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Pete, Chet24's 2.5RS

17K views 65 replies 16 participants last post by  George.of.the.Jungle 
#1 · (Edited)


Current Mod List: (updated 06/03/15, mileage 203k)

This is all severely outdated. Will update soon. (10/30/2018)

Pete, 01 2.5RS:

Suspension:
KYB AGX Struts
Eibach Pro Lowering Springs
Perrin Subframe Lockdown Kit
06 WRX rear sway bar
STi Carbon Fiber strut tower bar

Wheels:

Advan RG 16x7.5 +45 (13.4 lbs)
BFG Sport Comp 2s 225/50/16
Black RS 6-spokes and General Altimax Arctic tires for winter

Brakes:
Subaru 4-Pot front calipers, Hawk HPS pads, DBA ?5000? 2 piece front rotors
H6 rear, Stoptech Street Performance pads, Centric Blanks

Drivetrain:
eBay UEL headers
Cat delete track pipe
Prodrive oval tipped catback
Kartboy pitch stop mount
Kartboy short shifter and bushings
ACT Streetlight flywheel

Exterior:
Paint matched Bugeye 3 Piece front lip, side skirts, and DIY accord rear spats
JDM STi Grill
JDM Multi-color Fog Lights
Depo clear side turn markers
Depo clear corner lights

Interior:
JDM v6 STi front seats
WMD custom shift knob
JDM OEM WRX Nardi steering wheel
Pioneer Appradio 3
Cool White LEDs in dome/map, gauge cluster, and climate controls.

Amsoil everywhere

Dyno at Ziptie Dynowerks. 120.2 whp/121.9 wtq
 

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#29 · (Edited)
Finally got around to starting on my quarter panel. Followed pretty standard DIY writeup procedure. This was my first time. I have a friend who has done a bit more welding than me, but neither of us are body guys, and he knew less than me, so it was basically me doing all the cutting and measuring and he just did the welding. The plan was to use the TIG, but he realized he was out of gas after attempting to do the spot welds, so just regular gas MIG. They aren't the prettiest welds, but they work great and were free.
When I started all the sanding and realized how much bondo was already on the panel, it was pretty obvious that there had been an accident in this quarter panel before. It was pushed much farther in than the other side, and this would also explain why I had such a hard time fitting my wheels. The new panel does stick out as far as it should, so that means that I will need to build up the bondo quite a bit around the welding seam to make it even. Also visible is the evidence of the paid attempt to repair it 6 months ago and the crazy amount of rust that made it impossible.














I have finals this week, so I threw some primer on it and will hopefully get at least all the bondo done next week. I haven't decided if I want to try to do all the paint myself since I don't really have a very good place to do it, so I might get some quotes from some local shops and see what they would charge.

And I also decided that while I'm doing repair work, I might as well go all out. So I went to town on the roof and took out a few small rust spots that were just barely starting.




And I also had some extra thin gauge steel laying around from another project, so I decided to make my own rallytech style cooling plate. Very easy with a die grinder, cut of wheel, and a drill. I'll probably powder coat it sometime and maybe have something laser etched on it or something. I haven't decided yet.


And also found a picture of my car from a recent local meet.
 
#32 ·
Finally finished up my quarter panel and roof. Total labor time wasn't crazy, but it definitely was a lot of waiting around for stuff to dry. Just finished the paint and clear today, so tomorrow it will get the final cut and buff. There was also lots of clear coat peeling on the rest of the roof so I decided to respray the whole thing. Did some quick sanding with 800 grit on the rest that I forgot to take a picture of. Getting the paint to blend was a lot harder because I didn't have a good angle to look at it straight on or with a reflection. I also was running out of clear and decided the quarter panel was more important to me, so I didn't get as many coats on the roof as I wanted... I am hoping it will level itself out or the cut will help, but there is lots of orange peel. If not I still have plenty of color and can redo the roof when I do the front bumper and hood sometime later. Which I definitely plan on doing now.
I am so glad that I can figure out stuff like this by myself. Materials were probably ~$100, and this was easily $1500 worth from a body shop. And I think most people won't be able to tell the difference when I'm done.



















 
#34 ·
The clear didn't level at all, so I did it the hard way. 1000 grit, 1500 grit, 2000 grit, polish. My arms are tired.

