Camera's 818C

[Dave 53]

It seems to me a freshly built 818 needs the suspension "tuned". Not just a simple alignment (toe, camber). For best performance, have corner weights adjusted and maximize caster.

With all spacers in, my tuner said the Baer kit was 1/8" too short, but we called it good enough. This was determined by exercising the suspension while on his fancy *** alignment rack.

I went with 1.5 degrees negative camber all around. For a street car, I think it's pretty good. But for a track car, I'd like to up it to 2.5 to 3.5 degrees all around.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

For best performance, have corner weights adjusted and maximize caster. I'd like to up it to 2.5 to 3.5 degrees all around.

One of my early suspension setups had about -2.5 degrees of camber. It was good for cornering but in a straight line the branking was terrible as only the inside edges of the tires were on the ground. That setup also had a lot of body roll so the tire was flat on the ground during hard turning. To fix the problem I went with 500 rear springs to reduce body roll. I am now only running a -0.5 degree camber on all four corners. As you see in this 1.2g corner I have very little body roll and my outside tires are squarely planted.

70c.jpg

[Dave 53]

One of my early suspension setups had about -2.5 degrees of camber. It was good for cornering but in a straight line the branking was terrible as only the inside edges of the tires were on the ground. That setup also had a lot of body roll so the tire was flat on the ground during hard turning. To fix the problem I went with 500 rear springs to reduce body roll. I am now only running a -0.5 degree camber on all four corners. As you see in this 1.2g corner I have very little body roll and my outside tires are squarely planted.

70c.jpg

Hmmm... good point. What springs are you using up front? Thill 4 1-23-22.jpg

I used to have a BMW M Roadster that I would track with -3.5 degrees of camber. I don't recall any braking issues and it was on rails, but the insides edges of the tires sure didn't last very long.

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Hmmm... good point. What springs are you using up front?

I'm running 350 front and 500 rears. No sway bars. Here are a couple 2013-2015 pictures with factory springs. 350R/275F

front roll.jpg 5563aa70.jpg

[mcamera]

I still have some bump steer. The Baer instructions said to start with the medium sized spacer and your alignment expert would adjust spacers as needed. My tire shop didn't adjust my spacers at all. I still feel a jerk in the steering wheel over bumps but it pulls less side to side. After looking at my alignment specs (and it's visible on my car), my alignment guy gave me +0.7deg camber on my front wheels so I'll need to go back in to get that to the correct -0.7deg I requested. Here are my current alignment specs.

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As quoted on Hindsight's build thread:
"For bump steer, with the Baer kit, I ended up needing 46mm of shim on the LF and 47.5mm of shim on the RF, but that is with me drilling out the spindles and using a 5/8" bolt like the R guys do. In hindsight (hah), I didn't actually need to do that - the Baer kit would allow around 50-55mm of shims while still using the nice taper bolt it comes with. I wish I had not drilled out my spindles but I needed to in order to test longer shim lengths than the taper bolt allows. But for the rest of you 818S guys who haven't done this yet, don't drill your spindles. What I can't remember is how much shim you can get when you stack ALL the Baer kit's shims together. If you don't get enough shims with the kit, buy this from McMaster: https://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/122/3284/=150tsv0 That will get you an inch of shim and you can add the Baer shims to it to get it just right."

And thank you AJ for mentioning your 41mm of spacers and Dave for sharing your experience with the Baer kit being ~1/8" short with all shims in place but still a large improvement. Those are good references.

Like Dave, I'm going to max out the Baer shims before my next alignment and call that good. That should be a major improvement without going down a rabbit hole to find perfection. I'll let everybody know how it goes.

[mcamera]

I've put about 40 miles on the car so far and here are my troubleshooting notes so far.

- I've turned off 6 emission related check engine lights using RomRaider. Another light came on this weekend that I need to pull up and turn off.

- Searching for vacuum leaks I found my MAF sensor o-ring needed replaced. My car sometimes stumbles below idle and has a vacuum leak and/or just needs tuned.

