The Start of a Journey - Metros Build Thread

[metros]

Glad to help doug.

If I'm ahead an inch I'll take it!

[STiPWRD]

Thanks, you've got to update your build thread. I've been curious how far along you are.

I'll try to snap some pics an post an update tomorrow

[metros]

Not a ton of progress to report this weekend. I did get some necessities taken care of this weekend though.

-New Gates timing belt, water pump, t-belt tensioner, and idler pulleys. All of mine seemed to be in good condition and fairly fresh. However, I didn't know when exactly they were replaced so I replaced them anyways. One less thing to think about once the engine is installed. Especially since the timing belt side of the engine will be inaccessible once installed in the 818.

The timing belt guide I used:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1794043

-I freshened up the timing belt covers as they were all showing their age to some degree. I used Bumper/Trim coating from duplicolor and they came out looking brand new.

-Tore the rest of the top of the engine off. Removed the intake manifold, TGV all coolant piping, etc. Took these parts to get powdercoat in addition to the interior panels. The engine parts will be powdercoated gloss black and the interior panels will be satin black. I also took my brand new air to water intercooler to be powdercoated gloss black as well. I pushed to get these parts to powder because I'll be busy with family next weekend, which will allow the shop plenty of time to get them powdercoated.



-The small coolant lines and oil dipstick tube were starting to show some rust bubbles. I removed those, ground them down, and sprayed them with fresh gloss black engine paint and clear. Should look brand new once they're dry and reinstalled.

[RM1SepEx]

I had a water pump leak, I damaged the gasket when I installed it when I did the belts pumps etc... It can easily be accessed from inside the car with the engine installed (FFR tank only)

[metalmaker12]

100 % use the oem rubber gasket for the water
pump, the gates paper one is junk.

You could do a timing belt on the 818 with motor still in. Actually with the upper firewall off it would be easier than on a subie.

[STiPWRD]

I also took my brand new air to water intercooler to be powdercoated gloss black as well.

How thick is your powder coat going to be on your intercooler? It's great as a protective coating but can greatly reduce heat transfer especially if it's too thick. Personally, I'd stay away from painting or powdercoating the intercooler.

[metros]

Thanks for the tips fellas. I didn't think it'd be accessible once installed but I can see how it could. Hard to picture until I have the engine in place.

I don't have an exact thickness on the powdercoat, but the coating will only be on the outside. The heat transfer happens on the inside. I'm using Wayne's vcp air 2 water intercooler.

[metros]

Last weekend:
-Changed spark plugs to one step colder as recommended by my tuner.

-Finished the coolant tube refurbishing. Also refurbished the oil dipstick tube.

Before: Rust bubbling up underneath the paint, especially around the ends.


Prepped: Ground down and sanded all the rust off. Then used metal prep to etch the metal in prep for paint.


Finished with Gloss Black VHT Engine enamel and clear.


Put on the PTP Lava Turbo Blanket - the hotside of my blouch 18g is ceramic coated to help retain heat and improve spool. Adding the Blanket for further gains in spool and controlling engine bay heat.



Wires - .032 diameter


This weekend: Picked up power coated parts! Very happy with the finished product.

All the engine parts I had coated gloss black. The interior aluminum I had them do a satin black so that it wouldn't show as much dust on the interior.

Pictures!
Wayne's AWIC: Sorry Wayne, I had plans for my own design to go across the AWIC. Thus the powder coat and future logo design.


Interior panels

[metalmaker12]

Very nice

[Frank818]

That looks pretty good indeed!!

[metros]

Today I was able to get the valve covers bolted back on with new gaskets all around. Also installed Mechie's 818 oil fill. Nice billet aluminum piece that's much shorter than the stock oil fill tube.



Removed the oil pan today. When I bought the donor I was told it had the Killer Bee oil pick up and STi oil pan. I was happy to learn it also had the killer bee windage tray. While the oil pan was off I decided to sand it down and repaint it just because.

