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99RS junkyard beater to 22B rep

358K views 1K replies 153 participants last post by  flyboynextdoor 
#1 · (Edited)
Welcome to my Journal
Purchased in June 2011 for a $400 parking fee, car was free :banana:


Just repainted 22B Sonic Blue (74F), Manley forged pistons, 4.44 trans, and 3” SS exhaust, among a few changes made in 2018 along with a third Dyno run.

2011 the day I brought it home in Northern Alberta, the first and only GC I had ever seen at that point in life
Completely stock Canadian spec 1999 2.5 RS
Canadian Rust
Cracked up windshield
4.10 RS 5spd
Ungo alarm - now working again!
JBL 6.5" coaxial speakers
189,000 kms (115,000 miles)
Beat to hell by its previous owner
Bad head gasket
Bad shocks
Cracked tires
No tunes





Recent Photo





Section 1, Complete repaint begins this page
Followed by a DIY head gasket swap
DIY coilover Springs/shocks install



Section 2, DIY Aerosim 22B/WRC wdebody Install begins page 8
New interior carpet
22B Nardi wheel swap
WRC wing
18” wheels
My Boosted $400 99RSTI - Page 8 - Subaru Impreza GC8 & RS Forum & Community: RS25.com





Section 3, DIY EJ253 Rebuild. page 24
Delta Cams 1500
MLS head gaskets
Nex Exedy KSB04 clutch
Felt nice and peppy
https://www.rs25.com/forums/f145/163463-my-boosted-400-99rsti-24.html



Section 4, Boosting the EJ253 with a TD04
“Knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Detonation.”
?
Subachad up/down pipes
Vortech RRFPR
05-07 WRX IC
Boost worthy Gauges
182WHP 195WTQ @ 7psi (dyno p54)
https://www.rs25.com/forums/f145/163463-my-boosted-400-99rsti-39.html



Section 5, Boost done right, 2nd rebuild, STI bottom end, VF39, Emtron Standalone EMS Starts around page 62
254 WHP @ 11psi



Section 6, Sonic Blue Paint, 22B bumper, Forged Pistons, JDM trans, 3"exhaust, and other upgrades
283 WHP @ 11psi dyno runs P109
Upgrades start Page 87
https://www.rs25.com/forums/f145/163463-99rs-junkyard-beater-22b-rep-87.html P87


Current Mods

Exterior
Aerosim 22B/WRC Widebody
22B Sonic Blue Paint
22B WRC CF Adjustable wing
New Front lights w LED bulbs
Hella 1000 FF Fogs
JDM tails
Rallytech mudflaps
30" LED bumper light bar


Interior
06 STI Seats
22B Nardi Wheel wrapped
New STI floor mats and pedals
Zealous Interiors leather Shift boot
Zealous Interiors armrest cover
Zealous Interiors OEM dark grey mass back carpet
Zealous Interiors Blue Alcantara Door panel inserts
3 Gauge pillar running Wideband O2, Oil Press, Vac/Boost
7" Xtrons DVD head unit
MTX 4244 Amp
12" Kicker in custom spare tire well enclosure
Kicker CAP
4 JBL 6.5" mids
Red LED gauge lights

Engine and Drivetrain
EJ253 Block
EJ253 16V SOHC Heads
99.5mm Manley Forged Pistons 8.7CR
EJ257 Connecting rods
EJ257 Crankshaft
IHI VF39 Turbo
Delta 1500 Cams
Ported and Polished heads
Walbro 255 fuel pump
Injector Dynamics 725cc/min
AEM dryflo shorty intake
04 WRX TMIC
GFB Stealth BOV
UEL tubular SS header
3" SS exhaust
Stage 2 clutch
98 STI 5 speed 4.44 trans
R160 Rear LSD
TB heater bypass
Emtrons SL4 Standalone ECU
Automatic Boost control solenoid
8mm Phenolic Intake manifold spacer
04 WRX intake manifold
Flipped RS TB


Wheels/Suspension
Drag DR-34 18x8" wheels 35 offset
Maxxis Victra Z4S 245/40ZR18 Tires
1" rear spacers to fill in the widebody
98 STI front cross member
98 STI aluminum control arms
Ground control Coilover sleeves
Eibach 325 front 250 rear springs
New KYB GR2 struts
DIY Stiffened Engine and Trans mounts
CF STI front tower brace
22mm rear sway bar
98 STI 4/2 piston brake calipers
New WRX rotors
Braided brake lines


Future plans
Car shows and meets. Track Tires and lightweight rims....?


Long term plan
Basically my long term goal is to turn the car into a LHD 22B/WRC replica and enjoy driving it, travel to the car shows in it and meet other people who appreciate rare and well cared for autos. It may see a drag strip one day or possibly a track day, but just for fun.