- At ride height my rear brake lines were too close to my fender wells. I put tape over the lines and confirmed they were bouncing and scraping the edge of the aluminum. So I cutout more clearance. Before and after.

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- I mounted my driver side mirror first, so when I installed the passenger side, I just copied the location to be symmetrical. I can't see my passenger mirror without moving my head to the middle of the car. Luckily visibility out of the passenger side windows is good so I probably won't fix this until I paint the car (if I do) and can patch the existing holes after I move the mirror.

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- My interior driver side handle doesn't open my door any more. Not sure why yet but should be a quick fix. I was smart enough to mount the door liner so I can access all of the screws just by having the door open. So I don't need to remove the entire door from the car which makes working inside the door a lot easier.

- The shifter cables have settled too close to the boot on my axle for my comfort. I drilled out the rivets and moved my cable mounts up more to gain extra clearance. This is the after pic.

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- As mentioned above, my car got aligned and feels much better but my front camber was incorrectly set to +0.7deg and I want -0.7deg. So I have to go back to the tire shop. I'm also going to adjust the shims on my Baer bump steer kit to try and reduce bump steer more. This pic is my current setup with 1 gold shim between the steering tie rod and spindle. I'm going to move all of the gold shims from underneath the tie rod (currently not doing anything, just sitting there in case you need them) to above the tie rod. I'll be using all of the shims (per other members' shared experiences) to improve the relationship between my steering and suspension and reduce bump steer more.

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- I need to adjust my headlights after a scary night time drive. They only project about 10' out onto the road right now and if a car is coming at you with it's lights on, you have no visibility. Turning the brights on helped temporarily.

- Using a magic eraser to remove paint marks on the body and overspray from painting things in my garage. I also want to paint any white fiberglass edges on the body black to look more finished.

- Still not sure how to turn off the parking brake light on my dash

[FFRWRX]

Thank you for posting all of this. And sorry for all the questions on your thread, but it did really help with the bump steer stuff. I'll order that kit and use most/all of the shims as a starting point.

And the passenger mirror thing, yes, I found that too. I designed new mounts for the mirrors which moved them several inches rearward after mocking up the mirror and seat and not being able to see the passenger mirror. You can maybe make an adapter plate that attaches where the mirror does now and brings the mirror rearward.

Do you paint the car and then install the glass? Or install the glass to get the car on the road, then paint the car with the glass in place or have it removed, painted, then reinstalled? I'm considering a paint shop a fair distance from where I live and would need the car on the road to get there. Or flat-bed it but with the price of everything gone up, especially gas, that really adds to the cost. That assumes of course that I ever get it to the paint stage!

Rick

[J R Jones]

mcam, Your camber may already be at -0.7 I think you have a typo. The print-out lists the camber range at -0.3 to -1.3 you are just missing the negative sign.
I would optimize bump steer rather than lower my standards.

jim

[mcamera]

Rick, a mirror adapter is a good idea. I can have my buddies at work 3D print one for me. I installed all of my glass already. I don't plan to paint the car any time soon as I keep shaking down the car and just want to enjoy driving it for the rest of the year. I'm pretty sure they can paint the car with glass installed. Being able to drive the car to appointments does help. But I sat at the tire shop for 2 hours... I don't think you're going to sit in the lobby while they paint your car lol.

Jim, that's what I thought too so I called the tire shop on Friday to confirm but they haven't gotten back to me yet. However, I can tell by standing at the back of the car that my front wheels are leaning the wrong way and have positive camber. I'm guessing their computer isn't smart enough to see +/- when it prints the number on the visual slide scale. It just sees an absolute 0.7 and assumes you're on the correct side of 0? The rear camber setting on the printout also has a negative symbol which makes me believe the front camber is not negative. The shop has a 6 month warranty on my alignment and the guy said to bring it back if I'm ever unhappy with the settings he dialed in. He also cranked up the rear camber to -1.8deg when I asked for -0.5deg. He insisted it was better for my setup and I took his word on that one. I'll ask if he can check bump steer with his equipment. If he can, we'll play the shimming game until it's as good as can be. If he can't, I'll use all the Baer shims available and see if it improves enough for me.

[mcamera]

Some notes about my door lock issues. Everything is working fine now after some fine tuning.

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[mcamera]

I was getting a lot of engine noise through this open corner behind my seats, but the FFR supplied aluminum piece doesn't come close to fitting. I had to heavily chop and modify this cover but this is what I ended up with. I had some leftover 1" push-on seal that didn't work well for my door windows that I used to seal the firewall to sail window. However, even 1" wasn't enough to fill the gap so I added some of the FFR supplied half-moon seal to my sail window in the black area so you can't see it from the outside of the vehicle. Sealing this corner definitely reduced the engine noise in the cabin a fair amount. Still loud since your head is still 1ft away from the motor but muffled instead of direct engine noise.

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I have another alignment appointment at my tire shop so I adjusted my Baer bump steer kit to use all of the shims before I go. Even though adding the shims has thrown my front alignment out of whack, it's already significantly better for bump steer. Night and day. Large bumps in the road no longer pull on the steering wheel and make the car nervous. I'm happy with the current effectiveness of the bump steer kit and don't see a need to spend more time on it. For reference I'm running a 4.5" ride height. Pics are before (1 medium spacer) vs now (all spacers).

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I ordered a Mishimoto turbo blanket and 2" x 25' of DEI exhaust wrap (note this was not enough, buy 50'). It took me a lot of research to even find the Mishimoto blanket which seems to only be listed on their website. I'm convinced it's the best bargain from a big name brand though.

Cobb - $155 (lava rock)
PTP - $140 (lava rock)
PTP - $100 (fiberglass)
Mishimoto - $80 (lava rock / titanium)

https://www.mishimoto.com/subaru-wrx...2001-2017.html

We'll see how the blanket does when it arrives but it's going to be hard to impress, because I already wrapped my exhaust with the DEI wrap and it has SIGNIFICANTLY reduced my engine bay temps by itself. After a 30 minute drive, opening my hatch used to feel like standing over a grill. Yesterday I opened the hatch when I got home and heat didn't hit me in the face. It was just warm in the bay. I'm really impressed and it makes sense that the thin walled exhaust pipe would transfer heat to the surrounding air easier. I'm thinking the turbo jacket may not do much unless you're at the track and really heating up the turbo.

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[Dave 53]

Just looking at the picture of your exhaust bolted to the turbo (actually I don't see any nuts, so maybe it's not actually "bolted" on yet).

Just yesterday I was inspecting my car and I noticed one of turbo / exhaust flange nuts missing and another one completely loose. Probably about 5,000 miles since I tightened them up. I'm switching from plain steel nuts to copper lock nuts.

[mcamera]

Dave it's bolted on in the pic. Maybe it's just hard to see in the shadow. When I took the exhaust off to wrap it, the nuts had loosened up on mine too. They must relax with heat cycling. I was unaware of copper lock nuts so if it's a constant problem I'll switch to those too. Good tip, thanks.

[mcamera]

I've been excited to finish my center console and finally hide my under dash wires / mount my window switches that I use a lot now that I'm driving the car around. Even though my existing console isn't built to the FFR spec, I'm trying to use the FFR panels at the front. Here's my progression.


FFR panels trimmed a little to fit to my existing shifter console. I'm able to run straight down the tunnel and not take away any leg room.
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Thought about putting the flanges on top to hide the cut edges of my main face, but it looks messy. Putting the main face on top is cleaner.
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I drilled 3 holes along each side of the main face. These will be small, black, button head screws that go into rivnuts on the flanges behind. There will be exposed screw heads but it's minimal. I also trimmed the horizontal flanges off at the bottom. I didn't like them folding over the top just behind the crease. You can see from the side that I have empty space behind the console. I'm thinking I'll mount the window switches and hazard button high on the panel, and make a cubbie at the bottom. Not sure yet.
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Got my turbo jacket installed. Trickier than expected. Had to fish some wire around the turbo so I could get the springs pulled through and attached. Looks nice, matches my DEI wrap really well, and the wool on the inside leaves lots of fiberglass-like pokies in your hands.
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Alignment on Friday, and working out a time with my tuner for tomorrow or next Wednesday hopefully.

[mcamera]

Got my alignment redone. Even though the shop incorrectly gave me +0.7deg camber on my front wheels (I asked for -0.7deg), and -3.0deg camber on my back wheels (I asked for -0.5deg) at my first alignment, because I changed the shims on my bump steer kit they charged me $120 since I changed something. But now I'm set and here are my new specs. Lost a little caster but the car feels sharp. A little sensitive but better planted during turns.

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Got my window switches and hazard button installed. I carefully cut the mounting holes bigger so everything would fit tightly but somehow they are loose. I'm going to add silicone to the back to secure them more firmly since both can be pulled out without trying that hard. You win some you lose some.

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I was hoping to get tuned this afternoon but my tuner hasn't responded in 2 days. Guess I'll aim for next week. The car is already a lot of fun to drive so I'm excited to see it with even better response/power.

I also fine tuned my shifter cables at the bell crank. Before, my 2nd and 3rd gear throws liked to go a little sideways when sliding into gear. Like 2nd gear wanted to be pulled down and slightly towards the passenger side to lock into gear. Now all of my throws move straight forward and backwards and it's a lot more pleasant to drive than searching for gears.

[mcamera]

Dyno tuned and enjoying driving the car around. My tuner was DK Goodrich out of Frankfort, KY using RomRaider and he did a great job. He also adjusted my wastegate arm to build boost faster and I have so much more power on tap!

Here's a short video of dyno numbers and exhaust sounds



More detailed video of my last 2 months in my YouTube build series

https://youtu.be/ile68VJnZCk

[FFRWRX]

Very nice video! Even just in the red gel coat that is a really nice looking car. And it does sound nice!

[mcamera]

I tried my hand at vinyl wrapping an interior panel. I found a Vvivid leather textured wrap on Amazon and should be able to do my console + rear firewall for $50. No liquids, just a heat gun and some patience. It's tricky to remove all of the bubbles but it's also very forgiving since you can peel the wrap up to reposition it as many times as you need. I recommend a cheap install kit with a felt squeegee. Sticks very well and looks good finished. It's thin (0.1mm) but the material adds a little bit of a soft touch to the panels that paint or powder coat wouldn't. While not being bulky, complicated, and more expensive like carpet.

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Leather vinyl wrap
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083JMG9CL...t_details&th=1

Cheap install kit
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GFGFY2L...roduct_details

[mcamera]

I had my first on road failure. While I was flooring it the car made a loud sound and stopped accelerating. I changed gears and the car wouldn't do much, so I immediately thought the trans had failed. I pulled over and realized my coupler had pushed off my throttle body while under boost. It didn't help that my intercooler is mounted on the passenger side, but the driver side mount isn't attached to anything. So the intercooler was able to rock backwards and let the coupler push off. I tightened the coupler with a pocket ruler I had in my work backpack and limped home.

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I took off the intercooler, removed the OEM foam/tape mess underneath, and cleaned up the Y-pipe. Luckily I had a silicone Perrin coupler laying around and swapped that in. I think the coupler that failed was actually a PVC coupler from Home Depot that the last owner had installed. It was really deformed and clearly not made for hot applications.

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I made a bracket for the driver side mount just so there was some kind of support on that side. Instead of combining several pieces to get the correct bend and height, I found that twisting a flat bar of aluminum 180deg allowed me to get the angles I needed from 1 flat piece of aluminum. Simple but effective. I purposely bent the piece too far upwards so there was a pre-load on it. That way when I attach the intercooler the bracket is actively pushing up and holding more of the intercooler's weight. I chose to mount the bracket to the intake manifold so the intercooler and engine can move together. I almost mounted the intercooler to the frame just behind the driver side mount, but didn't want to fix a moving object (intercooler) to a fixed object (frame).

