Returning to the Factory Five family and “we” are building our 2nd FFR.
I say “we” loosely as this is my son’s (Liam) build he is doing for his Engineering Capstone project and one heck of a design portfolio for college admissions. My wife and I are funding his dream.
A little about us...we started building a roadster back in 2008 when my son was 5 1/2 years old. Graduated in 2010...sold it late in 2011.
After building, owning and flying this for over 6 years, I sold N629SX last fall...and now own a 1966 Cessna 182J that am slowly restoring (certified aircraft are much harder, and expensive to work on).
So fast forward to a few weekends ago when we pulled the trigger on the 818S project. We bought a running daily driver 2007 2.5l Impreza Wagon, with just over 104k on the odometer. I drove the car home about 50 miles and felt confident it was running well and no major issues. That night my son began the tear down. 6BC64BF3-D6A0-4C2D-A61B-96E320FB2771.jpeg
He’s documenting his work via instagram and some other social media thing teenagers are good at. Follow him on IG at “meyer818racing”
The kit will be a street car / show car (as he calls it). Ordered the carbon fiber splitters, spoiler, black FFR wheels, wipers, trunk kit and soft top. Expected completion date from FFR is 11/7/20.
Can’t wait to see his progress and get the kit here. His friends from high school have been over almost every night assisting with the donor tear down. Biggest challenge I’ve seen is “organization, cataloging and labeling”. He’s taking lots of pictures and I’m trying to act mostly as technical advisor.
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 07-11-2022 at 09:16 AM.
Reason: Added photo
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Great project. My son built an 818 with me when he was in high school. He is now just up the highway from you at Case Western where he is a junior ME major and active member of the Baja SAE team. I'm sure he would be glad to lend any advice or assistance he can.
What made you pull the trigger on the 818? And why the S vs the C?
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
What made you pull the trigger on the 818? And why the S vs the C?
Frank,
It’s not going to be a daily driver, and the soft top makes it a good compromise. Finally my wife said “oh, you’ve got to build a convertible...” so who can argue with that. She ultimately said “just do it”! She remembers the pain the Cobra was without a top, but loves open air cars.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
One week until F5 is done with our kit, then we get to wait for the big blue Stewart truck. Hopefully before thanksgiving we shall receive our 818S!
In the meantime we’ve been preparing and restoring the donor parts. And building up the non donor new parts. It’s satisfying for me to assemble the all new front steering knuckle, calipers pads and ball joints. Pressing in new bearings and hubs was rather easy with the right tools. Ended up using one of those multi size tool Kits for pressing in bearings and seals that you simply ratchet together (in lieu of hydraulic press).
Both front hubs are done and ready to mount. The only donor part was the drilled and slotted rotors, and the CV drive axle which Liam removed and cleaned up and we painted the inside with POR-15
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 10-31-2020 at 04:54 PM.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Where did you find the best info for depowering the rack. I'm at that point with my kit not coming until December, but after reading this entire thread I'm more confused that when I started! :-o https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/show...anual+steering
I've been holding off on some things "assuming" the FFR manual would detail the steps.
Just connect the two fittings with a section of tubing. In Scott's picture you can see he used rigid tubing for the 90 degree bends and the flexible tubing to connect them.
Hmmm...had everyone done this? What ride height do you have your 818 at? When I built my roadster over a decade ago, everyone said the same thing about bump steer and how horrible it was. I never saw it as a problem with the F5 kit and mustang manual steering rack.
We are not planning any racing, just street driving and maybe an AutoX at best.
Any links to the Baer bump steer kit?
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
What made you pull the trigger on the 818? And why the S vs the C?
Hi this is Liam, I don't have my own account yet but here's the reasoning, living in Midwest Ohio it didn't seem fitting to get the C, we chose the S for a few reasons.
It's easier to build the S (this is my first time ever really building a car), it was the cheaper option, it's going to be a show car/ weekend car so we'll hopefully have a nicely done interior to show off, and I liked the look of the S more over the C, the C is beautiful, but I love convertibles and it's going to be a summer car so no reason to put a roof on it.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Rob,
Yes, just as sgarret said. We also bought the digital PDF copy of the build manual and have used this for now. My son has been following the tear down and prep directions (as much as they say)...here is a screenshot from the portion on the manual rack. I tried to understand the whole depowering thread and completely tearing apart the rack. Honestly it’s a huge project I didn’t see worth it for now. We may add power steering back in at some point if the effort is too much.
From what we can tell, those ports are left open or could be plugged with RTV, capped, etc. the high pressure lines are removed from that area of the rack.
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 11-01-2020 at 04:59 PM.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Thanks for all of the welcomes and replies! egchewy79, we should get meet up! I finished my Mk 3 here in Dublin 10 years ago...would be great to see where you’re at with the build. Let me know if you need any help with body work or paint? I did my own and then refinished two cars and an airplane after my Roadster build.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Thanks for all of the welcomes and replies! egchewy79, we should get meet up! I finished my Mk 3 here in Dublin 10 years ago...would be great to see where you’re at with the build. Let me know if you need any help with body work or paint? I did my own and then refinished two cars and an airplane after my Roadster build.
