A complete list of everything I bought to build my 818 Watch my build series to see everything that went into building my 818 • 818C Build Thanks for watching!
@@BigDanSubaru03 If I may, maybe there's an income-generating asset like a warehouse, commercial building, townhouse or condo that you could buy & amortize, that produces cash-flow beyond the payment of its own mortgage. Maybe the equity that it builds can help not only make the project feel reasonable, but finance the project, as well. *bows*
I'll have more driving footage in my next video. Video #18 and the Exhaust Sound Comp video in my build series both have a couple minutes of driving footage though if you haven't seen those yet. Thanks for the interest and suggestion! Video #18 th-cam.com/video/ile68VJnZCk/w-d-xo.html Exhaust Sound Comp th-cam.com/video/NKwjYSuEbNw/w-d-xo.html
Glad to help! The kit is a great starting point but none of the cars you see advertised are straight out of the box for $15k. There are a lot of areas that need improvement but that's half the fun of building what you want. Thanks for watching!
Faster and easier to paint, and more accurate paint lines when the pads scrape off the friction surface. Here's a video with some more detail. Yes I Painted My Brake Rotors th-cam.com/video/fGAycIUsjx4/w-d-xo.html
Excellent video. Thanks. It will help a lot of people understand what it actually will take, both in time and money. But what you've gotten out of this project is priceless. It looks great and must be a blast to drive!
Thank you! I could have just bought a nice car with that money, but I wanted to build one. That's one of the most difficult things to explain to people who say I wasted my time and money. I really enjoyed the project!
This was awesome! Good job building this ...came out terrific. I wanted to build one several years ago for dual purpose - Street/Track. Nothing better driving something different and light weight.
Excelent video. Didn't tell us his life story, stuck to the title subject. 30 images per second, 1000 words per image, adds up to lots of useful info. Excellent tips on how much of the kit you will want to improve. Suggestions: As someone who works in the aerospace industry, conversion coating the aluminum panels, priming them with a corrosion protective primer, & coating all exposed fiberglass with a moisture barriour primer. The 6061 aluminum is a weldable aluminum alloy that will corrode if left bare & exposed to moisture &/or road salt. The biggest threat to fiberglass panels is moisture that wicks in through any exposed fibreglass fibre. In cold weather the mositure freezes, expands & shatters the epoxy resin, turning it into a punky mess. Keeping the fiberglass fibres sealed makes them last much longer.
Thank you! It's a summer car that doesn't see rain, snow, or salt so that helps. Haven't seen any degradation yet in 3 years. Not even any popping from the fiberglass. I know some of the guys that leave near the ocean swear by shark hide or powder coating to help preserve their panels though. Because of the salinity in the air.
I highly COMMEND YOU on such an awesome display of STICKTOITIVENESS !!! I personally like and highly enjoy building cars the way I like them, not the way someone else likes them.
I was determined to finish the car since a lot of people go off on tangents and never get to actuality drive the car. But I did do some custom things in certain areas that I'm really glad I did (shifter and seats for example).
Excellent report! I followed Dave Smith and his brother since day_1 of FFR. Now at 72, life never slowed down enough for me to find the time to build one.... yet? Medical issues may force me into a 900 mile C6 coupe. But an LS2 powered Hot Rod would be my first choice. We'll see. Excellent build, very clean! I totally agree with as many new parts as possible/practical, and upgraded where possible. You should be very proud of that one! 10:10!! Happy motoring!! 8) --gary
Thanks Gary! You can't go wrong with a C6! I'm glad I started building when I did. Moved from Michigan to Kentucky, got married, and have a baby coming in June. My time is starting to disappear too! Good luck on your buy or build!
I was contemplating buying one of these but at the time didnt have a place to work on it. For the same price you completed yours I ended up a 997. I really believe with the discontinuation of this kit they are missing out on the younger people who dont want a cobra or daytona. I wish they would make a single donor kit for a NC miata to make it like the local motors street fighter or something like the elfin t5 club sport or superformace s1. Something that's a more modern interpretation of a lotus 7. Especially considering how expensive even the cheapest caterham is.
The 818 is a great foundation and more than an exo skeleton car, but not quite production car quality. I have a friend with a DF Goblin and I crush him at autocross now despite him being a lighter car with an equally strong supercharged cobalt engine and stickier tires. Something I've learned with this car is how important the setup is. My car performed in the bottom 20% when I started autocross. Only recently have I gotten into the top 20% with a couple upgrades and a lot of setup changes. Depends what you want to use your car for, but these hand built cars take some development even after they're finished being built.
I started building my car in Auburn Hills before I moved to Lexington, KY. I know there are a handful of guys in that area who have an 818. I've only seen 1 other 818 in the wild though!
It's an experience like no other. Hoping to hold onto mine for a long time but I do miss the fun of building a car. If I'm lucky I'll do just as good as you. But I'm still enjoying the performance and attention!
Great video, thanks for sharing the real life cost break down and length of time it may really take to bring it to life. Amazing work on your car and great choice on color as well.👍
Thank you. It would be really difficult to do this car for $15k like they advertised and if you did, the car wouldn't be impressive. Old Subaru seats, skinny wheels/tires, big steering wheel, terrible Factory Five shifter, ignore all maintenance, don't paint anything, etc. I actually didn't paint the car which is why it's not included in the cost. The body panels come in that red gelcoat so it's not a show car finish. If you wanted to paint it add another ~$8k!
Sorry to say that Factory Five have ceased production of the 818 in favour of their more expensive and lucrative models like the Daytona Coupe and Cobra. They cited staffing problems due to COVID limiting the output of what should have been their most popular kit!
Nice build. Nicest coup I've sees so far. Glad to see someone build the Coup instead of the convertible. This is the car I wanted to build when I retired with the 2.3 Ford engine until FFR stopped building the kit. I'm retired now and would love to find someone who has one they haven't finished or maybe even one that I could tear down and build it my way.
Thank you. Every once in awhile a half built car goes up for sale. It's a big project that many people don't complete. If you check the Factory Five forums there may be a few per year that get listed for sale. Finished or half built.
That would be a fun build. I really enjoyed my build, I would do another kit in a few years. Maybe a Cobra like I planned on doing before I discovered the 818.
Cool things about kit cars is that you know how to fix it once you're done building it. Would be nice if a K24 would fit. Or put a VW TDI and get 60 MPG?
You do know everything about the car, including every imperfection. A couple people have modified the car to fit a K Series. Definitely a more awkward layout for this kit but possible. I know the Subaru engines aren't loved by everybody but they're a compact, potent turbo engine for cheap. A great match for this car unless you're doing some serious racing. I prefer speed over mileage but a TDI would be cool!
Glad you switched to Romraider, Cobb has fooled a generation of owners into thinking they're the only game in town, in reality some of the Accessport features were taken from Romraider (no-lift shifting).
Cobb is easy to use but they've removed a lot of functions. I'm glad I was able to find a tuner 30 minutes from me that could use RomRaider because it's fairly complicated but does a great job.
It's a shame that the manufacturer decided to cease production of this kit to concentrate on their more expensive, thus, more lucrative models! BTW: The chassis used in this kit must have been one of the last to use round tube as, before stopping production, Factory Five changed it all to square section tube to save costs.
Yeah I'm guessing the other models sell better. Was kind of hoping they would launch a new gen of the 818 but I haven't seen anything. Most people would rather have a V8. My chassis is almost all square tubing. Only a couple round tubes for the roll over bar
Awesome video. Wanted to build one since they released it.. grimmspeed shift knob!! Love it, got the stubby in my fiesta. You did a great job on the finished look of the car for that money! Have you had it on a scale yet?
Thank you! Same here, it took me 7 years to finally decide to build one. I just had it on a scale a couple weeks ago. Video for that is here: th-cam.com/video/HiadFOpdb58/w-d-xo.html
If your time is worth anything it never makes sense. But if you enjoy the experience, great. I built the first Ultimate twin turbo GTR in the USA circa 2000. $332,000 in parts and a solid year of my time and another $50k in machine and sheet metal equipment.
That's been a popular comment on here. People are surprised that a build it yourself kit car... takes time to build. But I chose it specifically because I wanted a fun project. Not to just buy/drive another common car. Building has been a great experience and it's even helped me professionally as a Senior Engineer at Toyota. I never intended to build the cheapest car, worry about how many hours I was having fun, or my resale value. That's a hell of a GTR build! I've seen some of the Cobras, GTM's, SLC builds get over $100k but not many near $400k. Do you think that build would be any easier/cheaper now 24 years later?
I would very slightly rework the body to get better airflow around the car because right now the fenders look like they interrupt airflow a bit. I would get a bit of bond-o and try to smooth them out for better efficiency. My personal suggestion but you may keep what you have as the job itself is kind of hard to do.
Smoothing things out could improve airflow but I prefer the sharper more dramatic contours. This was my first time doing body work too so I tried to keep things simple.
Appreciate the breakdown, you made me think about some of the smaller things that I would want to do when i purchase the kit. Also where did you purchase the donor kit. I am thinking i would want the engine and transmission and then source almost everything else after market...
Glad to help! I bought the donor kit from Very Cool Parts. Buying things new could save you a lot of time. I put a lot of effort into cleaning/painting old parts, and still had to replace a few things.
@@mikecamera818 Also if you want to lower the heat and operation noise of that engine definitely give some Amsoil Signature series a try in that engine.
Great job on the video. Welcome to reality. I unfortunately know a lot about building cars rather than buying them. After my experience, I would get a used Boxster or Cayman and be on the road the next day. Instead of a Cobra, I would get a Mustang convertible. Instead of the Daytona, a C3 Corvette.
I wanted a project and thought I could learn a lot by building a car. No replacement for the experience. There are a bunch of great cars you can just buy but this one truly feels unique to me. I love it.
That would be awesome. It would give you a better power to weight than a 630hp Lamborghini Hurucan! My 275hp already breaks my 8.5" wide tires loose easily. I can't imagine another 100hp.
Thanks man! It has power windows but the design is terrible and they don't seal well. I don't drive with them up on the highway because the wind can pry them out of alignment. The doors in general are the most frustrating part of the build.
Very nice build. Now you must get to know her. Break her in right. Take her to track day at Road Atlanta. To get there you must concour the Tail Of The Dragon 🐉 in Deals Gap. Then cross the Great Smokey Mountains.
I bought a Type 65 from FFR 8 years ago and spent 50k, only to find out I couldn’t drive it the way it should be driven, I’m 6’3” and my knees where in the steering wheel, and my size 13 foot could drive it with shoes,
I've only sat in an 818 but it's a small car and I'm only 5'9". I chose bigger racing seats to be comfy but wish I had gotten thinner seats to improve leg and head room. The roll bar is also shorter than expected.
cool video, and here's some film making tips 1) look into what "bridging the cut" is. Usually starting the audio a half second or so before the video cuts will help bridge (but look at more detailed explanations to perfect it) 2) get LOTS of B-roll footage :) it'll help cover some bad cuts, and add more visual interest :) I think you could go far :)
I followed your audio advice for my latest video. I think it helped things flow better. There's always room for improvement though. Check it out if you're interested. th-cam.com/video/UlCdqDKlYg8/w-d-xo.html
The Subaru engine is plenty potent but a turbo K would be awesome. I supercharged the K20 in my old RSX. That thing would be a monster in this car too.
@@mikecamera818 oh yeah it would make plenty of power for the car I just have a biased opinion from a bad Subaru experience. Let's just say head gaskets were involved 😂
Yeah to me, even though I don't have any money, I would rather buy new parts meant for a WRX than a donor car/pallet. Engine and tranny are the only things I would buy used. And Engine would probably cleaned up and replace basic things like plugs and wires unless its a coil pack engine (idk Subaru) and anything that will need servicing soonish based on engine mileage/age. May take longer to build due to money flow but I would get what I want with parts under warranty. To me that is part of building a kit car is making it your car and not a by the book kit.
It's not a bad idea. I spent a decent amount of time/money cleaning and painting most of the donor parts. Buying them new would be nice. Especially the suspension parts that were difficult to pull apart. I did basic maintenance like plugs and water pump. I didn't do the ignition coils and sure enough 1 died after driving 1000 miles. No big deal to do those with the engine in though. I did venture off from the build instructions in several areas and it added a lot of time to my build, but I really like how it all turned out. Cheers!
Hello I live in Dawson County and own property less than a mile from AMP. I am building a 944 Turbo with an LS3 swap. I would love to talk about your experiences and run at AMP and Road Atlanta with you. I am a member with CHIN for track days and have a friend that is a member of AMP. Lets go
Hey Daniel, can't go wrong with an LS swap! I live in Kentucky so I'm not local to Atlanta. I built my car more for the street. Most the guys that build these for the track at least add a dry sump system. These Subaru engines don't seem well suited for heavy track use without some fortifying. I also don't have a truck or trailer lol.
Yes with black caliper paint. After driving a few miles the pads scraped off the paint on the braking surface, leaving the rest of the rotor coated in black instead of letting it turn rusty. More accurate than trying to tape off just the braking surface.
You can patch the fiberglass panels or order replacements from Factory Five. You can cut out and weld in new tubing for the frame if it gets damaged. It's standard steel square tubing. The nose of the frame is a separate piece that you can order a replacement from Factory Five if you get in a front end collision. They designed it to be separate and replaceable for this reason. If you get rear ended things can get tricky though. The transmission sits a couple inches behind the rear bumper and could get shoved forward into the framing behind the seats. There's not a lot of framing from the rear wheels to the rear bumper.
I painted the whole rotor with black caliper paint and then let the brake pads scrub the paint off the braking surface. Leaving the rest of the rotor black and not rusty. No issues doing this and more accurate than trying to tape off just the braking surface. Thanks!
@@mikecamera818 my absolute dream car is a Daytona coupe r unfortunately there are only 6 in the world so I'll never own one but ffr has a beautiful Daytona coupe project I will build one day.
It wasn't a hard process once I found the right person to help. The county clerks offices (Lexington and Frankfort) didn't know what to do. I had to contact the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for directions and to apply for a new VIN number. Then contact the county sheriff to come inspect the car which took 2 min. The Sheriff gave me a signed paper so I could get a title, registration, and plates. Since I built my car with used parts I had to apply for a rebuilt title.
is there not a timing chain kit for the wrx? and always try to get a donor car. you can donate what's left to a charity and get a tax break, or part it out and make all your money back, eventually. that takes a while.
I did a timing belt kit, shown at 3:49. Used this kit www.fastwrx.com/products/oem-quality-timing-belt-kit-with-water-pump-2006-2007-wrx-2004-2021-sti-2004-2007-forester- I started building my car in a 1 car garage condo in Michigan. I didn't have the space or time (half the year is winter) to work on a donor car. I paid a little more for a donor pallet but it worked well for my situation. Would have done a donor car if I had a bigger garage!
@mikecamera818 yes I see that. Timing belts are ticking time bombs. Timing chains don't deteriorate over time like rubber belts do.... ultimately it doesn't matter. 818s are a waste of time and money. you can just get a boxster or cayman used for less than half what you'd spend building the 818, and the porsche won't try to kill you in a wreck like the 818 will.
F-Type is a good choice. Lots of good car options at this price point. I really wanted a unique project to spend time on and learn more. This was the perfect project for me.
We'll see how the vinyl holds up. Leather could be a good replacement if I have issues. I keep finding things to improve or work on and the car is a blast to drive!
The boxer is what the kit was designed to use but I've seen some people modify the car to use a Honda K or even a rotary engine. I had no experience with Subarus until this car. Everything works great just hoping the reliability is there. Helps that this won't be a heavily tracked car.
MIke - have you considered AC? I guess it depends on the need, and if this is mainly a track car. A system from Vintage Air could probably be fitted to aid in some comfort, again just based on need. Great build. New sub here.
Glad to have you thanks for subbing! Several people have added AC to their 818, but I decided not to for a few reasons. 1) It was an added cost and I was already over budget 2) The 818 instructions said to mount several fuse boxes behind the rear firewall/above the gas tank, but those instructions were meant for the 1st gen which had space there. My 2nd gen has a redesigned firewall/gas tank with no space there, so I relocated my fuse boxes to under my passenger side dash. I don't think the vintage air unit would fit with all the wiring I currently have under my dash. 3) Added complexity/build time. A lot of people never finish building their car or take 5+ years to do it. I was determined to finish "a car", rather than build half of the "ultimate car". Glad I kept things simple because I got to enjoy last summer driving my 818, with less than 2 years of building :) 4) AC would be nice, but it's not bad driving in the summer without it. On days over 90F it becomes questionable, but the car is cool sitting in my garage when I take it out. It may get warm sitting in a parking lot, but the drive home usually isn't bad. The hardtop keeps the sun off me, and I insulated the cabin to fight off the heat from the hot asphalt and engine.
@@mikecamera818 Makes sense. Good on you for having in mind the time it takes to build and finish the project so you can enjoy it. It can be a slippery slope of "just one more thing". Nicely done. Once my Wagoneer is done, I'm likely to tackle a FF 65 Daytona build .