Before :


During and after:





The color isn't blended as well as I thought it was, but I'll wait and see what it does as it dries more.
 
#35 ·
Well I did another thing today. Two actually, but didn't get one installed, so it will have to wait.

These feel AWESOME. Being a taller skinny guy, I needed support from the seats, but couldn't get GD STi seats or I would be hitting my head. Had to sell a couple other things, but I think it will be worth it.
 
#40 ·
Well the works are gone. I had someone message me in the morning on Tuesday and had cash in my hand within a couple hours. I was hoping to get either a motorcycle or more stuff for a swap, but after talking with my wife I decided that I really need to take a step back in the project area and not take on anything so big. So after a serious case of seller's remorse, I started shopping for wheels again. I am going to be starting the HPDE at miller motorsports park, so I wanted something with a good width, that was also light and strong. Found a set on eBay that will have to be imported, and also bought some brand new rubber from Reflected Image Motorsports. Wheels are out 1-2 weeks, so I should be able to get everything ready to go by the June weekend and be out at miller.
I have to say, I loved the works, but I think the new wheels will clean up just as well. And of course, they are white.
 
#41 · (Edited)
Finally got everything mounted today.
Advan RG 16x7.5 +45 (13.4 lbs per wheel)
BFG Sport Comp 2 225/50/16
Muteki SR48 Neochrome



I have to say that I hate the lug nuts... Haha. Too much yellow. I'll probably try to swap them for a set of black or blue lug nuts. But everything feels tight, tires are grippy, and I am registered to race at Miller in a couple of weeks.
I also have a borrowed camera this week, so I might get out and take some pictures of both my car and my wife's FXT.
 
#43 · (Edited)
Took some pics and have been working on some edits for the last couple of days. Definitely my own amateur photography. This one happened literally minutes before a small accident with our forester... It's going in for a facelift.

I sold the lug nuts too. Just rocking some stock ones for now.

 
#46 · (Edited)
I had no body work experience. I have done a few projects similar to it, like making a fiberglass molded subwoofer box that I used lots of bondo to finish, and I've used the paint gun on a few projects. But honestly, it really doesn't look as good as a professional. If you really are picky, I would recommend paying the price to have it done. I am not super picky and really just wanted the experience. I like doing my own work, even if it might not be perfect. Someday when I have more money available, I'll probably have the whole car resprayed, but that will be when it gets a whole wide body kit and I have another daily.
 
#51 · (Edited)
Figured I should post an update on the car since I still check this forum probably weekly to find answers to dumb questions. It's been a while, and a lot has happened.

Shortly after my last post, I picked up some Brembos. I don't think I've mentioned this, but I work at RallySport Direct, and they sold the stock brembos off of their 2015 STi with like 100 miles on them. It was a stupid good deal, as in I actually made money on this after selling my FHI 4 pots and H6 rears. The problem is that the rear calipers are basically impossible to make fit without a custom rotor or modifying the knuckle, it was much easier to buy a set of 04-06 rears and have them powder coated to match. Sexy.






This also meant that I needed new wheels since my 16" advans wouldn't clear. Found the guy who bought my Work CR Kais and asked him if I could buy them back, he agreed.




I hired a new mechanic to help me do stuff on the car.



Met up with some other cool dudes here in Utah.



And took it for some drives.



Kept modifying it with unnecessary stuff.





Including some winter wheels. 5Zigen FN01R-C in 17x8 +35. A little aggressive, but I loved how they looked. Note aggressiveness, it will be important.



Started having some overheating problems that I traced back to the radiator. I had a Forester Koyo Aluminum in the garage that was supposed to go on the forester, but with money and time being tight, I threw it in the RS. Everything lines up perfectly, with the exception of it being about half an inch taller.




I had to take a hammer to the under support of the hood where the cap is just slightly and make a new shroud. Yes, make, even with 3d CAD Design. Onshape is a FREE browser based CAD software that is actually really powerful. They even have an iphone app (difficult to design from scratch, but great for viewing or making adjustments to an existing drawing). I utilized the stock bushings and even had a spot for the hood prop anchor thing, then had it laser cut.




