One of the side projects Liam asked me to help with, was the restoration and painting of the '07 Wagon Enkei alum. wheels. Why? I'm not sure other than a way to spend dads time and money...but heck, I learned a few new tricks and tried out some new products and they look pretty good. I follow this youtuber and pretty much did the steps he shows:
While I have painted several cars using 2K products and my full HVLP spray guns, I have never tried the 2K aerosol can products...and have to say Eastwood does a nice job with their 2K Urethane primer and 2K High Gloss Clear.
They are not perfect, but look 100% better than they did, plus we now have cool looking "STI inspired" all season rims/tires...even though we have the FFR Gunmetal wheels.
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 12-07-2020 at 10:13 AM.
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
The dreaded wait for parts on the back order list. The rear suspension is two brackets shy of being complete (on the POL sheet). Asked F5 to help send what they can and was promised the fab guys were making these brackets this week and would get them shipped. We also got the transaxle cover from Brandon Larson (thank you), and that’s now installed. Fuel tank and lines almost completed and making a bracket to hang a fuel filter I got to replace the OEM one Liam chucked. New cold air intake and new seats arrived (his Christmas present). Last photo was me trying out the legroom and new seats and pedals!
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
As this year comes to an end, it’s time for an update...realizing we haven’t posted in a few weeks. Still waiting on back orders. We think the large IRS adapter brackets are arriving tomorrow from F5, via fedex. Not quite sure what else might be in the shipment.
Moved on to the brake lines, coolant lines, and replaced the clutch and brake master cylinders with WRX part #’s. The NA clutch master did not fit the frame...oddly enough. Also had to source a replacement banjo bolt for the clutch slave cylinder. Somehow didn’t think to keep the donor one when we replaced the slave cylinder. After ordering three (one didn’t fit, one never arrived - lost by USPS) today I finally got one from Amazon and it worked out!
Liam has decided to take on the wiring himself - well at least laying it out in the frame and plugging in, marking circuit branches, and getting it ready for me to help him with the dieting. Today I also fabricated covers for the ABS sensor holes, and he got the front subframe attached for the radiator.
He’s now reconsidering school and is possibly interested in a technical trade path for being a certified mechanic and train to work on European or exotics, etc. He definitely likes working on cars.
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 12-23-2020 at 08:47 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
It looks like you, like me, bought nice new tie-rod ends before learning that a bump steer kit is a "requirement".
It may be tempting to "just go with it" for a while, again like I did- but at some point you will only tell yourself that you should have done it sooner.
The Baer kit is easy, but unfortunately it does not use R/L handed parts so you have to turn an end for toe adjustment. Lame, but still effective.
With the crappy local roads and freeways, I had to question who I would let drive the car because it could get pretty wild fast. Correcting (most of) the BS helped hugely (still no other drivers in 2.5k miles, though!).
Agree with DSR that eliminating bump steer takes the car from almost undrivable to very pleasant. I found the Baer studs too short and had Pinto studs machined to the correct taper. I don't recall the issue he mentions relative to toe adjustment. If I was where you currently are on your build when I discovered the problem I'd use the approach Aj's suggesting.
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
It may actually be "less" of an issue on quality surface like most tracks. Freeway transitions with a curve and a big joint (in the road!) were especially exciting, but it's better all the time.
I'm running the "stock" alignment and ride height of 4.5".
Summit has the Subaru Baer kit.
I could not find the part number I ordered from 5 years ago. The body on the threaded tube on mine was a different shape.
Another interesting note in this picture. I have a 2012 5mt transmission that doesn't have a VSS sensor. I put my own sensor on the front left wheel. It works great, but I wonder what will happen if I ever do a dyno tune and the wheel is not turning.
Bob
Scott, like you, I heard about bump steer building my roadster, but didn't add it and had no problems. Likewise, I did not add the bump steer kit to my 818 and I drove it 5,000 street miles with no problems befote selling it a year ago. On both cars, the steering was scary twitchy until I had the caster set professionally. I had the donor power steering on both my roadster and 818, so that probably added some dampening to the steering. Driving around Arizona and southern California I didn't hit the potholes like in the salty states, but bounced over plenty of cracks, holes and railroad crossings. I don't doubt the guys who added a bump steer kit, but you asked if anyone had experience without it, so that's my experience.
More important: Merry Christmas!!!
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).
No pictures to document, but I did remove the rear transaxle cover, and fiddled around for 20 minutes and removed that upper bearing race. Good catch Bob! Cover is reinstalled and waiting on the RTV to cure, and then we will add the gear oil! We filled up the engine with Mobil1 30w-50 today and then manually rotated engine to try and prime everything. No leaks so far!
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
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
My opinion FWIW (which is probably not much).... Many of the people who have built these 818's and have the knowledge to point out errors you might be making do not spend much time on social media. If you are posting for the benefit of friends and family then social media might be better for you. But if you are posting for the benefit of insight from other 818 builders, you need to keep the thread updated.
I am one who spends no time on the other social media sites. So this is where I get my info from and where I share it. I can understand it taking a bit of effort to post progress here, but it is very much appreciated.
I'm glad your are posting here - more info to share the better, even if my project is winding down (but not done). Indeed if posting for people you know on other forums then that makes sense. I only post here - not on other places. Did a facebook post about 2 times,closed it recently. I just don't get a warm fuzzy feeling outside 'our' sandbox.
Heck yes, keep posting here. Watching build threads is how I’ve been collecting info and ideas for my own upcoming 818 build once I take delivery of my kit in April
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
Any plans on how to keep the rear flexible brake lines from rubbing the axles? I mounted the rear tabs much higher but that would be some work to change now, or switch to a shorter hose. Your son is doing a great job!!
