tweedbean's RS Green BRZ Build

[tweedbean]

Well this isn't my first rodeo when it comes to these cars having owned two of its sister car the Toyota GT86. This purchase was a little unexpected and happened very quickly but I cant wait to get stuck into it as its definitely a project.

So I've had a search saved in ebay for years now looking at salvaged BRZ's, however it always seems to be GT86 that come up cheap as the BRZ holds its value better due to there being fewer of them. Nothing significant has come of it until early last week when a 2013 Subaru BRZ with 41k on the clock popped up. It ticked all the boxes with heated half leathers, back 3/4's spotless, engine running, theres just the small matter of half the front end missing. It came up cheap so a quick conversation later to Turbo Monkeys in Burton who were selling it and I headed up there last Wednesday to see it. It was as described so I left a deposit and arranged a tow truck to collect it. It arrived today and I couldn't be happier. And before anyone asks the other cars I have aren't going anywhere this is a +1 project.

Spec wise its stock, pearl white, manual, heated half leathers, CD player etc. It is a Cat S, I've seen why and will get it all checked out before it goes back on the road.

So what are my plans, firstly acquire all the parts to rebuild it, I have a rad pack ready to go on which means its easier to move around. I've never attempted such a project before, I normally start with at least a complete car, so this will be challenge and I am expecting bumps along the way. Once I have all the parts I will fit as much as I can before it heads over to a specialist to ensure its all straight and lines up before everything is bolted down.

Not sure where I am going with the car right now as theres so many options, but one thing I do know is it needs a facelift as those tail lights are really dated. So already have a list of parts to fit the 2017 facelift BRZ front end and I have 2017 style rear lights to be fitted later today. I do know It will be getting a full respray as I've not seen many bodyshops match the pearl paint to a standard I would be happy with, a colour change to something none Toyota/Subaru for sure. It also will be remaining stock body, no wide body kits here.



I also have a HT Auto lip kit ready to go and a Top Sage rear diffuser lip to keep me ticking over while working on the boring stuff up front. I'm tempted to take the approach of building what Subaru would have done if they had built a proper BRZ STI.


Time for some photos:

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr


The boot was full of parts clearly picked up off the road following the accident:

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

The front end, not so tidy:

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

And a better look of the front end damage:

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

[tweedbean]

First two mods already done I fitted Vland V2 tail lights to my Subaru BRZ.* They are 2017 facelift style lights with the added bonus of sequential indicators.* It was super easy plug and play.* The before and after difference is amazing, it really refreshes that back end:

Here is a how to video I made for installing them:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2CAXYwcxYA[/ame]

Facelift Style Sequential Lights Vland by James Baker, on Flickr

What a difference by James Baker, on Flickr

I decided I wanted to also debadge the rear end of all chrome lettering.* Much cleaner, below is a link to a how to video on removing the chrome lettering:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YO00wD4HgU[/ame]

Debadged rear end by James Baker, on Flickr

I then set about stripping the front end removing the damaged metal such as wings, bonnet and parts of the slam panel.* Basically anything damaged that wasnt welded in has now been removed.* This is how I left it at the end of day 1:

End of day 1 by James Baker, on Flickr

Next steps are to call Subaru and Toyota tomorrow to order up all the parts needs for the front bumper as well as two wings, wing brackets and slam panel.* I will share the part lists and prices as and when I get them for anyone thinking of doing the same.* Most parts are cheaper from Toyota I have found, however the bumper is a Subaru only item so I need to go to them for that.* Its crazy how many individual parts there are on the bumper alone.

There are plenty more how to video coming up as I modify my BRZ, for additional updates please follow my youtube channel and instagram page:

https://www.youtube.com/subscription...user=tweedbean

https://www.instagram.com/tweedbean

[tweedbean]

Day 2:

Time to get ordering parts, so far:

Front Bumper

Im going for a facelift front end so I will be ordering the bumper and all associated parts from Subaru including the facelight light trim etc

The one part I left out this order will be the main grill/moustache, from what I understand the UK part come with two big holes to bolt a front plate on. As someone who runs removable plate brackets on all my cars, I have ordered a US spec part from ebay International.



