Frank's 818R build

[Pearldrummer7]

Frank, based on what a few buddies are running on thier track and race Subaru's and not having water or oil temp issues I just replaced the OEM water/oil heat exchanger with a new one. If I have oil temp issues I at adding a water/oil cooler in the radiator coolant line.
At my modest power level I don't anticipate a problem, we will see when we get to the middle of summer.

Mitch- thanks for the reply. Replacing it with a new OEM one, right?

[Mitch Wright]

Yes, that is what I did based on the on track experence of folks I know. When I finish up all my 10 minutes jobs my car will live at the track for a while for lunch time testing.

[Pearldrummer7]

Leaving for Asia for a weeks tonight. Popped the engine and trans in and started hooking it all up. No way I'll be able to start it before I leave but at least it's together! And I've reclaimed enough space to put the WRX back in the garage.


Anyone a Roadkill fan?



It's just the best way to make lists. That list has since become front and back, and has had a dozen or so things crossed off. Hitting the ground running when I return home!

[Pearldrummer7]

Plates came today

[FFRSpec72]

Nice, I like the plate !

[Hindsight]

Hah, that's a great plate

[Pearldrummer7]

Back from Asia! And I hit the ground running yesterday until I just had to sleep at around 8 pm -_- stupid jet lag!

Got a lot done. Rear suspension, axles, AOS, coolant plumbing, wiring, and a lot of little loose ends.


Also did all new, higher quality exhaust gaskets all around. Apparently they're well needed; think these leak?


Ran into a little race-height snaffo- gonna be a pain to get this out


Getting there...slowly but surely.

[Hindsight]

Ran into a little race-height snaffo- gonna be a pain to get this out

Frank, for stuff like that, I find this tool invaluable:
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWARA10...achment+dewalt
With:
http://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-232...hex+drill+bits

It's a bit awkward to use but has saved me MANY times.

[Scargo]

It's a bit awkward to use but has saved me MANY times.

I have the first item and will be buying the stubby bits! Thanks.

[Pearldrummer7]

I've been meaning to pick one of those up for a while, and since the Harbor Freight in our town opened over the weekend I decided that yesterday was the day!



Already paid for itself. That said, my Craftsman rivet tool is utter garbage. Takes ~5 rivets to successfully put one in. Does anyone have a suggestion for a replacement tool?

[Hindsight]

Yes! The harbor freight pneumatic air riveter actually works fantastic. Remove the catch cup from the back and it will fit into tight spaces. If still too big for a certain area, I have had good success with a Stanley manual riveter from Lowes/Home Depot.

[wleehendrick]

I've put every rivet in manually with the Stanley "contractor grade" hand riveter, $20 on Amazon. Works great; 1/8" are easy, the 3/16" will pump your forearms like Popeye.

[Sgt.Gator]

My new favorite tool:
61BQF2rPxjL._SL1250_.jpg51dXOczqcOL._SL1100_.jpg

Astro 1822 1/2" Nano Impact Wrench
450 ft./lbs. of max torque
Extremely short profile, full length of less than 3-7/8"
Incredibly lightweight at 3.0lbs
3 forward and 3 reverse settings
Innovative twin hammer design

Awesomeness!

[Pearldrummer7]

Yes! The harbor freight pneumatic air riveter actually works fantastic. Remove the catch cup from the back and it will fit into tight spaces. If still too big for a certain area, I have had good success with a Stanley manual riveter from Lowes/Home Depot.

My new favorite tool:
61BQF2rPxjL._SL1250_.jpg51dXOczqcOL._SL1100_.jpg

Astro 1822 1/2" Nano Impact Wrench
450 ft./lbs. of max torque
Extremely short profile, full length of less than 3-7/8"
Incredibly lightweight at 3.0lbs
3 forward and 3 reverse settings
Innovative twin hammer design

Awesomeness!

Unfortunately I don't have a compressor and it's not quite in the budget yet :/ so hand tools for me!

I've put every rivet in manually with the Stanley "contractor grade" hand riveter, $20 on Amazon. Works great; 1/8" are easy, the 3/16" will pump your forearms like Popeye.

Sounds like Stanley is the unanimous winner (of all 2 votes) for a hand tool!

[Pearldrummer7]

Drilled out the hubs to 5/8" (man, that's so huge!) using a step bit then a large drill bit in the vice, per Chad's suggestion (here). It came out pretty tight and I think it'll work just fine




Also turned my old tie rod ends to avoid buying the Baer kit (might not be a college kid anymore, but boy do I feel as broke as one sometimes!). Came out great I think.



