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Nicole _ Another swap story

117K views 563 replies 49 participants last post by  SleepySubie 
#1 · (Edited)
Most Current Photos;


(already missing the rg345's..)


Table of Contents:

History and old Images
- Post 3
Noob swap Story.. Donor acquired and finally brainstorming - Post 38
Old lug pulled - Post 42
New heart transplanted - Post 110
First start since swap - Post 151
Feet back on the ground - Post 166
First test drive - Post 183
TEN years owned post - Post 400
Crusty quarters repaired! - Post 436-441

Full Length Swap Time Lapse;



Modifications

Engine: 2004 WRX EJ205 _ iWire Merge #459(I think)

_Mileage on engine was 155,455 when swapped over with 189,923 on chassis
= Perrin SR Intake
= Perrin Inlet
= Mishimoto Intercooler Y Hose
= Grimmspeed Lightweight Crank Pulley
= OEM headers/up
= Thermal Zero turbo blanket
= Invidia Catted Downpipe w/ Perrin blanket
= M2 Catless catback(COBB rep) with Kartboy XL hangers
= DeatschWerks DW200 Pump
= NGK BKR6EIX Plugs
= Grimmspeed EBCS
= COBB v3 Accessport _ IA Performance protune 19ish PSI (really squeezing the
= GrounN Motor Mounts

Cooling:
= Koyo Radiator (ej253 style), Fans, and Gutted Cap
= In-Fender Coolant Overflow Tank

Drivetrain: Complete 04 WRX(5 speed/rear diff, hubs, axles, xmembers, and steering rack
= GroupN Trans Mounts
= L&E gc->gd Steering Adapter
= Short Throw Shifter
= Superpro Trans cradle bushings
= Superpro Steering Rack Bushings
= Whiteline Outrigger Bushings

Suspension:
= KYB struts / H&R springs
= New Group-n top hats
= Whiteline 24mm Front and Rear Sway Bars
= Whiteline HD RSB Mounts
= Kartboy Front and Rear Endlinks
= New bushings all around; Energy Suspension Front Shifter/Front LCA bushings, Kartboy Rear Shifter Bushing, Superpro lateral link/trailing arm bushings
= Whiteline Anti Lift and Roll Center Kits

Bracing:
= GTspec Gacchiri Fender Supports
= Beatrush Diff Mount Bar
= GroupN Diff Bar
= Kartboy Pitch Stop
= Kartboy Rear Subframe Lockdown Bolts

Interior:
= 02 wrx seats front and rear
= v6 Cluster with IAP kph->mph Converter Cord
= OEM navi pack
= mAd JDM Red Hazard switch y0!1!
= WRX Pedals on RS Pedal Box Bracket
= WRX Dead Pedal
= Momo Steering
= Blue STI Carpet
= AEM 2-in-1 AFR/Boost and Oil Pressure gauges in Ortiz Custom Gauge Pod Bezel

Audio/Video:
= Kenwood Double Din(ddx512) - bluetooth, hands free, navigation, and reverse cam.
= 6.5" Infinity Rear Speakers

Exterior:
= MRT mini induction scoop
= 22b drivers side vent
= Bakemono-Imports V6 sti replica lip
= Rear spats
= Fog covers
= JDM tails
= Ebay Black Housing Lights (headlights, corners, blinkers, and sidemarkers)
= Rainbow fogs
= Hella supertones - needs reinstalled
= v6 Grill with GD series I badge
= Flat Fuel Door

Stoppers:
= Fresh-er WRX calipers
= New Pads, Rotors, and Ebrakes all around _ Can't Remember the Brands.. Nothing Special, yet!

Planned for Phase 2 - Suspension/Brakes/Wheels
Planned for Phase 3 - Engine Rebuild
Planned for Phase 4 - Body/Paint Overhaul
 

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#191 ·
well damnit..now that i think about it, i now have the same plastic wrx/fxt IC and never tried putting the rubber seal back on. when i tried it on there last, it was with the metal bugeye IC.

yeah, the s201 scoop isn't for everyone. i think the cobo of the prodrive scoop and the 22b vent make it live-able. i didnt' like it much with the stock vents in there.
 
