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Jinba Ittai

27K views 301 replies 23 participants last post by  scruff3333 
#1 · (Edited)
Here's my attempt at a journal of my gf Lwag.
It will take me a bit to figure out a time line, I've got pics from the beginning.


Most currant pic:

Updated 8/8/2020



Week after purchased:

 

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#2 · (Edited)
currant mod list

:blow_money_original

ENGINE
251 swap
Hybrid Injen air intake
Grimmspeed phenolic spacers
Group n engine mounts
Koyorad 2218 alum. radiator
Radium radiator cap 1.3 bar
Small twin 12 inch fans
JDM overflow tank
Sokie Tech hood dampers


DRIVETRAIN
Rs 5mt 411 swap/lsd
06 wrx exedy clutch kit
06 wrx Act streetlite flywheel
06 wrx clutch 3/4 slave
06 sti master
Cheap ss clutch line
Sti short shifter
Kartboy rear shifter bushes
Group N front top strut mount
Group N STI motor mounts
IAG pitch stop mount

INTERIOR
Rs dark grey dash
Rs dark grey doorcards
Rs and obs dark grey seat belts
Rs front seats
Rs gauge cluster
Rs dark gray carpet
Rs dark grey center consol
Jdm V6 gauge cluster (center tach)
Jdm extended armrest
Jdm Gf8 rear seat
Jdm V9 WRX steeringwheel
Wrx pedal set
Sti white shift knob
Led domelight

EXTERIOR
Jdm taillights
Jdm roof rails
Jdm I badge
Jdm auto fold mirrors
Jdm carbon fiber mirror covers
Thule Evo rack
Thule 81xt fairing
Depo blacked headlights
Putco LED headlights
Depo black marker lights
Depo clear side markers
Depo black blinkers
Hatch debadge
Rs winged windshield wiper
2011 pilot rear wiper



SUSPENSION
Wr15rt springs (2pot)
Group n front tophats
Group n rear tophats
FHI Carbon fiber front strut bar
Carbon fiber rear strut bar
02 Wrx 20mm rear swaybar (removed)
Cusco 22mm adj rear swaybar (installed)
Kartboy solid rear endlinks
Whiteline sway bushes
Excel-g struts (waiting to blow)

BRAKES
JDM 4/2 pots (complete rebuild)
Scoobyworx SS pistons f/r
ARP extended studs
DBA 4000 f/r slotted rotors
06 WRX backing plates
JDM type R prop valve
02 TS 1 1/16 master cylinder (non-abs)
Billetworkz master cylinder billet res cap
Posi ceramic pads.
StopTech sports pads (purchased)
Goodridge SS brakelines

WHEELS N TIRES
Prodrive gc-010e
17x7.5 et48
Conti Extreme dws06
215/45r17
04 STI bbs
17x75 et48?
225/45r17
 
#5 · (Edited)
So just to get caught up.

From the beginning, ish.

I've loved subys since I was 13 years old, going snowboarding and seeing them flying up the mountain when everybody else was having trouble. I was hooked instantly. So my dream car was a ea82t wagon to go up to the mountains all around. (Which I got and still have).

So me, my wife and kid, (one at that time) used to eat at a mexy restaurant in a small town near where I live. Across the street, (kinda parked back off the road) I noticed this white gf impreza wagon sitting back there. After about a year of it always being in the same spot I figured it was dead. So I stopped by to take a look. It was in ok condition outside. It had flower sign on the back side windows, it was a delivery wagon for the flower store next to where it was parked.

Went home started to read about the classic impreza. I came across one in particular, and it read "it's just a wagon". Wholly shit, I was hooked! Thanks fujik. I must have read his journey with his lwag a dozen times or more in the next few months.
Back to the wagon, it was simple. I had to have it. Even my wife started saying theres yer wagon whenever we would see it still sitting there. So I stopped by the flower shop to see what the word on the little white wagon outside was.

