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Thread: Art's 818 build

  1. #121
    Senior Member UnhipPopano's Avatar
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    Art, is your shifter design based off of the shifters found on some Honda's?

    https://picclick.com/1994-1997-Honda...l#&gid=1&pid=5

  2. #122

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    Quote Originally Posted by UnhipPopano View Post
    Art, is your shifter design based off of the shifters found on some Honda's?

    https://picclick.com/1994-1997-Honda...l#&gid=1&pid=5
    Hadn't seen that. But I didn't really invent any wheels here, just adapting from looking at lots of build pix and shifter mechanisms on Google images.

    Mine is the ball and socket for the all way motion and the rocker arm for the conversion of L-R to front-rear motion. This is really the same thing that I see in most of the different K-tune designs I browsed on their site and for that matter the 03-08 Toyota Corolla plastic shifter FFR shipped with the 818 kit.

    K-tune sometimes mentions advantage of using custom designed Delrin plastic bushing in their L-R to F-R conversion arm. For mine I used a very slippery hard nitride treated steel rod there (from a scrapped gas spring's strut rod) riding in a hard steel rod end ball, packed with grease inside the rubber boot - no noticable friction there.

    Elsewhere I am using Delrin bushings I made for connection points inside the cabin, because I had it already and it is great for this and then some bearing bronze for bushings I needed at the rear. Will post the rest soon.

  3. #123

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    Shifter done except making a knob

    The jack-shaft idea was provided by Lance Corsi's shifter design. (See https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...66-818-shifter post #7 and later) He used rods and bars, heim joints to setup a really solid link configuration all the way through, with no cable. He mentioned raising the engine and showed how he ran rods through the engine mount ears. I really like that setup but my engine install is in and settled on.

    By using a pair of jack-shafts similar to Lance's, I sneak the shift motion from center console over to the left of the driver's rump. From there via cables to the back. The inner shaft is 1/2" steel rod running on Torlon bushings, it is heavy, but titanium is expensive. The outer is tubing running on 3/4" needle bearings. Some parts are welded, others are mild pressed and bonded with Loctite 638. I tried pressing one test "crank" assembly apart and the 638 does what it is supposed to - I bent and broke the metal parts instead of freeing the Loctite bond. I trust it 100%.

    This configuration minimizes the cable run (but still uses it) and also uses motion leverage changes to reduce the cable slop apparent at the shifter. The travel "slop" in the cable can be looked at as a percentage of the total travel the cable moves to select a gear. The cables can provide about 2.5" of travel but also have approximately 1/8" of slop (in my configuration). If you use less than that full 2.5" of travel, the percentage of slop relative to the shift "system" motion gets higher. So my goal was to arrange the levers/linkages to use most of the cable travel.

    Since I have to have levers to do this, it does not matter which way the outputs of the shift selector in the cockpit moves, because the levers can be oriented to reverse (or not reverse) the final motion made at the transmission shift rod.

    My total slop at the top of the shift lever (currently 8.5" without a knob) is 1/4" in any direction. The feel of the shifter is very good and gear selection is not vague although I'm convinced the cable still introduces a little bit of softness in the overall feel.


    -

    -

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    The links at the left end trap each other in place with a slide plate caught between them (scrap printed circuit board - very durable stuff).

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  5. #124

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    Most parts are of 1/8" steel plate. 1/4" links are used on the cable ends but 5/16" links for the rest. Also using longer cable motion reduces the force in the cable and end links, again by the ratio of motion. i.e. about 1" of motion cable gets from neutral into any gear, which is about .37" of motion at the transmission shaft. The shaft needs about 20# of force to select a gear so the force experienced in the cable = 20# X (.37" / 1") = 7.4#. The cable and 1/4" rod ends are not worked as hard as a 1:1 ratio setup requires.

    My custom fuel tank leaves 1/2" clearance on the left side for the cable ends-

    -
    The cables will need small bracket to force clearing the driveshaft boot.

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    I used one transmission case bolt at the front and the bottom of the transmission mount to hold the cable end bracket -

    -
    Neutral-

    -
    First-


    -
    Reverse-

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  7. #125
    Senior Member Jetfuel's Avatar
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    What a nice setup you've created there..
    Just stunning

  8. #126
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    Those transmission brackets are super slick. Great job!

  9. #127
    Senior Member Bob_n_Cincy's Avatar
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    Very Nice job on the shifter.
    818S #22 Candy Blue Frame, Front Gas Tank, 2.5L Turbo, Rear radiator, Shortened Transmission, Wookiee Compatible, Console mounted MR2 Shifter, Custom ECU panel, AWIC soon
    My Son Michael's Turbo ICE Build X22 http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...rts-818S-Build
    My Electric Supercar Build X21 (on hold until winter) http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...e-Build-Thread

  10. #128
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    Great work, innovation.!!

  11. #129
    Senior Member Hobby Racer's Avatar
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    I like the fact that you put grease fitting in the joints AND thought it through enough to cut holes that allow you to actually get a grease gun in there! I would have had to go back and drill the holes after the fact.
    MK3.1 Roadster completed 2011
    818R built with EZ36R H6 completed 2018
    818R rebuild with a JDM Honda K24A

  12. #130
    Senior Member AZPete's Avatar
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    Stunning innovation! Again, I LOVE this forum.
    818S/C : Chassis #25 with 06 WRX 2.5 turbo, ABS, cruise, PS, A/C, Apple CarPlay, rear camera, power windows & locks, leather & other complexities. Sold 10/19 with 5,800 miles.
    Mk3 Roadster #6228 4.6L, T45, IRS, PS, PB, ABS, Cruise, Koni's, 17" Halibrands, red w/ silver - 9K miles then sold @ Barrett-Jackson Jan 2011 (got back cash spent).

  13. #131

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    Thanks everyone -

    Quote Originally Posted by Hobby Racer View Post
    I like the fact that you put grease fitting in the joints AND thought it through enough to cut holes that allow you to actually get a grease gun in there! I would have had to go back and drill the holes after the fact.
    ... there are a few trial parts in my scrap metal box, it didn't all come together in one round ...

  14. #132
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    I think you did the best you could with cables. I thought about doing mine this way but after studying the situation I decided I had room for the shafts. I intend to manufacture some shifter mechanisms for sale after I finish my car. They’ll require some welding but could be bolted in place as a last resort. Of course, I’ll become a supporting vendor before that point. Great job!

  15. #133
    Senior Member STiPWRD's Avatar
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    Very nice shift setup and very intuitive once you see it. Makes me think, why didn't I think of that? Great work!

  16. #134
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    Nice job. I need to redo my routing and your scheme has me thinking I might want to try something similar. Thanks for sharing!

  17. #135
    Senior Member Frank818's Avatar
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    This is worth a million bucks!
    Again...
    Frank
    818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
    Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
    Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
    Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
    Build Completed Winter 2021

  18. #136

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    Console - Dashboard construction

    Maybe I'm supposed to be working on that clamshell, but since I've been anxious to see what I can do for the interior lately the shell is still in a holding pattern.

    By the way Jetfuel came up last month and took me for a ride. We had a great visit talking ideas and comparing notes. He is driving a fantastic 818 and really charged me up to get mine on the road. For now it is still about the build process.

    My dashboard goals:

    0) Wanna-be OEM look while keeping the FFR dashboard as the core (thanks AZ, you pushed me).

    1) Get it together so I can move forward with wiring in that area - need switches and such finalized so I can customize the wiring to fit right where it needs to go.

    2) Incorporate some air flow options for occupants including fresh air from nose of car. No air conditioning, but I do have a Vintage Air blower in there for heat and defrost. I once enjoyed a '69 Vette that was a bare bones engine and wheels, no power anything else, no air conditioning. We called it the "log wagon" as it rode like one. Was great fun but you earned it in the summer. Since others have described the 818 as a warm place in the sun and I'm not doing cold air, I want to have airflow options of some sort, whatever I can come up with, so I don't live that dream the same way again.