Pretty clean


Prepped:


Painted along with the rest of the freshly painted parts:


A lot of this weekend was spent prepping, painting and generally re-conditioning engine parts. I disassembled the overflow tank to clean and paint. I removed the Perrin fuel rails/lines and cleaned painted the rails to go with my color scheme.

I was only able to get one side of the interior panels riveted. Unfortunately my pneumatic pop riveter stopped working today. I had a hand riveter to finish that side with. I'm going to try to problem solve my air riveter as it produces a much cleaner final product than my hand piece. The powder coated panels look great in the car though.

[metros]

Didn't update this thread last weekend as I typically do. Last weekend was focused around prepping parts to put back on the engine. The IM bolt holes have been 'adjusted' to sync up with the TGV deletes. The coolant crossover tube has been drilled and tapped for a barb fitting. This way I can connect the coolant overflow with the coolant cross over and avoid any air bubbles in the cooling system when filling it up.

Everything laid out and ready to bolt on.


This weekend I had to get my hands back on the actual 818. Prepping the engine to put in the chassis is crucial work, however I don't get the same feeling of progress. This weekend I hopped around and tied up a lot of loose ends to complete jobs.

-I forgot to modify the brake pedal prior to installing last time around. I removed the brake/clutch pedals and modified them per the FFR directions. FFR recommends drilling a hole to attach the pedal at a higher location for more leverage on the brake pedal since it won't be using power brakes.

-While the brake and clutch pedals were out I focused on the gas pedal mount. A lot of builders have complained that it flexes at times and the design is a little wonky. I beefed it up by riveting some additional aluminum on it and drilled/bent an additional mounting location on the gas pedal mount. I also added another rivnut mounting location at the very top of the gas pedal mount. Overall, it's much more stout now.





-I took my pneumatic rivet gun apart, cleaned it and re-assembled it in order to get it back up and running. I'm surprised it needed that so soon as I had only used it for around 150 pop rivets. Using the newly running pop riveter I was able to attach all of the passenger side interior panels that came back from powder coat. I still need to finish the foot boxes before I can finish with that section of riveting.



-I assembled all of the Wilwood 2 piece rotors that I'll be using on the 818. Wilwood recommends red loctite on the rotor to hat hardware. The rear hardware is also pre-drilled for safety wiring the bolts as an additional fail safe. I sought out ARP hardware for the front brake system so that I could also safety wire the front brakes. I'm not sure why but Wilwood only provides button head bolts instead of the safety wire bolts.

Safety wiring takes some practice to get good at. I highly recommend picking up the special pliers that are used for safety wiring as you won't be able to get nearly as tightly wound safety wire without them. The safety wire I used is .032" stainless steel.



Next week I need to remove the rear heat shields and clearance some of the brake mounts before I can start bolting the brakes up. I also would like to get the engine mostly buttoned up. I'm kind of putting the engine off as I'm not looking forward to figuring out all the vacuum hoses/etc that I need to re-install.

[metros]

Another couple weeks since my last update. I've continued to work on the car and put off re-assembling the engine. It's hard to pull myself away from the actual 818 to work on the engine. After the brakes are completed then I'll be back to finishing the engine up in prep to put in the chassis. Also worked on a few other odds and ends.

These are the front outer cv. I had them previously installed but removed them because the stock green/rust was bothering me. They're now nicely painted and ready to re-install. FYI, mason jars work well to hold them while the paint is drying.



After modifying the gas pedal bracket I had to re-paint it, because OCD.



This weekend I spent a good chunk of time sealing the inside of the FFR gas tank. It's welded aluminum and powdercoated on the outside. However, I didn't want any chances for a pinhole leak. I used the 3 step sealing kit from KBS and overall I'm happy with the job.

The kit comes with a cleaning solution, etching solution, and sealant. Considering it was a brand new tank I was surprised how dirty the cleaning solution was when I poured it out. FYI, sloshing liquid around the inside of a bulky gas tank is a great workout. Then constantly moving the sealant inside the tank for 35 minutes to create an even coat of sealant will make you sweat.

