Tweedbean

Day 64 I decided to test fit the facelift dial cluster which contains the additional digital dials. Pretty much plug and place on push button start cars. This is part one of the install, once I have the controller unit to make up for the lack of steering wheel controls I will do a second video: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Also my Borla unequal length manifold and Milltek arrived today, this should release that Scooby rumble: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

Hi all, for anyone looking to replace this glass or remove for door swaps etc, here is a simple step by step video: https://youtu.be/XIUjbPEKugE

Day 63 Continued. After waiting for a while due to Covid I finally put in an order to Japanparts. This is my first order with them so hoping for a good experience. Ive gone for the following, all none UK parts: Genuine STI lip kit including front lip, side skirts, rear bumper trim and STI strut brace: Alcantara/suede visor cover with red stitching: Black buttons to integrate with the controller for the retro fit cluster which comes in black: Driver and passenger side TS upper door trims in Alcantara/suede with red stitching:

Thanks I've just placed my order the the STI lip kit all round and some JDM interior parts. Fingers crossed

Thanks, thats where I was looking, I think I just need to get them ordered

Nice one, I'm looking to order the full STI lower trim/sideskirts etc. Do you mind if I ask where did you order these ones from and how long did they take to arrive?

Day 63 I had confirmation yesterday that the bodyshop can now get paint so the car is being transported over there this coming Monday for paint to begin. So yesterday I removed the final parts, the door handles and the rear bumper. The rear bumper must have been off previously as half the clips were missing. The exterior door handles looked to be a tricky task as the UK spec car has an extra sensor which I was told you need to remove the glass to disconnect the connector before removing the door handle in the normal way. However under investigation I worked out you could just pull really hard and the connector comes out with the handle then you disconnect once off, saves the faff of removing the glass: https://youtu.be/nx1Zb0Q6amY

If you are trying to wrap/paint your car or if you want to replace with OEM or aftermarket mirrors, here is a simple video on how to remove the stock ones:

I'm waiting to order STI sideskirts for my BRZ again a US/JDM only part so its good to see which of those sites above people have used and had good experiences.

For anyone thinking of upgrading speakers or need to parts behind the door cards, hopefully you will find this useful, a step by step video for removing your front door cards: https://youtu.be/hAexpL04RoQ

HI all, my car is going in to the bodyshop for a full respray so I needed to remove the door handles. All guide pointed towards the fact you had to remove the glass on UK cars with the touch sensors. However I can confirm this is not the case, so please check out my video below on how to remove them without removing that glass: https://youtu.be/nx1Zb0Q6amY

Day 61 Last week the BRZ arrived back via contactless delivery. Fully aligned and ready to go. Ignore the bonnet gap, the bonnet is open as I needed to fix the lock before I close it: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr However my first job was to start stripping the front end back down so I could fit the rads/aircon/fans. Super easy job now I have done it multiple times. Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr My make shift painting station where I painted everything within the engine bay/front that had come from other cars or had come from Subaru in the black primer type finish. Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr I decided to go with matt black for a simple clean look. I will eventually do the entire engine bay in matt black as it will tie in with whichever colour I do the exterior and the engine isnt coming out for the respray so its easier for me to paint it matt black and get a decent finish. Hence why you can see paint under where the front wings will go. Next I fitted the radiator/air con/fan assembly, I had to swap over the air con metal hoses as mine were also damaged from the crash. I then followed the correct process to fill/bleed/test the radiators with no signs of leaks: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr This was a relief as it means I can move the car with no fear of damaging everything as this now means I have a running car. Idles perfectly, the engine seems good with no error codes which is a bonus. Once that was done I set about bolting up the front end, fitting the crash beam, crash sensors etc and accounting for all the hanging connectors. All went back perfectly. I also refitted the airbox, snorkel and the surround that sits between the two. New items added to the list of bits to buy include the radiator filler bracket and a new filler neck for the washer reservoir: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Next I plumbed in the new washer reservoir which had been destroy in the crash. Check for leaks and all good. Now I need to order some washer jets for the headlights but other than that the washer system is now fully functional again: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Prep for paint Fixing wise there isnt much left to do so the car can now go for paint, however I need to strip the car to keep costs down. So I stripped everything needed to get the car painted including: Both wings Rear Lights Door Seals Window Seals Aerial Roof trim Wing Mirrors Kick Plates Door cards (I will replace weather seal plastic once painted) Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr So the only things left that I need to do this week are the: Rear Bumper Door Handles Then its ready for paint: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Untitled by James Baker, on Flick Also my bonnet lifters arrived, they will go on the shelf to be fitted once the car has been painted as they will only have to come off again: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Also a courier today is collecting a Boral Unequal length manifold and a Milltek Overpipe that came up for sale at a great price. I fancy a bit of Scooby rumble from the boxer while I save up for forced induction. Removing Exterior Door Handles If anyone has any tips for doing this on a BRZ/GT86/FRS that have the touch sensors, please let me know. Only way I can see so far is to remove the glass to get to the connector to disconnect it. Its super easy for cars without this feature as its one torx headed bolt and you are done, not so simple on the UK spec cars with the touch sensors.

