fun with my first epoxy fiberglass effort
2 ducts.jpg
Installed these in the blocking panel. They vent to the wheel well, which has openings to the extraction area between door and fender.
duct panel.jpgleft duct.jpg

I'm concerned that the one small opening in the front bumper feeds enough air to the radiator. I posted about it in the general discussion thread.

[Bicyclops]

So I when I did my beautiful brake line work 14 months ago, I put the proportioning valve on the rear line. I guess I relied on the Wilwood instructions or old experience. Now I realized the manual as well as forum discussion indicate it should be on the front. I get it, potentially too much braking on the front with the weight bias change.
Feel free to tell me I’m wrong, before I redo it, lol.

A front engine car weight shifts a lot more than a mid car. They come with much bigger brakes on the front. The FFR Wilwood setup, if I understand it correctly, is the same - larger brakes on the front than the rear and dial the front brakes back. The 818 has about 65% weight in the rear, at least mine does, and being so low isn't going to dive much under braking. I went with equal size (large) brakes front and rear and put the valve in the rear line. I haven't adjusted it yet, but so far it seems OK.

Ed

[driveslikejehu]

The vestiges of curved fiberglass on the R engine cover always bugged me
Eng cover bits.JPG
So I cut them out, leaving enough of the panel to weaken and bend into shape
both winglets.jpg
When doing this on the humps area, I filled in the unneeded rollbar hole and extended down to meet the aluminum with some cut-off bits
humps mod.jpg

Will have to fill and finish before paint prep, but I feel better about it, lol

[driveslikejehu]

When loading the windshield glass and frame to take for installation, I found I had cracked the glass somewhere along the way. FFR has them for $250 which isn’t bad, but shipping is $280. I was able to get a 2002 MR2 windshield and installation locally for $300. I’ll show the number in case it might help anyone.
PXL_20230518_142220646.jpgWS installed.jpg

[blomb11]

Nice great deal you found! Car is starting to come together for your first track day too.

[driveslikejehu]

I attached the headlight “glass” with .045" VHB tape. There are few bubbles in the joint but- kit car.
HL glass.jpg
As others has done, I epoxied 8-23 screws in the fenders to allow removing the headlight buckets. I used adhesive backed 3/16” EPDM foam to form the seal.
HL screws and foam.jpg
May seal around the glass with black silicone, but generally okay with the result.

HL mounted.jpgHL installed.jpg

[driveslikejehu]

I needed a few shots to use in the registration process. Couldn't stop taking pics...
Don't mind that some bits are held on by tape..
rear.jpgfront.jpglft side.jpglt rear.jpg

[Hobby Racer]

It's a great feeling when you see it all together for the first time. Nice job.

[driveslikejehu]

It's a great feeling when you see it all together for the first time. Nice job.

Thanks! It's sort of a team effort with you folks on the forum that inspire and inform.

The pictures somehow don't do it justice; its seems lower and leaner in person.

[driveslikejehu]

Another one of those little STi gotcha moments is that the Intercooler won't fit under the engine cover. I'm still not 100% decided about how to deal with it ( a whole new engine cover design...?), but experimented with a couple of solutions.
I made some vertical supports for engine cover to rest on and give about 3/4" clearance.
eng cvr supports.jpg
The normal cover pin locations pull down okay, though with added cover to side gap.

In the front I lowered the aluminum block plate in the front of the engine cover and added some slide in catch features. This will allow fairly easy one person handling and raises the front of the engine cover about 1-3/4".
fwd eng cvr sprt.jpg
All this raising caused the vestigal "wings" to be elevated. I didn't want screws or anything that would require a tool and inhibit quick cover removal. I ended up with old school Dzus fasteners (I won't tell which service I stole them from many years ago if you don't). These will be down in a couple of yet to be developed scoops in this area to grab air for the IC.
rt dzus open.jpgrt dzus clsd.jpg

Finally I installed the rear wheel tubs. This was by far the most difficult part of assembling this car. Nothing fit as expected, when I finally got one in position with all the hands and clamps I have, drilled a hole and it would move out of position. Finally completed with suitable amount of sweat and profanity .
rt tub.jpg

Sunday is the first outing beyond up and down the block. Going to a small club auto cross as a first shake down.