Next up is mounting it all, then torquing it all to spec. First track day at NYST is next Saturday and I'm gone all weekend- let's see if I can get it all ready by then! If not, bike weekend I won't be too heartbroken.

[Pearldrummer7]

Great news all around:

The car lives! Tried to start it, and it had a dead battery (on the tender now). Tried again with my jumper pack and it was running on 3 cylinders. I changed the spark plugs (which were very fouled) and it ran just fine

Also finished up my front suspension:

---

And I rode my track bike for the first time this weekend (after a LOT of work on it...as if I needed one more freaking project). Two wheels is good. Real good. I absolutely love it.



Got pretty far up on the wheel by the end of it. Second time on a motorcycle(first was a 250 dual sport on the street). Pretty happy with my results considering that!

[Hindsight]

Wow, I don't think I know anyone who started riding track without a lot of street riding first - smart man! Much safer to go fast on the track than on the street. Less temptation to go out wearing anything less than full safety gear too.

Congrats on getting those chicken strips worn down a bit

I had a Ducati for a while but sold it after moving to Atlanta. Not a great place to ride motorcycles. I do miss two wheels though!

[Pearldrummer7]

Wow, I don't think I know anyone who started riding track without a lot of street riding first - smart man! Much safer to go fast on the track than on the street. Less temptation to go out wearing anything less than full safety gear too.

Congrats on getting those chicken strips worn down a bit

I had a Ducati for a while but sold it after moving to Atlanta. Not a great place to ride motorcycles. I do miss two wheels though!

Thanks! I'm working on that whole being-ballsy-enough-to-lean thing. My first lap I did a solid 55 mph down the straight away

I'm not even tempted to bring the bike into street legality. I can't imagine it's as fun as the track, and it's so dangerous! Like you said...much safer on the track. I'm gonna keep two wheels there for now

[DSR-3]

Thanks for posting all of the info and pictures. Always helpful to new-builders.
Nice bike! Looks like so much fun, and brings back good memories (I lived on dirt bikes and road racing- never street licensed).
*I suggest you consider better quality/higher spec rod ends for your steering. Those are OK for sway bars links, etc., but not for critical app's.
Congrats on the start-up! 'Looking forward to watching you progress & track debut.

[Pearldrummer7]

Thanks for posting all of the info and pictures. Always helpful to new-builders.
Nice bike! Looks like so much fun, and brings back good memories (I lived on dirt bikes and road racing- never street licensed).
*I suggest you consider better quality/higher spec rod ends for your steering. Those are OK for sway bars links, etc., but not for critical app's.
Congrats on the start-up! 'Looking forward to watching you progress & track debut.

Thanks! I've actually already tracked it 4 times, but took it apart over winter. Looking forward to getting back out there.

What isn't quality enough about those? The 5/8" bolt? Or the McMaster rod ends? This is what Chad Plavan did with success (albeit not as home made...same style hardware, though) and what Rasmus did (untested)
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...-Install-Guide

[DSR-3]

Sorry I didn't make it through all your posts to know you had made it so far. Big congtrats!
It's the cheapo rod ends (check the load ratings). I've seen that style fail on race cars- in less demanding/critical points, and they wear quickly. Obviously, they will work for some time, but steering is a no compromise application and no way to learn about failures. Just a suggestion, but I'd swallow the $35 for a good Aurora part. Rod-end washers are a nice/safe addition https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...p?Product=3068

[Pearldrummer7]

Sorry I didn't make it through all your posts to know you had made it so far. Big congtrats!
It's the cheapo rod ends (check the load ratings). I've seen that style fail on race cars- in less demanding/critical points, and they wear quickly. Obviously, they will work for some time, but steering is a no compromise application and no way to learn about failures. Just a suggestion, but I'd swallow the $35 for a good Aurora part. Rod-end washers are a nice/safe addition https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...p?Product=3068

Thanks again! That is some solid advice and an easy enough change. I think I'll be ordering some new ones soon

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Thanks! I'm working on that whole being-ballsy-enough-to-lean thing.

Here is our teams bike at PP.
You know you a leaning enough when the sprocket hits the ground.
Bob

1149187_10201198303633691_467975332_o.jpg

[Pearldrummer7]

Aw my turbo is cracked.



Now what? Any suggestions? I assume I shouldn't run this anymore.

Thinking maybe a VF48 or another 39? I guess this gives me an excuse to get retuned and do my AWIC and intake changes, I guess

[Kurk818]

From what ive seen, that crack from the waste gate is pretty common and ive been told by some who know more than i that its not an issue. Can someone else confirm this?

[chedda]

I've been in the subaru community for many years. The VF series turbos on subarus all suffer from this issue. Some crack more than others. It is a non-issue and pretty common. If the crack went towards the exhaust shaft, yes that would have been an issue.

[Pearldrummer7]

From what ive seen, that crack from the waste gate is pretty common and ive been told by some who know more than i that its not an issue. Can someone else confirm this?

I've been in the subaru community for many years. The VF series turbos on subarus all suffer from this issue. Some crack more than others. It is a non-issue and pretty common. If the crack went towards the exhaust shaft, yes that would have been an issue.

The overwhelming opinion online is that this is in fact a non-issue. I don't know HOW that makes sense, but I'm giving my tuner a call and seeing what he says

[Mitch Wright]

Don't have advice on the turbo but you do need to replace the 5/8 rod ends with much higher quality parts as DRS 3 has suggested.

[Pearldrummer7]

Table time!

	Price (each)	Radial load rating (lb)
McMaster low carbon	$8.30	6,869
McMaster high strength PTFE	$39.44	17,959
Aurora low carbon	$24.49	7,364
Aurora high strength PTFE	$57.99	17,148

I'm thinking that if 6,869 static pounds isn't enough (really think it isn't?) then the high strength McMaster ones are a lot better bang per buck. Thoughts?

[DSR-3]

Yea, those big ones are bound to be expensive! I may have lead you down the wrong path by using "load ratings" as an example of the difference. Static ratings for rod ends are pretty much just the material rating as I recall, and not really a good single criteria for selection. Fair chance that the McMaster parts are some Aurora model... Just look out for the Mil Spec option- $277 ouch!

[305mouse]

ditto to what the others have said. Just like the 2.0 heads cracking around the spark plug holes. They all end up doing it and you would never know unless you saw it. It's a good excuse to weld it and go EWG

[Pearldrummer7]

So. I think I'm going to make a bracket to hold the IWG shut. It seems easier than welding inside of the turbo housing? Then run an EWG. I assume I can weld a bung to the uppipe and use the existing one, instead of buying a new uppipe?

Also, 38mm vs 44mm? I believe I'm okay with 38 at these boost levels. Any thoughts?

[longislandwrx]

you can buy a bracket from grimmspeed that will hold it shut, price is reasonable and will save you time. on a 2.0 a 38mm should be fine. Its actually the opposite of what you'd think, the more boost you run the less you need a wastegate.

you can weld a tube and a bung to your existing aftermarket uppipe no problem.

[Pearldrummer7]

you can buy a bracket from grimmspeed that will hold it shut, price is reasonable and will save you time. on a 2.0 a 38mm should be fine. Its actually the opposite of what you'd think, the more boost you run the less you need a wastegate.

you can weld a tube and a bung to your existing aftermarket uppipe no problem.

2.5L* motor. But still, I read it'd be fine on the VF39.

Any idea on sizing? I was thinking 1.5" pipe since that's 38.1mm....

[Pearldrummer7]

So, I decided to go EWG on my 818. I took my turbo to work and had some help machining the crack out and welding it. Also welded the wastegate shut while I was in there and will be removing the arm from it. I bought a 38mm Tial EWG from a friend and will be welding it to the uppipe as soon as I pick up the EWG (at the track...might have to do a few laps on the bike while I'm there!)




Also, got a new sticker for the 818. Pretty stoked about it. Of course it's my local track, NYST.



Once I get the turbo and EWG installed, I'll be ready to hit the tuner for a retune and alignment. Numbers I have in mind for alignment are:

As much camber as I can reasonably get (between 2.5 and 3* negative camber), at least 6-7* caster. No clue on toe. Any ideas, all?

[Pearldrummer7]

Off topic- My track progress on the bike. It's a fun little toy.

Day 1:


Day 4:


Day 5:


Laid it down on the morning of day 6. I'm totally fine, and the bike has some aesthetic damage. Practice working with fiberglass now


On topic-

EWG is here and ready to go on. It's gonna have to be a little different location than a typical Subaru's EWG because of the proximity to the frame.

[WRXForward]

Beautiful colors on that bike.

[Frank818]

Bike specs?

[Pearldrummer7]

Beautiful colors on that bike.

Bike specs?

Thank you! It's a 2007 GSX-R 600, spent most of its life on the track and has a bunch of track mods done to it (full exhaust, suspension, etc.). I like it! Not anywhere near as much as I like the car. And on that note:


There we go! EWG installed, just some assembly and I'll be ready to tune.

[Scargo]

Ha ha... It's almost as big as the turbo! Where is that monster going to belch its fire (exhaust to)?
I used to ride a Kaw KZ650 C2. I think I put 65K on it and sold it ridable.