Day 51 - More Progress The car is now completely straight and panels aligned. The passenger leg was bent backwards, but this has now been rectified using the fancy jig setup they have. I'm just waiting to hear when the car can be transported back to me. Excited as its starting to actually look like a car again even if I know the front end has to come apart again. Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Photos from when he was lining it all up: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Here you can see the gap left if you dont buy or re-use the stick on rubber seals from a BRZ especially if you are doing the 2017 facelift bumper retro fit like im doing. I have the seals on the shelf to stick on when the car gets back to me: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Finally I picked up a super cheap set of used Rota Grids 18x8.5 et44 they need a refurb and are currently sitting on a new set of budget tyres Avon ZV7 that came with them, these will keep me rolling while I work on the car and will allow me to sell on the stock wheels which have decent tread and have been painted black by the previous owner. Eventually I will replace the Grids but for now they look better than the stock wheels: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

dropped you a dm

Hi are these still available? Thanks

Hi all I am after a roof spoiler like the beat sonic one shown below or very similar. After one that follows the roof line, that doesn't have vortex generators or a flick up at the end like the HIC one. Please comment or dm me if you have one available. Thanks in advance

Quick bump open to any roof spoiler maybe even the hic one

Day 49 While the BRZ is away at the crash specialists, I decided to start work on the wing brackets. They weren't in the best visual condition, but it was all superficial: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr - So I used a heat gun to remove the GT86 stickers. - Followed by a light sand with fine grit to remove any minor surface imperfections or corrosion - I then cleaned down with a panel prep spray and clean cloth - I used a number of coats of grey primer - Finally finished in matt black Sard style wing part refresh by James Baker, on Flickr I am looking into what protection a matt clear coat over the top would provide as not used it before. Also had a photo from the crash specialist who are busy working away, they have the slam pane in place and are currently working out if everything else is straight. Once, done it can come back for me to paint the slam panel and get the rest ready for the bodyshop to paint it. Slam panel is on by James Baker, on Flickr

Love the progress on this, I need go catch up on the videos. Interested in the general fit of the parts, not planning to go rocket bunny myself but its always good to hear if the genuine widebody kits are as good as people make out? I know you had that issue with the headlights/bumper gap, would some rubber trim maybe help with that, something that slides over the edge of the bumper and fills the gap. Im thinking something similar to the door seals in terms of how that fits to the car.

Day 47: The repair process begins again. So last week I had a contactless collection of the BRZ as its booked in at a crash collision centre to get the slam panel welded in and ensure everything else is straight. I'm waiting on an update from them this week. Once its done it will come straight back for me to start preparing it for paint. Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr I also purchased a used SARD style wing which I had delivered via courier. The clear coat has a bit of damage from a pigeon strike, however that will be repaired by my local bodyshop and the side brackets are in solid condition but needed a refresh so I removed the stickers, sanded them down and gave them a blast over with primer before they go full matt black. Once finished it will look like new for a fraction of the cost: Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr I also received another delivery from Subaru, this time the wheel arch liners, numerous clips, 1 of 2 washer jet covers (The other is on back order from Japan) and the headlight rubber seals (2 of the most expensive bits of rubber I will ever order, ridiculous but needed to bridge the gap between the headlights and the bumpers). I also purchased a used rear bumper as mine was damaged by the previous owner reversing it into something. It was damaged on the textured part which I didnt realise was moulded to the entire bumper, so decided theres no point painting a damaged bumper if I cant replace that textured bit at a later date, hence the new one. If anyone wants a cheap white rear bumper with a couple of marks on the textured part, give me a shout. I have also joined the group buy run by Jordan for the HID setup for the Vland headlights to get some decent light output from them.

Resurrecting this thread, I use instagram a lot and love following interesting builds, does anyone have any recommendations for instagram accounts I should follow whether its your own or a build you are following on there. Mine is: instagram.com/tweedbean

Day 40 Updates will get more interesting, but at the moments its all around an accumulation of parts. Today I received a Mishimoto Sound generator delete to clear that piping from the engine bay. Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr I also have purchased a used 2018 BRZ facelift instrument cluster to retrofit into my car. This will give me the additional little screen to give the dash a more modern feel. Not a lot of gain but I thought why not. I have also ordered the Geralds Just Projects retro fit kit to give me a controller joystick replacing the blanking plate behind the gear stick, I will be ordering black controls so it doesnt stand out like in the picture below. This gives me full control of the little screen without having to retro fit the facelift steering wheels, clock spring and wiring. https://www.geraldjustprojects.com/product/brz-frs-gt86-retrofit-2017-cluster-kit-4-screw/ Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr Hopefully if everything goes to plan I should have a SARD style spoiler delivered later this week. I think the tuner style look works well with what else I have planned for the car over the duck bill I originally planned to purchase. Here is an idea of what it looks like: I'm also purchasing a new rear bumper as mine has damage to the centre diffuser section and I didnt realise it was moulded into the bumper, seems stupid to paint a bumper with damage that cant be repaired.

Hi all, I have the following parts for sale, happy for contactless collection from CV7 or can do delivery via courier in the UK. Open to offers. - Brand New Vland Headlights: SOLD - OEM Spoiler in white no damage, remove due to going aftermarket - £65 delivered - OEM Rear Lights - SOLD - OEM BRZ CD Player Stereo - £40 delivered Baker, on Flickr Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr