GUNS' 818SR Build Thread

[GUNS]

Santa came! Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 17x8 +35 front and 18x9 +35 rear. Planning on running 215/40/17 front 255/35/18 rear. Hopefully it fits!

[thall818]

Nice wheels. I am planning the same wheel/tire size. Can't wait to see if they fit.

[GUNS]

Welp, I've been making some progress on the 818. I spent some time working on the interior. I hacked up the fiberglass center console and added some aluminum to help with the extreme passenger foot well area. Still not perfect, but I think it will be fine once carpeted. I also installed the dash and windshield frame.

Today I mounted the rear bumper and side panels and loosely hung some other panels. I'm happy to say that my panels look to be pretty decent and I'm thinking I can probably get away with a no paint finish, but after seeing Stickshift's plasti-dipped 818 I may re-consider. The other good news is that it looks like the rear wheels/tires fit perfect!



So one thing I noticed is my driver side tire is about an inch closer to the front corner firewall than the passenger side and it rubs at full lock. I'm assuming this is due to the upper control arm modification that I followed the directions on. I'm still not sure what that mod was for and now it seems it has caused a conflict. Anyone else have a problem with this?

[metalmaker12]

Welp, I've been making some progress on the 818. I spent some time working on the interior. I hacked up the fiberglass center console and added some aluminum to help with the extreme passenger foot well area. Still not perfect, but I think it will be fine once carpeted. I also installed the dash and windshield frame.

Today I mounted the rear bumper and side panels and loosely hung some other panels. I'm happy to say that my panels look to be pretty decent and I'm thinking I can probably get away with a no paint finish, but after seeing Stickshift's plasti-dipped 818 I may re-consider. The other good news is that it looks like the rear wheels/tires fit perfect!



So one thing I noticed is my driver side tire is about an inch closer to the front corner firewall than the passenger side and it rubs at full lock. I'm assuming this is due to the upper control arm modification that I followed the directions on. I'm still not sure what that mod was for and now it seems it has caused a conflict. Anyone else have a problem with this?

I have a fix for this, I couple spacers you put on the racks main shaft that the inner pass side tie rid bolts into. I can send them to you. I had the same issue, now it's perfect.
image.jpg

Btw really like your wheels

[GUNS]

Thanks, PM sent!

[Frank818]

I have a fix for this, I couple spacers you put on the racks main shaft that the inner pass side tie rid bolts into. I can send them to you. I had the same issue, now it's perfect.
image.jpg

You have to remove the rack or just the bellows?

[metalmaker12]

You have to remove the rack or just the bellows?

Just bellows and pass inner tie rod, they just make the rack unable to go further and even out the turns on both sides. This might be an early kit issue only, and you might not need em.

[Frank818]

Early kit issue, eh. Can only mean 2 things to me: either the frame would have been modified since, or rack mounts (if they can make a diff). Cuz the racks of course don't change from kit #10 to #200. I guess I'll find out.

GUNS, what kit number is yours, again?

[GUNS]

I have kit # 10 (I know, I'm way behind). While I'm aware the steering rack is offset in the early builds, I'm not convinced this is the problem. Would this bring the wheel closer to the center of the car? I would think not. I would think it would be more of a factor of the upper/lower control arms. I also don't have an alignment, so maybe it will make more sense then.

What was the problem that cutting the driver side upper control arm solved?

[Boog]

You could measure from the upper ball joint pivot to the front cockpit corner on each side. This should show you if the upper controls arms are the problem (by effectively adding a lot of caster one just one side).
If so, maybe ordering a new set of upper control arms with flat ball joint mounts is the way to go.

[metalmaker12]

Your upper control arms might be adjusted off as well and it will help draw the wheel out some when you adjust caster , but hitting on full lock is the rack being off center. So to answer everyone it's the rack that causes the rubbing issue when turning and a caster issue if it's (tire) closer/ further from frame or frontend. We need +4 caster correct ? It's early so I could be off with my memory.

[longislandwrx]

So one thing I noticed is my driver side tire is about an inch closer to the front corner firewall than the passenger side and it rubs at full lock. I'm assuming this is due to the upper control arm modification that I followed the directions on. I'm still not sure what that mod was for and now it seems it has caused a conflict.

Take a shot from above, and mark some measurements to static points from your mounts to the frame etc so others can compare. Also, take off you driver side UCA, and flip it over and put it on top of the passenger side and make sure its even (or just take good measurements) Make sure FFR didn't give you one straight ball joint mount and one angled.

[GUNS]

Been working on the body all weekend. Tedious, but making progress.

I finished up the rear for the most part. Like Mechie, my trunk lid did not come with the hinge brackets glassed in. FFR is sending me a new one and they're even going to make me a white one even though they are making red bodies now. Mechie's rear fender brace made lining up the engine cover and fenders much easier! Highly recommend buying one before you get to body fitting.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my gaps. Not perfect, but good enough for me and good enough for a track car.



