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PROJECT: STaci - The Gold Digger ***PIC HEAVY***

19K views 53 replies 15 participants last post by  Combat Chuck 
#1 · (Edited)
Welcome to my build thread featuring STaci!

03/01/14
So, I've owned my car for ~4 years right now, since I became a member actually, and figured that I've been a little overdue for a build thread. Current goal is to do exterior mods right now and the swap is in my future plans once I finish up grad school and pay off my future debt etc. Enjoy!

My little PSA via Vinny Ten.
A good watch nonetheless.

ToC
Table of Contents​

 

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#2 · (Edited)
Da' List O' Parts

ToC
The mod list

(Awaiting install *)

It's a pretty tame set up and most of it came with the car when I bought it. I don't want to put much into an N/A motor when the end goal is a swap once I graduate.

UPDATE: I graduated.

POWERRRplant - EJ207 V7
  • Beatrush Engine Mounts
  • Beatrush Pitchstop
  • Borla Replica Headers (Jet Hot Ceramic Coated)
  • Cobb Turbo Heatshield
  • FluidAMPR Crank Pulley
  • GReddy EVO3
  • GrimmSpeed EBCS
  • Invidia High Flow Catted DP
  • Kartboy Pitchstop
  • K&N Typhoon Intake with HPS coupler
  • KoyoRad R2218
  • Mishimoto Slim Fans
  • Mishimoto TMIC couplers
  • NGK Spark Plugs - Iridium IX
  • RalliTek Spark Plug Wires
  • NGK Spark Plug Wires
  • Paranoid Fab Grounding Kit
  • Perrin Lightweight Crank Pulley
  • PRM (Cobb) Intake
  • Radium Technologies Dual Catch Can
  • STi Group N Engine Mounts
  • STi TMIC (stock)
  • Stromung Dual Tip CBE
  • Tomei Belt Guide
  • Tomei Turbo Inlet
  • Tomei UEL Headers, ceramic coated
  • Tomei Up Pipe, ceramic coated
  • VF30 (stock)
  • Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump
  • Zero Sports 1.3 Bar Radiator Cap x2

Tranny - Stock 5 Speed
  • '06-'07 WRX Rear Hub Assembly
  • Exedy OEM Replacement Clutch
  • Kartboy Exhaust Hangers
  • Kartboy Shifter Stay Bushings
  • Kartboy Subframe Bolts
  • Kartboy Transmission Cross Member Bushings
  • Motul Gear Oil in Rear Diff
  • Motul Gear Oil in Tranny
  • Red Line Gear Oil in Tranny
  • Subaru OEM Updated Shift Linkage Joint
  • STi Group N Transmission Mounts
  • STi Shifter Linkage
  • STi Short Shifter

Suspension
  • Cusco 19mm RSB
  • DGR Coilovers
  • Fortune Auto 500 Series Coilovers
  • Prothane 19mm Bushings for RSB
  • Swift Springs
  • Syms Racing Strut Bars F/R
  • Whiteline Rear Lateral Link Bushings
  • Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings

Wheels
Summer Duty
  • '11-'14 WRX Wheels
  • '05-07 STi BBS Gold BBS Wheels
  • 225/45/17 Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Positions
  • 225/45/17 Dunlop SP01
  • McGard Blue Cap Spline Drive Lug Nuts

Winter Duty
  • '02 - '05 WRX Wheels
  • 205/45/16 Blizzaks
  • '98 - '99 RS 5 Spokes - Silver
  • Dunlop WinterSport SD
  • McGard Chrome Lug Nuts

Braking
  • ATE Super Blue Brake Fluid
  • ATE Amber Brake Fluid TYP200
  • DBA Slotted Rear
  • EBC USR Slotted Rotors F/R
  • Endless Brake Pad F/R
  • Goodridge SS Brake Lines
  • Grimmspeed Master Brake Cylinder Brace
  • Motul Brake Fluid
  • Project Mu Slotted Rotors Font
  • RS 2/1 Pot Calipers
  • StopTech Street Performance Pads F/R
  • STi Brembo's F/R
  • Subaru 4/2 Pot Calipers