    3) Two tone vinyl dash with character like carbon fiber look, etc. Morbern Hexx turned up on a sample card at one of the local shops, I liked it even better than CF look.

    4) Easy access to fuse and relay blocks behind the dash.

    5) Easy access to connect/disconnect of the air flow ductwork.

    6) Use Subaru switches where possible.

    It is close to done, although the door cards are still in the attic waiting to get sync'd up with the same materials. I'm going to post in "installments" as I finish getting the dash together for now.

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  20. #137

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    Transmission tunnel (?) as FFR calls it. Lower console in my notes:

    FYI my wiring is routed in the left and right sails. The hand brake cables run left and right outside the tank. I want to be able to pull the tank without wrestling obstacles, should that need arise.

    Pretty much everything in this console build starts in the infamous cardboard aided...CAD (Pete / Frank ??):

    Left and right sides worked up then traced onto 18 guage aluminum sheet. This guage is easy enough to hand-shear without power tools but has acceptible strength. Cheap to buy. I have at least three metal shops around here and they all have it on hand, size is 4' x 10' I think. They'll bite you to cut it up to fit in your trunk if you have to go that route, but not a lot.



    I love these Boelube machining/cutting products, they make liquid, paste, solid stick forms, and all make for very smooth cutting. I use this liquid one for drilling, taping, cutting. WD40 would be good for this too. Cutting aluminum sheet dry with shears is a battle, lubed it is almost like butter, just smear some down the cut path and go for it. Don't ever skip wearing decent work gloves.





    I've got a couple "home brew" brakes for bending, but one is way big and takes a while to setup on my workbench, the other is for really small stuff. Just bend things this way on your bench, quick and easy. Not 100% pretty but gets the job done.



    Making some cross-braces from the same aluminum sheet. These will span the left and right sides to stiffen them. They really add a lot of strength for the simplicity and low weight. Kind-of free since they can be made from scraps of the aluminum cuttings already in my junk bin. Pop-rivet together in my case.






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  22. #138

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    Braces added between the sides. If you have to re-make or carve one to fit something (like a shaft going by) it is not the end of the world. Easy to make another, only costs time.



    Some places need to be stronger. I'm happy to just use some 1/4" luan plywood, bonded to the cleaned and sanded 18# aluminum. This "composite" is fast to build and pretty strong when done. I'm using some contact cement I found out about at the upholstry shop. The guy has been at it for a long time, knows his stuff and said "this is what you want". He sold me a quart out of his 5 gallon jug. Eventually I bought a gallon myself. Landau cement = car tops out in the sun, etc., etc. Using it on all the vinyl, but cool for this here work to. OMG get that sprayer too, I went without at first but it is a gotta-have cool tool. Just leave the glue in it and plug the vent and nozzle with masking tape for days on end between projects.



    The armrest/storage box was figured out then wood bandsawed and glued together using 30 minute epoxy. This makes the basic design/build of the shape very easy and fast. Next aluminum clad with the contact cement. Clamped together for an hour or so to really stick. A floor was glued in. Next all wood was "painted" with a coat of fiberglass resin to seal it. Eventually black felt is glued (same glue of course) inside to make it nice for the mice and their acorns. The ends of the aluminum wrap were also riveted where I could hide or dress the back side of the rivets to not bug a finger when digging inside the box.

    By the way, I've probably gone through a few gallons of 30 to 60 different brands and formulations of epoxy adhesives over the years, for all sorts of things. I don't believe in trusting fast set epoxies for high strength. Five minute epoxy I would personally never use for anything I want to trust either long term/rough duty/high strength. Use 24 hour set for that kind of stuff. The faster it sets the less I would trust it for demanding jobs. In addition to that, I often try to use two different types of assembly when I want more reliability - i.e. glue and screws and other sorts of "mechanical" and "adhesive" pairs.



    The box gets fastened at the back each side with screws and at the front down inside with an extended aluminum "nose". Eventually each part of the lower console gets assembled into the car "from back to front" one piece at a time so screws are hidden by the next installed piece = almost no screws visible when the console is in the car. But you do have to take it all out front to back to get the the last piece.



    Sneak peek at the Morbern Charcoal Hexx. Cobalt Blue Hexx you'll have to wait to see



    The armrest spec is "strong enough to be used to get in and out of the car"...

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  24. #139

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    The floor plate under the hand brake, and a storage box forward of the shifter, in the making -



    Felt inside the box -







    Dress it up





    The lower edges of the sides of these parts have room to slip over carpet when it is finally assembled.

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  26. #140
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    Wow....I'm sort of working on the center console myself right now. I'm going to be embarrassed to post my pictures in the future! Nice work!

  27. #141

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    Inching forward from the shifter & storage box, comes the "switch/control panel", left and right panels.





    Carpet and vinyl scraps get the spacing setup so they fit right later on.



    This panel fits between. The radio looks crooked but when it's all in place it lines up.



    The smaller black face plate is a Tire Pressure Monitor System. Originally solar powered, I converted it to recharge from a tacked on 12V to 5V regulator. Also the push buttons that belong in that TPMS's case have been relocated into a modified Subaru switch, located to the right of the TPMS, that now has 3 buttons on its face. To the left of the TPMS is the clock/odometer switches since I didn't build those into my custom dash, they've been extended to here. More on the switches coming up...

    All the knobs are for the heater/blower and outside air vent controls. I'm just wrapping up the last parts of building the air vent stuff, so a few days to go then pix.
    .
    Last edited by aquillen; 08-19-2019 at 05:00 PM.

  28. #142

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    The switch panel is another wood/aluminum composite for fast build, decent strength. Like the others, soaked with resin to improve its longevity. The wood was pre-cut into slats to follow the curve put in the metal (not real visible but it curves all along top to bottom).

    I wanted to use the Subaru switches, and wanted them to snap in/out like they do in the donors. The metal frame clips to do this are shown below. Still using 18 guage aluminum sheet.

    These little airsaws are perfect for this kind of work. Once you find a steady way to hold the work and the saw you can follow lines very close. I tried a Hazard Fraught saw but took it back. This one WORKS. I did undercut just a bit then dressed openings out to my lines with files.







    Last edited by aquillen; 08-19-2019 at 05:19 PM.

  29. #143

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    Subaru switch mounts:











    The insides of my switch lamp holders look odd... I soldered in surface mount LED's replacing the factory lamps (most of which I found were burned out from the LKQ scrap yard stuff I brought home). LED's - last longer than me, but tedious work getting those massaged into the switch bodies.
    Last edited by aquillen; 08-19-2019 at 05:22 PM.

  30. #144
    Senior Member Jetfuel's Avatar
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    That looks soooooo good.....
    Question time....what seat belts are you going to use?
    I ask because with my console which is lower than yours and the 4 point harness it is hard to store the buckle .

  31. #145

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    Those bends are short and tight. A way to do it with simple tools but reasonable precision.

    Sandwich clamp the part over one steel plate with desired thickness to allow a down bend, then a top steel plate over it...


    Then the far right, clamp a "top" plate of steel with one vise-grip or c-clamp to it can't move left or right. Leave just a bit more than the guage thickness between the left and right steel plates so the material can be bent down later. The material is not getting bent much just yet.


    Squeeze the left end of the right side steel plate down to the work bench using another vise-grip/clamp in the middle. The aluminum gets bent neat and tight:


    Do the remaining bends then cut the part free from long scrap.
    Last edited by aquillen; 08-19-2019 at 07:32 PM.

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  33. #146
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    Art, you are a magician!