Problems didn't end there. Had a minor accident when a guy was turning right and then didn't to at the last second. :unamused: Broke the JDM grill and the hood was done for.



And I sucked the fender in with the tire while making a u-turn. Too much wheel...



And I don't have any pics, but the cancer came back. The quarter panel I replaced, and it started on the other side too. So like most of my problems I've faced in my life, I threw money at it that I didn't have. Wide body! There were 2 local guys doing wide bodies at the time, one was HT Autos, and the other was eBay. After seeing the two, I honestly couldn't see a difference, so I decided to save $1500 and go with eBay.





Remember that part about me not having money but spending it anyway? I decided to buy a house too. It came with a garage, which was nice to avoid working around my landlords to use theirs.

Finally had some time to fit the rears, which was surprisingly easy.




And then I blew my headgasket. I had been seeing intermittent cooling issues since I replaced my radiator, so I figured it was on its way out. Since we just bought a house, I really couldn't deal with the down time and money to fix it, so when it finally couldn't keep coolant in the system to get me to work and back, I parked it at my friend's shop and picked up an older legacy with all my spare cash. I hated patching the RS. I decided at that point that I wasn't just going to repair it, I wanted to do what I had been planning to do with the car for years. I told myself that it wouldn't be on the road again until it was swapped. This was August of 2017.

And threw my Works on the legacy, because I can't not mod.



That car lasted a whole 4 months before blowing it's head gasket too. Subarus blow (head gaskets).

We were in a bit better place financially, so we decided to spring for a car that I'd been following for a while. Surprised a lot of people when I showed up with it, I decided to buy American.



I bought this as more of an appliance to save some money, but I really have grown to love this car. I'm a big believer in electric power now. The Volt is 100% driven by electric power, and the internal combustion engine (ICE) acts as a generator to give unlimited range. Upper 30MPGs when driven on gas only, and as high as you can get when charging from the wall. And it's actually fun to drive! Instant torque, decently quick (for what it is), has all the features like lane departure, leather, bose, etc. Best of all is that it came with a warranty. Now get off my lawn!

Being the gentleman that I am, I let my wife drive the newer, nice car. That means that I get to FINALLY do whatever I want to the forester without worrying about what she thinks. I mean, it was always my car, but I still had to appease her.

So full fuel and intake manifold system, engine bay pieces, new wheels, coilovers, all the things!





I didn't completely forget about the RS, but it is hard to save money for a car that doesn't run. If you're in this situation like I was, I'm sorry. But it did get a few bits and pieces while sitting in the shop.



But here's the problem. The forester is fast, it looks fantastic, and it's a great family car. But I don't love it. It's a very good car to daily drive, but I haven't once taken it our for a drive up the canyon just because. I think the main reason is that it's an auto. It just lacks the raw control that I had with the RS. I miss driving the RS. Even with all the problems that it had, every time I was behind the wheel of that car, I loved it.

SOOO here's where we are. I'm done with the forester and I want to swap the RS.

If I wanted to sell the forester, because it's an auto, it's realistically only worth 5k. It has so much more invested, but the people who care about that want a manual. And a manual swap is more than it's worth. Can't do this.

Returning it back to stock would net me about 4k in cash plus another 4k for the car. Great, but that's a ton of work and hassle trying to track down stock parts. Then I'd have to turn around and spend 6k+ buying everything to swap the RS.

So I do what any sane and responsible person would do with a paid off and perfectly running car. :stupid: I'm going to use it as a donor. I can take all the mods that I have invested into it and put them to use on the RS, part out what I don't need including the body kit, forester specific parts, and everything else and make some money to complete the RS and maybe even throw in some extras.




I started it. The wiring harness is already at iwire, the RS will be getting professional body and paint work in a week. After all that is finished, I'm hoping to drop everything complete out of the forester and put it right in the RS in a couple short weekends and be back on the road by the first of August. I'm finally doing it. And I may have a couple surprises at the end.
 
#53 ·
I love it, if mostly just for the reason of having all new and rust-free components when I'm working on stuff. I think I had better turn in and feel after install too. I went with the race version of the ALK and it wasn't any louder than stock. I have the comfort version on my forester and they feel pretty much the same too, so I'm not sure how much the bushing hardness actually does.
 
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