The guy there said it was the owner of the shop and she was out for the next couple of days, left my number and waited to hear back. About a week went by finally got a call, it was a 1 owner vehicle and it still ran. Setup a time for a test drive the next day. It ran not great, lots of oil everywhere. O'well. Had a little miss or something. O'well. Drove for about 45min, made it back. *big plus*
Ask how much, reply $1500. Na, didnt want it that bad I said. She said well then how much I said $900. Long pause. She came back with $1000. Deal, I said. shook hands. I'll be back in 20 min with cash and a ride.

First things first, get those hub caps off. First thing I see

Hmmm, that's not right.

Gotta fix that.


Much better


Then a much needed bath


And a cruise down to my river



And time to start simple mods.

From this

To this


I loved it at this time.

Then of course this

Got this
 
#6 · (Edited)
So when I got the wag, I noticed the usual oil leaks. Again, no biggy there. The car seemed to have a small miss, which became quite abit more pronounced when flogging on it. Didn't take long to figure that out.
Read alittle, change pcv and knock censor. Shifted and ran much better after that. Then new plugs, wires, oil change. All that fun stuff. Everything was great car ran good for about 6 or 7 thousand miles.
I was out beating the he'll out of it one night, nothing new for any of my vehicles. Next morn goto work, no problems. Get off work, stop by bank. Get back in to wagon and start it up....
Sounds like someone is kicking the hell out of it from under the hood. Now there's a problem. Well let's see how far it will go. It made it to my folks house, left it there.

 
#7 · (Edited)
Sorry for shitpics. I'll get to the dslr pics soon.

So, with help from, Joshua on here I pull the 222 out with very little trouble. Thanks for that rite-up man.



Then it was time to clean everything. There was so much sludge everywhere. I spent hrs n hrs scrubbing n degreasing everything.





So much better. Still a long ways to go.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Found a good 2.5 phll bottom end from a symi local.
Met up, $100 not bad. Tell I get home and realize I'm a fool, rod bearing out in it. Figured I'd just rebuild it, I wanted a Matt Monson frankin motor. Turns out most arnt pll heads and phll block. So very little info on this setup. I figure might as well get the heads done to while it's apart. I got a hold of ken at delta cams. Set up mild port, complete head rebuild and his cams of course. We talked and decided to go with his 1000 grind for all that beautiful torque. Dropped the heads off and onto the lower end, turned out to be a 253, that mean piston wouldn't work.



So dropped the block off at local machine shop.



Hone job, block cleaned, new king bearings, oem piston and rings, old rods and crank ground .20 over. Then 04 sti mid head gasket (small bump in compression). complete oem gasket set. All new timing (gates Chinese crap. Won't buy them again!) Then wait, and wait and wait....










And wait....



I was told by ken, 3 weeks.










Still waiting 6 months.




You guessed it. Still....






Finally 8+ months

I get a call from ken. Come up and get them.
I said are they done?
Well, my guy that ports, blaa blaa blaa.
So no port job.
But there ready?
Yep.
K on my way up in the morn.

So, I get there and my heads are in pieces. Less than thrilled. I'm like ken wtf man?
He says. I was just about to put them together. I didn't think you'd be up here this early.
Little after 1 pm.

K, heads put together by ken. I planned on reassembling the block myself but by now I just want it done. Drop heads by machine shop.


Wait...wait...wait..
Finally, its ready. Get to shop and owners on vacation. His boy hands me my nib king bearing set. I'm like wtf.

He says they didn't fit.
Why?
Our guy that grinds cranks never grinds thrust bearing journal.
Me:so why not get more king bearings for the thrust.
Idk, my dad's on vacation.
 
#11 ·
Back from side track.

As much as I dig the color of the interior, theses seats have seen 300,000 miles of lardass. Time for a change. I found these that were pulled out of a coup the first year after purchased from dealer and set in heated basement.