  34. #147

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jetfuel View Post
    That looks soooooo good.....
    Question time....what seat belts are you going to use?
    I ask because with my console which is lower than yours and the 4 point harness it is hard to store the buckle .
    For now I've just got standard belts, came out the back seat of an Acura I think, then I replaced the webbing with new blue stuff. Seats are made for 4 point though. Then again I may recover the seats and change them to standard as well.

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  36. #148
    Senior Member Frank818's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ipassgas View Post
    Art, you are a magician!
    Trust me, he's better than Criss Angel or David Copperfield!
    Frank
    818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
    Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
    Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
    Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
    Build Completed Winter 2021

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  38. #149

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    Some dimensions, in millimeters, if someone wants to make these switch mounts...






    The Subaru switches typically have 6 pin connectors. That makes for interesting possibilities using the body to carry other tactile surface mount (SMT) switches at the top. In my case 3 switches riding on the donor switch body. I used 12mm square switches that support a two piece (switch cap & clear cover) 11.7mm square snap on cap. I have a box of these left from a repair project I did about 7 years back so I don't have the part numbers. But you can find similar if you search I'm sure.

    The top of the donor switch gets a little copper circuit board scrap, soldering the new switches on top. Then run wires from the switches down inside the donor body and solder them to copper bars you find inside the switch body (pry it open to get in there). Now you can use Subaru connectors at the backs of these just like the big boys do over in Japan or down in Lafayette (Indiana)...

    To create instant circuit traces on copper printed circuit board material.... first work out what the circuit connections are that you need, in this case just separate trace runs that the SMT switches can be soldered to. Next with a sharp knife (#2 hobby blade works great) score the copper (doesn't even have to go clear through the copper). Pry up a tiny corner of foil with the knife, catch the corner with a small diagonal cutter tool and peel the copper up from the board - it usually be peeled off in one long strip. Practice a bit and you'll find you can make circuit board layouts this way super fast and even get fancy to some extent. Been doing this for probably 50 years now. (I do make complex boards using traditional methods but this is so fast it is hard to resist sometimes).



    Make your legends using a computer/printer then simply insert between the switch topper and the clear cover plate. Backlight... not these, maybe somewhere else?




  39. #150

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    The vinyl was glued on then thin metal trim plates were put on top with a bit of contact cement. The trim plates - gotta make them yourself. I used my old AutoCad 2000, then generated the G-Code to run my CNC mini-mill using a program called HeeksCAD. Painting plan is wheels, trim stuff, dash trim, etc. will all get painted with one custom batch of Duplicolor paints I blended from black, gold and graphite, then coated with prism powder of sorts. So these trim bits are all that bronze that is the result. Must post some pix that show the glitter soon (wheels are done so probably show those).



    Next up coming soon is the main dashboard butchery

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  41. #151

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    Hacking up a perfectly good FFR dashboard

    I've converted the plain plastic dash into a complicated mess of pieces. Now it has a removable face, a bunch of air ducting built into the underside, servo motors controlling air flow butterfly and flap valves for inside/outside air selections. Two color vinyl covering. I've had it in and out but haven't taken a final "installed" picture yet. In the meantime since there was a lot to fab, here is another installment:

    To get the vinyl covering in two colors, have a nice parting line between them, make the "faceplate" removable so I can access all the relays and fuses behind it, etc., I decided to cut the faceplate out of the kit's plain dashboard. But it would fall apart if that happened, so first I added struts to keep it shapely. First what I cut out (after the struts were in place), using a multi-tool saw:



    The struts are u-shaped 18 guage (what else?) aluminum. The ends of each strut are mechanical bonded to the dash. 16" x 16" mesh stainless steel screen squares are pop-riveted to the ends of the struts then the screen ends are melted into the back of the plastic dash and then reinforced with epoxy glue.



