HAMMERITE THE WORLD
In my last post, I showed you the setup of the subframe. Since that will be literal foundation of this project, it had to be taken care of first. My plan was to paint all the metal bits (connected directly to the subframe) with Hammerite, which is a pretty tough metal paint. First up: the subframe!
I’ve spend a decent amount of time cleaning/sanding the entire subframe with wire brushes. Seeing how much filth and rust was covering my garage floor, I think it’s safe it was necessary.
After that, I gave the outside a bit of a clean, and filled the inside with cavity wax, to prevent future rust issues.
If you compare this picture to the one I showed in my last post, you’ll notice there’s a bit missing. Subframes on YRV’s and Sirions come with this extending piece of metal with holes in them. In the YRV and Sirion, these holes are used to fit the radiator. In Cuores, the radiator pops into the holes that are actually in the subframe, rather than in front of it. The problem is that that extending piece of metal sticks out way too much, making it hard to fit the bumper. So, it needed to be cut off. This was basically my first experience cutting something with an angle grinder, but I think I did a pretty decent job.
This is what the subframe looks like now. I did 2 layers of paint, and I’m pretty confident it’s going to stay in good shape for a while.
I also painted the brackets for the steeringrack and front ARB
And finally, the ARB’s. These came from a Copen, and I can’t wait to feel how it drives when both of them are fitted. I’m not building a track car, so I’m more interested in less body roll, than in less load transfer. I think it’ll make the car feel a lot more direct and less ‘tippy’.
A good thing about the rear ARB, is that is doesn’t have anything to do with the swap. So, I decided to mount it now!
I haven’t been able to test it properly, but you do feel a difference. There’s a small difference going into corners, because it feels like it doesn’t have to roll (as much) before actually turning. Of course the car turns when you turn the steering wheel (except for when you have massive understeer), but it just feels more resistant to rolling. This all sound very obvious, but it’s hard to describe the way it feels. Also, it doesn’t roll as much when going on a highway, which is probably the biggest noticeable difference.
So there’s not a huge amount of difference (as I expected), but I think it’ll make a good difference combined with the front ARB, once that’s on.
SO THAT’S WHERE MY MONEY WENT
The next step is to paint all the parts that need heat resistant paint. I still have to decide whether or not I’m going to paint the engine and gearbox as well (probably yes), but I guess you’ll see in the next update 
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When everything is painted, the fun stuff begins: assembling. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m going to build on and around the subframe. So, I’ll fit the engine to the subframe and then start replacing all the parts that need replacing. Here’s a satisfying picture to show you (most of) the new parts I got over the last couple of months.
(Okay the fuel pump is second hand, but it had only done like 45xxx km so it’s not far off)
Everything on the left is drivetrain related, everything on the right is suspension or brake related. If anyone wants to know all the parts in this picture, I’ll make a list, but for now I’ll just stick to the picture.
Summer vacation is almost here, but not quite yet. School’s out in about a month/month and a half, and then I can work day after day on the project. The plan was to do the swap in July, but it depends on school whether that’s doable or not. For now, I’ll just keep working on the weekends, and we’ll see how things go.