I am very surprised you didn't install a baffled oil pan. Soobies are forever blowing engines because of oil starvation caused by lateral Gs Edit: video came as a recommend. Then I looked at the channel. I see you've done this. Good call😁👍🏻
I was originally just making a street car so I left the stock oil pan on. I did upgrade the oil pickup which is known to break and cause oil starvation though. Did some autocross like that with no problems but I'm moving to stickier tires this year and thought it was a good time to do a baffled oil pan as you saw!
I have several driving clips in my other videos if you check out my channel. The best / shortest one is probably this link. th-cam.com/video/NKwjYSuEbNw/w-d-xo.html
@@mikecamera818 I'll take a look. I went to your channel's video list and found the donuts one. I''d like to hear it start & then do some road running. Do you have the very first startup? Again, great job on the build and lists of parts.
If you build the kit 100% by the book for about $20k, it's really far off from a supercar. For $50k, you can make these faster around the track than a supercar. They're very capable if done right.
You made the video that I will never make. Both because I don't even want to know and because my wife would probably kill me. Lol
It was higher than I thought lol. Luckily my wife comes from a family of car people, so she's not surprised.
@@mikecamera818 that's definitely a huge help. Mine is just very supportive and she knows this was my dream project.
@@BigDanSubaru03 If I may, maybe there's an income-generating asset like a warehouse, commercial building, townhouse or condo that you could buy & amortize, that produces cash-flow beyond the payment of its own mortgage. Maybe the equity that it builds can help not only make the project feel reasonable, but finance the project, as well. *bows*
@@William.Driscoll perhaps in the future, yes
Lesbian relationship = my wife will kill me
Would love to have a 20-30 minute video of you driving this puppy around! Maybe hit some twisties with a few camera angles?
I'll have more driving footage in my next video. Video #18 and the Exhaust Sound Comp video in my build series both have a couple minutes of driving footage though if you haven't seen those yet. Thanks for the interest and suggestion!
Video #18
th-cam.com/video/ile68VJnZCk/w-d-xo.html
Exhaust Sound Comp
th-cam.com/video/NKwjYSuEbNw/w-d-xo.html
I REALLY appreciate your honest review of what you did and what you spent. You shared some GREAT ideas and products. Thank you!
Glad to help! The kit is a great starting point but none of the cars you see advertised are straight out of the box for $15k. There are a lot of areas that need improvement but that's half the fun of building what you want. Thanks for watching!
Outstanding workmanship and pride!!! Thanks for being so transparent with your build. Greatly appreciated!!!
Thank you! Hopefully it'll help some people decide if building an 818 is right for them.
Very happy for you Mike! This was an awesome build to watch these past few years
I appreciate that! Let's be honest, it'll be a never ending project
Amazing production and organization in this video. Really good.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Prepare to educate me. This is teachable moment for me. I've heard of painting rotors excluding the friction surface; this is a new one to me.
Faster and easier to paint, and more accurate paint lines when the pads scrape off the friction surface. Here's a video with some more detail.
Yes I Painted My Brake Rotors
th-cam.com/video/fGAycIUsjx4/w-d-xo.html
Excellent video. Thanks. It will help a lot of people understand what it actually will take, both in time and money. But what you've gotten out of this project is priceless. It looks great and must be a blast to drive!
Thank you! I could have just bought a nice car with that money, but I wanted to build one. That's one of the most difficult things to explain to people who say I wasted my time and money. I really enjoyed the project!
This was awesome! Good job building this ...came out terrific. I wanted to build one several years ago for dual purpose - Street/Track. Nothing better driving something different and light weight.
Thanks! It took me several years before I was ready to take on this project. It was a fun experience.
Very meticulous part by part and price by price listing. Kudos to you what you did. The video is a very important manual for an 818 builder!
Thank you! It's easy to let your spending get out of control. Have to keep your goal in mind or you'll spend double!
Excelent video. Didn't tell us his life story, stuck to the title subject. 30 images per second, 1000 words per image, adds up to lots of useful info. Excellent tips on how much of the kit you will want to improve.
Suggestions: As someone who works in the aerospace industry, conversion coating the aluminum panels, priming them with a corrosion protective primer, & coating all exposed fiberglass with a moisture barriour primer. The 6061 aluminum is a weldable aluminum alloy that will corrode if left bare & exposed to moisture &/or road salt. The biggest threat to fiberglass panels is moisture that wicks in through any exposed fibreglass fibre. In cold weather the mositure freezes, expands & shatters the epoxy resin, turning it into a punky mess. Keeping the fiberglass fibres sealed makes them last much longer.
Thank you! It's a summer car that doesn't see rain, snow, or salt so that helps. Haven't seen any degradation yet in 3 years. Not even any popping from the fiberglass. I know some of the guys that leave near the ocean swear by shark hide or powder coating to help preserve their panels though. Because of the salinity in the air.
This is exactly how I want these videos. Right to the point. No extra fluff to add minutes to get that ad revenue.
My videos are all relatively short because I also hate watching somebody talk for 5 minutes without the video progressing.
Ran into you this afternoon, thanks for stopping and letting me look! Awesome build man!
Thanks it was nice talking to you! I know you had to run, so if you want to meet up and talk cars again let me know.
mikejcamera@gmail.com
I've been thinking about getting an 818 for a while now. I want a new project car and it was nice to see your honest cost breakdown.
It took me 7 years of wishing before I decided to do it. It was a really fun project. Took longer than the 500hrs Factory Five claims though.
You presented the information in a Most Excellent manner! All of us appreciate your effort to do so!
Thank you. I hope it was useful!
I highly COMMEND YOU on such an awesome display of STICKTOITIVENESS !!!
I personally like and highly enjoy building cars the way I like them, not the way someone else likes them.
I was determined to finish the car since a lot of people go off on tangents and never get to actuality drive the car. But I did do some custom things in certain areas that I'm really glad I did (shifter and seats for example).
Stellar job! Interior is fantastic and great idea with the black rivets!
Thank you! I'm still happy with my choices years later!
Thanks!