Mucho better

And then a center consul



Then door cards and carpet to match. Not sure where the pics of those are but you get the point.
Couldn't stop there thou. Unfortunately for him jwalker's wife I believe got hit in his beautiful wagon. (Luckly everyone was ok). Fortunately for me I convinced him to ship his dark gray interior trim to me.





And yes these are the c-pillar



I also have accumulated small plugs, seat belts, jdm rear seat, dash..... Well you can see where I'm going with this.
 
#12 · (Edited)
K back to the phll frankin motor.



Was my first time putting most of the motor back together, it was a shortblock with heads. Took my time not fux anything up. I cleaned every thread on every nut and bolt or ordered new from soa. Researched and torqued everything to a tee. Bought any and most tools I didn't have at the time. And finally time to drop it back in.


Hate that rusty torque converter, but I'll deal with that soon.

And success


Very pleased

Somethings not right here




Grimm 2.2 phen spacer. There for phl 2.2 not phll 222 it takes the 2.5 set. O'well.

Back together



Primed, new fuel and ready to fire

 
#21 ·
I don't give up easy. I still am working on 2 other car, one of my 67 vw. I've had it since 1998. And my
87 ea82t had it since around 2002. I'm a bit too stubborn, an very obsessive. Plus I love my subys. The endless amount of possibilities of parts from almost endless years of badass cars. What's not to love.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Ran great, bout 20-30 easy miles. What a difference from the 300,000+ mile 222. Time for an oil change, then I put the front-end back together. Drove the car home for the first time in a very long time. I'm sure my folks were as pleased, if not more pleased that my car and all the parts weren't in there carport anymore. I told them a month tops. Haha





I was so stoked to be able to get it home and be able to work on it a couple mins at a time. With my very limited allotted time, it should help move this project along.


Plus I could look out my front window and see it.
 
#25 · (Edited)
With the car running I figured I could start focusing on the wagons much needed suspension upgrades.
I just finished mowing my yard, was out of beer. Figured I'd get a couple more miles one the engine. On the way home car was running so good, tell bout a mile from home. A very slight hesitation, I thought that was odd. Then I thought, shit I best get my ass home.
Then bout 20-30 yds. from my lower driveway, knock knock shit.



Good news, made it in my drive. Very good news, just bought beer. Bad news motor garbage.
Reach in the back seat grabbed a beer and started. Somewhere around 3-7 into it the wife walks down, "why'd ya park down here?"
I just looked very unamused at her.
She turned around and walked back up to the house.

So, I left it right there for bout a week.



Hooked onto it pulled it up the hill, out with my frankin.



So by this point, im done with this motor. I spent about 2 weeks looking at every engine swap, wrecked suby, used engine, jdm, usdm options. Althought i know what i would like todo. Right around this time, buying another piece of land to build a house for the wife and a shop for me. That an having my 3rd kid on it's way. Just not the time to spend quite that much. I called ended up calling a very long time friend and also my mechanic/beer buddy.
Told him: "find me a 251, 100,000 miles."
Ten min. Later he calls back: it'll be here Thursday.
My reply: cool.

Back to another kid coming. Wife's xt is not going to fit 3 car seats. Time to trade it in.



This is what she picked up.
3.5 twin turbo. I hated to see the xt go, just got over the warranty. That means upgrades. O'well.
But this f150 is sooo much fun, plus upgrades are endless.

I figured, well might as well through the 5mt swap I've had setting for too long.



Time for some more cleaning.
Parts inbound.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Then bout 20-30 yds. from my lower driveway, knock knock shit.



Good news, made it in my drive. Very good news, just bought beer. Bad news motor garbage.
Reach in the back seat grabbed a beer and started. Somewhere around 3-7 into it the wife walks down, "why'd ya park down here?"
I just looked very unamused at her.
She turned around and walked back up to the house.

So, I left it right there for bout a week.
Sad, but very funny.
 
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