#192 ·
My hardheadedness got me again.. My regular shop doesn't so stainless so I reluctantly dropped it at an exhaust shop I use to deal with. Long story why I don't give them business anymore. Boils down to some shady practices and did a friend who previously was an employee wrong. Owner said cool and could weld it that afternoon. Called back after work to check before driving by. No go, would be first thing tomorrow. That's ok with me as that way my garage night. 2 days later of the run arounds I go pickup the untouched pipe. Now instead of just gritting and bearing the wait - I have a lovely mid pipe that still needs welded sitting in my floor haha.. Hopefully will have time soon to drop it with a new guy my mechanic suggested.

22b vent order slipped through rallytech's shipping. All good now though, he got it shipped now and added express shipping on it

Next few weekends are booked, but once the mid pipe is welded I'll bring her back to my house. Then my driveway will be a parking lot again!! I just want to drive..
 
#195 ·
Thanks trev

Finally got back into the garage last night - slapped the pipe on, did another round of torquing on the drivetrain and drove her home! Inspection is out so I was creepin through the dark woods dodging any coppa's. Sorry for the terrible photos..


Made it to my Pure station and topped off the tank. I need to double check my hose routing and all. For some reason it didn't like to fill up in 1 squeeze of the pump handle. Didn't act up too much, but kicked off at ~10 gal and took a couple more squeezes to finish out the tank.

Checking fluids again


Typical thirsty photo;


Feels good to have the stable full again!


I got a ticket years ago for bad inspection after I had just got her on the road after being down with a bad wheel bearing - So I'm nervous driving around with one that's out of date. Got up early this morning to try and make it to work w/o anyone seeing the old sticker. Of course a city cop pulls up behind me at the first stop light! Haha.. No worries, plates and all are good and the rear window was still covered in dew so he couldn't peep through. First half day commuting with her. Driving the ej205 in, brings back memories of commuting in my last bugeye expect I feel like it's had liposuction being in the coupe.


Couple things I noticed; passenger's rear brake dust shield still rubs a bit, driver's side door lock isn't working(switch works pass. lock, and drivers window works, chase it down!), catback will swing and knock on the diff carrier a bit, shudder in the steering seems non existent now, and the overall ride feels fantastic!!!!! Definitely stiff and some NVH, but the grin on my face couldn't possibly be any bigger :D
 
#197 ·
Hahah half way through this swap I was thinking of my next swap project(brat). Now that I'm nearly finished - I'll be taking a little while off from heavy projects! If I had my own garage it would be one thing to have a back burner project, maybe in the next few years

She legal!!


Passed inspection, but not without making me sweat a bit. I was chatting with the young guy doing it, asked if I had to have two cats in the dp like stock or if one would cut it. Said I'd be good to go. Then the old duder came by and start poking around, "I don't see any cat on this, pop the hood" Damn near every wrencher was gathered around by the time I had convinced him there was a cat in the downpipe under the dp blanket. Finally with photos of the pipe off the car(luckily i photo everything..) he broke and gave it the nod.

Need to look at the damn dust shield on the pass rear rotor again, still getting some contact on left turns. Alignment this week hopefully then get to start into the old familiar mountain roads :devil:
 
#199 ·
Definitely a fantastic feeling! Still a few things to massage out, but finally got the monkey off my back(having it sit in the parents garage).

Yesterday I solved my drivers door lock problem. Knew it had to be something on the simple side, but was certain my switches hadn't been unplugged or anything. Did a little research and came back with an answer. Found this post. I had removed my keyless system and needed to jump the pins on it's plug. A string of wire and some tape and the driver's door lock is fully functional! My clutch pedal has developed a squeak though and didn't get a chance to glance at it before the rain moved it. So I closed the door and messed with the headunit for a while. Nav, bluetooth, and hands free tele are all fully functional. I'll have to test the mic on the hands free to see if road noise will be an issue.

After driving some more the alignment actually seems closer than I had first assumed, but I'm pretty sure I got my steering wheel one or two splines off counterclockwise. Also I confirmed that I stripped the torx screw on the air bag with my taper proof bit sheered off in it.. Once I get that pulled I'll turn the steering straightened out. Time is running out this week so I'm going to schedule a time to get it aligned and hopefully the drivers side seat belt replaced at my local dealer.

Road home with dad last night to pickup my Durango from their place. Loaded up some of the spares I had there. Still need to organize and separate my tools from his, grab the last of the spares inside garage, then hook up the trailer and pull home my RS crossmembers. Who needs parts?!?
 
