Octobersknight's 818 Build

[lpmagruder]

To be honest I've never looked at a pressure gauge when priming, the way I've always had them hooked up they aren't powered during cranking. What blomb said sounds about right, though I'd probably not let the fuel pump run dry. If I've had a motor sitting for a while I usually crank it a bit with no bang (protip, you can make the Subaru ECU supply 0 fuel during cranking over certain throttle percentages, I think the default DBW ECU maps have this). Another quick way to make it not run is to unplug the crank angle sensor.

Once I do that I start it for real. If it doesn't get "real" cold oil pressure (~30 psi depending on motor) in a few seconds I'd kill it and figure out what's going on.

I'm sure there's others here that have a more detailed procedure.

[BigDanSubaru]

Ipmagruder, I have the fuel pump disconnected so it wont run dry why cranking to build oil pressure. Thanks for the reply. Hoping everything turns out okay. Also sorry if I kinda hijacked Octobersknight's thread. I had asked him about it here since I had read about his priming process earlier in the thread. I appreciate all the help everyone has provided, but I also want to be respectful of his thread. Octobersknight, I owe you a round of beers.

[octobersknight]

I finished wrapping the firewall by cutting little tabs all over the back to be able to keep the wrap tight around inside and outside curves. I am relying on the weatherstripping in addition to the adhesive to keep the edges in place. After I did the top and bottom edges (as recommended by mcamera) with weatherstripping, I moved on to the window installation.

As noted by others, it is actually quite tricky to get the window seal rubber to cooperate at first even on the firewall itself. But, with some coaxing you can get it on there. After the seal is in place on the aluminum and cut to size, putting the window in place and absolutely flooding it with WD-40 helps things along nicely. It is still not an easy job, and I was a little hesitant to go overboard with the spray for fear of ruining the wrap adhesive. In any case, with the WD-40 and LOTS of elbow grease (and sweat - both from effort and fear of breaking the glass) I was able to get the window installed and I had a complete firewall ready to install into the car.

PXL_20230920_011101467.jpg PXL_20230920_011451481.jpg PXL_20230920_013233184.jpg PXL_20230920_013236294.jpg PXL_20230920_014110006.MP.jpg

[octobersknight]

Almost forgot to post these pics of this beauty! Obvs. it's still a work in progress, but any chance i get to admire it in all it's glory, I take it!

PXL_20230921_220740939.jpg PXL_20230921_222438189.jpg PXL_20230921_223555134_copy.jpg PXL_20230921_223607976.jpg PXL_20230921_223614243.jpg

Getting the chance to see it in the driveway, and from a distance all around, somehow makes it feel more real. I can't get enough of it, and I can't wait to drive it for real!

[octobersknight]

I did the full walkaround of the top and fenders. I noticed the same thing many people have, namely that the rear fenders need to come in further than the body mounts near the shocks will allow. I'll either bend or cut them. Also, the body sits up too high, so I'll follow mcamera's lead and order some of the quick-latches to hold the top in place at the rear corners and midway back, as well as for the trailing edge of the hood.

PXL_20230926_014453765.jpg

Also, I had to trim the front fender tabs near the windshield. I adjusted the location of the top and rear bumper to make everything look as tight as possible, and at least I made the rear gap consistent. That will take some fiberglassing or something later to close it fully. Moving the top forward to align the door openings and allow for the doors to actually fit pushed the A-pillars into the fender tabs. I've trimmed them once, but may do so again after some more fiddling. I didn't want to overdo it!

PXL_20230926_222055939.jpg PXL_20230926_222648956.jpg PXL_20230926_222051625.jpg PXL_20230926_222645480.jpg

With the top set where I wanted it, I was ready for rear hatch prep & install.

[octobersknight]

The first thing I did for the rear hatch was to file/sand down any thick spots around the rim to allow for the weatherstripping to fit nice and tight all the way around. I installed that with some effort.

PXL_20231116_001213281.jpg

After that, it was on to hinge install. There wasn't really a ton of guidance on where to put the hinges on the roll bar, or how to get them tight with the limited space. I managed to do it somehow. Also, I luckily have the newer hinge design that has two screws to prevent the dreaded hinge slip-rotation. I think the new design works pretty well, but time will tell how it holds up to repeated use.

PXL_20231116_010239682.jpg PXL_20231116_010259152.jpg PXL_20231116_010316369.jpg

Then, with even less guidance on how to install the hinges to the hatch itself, I once again checked the forums for advice. Fellow builders to the rescue! I was told to just be careful because there is metal inside the large upper square pads, but it's thin. I fitted the hatch into the open space, gapped it roughly, and drilled and tapped the holes for the mounting screws.

PXL_20231116_011036929.jpg PXL_20231116_014242447.jpg PXL_20231129_005135481.jpg

At this point I noticed what others have also encountered. The hatch fiberglass extends further up than the window glass, and causes interference with the roof and preventing the hatch from opening further. I trimmed the fiberglass a couple times to get it better. I might do another trim because I don't think it's quite done and I didn't want to overdo it on the first few tries. it's easier to remove than add!

PXL_20231116_015814404.jpg