Interior
  • '04 WRX Front Seats
  • '04 WRX Lower Center Console Assembly
  • '05 STi Al Shifter Trim
  • '05 STi Light and Wiper Stalks
  • '17 BRZ Front Seats
  • "Beeper"
  • Flossy Heavyweight Snowball Shift Knob {Good product, $hit customer service}
  • GReddy Counterweight Shift Knob
  • NRG CF Shift Knob
  • OEM Cabin Air Filter
  • OEM Extended Arm Rest
  • OEM Gauge Pack (Oil Temp, Vac, Volt)
  • OEM STi 6 Disc Head Unit w/ Aux Out
  • Razo Pedal Set
  • Sparco Front Seat Brackets
  • V4 STi Steering Wheel
  • V9 STi Airbag
  • V9 WRX Airbag
  • V9 Momo Steering Wheel

Exterior
  • Bakemono Imports Mesh Fog Covers *
  • Bakemono Imports S201 Replica Hood Scoop
  • Bomex Type 1 Power Aero Mirrors
  • eBay Amber Corner Lights
  • eBay Clear Side Markers
  • eBay Clear Turn Indicators
  • Hella SuperTones
  • Hella SharpTones
  • EDM Smooth Rear Bumper
  • JDM Aero Guards F/R
  • JDM Rear Spats
  • Kakumei CF Rear Roof Spoiler
  • OEM Amber Side Markers
  • OEM Amber Turn Indicators
  • Primitive Racing 22B Replica Vents
  • RalliArt Mudflaps
  • Subaru Cherry Blossom Red Star Badge
  • V4 Grille w/ cut out mesh
  • V5/6 Grille w/ cut out mesh (Already came partially cut for you purists who thought that I ruined a perfectly good grille.)
  • Wings West 22B Replica Spoiler w/ Third Brake Light
 
#3 · (Edited)
And so it begins...

ToC
06-20-10 I've assimilated into the Subaru community and no one knows.

I bought it 06-20-10 from a member from here with ~120k, I don't think he's that active on here anymore though since he sold it.

Within the first week of getting it home I washed her up and took a few pics of it. This one shows my first car in the background, a 1993 Camry that my aunt from Jersey gave to me. We wanted to get it shipped to us but my aunt didn't want that so she had us go to Jersey to drive it back home. Half way home the radiator decided to break. Luckily it broke on the off ramp into a truck stop, which we were stuck in for about the next 12 hours before we got a flat bed to come get us and drive us the rest of the way home. That... was a trip.









Debadged it!
 
#4 · (Edited)
First Major Mods

ToC :
First few big money mods.

First major mods didn't happen until early-mid '12. When I got it, the car needed new wheel bearings all around and I was still in school full-time and only worked on the weekends. I mostly kept up with maintenance, perused around other people's threads to see what I liked and then looked for deals on said items.

Wheels are from a '11 WRX, 17x8 +53, and the first major upgrade for this ol' gal.

Since I only have the coupe this is how I brought the wheels home.


All fastened up!


Where they sat for about half a year.




The "test" fitting.


Wheels finally on! The rears will rub on the stock rear struts. Coilovers are necessary to put these on.


Strut bars were put on with the coilover install.
 
#5 · (Edited)
The Drive for Seats

ToC :
The seats were unexpectedly found perusing Nasioc. The price was too good to pass up.

Later that year in '12 I also ended up bleeding the brakes and put in some ATE Super Blue.


About a month or so later I found a killer deal on a set of '04 WRX front seats. The catch? They were a bit of a drive away; clearly a road trip was called for. So a buddy of mine took the drive out for that Saturday morning and arrived home that Saturday night. The guy I bought them for was pretty cool too since he let me park my car in his garage while I swapped out the seats due to a little rain. Overall, a good little experience and a pretty good burger.

I planned for the minimal room my car has so I removed the rear seats before leaving for extra space. So with that said, check out the awesome temp. rear seats!


A little size comparison.


Put in and interior cleaned!
 
#6 · (Edited)
Meh, Cosmetics.

ToC :
Rice status engaged.

