Team RD #27 GC8 STI Race Car

[Ben]

For those of you that don't know me, my name is Ben (duh!) . I used to run IWSTI.com and I've been pretty heavily involved in the Subaru community for quite some time. I started this journal over on IWSTI a little while ago and I figured since this is a GC8 chassis I might as well copy the thread over here as well.

So, without further ado, here comes the journal! The original post was made on 2/12/09 on IWSTI.

To view a condensed version of this entire journal in blog format, visit the Team RD website at: Team RD #27 Race Car

------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------

Post #1 - The story and the initial parts list.
Post #2 - Clear lights, RS body panels, and hood scoop are on the way.
Post #3 - The color scheme has been chosen: A brown Subaru?
Post #4 - The parts are here (with some hidden surprises).
Post #5 - The shell has arrived and I'm almost done stripping it already .
Post #6 - Interior stripping day 2 - Everything's out!
Post #7 - The world's largest GC hood scoop has arrived.
Post #8 - Fun with dry ice! It's time to remove the sound deadening material.
Post #9 - Seam welding preparation is almost done...kind of .
Post #10 - Off to the cage shop we go!
Post #11 - Rear X welded in and lots of metal cut out.
Post #22 - APR Goodies have arrived.
Post #33 - The Blouch Dominator 3.0r and APS 50/50 BOV are here! (Some bad news too...)
Post #43 - 2 days of cage progress. Over 25 pictures!
Post #52 - Wave goodbye to the stock block!
Post #59 - The hardest work yet (scraping the bottom of the car). More cage progress too!
Post #66 - The NRG quick release has arrived.
Post #90 - The cage is 90% done!
Post #104 - Cage Complete!
Post #130 - The DOM 3 is back, now with a round inlet!
Post #149 - The trunk floor is ready.
Post #158 - Stripping down the wiring harness to remove excess weight.
Post #160 - Wiring update #1 - Rear harness complete.
Post #164 - Thanks to our newest sponsors: Killer B Motorsport & Kartboy.
Post #179 - Wiring update #2 - Main cabin harness.
Post #185 - The Killer B Motorsport oil pickup is here.
Post #189 - The Fedex man brings Racecomp Engineering swaybars.
Post #190 - Wiring Update #3 - Basically done!
Post #195 - APR Wing test fitted.
Post #224 - Finally, we're off to paint!
Post #231 - Enkei is on board. RPF1's here we come!
Post #236 - The custom BC coilover kit is ready for installation.
Post #238 - Paint / body shop update #1 (white).
Post #239 - Paint / body shop update #2 (black).
Post #255 - Paint / body shop update #3 (dark grey metallic).
Post #270 - Paint / body shop update #4 (reflection / outside shot teaser).
Post #280 - Paint / body shop update #5 (interior complete) AND dash flocking!
Post #296 - The car is officially back in my hands. It's GO-TIME!
Post #299 - More wiring and the car is rolling on 4 STI wheels.
Post #304 - The wiring is in the car.
Post #346 - Our new shop is open!
Post #359 - The Enkei wheels have arrived.
Post #396 - The block has been wet sleeved, and it's a monster!
Post #421 - Preview of the graphics.
Post #456 - The GrimmSpeed invasion.

-------------------------- SPONSORS -------------------------



-------------------------- THE PARTS/MODS LIST -------------------------

CHASSIS & STIFFENING

• 1995 Subaru Impreza GC8 Chassis
• All sound deadening material removed & fully seam welded
• Jackson Rally Custom 8 point roll cage
• Jackson Rally Rear Strut X-brace (welded to cage)
• Jackson Rally Front Strut V-brace (welded to cage)
• STI front & rear crossmember
• Cusco engine & transmission mounts
• Kartboy pitchstop mount