Excellent report! I followed Dave Smith and his brother since day_1 of FFR. Now at 72, life never slowed down enough for me to find the time to build one.... yet? Medical issues may force me into a 900 mile C6 coupe. But an LS2 powered Hot Rod would be my first choice. We'll see. Excellent build, very clean! I totally agree with as many new parts as possible/practical, and upgraded where possible. You should be very proud of that one! 10:10!! Happy motoring!! 8) --gary
Thanks Gary! You can't go wrong with a C6! I'm glad I started building when I did. Moved from Michigan to Kentucky, got married, and have a baby coming in June. My time is starting to disappear too! Good luck on your buy or build!
Amazing! Thank you very much for sharing your build experience and wisdom.
Thanks! Happy to share my experience!
Very well explained. Good job. Also, keeping the music in the background at low volume is what every video should have. 👍
Thank you. This video took a lot of editing so I'm glad you liked it.
I was contemplating buying one of these but at the time didnt have a place to work on it. For the same price you completed yours I ended up a 997. I really believe with the discontinuation of this kit they are missing out on the younger people who dont want a cobra or daytona. I wish they would make a single donor kit for a NC miata to make it like the local motors street fighter or something like the elfin t5 club sport or superformace s1. Something that's a more modern interpretation of a lotus 7. Especially considering how expensive even the cheapest caterham is.
The 818 is a great foundation and more than an exo skeleton car, but not quite production car quality. I have a friend with a DF Goblin and I crush him at autocross now despite him being a lighter car with an equally strong supercharged cobalt engine and stickier tires.
Something I've learned with this car is how important the setup is. My car performed in the bottom 20% when I started autocross. Only recently have I gotten into the top 20% with a couple upgrades and a lot of setup changes. Depends what you want to use your car for, but these hand built cars take some development even after they're finished being built.
@@mikecamera818 I feel like they are missing out since they no longer make the 818 anymore. Need a replacement.
What an awesome, comprehensivelook at actual costs for this project. Great work BY THE WAY- It looks killer!
Thank you! Thought I'd share actual costs for other people considering these cars.
Oh nicely done. This kit is a dream car of mine, so your posing was most appreciated.
Same, it took me 7 years of dreaming before I started building it. I hope the video helped!
Excellent, just last weekend I saw an 818 convertible at the Frankenmuth (Mi.) Auto Show. very cool car and for the money outstanding.
I started building my car in Auburn Hills before I moved to Lexington, KY. I know there are a handful of guys in that area who have an 818. I've only seen 1 other 818 in the wild though!
Pretty cool project, glad to see you took the time to do it right and took care of small mechanical things rather than rushing it! 👍
Thanks! It was worth the time to change the things I did. I'm happy with how the car turned out.
@@mikecamera818 It definitely turned out to be a great ride! 👍
Mike, thanks for the great videos. I plan on ordering a kit next year.
It's a fun project, I hope you enjoy your build!
You did an amazing job! I just don’t have the patience for that kind of project. Enjoy!
Thank you! It took a lot longer than I expected but it was a great project.
Car looks great !!!! You did a fantastic job.
I appreciate that! It's been a rewarding project.
I built a very early 818S then made it an 818C, lots of fun building, fun driving 5,000 miles, then sold it for cash spent. All good. I miss it!
It's an experience like no other. Hoping to hold onto mine for a long time but I do miss the fun of building a car. If I'm lucky I'll do just as good as you. But I'm still enjoying the performance and attention!
Cool project. Good on you for getting at it & polishing it off. I'm stoked to see your montage, here; Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you! It took longer than expected but I'm happy with the choices I made.
Excellent documentation...
Thank you! It's hard to tell what you're getting into when you start building a kit car.
Great video, thanks for sharing the real life cost break down and length of time it may really take to bring it to life. Amazing work on your car and great choice on color as well.👍
Thank you. It would be really difficult to do this car for $15k like they advertised and if you did, the car wouldn't be impressive. Old Subaru seats, skinny wheels/tires, big steering wheel, terrible Factory Five shifter, ignore all maintenance, don't paint anything, etc.
I actually didn't paint the car which is why it's not included in the cost. The body panels come in that red gelcoat so it's not a show car finish. If you wanted to paint it add another ~$8k!
You are awesome. I can barely get the engine out of my mr2. Sweet whip.
Thank you! I'd imagine an MR2 has a pretty tight working space.
Extremely Impressive work and results!
Thank you!
A fan of the car but not the processes. Where I am currently in life might make sense to save up and get a 718 caymen s. Thanks for sharing.
A Cayman is a solid car and probably the closest thing to this. I enjoyed the project but it took a lot of work.
Great job and great run down!
Thanks! Cost is one of the biggest questions when going down the kit car path.
@@mikecamera818 A very comprehensive run down and very much appreciated. I've been looking at an 818 or a GTM but prices start to creep quickly there!
Well edited and honest review of a very thorough and well built 818. Great job on both the vid and the beautiful 818.
I appreciate that! It was a lot of work!
I could not have said the compliment better myself.
Really nice work. A definite learning experience.
Thank you! It was a big project that I learned a lot on. Took longer than I expected at 2000hrs.
Really great looking car and a very organized video. Thank you!
I appreciate it! Hoping to help some future builders with their choices!
Sorry to say that Factory Five have ceased production of the 818 in favour of their more expensive and lucrative models like the Daytona Coupe and Cobra. They cited staffing problems due to COVID limiting the output of what should have been their most popular kit!
This was one great to the point breakdown on cost ! Nice job on your car and this video.
Thank you, that's awesome to hear! I put a lot of effort into both. I appreciate it!
Nice build. Nicest coup I've sees so far. Glad to see someone build the Coup instead of the convertible. This is the car I wanted to build when I retired with the 2.3 Ford engine until FFR stopped building the kit. I'm retired now and would love to find someone who has one they haven't finished or maybe even one that I could tear down and build it my way.