By early '13 I had accumulated a lot of parts since I've owned it and I would've loved them to be put to use. The rust was also getting pretty bad so I wanted to do something about it before it got even worst. At the time I found out my cousin apparently knew this guy that did body work. I checked some of his work that he had done before giving him my car and it looked good to so I didn't see why not so I decided to have him work on my car.

The pile.


The majority of the pile installed.


This was honestly a big a$$ mistake. "She looked good from afar but she was far from good looking." I was not happy at all with the end results and it really was a "you get what you pay for" ordeal and I had to fix some of the issues the "body guy" had actually caused. This is the reason why I put a little PSA in the first post in this thread in the hopes that at least one person will listen and won't receive the same fate/heartache/headache etc. How shoddy of a job was it?

  • Runs were everywhere.
  • Over-spray galore.
  • Paint had a lot of dust/debris in it. So it wasn't smooth at all. Especially on the roof, hood, and trunk.
  • Holes on hood were cut to accommodate for the 22B vents, understandable. The issue is that a couple holes were cut completely off. Could have easily removed the bolts from the vents and readjusted them.
  • The under-tray vents weren't covered prior to painting so it was painted in the process.
  • Key holes weren't covered prior to painting.
  • Skirt was coming undone more than when I dropped it off.
  • Side door moldings were literally ripped off and 3M taped back on poorly since they had large gaps allowing water in. I fixed it myself after since a piece was coming off and they weren't aligned correctly.
  • The scoop and spoiler weren't sealed correctly so water got in between them. If I lifted he trunk or hood water would trickle from underneath them.
  • Rear brake light on spoiler was supposed to sit flush on a top ridge, he failed to do that; and instead of it being flush, he put the light a good cm below the ridge, upside down, and crooked.
  • The hole made for the brake light was off so I had to fill the hole he made and re-drill another hole on the wing.
  • Front grill was loose. Further investigation leads me to believe that he just ripped off the grille off destroying the tabs in the process. The old tabs were just super glued together in an attempt to fix it.
  • Side door window trim looked to have a gap on it. I pointed it out and he says that's how it was when I dropped it off. A lie.
  • I asked him to replace the fog light brackets prior and says he didn't see them. Yet he took a screw, which were OEM screws that were individually packaged, from the box that the brackets were in. (He just left the wrapper of the opened screw in the box.)
  • I had hardware to put in with my fog covers that were in the same box. He just put them on without the brackets and said that he didn't see the brackets.
  • Pretty sure he drove it while the paint was still wet since the side mirrors had streaks in it as if there was wind blowing on it.
  • He tells me THE DAY I pick it up that it overheated while in his possession.
  • I had a little over 3/4 of tank of gas in it when I dropped it off. When I picked it up it was close to E. A$$ most likely took it out for a joyride, but that's ~200 miles?! I reset the trip odometer every time I fill up. It read ~17 miles on it at 1/4 tank.
  • The day I pick it up he also tells me that he just waxed it, which explained the swirls in the paint the day of.
  • The antennae didn't seem to pick up any signals anymore.
  • It began to bubble again in the same spots about 3 months later.
  • Some paint easily peeled off and showed the original BRP paint underneath. It looked like that he used a paint adhesive promoter instead of actually painting my car like he said he would.

Anyway, one more picture. I went into a store and then found this parked next to me


Didn't really take pictures of her due to the shoddy work.
 
#7 · (Edited)
This Is Not The Engine She Deserves, But It's The One She Needs Right Now

ToC :
The engine itself wasn't feeling that good after 2+ years of heavy commuting and it started to give out.

Later that summer in '13 my engine was overheating pretty badly. I'd literally drive it to and from work, then once I got home I'd have to top off the coolant. I knew that was a bad sign and I couldn't have the down time so I was in search of an engine. Unfortunately, I was not able to afford a swap at the time. Luckily, I found a replacement engine from a member on here who was in the middle of a WRX swap for a pretty good price.

The night I brought it home.


I didn't want to deal with anymore issues so I decided to just do a little rebuild before I put it all back together. This was also my first time doing something like this so I read up a lot before loosening anything.

The dismantling begins.


Block before.


And after some major elbow grease.


Heads before and after.




Decided to paint the manifold while everything was out.
Prepped.


Painted.


Ready and waiting.


Soon...
 
#8 · (Edited)
The "Accident"

ToC :
I duckin' hate stupid drivers.
Dec. 23rd 2013 on my way home from work some lady decides to turn into my lane about 2 car lengths ahead of me, I'm assuming without looking, from a stopped lane. She doesn't accelerate enough to accommodate for my speed, then decides to brake in the last minute even though there was no one in front of her. So I end up rear ending her and am deemed at fault by her insurance company. !@@$%&$!*&





 
#9 · (Edited)
Dat BBK!

ToC :
I decided to stop better and bit the bullet on a set that already came with the rear hubs needed for the rear 2 pots.

Brakes was my next big thing in '14 but got them a little earlier than intended due to recent events.

The day I got them. They were flaking a bit and the pistons didn't look that good so I decided to rebuild them as well.


Rebuild kit with part numbers shown in case anyone would need them.


Rusty pins, screws, etc.


All cleaned with the help of Evaporust. It's some good $hit!


Paint taken off.


New paint on.




New decals on as well.
 
#10 · (Edited)
The Resto'

ToC :
Being optimistic I took this as a way to fix the shoddy paint job and fix everything correctly (for the most part) as well as install all the parts that I wanted to install.

Just pics of the repair from the accident and it will actually be done correctly.

Once the bumper was removed we found out that the bumper beam got a bit bent and cracked in the accident.


Rust cut from the rear quarter panels.


Newly welded metal and JDM rear bumper put in.


Rocker panel done as well.


Primered.


Door panels painted.


Should've bought some upgraded fender braces but no funds at the time.


Pass. door had a little rust starting on the bottom so it was fixed up as well.


That's where the grill cracked.




 
#11 · (Edited)
Wheelin' and Dealin'

ToC :
Was feeling the need for another project while I waited for my car and hopped up on a pretty sweet deal on a V4 wheel from a member here.

Pics were taken from original owner's FS thread.


The wheel needed some lovin'


This side especially.


Lower threads before.


Lower threads after.


Working my way up to the top of the wheel.


2 - 3 O'Clock position was in the worst condition.


After.


Not perfect, but there's no way it would've been able to be.


9 - 10 O'Clock position.




Finished!


***Updated***
Finally installed on my car! Just noticed that the air bag light turns on for about 5 seconds then it turns off. Normal?


To add to this. I also did this to my stock shift knob about a year back. Sorry, I don't have any before pictures of it but the threads were about as black as the threads were on the steering wheel.




 
#12 · (Edited)
KoyoFab

ToC
Prior to getting my car back I picked up a radiator since it got cracked in the accident as well as a broken tab which allowed it to wiggle back and forth.

I didn't take pics of the install but a rad install is pretty straight forward. I just have pics of my DIY mounting brackets that I made from some aluminum.

The set up is a Koyorad R2218 with Mishimoto Slim Fans

Cut and measured twice for every piece. I just used some aluminum pieces from ACE and cut them up to size.


Top brackets finished and aligned.


Lower bracket finished and aligned. Everything was bent by my hands so I couldn't bend the aluminum to the exact position I wanted for the left hand brackets but I believe three works just fine.


Once they were installed I totally forgot about the over flow thank. :facepalm: So now it's only held on by one screw at the moment. I need to fab up another little bracket to hold the overflow a bit sturdier before the plastic breaks off. Will update with pics once finished.

*** Update with reservoir bracket.

I just used the last bit of the aluminum that I had originally bought and did some measuring on where to put the holes.

Here's how it was before and the chopped piece of aluminum. It was much more difficult marking it correctly on where to cut with the radiator already in. You can see some parts where I miscalculated the cuts.


Finally on after a bit of coaxing to get it to sit just right since the holes that were made caused it to angle up slightly.


A closer look. The end of it wiggles slightly but once the hood prop is down it stops the wiggling. I also used some stop nuts for the rear of the tank for added security.
 
#13 · (Edited)
The Short-Lived Return

ToC
Got the car back, only to have Murphy rain in on the parade.

