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Tweedbean

tweedbean's Porsche RS Green BRZ Build

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7 hours ago, Luke said:

Just out of interest what did you use to tint your fog lights yellow? I’ve used vinyl twice but it fades pretty fast. 

Just some yellow tint film from ebay, left over from another project, not had any issues with it fading.

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Next up I fitted the STi side skirts, super easy to fit, only one hole needs to be drilled on each side, the rest uses existing fixings.  Again as they are OEM parts they slotted right on without any fuss, the templates they provide helps you line them up perfectly.  I'm really impressed with them, I think they really make the side profile of my car.

50289946856_af6426b61e_c.jpgSTi kit fitted alongside the wing by James Baker, on Flickr

You can also see I fitted the STi rear bumper corner trims as well, again super easy to fit, no drilling this time, all existing fittings.  I then fitted a rear diffuser lip that I had picked up ages ago, again a few clips and one new bolt to get that to fit perfectly.  I fancy changing the rear diffuser at somepoint, but more than happy with this look for now:

50290096772_bfc6fe0d9e_c.jpgSTi kit fitted alongside the wing by James Baker, on Flickr

Then to balance out all that aggression at the bottom edge of the car, I fitted my SARD style carbon wing.  Really pleased how this came out, the bodyshop did an amazing job on the clear coat, it looks better than new.  Also a nice fella on facebook sent me some new brackets as the ones I had were the extended ones to work with a ducktail spoiler,which I dont have and it looked weird sitting half way along the boot lid just to get the wing to line up with the back of the car, thanks again, the new brackets made such a difference:  

50290127667_59388266e6_c.jpgSard style wing by James Baker, on Flickr

50289946166_2e50433816_c.jpgSTi kit fitted alongside the wing by James Baker, on Flickr

50289272633_c5619d94c0_c.jpgSTi kit fitted alongside the wing by James Baker, on Flickr

Really pleased with how the car is turning out, I need to get some miles on it now. Driving it yesterday I noticed a couple of knocks, so going to check the drop links as they may be a little play that just needs tightening.  But little niggles are expected with changing so much and will be a simple issue to sort.  Still cant believe it looked like this only a few months ago:

49647203388_c229c0b2da_c.jpgUntitled by James Baker, on Flickr

And now:

50290096082_c95c3656d4_c.jpgSTi kit fitted alongside the wing by James Baker, on Flickr

50289947146_02cb5540f7_c.jpgSTi kit fitted alongside the wing by James Baker, on Flickr

50289946676_052347acd4_c.jpgSTi kit fitted alongside the wing by James Baker, on Flickr

 

 

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On 7/27/2020 at 9:03 AM, Tweedbean said:

Life has got in the way a little over the last week, so not touched the BRZ, however one update I had was a picture from Grigul Design/LederManZ.  I sent them a stock BRZ/86 wheel a couple of weeks ago now for them to retrim.  Its looking much tastier now, I cant wait to get my hands on it.  Due for delivery in the next 3 days:

50157624103_e179957316_c.jpgUntitled by James Baker, on Flickr

Its looking a top job from what I can see so far with the alcantara/leather mix, red stitching/centre marker, flat bottom and a little bit of extra padding.

Hi @Tweedbean, just been reading through the build, great job! It’s looking really tidy! 
How did you contact Ledermanz to get the steering wheel retrim done? Also if you don’t mind me asking how much did it cost? Finally, did you have to send them the wheel to retrim? 
cheers

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45 minutes ago, Molten86 said:

Hi @Tweedbean, just been reading through the build, great job! It’s looking really tidy! 
How did you contact Ledermanz to get the steering wheel retrim done? Also if you don’t mind me asking how much did it cost? Finally, did you have to send them the wheel to retrim? 
cheers

Hi thanks, I contact him through instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grigul_design/

He is based in Latvia, I think he can source steering wheels to retrim for you, I never went down the route so assume you send him a deposit which you get back when you return your stock wheel to him once you have fitted your retrimmed one.  I just picked up a cheap second hand one on ebay/facebook marketplace and sent that for him to trim.

Mine cost around £250 plus I think I then sent £15 for return postage once it was done.  That cost include the retrim and adding a flat bottom to it.  

 

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Something I am looking into over the coming weeks is improving the audio system in the car.  In my other cars I'm lucky to have Harmon Kardon/Meridian setups from factory, even in my old R53 so when I jump into the BRZ its shows how poor it is even with my aftermarket head unit.  Doing some quick research I didnt realise how tiny the rear speakers are, they are more like tweeters.  The front door speakers offer little bass so I think I am going to do something I haven't done since I was about 20 and add a subwoofer to the car.  Looking to use the spare wheel well to house the sub and the space around it for amps so I don't lose any boot space.   

Will be looking to:

- Swap out the front door speakers, front tweeters and dash speakers while I am in there.  Review the rear speaker situation, probably wont need anything but want to take a proper look

- I have a bunch of silent coat left over from my previous Mini Clubman build which I can use 

- Add a subwoofer and amp into the spare wheel well

- Add a second amp to power the front speakers

- I learnt a lot from upgrading the speakers/wiring in my clubman so will go a similar route with quality cabling, as for speakers, I am open to considering other brands but was impressed with the Focal kit I used previously so that will be my starting point.