Headlights

Having been impressed with the Vland rear lights and recommendations from another member I have purchased the Vland headlights. There are two reasons why I have gone aftermarket, firstly they have black housings, saving me joey modding a set of lights. The second reason is down to price, headlights are between £575-£700 each plus VAT and finding a decent pair of used BRZ headlights is very rare(Dont want to fit GT86 lights). I purchased my Vland headlights through their ebay store (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264414046349) They are listed at £419 delivered however I had an offer of £380 delivered accepted.



Radiator Assembly

Next up the radiator(£295+VAT)/fan(£232+VAT)/ac condenser(£280+VAT) assembly was destroy in the crash. New these were over £800 plus VAT, this doesnt include all the little brackets etc. Matt Baker over at MB Developments helped me out here. They are a Subaru specialist who are building a BRZ based track car, their build looks epic. They had no need for the stock parts and I managed to get all the above for £80 collected which is a super bargain and I really appreciate it. As a bonus is the entire assembly with motors, brackets, filler, pipes etc I was very lucky with this:

Radiator, fan assembly and a/c condenser by James Baker, on Flickr

Bonnet and Crash Beam

Next up we have the main body panels so a bonnet new from Toyota is around £390 plus VAT, I managed to pick up a used one for £150 from SJ Autosport in Birmingham who are breaking a BRZ. I also picked up the crash for £50 from the same place, instead of £147.97 plus VAT from Subaru. The foam part is £25.49 plus VAT but I can reuse my old one which survived.

Bonnet, wing and crash beam by James Baker, on Flickr

Front Wings

I also need both front wings, not many decent used examples about so I am going new on these, the one in the photo above is damaged so decided against using that. From Toyota the wings are £109 +VAT new compared to £151+VAT from Subaru so I will be getting them from Toyota. I also need the brackets that sit under the wing to hold it in place, again these are cheaper at Toyota at £19.71+VAT new compared to £20.87 from Subaru. Again going new with the brackets as they are easily bent.

[tweedbean]

Day 3:

Opting for a facelift front bumper and getting it ordered

As the front end is completely missing from my car, I have to order every brackets, duct, plastic undertray, nut, bolt etc. There was nothing left of the original one. Its crazy how much that adds up to. I could go down the route of a pre-facelift bumper or aftermarket however I really like like the BRZ facelift front end and they dont come up second hand. There is one on ebay but what it doesn't mention in the ad is that its cracked, I know as I drove to see it and refused to buy it after to seeing the damaged.

Pre facelift:



Facelift:



When buying from Subaru the facelift bumper skin is actually cheaper than the pre-facelift one. So I have ordered everything required from Subaru which comes to £617.92, the breakdown is attached below covering part numbers, quantities and prices. This list contains everything including ducts for air to the radiator, headlight brackets, stuff you wouldn't need to buy if you had an existing front end, but it doesn't cover fog light units themselves(Will get aftermarket ones), the moustache as I have the US part on order and the various nuts and bolts.



The nuts and bolts alone came to £87.21 plus VAT. I have managed to source a number of these on the car, salvaged from damage parts or through ebay to get them cheaper, so shop around.



Common items like the clips(909140007) that hold the weather seal in place, can be had 50 for £5.98 from ebay rather than £1 each from Subaru:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50pc-Inte...72.m2749.l2649

Not all can be sourced easily but I managed to find some of them, so go the bill down from £87.21 plus VAT to around £25 in the end, just by doing the above.

I also need to buy washer covers however at around £50 a side I will wait until the car is ready for paint then source those.

Parts will start to arrive this week which is great news, the longest wait is the slam Panel

Shopping around for the slam panel


The slam panel for the BRZ has been a pain, its spot welded on so it isnt a straight forward swap however I have a friend who can assist with that. Pricing for these vary dramatically. It used to be around £258 plus VAT for the entire unit from Toyota, however when I called to order they had made a mistake, the part had now been superseded and was something like £520 plus VAT after discount. A big difference, im sure you will agree, so I rang Subaru and they can get one in for £306 including VAT so much cheaper, only issue its coming direct from Japan so there may be a 3 week wait, but price difference is worth that as I'm not in a rush mega rush, even if I am impatient. So thats now on its way aswell.