I got the car back! This paint shows a difference in quality. They are supposed to be the same color, but apparently the previous "body" guy had used too much reducer. This resulted in a different color shine. The lower blue is my old rear bumper.


With the winter wheels still on.


Dat A55!


Murphy's Law hits 4 times in one day.

The following weekend the plan was to install the 4/2 pots. We started with the rears but the bolts that needed to come undone were not very cooperative which lost a lot of day light. On top of that I come to find that I was given 2 pairs of rear rotors. One for the 2 pots and one for the RS 1 pot rear brakes. :unamused:


Then... the sh!t storm happened. Car needed an alignment and was rubbing a bit on the way back home. About 2 miles from home I noticed that the car started to rub a bit more than usual and then it jerked to the side a bit. I then pulled over and saw that my wheel was suddenly in the mad tyte JDM, stanceed out, dumped status. I wasn't far from home, I couldn't fix it there in the middle of the night since I didn't have all the tools on me needed so I limped it home with my step-dad following behind.

Aftermath the following morning.


My buddy forgot to stake the axle nut.


The rubber residue and where it scraped on the strut.


The wheel/tire was beaten up pretty badly as well.


Not too happy about this at all, but sh!t does happen and at least the whole assembly didn't come off... right?

Just buttoned it back together, took some pictures and am waiting for the rebuild kit to come in.




 
#14 · (Edited)
Sherlock Holmes in this Biotch!

ToC
The aftermath.

You can tell that the outer part of the caliper overheated from the friction.


Inner part was chewed up a bit from hitting the rotor.


Damages.
-I put some pressure into it to test it out and one piston came out within 2 seconds, the burnt side.

-The whole caliper needs to be replaced too as it was bubbling from one of the sides that was marred. Made a few calls and no auto store has any remanned in stock. Only way is to send mine in, which isn't able to be rebuilt.

-Wheel bearing was also gone. It jiggled more more than a busty woman with no bra.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Thy Shyte Storm

ToC
The storm continues....

Sooooooooo....... I got to work on the car this weekend to see if we could replace the broken rear calipers. Did not happen...

Calipers
There were no Subaru 2 pots to be had during my search but I managed to find a pair of rear Nissan 2 pot calipers for a decent price. I did a little research prior to getting them but and come to find that they will work but they will stick out a little bit since the Nissan rotors were slightly bigger than the Subaru one's. I did a test fit on them and the pad sat a good half cm above the rotor, not having that.

Here is the rear calipers side by side. The gold one is the Subaru and the red one is the Nissan. As you can see, the rear Nissan calipers are just a tad taller.


The plan now is to crack these open and swap the face from the Nissan caliper to the Subaru caliper, paint, and put in fresh seals.

Bearing
Since the bearing was damaged too, we had to replace that as well. A fresh Timken bearing and seals were ready to go!

Welp, change of plans.


Once all of the gunk was removed we come to find that the inside the the spindle was all sorts of messed up too, so I'm in need of a new spindle as well since it won't even seal correctly. :facepalm: :unamused: :blowingup

I didn't get a picture of it, but the other half of the bearing was smushed into the neck of the hub.

Here's what was left of the roller bearings.


What was done now was we put a sacrificial bearing into the doomed spindle so we could drive it home. When we had asked the shop to do it all they asked was, "what happened?!" So, currently there's a bearing there without any seals at the moment until I can source a spindle.

Much wow.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Everything is coming up Milhouse!

ToC
She's back on the road!

So I got the chance to open the damaged caliper and the Nissan caliper. The faces are the same! For the most part at least. The Nissan caliper face has a smaller rectangle compared to the one on the Subaru caliper.



I also find this. It looks like the o-ring in between the caliper must have been overheated and deformed. It explained why it bubbled/leaked from this part of the caliper.


Stripped the paint, plopped it in front of the Subaru back of the rear caliper and bam! No leaks!


My slightly OCD self couldn't have just kept it like that either so I bought the same paint to paint it, but I couldn't just paint the half caliper with all that paint!


Not pictured but I also put on the stock lateral links back on with Whiteline bushings since the old ones were just stuck in there or there was a cut bolt in it.

The front brakes installed and all ready to go!