Hard to see but the inside is a solid coating of silver. It takes 96 hours to cure and is rock hard.



Brakes:
I'm using the 4 pot F/R wilwood set up with 2 piece rotors. The last post has pictures of the safety wiring on the 2 piece rotors. Overall I've been really happy with the wilwood set up. They give you everything you need to make the fit perfect. But it is time consuming assembling, adjusting spacing, and re-assembling the parts to find the perfect fitment.

The rears required the heat shields to be removed. I used a sharp chisel and hammer to bust through the spot welds and then used my die grinder to grind the resulting plate smooth. After that I coated them both with POR15. The caliper mounting plate has to be ground down to allow fitment of the larger calipers. However, after grinding everything smooth and painting with POR15 it's hard to tell they were cut at all.

Rears: Still troubleshooting a little before final assembly.




Fronts: Fully assembled - I love the retaining clip for the brake pads. Perfect fitment and doesn't require any tools to install/remove.

[metros]

I also received my updated carbon parts from FFR. They're not perfectly finished on both sides. But I'm much happier with these parts than the last batch of carbon parts.

Front Splitter:


Rear Diffuser:




Side sills: 1 of these is the last generation of carbon parts and 1 of these is the new version. My next problem is seeing if FFR will trade me a new for the old. The two won't come remotely close to matching on the car even after finishing work. If I can get that swapped out for the old then I'll be 100% happy with my FFR transactions and 818 purchase.

[metros]

My son is also very happy with the new carbon fiber parts!

[Frank818]

The rears required the heat shields to be removed.

Say that again? How do you remove the backplate without removing the hub?

[metros]

Heatshields are spot welded to the backing plate. Removed the heatshields with a sharp chisel and hammer by cutting through the spot welds. Then I ground down the backing plate (for lack of a better name) and painted with POR15. The backing plate was not removed, just the heat shields.

[Frank818]

Oh I never realized there were 2 types of shields composing the backing plate. So the heat shields are removed permanently? Maybe I should read the installation manual, I think some paper came with the kit. I thought it was a direct bolt-on, but hey, it's a kit car after all, we're used to that. loll

[metros]

I don't know if the directions mention the heat shields. However, the rotors are larger than the heatshields themselves, which you'll quickly find are in the way. Typically the rotor sits inside the heat shield to some degree. Some people will flatten the heat shields out so that they can fit a larger rotor. It's up to you though.

[Mechie3]

Is the new sideskirt full carbon!?! Mine are fiberglass with Carbon over the top. :/

[C.Plavan]

Is the new sideskirt full carbon!?! Mine are fiberglass with Carbon over the top. :/

Yep- They send me the new front race splitter- all carbon. My rear diffuser.... crap fiberglass carbon fiber that is already delaminating (not even installed yet) I sent an email to get replacement.

[metros]

Yes, I'm hoping to get the one side skirt replaced. The new generation won't come close to matching the previous generation.

[Mechie3]

Yep- They send me the new front race splitter- all carbon. My rear diffuser.... crap fiberglass carbon fiber that is already delaminating (not even installed yet) I sent an email to get replacement.

Hmm...

I already got a replacement rear diffuser because mine had weave issues (straight section vs woven) and it was still glass/carbon IIRC. Can't hurt to ask though. My side skirts had tons of bubbles on the 90 deg bend.

[Frank818]

Metros, did you install the accel pedal yet?

How have you solved the problem of the pedal rod hitting the clutch tube?
The travel distance is about 3cm, but I checked and on my t-body I need 6cm.

2014-07-01 10.19.41.jpg

[metros]

Haven't gotten that far yet. Good question. I need to look at it in person to troubleshoot.

[Aero STI]

Seeing these carbon panels makes me incredibly disappointed with the current fiberglass pieces covered with carbon that I have. Factory Five needs to make this right for everyone.

