Advise

[kylefisk]

Hey everyone. I'm new to the forum and posting here because I am finishing several other projects. The 818 sparks an interest for my net project, however, I have never done a kit car. Really interested if anyone s building a coupe in north central Florida. I'd love to look at one in person. Also any advice on donor car selection would be appreciated. Thank you.

[turbomacncheese]

What are you going to do with it? That can make a big difference.

Generally speaking, though, the 2006-2007 seem to be pretty popular because they come with the 2.5. 2006 WRX also gets the aluminum control arms, which are desirable. You can buy them separately, though. If you plan on spending $$ on the motor, the 2.0 will probably be more than plenty for a car this light, and you might appreciate the higher revs. I haven't gotten as far as driving, though, so I can't say with certainty.

Look for a car with as little rust as possible, and as cheap as you can get it. I've seen horror stories here, but all my bolts popped right off and with a little wire-wheeling looked practically new. Most of the stuff you'll need/be able to use are hard parts that you'll probably clean/paint anyway, and not the stuff that drives up the price of the donor. That stuff CAN be sold, but it takes time/space/patience, and some of us got back less than we had hoped on the donor parts (although some ended up net positive).

There is a google doc that lists some of the useable parts from different makes models (including the SAAB 92-X) and what you might need to add for a complete package. Google "818 donor spreadsheet" and you should find it easily. If not, ask. Bunch of guys saved the link.

Finally, depending on your budget/goal, you might consider going donor-less and buying everything a la cart. It usually costs more this way, but if you plan on upgrading a lot it might not matter. Also, disassembling the donor and processing parts is a HUGE time suck. Part of the build for me (goal is to stay out of wifey's way, lol) but if you'd rather just get to the build, this might be a good way to go. I also considered getting an NA donor and buying the motor/harness separately because WRXs are so damned expensive (even totaled) but I came across a really good deal.

Hope this helps.

[13BRV3]

I've been researching some of the same sort of info. There's another option for donor that's the most convenient, but certainly not the most cost effective in most cases. One of the forum sponsors sells donor pallets, with everything you need from the car.

http://www.verycoolparts.com/donors.htm

He's in Enterprise AL, and goes through a number of 818 builds, so you might consider taking a trip to see him when he has a coupe in the shop. I've been thinking of doing the same, but I haven't contacted him about it yet.

Cheers,
Rusty

[NevaLift2Shift]

Another thing to mind is the cost of the build. You can build one for $15k, but a lot of people spend more money improving on the FFR design (some are cost saving shortcuts). It all depends on what you want with the car. Mine is going to be a street legal track car, so I'm having to upgrade the shifter design\linkages, switching to dry sump, obvious engine upgrades, bigger (06-07 WRX brakes), good set of tires, race seats\harnesses, upgraded coolant hoses, Air-to-Water Intercooler, mechanical gauges, there are a few more little things, but it definitely exceeded my budget.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Another thing to mind is the cost of the build. You can build one for $15k, but a lot of people spend more money improving on the FFR design (some are cost saving shortcuts). It all depends on what you want with the car. Mine is going to be a street legal track car, so I'm having to upgrade the shifter design\linkages, switching to dry sump, obvious engine upgrades, bigger (06-07 WRX brakes), good set of tires, race seats\harnesses, upgraded coolant hoses, Air-to-Water Intercooler, mechanical gauges, there are a few more little things, but it definitely exceeded my budget.

NevaLift,
I did all the things you list plus higher roll bar and front mount Gas tank.
I exceeded budget especially when redoing things 2 or 3 times to get them the way I want it.
Bob

[kcarlasc]

I am outside of Jacksonville and started my build about 2months ago. Got a donor from CoParts and had a local Subaru specialty shop do the tear down and the engine build. Your are welcome to come out and check it out.

Hey everyone. I'm new to the forum and posting here because I am finishing several other projects. The 818 sparks an interest for my net project, however, I have never done a kit car. Really interested if anyone s building a coupe in north central Florida. I'd love to look at one in person. Also any advice on donor car selection would be appreciated. Thank you.

[NevaLift2Shift]

NevaLift,
I did all the things you list plus higher roll bar and front mount Gas tank.
I exceeded budget especially when redoing things 2 or 3 times to get them the way I want it.
Bob

It took me a long time to realize it's cheaper to do it right the first time. Hence why I haven't go-karted my car yet and I'm going on 3 years. I just wish I would of known what I wasn't going to use going into the build, so I could of had FFR remove those from my build and saved a little money that way, too.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

It took me a long time to realize it's cheaper to do it right the first time. Hence why I haven't go-karted my car yet and I'm going on 3 years. I just wish I would of known what I wasn't going to use going into the build, so I could of had FFR remove those from my build and saved a little money that way, too.

I have a bunch of parts I didn't use such as. gas tank, radiator hoses, shifter and shifter cables. FFR does not allow you to delete items form the base kit.
Bob