So as of right now it's finally derivable! I have a few things to do to it still but it's fully functional right now! All that remains now are the ABS sensors, power window motor, new radio, and key fob. Just waiting for it all to come in or finding time to install them.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Tuneskis!

ToC
Newer head unit!

Not much of an update but my radio decided to take a crap on me. Didn't really want to go aftermarket at the moment since I'd like to get one with the whole shebang if I did but I'm not willing to drop the coin for it at the moment. So I found a next best option for my needs, an STi double din with AUX port.

I didn't like how it clashed with my CF interior though. Here's a stock image of what I essentially got in.


Here's what mine looked after a little bit of work.


And installed! I feel that it doesn't clash as much with it as it used to. Would've been better if it was all black though. Oh well, it'll do for now.




Also, I got a power window motor! Only to find that the pin was bent back. Womp Womp so now I've got a spare for when it eventually goes.

My checklist for now is...
  • Install heat barrier wrap for the hood.
  • ...fog covers.
  • ...cabin air filter.
  • New key fob.
  • Detail.
 
#18 · (Edited)
That Squeaky Clean Feeling

ToC
So fresh, so clean!

No real major updates at this point. Just some pictures of it and a much needed cleaning.

Before the brake tragedy.


Before leaving for work.


This was during one of my last days working at my old job. I always tried to get this spot.


Random one after a storm.


This one is after I detailed it. Clay bar, wax, etc. I also cleaned the interior a few days prior as well as installed the cabin air filter.


- Still debating about the covers.
- I ordered a new fob as well. TWICE! One turned out to be the wrong model and the other is still lost in the mail. :unamused: I've given up at this point.

Bonus shots!




 
#20 · (Edited)
Autocross!

ToC
With a little rub...

Went to an autocross for the first time! My tires and fender did not like me too much that day. I rubbed on a few turns on the course, just a "little" bit though. Took pictures of the results when I got home.





Looks like there were a few pictures taken of my car in action.







Unfortunately my dash cam didn't really film continuously on my runs so I'm not putting those up. Fenders are fine though. That's all I really care about. :rolleyes:
 
#28 ·
Thanks! I'm trying to not cut corners as much. Though I still do now and then, as you may notice with the wheel resto.

Sweet thread, looking good!
Thanks! Give it a week or so when I get it back!

that's Abel's old wheel!! :banana:
...and it's looking better than ever! :banana:

Great work so far... your wheel recovery write up should really be stickied.

Looking forward to more.

Evaded
Thanks! However, I'm not sure a ghetto-rigged wheel recovery should be really stickied.

Looks familiar :D

I can't tell but was it BRP before and RBP/WRB after? I couldn't tell if it was a filter or if the color actually changed. Either way, looks good! I'm jealous of your 4 pots, I'll probably be doing the same thing soon.
Twins! Well, it was. It's a blue color of sorts and #nofilter, as the cool kids say it. Getting into an accident that could have been prevented with better brakes really changes your mind on when to get the upgrade. Sooner than later would've been better.
 
#24 ·
Dude, that wheel came out fvcking amazing!!!
The 9 0'clock and 3 o'clock were the parts that were giving me a headache. I lathered that thing up with 4-5 coats of mink oil, but I never got that result.
Very, VERY nice!!! :clap:



:mamoru:
But did you see the outcome? :eek:mg:
 
#29 · (Edited)
The End Of An Era...

ToC
Gonna miss DAT ASS!

8-15-14 The last day I drove her.:puppy_dog I left for school and was not allowed to bring the car along with me. I'm now driving this thing with no balls. Sort of worked out though as my car would be destroyed by the new place as there's extremely large speed bumps in the parking lot. Also saw an STM coupe at my school on the first day of orientation, the feels!

Last few shots of it before I left.

A sweet rolling shot that my sister took with her S4. A little grainy but not too bad for a camera phone.


Next to my buddy's gassy Miata and the same Z from previous pictures.


Last shot I took of it. Cleaned and waxed it the night before at like 1-2am and spent a solid half hour just sitting in it before leaving. Gonna miss DAT ASS!


No updates for the next ~2 years.
 
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