ENGINE & POWER

• EJ257 (2005 STI) 2.5L Complete Engine
• Valley Engine Custom "Wet Sleeves" (complete cylinder replacements)
• CP custom forged/coated pistons (9:1 compression, 99.75mm)
• Eagle chromoly rods
• ACL race bearings
• ARP headstuds
• 09 STI oil pump
• Killer B Motorsports oil pickup
• Killer B Motorsports oil pan
• Setrab STD-650 oil cooler
• Canton Racing 2QT Accusump
• Koyo Racing aluminum radiator /w Samco hoses
• Blouch Dominator 3.0r turbocharger (3" inlet, 8cm hotside)
• GrimmSpeed up pipe /w EWG dump tube
• Tial 44mm external wastegate
• GrimmSpeed ported & coated exhaust manifold with hiflow crosspipe
• GrimmSpeed ported intake manifold
• GrimmSpeed TGV delete
• GrimmSpeed 3mm phenolic spacer
• GrimmSpeed EBCS
• Griffin 1000CFM top mount intercooler
• APS 50/50 BOV
• APS 3" turbo inlet pipe
• KS Tech 83mm MegaMAF Intake /w AEM DryFlow filter
• Invidia v2 3" catless downpipe
• Blitz Nur Spec Touring 3" catless exhaust (Modified to be a full 3" without taper)

FUEL, TUNING, & ELECTRICAL:

• 110 Leaded VP Racing Fuel
• AccessPort Pro Tune (~475whp, extremely conservative)
• Walrbo 255 Fuel Pump
• Ultimate Racing Fuel Rails
• Ultimate Racing 900cc low impedance top-feed injectors
• STI Gas Tank
• STI Wiring Harness, ECU, DCCD, & Fuse Boxes

TRANSMISSION & DRIVETRAIN

• STI 6-Speed Transmission with DCCD
• STI 6-Speed Shifter / Lever / Linkage / Knob
• Kartboy Short shift kit
• ACT HD Clutch
• ACT Streetlite Flywheel
• STI Driveshaft
• STI Rear Differential
• STI Axles
• STI Hubs (114.3)

SUSPENSION

• BC Racing Coilovers /w Custom Valving & Spring Rates (10k/12k)
• BC Racing Front & Rear Camber Plates
• Racecomp Engineering Swaybars
• Kartboy Swaybar Endlinks
• STI Control Arms
• STI Lateral Links
• STI Trailing Arms

BRAKING

• Brake Man F4 Tornado Calipers (front)
• Brake Man F3 Tornado Calipers (rear)
• Brake Man Lightweight Molycarbide Rotors (front)
• Brake Man Super Lightweight Revolution Rotors (rear)
• Brake Man #3 Racing Pads
• Brake Man Stainless Steel Brake Lines
• Brake Man DOT 6 Racing Fluid
• STI ABS Controller

WHEELS & tires

• Enkei RPF1 Wheels in 17x8.5 +40 (Silver)
• Yokohama 230 slicks

INTERIOR & SAFTEY

• Cobra Suzuka kevlar racing seats (HANS compatible)
• Schroth Hybrid II HANS 6-point racing harnesses
• Schroth HANS device
• Sparco steering wheel
• NRG v2.5 quick release hub
• STI gauge cluster
• STI flocked dash
• STI pedal box /w STI drive-by-wire gas pedal
• Jackson Rally custom 8 point cage

EXTERIOR

• RS v6 front bumper
• STI front lip
• Clear OEM style headlights & corner lights
• Seibon carbon fiber OEM style hood
• 22b replica hood vents
• STI (GD-Style) hood scoop
• Side markers removed
• JDM RS side skirts
• RS rear bumper
• JDM RS tail lights
• APR Formula GT3 mirrors
• APR GTC-200 dry carbon adjustable wing
• APR carbon custom front splitter

WEIGHT REDUCTION

• Interior completely removed
• All sound deadening material removed
• Wiring harness stripped, 80% of wires removed
• Spare tire tub cut out and removed. Replaced with aluminum sheet.
• Rear deck lid cut out and removed
• JDM front bumper beam
• JDM rear bumper beam
• Braille B106C carbon fiber battery
• Seibon carbon fiber hood
• APR carbon fiber GT3 mirrors

-------------------------- THE STORY -------------------------

As you all may know, I took a break from Subarus for a while. It was suprising enough when I came back with an 08 STI, but this latest project is going to surprise a lot of people. I know this because even I'm suprised, and I know what's coming...

So, what's all the fuss about? I'm building a new track car...and this one is going to make the old race car build-up look like a joke.

Introducing the Team RD #27 GC8 STI Race Car

I just purchased a 1995 Impreza L and it's being shipped to me next week. This poor car isn't doing so well at the moment, seeing as how it doesn't have an engine or transmission. It's quite dirty, the windshield is cracked...let's just say it's seen better days.