#200 ·
That fantastic feeling is fleeting! Hahah(maniacal possibly going insane laughter)..

Decided to drive my durango into work yesterday and it must have hurt her feelings. My brother and I were heading to our Rec center last night. He hadn't ridden in it yet so I insisted we'd take it. Glad we did! He got and half way to the rec center he said the carpet was wet. Parked and took a closer look, damn passenger floorboard was nearly a puddle! Fully soaked.. Felt around a bit and determined it's coming it from the vicinity of the blower box.

A week of rain in the forecast and heading out of town this weekend. So no choice but to take her back to the parents garage until I could look at it. Toweled up all I could and put my dehumidifier inside the car for the night. Heading back out tonight to pull the seat/carpet and hopefully determine where the rain water is getting it.

It's definitely fresh rain water, and I'm thinking it's from/through(?) the blower box. Found this thread and 2slo's description sounds like my issue. I'll know more tonight hopefully
 
#202 ·
A little more info on what I found; Car had leaked while sitting still(no driving at all that day) with it nose first at a slight downhill slope. Floor was soaked and firewall/plugs all looked dry. Passenger front floorboard was the only wet area. Couldn't get a very good look as I was in the parking lot with it raining on me, but water seemed to be coming from between the firewall and blower box. As well it appeared to originate closer to the passenger door than towards the center. Area that was the wettest is pretty much directly below the cabin's fresh intake spot so I'm leaning towards that.

Last week I pulled the passenger seat and yanked the carpet back to get it all cleaned and dried out. Trim came out before carpet so I went ahead and pulled the wiper cowl panel and fender to get a good look at everything. No obvious points of intrusion.. Left the dehumidifier doing its thing and called it a night.

Did some reading over the weekend and have a decent plan of action to test. Going to start with the easiest, then work my way from top to bottom.
1. Pull, confirm and/or clear the a/c drain tube.
2. Test sunroof drains.
3. Test windshield cowl and clips to insure my leak isn't similar to 2slo's
4. Test fender/trim configuration to see if I didn't install properly and was causing the water to get over towards the cabin's intake.
5. Look at the blower box itself to see if I botched a seal or something
6. Recheck all firewall plugs
7. Call in backup?
Hoping to get back to the garage this week, but in the midst of a, $50 a piece winner takes all, weight loss challenge with my friends. I need to focus my extra energy on getting at it! So I may not get back in the garage until this weekend.

Ryan's car leaks?? Hi-ho here's 2 solid weeks of rain in the forecast :boxer:
 
#203 · (Edited)
Monday Morning Blues!

Praying for no rain or a finally watertight subaru.

Had an unexpected friend show up this weekend so not as much time in the garage as I hoped. Did manage yesterday in there, but couldn't find anything obvious on the leak..

Did get to commute to the garage for the first time on the new two wheeler


1. Pull, confirm and/or clear the a/c drain tube.
- Ran a/c for a while, drain tube functioning correctly and no drippage in the cabin.
2. Test sunroof drains.
- Poured water, drained perfecto with no drips inside
3. Test windshield cowl and clips to insure my leak isn't similar to 2slo's
- This is seeming more likely. The female side of the clip was actually broken and wouldn't hold the male side of the clip tight. Put a dab of sealant on it and will be ordering all new clips for the windshield cowl.
4. Test fender/trim configuration to see if I didn't install properly and was causing the water to get over towards the cabin's intake.
- Trimmed fender brace to allow the fender to sit correctly. Looked at the trim/seal orientation - Need to research and find the correct configuration
5. Look at the blower box itself to see if I botched a seal or something
- The sheet metal is shaped to reduce any extra water down into the blower box via cabin intake. Only has a foam(not watertight) gasket around it's edge. Find diagram or parts fiche showing the box/gaskets
6. Recheck all firewall plugs
- Most everything looks good on the engine side of firewall. Only thing I saw is the foam gasket at the hardlines is half smooshed in and half out, but it isn't close the area that looked to be leaking. Will keep an eye on it though

Didn't have a hand to hold the hose at the garage so I slapped everything back together and have the car with me today. I have the passenger seat out and carpet pulled back still, forecast is a slight chance of t-storms. I'll watch it closely when/if the rain hits, if no rain, I'll be going to the house to run a hose test on it.