Acquiring the car
This little RS used to belong to a guy I work with. It developed a bad head gasket and he couldnt make his monthly commute to and from Edmonton 800km so he “sold” it to his Dad, who traded it in on a new Ford truck. The dealership just left it at the tire shop where it was parked, worthless to them. A year later it was still there, my buddy the last registered owner wanted nothing to do with it and feeling guilty about abandoning it. The owner of the tire shop told me it wouldn't pass an inspection and he had called a junk yard to come pick it up but they hadn't showed yet. I looked it over and made him an offer to to buy the keys, We settled on $400 cash after I offered $500. lol He wanted it off his property. I got it though an inspection, insured, and registered it. I've since done everything myself with the exception of the ECU install.



I always wanted a Subaru for a little get around DD to save the mileage and gas on my Truck. We never saw these little cars in Northern Alberta till after 2002 when the USDM WRX came out. Till then I'd never seen one. I like the two door RSs alot. I paid the Tire shop $400 for parking it there for a year and drove it home. It fired right up, there were friggin' cats living under the hood when I opened it up to look at the engine!




It had been abused, hit by a bus on the drivers door, driven off the road across a ditch, bumped, and not washed enough. I didn’t want to drive such a POS so I decided to put some work into the car. It became a long term project.

It needed a lot of TLC but I saw a great little car under all the rust and dents.



First Repaint
First thing was to bring it in the garage and strip the car. there was alot of cancer all over in the usual areas, the wheel wells, the sunroof, under the side molding. The drivers door closed fine and the window even worked after it was hit by a bus with the door open. But the door had to go.

After finding one at a junk yard and having it shipped up the price of the car went up 200% that hurt. But I could still see that great little Impreza sitting there. Ripped off the old door and replaced the window and motor assembley.



I had to get the car a new windshield to pass inspection and the tires almost failed as well but the mechanic took pity on me I think lol.

The rear struts are shot and the front L bumper was Fubared too so I bought a new RS bumper cover direct from Subaru. My plan is too paint the car a metallic white and see how it turns out, get some feedback from other Impreza guys and then some new brakes, shocks, and tires. Rims for next spring. I'm almost done the painting process, just the bumper covers and fog light covers to go but need to take the pics off my Iphone and upload them. More posts and pics to go! This is a fun little car, what a wicked project but **** this is alot of work, good thing I have a wicked joba nd alot of free time with the woman and kids gone for a month during the summer.
 

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#1,087 ·
Thanks Guys!

I’ll have some more pics at the end of the month when I come home from Vancouver. I wanted to get a cut and polish before the AJC show but it doesn’t look like that will happen. I’m just too rural and gone away too much, the show is a couple days after I get home. Gotta spend time with the kids first!

I installed cruise in the car with a factory unit from the junkyard. It was all wired in but it wouldn’t work. Not sure why. Anyone know if the circuit board units are specific to a manual or auto trans?? The unit I grabbed was from an Auto SF Forester along with the wheel mounted control switch.

With all the tall evergreens around both places I keep the car I gotta modify my car cover to keep the tree spluge off the paint. That crap is horrible
 
#1,089 ·
Had some good road trips with the Impreza this summer. Went to Vancouver BC Aug 26th for the All Japanese Classic Car show. Lots of gorgeous imports there. The car didnt win anything lol. The Mint SVX next to me won Best Classic Subaru, I haven't had a chance to get the paint corrected yet, so its still a bit of a 6' car. Still had alot of fun at the show, met up with a Forester club while I was there and got to alot more of Vancouver than I have before.


Waiting in line for the Ferry to go back to the mainland from The Sunshine Coast BC

Car is running very well. This month I had a Dyno appointment in Kelowna during a promotional day at the local tuning shop. The power was better than I expected! 283WHP/295WTQ and it hasn't been tuned yet, still running about 11psi max (180kpa Absolute pressure) so theres still alot of leftovers on the table. Saw a few other cars hit the Dyno that day too, alot of fun. A newer tuned Golf GTI hit 260WHP/390WTQ! I was blown away by the torque that thing makes.



The 18s are getting pretty bald now and driving home in the rain for 2 hrs was pretty sketchy, the Ass end was all over the place, not something I enjoy so I picked some new all seasons for the 16" rims for a song. Gonna put those on very soon here if i have to run the car over the winter it will be driveable. Checking the Odometer and I've put over 5000kms on the car since driving it home. nothing planned for a long time, just maintaining it. Maybe next year if its ready I'll put it on the new Area 27 track for a day.
 
#1,094 ·
I stumbled across it online for sale near Toronto ON, I made an offer and the seller accepted then a week later changed his mind, a year later I happened to search again and the same guy has put it up for sale again, I got it the second time. lol. Id like a taller 22B stock spoiler or replica but $$$, but this one is Carbon Fiber which is great and a bit lower which makes the car look good too, a WRC replica if I'm not mistaken, couldnt tell ya who made it though.