That's all nothing to worry about though. I won't be needing the engine or transmission. In fact, I won't need anything besides the shell.

The following is arriving in about a week and a half:

- Complete 2005 STI 2.5L Engine with 1,500 miles
- STI Top Mount Intercooler
- STI VF39 Turbo
- STI Starter
- STI Radiator /w brackets
- Invidia v2 Downpipe
- Cusco Motor Mounts
- STI Clutch
- STI Flywheel
- STI Clutch Master & Slave Cylinder
- STI 6-Speed Transmission
- STI 6-Speed Shifter / Lever / Linkage / Knob
- STI Front & Rear STI Cross Member
- STI Driveshaft
- STI Rear Differential
- STI Axles (front & rear)
- STI Rear lateral links
- STI Rear trailing arms
- STI Struts and Springs (front & rear)
- STI Font & Rear Hubs 5x114.3
- STI Front Aluminum Control Arms
- STI Brake Booster & Master Cylinder
- STI Pedal Box
- STI ABS Controller
- Brembo Calipers
- Brembo Rotors
- Brembo Brake Lines
- Brembo Pads
- STI E-brake cables
- STI E-brake handle
- STI Gas Tank
- STI Gas Tank wiring
- Walbro 255 Fuel Pump
- STI Full Wiring Harness /w all sensors & controllers
- STI Immobilizer with ECU and Key
- STI Drive by wire gas pedal
- STI Fuse boxes
- STI DCCD units / controller / switches
- STI Gauge Cluster
- STI Dash w/o Stereo or HVAC
- STI Center console (cup holder / ebrake area)
- STI (BBS) 17x8” Wheels /w tires
- Personal Steering wheel /w quick release
- Recaro Pro Racer Hans Driver's seat

Yes, you read that list correctly. That's EVERYTHING that is needed to fully convert a 95 L to an 05 STI. Nothing is being half-assed here, this is going to be the real deal. The only non-STI parts on the entire car will be the chassis and exterior panels .

With that said, what's up first? Seam welding! The car will be stripped down and out comes the saws and sanders. I'm getting rid of every square inch of sound deadening material and seam welding the entire chassis. Once that's done, a cage is going in, but we're still figuring out the exact cage details at this point.

Once the chassis is finished we'll paint it and begin the swap. In the mean time all the STI goodies will probably have to sit in a storage locker .

This is going to be one hell of a project. The initial goal is 400whp in a 2600 lb car. I think we'll hit that no problem. Stay tuned!

[Ben]

Just ordered these bad boys:





Gotta love ebay. $180 shipped for 4 lights (2 headlights + 2 corners). So between those, the JDM tail lights, and the clear side markers, there will be no amber on the car at all .

This is basically what the front end will look like:

Attachment 13821

The only difference is there will be fog covers instead of fogs and the amber pieces will be clear:

Attachment 13822

Aside from that, it will have the 22b style hood vents like these:



And an 05 STI sized hood scoop like this:

[Ben]

OK, here's a fairly big update: COLOR

I know originally I was thinking about white, but that's a bit boring. Then I was thinking about something really wild (green, orange, yellow, etc.) but I didn't want the car to look obnoxious either. After some brainstorming with my better half, we decided on a classy, unique color that I think will work really well with many possible graphic schemes. And the color is...*drum roll*:

Midnight Mocha from the 2008 Infiniti FX.

First, here's my best at a swab of this color. It's EXTREMELY reflective and changes to many different colors depending on the lighting conditions so this seems like the best range to describe it.



Here are a few pictures of an FX in this color. Again, lighting really affects how it looks so I tried to find pics that would best portray the actual color.









Up next are the proposed color schemes. The first idea is a cherry blossom red (pink) and white scheme with a thick, off-center racing stripe in white with a second smaller stripe next to it in pink. Sponsor logos would be pink on mocha, window text and the number plate would be white.



If the pink doesn't work out, here is color scheme #2. It's a bit safer, going with white and sand (tan) on mocha:



Last but not least, this is my attempt at a chop. The wheels wouldn't be gold but I might go with white wheels to match the other white vinyl on the car or something. Also keep in mind that there would be pink and white vinyl on the car so it wouldn't like QUITE as brown as this, but this gives you an idea:



I've never really seen a brown Subaru before, much less brown and pink . I wanted something unique and I think this will be really one of a kind. The interior and cage would be painted to match. The color looks much better in person (I just saw an FX today in this color) but these pics will have to do. So, what do you think?