Theres now not much I can do but wait for parts over the next 3 weeks as I have removed everything damaged that isnt welded on so I will take the time to fit a new head unit, fit rear lip kit and diffuser lip while I wait. I will be making fitting videos for those 3 jobs in the coming weeks.

[tweedbean]

Day 4:

Buying the parts to upgrade the headunit

As there is nothing I can do RE the front end until parts arrive, its time to tackle some interior bits. The BRZ came with only a CD player headunit so I wanted to upgrade to a more modern headunit. I have purchased the Pioneer DA130DAB which has Apple Car play so I will have bluetooth calling, DAB, music streaming, sat nav etc, its actually the one from my old Mini clubman as the new owner installed an android auto headunit instead.



So I have been doing some reading RE differences between replacing the headunit in the BRZ vs the GT86. I have created the following list based off what other BRZ owners have purchased:

Cable to allow me to connect the stock USB port to the aftermarket headunit:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184019557009



Stereo bracket/surround, Ive heard all the options are a bit dodgy fitting so I thought I would try this one for now:

http://www.roadradio.com/wiring-fasc...CT50-282/7429/



Harness adapter:

http://www.roadradio.com/wiring-fasc...C2-17-42/4883/




Aerial Adapter:

http://www.roadradio.com/wiring-fasc...CT21-147/7350/



Pioneer ND-BC8 Reversing Camera:

[tweedbean]

Day 6: More parts are here

Yesterday all my parts from Toyota arrived including new rubber bushes for mounting the rad assembly, both wing brackets and the wings themselves. Didnt realise how big the boxes would be for the wings, glad I took the bigger car.

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

Headlights Arrived
Also the Vland headlights arrived, note they did arrived damaged, but Vlands ebay store were really helpful and quick to rectify the problem with a new set on the way to me. Quality so far looks good and I connected them up to the car last night to ensure the wiring on the car was intact and that the headlights worked.

Vland headlights by James Baker, on Flickr

Click the image below for a short video:


The test went well with the DRLs and sequential indicators looking spot on. I now need to source some stock headlight bulbs and attach the ballasts as the stock bulbs are missing from the car but I do have two ballasts. I will see if I can steal the bulbs from an old set of Mini xenons I have in the garage. I know some people are cautious about aftermarket headlights, I will be very open and honest with my thoughts on them once installed so people hear first hand what they are like, will probably do a video review of them over on my youtube channel www.youtube.com/tweedbean

Newly discovered issue

When I returned from Toyota last night I decided to fit the wing brackets to see how straight the structure was in front of the front wheels. Passenger side bolted on no problem, all appears straight. The drivers side, not so easy, the rear two bolts for the wing bracket go in no problem, the front one, shown in the pic below, doesnt line up. This will be correctable via the specialist the car is going to to straighten everything, worst case I can buy that section from Toyota if it doesnt pull straight. I expected there to be more parts like this, so no surprise here.

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

[new2subaru]

Looking good.Keep it up

[tweedbean]

Day 8: Most of the parts from Subaru are here

Had a call to say most of my parts arrived at Subaru. Only bits missing are 3 brackets and the major part the slam panel on its way direct from Japan, due in next Saturday. Hopefully everyone remains safe and the dealership/delivery company etc are still working next weekend. Its luck of the draw at the moment with everything going on. I have held off ordering anymore bits now until the country gets back to normal.

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

Also received the bits for the headunit this morning, so that can go in this weekend, regardless of the above bits:

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

[tweedbean]

Day 10:

Collecting more parts

So yesterday I collected a used airbox and washer bottle with pumps, these are the last major parts I hadnt ordered.



Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr



Today I decided to fit the new head unit, it was super easy, as I hadn't bought new metal brackets I had to cut up the stock ones, the filler pieces fit really well, looking at other guides I think people are fitting them inside the metal brackets causing a fitment issue when they should be fitting them outside the metal brackets. I have a headunit fitting video to edit and I will get that uploaded to help others.



Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr



Have a couple of simple videos I created for removing internal bits like the dash panels and gear knob, I will ensure I do more as I remove bits for mods, again only easy jobs if you know how to do them, hopefully this video series encourages more people to do DIY jobs on their cars:

I also fitted a HT auto rear lip and Top Sage diffuser lip, super easy:



Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr



I also threw on the bonnet, passenger wing and air box to get them out the garage, starting to look more like a car now. Ignore the panel gaps as I havent bolted anything down properly yet:



Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

[tweedbean]

Day 14 Still Waiting...

Progress has slowed due to the current climate. *I'm still waiting on parts from Subaru Japan, with the local Subaru dealership now closed, I am unsure if I will be able to collect the remaining parts for 3 weeks plus, although the manager gave me a glimmer of hope, they may be able to leave them outside if they do turn up for me to collect as they are literally on my daily run route. *

My front grill turned up from the USA, big thanks to Quirkparts on ebay for getting it delivered really quickly. *Its only a subtle change, with this piece not having any pre-cut holes the UK spec comes with for the front numberplate holder. * For me its the little details like this:

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr*

Trying to source genuine STI parts in the UK is really tricky for the BRZ, I'm after the side skirts, rear bumper trims and front lip. *These apparently are out of production now and USA stores want crazy money to deliver them. *A company called Brayson do replica parts and at a really good price, so I may go for them as there shipping is reasonable too:

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

[tweedbean]

Day 35

So its been a long wait for the slam panel, but its finally arrived from Japan. Subaru called today to say the parts are in but the local dealership was closed. They then offered an olive branch that they would deliver it FOC as they had a driver passing by house, so a contactless delivery happened this morning.


So excited as this was the final piece of the puzzle for the front end that I didn;t have alongside the little brackets/seals in the picture that also arrived. It means tonight I can start building the front bumper and bolting the brackets to the front wings etc.

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

I will also get the rest of the car stripped down ready for paint with all the mirrors, door cards, handles, seals etc to be removed. Will try and do removal videos for each items coming off the car to add to the "how to" content on my youtube channel. As mentioned the car will be getting a complete colour change so all door shuts etc need painting.

Once this is done I need to sort getting the car over to a friend to ensure it is all straight, he will also do all the welding to fit the new slam panel so we can test fit the lights, bumper etc to to help line up the front end before it goes over to the bodyshop which is 5 mins away from them. This is all dependent are who is still working or not through this as I know even getting the car there may be an issue as not sure what transports companies if any are still working and the car isn't in a position to be driven on the road.

So for now I will work on what I can get done at home to prep it all and see what responses I can get off the other links in the chain.

Also as I have gone for the USA spec front bumper bar cover with no number plate holes, I purchased a number plate holder that bolts to towing eye threads

Untitled by James Baker, on Flickr

Luckily I don't need any more body parts to go to paint, the genuine STI skirts, lip and rear bumper trim all come finished in black so no need to get them painted to match the car, decided to wait until all this blows over and order the genuine STI parts direct from Japan rather than go for rep parts.

[tweedbean]

Day 37

So another £300 order put in at Subaru today for parts including:

- 84942CA010 Headlight seal left roughly £30 plus VAT plus 84942CA000 Headlight seal right roughly £30 plus VAT - These are small rubber seals that sit between the headlight and front bumper, needed if you are fitting brand new lights aftermarket or stock as they arent supplier with the lights. As my original lights were destroyed I didn't have the seal to swap over from my stock lights. Without them you will have a gap between the lights and bumper in the corner.

The green part in this image:



- Front washer jet covers for the facelift bumper, these were roughly £50 a side, pre painted and I couldnt find any used examples.

- Miscellaneous clips/bolts I was missing.

- Both front wheel arch liners roughly £50 plus VAT each

In other good news the car is booked in next Thursday if all goes well for welding in the slam panel and an alignment/check to ensure nothing else is bent. I've spoken to the bodyshop and they are closed as all the paint suppliers are also closed so they cant get any paint however as soon as they open back up, I'm first on the list.

[tweedbean]

Day 38

A video that should have came on day 1 but I didnt have chance to record it back then. Its a video introducing the project BRZ to my youtube channel. Over the coming months there will be plenty of how to content uploaded to the channel as well as blog style videos providing progress updates as I work to get it back on the road then modifying it. This video covers why I purchased it, what I purchased and the plans for the future. Thanks for watching

[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/p...r-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.