NoVa 818 Build

[STiPWRD]

I took the wife out for her first ride in the 818, here's a quick video of our Sunday morning drive:
https://youtu.be/8ETit-Z7LyU
Sorry the sound was kinda choppy on my wifes iphone.

I've just about finished my wiring, installed the wideband, mounted the passenger seat and harnesses and fixed my front toe alignment (using the quicktrick system). The car drives way better now. I've also got my injectors dialed in to the point where the car is driveable but I've got a lot of road tuning to do under boost. That will probably come much later since I can't exactly drive fast in my neighborhood.

I also bought a muffler and some piping for the dual exhaust I'll be fabbing up, so that's probably next on the list.

[Hindsight]

Nice! I am looking forward to taking my wife for her first ride as well.

It sounds like you have PPG gears in there (1st and 2nd maybe?).

[STiPWRD]

Nice! I am looking forward to taking my wife for her first ride as well.

It sounds like you have PPG gears in there (1st and 2nd maybe?).

Right, PPG 1-4, 1-2 straight, 3-4 helical

[Hindsight]

Nice, that is on my wish list. What do you think of the noise of the straight cuts? Do you think it will ever get annoying, or is it not that loud?

[STiPWRD]

I drove with the noise for many years when this transmission was in my wrx, it never got old

[Hindsight]

Ok good to know... that may help me decide which way to go when I blow up my current transmission.

[STiPWRD]

Inspired by Vman's rear end design, I've been working on a dual exhaust. It's nearly done but I still need to weld in the O2 bung, paint it and wrap it. I got about 10 hours of work into it including making the hanger and another 2 to go. I basically cut up some tubes with my angle grinder and welded everything together with my HF flux core welder. The muffler is 3" inlet and 2.5" outlets. I'm pretty happy with the result, it's loud! Here's the cost break down:

Part: QTY: Cost: Shipping:
Muffler 1 $73 $0 http://www.ebay.com/itm/281783473248...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
2.5" U-bend 3 $22 $10 http://www.ebay.com/itm/391102721435...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
3.0" U-bend 2 $15 $12 http://www.ebay.com/itm/180127979164...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
O2 Bung 1 $2 $2 http://www.ebay.com/itm/161818155108...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Turbo flange 1 $20 $0 http://www.ebay.com/itm/262044037508...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
SS tips (2) 1 $29 $0 http://www.ebay.com/itm/151791433391...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Total = $244

Inspiration:
818 Rear Vman.JPG
Current result:
IMAG1565.jpgIMAG1566.jpgIMAG1567.jpgIMAG1568.jpgIMAG1569.jpg

Video:
https://youtu.be/pXFrFskwdhA

[Hindsight]

Nice work!! Love the setup and good to see one routed this way. The way you did it unfortunately won't work for me due to the placement of my oil cooler (it would be in the way of the left lower pipe), but I've been thinking about figuring out if I could go with a high exit, around the same height as the muffler. I think though, due to the width of the muffler and bends coming off it, that the pipes would be on or too near the reverse lights.

Your setup looks great though!

[mikeb75]

that is cool!

[matteo92065]

nice work!

[STiPWRD]

Nice work!! Love the setup and good to see one routed this way. The way you did it unfortunately won't work for me due to the placement of my oil cooler (it would be in the way of the left lower pipe), but I've been thinking about figuring out if I could go with a high exit, around the same height as the muffler. I think though, due to the width of the muffler and bends coming off it, that the pipes would be on or too near the reverse lights.

Your setup looks great though!

Thanks, yea Sean Keehn is the only other person I've seen do a dual exhaust and he routed his output pipes up high:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...l=1#post193942
I much prefer the lower exit like in Vman's design but the customization is the fun part. Also, I've got a modified trans linkage so the left-right cable will not interfere with the driver side pipe as possibly with the stock linkage.

that is cool!

Thanks!

Also, in the video, there is some rattling because the SS tips are just sitting on the ends of the pipes, I haven't secured them at all. Otherwise no rattles.

[Frank818]

Really nice! Mild steel, right?

[STiPWRD]

Really nice! Mild steel, right?

Yup

[Mechie3]

Nice, I like the exhaust.

[pikapp504]

Yeah, I really need to stop by one evening soon to take another look...maybe even a little ride. ;-) As always, if you want some company and/or a hand on things, I'm always down to wrench! My schedule has opened up, now that my tenant situation is coming to a resolution.

[STiPWRD]

Nice, I like the exhaust.

Yeah, I really need to stop by one evening soon to take another look...maybe even a little ride. ;-) As always, if you want some company and/or a hand on things, I'm always down to wrench! My schedule has opened up, now that my tenant situation is coming to a resolution.