 

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4 hours ago, Tweedbean said:

Hi thanks, I contact him through instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grigul_design/

He is based in Latvia, I think he can source steering wheels to retrim for you, I never went down the route so assume you send him a deposit which you get back when you return your stock wheel to him once you have fitted your retrimmed one.  I just picked up a cheap second hand one on ebay/facebook marketplace and sent that for him to trim.

Mine cost around £250 plus I think I then sent £15 for return postage once it was done.  That cost include the retrim and adding a flat bottom to it.  

 

Awesome, thanks mate! 

I’ve brought one from eBay also so will likely just do the same as you. 

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This week I was planning to look up how to build a subwoofer box in the spare wheel well when I received a message that there was one for sale up North.  I managed to pick up a custom made box for the BRZ which already contained a JL Audio 10" w0v3 sub.  This saved me a lot of time and money, especially for the price I paid including the sub.  Therefore I now have a ready to fit solution which I test fitted yesterday.  Now I know I still need to line the wheel well with sound deadening and I also have a speaker grill to fit to protect the cone but I can confirm it fits flush which is what I wanted as I didnt want to lose any boot space. 

50322927492_a0e124fc8b_c.jpgSubwoofer by James Baker, on Flickr

So I am now in the market for an amp to power it, speaking to JL Audio and the previous owner, both recommended the JL Audio JD500/1 Monoblock Class D Subwoofer Amplifier, 500 W to power it.  The JD series is new this year so will ensure I pick up the latest version and I am hoping I can mount it somewhere hidden to again retain boot space. 

I also need to sort wiring out.  I am thinking of running a single 0 gauge power cable from the battery to the boot then split this with a distribution block so eventually I can added a second amp for a new speaker setup I am getting.  While everything is apart, I will run 3 lots of RCA cables for the sub, front speakers and possibly rear speakers.  Going to go with Sky High cabling again from Blade Ice Audio as was impressed with the quality when doing the clubman.

Not decided on the speaker/amp combo for up front so go to shop around and see what is available.  

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On 9/4/2020 at 12:38 PM, Tweedbean said:

Something I am looking into over the coming weeks is improving the audio system in the car.  In my other cars I'm lucky to have Harmon Kardon/Meridian setups from factory, even in my old R53 so when I jump into the BRZ its shows how poor it is even with my aftermarket head unit.  Doing some quick research I didnt realise how tiny the rear speakers are, they are more like tweeters.  The front door speakers offer little bass so I think I am going to do something I haven't done since I was about 20 and add a subwoofer to the car.  Looking to use the spare wheel well to house the sub and the space around it for amps so I don't lose any boot space.   

Will be looking to:

- Swap out the front door speakers, front tweeters and dash speakers while I am in there.  Review the rear speaker situation, probably wont need anything but want to take a proper look

- I have a bunch of silent coat left over from my previous Mini Clubman build which I can use 

- Add a subwoofer and amp into the spare wheel well

- Add a second amp to power the front speakers

- I learnt a lot from upgrading the speakers/wiring in my clubman so will go a similar route with quality cabling, as for speakers, I am open to considering other brands but was impressed with the Focal kit I used previously so that will be my starting point.

 

I can highly recommend the focal kit to replace the front speakers. Get some sound deadening material to put in the doors while you're in there. Made a huge difference in mine, and I then just adjusted the stereo to front speakers only. With the subwoofer, it'll be perfect.

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12 hours ago, Adamd said:

I can highly recommend the focal kit to replace the front speakers. Get some sound deadening material to put in the doors while you're in there. Made a huge difference in mine, and I then just adjusted the stereo to front speakers only. With the subwoofer, it'll be perfect.

Thanks I have tonnes of Silent Coat deadening left over from a previous project so will be using that everywhere.  Will take a look at Focal ones, thats what I used in my Mini Clubman I did last year.  

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20 hours ago, maurice said:

Appreciate I'm late to the party, but really love the paintjob on this, looks superb.

Thanks, really pleased with the exterior now, time to turn my attention to the interior and sorting out that sound system

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That sub box looks good. I’ll be interested to hear how you get in with it once it’s all up and running. I’m half tempted to do something similar with mine but I’m concerned it’ll end up costing a fortune in sounded deadening to stop the car rattling too much 😂

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So this weekend I fitted my Borla UEL manifold.  The plan with this was to add some extra volume, some weight as you lose the first of two cats and being unequal length should add that Subaru burble.

50367128712_44446b5c88_c.jpgBorla UEL compared to stock by James Baker, on Flickr

Now it was actually a pretty simple process to swap the manifold and it actually took me longer to jack the car up safely than to actually swap them over.  My biggest issues was swapping over the O2 sensors as one was seized due to the heat cycling of the metal.  I nipped up to Millsys Autos who help me out by applying some heat and out it came without ruining the thread.

Here is the fitting video for anyone interested in trying it yourself:

 


 

Now in terms of feedback on the actual outcome, of my three drivers above:
1. Extra Volume - I am really finding it hard to say I can notice any volume difference, therefore if there is any its very little
2. Weight Loss - Its definitely lighter than stock so this is confirmed
3. Rumble - It has changed the tone and you can here some slight rumble but its not had the change I had hoped

Clearly I need to mate this to a catback exhaust system to get the most out of this sound wise, which is fine as this was the plan but I was interested to see what impact just fitting this would have.  Here is a quick before and after video, I initially did have an exhaust leak as I didn't quite nip up the over pipe bolts enough, however this was quickly resolved with the car on jacks.  There is a slight rattle when I lift off when stationary, when I place my hand on the exhaust tips it goes away so I think something along the line may be making slight contact or I have a rattly exhaust tip, either way I will sort that when fitting a catback as it can only be heard when you sit there and rev the car stationary, which I dont do to often.   Im on the look out for an Invidia N1 if anyone has one for sale.

Here is a before and after video, comparing the cold start up and revving over both a stock setup and stock catback with UEL:

 


 

 

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23 hours ago, Adamd said:

How about something similar but a little more unique? I still have this sat in the garage because I haven't gotten around to bumping the thread:

 

Thanks, not sure on the rolled tips, plus a little more than I would want to pay for a second hand exhaust.  

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On 9/22/2020 at 2:38 PM, Adamd said:

Yeah I over-priced it I realised (now, a year later) but fair enough on the tips!

Its easily done, plus the new price you are asking is much better and if it wasnt for the tips I would have purchased it as its a super quality exhaust.  GLWTS

 

In all honesty I was disappointed with the Borla UEL in terms of the sound difference, I thought it would be more dramatic, however thats easily sorted.  To hear the rumble that UEL puts out, I decided to go for an Invidia N1 catback exhaust, which I collected from a nice guy on the GT86 parts facebook page.  Really helpful and the exhaust is in great condition.  Only gripe with it is someone has taken what looks like wire wool or sand paper to the tips to give them a brushed look which didnt come on the N1.  That should be an easy fix and for the price I paid, I cant complain.  I have some polishing discs on the way to get the entire thing looking like new in no time and from what I read online should restore the polished finish on the 4" tips.  While collecting the exhaust I noticed a tuning developments decat front pipe 30 mins away so I decide to collect that while I was there, gives me the choice to fit to my requirements if needed as that was a decent price too.  

50392670593_83ebe45a6f_b.jpgUntitled by James Baker, on Flickr

Here you can see the sort of brush finish on the tips vs the rest of the tail pipe:

50393358296_f0813124b7_b.jpg by James Baker, on Flickr

Also my amp and wiring kit arrived this week, I've got to find some time to fit that too.  According to JL Audio, I managed to get one of the first JD amps in the UK which is nice:

50393371596_411369d7f1_b.jpgUntitled by James Baker, on Flickr

I went for 100% the oxygen-free copper (OFC) wiring kit this time, heard good things and didn't cost much more:

50393542837_1816714dbb_b.jpgUntitled by James Baker, on Flickr

Clocking up the miles in this now, finding every excuse to drive it at the moment, gone through 2 tanks of petrol in the last few weeks, more than I think I've use in the past 4 months.

50393358246_05fab1fc8a_b.jpgUntitled by James Baker, on Flickr

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A bit of autosol metal polish will have those tips shining lovely. The decay pipe along with the n1 is going to be about as loud as an 86 can get as you have 0 muffler and basically a straight pipe all the way through. The cold start unless you get it mapped out will be very very loud.

Sent from my COL-L29 using Tapatalk

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8 hours ago, sam534 said:

A bit of autosol metal polish will have those tips shining lovely. The decay pipe along with the n1 is going to be about as loud as an 86 can get as you have 0 muffler and basically a straight pipe all the way through. The cold start unless you get it mapped out will be very very loud.

Sent from my COL-L29 using Tapatalk
 

Agreed thats what I ended up using.  I have given it a good polish as I wanted to return it to the polished look with a drill polisher and some Autosol. Top left is the before picture, with a brushed finished, top right is the during photo.  Finally the bottom two are the after pictures, much better with that polished finish.  

50398822881_36d01be4c8_b.jpgUntitled by James Baker, on Flickr

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21 hours ago, sam534 said:

A bit of autosol metal polish will have those tips shining lovely. The decay pipe along with the n1 is going to be about as loud as an 86 can get as you have 0 muffler and basically a straight pipe all the way through. The cold start unless you get it mapped out will be very very loud.

Sent from my COL-L29 using Tapatalk
 

Heh, yeah it'll be loud but they do sound tremendous. Mine was very similar, I would agree with the cold start - although I never bothered because I don't do early mornings so didn't feel too bad for my neighbours. It was surprisingly reasonable on the motorway, although did highlight how shite the OEM speakers are.

Looks good so shiny! I should polish mine before relisting for sale.

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