    Strut screen ends are positioned against the plastic. Two copper probes are pressed hard against the screen. They are wired to a large 120VAC transformer that I had custom made for a miniature 1000 ampere welder I used to sell back in the late 20th century. This transformer was made with no secondary winding so I could add whatever windings I wanted. I went through a lot of them back then but saved just one for strange needs like this. This transformer now has 5 turns of #8 wire for about 6 volts output at an easy 100 amperers or so, with a footswitch so I can control it. Anyway I'm ready to make things turn red and smoke out a bunch of hydrochloric acid and other very nasty fumes:



    I warn you. Don't try this without tons of ventilation and a carbon filter respirator (not even want to smell this stuff from a distance).



    When done correctly, this takes about 1/4 second. The screen instantly melts into the plastic and becomes entrained in tiny mushrooms of plastic squirted through to the top of the screen. At 1/3 of a second it bursts into flames but that blows out easily. Maintain pressure for about 5 seconds while it cools. It ends up incredibly strong. The top side never even gets warm and the top shows no evidence of what is below. I still put epoxy over these just to keep fingers from getting snagged on the edges of the screens, and as backup strength. The epoxy also supports the screen/aluminum pop-rivets and it binds into the mushroomed plastic too.

    Last edited by aquillen; 08-22-2019 at 09:19 PM.

  42. #152
    Senior Member Jetfuel's Avatar
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    OMG....the mad scientist is at it again...
    I think is time for another visit...but this time you can drive
    Let’s keep the fire going..

  43. #153
    Senior Member AZPete's Avatar
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    Stunning skills. My brain hurts. Thanks, Art, for showing the details of your work.
    818S/C : Chassis #25 with 06 WRX 2.5 turbo, ABS, cruise, PS, A/C, Apple CarPlay, rear camera, power windows & locks, leather & other complexities. Sold 10/19 with 5,800 miles.
    Mk3 Roadster #6228 4.6L, T45, IRS, PS, PB, ABS, Cruise, Koni's, 17" Halibrands, red w/ silver - 9K miles then sold @ Barrett-Jackson Jan 2011 (got back cash spent).

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  45. #154

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    Assuming (!!?!!) someone wants to do this screen bonding - what about a power source? I checked out a spot welder on hand but it only put out about 1.5 volts - not enough. A radio control race car battery worked perfect, although you need someone to be the "contact man" to turn on and off your connection to the battery - you need to keep pressing on the screen while it is hot. A footswitch would likely fry at the amperage needed to quick heat the screen (and if you don't go fast you will melt through to the front).

    If you go the battery route, use a six cell Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMh) or Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) battery pack. DO NOT use a Li-Poly battery which is at high risk of being at least damaged if not set afire at the typical high current this draws. A 6 volt car battery would work but then you have somewhat a hazard of hydrogen explosion when you are making sparks near that, and a 12V car battery is way too much voltage. I did this test with a 7.2 volt 6 cell NiMh and it was just right:



    The struts, positioned to clear the fuse & relay boxes I have mounted to the right of the combination meter, space for left and right air vents and a glovebox.



    Epoxy added and the cutout was done.



    In order to have the face plate work as an "insert" that can be pressed into the opening it was cut from, I needed a lip in the main cutout that would be deep enough for the face plate to sink back into. When cut from the original dash there is only a tiny bit of lip in the main dash itself, in the area of interest. With out a "sink-back" lip I don't think it would be possible to get a two-color dash to look very nice, other than by sewing the materials with double-stitching, which is not the look I wanted to have.

    To create a nice deep lip that the finished vinyl face plate can fit into, I permanently pressed a long strip of 40-mesh screen into the existing lip, using a large soldering iron. This is another way to bond screen into plastic that has high strength when done with practice.



    This is on the outside facing surface though, so next this screen is puttied with body filler to build it up and stiffen the screen which is flimsy by itself. The putty gets sanded to final shape for a good surface for the later vinyl covering



    There is some (a lot of) measuring and trimming involved to keep the meeting edges of the face plate & main dash straight and matched in contact, with all the final vinyl added. But eventually the main dash got covered with Morbern Hexx graphite/charcoal vinyl. I used that contact cement discussed above.


