Getting ready to Roll!

True to the promise, the team over at Diastar delivered quite some progress this past week. I, for one, am more than happy to share this with you all in prose form. However, I must warn you that the few pictures captured here do not do justice to the task of bringing out the amount of work that has gone in to get the car to this stage.

After the grey: Picking up where we left off

The grey primer was the prep work that gave way to the white; as it sits the engine bay now swathed in several layers of this high heat paint. This will be our canvas for the next steps, where new age machinery will be the brush strokes. Old cross member, steering rack, arms and hubs assembly was also dropped to make way.

Present arms: ready to engage

With the bay ready, next logical step was proper placement of the donor, for the most efficient and effective transfer of components.

Lift that skirt: exposing those innards

Dropped and ready for transfer, to inject new life into an otherwise old and frail shell from the 90s. A perfect union. Unfortunately, there was no provision to transfer the "U-Frame" over to the GC, one of the results of innovation over at the base of mount fuji in their quest for enhanced frame rigidity and handling improvements. In its' stead, we shall explore aftermarket bracing options for the undercarriage. Same result? I surely hope so.

In between, there was the task of mating the motor to the 6 speed gearbox from the previous post. The ZeroSports down pipe was also bolted on to try and reduce the effort required for the later tasks.

LEGO cars 1: the plug and play myth.

wunderschön! as our friends over in Germany would say. A wonderful fit. All these claims of "LEGO" type fitment for the Subaru platform, true but not quite. Now comes the headache of fitting in all ancillary parts and making sure they work together in harmony. From the planning work, the steering, braking system and wiring will be our biggest supplier of sleepless nights. Also, a supplier of great joy if done right.

LEGO cars 2: the plug and play myth.

From this point of view it is clearer what a mess this is. Plug and play fitment, but lots of work ahead to get all the pieces to play well together.

6MT in play: in the midst of antiquities

The STI six speed transmission now in place. In cabin, the shifter seems out of place, sorrounded by things of old and grime and dirt. This is about to change soon once we embark on the interior work.

B&M short shifter: off with you

This B&M short shifter used to handle the gear selection duties. Unfortunately, it did not make the cut for this build and will be dispatched to be of use to another build.

ABS in place: where it ought to be

The ABS components now in place. Quite taxing transition I must say. But this is only half the story; the system requires sensors to pick up speed at each wheel and must work hand in hand with the control unit to deliver that much desired driver assist. This will be a critical requirement for the power level expected of this rig.

Hubs bolted in: LHS

LHS hub and assorted brake and suspension components fitted.

Hubs bolted in: RHS

RHS hub and assorted brake and suspension components fitted.

Wheel dry fit: PCD check

We attempted to fit a wheel to one of the hubs to reconfirm correct sizing. This was to reassure ourselves that we shall not have a crisis when the time comes to drop the car and roll it into the paint booth. Needless to say, everything checked out fine. These dual PCD wheels are not bad, ey? shift from 5x100 to 5x114.3.

wax on, wax off.

CE28s: no caption required

Well, I can only share the dream to have these wheels slapped on this gc. It is not going to happen soon though seeing as they belong to someone else and cost a pretty penny!

Rear Cross Member: the final piece

The rear cross member was delivered late and as such, could not be worked on immediately. Dry fitting of the R180 diff was done.

Bent outta shape: :-(

We also found one of the arms was bent. Probably a casualty of the freight process. This will have to be replaced as part of the work on the rear.

R180: Hello LSD

Once the R180 went in, one of the differences we found was on the two studs that hold it on to the cross member. These two were designed with bushings in mind, but this particular cross member has the bushings located on the outer ends of the frame. A few adjustments will be required to get these to fit just right, a minor inconvenience.

The Coilovers: Do's and Don't s

Here's a lesson folks. In the previous post, I tried to lay bare the findings on the shortcuts taken with this car. The whole idea was to help everyone doing a similar build avoid some of the pitfalls. Here is another classic example:

When setting up coilovers, the FF or RR height should ideally be similar. i.e. car height at front axle should be the same (Left and Right). Also, most coilovers should have capability to adjust the height independently of the spring pre-load. From a review of the previous setup, first off the height was not equal on both ends of the FF axle. In addition, the spring pre-load was also not equal. Side by side comparison with the blue line marking a 1 inch+ difference in the two. Aim to correct this along with the rework of the coilover bases.

Next steps: Rolling shell - into the body shop.

Once garages reopen, the gc goes into the body shop for reinforcements, stripping and paint prep.