Thank you. Every once in awhile a half built car goes up for sale. It's a big project that many people don't complete. If you check the Factory Five forums there may be a few per year that get listed for sale. Finished or half built.
Dude that thing looks incredible!
Thanks! It gets a lot of attention wherever I take it out. I still love the way it looks!
Great job! Love your attention to detail.
Thank you! It took a lot of time to get it the way I liked.
I have always wanted to build a custom car kit. I believe I'll start cheap. Meyers Manx sounds about right.
That would be a fun build. I really enjoyed my build, I would do another kit in a few years. Maybe a Cobra like I planned on doing before I discovered the 818.
Cool video Mike and great build.
Thanks I appreciate it!
Outstanding video. Outstanding car. Great job!
Thank you!
I really wanna build one of these with a Honda k24. Great build!
I like how much torque the EJ25 has on the street, but the K24 would be awesome for tracking / reliability!
Very good summary. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you! I thought it would be helpful for future builders.
Cool things about kit cars is that you know how to fix it once you're done building it. Would be nice if a K24 would fit. Or put a VW TDI and get 60 MPG?
You do know everything about the car, including every imperfection. A couple people have modified the car to fit a K Series. Definitely a more awkward layout for this kit but possible. I know the Subaru engines aren't loved by everybody but they're a compact, potent turbo engine for cheap. A great match for this car unless you're doing some serious racing. I prefer speed over mileage but a TDI would be cool!
Nicely done mate
Thanks!
Glad you switched to Romraider, Cobb has fooled a generation of owners into thinking they're the only game in town, in reality some of the Accessport features were taken from Romraider (no-lift shifting).
Cobb is easy to use but they've removed a lot of functions. I'm glad I was able to find a tuner 30 minutes from me that could use RomRaider because it's fairly complicated but does a great job.
This is a well done video.
I appreciate that!
Great build, wish they still offered this kit...
Thanks! Yeah it would be cool if they launched a new gen or mid engine car to replace it.
that is a beautiful job! well done.
Thank you! Cheers!
Cool video, good info. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
awesome car mike! You should delete your ball joints, never replace the dangerous things again!
Thank you! I didn't even know that was a thing. Cool concept.
It's a shame that the manufacturer decided to cease production of this kit to concentrate on their more expensive, thus, more lucrative models!
BTW: The chassis used in this kit must have been one of the last to use round tube as, before stopping production, Factory Five changed it all to square section tube to save costs.
Yeah I'm guessing the other models sell better. Was kind of hoping they would launch a new gen of the 818 but I haven't seen anything. Most people would rather have a V8.
My chassis is almost all square tubing. Only a couple round tubes for the roll over bar
Very nice honest video
Thank you! Hoping there's some helpful info in there.
nicely done
Thank you!
im confused why did you paint your brake rotors wouldn't the paint be scraped off?
Yes, the pad will rub the paint off of the contact surface, but everything else will stay black instead of turning rusty.
cool
Build came out great!
Thanks Shawn! I hope yours is going well too!
Nice build!👍
Thank you!
Awesome video. Wanted to build one since they released it.. grimmspeed shift knob!! Love it, got the stubby in my fiesta. You did a great job on the finished look of the car for that money! Have you had it on a scale yet?
Thank you! Same here, it took me 7 years to finally decide to build one. I just had it on a scale a couple weeks ago. Video for that is here:
th-cam.com/video/HiadFOpdb58/w-d-xo.html
@@mikecamera818 saw it, super cool!
If your time is worth anything it never makes sense. But if you enjoy the experience, great. I built the first Ultimate twin turbo GTR in the USA circa 2000. $332,000 in parts and a solid year of my time and another $50k in machine and sheet metal equipment.
That's been a popular comment on here. People are surprised that a build it yourself kit car... takes time to build. But I chose it specifically because I wanted a fun project. Not to just buy/drive another common car. Building has been a great experience and it's even helped me professionally as a Senior Engineer at Toyota. I never intended to build the cheapest car, worry about how many hours I was having fun, or my resale value.
That's a hell of a GTR build! I've seen some of the Cobras, GTM's, SLC builds get over $100k but not many near $400k. Do you think that build would be any easier/cheaper now 24 years later?
I would very slightly rework the body to get better airflow around the car because right now the fenders look like they interrupt airflow a bit. I would get a bit of bond-o and try to smooth them out for better efficiency. My personal suggestion but you may keep what you have as the job itself is kind of hard to do.
Smoothing things out could improve airflow but I prefer the sharper more dramatic contours. This was my first time doing body work too so I tried to keep things simple.
@@mikecamera818 ah, I see. But the body lines do look good stock.
Appreciate the breakdown, you made me think about some of the smaller things that I would want to do when i purchase the kit. Also where did you purchase the donor kit. I am thinking i would want the engine and transmission and then source almost everything else after market...
Glad to help! I bought the donor kit from Very Cool Parts. Buying things new could save you a lot of time. I put a lot of effort into cleaning/painting old parts, and still had to replace a few things.
@@mikecamera818 Also if you want to lower the heat and operation noise of that engine definitely give some Amsoil Signature series a try in that engine.
Great job on the video. Welcome to reality. I unfortunately know a lot about building cars rather than buying them. After my experience, I would get a used Boxster or Cayman and be on the road the next day. Instead of a Cobra, I would get a Mustang convertible. Instead of the Daytona, a C3 Corvette.
I wanted a project and thought I could learn a lot by building a car. No replacement for the experience. There are a bunch of great cars you can just buy but this one truly feels unique to me. I love it.
As a Mercedes fan. I would drop a 45AMG DriveTrain in this
That would be awesome. It would give you a better power to weight than a 630hp Lamborghini Hurucan! My 275hp already breaks my 8.5" wide tires loose easily. I can't imagine another 100hp.
Nice build, I built the roadster with no donor.
