Back in the Saddle Build

[ssssly]

So after a long hiatus I am back building.

Is always interesting what curves must be navigated.

Attempting to keep a long story short, I was sidelined by injuries from some aircraft accidents catching up with me. A few surgeries, a bunch of PT and some good old fashioned will has me able to walk, bend and use my dominant arm again in an acceptable enough fashion so its time to start building again.

And start again I shall. Because while I was convalescing I also retired from the military and moved to NC. However they would not move a "car" so I had to completely disassemble my running go-cart (down to the frame) in order to move it. So back to step 1. Well 1.5, the cockpit panels were already on it.

Got all the suspension and steering rack back in it this past weekend.

Hoping to have the tranny taken apart, the new LSD put in it and get the tranny and engine back together this coming weekend.
Maybe swap some CVs around.

What I spent my time building while I couldn't turn wrenches.

IMG_20180104_134456.jpg

[Mitch Wright]

Thank you for your service, congratulations on your retirement and your recuperation.

[ssssly]

Thanks Mitch.

How'd you do in the SCCA time trials?

[chmhasy]

I think someone makes a lighting kit for the LEGO millennium falcon

[Mitch Wright]

Car ran great and won the U1 class, got beat for fast time by a pretty radical LS6 powered Miata.

[ssssly]

I think I have seen them. The problem that I have run into is that I didn't glue it together when I built it. And while it will support its own weight while on its feet, you can't really grab it anywhere to move it because unless you support it from the one small supported bottom plate it just falls apart.

Have been debating encasing the whole thing in acrylic and making it into a coffee table.

[Wayne Presley]

Thank you for your service and congrats on the rehab!

[ssssly]

Thanks Wayne. And thank you for paying your taxes. I couldn't have afforded the 818 without them.

And on that note, a gratuitous shot of my MSI rear links and trailing arm. Probably a bit overkill, but since I had them laying around I figured why not.

IMG_20180627_123919.jpg

[longislandwrx]

And on that note, a gratuitous shot of my MSI rear links and trailing arm. Probably a bit overkill, but since I had them laying around I figured why not. IMG_20180627_123919.jpg

WP_20150521_005.jpg

Twinning?

Nice job on the Falcon. That's on my list too, not sure if I want to do that or the rollercoaster first

glad you are on the mend.

[Ipassgas]

I built one on the nights and weekends I couldn't get to the car.

20180408_141527.jpg

[ssssly]

The FFR Gen 1 tank is a leaky pile of rubbish and not going back in the car.

So its time for a bit of redesign and aluminum fab.

Tank.jpg

[ssssly]

Pretty sure these chunks aren't supposed to be coming out of the transmission.

IMG_20180707_140119.jpg

[Wayne Presley]

Pretty sure these chunks aren't supposed to be coming out of the transmission.

IMG_20180707_140119.jpg

UMMMM, no...

[ssssly]

UMMMM, no...

Kind of put a damper on the weekend plans. That was supposed to be the new tranny.

Now I get to wait on the PayPal claim and search for another 4.44 tranny.

[ssssly]

So the best laid plans of mice and men...

The original plan for the car was to use the 6 speed from my 05 spec C. Then it turns out that the FFR FWWD adapter won't work with it.

Next plan was to use get a possum borne 6 speed FWD adapter. Then they stopped making them, there are no other sellers and I didn't feel like dropping $3k on a 06-07 6 speed.

Then I was just going to get a cheap 4.44 5 speed transmission (the one above $600). Showed up grenaded so thats going back.

So then I started looking around for a new 4.44 tranny and calling my Japanese subie connections. Got ahold of my buddy David who reminded me that I grabbed a set of 2000 RA gears off of him back in 2016. So a quick look through my sales invoices and it appears that I never sold them. So out to the second barn, into the sealed crate of oiled parts and sure enough there is a set of RA gears in there. But no front diff.

So new plan, use the RA gears and one of the empty 5 speed cases I have laying around, ordered an MFactory helical front LSD to get the power down and some moore blast plates to keep this tranny from grenading as well.

So now that I have a new plan to deviate from, hopefully the diff and the plates will be here this weekend so I can get the drivetrain back in.

[turbomacncheese]

So now that I have a new plan to deviate from...

Ain't that just the way sometimes?

[ssssly]

Internals for the tranny are all here.
Clutch and flywheel should be here tomorrow.

Hopefully I will be able to find some time this weekend during my study breaks. Have a Calc II final on Tuesday.

[ssssly]

Tranny is disassembled and cleaned.

And here are a couple pics showing the difference between the regular 4.44 gears and a set of RA 4.44 gears.

IMG_20180721_124959.jpg

IMG_20180721_125004.jpg

[ssssly]

And a little trick for replacing ring gears.

It can be a pain to line up the ring gears bolt holes.

Luckily Subaru head bolts are the same size as the ring gears bolts but longer.

So you can use them to line everything up and keep the ring gears aligned while you seat it.

IMG_20180721_140313.jpg

IMG_20180721_140332.jpg

[turbomacncheese]

Internals for the tranny are all here.
Clutch and flywheel should be here tomorrow.

Hopefully I will be able to find some time this weekend during my study breaks. Have a Calc II final on Tuesday.

CalcII is good stuff. That's right about where math started to get interesting for me.

[ssssly]

Took a couple weeks off to take an iron sculpture class.

So not much progress on the car but I did build this working iris.

IMG_20180807_143947.jpg

IMG_20180807_143920.jpg