I also got the doors mounted. I'm lucky that Wayne posted is How To right before I got to this. Had I followed the manual, the strikers would have been way off!



Bolt the striker to the frame and line it up with the body (picture is post striker installed):



Shine a light behind the bracket to see where the slots are, mark and drill:



For the front bumper, I had to trim the headlight buckets quite a bit to make them sit flush with the bumper. I also had to bend the crap out of the brackets that attach to the bottom of the bucket and front bumper (the bracket comes straight with the exception of the tabs):



I had to notch out this part of the front bumper to get it to clear the frame. I actually took out a little bit more than what's pictured:



And here's where I leave it for now. Front end is all just clamped on for now. I need to spend some time lining everything up before drilling.

[Frank818]

Never realized you had the same tires as I do. They just kick behinds, I love em.

You pix don't show ANY gap issues. In fact I can't see anything wrong from being almost showcase, what am I missing then? Front hood too much forward? Probably not installed yet.

[Triathletedave]

Got some more work done today. I used the "longislandwrx" method of mounting the shifter. I had to trim the sides of the housing a bit to make the hole align with the trans tunnel, but other than that it worked like a champ!





And with the tunnel cover loosely mounted:




I was able to get the shifter cable to hook up, but I'm not happy with how they are routed coming out of the fire wall. Anybody have suggestions on how to route them? Mine rub on the bottom of the steering u-joint.



Thanks!

Guns:

When you mounted the shifter below the tunnel rails, how long are the spacers that you used to drop the shifter unit below the rails? Also, did you find that the shifter knob hits your knee in first and second gears? I'm 6'4", and I could not shift into first or second with my right foot over the gas pedal. I had to change the angle of the entire shifter to create enough clearance for my knee. I played around a bit, and ended up using two spacers 2-3/4" long on the left rail, and two 3-1/4" spacers on the right rail. That tilted the entire shifter away from the steering wheel and gave me the clearance I needed. I'm sure glad I spotted this mod on your (and Longisland's) build threads. Much tidier, and looks better too!

[GUNS]

I stole longisland's idea for the shifter and used 4 1/4x4 grade 8 bolts and 2" nylon spacers. I'm 5'11" and don't have a problem with the shifter hitting my knee. I'm also using the stock tank so I'm a little closer to the pedals as well.

Still working on the front. Not much to show, just doing a lot of trimming to get it all to line up. Right now the rear corners of my hood hit the bottom of the windshield surround. I know others have had this problem, are you guys trimming the hood to get it to fit? I'd rather not trim this part, but I'm thinking I wont have an option.

[GUNS]

I finally got the fenders, bumper, and hood fit. Overall it wasn't too bad, just tedious. I had to trim the back corners of the hood quite a bit to get them to clear the windshield surround. Also the portion of the fenders that goes over the headlights requires a bunch of trimming. I got them down to 3/8", I may take it down a bit more.

[Frank818]

I like the hood pins.

[GUNS]

I like the hood pins.

Thanks, but they're just the ones that come with the kit. Didn't want to point it out, but for some reason the bottom ones on the hood aren't symmetrical. The driver side ended up about an inch lower than the pass one. Not sure what happened because I measured the brackets before drilling. I've stared at it a bunch and came to the conclusion it's probably one of those things only I will notice. I may try and fix it later.

[metalmaker12]

I like the hood pins also

[harrymorrow1]

Hey Guns

Loved following your build thread and great to see you have reached this stage guess your build was one of the ones that helped me choose the 818, looking great.

Harry

[07FIREBLADE]

if possible could you post a close up of the hood,fender windshield surround. I'm struggling in this area. And tips at getting it all lined up good??

[GUNS]

Thanks Harry, I'm glad my build thread has helped others. The only reason I've documented my build was to hopefully help others.

Fireblade, here's a close up of the hood, fender, and windshield. You can see how much I had to grind off. I did about the same on the other side as well. It's amazing the difference it made in fitment by just taking off that much on either side. Hope this helps,

[Mechie3]

You've got that nasty hole on the front top of the door like I do.

[GUNS]

Hey guys, just about done with body fitting/cutting. I'm still waiting on a replacement trunk lid from FFR, but I was able to cut out all of the vents and my door sills.

Here's a little guide for vent cutting In case anyone needs it.

-Trace the inside of the vent trim per the manual.
-Make a small cut using a dremel cutting tool (I would actually bias to the outside of the line instead of the inside like pictured)

-

-Use an air saw to cut around your line, starting at the small cut you made w/ the dremel





The cuts don't need to be perfect as the aluminum trim will cover most of it up. For the really ugly stuff, I use this Dremel attachment to clean things up a bit. The cone shape works well especially in tight spots/corners.



Here's the finished product. Note that the aluminum mesh and trim are not installed yet

[GUNS]

I also had my first experience w/ plasti dip today! I was planning on buying the APR CF side view mirrors, but my budget is getting tight so I decided to just stick w/ the stockers. I plasti dipped 1 mirror so far as a test and I'm pretty happy with it. Not paint quality, but good enough and easy enough to get the job done. I also went ahead and dipped one of my door frames and hinges as well. I plan on doing the other mirror and door frame tomorrow.