IMG_4965.jpg

I also overlooked the fact that there's a 1/4" gap between the lower firewall and upper firewall due to the FFR spacer used. But the firewalls overlap inside the car so I never saw the gap. I had an epiphany and put a light in the car and could see it coming into the engine bay. I've been driving around with a 0.25" x 48" (12 sq in) hole in the firewall behind me! A lot of engine noise should be able to get through there even though it's not bad at the moment. I took my upper firewall out and added a leftover strip of half-moon seal to the bottom on the engine side. When I put it back in, that should seal the 1/4" gap to the lower firewall. I'm hoping that cuts down the engine noise even more in the interior. With that I should have no more significant gaps and be fully sealed off from the engine bay.

IMG_4954.jpg

[FFRWRX]

Thank you very much for pointing out the intercooler mounting....or lack of. The bracket on the passenger side of mine does not quite line up so I haven't bolted it down on that side. Since I haven't bolted it down on the other side either, it is just sort of floating on the hoses that connect it. I was wondering if that was OK. Now I know better.

One amusing thing. I removed the intercooler to redo the clutch line, and just put the intercooler in the trunk and of course forgot about it. I went to start the car to move it and it kept dying. Tried a number of times before looking behind me and saw the intercooler sitting in the trunk. Oops. I'm surprised the car actually started and ran (a little bit).

Rick

[mcamera]

On the passenger side, I bent the silver OEM bracket that attaches the intercooler to the trans to line up better. Just takes a long pipe and some gently prying.

IMG_4848.jpg

How far off could your MAF sensor be without the intercooler attached? 0 psi at the MAF vs slight vacuum at the manifold. Close enough haha. That is impressive that it ran.

[mcamera]

Sealing that long, thin gap under my firewall made a huge difference! More than I expected. There's less engine noise in the cabin now and the tone is nicely muffled. The car is becoming more refined. The 1/4" gap was between the silver and black firewall in the pic below. The seal I added is along the bottom of the black firewall, in between the 2 firewalls.

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I've wrapped a couple more console panels. I had 2 holes I wanted to fill so I used a little spackle and sanded them smooth which worked well. The interior is coming together with the carpet I cut for the foot wells. I've ordered another sheet of leather wrap to do the center of the console. The remaining panels will wait until winter when I take the seats out. I'm enjoying driving the car while the weather is nice

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I've been searching for cup holders and debating how I want to add them. I narrowed it down to these 2 styles. Both types will fit if I mount them in the center of my console in front of my shifter (for depth requirements to avoid the frame tubes). I can do 1 big cup holder that looks too big in my opinion or squeeze 2 small cup holders in a line. I've ordered the 2 small holders and will see if that works out. In the pics, the red ring is the lip of the cup holder that stays on top of the center console and the gray circle is the portion that will stick down into the console.

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[mcamera]

Email me at [email protected] if interested


Short Shifter
$20 (retail is $50)
93+ MR2 shift lever (standard on Zero Decibel Motorsports shifter)
https://primemr2.com/products/mr2-shift-lever-93

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Short Shifter for Factory Five plastic shifter
$40 (retail is $115)
2.5" height reduction / 35% throw reduction
https://www.torquesolution.com/product-p/ts-ss-019.htm

IMG_5022.jpg IMG_0864.jpg


Pressure Control Solenoid Valve
$50 (retail is $215)
From 2007 WRX
Fits many 2005-2008 vehicles including Forestor, Impreza, STI, WRX (see link for complete list of compatible vehicles)
https://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru_20...2084AE130.html

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Charcoal Canister Solenoid
$20

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[mcamera]

Driver Wiper
$20 (retail is $65)
Brand new, opened but never installed
Fits most 2004-2007 Impreza, WRX, and STI (check link for full list of vehicle compatibility)
https://parts.subaru.com/p/subaru__/...6532FE100.html

IMG_5028.jpg IMG_5029.jpg

[mcamera]

I finally turned off the last remaining light on my dash, the parking brake light. I couldn't figure out this weird "reverse circuit".