Thanks. I wanted to build a roadster before I found the 818 kit. Both are cool cars.
Love your car Bro ! Does it have windows and do they work ? Thanks for sharing.
Thanks man! It has power windows but the design is terrible and they don't seal well. I don't drive with them up on the highway because the wind can pry them out of alignment. The doors in general are the most frustrating part of the build.
Very nice build. Now you must get to know her. Break her in right. Take her to track day at Road Atlanta. To get there you must concour the Tail Of The Dragon 🐉 in Deals Gap. Then cross the Great Smokey Mountains.
That would be one hell of a cool drive! I've never been through the Tail of the Dragon before. I need to get out there.
“Basic hand tools” Technically, you can build a house with a hammer nails and a hand saw. Yeah, ok
I ended up buying several new tools to help, but I didn't need to weld or fabricate anything to complete the car
I bought a Type 65 from FFR 8 years ago and spent 50k, only to find out I couldn’t drive it the way it should be driven,
I’m 6’3” and my knees where in the steering wheel, and my size 13 foot could drive it with shoes,
I've only sat in an 818 but it's a small car and I'm only 5'9". I chose bigger racing seats to be comfy but wish I had gotten thinner seats to improve leg and head room. The roll bar is also shorter than expected.
cool video, and here's some film making tips
1) look into what "bridging the cut" is. Usually starting the audio a half second or so before the video cuts will help bridge (but look at more detailed explanations to perfect it)
2) get LOTS of B-roll footage :) it'll help cover some bad cuts, and add more visual interest :)
I think you could go far :)
Thanks! I've started playing around with editing more so I'll give these a shot.
@@mikecamera818 good luck :)
I followed your audio advice for my latest video. I think it helped things flow better. There's always room for improvement though. Check it out if you're interested.
th-cam.com/video/UlCdqDKlYg8/w-d-xo.html
@@mikecamera818 I'm glad if you think it helped :) I'll check it out some time :)
Nice Job great video on your FFR 818 build
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
I love everything about these cars except the Subaru engine. A nice k series with a turbo would be real sweet in there
The Subaru engine is plenty potent but a turbo K would be awesome. I supercharged the K20 in my old RSX. That thing would be a monster in this car too.
@@mikecamera818 oh yeah it would make plenty of power for the car I just have a biased opinion from a bad Subaru experience. Let's just say head gaskets were involved 😂
Yeah to me, even though I don't have any money, I would rather buy new parts meant for a WRX than a donor car/pallet. Engine and tranny are the only things I would buy used. And Engine would probably cleaned up and replace basic things like plugs and wires unless its a coil pack engine (idk Subaru) and anything that will need servicing soonish based on engine mileage/age. May take longer to build due to money flow but I would get what I want with parts under warranty. To me that is part of building a kit car is making it your car and not a by the book kit.
It's not a bad idea. I spent a decent amount of time/money cleaning and painting most of the donor parts. Buying them new would be nice. Especially the suspension parts that were difficult to pull apart. I did basic maintenance like plugs and water pump. I didn't do the ignition coils and sure enough 1 died after driving 1000 miles. No big deal to do those with the engine in though. I did venture off from the build instructions in several areas and it added a lot of time to my build, but I really like how it all turned out. Cheers!
Hello I live in Dawson County and own property less than a mile from AMP. I am building a 944 Turbo with an LS3 swap. I would love to talk about your experiences and run at AMP and Road Atlanta with you. I am a member with CHIN for track days and have a friend that is a member of AMP. Lets go
Hey Daniel, can't go wrong with an LS swap! I live in Kentucky so I'm not local to Atlanta. I built my car more for the street. Most the guys that build these for the track at least add a dry sump system. These Subaru engines don't seem well suited for heavy track use without some fortifying. I also don't have a truck or trailer lol.
Did you paint the braking surface of your brake rotors 😵
Yes with black caliper paint. After driving a few miles the pads scraped off the paint on the braking surface, leaving the rest of the rotor coated in black instead of letting it turn rusty. More accurate than trying to tape off just the braking surface.
Cool build. If you get in a fender bender how do you replace a fender or bumper? Is a tube chassis repairable after an accident?
You can patch the fiberglass panels or order replacements from Factory Five. You can cut out and weld in new tubing for the frame if it gets damaged. It's standard steel square tubing.
The nose of the frame is a separate piece that you can order a replacement from Factory Five if you get in a front end collision. They designed it to be separate and replaceable for this reason.
If you get rear ended things can get tricky though. The transmission sits a couple inches behind the rear bumper and could get shoved forward into the framing behind the seats. There's not a lot of framing from the rear wheels to the rear bumper.
Did I see you painted your rotors if so not a good idea lol. Anyways good job looks great 👍
I painted the whole rotor with black caliper paint and then let the brake pads scrub the paint off the braking surface. Leaving the rest of the rotor black and not rusty. No issues doing this and more accurate than trying to tape off just the braking surface. Thanks!
@@mikecamera818 my absolute dream car is a Daytona coupe r unfortunately there are only 6 in the world so I'll never own one but ffr has a beautiful Daytona coupe project I will build one day.
Those are legendary cars. Factory Five captured the look really well and it would be nice to have an updated mechanicals!
I see the kentucky plates I'm wanting to build the roadster how hard was it to get plates for it
Thanks Ben
It wasn't a hard process once I found the right person to help. The county clerks offices (Lexington and Frankfort) didn't know what to do. I had to contact the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for directions and to apply for a new VIN number. Then contact the county sheriff to come inspect the car which took 2 min. The Sheriff gave me a signed paper so I could get a title, registration, and plates. Since I built my car with used parts I had to apply for a rebuilt title.
@mikecamera818 thanks for the info I don't like the salvage title but I guess it is what it is
That is exactly why I never built one I learnt my lesson on my Streetbeast 34 Ford .
