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Thread: Free Beer for Help Build

  1. #1
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    Free Beer for Help Build

    The obligatory prelude... Abbreviated:

    Nearly two years after I wanted to start, I've reached a point where I actually feel like progress is on the horizon, and I can start a build thread.

    Like many, an FFR build has always been a dream of mine. Back in college I actually bought a 5.0 Mustang to eventually use as a donor for a MK4. But it was too nice to rip apart and, between deployments and moves, the Army has a great way of making one sideline major projects.
    Mustang.jpgMustang NO2.jpg
    Eight years and four deployments later the Army and I happily parted ways, and I moved on to a new career path that brought us to a great country home in VA. It was my wife's turn to decide where we lived, she did put up with the Army after all, so I sacrificed having a garage in order to have horse fields and a barn... That just means you get to build a garage the way you want right
    DSC_8192.jpg
    In the late summer of 2016 we broke ground on a 30' by 28' garage with provisions for a storage lift and an upstairs gym. With a 1/2 cathedral ceiling for a park under type lift, commercial sized door, and strategically placed 240 outlets, I designed the garage specifically to accommodate a "just for fun" car with room to build it. So with no more excuses and a major investment in a palatial garage I put in the order for an 818C with a delivery set for December 2016.
    DSCN4285.JPG
    In the fall of 2016 I came home to find my wife dragging herself across our lawn unable to stand and walk. She had been thrown from her horse and broken her back and hip in 4 places. Obviously the priorities shifted. During the road to recovery Courtnie Provencher with FFR was kind enough to delay delivery until March 2017.
    Delivery 2.jpg
    With my wife up and walking again, and a car sourced from Leonard in mid 2017 I figured things would start to move more quickly... Nope. Life got in the way and the next broken bones were mine. Still on crutches I finally committed to the teardown in December 2017 with my buddy recovering from shoulder surgery. Together we were a fully functioning adult right?
    DSCN4358.JPG
    Over the last few months I've finished liberating the lift, by cutting up the rest of the rust bucket (it was a New York WRX owned by a Subaru tech), cleaning the parts, sourcing parts I'm going to need, and selling the bits I don't.
    DSCN4415.JPGDSCN4427.JPGDSCN4435.JPG
    This is a decidedly long way of saying Now it's time to build! I'm sure I will be hunting for advice and recommendations while I embark on this build. I will also make a standing offer of Free Beer for Build Help. I brew so I'm confident the taps will not run dry.
    5 taps.jpg
    Last edited by SurgeVet; 07-14-2018 at 09:54 AM.

  2. #2
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    Good luck on the build! Working with rusty donor parts sucks though. There's always those one or two bolts that you just can't get off. Advice that FFR gave me and I've used to good results, some rust reverse product (corroseal, etc) and truck bed liner works wonders for spindles and suspension parts that are rusty.

  3. #3
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    Good Call. I took a slightly different tack. I've got three buckets set up with degreaser, water, and evapo rust. That has taken care of most everything. The spindles I've used navel jelly and engine enamel and they turned out ok.
    DSCN4448.JPGDSCN4446.JPGDSCN4452.JPG
    Unfortunately I discovered a little too much play in at least one of the bearings so I'll need to replace that. The last doner part delema is if I want to fight the rust and take apart the rear spindles and lateral control arms, then clean and reassemble. Or if I want to pull them as a unit and not deal with that one long bolt and everything that is seized to it.

  4. #4
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    Having just done all of this, that lateral link bolt will test your patience like nothing else. It's amazing how seized they can get. I actually cracked a spindle trying to remove one but I was lucky enough to have a spare.

    Also, if you're doing wheel bearings a cheap harbor freight shop press is 100% worth it! Made the job easy.

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  6. #5
    fasterer and furiouser longislandwrx's Avatar
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    Woah sorry to hear about your wife, hopefully the recovery process is going well. Hope you're on the mend as well. 5 taps should certainly help the healing process.

    I'm on the Eastern Shore sometimes, how far west are you...

    Good luck with your build!
    A well stocked beverage fridge is the key to any successful project.

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by lsfourwheeler View Post
    Having just done all of this, that lateral link bolt will test your patience like nothing else. It's amazing how seized they can get. I actually cracked a spindle trying to remove one but I was lucky enough to have a spare.

    Also, if you're doing wheel bearings a cheap harbor freight shop press is 100% worth it! Made the job easy.
    Cracked a spindle?? Damn! Maybe I will just treat the two links and spindle as a unit. There is also a guy in MD that all he does is part out busted WRXs and STIs. So that'll be my second option for spindles.