I was able to also wire up my tail lights and brake lights. They work however, my taillights are always one when there is battery power. Anyone know why?

I just ordered Wayne's VCP AWIC and will be installing that when I remove the body again.

I'm still planning on having this thing on the road by Christmas, but I have a lot of work relate trips between now and then with a lot of little things still left to do. I'm getting closer though and I'm happy to see my car looking like a car finally!

[metalmaker12]

I also had my first experience w/ plasti dip today! I was planning on buying the APR CF side view mirrors, but my budget is getting tight so I decided to just stick w/ the stockers. I plasti dipped 1 mirror so far as a test and I'm pretty happy with it. Not paint quality, but good enough and easy enough to get the job done. I also went ahead and dipped one of my door frames and hinges as well. I plan on doing the other mirror and door frame tomorrow.










I was able to also wire up my tail lights and brake lights. They work however, my taillights are always one when there is battery power. Anyone know why?

I just ordered Wayne's VCP AWIC and will be installing that when I remove the body again.

I'm still planning on having this thing on the road by Christmas, but I have a lot of work relate trips between now and then with a lot of little things still left to do. I'm getting closer though and I'm happy to see my car looking like a car finally!

I am guessing you wired something wrong or forgot the ground to the rear lights. Pm pics if how you wired the rears. I would think you have the parking switch off and the hazard flasher plugged in.

[GUNS]

^ I'll try and take some pics tomorrow. I'm pretty sure the grounds are good. The Hazard switch is not connected currently and I have not wired up the flashers/reverse/turn signals. Not sure if that matters or not.

[STiPWRD]

Looking good, I was kinda surprised how high the shifter is even after you lowered it. I'm planning on doing the same.

[07FIREBLADE]

Did you check and see if the parking switch on the top of the column did get switched on accident.

[GUNS]

Did you check and see if the parking switch on the top of the column did get switched on accident.

Dude, you rock, that was it! It's the simple things some times.

STiWRD, I like where the shifter height is now that it is mounted in the tunnel. Yes it is a little high, but it's in a good position in relation to the wheel for aggressive driving, i.e. it doesn't take much arm travel to move your hand from the wheel to the shifter.

[longislandwrx]

Looking good, I was kinda surprised how high the shifter is even after you lowered it. I'm planning on doing the same.

Yeah I lowered mine 2.5" with a stage 2 short throw in addition to the undermount. With the steering wheel dropped down another inch with Rori's spacer, its a good fit.

If that's too low the tvm stage 1 is only a half inch shorter.

[STiPWRD]

Yeah I lowered mine 2.5" with a stage 2 short throw in addition to the undermount. With the steering wheel dropped down another inch with Rori's spacer, its a good fit.

If that's too low the tvm stage 1 is only a half inch shorter.

I'll definitely be following your lead, one thing that struck me about the red 818s at FFR was how close the shifter was to the steering wheel. I'm sure I could get used to it but it just felt kind of unnatural, so I'll be lowering. I'm running Rori's spacer as well.

I shifted through the gears in the red 818 too and it felt pretty smooth but I am curious to try the k-tuned shifter sometime - the feel is more important to me than the look so until I try it, I'm not completely sold on the look alone. With all the other parts I've been buying lately, I'm mostly likely going to end up with the stock shifter though.

[GUNS]

Today was a little depressing. Just when this thing was starting to look like a finished car, I yanked the body off. I feel like I'm going backwards.



I also had a slow leak from the trans cover. I removed it (lost about $80 worth of oil :/) and found this little guy just sitting in there:



Not sure how it got there unless I didn't remove everything I needed to when I did the conversion. Anyone know what it is? Can you confirm I no longer need it?




Other than that, I was able to install the heat exchanger for my AWIC. I'm going to be pretty much out of town until mid December, so not sure how much progress I'll make. My goal of having it on the street by the end of December is not looking good.

Thanks!

[metalmaker12]

Looks like a bearing race bro, you put rack spacers in yet.

[GUNS]

Yea, but to what? Discarded pieces or retained pieces? it sure wasn't there when I buttoned it up.

Haven't installed the spacers yet. On my list of things to do with the body off.

[Jaime]

Yea, but to what?

It probably came from the transfer shaft that used to sit above the center differential. It has a big taper bearing and the race just sits in a machined pocket in the transmission.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Romove upper and lower bearings and races in the center diff housing
race.jpg

While your at it.
The center diff slings oil into a hole that lubes the shift shaft. With no center diff, no lube to the shift shaft. I would put some grease on the shift shaft bearings.
Bob

[GUNS]

Thanks for the help!

[RM1SepEx]

Was there a burr on the face of the cover like mine causing the leak?

I captured and re-used my drained trans oil, strained through a fine mesh ss screen going back in...