2001 Impreza L | WRX swapped daily | Damage repairs and weight reduction!
Rain, rain, and more rain slowing things down. Can't finalize the core support anyway because I'm still waiting/looking for a lightweight hood, passenger headlight, and corner lights.
...but anyway.....I made a new electrolysis set-up. Made use of the rebar from my old set-up, and just bought a deeper container. This time I welded the cage together instead of just linking it all with copper wire.
First up to be de-rusted is the little flywheel cover thing underneath the engine, and a bunch of hardware. I'm very curious how the hardware will turn out. I also have a spare turbo header I want to try.
While I wait on parts, I did some more little things inside the engine bay.
--Closed off some unused bolt holes. The main reason was to get rid of rusty broken bolts from a while ago....and it made the bay look a little better I guess.
The plan for the engine bay is to add minimal bondo and metal patches.....so I might not close off many more things, mainly because it'll just add a bunch of time and weight.
Passenger side strut tower had 4:
Drivers side strut tower had 2, plus the holes for the VIN plate. I removed the VIN plate because it's been falling off for years
Ran into a little rust issue on one of the holes.....which caused this side not to turn out as well as the driver's side. Drilled it out, and before I knew it I was cutting a somewhat large hole in the strut tower. :lol:
I didn't bother making the patch piece perfectly to size, because it was at a very awkward spot on the strut tower. There's a "bump out" from the factory, and it's where 2 panels meet. Not a fun patch, but it turned out OK after it was done.
I also cut and re-mounted the fuse box mount strap a little lower. Can't really see it from the picture though.
Also went to the two pick-n-pulls near me on Saturday. I was disappointed to see that there's still only 2, 93-01 Impreza's total between both places.....and both have been there almost 2 years.
So even though they didn't have anything I really needed, I did grab a new passenger fender plug.
Yea, it always bugged me seeing all the broken bolts as soon as I opened the hood. I figured they'd all rust out eventually, so I'm glad I took care of it while I had the chance.
Although, it would've been much easier to do with the struts out. Getting decent prep work on the backside was hard. Didn't want to catch the rubber undercoating on fire. :lol:
2001 Impreza L | WRX swapped daily | Damage repairs and weight reduction!
^^ :lol:
No real progess on the cars last week. Went up to Wellsboro all weekend to watch STPR. So to make up time, I stopped looking for a used lightweight hood, and just ordered an OEM aluminum hood from Subaru. Should be here in a couple days.
The dealership dude said there's only 8 left in the country now:
Part number = 57220FA130
Yay for weight reduction!
Also, the LGT may be going away. :lol: Thinking of trading it for something. It would kinda be a downgrade (no turbo) but it's a low mileage car and hard to pass up. Just can't decide....
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Here's some pictures from STPR. I still have a bunch to go through and edit.
This was my second year watching STPR. I actually planned out a trip this year, instead of going last minute by myself like last year. Such a great time, can't wait for next year....I wish there were other events closer.
2001 Impreza L | WRX swapped daily | Damage repairs and weight reduction!
Almost got rid of the Legacy GT...so, so close, but it didn't work out. At all. Here's a quick rant/story:
I came across a 2000 Impreza L, with 70,000 miles and 1 owner, at a dealership 2 hours away. Over the phone the guy assured me the car was in amazing condition.....no rust on the body or underneath, no accidents, all original paint and body stuff, ect.
(CarFax also said no accidents)
Wasted no time and made a trip over....Unfortunately, after a 150 mile drive, this is what I arrived to see:
--damaged radiator support and a/c condenser.....so it was in a front end accident.
--rust EVERYWHERE. Strut towers, engine brackets, suspension, subframes....ect. It was BAD.
Pictures don't show it all. The underside of the car was bad. Pretty sure the oil pan was rusted through, because it was dripping onto the ground. :lol:
--rear of car must have also been resprayed, because the exhaust tip was the same color as the car. :lol:
Scratches everywhere. Visible rear 1/4 panel repairs...ect.
Super disappointing. I was very excited to get a second 93-01 car. I'm sure it ran OK...but for $4400 with only 70,000 miles wouldn't you expect minimal rust and no body repairs?
I hope no one on this forum ends up with the car for the price they were asking. The guy told me I was being too "picky" and the car was in perfect condition for the miles......so frustrating.
2001 Impreza L | WRX swapped daily | Damage repairs and weight reduction!
Finally back to some progress on the Impreza. The replacement exterior parts for the front end arrived last week:
-aluminum jdm hood
-passenger headlight
-corner lights
The aluminum hood feels like paper compared to the steel hood.
The hood arrived in a MASSIVE box...even without the box it barely fit in the LGT's trunk.
Shipped all be way across the country from another dealership with no damage, which is amazing. The aluminum is very thin and could be bent with no effort.
Did a quick layer of SRP on the new hood (and old vents/scoop). I just wanted to see it all the same color for mock ups. Everything will get repainted after its all back together and running again.
Didn't bother painting the passenger fender because I still need an OEM one. The aftermarket replacement I have is junk.
So, here's the first mock up of the front end! I was nervous that things would be way off, but it looks ok so far.
The core support panels are still roughly bolted together, so there's still LOTS of measuring, adjusting, and finalizing to do. Should be able to make it all work though.
The only spot that's a little off is part of the passenger corner....which is expected. It's not by much, and once everything is permanently together it should fit just fine.
Yea, it's weird seeing the front end somewhat together again, since it's been so long. It's like seeing a friend you haven't seen in a while. :lol:
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Got some more parts this
week/weekend:
-> New grill
Could have sworn my grill was fine, but I found a broken lower tab. So I got a replacement from JDMgary.
-> On Saturday, I FINALLY found a junkyard with some different 93-01 Impreza's. Got an OEM undamaged fender (no dents), OEM fender liners, and a bunch of OEM hardware and clips for $30.
-> The white OEM fender fits WAAAYYY better than the aftermarket one. I also forced/pulled the frame rail out a little more and the passenger side is lining up really well now.
You can also see the sweet pinstriping on the fender.
So here's some more mock up pictures.
I'm hoping to do final mock ups with self tapping screws next weekend. So that means lots more measuring and double checking. I've already taken the bumper, beam, grill and lights off about 30 times this weekend.
I was thinking to myself the other day, "when is ravensfan going to update his thread?". It's cool to see progress, even if it's minor. I'm glad you kept the car, and used the collision as motivation.
I ordered through a local dealership's website, and did a local pick up. Paid right around $500 total. That included free shipping from a dealership in Portland Oregon, to a dealership in Maryland. If I wanted it sent to my house it would've been shipped freight for $$$$$.
I was thinking to myself the other day, "when is ravensfan going to update his thread?". It's cool to see progress, even if it's minor. I'm glad you kept the car, and used the collision as motivation.
The progress feels painfully slow and minor. Never had the car off the road this long before. I'll feel so much better once I get the core support welded in, then finally start putting the car back together for good.
I ordered through a local dealership's website, and did a local pick up. Paid right around $500 total. That included free shipping from a dealership in Portland Oregon, to a dealership in Maryland. If I wanted it sent to my house it would've been shipped freight for $$$$$.
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