[Ben]

The parts are here! Let the madness begin!

First up, there were some hidden suprises. I knew the motor was recently rebuilt (2500 miles on it right now) but what I didn't know was that it had a bunch of goodies installed at the same time. Instead of getting completely stock engine parts I ended up with:

Cosworth head studs
Ultimate Racing Fuel Rails
Ultimate Racing 900cc Injectors
APS Inlet (with both size adapters)

Combine that with the Walbro 255 that is already installed in the gas tank and I think I have pretty much everything I need for for an FP Green. I might just pick up an FP Green and a tial 44mm wastegate and call it a day. With the 110 leaded I'll be running, 400whp should be a breeze!

So anyway, what does a complete STI swap look like? Well, something like this:



As you can see, the complete engine and tranny as well as front cross member, suspension, brakes, wheels, etc. are all in one piece:



Next up you can kind of see the gas tank and drive shaft poking out. The entire rear end is all in one piece (rear diff, axles, wheels, suspension, brakes, etc) and is underneath a bunch of crap (dash, glove box, center console, carpet) so it was impossible to get a picture of it .





The radiator, with samco hose and the TMIC:





Then we have a complete wiring harness. Ever wonder how much all of the wires in your car weigh? Well I just moved this bin and I'd guess they weight about 50 lbs!



Pedals and other goodies:



APS Inlet, ABS controller, and assorted pieces:



Steering column complete with the immobilizer and key:



The beautiful gauge cluster:



And finally, that Blitz Nur Spec 3" catless exhaust I picked up the other day:



Now I just need to go pick up all the exterior panels from my friend (RS front & rear bumper, JDM side skirts & front lip, RS fenders, JDM tail lights, front and rear bumper beam, etc.). The clear JDM-style headlights also showed up today and are still in the box.

Last but not least, I guess I need something to put all of this stuff in. Not to worry, the transport truck was delayed so the shell is showing up on Monday instead of today. I have a feeling a lot of scraping and sanding are in my near future .

Stay tuned!

[Ben]

The shell has arrived, and it's almost completely stripped already . Here's how she looked on Monday night:





Thank god for the RS body panels because it looks REALLY bad at the moment .

First to go was the trunk since it's probably the easiest and has the least amount of wiring:



Then out went the passenger seat and center console among other things:







Then all of the door cards, side panels, a pillars, b pillars, and the roof liner came out:



A few random pieces and the rear wiring harness:



Then the driver seat, gauge cluster, HVAC, and everything else connected to the dash came out.



Then the dash was removed (man I wish it could happen as quickly and easily as these pictures make it look! ):







Then with my magic wand, the dash bar disappeared:



OK, it didn't disappear. I found it outside the car:



Progress is good:



After that picture it started getting dark. I managed to remove the fuse box and almost the entire rest of the wiring harness behind the dash before I ran out of light. Tomorrow morning I'll finish up and everything will be gone (heater core, blower, all wires, etc.). I just wish I had started earlier this morning because this could have been done in a day if I didn't run out of light.

Once that's done I get the exciting job of removing all of the sound deadening material / tar that is all over the car. Then as a reward for removing the tar, I get to scrape and pick away at all of the silicon in the seams and take a wire brush to them to prep for the seam welding. Fun times are ahead...

[Ben]

It's all done! Well...as much as can possibly be done before we actually take it to the cage shop. I was going to take out the firewall today until I realized I would have to remove the steering column. I need to leave that in until we get it to the cage shop incase we need to turn the wheels .

On to today's progress. The heater core & blower came out first:





Then everything from the engine bay had to go. Significant progress was already made in this department as the car came without an engine .



And poof, all the wires are gone:



Here they are:



The final result:



The only things left to strip are the body panels (doors, bumpers, hood, trunk, roof) and of course the steering column and firewall that I wasn't able to do today. Other than that, the wheels are barely held on by struts with 1 or 2 nuts so the thing is about ready to fall apart as soon as it needs to. Dropping the axels, driveshaft, and various suspension components should take 2 hours max and then they'll just end up in the dumpster so that makes things easy . All-in-all, there's only about 1 full day's work left once it gets to the cage shop.