Holy moly 110 pages of build thread! Just finished through the first 18, but it’s an amazing build so far! Thank you for the photos of the 22B kit with stock bumpers
Thanks man! my pleasure doing the build and putting it up on here.
 
#1,099 ·
Tried to find the Diagnosis connector to do an ABS cycle and looked at all the connectors under the drivers foot well and I couldn't find it. So have een unable to cycle that pump. Brakes feel spongy at the top of the pedal travel but when you really step on the brake they do stop the car very quickly. Couldn't get any lockup on the tires, it didn't even feel like it was threatening to lock the fronts but it does stop nice and quick. I did bleed them again with the girlfriends help. but no air came out at all. Switched to Motul 660 DOT 4 fluid for the track and ordered some Hawk pads.



Added anodized aluminum rear sway bar links, and a rear diff brace. Got some Firestone Indy 500s for summer tires, and got the rims powder coated. I wanted Michelin Pilot Sport 4Ss but they were 50% more cash. The tire shop has had my set for 4 days without getting them mounted. They don't have the plastic pucks on their machine that will prevent marring of the rims. Luckily I'm in no hurry but id sure like to see how they look on the car.
 
#1,105 ·
It been a long time since I've made any posts. After I finished the last major projects on the car I haven't done much with it. Busy with family life, just driving and enjoying the car when I get a chance. I drove it 1200miles on a round trip to my sisters wedding last August. That was fun. Also took it to Area 27 raceway in Oliver BC last July for my 40th birthday. I've had the car almost 10 years now, Its hard to believe. I havent been keeping up with the forum at all. Got frustrated with photobucket for image hosting, I couldn't post pics so that kept me off the site too. I've been thinking about adding Livery to the car (like it doesn't already get enough attention) lol. Came back to do some searching and theres so many changes on the site. Looks like I can post pics directly to the threads now instead of image hosting third parties!! Awesome!! The car still needs a good paint detail. I've been really busy getting a house build started so the car has taken a real back seat to the focus of my attention but its still the Automotive love of my life. Heres a pic from my track day in July 2019. I have a youtube vid I'll link but I have to figure out how to do that again.
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#1,106 ·
Wow, the car looks great! Man, it's been a while since I've checked this build thread. Last I remembered it was white! I haven't been keeping up with the forums lately either, but I just got an email notification when you posted. Family, houses, kids, etc. It all seems to take up what used to be free time.
 
#1,109 ·
Thanks man! How you been? Its been while for sure. You still have your Suby? I'm only home for 12 days a month and the kids and family take up so much of my time when I'm home. Thats why the blue paint job and all the upgrades were done way up north at work again haha. I barely get time to drive the car at home much less work on it. I still put a few Kms on it every month though.
 
#1,108 · (Edited)
Cant get the Youtube trick to work. Just shows a black youtube link that shows error when you click. Anyway here are a couple more recent pics from last summer. I know a guy who owns a Suby dealership in Trail BC. Been thinking of contacting him to see if he wants to put it in his showroom at sometime.. Maybe for the winter months. I'm not gonna want to loose it for the summer. It will need a good paint cut and polish over most of the car before I'd be proud to show it off like that though. Some Livery would really make it a showroom piece though to the general public.
 

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#1,111 ·
Barely drove my car this summer at all, 2020 realllly sucks lol. I did get a few miles on it. no long trips or anything, still runs great. Still un-tuned from all the upgrades I did in 2017, I would really like to get that done, but I've been really busy in other areas of life. it needs a new front wheel bearing too I'm sure possibly a new spindle as well. It was my DD last fall in 2019 for a few months after my pickup was stolen and totaled until I picked up a newer truck..
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive design Automotive fog light
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#1,112 ·
That sucks but at least you got a new truck out of it 😀 also my dads using his gc8 sedan as a daily a the moment I will never forget the time I called my dad and it went through to the stereo of the car and all I could hear was the car redling down the highway he told me he was doing 190kph, wish I was there to see my dad do that he is the most law abiding driver I know.
 
#1,114 ·
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Car has been parked outdoors for a couple years, I’ve done my best to prevent sun and tree sap damage on it but I found a beautiful car cover on the 22B owners Facebook group and snagged one then a reflective outdoor grade cover to go over it. I put some extra grommet holes in the outer cover because the wind at our place is so bad sometimes.
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#1,115 ·
Went on a little cruise in the car last days off and found a spot in town with a nice painted mural so I snapped some pics. Love getting out in the car and just driving it.
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I also finally sold my Kawasaki ZX6R, sad day but after a year of having it for sale I got my asking price. And I picked up another project car I’ve been wanting for a long time. Paid $2000 for it, a complete car. The paint and interior are completely shot, baked by the hot summer sun for years and years, but the bones of the car are solid, no major rust on the car anywhere. The front half of the bodywork including the doors is aluminum. My Impreza was a lot worse off when I bought it. This Porsche V8 is going to be a fun, interesting project. I’ll link to the rennlist.com thread when I start
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