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Thread: Goldwing's 818 Street, The Phoenix

  1. #1
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Goldwing's 818 Street, The Phoenix

    Hi everyone. I received my kit this last Monday and have been digging out through the inventory and storing the body panels all week. Today was my first day of forward progress, a single whopping panel, lol, but it seemed fitting to start my build thread on the same day I started the build itself.

    For a little history, my project was born from medical problems that led me to sell my Honda Goldwing. An unknown complication after an epidural steroid injection and subsequent spinal leak has left me with constant dizziness, frequent migraines, and blurry vision. The docs don't know what happened yet. All of the above is career halting, and possibly ending, for me as a young pilot. Dizzy motorcycle riding isn't a really good idea either, so after 2 years, I sold the bike. I don't mention that for any sympathy, just background. The cool silver lining has been the opportunity to break from tradition and be a stay-at-home dad for our daughter, Elani, who was born one month after this started. A really perfect distraction, as is, my projects. Enter, the 818. The 818 is my replacement for the Goldwing, thus, the handle, avatar, or whatever you call it.

    For the car, due to some limitations from the above, I opted to use 818 donors to source the wrx and check the parts. I lucked out with an '07 with only 42k miles. Though, of course, that cost a little more. So here we go guys, another 818 S rising from the ashes of a wrecked WRX. The Phoenix.

    image.jpg

  2. #2
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Saved

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    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Saved for after photo.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    I have only gotten a few things done prepping the donor since receiving it in August. My priority was finishing a kayak project first to open up the needed garage space. A new timing belt kit and cleaning/painting a few brackets, and, um, inspired by Mechie, the alternator was about it. (I hope I attributed that correctly).

    image.jpg

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    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    For perspective, that's a 10' tree in the kayak pic.

    Anyway, the journey begins. Looking forward to working through our projects together.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Bob_n_Cincy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goldwing View Post
    For perspective, that's a 10' tree in the kayak pic.

    Anyway, the journey begins. Looking forward to working through our projects together.
    Hey Goldwing,
    That kayak looks very hydrodynamic. Do you have an engineering Background?

    Will your 818 see any track time with Nelson Ledges and Mid-Ohio tracks both with in an hour drive?
    Bob

  7. #7
    Mechie3's Avatar
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    That kayak looks awesome!
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    Senior Member AZPete's Avatar
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    I agree, awesome kayak. Does this mean next Christmas we'll see an 818 trimmed in lights?
    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).

  9. #9
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Thanks for the kayak compliments. I put the last coat of varnish on in December, just in time for the lakes to freeze, so I am enjoying it the best way I can, lol. Thus, by family demand, the Christmas kayak. No engineering background, the design came from Nick Schade's book "The Strip Built Kayak." I followed his book much the same way we will follow FFR's build manual for the 818. Just different materials on a blank slate.

    Not sure about track days yet, but I do foresee a few events. Likely just amateur hour events for fun.

    AZPete, you just might!

  10. #10
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Ok, where's global warming when you need it? Can I order some? It's been in the teens or colder since my kit arrived! I can't paint the bare steel brackets. So far, the front firewall is done and I've started on the axles. Inners are done, waiting for grease. Ill probably dig the rear axles out next to finish the outer CV, it's only getting colder according to the forecast. I dug out an old aquarium heater to keep the simple green bucket from freezing, lol.

    This is all new territory for me, if you guys think of any newB common mistakes on axes or ball joints, speak up!! I must have lent out my torch, I can't find it to get the upright off the ball-joint knuckle. That sucker won't budge.

  11. #11
    Senior Member Bob_n_Cincy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goldwing View Post
    Ok, where's global warming when you need it? Can I order some? It's been in the teens or colder since my kit arrived! I can't paint the bare steel brackets. So far, the front firewall is done and I've started on the axles. Inners are done, waiting for grease. Ill probably dig the rear axles out next to finish the outer CV, it's only getting colder according to the forecast. I dug out an old aquarium heater to keep the simple green bucket from freezing, lol.

    This is all new territory for me, if you guys think of any newB common mistakes on axes or ball joints, speak up!! I must have lent out my torch, I can't find it to get the upright off the ball-joint knuckle. That sucker won't budge.
    Hey Goldwing
    On my first car I worked 8 hours to get the ball joint out of the spindle.
    On my second car I watch a guy pull them out in 5 minutes with the proper tool.
    Take it to a Subaru shop and get both done for 20 bucks.
    Or buy your own tool for $140
    Bobsnap on ball joint remover.jpg

    Maybe Mechie3 will start selling this tool.
    Has FFR thought about a rent-a-tool program.
    Flare tool comes to mind.
    Last edited by Bob_n_Cincy; 01-25-2014 at 01:26 AM.

  12. #12
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Wow, thanks. I haven't even gotten the retaining bolt out yet, lol. Soaking in penetrating oil now, but it seems that missing torch is going to be needed. Then, I think I'll follow your advice from there Bob.

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    Senior Member Bob_n_Cincy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goldwing View Post
    Wow, thanks. I haven't even gotten the retaining bolt out yet, lol. Soaking in penetrating oil now, but it seems that missing torch is going to be needed. Then, I think I'll follow your advice from there Bob.
    loosen a few degrees, then tighten a few degrees, repeat many times. The will gradually break the rust down the bolt. Spray into the slot and the far end of the bolt as you go.
    If you just try an loosen, it will probably brake off.
    Heat is your friend.
    Bob

  14. #14
    Senior Member RM1SepEx's Avatar
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    broke one of mine off. drill, soak, heat easy out be patient
    Dan

    818S #17 Picked up 8/1/13 First start 11/1/13 Go Kart 3/28/14

  15. #15
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Well, one ball joint retaining bolt came out cleanly, one did not, and broke off. Drilling it out was successful, but time consuming, especially after the dumb move I made. Despite knowing better, I tried a bolt extractor which broke waaaay too easily, but was very, very slow to drill out. Ugh, I deserved that. Drilling mission accomplished with threads cleaned out.

    A tie rod end remover (autozone oem 27175, OTC 7315a) proved to be friend tonight to pop the right LCA off the ball joint and push out the wheel studs. My wheels need 10mm spacers and longer 50mm studs. I don't like hammering them out on cars these days. They just seem too easily damaged.

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    Senior Member Bob_n_Cincy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goldwing View Post
    Well, one ball joint retaining bolt came out cleanly, one did not, and broke off.
    Hi Goldwing
    On one of mine that broke, I was not able to save the thread.
    I drilled it out to 7/16, Then used a 7/16-20 x 2.5 grade 8 Socket Head Cap screw with a Nylock nut.
    Any problems getting the ball joints out of the sockets?
    Bob
    Last edited by Bob_n_Cincy; 01-28-2014 at 02:04 AM.

  17. #17
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    So far, no luck pulling the ball joints out. I tried grabbing a short piece of pipe I had with a large washer to simulate the puller, but they're too stuck and just spin. If I get impatient, I may cut a vice grip window in the pipe and just get it done. I'm replacing them, so I don't mind ruining them. But really, judging from the other stories, I'm just waiting to take them in. Another box showed up today with half of my missing parts. So, I rechecked the inventory, removed the rear axles from the hubs, and got as far as assembling one 818 axle with my time today. Question: is grease compatibity a common issue? I assume, by their condition, that I have oem subaru grease in the cv joints. I picked up some redline cv2 grease per Wayne's and others' suggestions. Should I completely clean out the old grease? Or just give a general wipeout, and repack with the new stuff? Thanks in advance.

  18. #18
    818 builder metalmaker12's Avatar
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    The redline is good, really any cv joint recommended product. So clean up and apply new greese.

  19. #19
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    We finally had a balmy heat wave in the high 30s, so I painted a bunch of the brackets. The manual mentions using a rear upright bolt on the upper front upright strut hole where the offset bolt was. I didn't like using a 14mm bolt in a 16 mm hole. I picked up a pair of class 10, 16mm flange bolts to fill out the hole. Any reason not to do this? Front LCAs are in progress, but I'll be held up with B/O'd upper ball joints and missing spring hat clips. For the aluminum LCAs, how did you guys bolt the shock mount on? Specifically, did you add washers or just use the nuts? Reason for one or the other? The contour of the arm was not flat there.

  20. #20
    Mechie3's Avatar
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    I drllled out the buttons then ground them flat. The drill doesn't completely eliminate the nub. Don't remember if I used washers. I have tons of washers, but it never says to actually use them and photos usually don't show them. I've been using them randomly as I find I have washers that match my bolt size.
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    Senior Member Xusia's Avatar
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    Like Mechie3, I ground off the remainder of the boss, and part of the side so that the bracket fit flush. You can see some of it in this video:

    https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/107272...88473870379365

    One thing to note is that when I went to mount the shock bracket (after I made that video), I found I couldn't use the captured nut bracket supplied by FFR. My solution was to buy some good nuts and washers. This necessitated similar grinding on the bottom to achieve a nearly flush, and therefore snug, fit. Then I added loctite just because...

  22. #22
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    I did grind those nubs down as well. Agreed there. I found the captured nut bracket didn't work on the aluminum arms either. The way I read the book, it seems that plate was only for steel arms. My concern was for the aluminum moving over time allowing the nuts to loosen. The same reason for the steel bosses at the ball joint. I think I will go back and add a set of washers to distribute the stresses a bit. Thanks for the thoughts guys!

  23. #23
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    I dropped the engine in today. It just fits with the headers still on, but A/C can't be there as well as the build manual directed oil fill tube. I see the issue with the coolant bottle now, lol. It was cold working with the garage door open, glad I don't need many of those [garage open days] in this winter. Brr.

  24. #24
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Ok, so the cockpit panels aren't as exciting as putting the engine in. That much is clear this week, lol. Perhaps it's just the drilling that gets repetitive. And a few bad bits. Had one last for a long time, then went through a bunch of apparently cheaper made bits.

    Moving on to the pedal box is more like it. No way the 5/16" x 1" bolts are long enough for the brake master cylinder. I had to make a run for a couple longer ones. The pedal box didn't line up very well. For now, I added a washer underneath the top holes after persuading the mounting plates a little. I need to look around what you guys did with that issue, I remember that coming up in a few other places.