I did get to clean another untouched spot!! I'm sick of cleaning, but still enjoying seeing those last few hiding spots dusted off. Got the area under the windshield cowl looking better

Before;




After;




Ground down the corner of the fender braces and dabbed a little paint to cover the bare metal. Only needed to shave a couple mm's off




Ready to have a watertight cabin again. Shits causing me to drag on the rest that's left; change diff fluid, alignment, install gauges, decide if I want to do with the reverse cam, reinstall/replace front fender liners, front speakers, yadda yadda
 
#205 ·
Make sure that the cowl drains aren't blocked by the fender brace/are clear of debris. They are located here:


If these are blocked or partially blocked, the under cowl will fill with water and dump down the fresh air intake for the blower box.
 
#206 ·
Keep the suggestions coming!! I agree the blower box is tight up against the firewall. I'll keep an eye on that spot. I did confirm the drains were clear and looking back at my old photos the fender brace doesn't cover it either. Good looks though!

Got another couple hours in the garage. Had a friend over so he was able to help test the leak. Before he got there I dropped on my unpainted 22b vent, and I'm surprised how much I like it!! Once painted and mesh installed I think it'll look spot on.


After that I decided to look at the firewall again before we started. Noticed the rubber grommet with hard lines coming out closest to the passenger fender was half lipped up. Straightened it and then my friend and I pulled it outside to start testing the leak. Starting slow to narrow potential leak spots I had him pour a large water bottle right above the suspect area while I laid inside with a flashlight. Whole bottle and no drippage! Took a drive and splashed through some puddles with still dry results. Still nothing after pulling the hose out and raining it over the whole windshield and trim area for about 5 minutes. After popping the hood and looking closer- the water from the windshield sheets down into the area between the firewall and strut tower. Sure enough the grommet I re-situated earlier was wet from the run off! So Brian I think you were right with it maybe being a grommet. This is the exact area it seem to be dripping down from. God I hope so!!

Angled the car to simulate the same slope when it had leaked.


We're professionals out here


Of course no rain this week, but I brought it home with me. I'll take it to a spray wash and throw some more water over it all before putting the carpet back down and passenger seat in. After the seat's in I'm thinking of getting some sort of paper floor mat/pet piddle pad to make sure any drips are easily noticeable.

Slowly bringing all my crap from the garage how. Bagged up all my grease gear, the swap claimed a pile of clothes. Don't think I'll keep any..


Lastly I got my grimmspeed ebcs in, install will be this week then I'll be getting an etune through IAP. Decided on etune mainly due to cost and location. $350 for 2 maps(one conservative and one for when the chips are down) vs $550 for dyno tune alone not including 6 hours round trip, day off work, yadda yadda. Excited to get it tuned and do all I can to insure it's healthy.
 
#207 ·
Just randoms.. she turned 190k when I was taking her back to the garage last time


Stopped by a friends on the way. First time I've tasted gravel since the swap. No front fender liners still so no rallying




Also noticed my hood gap needs some loving..
 
#208 ·
Drove out about an hour to sell a part to a new subie frand. First interstate haul I've taken since swapping. Had to pull over at the rest area to triple check everything and settle my nerves.


Met Ian and we got to chat/look over each others cars. His OBS is coming together nicely, makes me miss the hell out of my old one!!


Was a great drive, nothing very eventful(thankfully). I definitely need an alignment this week. Can tell the rear toe is off, hoping it settles in some more once all it's all lined up. Still on the hunt for a gd sedan width RSB as well. So much new, hell if I know what I'm feeling when I pitch it into a corner.. Slowly I'll relearn this shmonster
 
#209 ·
Late night drop at the office to grab the laptop for some overtime hours


Drove another haul up the interstate for work yesterday. Another successful trek! There was a split second I wasn't worrying about this or that and just was driving.. Fantastic feeling! Fueled up at my pure station, managed right under 25mpgs. Hoping once I get aligned I'll squeeze a few more mpgs out on the interstates. Either way I'm getting better than my old worn out ej252!! Here's my - Fuelly page

On the ride home I was feeling a little more confident/comfortable with the ride. I decided to give it a push in 5th(~60mph-90mph) to see what the vitals were showing. All felt good, boost was strong and consistent, looked at my AP - I squeezed out 18.75 psi :noes: Scared the hell out of me for some reason. I wasn't expecting that much and w/o having my AFR hooked up I was sweating how healthy nearly 19psi was. Barely pushed the gas all the way home. After a little more reading I found 5th will boost a little higher than lower gears. I get ~16psi 1-3 gears, and that's where I wanted to be ideally. I'm planning to get my ebcs installed tonight, and get in contact with IAP asap to start my tuning process.