    Longislandwrx, Thank you. We are doing well. I'm out in Culpeper so just west of Quantico.
    Last edited by SurgeVet; 07-17-2018 at 06:11 AM.

  8. #7
    Senior Member STiPWRD's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forum! Great to see another fellow VA builder and home brewer. That is quite an awesome property you have there. I'm about an hour away in Leesburg. If you're ever in the area and want to see a nearly finished 818, stop on by. I'm (slowly) trying to get my paperwork ready for titling and registration.

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  10. #8
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    Sounds like a plan....best of luck

  11. #9
    Member LearningCurve's Avatar
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    I feel for ya with those rusty parts. Having dealt with a NJ rust bucket myself, it was extremely frustrating at times. I too am not far from you. Just a bit North of you in Haymarket. Always free to swing through. Good luck.
    818C - #458 | Delivered-11/16/16 | First Start/Go Kart-8/24/18 |
    Daily: 2004 WRX
    Weekend: 2012 S4

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  13. #10
    Senior Member TheBabyBadger's Avatar
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    I'd kill for the work space you have! MY LORD!
    Gen3 Coupe - SOLD Arrival: 6/21/18 SOLD: 4/12/2019
    Current Vehicle: 2014 SRT Viper (modded to the moon), 2022 TRX, 2014 RS6, E46 LS3 M3
    Current Projects: Superlite/RCR GTR ***FOR SALE***
    @madd_wrapps on IG or www.maddwrapps.com

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  15. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheBabyBadger View Post
    I'd kill for the work space you have! MY LORD!
    Thanks! Growing up I spent my wrench time under cars on a gravel driveway. The relative luxury of a lift, roof, floor, and enough room to walk around parts and cars will never get old!

    BTW I can provide the plans to anyone interested who is planning a garage that will double stack cars without ceiling or door clearance issues.

  16. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by STiPWRD View Post
    Welcome to the forum! Great to see another fellow VA builder and home brewer. That is quite an awesome property you have there. I'm about an hour away in Leesburg. If you're ever in the area and want to see a nearly finished 818, stop on by. I'm (slowly) trying to get my paperwork ready for titling and registration.
    Quote Originally Posted by LearningCurve View Post
    I feel for ya with those rusty parts. Having dealt with a NJ rust bucket myself, it was extremely frustrating at times. I too am not far from you. Just a bit North of you in Haymarket. Always free to swing through. Good luck.
    Wow! I am definitely interested in checking out your work! We are frequently up in the Haymarket and Leesburg area (we're actually headed up to Willowcroft Farm today). I didn't realize there would be so many 818s around here. I have yet to see one completed in person.

    (sorry for the delay, just got back from a work trip)

  17. #13
    Senior Member mikeb75's Avatar
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    My younger brother lives down in Fredericksburg, and we try to visit occasionally. I'm not quite confident in my 818 for that distance road trip, but if I'm going to be in the neighborhood I'll try to drop you a line.
    818SC chassis #206 EJ207 2.0L VF37 twin scroll || Cusco type RS 1.5 LSD || Wilwood pedal box (firewall attach) || Wilwood superlite front calipers
    BUILD Phase 1: 6/6/2014 car delivered || 5/24/2015 first start || 6/7/2015 go karted || 4/20/2016 hard-top-topped || 10/25/2016 registered || 11/18/2016 inspected & complete
    BUILD Phase 2: 3/8/2017 EJ207v8 || 5/29/2017 re-first re-start || 7/17/2017 re-assembled with race car bits

  18. #14
    Senior Member Higgybulin's Avatar
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    FREE BEER???!!!!!
    Higgy
    New MK4 kit picked up 4/10/23!!!
    SOLD
    MK4 #9759 picked up on 4/3/19
    351C, 3 link, 17's, dual roll bars

  19. #15
    818r center seat biknman's Avatar
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    Fellow Army vet here to help. I’m up in Baltimore. As with you the body is beat up pretty good but got good selection of tools and resources and been around cars building and racing all my life. Have tools like camder caster gauges, scales, toe plates, TIG/ MIG welders, etc etc. also been on the Suby bandwagon since 99 so have a little bit of experience with them.
    FFR 818r Instagram biknman69
    2020 Ram 2500HD, 19 Forester Touring DD, 96 GM coupe for SCCA SM
    “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”
    • Ernest Hemingway

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