  25. #25
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    The washers sit behind the upper brake master pass-through holes. (Not the upper bracket area that received the, um, persuasion). Thought that looked unclear.

  26. #26
    Junior Member Outwest's Avatar
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    I had the same problem with the master cylinder bolts, they are way to short, I got 2 1 1/2" button head bolts and had to grind down one side of the heads so they would go in straight against the steering column tube.

  27. #27
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    And THAT, will be on today's list, thanks! Problem solved, Dremel tool dug out and ready.

  28. #28
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    image.jpg

    Placed the seat in the car with all the discussion about oem seat fitment. Elani, my daughter, came out to help.

  29. #29
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    I cut the end bends off the original ABS unit bracket and decided to mount it using that bracket in the "V" of the bars leading to the battery tray. I saw a few use the firewall, but fear that may be loud when it activates. I had a Chevy in the early days of ABS that was loud when activating. I swear that thing played with my head. It didn't help that the early Chevy ABS units really sucked, practically releasing all the brakes almost causing an accident...growing pains. Anyway, short story long, didn't want the 818 to remind me of the Chevy. That thing stopped my heart a few times. Getting ready to run the lines. I'd post a pic, but it has wet paint on it just now.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Goldwing View Post
    image.jpg

    Placed the seat in the car with all the discussion about oem seat fitment. Elani, my daughter, came out to help.
    This is the first pic of this stye of oem seat i have seen. i have the same seats in leather, i really like the looks and how comfortable these seats are, heated to boot. did they fit as expected? with the provided FFR bracket? only drawback is it is one big heavy seat. i still like the looks better than the racing ones i have seen. i hope they dont look to big and bulky for the car.
    image.jpg

  31. #31
    Senior Member AZPete's Avatar
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    That OEM seat looks much better than my 06 OEM seat. What year?
    And, she has plenty of foot room!
    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).

  32. #32
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    07 sedan seats. Cloth, no heat, but will be added if I have enough room to fit the seat. Like many others, this is more a teaser. It's just sitting in there, kind of high with the original brackets still in place. No FFR brackets or bolts. These are very comfortable, so I really want them to work. Just opted for the Boyd fuel tank to help that out. I'm still hoping for sliders so my wife can drive it too. She won't drive it much, but she does want the option. Fair enough.

  33. #33
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    They look fantastic in leather. Hmm. Future upgrade?

  34. #34
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Without the body on, it does look massive in there, lol. Cozy, not quite cramped (6', 220). Dieting the bracket and doing all I can to lower it down and still use sliders will hopefully help. Reaching the controls on the side is a very tight reach. It may involve borrowing some space between frame members to help with access.

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    My grey leather seats are out of an 06 limited WRX wagon. I am only 5'8" 175# my wife is a little shorter......first time i can ever think of being short as maybe an advantage. Looking forward to your future posts on this, THXS for sharing.

  36. #36
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    No problem! My shoulders give me the most trouble in cars. I feel like an ogre, even when I'm not overweight.

    While getting ready to run the brake lines, I mounted the ABS unit between the battery tray and the firewall. I trimmed and painted the oem bracket (07 wrx sedan if it matters) and bolted it up. The battery tray was in this location in early models, so I hope nothing big is blocked. Scanning pictures here and the manual seemed to support the location. If anyone knows of any issues, speak up before someone copies me, lol. I haven't picked a spot for the adjustable proportioning valves (2), one for each front wheel. (Alright pics won't upload, I'll try again in a bit.)

  37. #37
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    image.jpg
    image.jpg

    The OCD in me is screaming about the odd angle. The lazy in me likes the easily used bracket that has the rubber bushings to help control noise. Lazy won out.

  38. #38
    Senior Member Bob_n_Cincy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goldwing View Post
    image.jpg
    image.jpg

    The OCD in me is screaming about the odd angle. The lazy in me likes the easily used bracket that has the rubber bushings to help control noise. Lazy won out.
    Hey Goldwing
    Put some tape on the holes in the ABS. You don't want any shavings or dirt getting in there.
    Also, screw in the fitting with you fingers being carful not to cross thread. Ask me how I know.
    Also, make sure you use M10x1.0 metric fittings in the ABS. These are the one I used.
    http://store.fedhillusa.com/22nutpack.aspx
    I did not us any of the PINK adaptors supplied by FFR.


    Bob
    Last edited by Bob_n_Cincy; 02-27-2014 at 03:48 AM.

  39. #39
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    I did pick up some of those fittings. My plan was to use FFR lines up front cutting one end off to length, and slipping one of those metric jobs on before flaring. Metric on the ABS, sae at the valves. Repeat to the wheels. I purchased a roll to run the rears. I'll run one down each side of the car. Being new to flaring (I like to learn), I wanted to minimize joints (I hate to fail and deal with leaks). Ok who doesn't. I think the term used elsewhere was "brake flare hell." Lol.

  40. #40
    Senior Member Goldwing's Avatar
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    Tape is on. Thanks.

    Finger start, got it.

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