I had power at C7, but didn't know what do with B19.

Parking Brake Diagram.jpg

Then I found another diagram in the ABS section. It shows a light blue (Sb) wire completing the parking brake light circuit. I grounded that and my light finally turned off! I spliced it into the black w/ white stripe (BW) ground wire from the same connector to ground it permanently.

ABS Diagram.jpg IMG_5093.jpg

I still don't fully understand how this works. It looks like the reverse circuit keeps the light on when the circuit isn't grounded, and then turns the light off when it is grounded. But the reverse circuit has it's own constant ground? If anybody can explain it, I'd like to understand it better.


On another note, I noticed that my car was sitting really crooked. The passenger side looked low. So I measured around the car and found that the front passenger fender was 3/4" lower and the rear passenger fender was 1/2" lower. A large difference.

Ground to fender measurements:
FR 24-3/16"
FL 24-15/16"

RR 25-8/16"
RL 26"

Ground to frame measurements:
FR 4-5/16" (want 4.5" clearance, so this confirmed FR is low, instead of FL being high)
FL 4-9/16"

RR 4-3/16" (want 4.5" clearance, so this confirmed RR is low, instead of RL being high)
RL 4-6/16"

To get the body level I wanted the FR fender up 12/16", so I adjusted the FR spring up half of that (6/16") since it's closer to the LCA pivot point which worked well. I wanted the RR fender up 8/16", so I adjusted the RR spring up half of that (4/16").

The body is significantly more level now. After raising the passenger side though, my driver front fender also went up quite a bit. I have to lower the driver fender a 1/2" tonight. I confirmed the frame is at 4.75" on that corner now, so I want to lower the frame back to 4.5".

[mcamera]

My interior is coming together. I figured out a way to add a simple bluetooth radio for $50. There's no head unit so everything is hidden in the car. Part links and sound clip are below.

It's a bluetooth amp + 2 speakers. This setup can get really loud, but there isn't much bass due to the small 4" speakers. I only have them turned up about 1/3 of the way but might look at bigger speakers to improve the bass/sound quality now that I know I have space. I mounted the amp in my center console and tapped into the front accessory plug of the Subaru wiring harness for switched power (in pic below, Pin 1 = switched power / Pin 2 = ground). So the amp turns on/off with the key and doesn't drain my battery. It also connects automatically to my phone when I start the car. This model of amp has a chime for power and connecting to bluetooth but no foreign voice like a lot of the other cheap amps.
IMG_5030.jpg IMG_5031.jpg IMG_5048.jpg IMG_5055.jpg IMG_5066.jpg Front Accessory Wiring Schematic.jpg

Sound Clip
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxBnzqUe-...W9j_G8sAW4OMDe


I bought a generic Corolla shift boot and cut it shorter to work in my console. Actually a nice quality leather for $10. I also had just enough room for 2 small cup holders. My interior is getting a lot more comfy.

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$19 Bluetooth Amp
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XBF9GXW?...

$27 Pioneer Speakers
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9T0RJU?...

Leather Vinyl Wrap
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083JMG9CL?...

Cup Holders
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075TSXHTJ?...

Shifter Boot
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S68934W?...

[RPGs818SNA]

I still don't fully understand how this works. It looks like the reverse circuit keeps the light on when the circuit isn't grounded, and then turns the light off when it is grounded. But the reverse circuit has it's own constant ground? If anybody can explain it, I'd like to understand it better.

The "reverse circuit" works exactly as you describe. They use transistors to implement the function of course, but here's a crude relay version as an illustration.

Reverse Circuit.jpg

When the sensor wire is open, the relay is closed and the lamp lights with all 12 volts across it, except the 0.7 volts across the diode. When the sensor wire goes to ground, the 0.7 volts across the coil opens the relay and the lamp goes out. We have to assume the coil is sensitive enough to activate with 0.7 volts and has enough resistance to keep the current through it low enough so the lamp doesn't light. Such a relay may not exist, but you get the idea.