I was planning on having Jeff Kleiner to my body and paint.
PM me if you want to meet up to take a look at the project. I'd be glad to hear some tips from a seasoned pro.
I was planning on having Jeff Kleiner to my body and paint.
PM me if you want to meet up to take a look at the project. I'd be glad to hear some tips from a seasoned pro.
You can’t go wrong with Jeff! Good choice...I met Jeff back in 2008 at Gateway Raceway in STL and quickly became a friend.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Major progress tonight, the drivetrain is OUT! Darn rusted bolts on the suspension lower brace frame, and engine mount frames made this really enjoyable...not. Heat, breaker bar and a sawzall became our savior.
Also have become a new customer of RockAuto.com. Have ordered and received all new aluminum lower control arms, all four brake calipers, flywheel, clutch, timing belt and water pump kit and new oil pan (exist one is pretty rusty). Also got replacement plugs, wires and gaskets for the engine so Liam can do a cosmetic tear down and paint clean up. We are sending the oil sample to Blackstone labs to get a baseline on our 2.5i NA engine which has 104,000 miles.
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 09-12-2020 at 09:20 PM.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
RockAuto has some great deals on many parts, they ship usually fast and they have a surprising way to handle order issues, like if you received something damaged, missing or wrong part... it's extremely efficient! I received 6 plugs, 2 were the wrong part #, I went through their online questionnaire, all was flawless, they shipped the missing 2 plugs without asking for anything and shipped within 24h if I recall.
I reckon their website SUCKS, it's very very very old UI, but it works.
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
A little more progress this week. After further investigation of the rear suspension I’ve ordered all three new LCA’s for both rear wheels. On my previous build (Mk 3.1 roadster) I did a complete kit...and the difference between all new suspension parts and trying to recondition 13 year old Midwest/east coast rust is a no brainer. We will clean and repaint the spindles and go to new parts from there.
Liam started tearing down the engine intake and coolant cross tube, and I’ve introduced him to an air power angle die grinder with the mini disc pads. He’s been having fun cleaning up the engine and transmission. Also have the front struts removed.
As we continue to prepare the donor parts...we started asking some questions this week amongst ourselves...and wanted to ask the FFR forum community.
How hard is it to keep these OEM features:
1. Power steering (is it even needed - or follow build manual?)
2. Power brakes / ABS? Or stick with converted brake master cylinder?
3. Retaining the A/C and using the Vintage Air system nicely documented by AZPete?
4. How do you flash out / reprogram the ECU to remove items not used in the build (Air bags, electronics, etc)?
We just got a repair manual today with wiring diagrams...and after wiring up my roadster and experimental Sonex aircraft this doesn’t freak me out (the wiring and wire diet).
Thanks,
Scott
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 09-18-2020 at 07:50 PM.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Well guys, it’s been a rough week for the Meyer family. In late July we lost my father, and went through the whole grieving process with his loss. I was able to move my mother from St. Louis to Dublin, Ohio so we could spend more time with her and take care of her. She was on hospice with Alzheimer’s but was in good spirits. I woke up Tuesday morning to learn she had passed in her sleep. What a shock.
We just had a simple gathering for her today with my immediate family. I will place my parents in a Unity urn and have them interned at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. My dad was an honorable discharged Air Force tech sergeant from the Vietnam era.
To take my mind off things...I escaped to the garage a couple of nights to paint the engine short block and transmission.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
1) I don't think power steering is needed, I have no trouble turning mine, even in parking lots. I can't imagine a healthy teenager would have any issues
2) Very few have done power brakes, definitely not needed if you lose ABS. I don't know how ABS would affect the feel of the pedal.
3) Vintage Air is well documented, easiest route. I used Restomod Air because I wanted excess cooling capacity, it's hot in Houston.
4) RomRaider is the open source solution for tuning the ECU and disabling CEL codes. Requires a Subaru specific cable which is about $100. http://www.romraider.com/index.php/D...tion/TuningFAQ
Thanks AJ! Good to bounce ideas and check with actual builders!
We’ve ordered the soft top, and summers here in Columbus OH can be pretty brutal and humid...even with the top off A/C feels good!
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Totally agree with AJ's comments with the exception of the a/c...it's a convertible... but I may be partial to them since 3 out of my 4 rides are convertibles not counting my bride's not top car.lol
I have a hard top for mine but it's only used when the temps go down not up.
You're just down the road Scott and if I get an invite I'll love to see this project and may even try to talk Art Quillen into a short drive that way..
Thanks Jet! Yeah we’d love to come see your 818’s over in Indy. I have a Cessna 182 that we could fly over to visit some weekend if that’s okay? Our kit is not scheduled to arrive until mid-Nov pending Stewart Transports schedule. We considered driving to Wareham and renting a Trailer to tow the kit home...but my wife and son drive to Providence last summer (2019) and she said it was the drive from hell, without a trailer.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Scott, Thanks for starting this thread I will be following closely as I am starting a similar build (818C) with my teenager(14yo). You two clearly have more build experience than Nick and I so I will probably be rattling your chain for advice from time to time!