Thanks guys. Jeremy, send me a text when you want to come by. This is the last week before daylight savings starts so rides would have to happen on weekends after that, otherwise I should be free any night this week.

[pikapp504]

Sounds like a plan! I'm usually off of work by 1630 at the latest...most days. lol

[STiPWRD]

I finally took the 818 off the jack stands and took it for a drive yesterday evening - the first time I've driven it this year! I've been doing a lot of work on the body and the many, many small details.
IMG955294.jpgIMG955295.jpgIMG955296.jpgIMG955297.jpgIMG955298.jpg

The doors were a huge pain. I put in fatmat on the inside and sprayed the edges with DEI rubberized spray.
IMAG1868.jpg

I also sprayed the inside of the side sails and rear bumper. I bonded in some studs for the mesh that will eventually go in there and some TC105's to attach the wiring.
IMAG1849.jpgIMAG1838.jpg

One of the other things I did was run 10 gauge wiring and a relay for the aeromotive fuel pump since it draws way more current than the stock fuel pump. After not running the engine for a while, I started it up last night and noticed I had a small fuel leak at some of the fuel line hose clamps. I tightened those up and that took care of the leak but since I'm now running the pump at 12V direct power, my AFR is really rich at idle (in the 10's). I'm guessing my stock fuel pressure regulator cannot keep up? Has anyone else had this problem? I temporarily switched back to the stock fuel controller and AFR's went back to normal. I guess I need a better regulator.

The to-do list is shrinking and there are only a few things left before the unthinkable - being able to register! The plates I have on in the pics are expired from an old car I had.

Things left:
Headlights
Trim engine lid and hood, fix gaps
Install quick latches on hood
Finish center console (reusing the one from my 02 wrx)
Install firewall behind seats for good
Splash guards
Adjust wiper arm to clear hood

[Hindsight]

Looking very nice! I really like the look of that DEI spray.... how much does one can cover and does it seem very sturdy once dried?

On the fuel pressure: it certainly sounds like that could be the issue since at idle, the fuel pressure regulator would have to work the hardest. It is especially telling that the issue goes away when you go back to using the voltage regulator. I never ran my car with the factory pressure regulator so I can't compare notes there. I am running a fuel-lab regulator and I love it. I'm going to try bypassing my voltage regulator like you did, in prep for a larger pump down the line, and in order to troubleshoot the fuel cut-out issue I was having on the track.

One tip on trimming the engine cover.... I was trying too hard to trim mine so the engine cover was flush with the side sails and that resulted in my taking them down too far. The most important thing to line-up is the engine cover to door. You can then trim increasing amounts off the engine cover returns as you move toward the rear of the cover so it sits flush with the side sail at about the 1/2 way or 2/3 point back.

Very excited to see this coming together! It is looking really nice and I love the attention to detail.

[Scargo]

I and most people I know who are not stock run the Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator and I use a fluid-filled pressure gauge along with it. Fluid-filled so it doesn't beat itself to death. I suggest you not mount the regulator on the engine itself.
I set the pressure at 35 PSI at idle and it takes care of the rest.

[STiPWRD]

Looking very nice! I really like the look of that DEI spray.... how much does one can cover and does it seem very sturdy once dried?

Thanks for the kind words Jeff! I really like the DEI spray, it's fairly easy to put on and really improves the look of the inner fiberglass. I got the idea from metros. My advice is to buy a pack of 6 cans at a discount (got mine on ebay). So far I've used up 3.75 of those cans on the side sails, rear bumper and doors. I did a heavy first coat and light second coat. It feels quite durable but I haven't tried removing it or bonding anything to it - I made sure to bond the studs and wire tie-downs to the bare fiberglass and then spray with DEI. I masked the white gel coat from over spray. I still have to do the front fenders, hood and engine lids, so I might need to buy more later. On the engine lids, I'm probably going to do what I did for the doors - fatmat on the main surface and DEI spray at the edges. The fatmat has a reflective surface that should do well at shielding the fiberglass from heat.

Thanks for the trimming tips, I think I trimmed away too much of the lower part of the windshield frame thinking that the corners of the fenders would butt right up against it. What actually happened was that the back tips of the hood pushed the fenders apart making my trimming of the windshield frame unnecessary. I didn't realize the back of the hood was so wide.

[STiPWRD]

I and most people I know who are not stock run the Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator and I use a fluid-filled pressure gauge along with it. Fluid-filled so it doesn't beat itself to death. I suggest you not mount the regulator on the engine itself.
I set the pressure at 35 PSI at idle and it takes care of the rest.