Thanks for sharing so many useful tips along your build journey.

RPG

[mcamera]

Thanks for the explanation RPG! That makes sense now. Your diagram is better than a box that just says "reverse circuit".

[mcamera]

Those 4" speakers did not impress me after a week. They played clearly but had no bass or depth to the sound. I bumped up to bigger, better, and somehow cheaper 6.5" speakers. Just one of those things where bigger is better. Here's a 1 minute comparison on my channel.




JVC 6.5" Speakers
https://a.co/d/e0VFQ5U

Made some simple aluminum brackets. The passenger side brackets are beefier 1/8" aluminum since I only mounted 2 points. The last pic shows how much clearance I still have with the dash on.

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[mikeb75]

For the gaps between the quarter-window and the rear bulkhead/firewall I wrapped a piece of balsa wood with excess headliner material, then I installed it in the hardtop in the black stripe of the window glass. Unfortunately, this is the best picture I have available of it:
WP_20170709_20_03_18_Pro.jpg

It makes a significant difference in both noise and heat when added to the FFR supplied rubber trim for sealing the engine bay.

[mcamera]

I put out a video last month showing how much my 818 cost to build over the last 2 years. I show all my costs and break them down into these categories: required, recommended, wanted, and not needed/applicable for every build. It's always fun to see what people think is worth their money. Enjoy!

[mcamera]

My 818 started to break up under full throttle a few weeks ago and I thought it might be a vacuum leak. So I also made a video on how to use a smoker to test for leaks.

[FFRWRX]

I put out a video last month showing how much my 818 cost to build over the last 2 years. I show all my costs and break them down into these categories: required, recommended, wanted, and not needed/applicable for every build. It's always fun to see what people think is worth their money. Enjoy!

That is excellent! Some people don't want to know how much they end up spending, or fool themselves into believing it it less than they actually spent. If you keep track of all the smaller items it can really add up.

Your cost for a very nice build is very realistic. Those that have a quick view of You tube videos (posted by people using the basic kit cost and nothing else, who have never built a car in their lives) think they can do it for $20k or less. My build isn't finished yet, but close. So I know what it will cost when completed. Converting Canadian $$ (where I am) to US $$, I am pretty close to where you are on cost. That is assuming I started from scratch, but I bought mine off someone else who started it and I did save a lot doing that.

And as for "what people think is worth their money", that is a funny one. I will make things myself to save a few $$ and then spend hundreds on something I could have made. Usually I'll make something that I think I can do better than what is available, or can't get the part quickly, or just for the fun/challenge of it. Defies logic at times.

Rick
ps. And thank you for posting. This part of the forum is dead these days.

[Dave 53]

Put me in the camp of not wanting to know what I've spend on my 818S. What I can say is turning it from a street car into a proper track car has added at least $5,000 and still going. I'm the process of installing a $800 LSD that isn't needed on the street but is a must have on track. The OMP Style seats look good and are very comfortable driving to the track, but they're marginal in long sweeping 1.3g turns. Just sent an email last night to someone local selling a properly supportive track car seat on Craigslist for $500. While I have a portable fire extinguisher, high on the to do list is a proper fire suppression system for about $500. It's a working track car, not a show car, so the scratched-up Gel Coat is fine - no need for paint or a wrap, so at least that saves several thousands of dollars. Could I have gotten a track prepped production car like an S2000 or M3 for less? Probably, but it's not the same in a way I can describe.

[mcamera]

That is excellent! Some people don't want to know how much they end up spending, or fool themselves into believing it it less than they actually spent. If you keep track of all the smaller items it can really add up.

Your cost for a very nice build is very realistic. Those that have a quick view of You tube videos (posted by people using the basic kit cost and nothing else, who have never built a car in their lives) think they can do it for $20k or less. My build isn't finished yet, but close. So I know what it will cost when completed. Converting Canadian $$ (where I am) to US $$, I am pretty close to where you are on cost. That is assuming I started from scratch, but I bought mine off someone else who started it and I did save a lot doing that.