[Non Project Ramblings]
I have spent and will always spend a majority of my free time working on my mechanical creatures. Lately I'm taking that same motivation and applying it to this fleshy creature I've been blessed with. I've always put the best premium gas I could buy into the tank. Then would go across the street and fill my personal tank with the most unhealthy fried food I could find.. My friends, family, and I have been working to motivate each other and helping to find the inspiration in ourselves to tune our own system. Money seemed to help since we're doing weight lose challenge at $50 a piece and biggest loser takes all. Personally though, I needed something else. I had a New Years resolution to commute to work 5 days in a row(measly 1.5 miles each way), and this week finally got some cool/clear weather that I could stomach. 3 days walking and today I rode my road bike. It's given me time to decompress, but also to asses my current health. Took a while to get to where I am, but I'm beginning to see the other side of my quote again. "Laziness begins in cobwebs, but ends in iron chains." When you're active laziness is rare and easy to shake off. Once you've sat stagnant for so long, it takes 100% of your will power and motivation to get back at it. Thinking more on my motivation level for projects - I've decided I need to tap into that same pool of determination to tune my ultimate project. Since starting to push myself again I have dropped 18lbs. My sleep has been better than ever. My knees ache less. Most of all, when great level of effort is applied your self-pride increases drastically. Not only do I feel better because I did something, I also feel better for doing it. Striving to be mentally and physically stronger by the day.

 
#210 · (Edited)
I stumbled across your video on youtube and commented, figuring that would be the end of it.

Then I stumbled across this and... wow - I'm impressed! I'm happy to see it up and operational, especially after knowing how much you personally put into it. Also nice to know that other people share the desire to ride across the country on a motorcycle - rock on man.

Basically, keep doing you since it's clearly working out great.

-TC
 
#211 ·
Many thanks mang! Means a lot to hear for sure. You still in San Jose? My route will be bringing me down from SF through your way when heading towards grand canyon. Would be down to gas up, stretch the legs, and meet ya if you're still around!

Alignment is scheduled for next thursday. I don't trust many people to jump in and tool on the car. So I had to wait until my friend, who is a tech at the local subaru dealership, to have a opening in his schedule. He aligned my last bugeye and it was dead nuts on. Look forward to getting this one on the rack and lined back up right. I told the appointment lady that we'd be aligning to 04 wrx specs, but it would need some special attention. Hope it goes well, I'm ready to start testing some more turns!!
 
#213 ·
Tonight I got my steering wheel straightened out!!! Probably the thing that I've cussed the most every time I drive. Ended up having to drill out the bolt. T30 was stripped, t35 almost got it, but then it was thrashed. Extractor bit was close as well and that was the last straw. Drilled it out and was able to get at the wheel nut. I ended up being 3-4 splines off haha.. I'll either replace the airbag or extract the rest of the bolt later. So stoked to have it straight, needed it done before getting aligned anyhow.

Had a bit more time at night so I grabbed the headlamp and swapped on my grimmspeed ebcs. Straight forward install and all went well. Loaded the stage 2 w/ebcs map on my AP and swapped the map onto the car. Started up and went for a quick spin. Not a noticeable difference around town, but once out in the country roads. I could definitely tell a difference when diggin in. PSI is running ~17.7 and feels much smoother. Going to start my tune process with IAP here shortly. Very excited.

Late night wrenching is all by headlamp now. I did go window shop a house across town with a decent little garage. Hopefully within the next year or so I'll have my own garage






Clutch is squeaking and is my currnet thorn in my side. I shot a little silicone spray on it, but no luck. Pretty sure it's coming from the pedal to pedal box tube.. Hoping I don't have to pull the pedal box apart again to grease it
 
#214 ·
Just placed a order with IAP for my protune!! Look forward to working with Stephen, he's already answered all my noob questions and did so willingly. A fresh healthy tune will be nice, but I'm almost more excited to have him shut off my CEL's(1446, 1491, and my rear o2 code once it's removed/replaced by my wideband o2). Alignment tomorrow and then I'll get some more enjoyable time on the mountain roads
 
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