This weekend Wes is coming over (thanks!) and we're going to tackle the sound deadening material with dry ice and pick away at the seams to prep for seam welding. I also think a serious vacuum job is in order as the car has about 13 years worth of dirt inside of it...

Stay tuned!

[Ben]

Some exciting news just came in: The Griffin 1000cfm intercooler and the Blouch Dominator 3.0r Turbo are both shipping on Monday.

Also, the world's largest GC hood scoop showed up yesterday from over seas. It's the same height as a GD STI hood scoop but it's as wide as a 2001 RS hood scoop. The mesh will be painted black and obviously the scoop itself will be painted on the car to match.





Yes, it's 2 feet wide :

[Ben]

Today Wes came over and we had some fun with dry ice. While we didn't make any dry ice bombs or create some awesome fog in the pool, we did make great progress with the car. I think Wes was a little surprised when he found out that we'd basically be smashing my car with a hammer all day, but in no time he was removing sound deadening material like a pro!

Initially we bought 5 pounds of dry ice and quickly got to work on the sound deadening material starting with the section behind the passenger seat:



It worked well and the tar came off in relatively large pieces when you whacked it hard enough :



When it freezes completely solid it actually looks and feels like plastic:



And here's what a completed (almost) section looks like:



We then started on the back seat area and immediately realized that we had not purchased nearly enough dry ice to do things efficiently:



In the mean time we managed to tear out all of the firewall liner:





After that we went out to buy more dry ice and we got serious this time. Instead of 5 lbs, we bought 18 lbs of dry ice. The goal now was to freeze everything at the same time and then go around on a whacking spree with two hammers rather than doing things in small sections. This was half of our supply of dry ice in use:



Great success!



Then we had to get creative because the remaining material wasn't flat. We had to figure out how to hold dry ice sideways on various panels:



My awesome balancing act with the dry ice:



We eventually got all of it out including the wheel wells, trunk area, etc. It was too dark to continue taking pictures but the result was this trash bag full of over 40 lbs of material:




Tomorrow I get the awesome job of taking a heat gun to all of the newly exposed seams in the car and scraping all of the silicon out of them. It's going to be extremely gooey and not particularly fun but it's required for the seam welding. The car is getting towed to Jackson Rally for the cage on Friday so I only have a few days left to finish everything .

Thanks again to Wes for coming out and helping today!

[Ben]

The last two days have been a lot of work, and it's not even done yet. Basically this is what I've been dealing with:

The sound deadening material is gone but a bunch of tar is still left over. On top of that, you have seams full of silicon. The seams need to be brushed completely clean and have no silicon in them or paint anywhere near them so that the seam welding can be done. You start out with a floor that looks like this (minor part of the seam is already done in this pic):



And you need to turn it in to something like this (although this is a bit overkill):



Well it all seems pretty easy until you actually go to do that section of the floor and realize that it takes an hour and a half. Then you look around and realize how many freaking seams there are and you start to get some idea of what the following days are going to be like.

For example, you have a big seam that looks like this:



After taking a heat gun to it and scraping away all of the silicon on the outside for half an hour you get your handy dandy pick and start scraping inside of the seams:



20 minutes later, ****ing silicon is still coming out of the same seam and you think you're going insane:



Eventually the silicon stops coming out and it's time to grab the drill with the wire brush and sand away any paint, silicon, or anything else in your way. Once it's all done, you have a seam that looks like this:



Repeat this process for 8 million seams and you start to get somewhere and it looks like this:











All in all, the seams are mostly done. It's hard to see that much progress in the photos and quite a number of seams are not pictured at all but it was a TON of work. Unfortunately, these are only the seams inside of the car. This weekend I get to do the same thing for the underside of the car inside of the wheel wells and a few other places. I can't wait...

[Ben]

Yesterday I managed to finish all of the seams and I polished all of the floors. The end result looked something like this (the flash kind of screws it up):



Then this morning we took off the rear bumper, tail lights, hood, grille, and headlights (thanks to Pharo for coming out and helping!):



Once that was done it was time to put it on a truck and send it off to Jackson Rally for all of the cage work:



As soon as we got it in to the shop the front bumper and fenders came off:



Then the trunk and rear glass was removed:



We got it up on the lift and went to work. The rear crossmember came out along with the driveshaft and gas tank:



As you can see, the car is in good company :



And finally, here's the 8 million feet of chromoly tubing that will all be used for my cage :