And as for "what people think is worth their money", that is a funny one. I will make things myself to save a few $$ and then spend hundreds on something I could have made. Usually I'll make something that I think I can do better than what is available, or can't get the part quickly, or just for the fun/challenge of it. Defies logic at times.

Rick
ps. And thank you for posting. This part of the forum is dead these days.

Thanks Rick! I spent more than I planned but a lot of items came down to convenience and trying to keep yourself from doing it again a year later. I put $1000 into the water pump, timing belt, spark plugs, and reinforced oil pickup while the engine was out and easy to work on. But sure enough, 4 months after driving one of my ignition coils dies. I had them out to do the plugs early in my build, but didn't want to spend the extra $400 at the time. Not a big deal, but some items you only get to choose pay now or pay later.

It would be hard to build a car for $20k. You'd have to cut so many corners. Lots of compromises and I think you'd have to ignore maintenance.

I would have liked to do more custom projects for the car in certain areas, but I was afraid I would never finish the car if I stopped for every idea. I kept my focus on fully finishing "a car" and not trying to build "half of a dream car". I'm so happy I got to drive it around for a summer with less than 2 years of building.

Put me in the camp of not wanting to know what I've spend on my 818S. What I can say is turning it from a street car into a proper track car has added at least $5,000 and still going. I'm the process of installing a $800 LSD that isn't needed on the street but is a must have on track. The OMP Style seats look good and are very comfortable driving to the track, but they're marginal in long sweeping 1.3g turns. Just sent an email last night to someone local selling a properly supportive track car seat on Craigslist for $500. While I have a portable fire extinguisher, high on the to do list is a proper fire suppression system for about $500. It's a working track car, not a show car, so the scratched-up Gel Coat is fine - no need for paint or a wrap, so at least that saves several thousands of dollars. Could I have gotten a track prepped production car like an S2000 or M3 for less? Probably, but it's not the same in a way I can describe.

Reading through the build threads years ago, showed me how difficult/expensive it was to make these into track cars. It would be rewarding and a lot of fun but it was beyond the scope of my project/budget. These cars are really capable though so I hope once you get everything setup you have a blast out on the track! Agreed, you can buy a production car whenever you want. Have fun with your unique 818 as long as you enjoy it.

[mcamera]

Trying to solve my misfire issue under full throttle

[mcamera]

Monthly video update

[mcamera]

Bench test to see how well my sound insulation works

[mcamera]

I still see some 50 deg days in my weather forecast but I think my driving season is finally over. We're expecting a lot of rain and half way through December the temps can't stay this high for much longer in Kentucky. My wife's 69 Mustang is going into storage so I'll finally have room to work in my garage again. I have a laundry list of winter build items to do, but I want to do a few extra fun bits. I'm just not sure what yet. Is there anything you've done to your car that really impressed you or just made it more enjoyable?

Examples

- I have upgraded engine mounts because I really enjoyed the sharper steering and gas/brake inputs from a previous Acura RSX I had upgraded
- I have lightweight seats, wheels, and an aluminum gas tank for functional weight reduction to make the car more agile
- I have larger 8.5" wide rear wheels because that was the biggest I could fit with the stock trail arms for max grip

A few items I can think of that may be a fun upgrade:

- I'm strongly considering getting the car corner weighted in the spring. The handling is sharp and quick, but the front tires feel like they're a little on edge. I think my steering could inspire more confidence.
- The car likes to spin 1 wheel because it has an open diff. Not sure how difficult this is to install but would I even see an improvement on a street car? I think yes, but I have no experience in this area.
- Stiffer springs to reduce body roll (no current issues, but maybe it could be better?)
- 3 port boost controller / turbo upgrade / intercooler upgrade (I'm reluctant to go down this slippery slope and need bigger injectors, start stripping gears, need another tune, etc)
- Engine bay lighting

[Ajzride]

I didn't look back through your whole build thread, but if you have not done a duct to get the radiator heat flowing through the hood vents, that will make a mountain of difference in the summer.