Appreciate all of the thoughts and well wishes for our family. We are all doing better after taking the week off to grieve and spend time together.
Back to the build. The project gives Liam and I a time to bond and do things totally unrelated to life.
Today he was prepping the engine accessories in hope of getting the heads back from the machine shop. Looks like I need to spend a night spraying some more paint.
My other project is helping Liam get the suspension ready. Dove in and disassembled the right rear hub and parking brake and cable. Remember I’ve forgone the donor parts and have new knuckles, backing plates, brakes and hubs/bearings.
Talked to both Factory 5 and Stewart Transport today. Looks like we might get our 818 on Thanksgiving day!
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 11-09-2020 at 08:31 PM.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Gut check time...I’ve not been posting much lately as my son is doing this on his preferred social media platforms (Instagram, FB 818 closed group, Ohio Subie Crew)...so when I post on here it feels like extra work now. He doesn’t like the forum or want to learn how to use it.
Anyway, let me know if it’s helpful or interesting to see our progress?
Liam has dived “all-in” to the wiring and preparing for the diet process after first start. I really need to spend a day with him and button up the brakes, clutch and cooling systems. We just need to replace the F5 rubber hose couplers with the silicone ones we got, and add the SOHC coolant fill port F5 recommended, and then fill and bleed all of the systems. Still need to install the tank vent and the vapor canister I made.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Scott, it was easy to add power steering. All I did was take the donor lines to a hydraulic shop so they could put the ends on the longer lengths I needed. Then, I used the donor rack, pump & reservoir. I did it to see if I could and it worked nicely, but probably not necessary.
For ABS, I duplicated the donor system and it worked very well, especially when a Prius stumbled out of a hidden driveway one day! I think ABS is sort of like seat belts - totally useless until suddenly needed.
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).
Scott, I'm enjoying your build too. Heck I like everyone of them. Would be fun for me and Jet to both drive over, or if you "drop" (OMG not literally) into Eagle Creek Airport I'd run down to join the fun.
Scott, I'm enjoying your build too. Heck I like everyone of them. Would be fun for me and Jet to both drive over, or if you "drop" (OMG not literally) into Eagle Creek Airport I'd run down to join the fun.
Art and Jet, lets do it! I’m just in the final stages are redoing the interior on our 182...trying to make a 54 year old aircraft look new! What does your schedules look like over the next couple of weekends while the “fall” weather is beautiful? It’s a 1-hour flight from KMRT (Union County Airport) and I can shoot the instrument approach into Eagle Creek for proficiency!
Some pictures of my other project...my wife is doing The sewing.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Nice talking to you yesterday Jet! If the weather looks good we’ll be there for Oct. 10! I took my wife up to Port Clinton today to have lunch at the Tin Goose Diner and visit the Liberty Aviation Museum. The interior of N2800F is coming back together. 77B8E606-3F60-4695-AE32-0E5F18C8575B.jpeg
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Engine is almost completed. Liam is rewrapping the engine wire harness and detailing the final cam solenoids and fuel rails. He got the cam covers back on today, new spark plugs and wires. I had to take the timing belt back off again last night to reinstall the dipstick. Someone was too stoked to get the timing belt done last week (dad),while we were letting the dipstick paint dry. Next morning realized the dipstick tube has to go on before the right cam sprocket and rear belt cover. Oops! Also mocking up some UEL headers we got for 99-05 2.5RS. I think we can make these work...will require a little swapping out of other exhaust components with FFR.
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 11-16-2020 at 08:25 PM.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Thanks for the replies and motivation to keep posting.
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Body work has started! Not much exciting to report other than we are pushing ahead with bodywork and customizing our 818!
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Same here Scott..looking forward to see you here for the Pumpkin 10K cruise..
If you feel the need for another flight adventure check the Wright Brothers B flyer hangar over at Dayton airport (KMGY) way cool ... they may even let you fly it...
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
Hey Scott,
Welcome back. My son, Zach and I met you way back in 08. Awesome to see you building another FFR. Zach and I built a mk4 a couple years back. Now he’s on to a 93 RX-7. Tell Liam we said hello. Your ever patient wife as well.
Scott & Zach Donnelly
Built FFR9457. 351 Windsor, TKO600, 3.73. Fitech EFI. Russ Thompson throttle pedal, turn signal, and trunk pan. Carbon Fiber dash with Speedhut Revolution gauges. Paint by Jeff Kleiner.
Hey Scott,
Welcome back. My son, Zach and I met you way back in 08. Awesome to see you building another FFR. Zach and I built a mk4 a couple years back. Now he’s on to a 93 RX-7. Tell Liam we said hello. Your ever patient wife as well.
Scott & Zach Donnelly
Hi Scott, I remember our trip to Mid-Ohio to watch the Indy 200. Is Zach a Junior or Senior now? Do you guys still have the Mk. 4? Thanks for saying hello!
818 "S"pyder delivered 11/27/20, using 2007 Impreza 2.5l NA donor. Work mostly being done by my son Liam...body work and paint being done by dad (that's me)
MK3.1 #6583RD, built from 2008-2019, sold 11/2011
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Originally Posted by Frank818
Should I keep posting to this thread?