Thanks, that's the one I was looking at. I'm hoping this will save me lot of tuning headaches.

[mistasherm]

Very nice work - would also love to stop by and see your set up and your progress...I will PM

[ben1272]

Exceptional workmanship!

I finally took the 818 off the jack stands and took it for a drive yesterday evening - the first time I've driven it this year! I've been doing a lot of work on the body and the many, many small details.
IMG955294.jpgIMG955295.jpgIMG955296.jpgIMG955297.jpgIMG955298.jpg

The doors were a huge pain. I put in fatmat on the inside and sprayed the edges with DEI rubberized spray.
IMAG1868.jpg

I also sprayed the inside of the side sails and rear bumper. I bonded in some studs for the mesh that will eventually go in there and some TC105's to attach the wiring.
IMAG1849.jpgIMAG1838.jpg

One of the other things I did was run 10 gauge wiring and a relay for the aeromotive fuel pump since it draws way more current than the stock fuel pump. After not running the engine for a while, I started it up last night and noticed I had a small fuel leak at some of the fuel line hose clamps. I tightened those up and that took care of the leak but since I'm now running the pump at 12V direct power, my AFR is really rich at idle (in the 10's). I'm guessing my stock fuel pressure regulator cannot keep up? Has anyone else had this problem? I temporarily switched back to the stock fuel controller and AFR's went back to normal. I guess I need a better regulator.

The to-do list is shrinking and there are only a few things left before the unthinkable - being able to register! The plates I have on in the pics are expired from an old car I had.

Things left:
Headlights
Trim engine lid and hood, fix gaps
Install quick latches on hood
Finish center console (reusing the one from my 02 wrx)
Install firewall behind seats for good
Splash guards
Adjust wiper arm to clear hood

[QBlades]

Good Job! I am starting on the body of my car now. Let me know when you are in the Germantown area again.

[PSUalum1986]

Very nice. You have made a lot of progress over the summer.

[STiPWRD]

Exceptional workmanship!

Very nice. You have made a lot of progress over the summer.

Thanks guys!

Good Job! I am starting on the body of my car now. Let me know when you are in the Germantown area again.

Sounds good, will do and looking forward to seeing your build!

[Frank818]

Yes that is good job!

The DEI doesn't protect for heat? What's it's use then?

What is your alu bar on top the door with 3 velcros? How does it work?

[STiPWRD]

Yes that is good job!

The DEI doesn't protect for heat? What's it's use then?

What is your alu bar on top the door with 3 velcros? How does it work?

The DEI spray is more for sound deadening and vibration damping, at least that's my understanding. It also vastly improves the look of the inner fiberglass and makes it look more finished.

The aluminum bar at the top of the door is just a 90 degree extruded bracket I got from home depot. I didn't want any exposed screws near the top of the door panels so I decided to use 3M velcro instead. I riveted the aluminum brackets to the fiberglass and the tops of the door panels cover up the rivets, it worked out well. It probably also stiffens up the top of the doors. I had to bend the brackets inward into more of an acute angle (like maybe 80-85 degrees) to better fit behind the panels.

[metros]

If I remember correctly the dei spray can handle up to 300*.

Looking good! I want a ride when you get your plates.

[QBlades]

The DEI spray is a pretty cool idea. Has anyone thought of using a bed liner spray? There is a video of people spraying it on a watermelon and dropping it to show how it protects the watermelon. Do you think this would hold together fiberglass panel in case minor collisions? It will probably add some extra weight but as long you do not add as many layers as that watermelon, I am guessing it would help keep our fiberglass panels from like shattering and make it easier for us to repair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLpsIuhTb8k

[NBinSD]

I used a single layer of rolled on bedliner for the inside of the side sails and engine bay. It looks better than raw fiberglass but probably not as good as the DEI spray.

[wleehendrick]

I've been using a 3M rubberized spray for the outside of the Al panels and inside of the fiberglass for the same reasons... hope to dampen noise and definitely looks better than raw.

[STiPWRD]

Looking good! I want a ride when you get your plates.

Deal, or will it be you who registers first????

The DEI spray is a pretty cool idea. Has anyone thought of using a bed liner spray? There is a video of people spraying it on a watermelon and dropping it to show how it protects the watermelon. Do you think this would hold together fiberglass panel in case minor collisions? It will probably add some extra weight but as long you do not add as many layers as that watermelon, I am guessing it would help keep our fiberglass panels from like shattering and make it easier for us to repair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLpsIuhTb8k

That Linex stuff looks impressive from the video. I used bed liner spray on the under floor aluminum panels and planning to use something similar for the wheel wells. I feel it's more durable than the rubberized spray but also tends to be more expensive and heavier.