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  47. #155

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    The face plate was wrapped with scraps and test-fit into the main dash.



    Clearance was tweaked using a band sander to get an even but snug fit when pushing the face plate into place:



    As AZPETE notes, there is no way one piece of vinyl will do the face plate and also wrap into that cutout area for the combination meter. You're asking it to stretch about 2:1 if not more to do that. But it will curve in there a little bit. My solution instead of stitching a seam was to curve it in a little until it threatened to pull away from the adhesive, then cut it. Then black felt was glued in to finish the inside of that cutout. It fits nicely against the combo meter, makes the meter viewing nice and cozy with fuzzy black surround, and looks pretty trick if I might be so bold.








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    Here is the first of the duct work, of which there is a lot to show...

    Cutting and fitting donor ducts I found in some Subie junker at LKQ a couple years back, a forstner bit makes for nice neat holes (the corners of the cutouts). If your looking close, yes, I sanded too much off the face plate and had to glue a wood strip back in to get back on track. Same contact adhesive, lovin' it.

    The trim plate was mocked up in wood first to make sure of the fitup, then:



    The Subaru vents have mounting holes, I bonded screws with melt-in screen over the screw heads, into the back of the panels so the ducts can be bolted in for removal. The right side vent is a shortie face plate since that area is cut out for a glove compartment somewhere in the car's future.


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  51. #157
    Senior Member Frank818's Avatar
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    Remind me, is it going to be an 818C?
    Frank
    818 chassis #181 powered by a '93 VW VR6 Turbo GT3582R
    Go-karted Aug 5, 2016 - Then May 19+21, 2017
    Tracked May 27/July 26, 2017
    Build time before being driveable on Sep 27, 2019: over 6000h
    Build Completed Winter 2021

  52. #158

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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank818 View Post
    Remind me, is it going to be an 818C?
    After the first year, 2 summers back I went out and grabbed the C add on kit. Price being about the same as the ragtop add on, but power windows and all, it seemed the thing to do. That's also why I never started this as an 818S thread, I wasn't sure which way I'd end up going.

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    Heating and cooling (no A/C)

    Started as an S but bought the coupe add on parts.

    Outside air source:

    Fresh air will arrive from the nose of the 818 via a duct routed into the bottom of an "AirControl Box". This box is mounted in front of a glove box, on top of the aluminum dash block off plate.

    Floor air:

    From the AirControl Box left and right outlet ducts pass air to the floor areas above driver/passenger's legs. Airflow is adjusted by one knob on the control console directing radio control type servo gearmotors. The control unit is built using a PIC 16C71 microcontroller which I programmed to "watch" two control potentiometers, one for fresh air to the legs, the other fresh air/recirc air to the blower inlet. The unit is encased in epoxy. If an occupant moves either control pot > 1% from previous position the servo motors are actively driven to their new positions for 5 seconds. The servo drives are then shutoff to prevent stall/overheat damage should a servo to air door linkage bind or break for some reason. The servo motions are linear - i.e. - users can set any amount of available airflow.

    Defrost and dash vent air:

    The Vintage Air Gen II Universal heater module has 3 controls: Temp, Blower speed, Defrost only / Defrost-LowerHeat / LowerHeat only.

    The left side of the blower always draws air from inside the cabin. The right side draws air via a duct from the AirControl Box.

    The second pot on the control console adjusts a "flapper" valve in the AirControl Box which adjusts the blower air source between any amount of the outside air section of the box or cabin inside air.

    The Vintage Air unit has its own control which adjusts outlet air between two round defrost air outlets, or the entire rectangular bottom cutout on the unit. An "Air Collector" was added to the bottom of the Gen Air to create round left and right coupler fittings so duct hose can be run from the Gen Air to the left and right dashboard vents. Small openings in the Air Collector allow some air to exit to the left and right floor areas.

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