[Frank818]

Haven't gotten that far yet. Good question. I need to look at it in person to troubleshoot.

Well once you get there, plz post after you try that crappy thing out, as I am curious to see if you get the same super small travel as I get.

[longislandwrx]

How have you solved the problem of the pedal rod hitting the clutch tube?
The travel distance is about 3cm, but I checked and on my t-body I need 6cm.

2014-07-01 10.19.41.jpg

Mine hits too but I hooked up the throttle body and it goes full before hitting. I'll post a video if you don't believe me.

[Frank818]

I believe you (would still like a vid, though ), maybe the travel is longer on a VW engine. Since the travel at the pedal is equal to the travel at the t-body, I don't see how I can adjust it to be shrunk in half the travel. Might be too sensitive on the pedal too. I'll try Dan's way of mounting it to the FW and see how's the travel like.

I am curious to see what metros will come up with.

[metros]

Received my APR Carbon GTC300 today! So exciting!



Some assembly required?

[Frank818]

Wow it totally cracked in half!

[metros]

Already spoke with APR and filed a claim with UPS. I sent pictures of the box and damage to APR. They informed me that they don't use tape to secure their boxes, which means UPS taped the hell out of the box before delivering it. APR thinks the end of the box came open, wing came out, and was probably run over by something. They then put the pieces back in the box and taped it closed like crazy. From the box and damage it looks possible.

APR has been great to work with. UPS is picking the box up tomorrow and then APR is sending me a replacement. APR is going to deal with the UPS claim.

[Frank818]

Well APR looks like a really nice company! It's good to hear those stories that end up well (yours will).

The box says FRAGILE in big red letters and look at it. Kind of defeats the purpose.

You know, there are supercars with a double rear wing, you could do that.

[Mechie3]

Apr is lying. That's their new active aero wing. They sent it by accident and need their prototype back.

[mjazzka]

metros, I really don't think you are qualified to build this thing... you are WAY too organized! Every single photo you've posted seems to be perfectly laid out, and the effort you've put into quality is astounding! Thanks for the inspiration.

Sucks about the wing, but I'm glad they're getting that taken care of for you.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I got this can of gel coat repair and some 3000 sand paper that will fix that up like new. No paint required.

[metros]

Perfect! A weekend project and it'll be good as new.

The guy at UPS gulped when I told him the value of the part and then gulped again when I told him there was no chance of repairing it.

Mjazzka - ocd is a sickness, but sometimes has its benefits.

[metros]

3rd time is the charm!

Re-vamped the gas pedal mount for the final time! I decided to go along with the majority and mount on the firewall. However, I wasn't sure just the aluminum firewall would feel firm enough and wanted to reinforce it just to be sure. I took the mount that I had reinforced, drilled the rivets out to pop the 2 pieces apart and cut the FFR mount right above where the 2 pieces were sandwiched together. I, of course, repainted the pieces - again - and then sandwiched these 2 mounts on either side of the firewall almost as if they were large washers. Riveted all 3 layers of aluminum (mount, firewall, mount) together with silicone sandwiched between everything to prevent rattles. This should satisfy my concerns and ensure everything is stiff enough.

Pictures with next update.

Otherwise I cleaned the engine up and disassembled the alternator for cleaning/painting purposes.

At this point I think I'm going to bite the bullet and purchase the i-wire racing harness. I think I could do a fair job at dieting the stock harness mildly. That will save me a ton of man hours, diet further than I would every consider and produce a very nice product. Plus, when I eventually decide to sell the i-wire racing will be a huge selling point as everybody hates electrical gremlins and the thought of tracking them down.

Also wanted to praise the customer service at APR once again. They've already got a new wing on its way and are handling everything with UPS directly. Their communication has left nothing to be desired and overall the process has been very easy.

[GUNS]

Yea, I'm going to try and swap out my carbon pieces. Those new ones look much better.

[Frank818]

I told ya there were plenty of ways to stiffen that gas pedal. Happy thing you mounted it!