It's been a fun project for 2.5 years
It would have been nice to see you drive away at the end of the video. Nice job on your project.
Sorry I was focused on costs. Here's another video of mine with driving clips and exhaust sounds. Cheers!
th-cam.com/video/NKwjYSuEbNw/w-d-xo.html
is there not a timing chain kit for the wrx?
and always try to get a donor car. you can donate what's left to a charity and get a tax break, or part it out and make all your money back, eventually. that takes a while.
I did a timing belt kit, shown at 3:49.
Used this kit
www.fastwrx.com/products/oem-quality-timing-belt-kit-with-water-pump-2006-2007-wrx-2004-2021-sti-2004-2007-forester-
I started building my car in a 1 car garage condo in Michigan. I didn't have the space or time (half the year is winter) to work on a donor car. I paid a little more for a donor pallet but it worked well for my situation. Would have done a donor car if I had a bigger garage!
@mikecamera818 yes I see that. Timing belts are ticking time bombs. Timing chains don't deteriorate over time like rubber belts do.... ultimately it doesn't matter. 818s are a waste of time and money. you can just get a boxster or cayman used for less than half what you'd spend building the 818, and the porsche won't try to kill you in a wreck like the 818 will.
Great video. What is the finished weight of the car?
Thank you! It's 2100lbs. More info in this video.
th-cam.com/video/HiadFOpdb58/w-d-xo.html
it's a beautiful car❤
Thank you! I'm happy with how it turned out.
Wow it's cool looking and it is something you can say you built yourself I'd rather just buy I used F-Type V8s like I did that cost me about 28 grand
F-Type is a good choice. Lots of good car options at this price point. I really wanted a unique project to spend time on and learn more. This was the perfect project for me.
You should replace the vinyl with leather over time to give it that quality feel
That’s part of the joy of building your own car… just like a house, things can be changed or upgraded over time… hope you’re enjoying the drive
We'll see how the vinyl holds up. Leather could be a good replacement if I have issues. I keep finding things to improve or work on and the car is a blast to drive!
@@mikecamera818 I forgot to mention that it came out looking nice and clean inside and outside… nice job
Thank you! I'm happy with how it's turned out.
That's a beautiful car
I appreciate that!
I'd love to build the 818 however I'm definitely not a fan of using a subaru boxer motor.
The boxer is what the kit was designed to use but I've seen some people modify the car to use a Honda K or even a rotary engine. I had no experience with Subarus until this car. Everything works great just hoping the reliability is there. Helps that this won't be a heavily tracked car.
MIke - have you considered AC? I guess it depends on the need, and if this is mainly a track car. A system from Vintage Air could probably be fitted to aid in some comfort, again just based on need. Great build. New sub here.
Glad to have you thanks for subbing! Several people have added AC to their 818, but I decided not to for a few reasons.
1) It was an added cost and I was already over budget
2) The 818 instructions said to mount several fuse boxes behind the rear firewall/above the gas tank, but those instructions were meant for the 1st gen which had space there. My 2nd gen has a redesigned firewall/gas tank with no space there, so I relocated my fuse boxes to under my passenger side dash. I don't think the vintage air unit would fit with all the wiring I currently have under my dash.
3) Added complexity/build time. A lot of people never finish building their car or take 5+ years to do it. I was determined to finish "a car", rather than build half of the "ultimate car". Glad I kept things simple because I got to enjoy last summer driving my 818, with less than 2 years of building :)
4) AC would be nice, but it's not bad driving in the summer without it. On days over 90F it becomes questionable, but the car is cool sitting in my garage when I take it out. It may get warm sitting in a parking lot, but the drive home usually isn't bad. The hardtop keeps the sun off me, and I insulated the cabin to fight off the heat from the hot asphalt and engine.
@@mikecamera818 Makes sense. Good on you for having in mind the time it takes to build and finish the project so you can enjoy it. It can be a slippery slope of "just one more thing". Nicely done. Once my Wagoneer is done, I'm likely to tackle a FF 65 Daytona build .
The Cobra's get all the attention but those Daytona Coupes look pretty awesome. That'll be a fun build.
Great job and great video
Much appreciated!
Nice looking car but they could have done something nicer in the rear, especially the taillights and turn signals.
It's simple but I like it. Kind of like a Lotus.
Congrats on building a beautiful and rare car.
Thank you! I'd do it again, it was a fun project.
I am very surprised you didn't install a baffled oil pan. Soobies are forever blowing engines because of oil starvation caused by lateral Gs
Edit: video came as a recommend. Then I looked at the channel. I see you've done this. Good call😁👍🏻
I was originally just making a street car so I left the stock oil pan on. I did upgrade the oil pickup which is known to break and cause oil starvation though. Did some autocross like that with no problems but I'm moving to stickier tires this year and thought it was a good time to do a baffled oil pan as you saw!
Great build! How much does it weigh when finished?
Thanks! 2100lbs. More details in this video
th-cam.com/video/HiadFOpdb58/w-d-xo.html
Nice!
Do we get to see and hear this thing run?
I have several driving clips in my other videos if you check out my channel. The best / shortest one is probably this link.
th-cam.com/video/NKwjYSuEbNw/w-d-xo.html
@@mikecamera818 I'll take a look. I went to your channel's video list and found the donuts one. I''d like to hear it start & then do some road running. Do you have the very first startup?
Again, great job on the build and lists of parts.
@@mikecamera818 I checked it out. Thanks!
Excellent video, very nice build. I think I will stick with my 35k budget for an XKR though!
Thank you! Everybody has a dream build. It took 6 years before I started building this car. Good luck on your build!
Nice work Mike!
Thank you! I appreciate it.
Them saying supercar performance does these cars a disservice , it's a good value either way even for around 30k , but supercar it is not
If you build the kit 100% by the book for about $20k, it's really far off from a supercar. For $50k, you can make these faster around the track than a supercar. They're very capable if done right.