We are planning to make another bracket to attach to the flex line via some adel rubber coated clamps
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
Thought I would jump over here and checkout your build thread since we've talked on mine. Your build looks great! Everything is so clean and it was smart to ditch some of those old rusted donor parts for new ones. That saves a lot of time and hopefully adds some reliability. You guys are building so quickly! I'm hoping to have a roller within the next month too. I'll reach out the next time I'm visiting Columbus. I would love to see your build in person if you're available.
Thanks for checking out the build! It’s definitely nice to have all new parts, I just had to get over the frustration of ordering all those parts (from RockAuto) after watching my son struggle with the rusty donor. It definitely made the “assembly” much faster and we’ve got piece of mind that everything is in good shape! Let us know when you get down this way, we are over near Muirfield Village area in NW Dublin.
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
Liam’s been working hard on the wiring. A few weeks ago we did a session on how to solder, apply heat shrink tubing and then we switched to the newer heat shrink water proof solder tubes...which he’s using now. I’ve jumped in and helped a bit on changing the connectors between the corrugated coolant tubing and solid tubing with the silicone ones recommended.
Last weekend our Box 6 finally arrived and we started fitting the missing dead pedal covers and one of the seat belt covers. Lots of loose ends getting worked on but not a ton of progress.
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 do you think you'll mount your ecu/fuse boxes? I have my harness laid out and there's not much room behind the passenger seat area. I think I'm going to fully unwrap the donor harness (I was trying to avoid extra work) and move some things up to the passenger footwell area. I've heard unwrapping the harness can give you extra length for some components.
The bigger fuse box/relay panel that was in the OEM engine bay has been removed from the weather proof enclosure and is sitting above the F5 fuel tank. He has mounted/located the ECU in the upper right corner (passenger side) behind the firewall in the engine bay. The OEM interior fuse panel is now located at the front of the “transmission” tunnel. We’ve extended the wires the length the manual calls for, but some still appear to be a little tight and may need further extension. So far Liam has dieted the entire SRS air bag system from the harness and removed the common grounds. He also has the ABS isolated and that will be next to go once we confirm the engine will start. He has powered up the accessory mode and we have power to the instrument cluster and the hazards work...but something was not allowing the brake lights or horns to function (most likely poor grounds).
This past weekend we lifted the chassis back up on Jack stands so we can continue with under vehicle items.
• Exhaust system was titanium glass wrapped and installed
• Starting to layout the aluminum we just got in the backordered Box 6
• Completed the new fuel tank vent with homemade charcoal canister (also dumping the OEM brick)
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 02-09-2021 at 09:01 AM.
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
In photo #7, you may need to lower your exhaust a bit to accommodate the rear bumper. The fiberglass mounts directly to the bottom of that rear chassis tubing. I don't know if you did this already but it's a good time to test fit the rear bumper. By the way, great progress on the wiring!
Thanks, we are just mocking up the straight pipe for now. I thought the exhaust clamp might help push it down but didn’t do a thing.
So here’s what we are doing...we already have the Carbon Fiber rear diffuser...which the F5 guys say will require some modifications to the NA straight pipe...and I’m concerned how loud the straight pipe will be, so I’m getting the parts to do a compact flow master Flow FX muffler and mimic what Bob Boig sells for the turbo model.
We also have the header/cat installed without the supplied F5 spacers...had the exhaust mounted with the spacers and guess what, the CAT was lower than the frame rails, which we were not crazy about. Once the muffler and transmission bracket arrive we will mock-up the needed exhaust pipe to connect the two together, tack weld and go from there. I have a MIG welder (not used in years) and can have someone with more skills finish the welding with TIG. D8114515-34E3-4B7A-87B7-6A214EF8E3F6.jpeg3B0657F0-9371-455C-B945-A83595EF3408.jpegA469B3A7-FB61-4E6A-B126-8BB4BB2F8771.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
I’d love to take credit for that idea, but saw it on the FFCobra...FFCars.com forum some 12 years ago, and copied it for my DOHC 4.6L powered roadster. I drove that car for 2-years, almost 2,000 mi always parked in the garage and never once smelled gas fumes. Yes a very simple design. 4” rotary sprinkler head with the guts removed, barbed 5/8” fitting screwed into base, activated aquarium charcoal and a 3M scuff pad to hold it in place top and bottom below the screw on cap!
We will flash out the EVAP stuff from the ECU. We have a Tatrix 2.0 cable and the RomRadier software to attempt that process...
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 02-10-2021 at 09:54 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
Big day for the Meyer boys! After helping Liam vacuum bleed/fill the coolant system (you have to try this method if not done this before), we went over the wiring one last time. Hooked up the battery, and nothing. I came in to have a coffee and attend a Teams meeting, and he sat there and troubleshot the harness. He came running in some 20 minutes later and exclaimed "IT WORKS".
Videos attached on YouTube for proof! The first section of the video where he is just running the starter is with the spark plugs removed and no fuel to let the oil pump "prime" the engine since we had it torn down.
All I can say is "He's Super Excited"! WE celebrated with homemade Chicken Katsu tonight...Japanese comfort food! Thanks for everyone who has helped on the forum and through the FB builders page, etc.!
Last edited by Scott Meyer; 02-11-2021 at 08:15 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
Congrats, Liam!! This milestone means that you have done hundreds of things correctly. I know that for the next few weeks, until you can drive the go-kart, you'll be starting it up just to hear it and feel your success.
Now's a good time - go out to the garage and start it up again.
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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Originally Posted by FFRWRX
Should I keep posting to this thread?