[STiPWRD]

Almost a year since my last post... nice. I took a little break from the 818 this past year to mix it up a bit and try something new. I ended up getting my motorcycle license last September and picking up a wrecked honda 750 for very cheap - I figured might as well try it while I'm young. It took me about 6 months to restore it and I've been riding it the past few months. It's been a fun and easy side project (compared to building a car), plus I got to learn about carbs. Here is a before and after:
IMG_6395.jpgbike1.jpg

But now I'm fully refocused and ready to finish the 818. I've recently tackled the head lights:
lights1.jpglights2.jpg

It took me quite a while to get these done, I spent hours trying to shape the buckets to the fiberglass with a heat gun. The two surfaces were just waaaay off as delivered. It was also challenging to drill the holes in the right places since there isn't much overlap between the cut-outs in the fiberglass and the flanges on the buckets. I drilled a few bad holes that I later had to patch with JB weld. I chose to use countersunk screws to attach the headlights to the FG with nuts that I JB welded in place on the back of the buckets.

A huge thanks to the forum for all of the tips people have posted. For instance, I used the metal retainer idea posted by Ben1272, which turned out awesome and way stronger than using silicone. There's a good bit of mass to those projectors. I also used the same LED bulbs that Frank posted - very nice. And the switchback LEDs that a few others have used. A big thanks to Art, who sent me electrical components and boards to build the switchback drivers, what a nice guy! They ended up working perfectly!
lights3.jpg
To make the switchbacks serviceable, I connectorized them with the smallest connectors I could find (to be able to fit through the holes). I still have a little bit of wiring to finish with the Hi/Low beams; I had to add a relay to keep the low beams on when the hi beams are turned on.

Splash guards are next. So overall, things are moving along... slowly but surely.
IMG952257.jpg

[AZPete]

It's good to see you are back at it. I'm also indebted to Art for switchbacks. I have heard that a short can make your horn sound off but I didn't realize it meant a short person.

[STiPWRD]

Thanks Pete, I can't wait to get it out on the road. Luckily my son loves cars as much as I do.

[Frank818]

1 year? Wow... now I understand why. It's really cool to see the engine on the bike! Nice restore. Hopefully you'll do the same on the 818 and seeing your nice switchback connectors it looks like yes. I decided to use simple bullet connectors cuz I don't have to play around with waterproof 3-way connectors, takes too much time and I wouldn't make it for this summer. However I may redo some of my connectors after inspection, during some winters...

[STiPWRD]

1 year? Wow... now I understand why. It's really cool to see the engine on the bike! Nice restore. Hopefully you'll do the same on the 818 and seeing your nice switchback connectors it looks like yes. I decided to use simple bullet connectors cuz I don't have to play around with waterproof 3-way connectors, takes too much time and I wouldn't make it for this summer. However I may redo some of my connectors after inspection, during some winters...

I'm going to try and seal off the head light area from water so hopefully these connectors will be ok. They're JST 2.5 SM-3 Pin and if you shave off the corners, they'll fit through a 10mm hole.

[STiPWRD]

I haven't posted in a while but I finally got plates 2 weeks ago and made the 30 mile round trip to Katie's cars and coffee this past weekend. I figured I might as well get some miles down before winter. Got to meet Kiwi Dave and his son Jack, which was fun! The car had a steady stream of people stopping by to figure out what it was. I kept telling them it was the new Miata.
20190914_084944_HDR.jpg20190914_085158_HDR.jpg

I'm still running on mostly a stock tune but with a reflash to account for the larger injectors. It's pretty drivable but I need to fix the idle because if the revs fall to fast it sometimes cannot recover and the engine stalls. It's funny when this happens coming to a red light because it gets super quite, just like an EV. I tried adjusting the idle tables to 1000 RPM but this didn't fix the issue. I might need to adjust fuel but just not sure yet how exactly - if anyone has any tips. I do have ab HKS BOV so this may be partially to blame.

Over the past year or two, I've spent a limited amount of hours each month trying to finish all the little details like the splash guards, bump steer kit, interior, etc. I spent some time building frame supports for a front tow hook that tie into the steering rack supports:
20180909_125200.jpg20180909_125016.jpg20180909_125035.jpg20180930_114124.jpg

20190908_172457_HDR.jpg20190824_175244_HDR.jpg

The interior is still a work in progress but is next on the to-do list
20190824_175340_HDR.jpg