[FXTrev]

Looks great with all new mouldings. Did you buy a brand new cowl? I'm debating whether to do that or just paint the old one. The problem is the seal, which I think you can only get buy buying a brand new cowl.

Do the roof gutter mouldings, and windshield mouldings come with the clips? I think they do from what the part diagram shows..

 

[Mailman]

Good questions. As far as I could tell the seal only comes with the cowl. You could probably get some self-stick weather stripping and apply it to the old cowl if you're set on painting it. As far as clips go, some come with some without:

Rear Window Upper -> clips included
Front Window Upper -> clips included
Roof Moulding -> clips NOT included, I reused the clips that mount on the sides of the F/R windows and had to purchase new clips for the roof (broke old ones)
Cowl -> L/R clips included, middle clip and retainer NOT included, small clips that fasten through cowl and engine bay weather stripping NOT included.

 

[FXTrev]

I'm always for new OEM parts when possible, but it adds up quick.

Thanks for the info. I was thinking the roof mouldings came with clips, so glad I asked. Does it come with the little caps that cap of the edge of the cowling? And there are two small ones that cap off the rears as well.

 

[Mailman]

Yes, front and rear end caps were included. The front caps came with the screw and clip needed to clip into the cowl.

 

[FXTrev]

Awesome, thanks man!

 

[bue car]

Great info!

 

[Mailman]

This past month I've been working on some maintenance. Nothing groundbreaking or spectacular, just nagging issues that needed fixed. First I overhauled the AC system. The springs on the AC clutch broke a couple of years ago. I compensated by tightening the clutch so it was stop squealing. That fix didn't last very long and the compressor went kaput last fall. I finally got around to replacing the compressor, condensor, drier, and evaporator. While I was at it I snagged a cabin air filter kit from starscr33m on ebay. Now the AC blows cold and smells fresher than it ever has. The Four Seasons compressor I got off Rock auto seems to work well, but it is a tad noisy.

All four axles also had torn boots and the front axles were making the dreaded crackling noise under certain conditions. I opted to replace all four since I'll be moving out of state in a few weeks. I used Napa MaxDrive axles. They had mostly decent reviews on Nasioc so I took a chance.

Four Seasons compressor:

New in box air filter kit

Old beat up AC components:

Napa axle next to old rears:

 

[bue car]

Nioce. And the snazzy OEM filter. yum.

 

[Mailman]

Quick update... I moved to Maryland a few months ago and the Subie has seen some heavy use. My new commute is 30 miles each direction, so I'm racking up the mileage. I've considered getting a beater car to put the miles on and making the Subie my weekend driver / project car. I had a 97 Saturn SL back in the day which got great gas mileage, so I might try to find one for sale.

I did get around to installing a V8 STI steering wheel this past weekend. I really like the look and it fits well with the RS interior. I installed a charge from an 03 Impreza to get the airbag functional. It was needed because the charge for these wheels is physically smaller. The 03 charge fits the newer wheel and the plug fits the RS clockspring.

Btw, this is my first post since the site migrated to XenForo. Looks good!

 

[bue car]

Little hatch? Ford Aspire

 

[jkp]

IMO, the RS are worth saving, still under appreciated , but wait. I enjoy mine all the more because it is no longer my daily driver . Just my opinion

 

[bue car]

Agreed

 

[Mailman]

I'd like a 4-door beater. I think it would work well as a family spare car. It also frees the RS up for a swap in the future

 

[bue car]

Buy my wagon and put together

 

[Vanna_White]

You did a great job w/ the DIY paint work and insulation. That's a goal for me as well.

 

[Mailman]

Update:

I finally got a beater. I put over 25k miles on the RS in the past year, and my front bumper paint took a beating from all the rocks and debris on these crappy roads. I bought a 2003 Outback for $1200 from a local guy. It needed/needs quite a bit of work, but I've got it to a semi passable state. Work performed on the Outback:

Resealed leaky engine including main seal, oil separator plate, crank access plugs, cam seals
New oil pan
Timing belt and components
Water Pump
Oil pump
Brake calipers, pads, and rotors
New AT transmission oil pan, internal oil filter, spin on oil filter, ATF flush
All the usual fluids
New engine ground wires. It still has some electrical issues I'm chasing down though.

Now that I've got a new daily, time to engage project car mode on the RS! I bought an engine crane and engine stand when working on the Outback. Methinks its time for an engine swap...

 

[scruff3333]

Swap time! Love those words. Looking forward to seeing project car mode.

That's a good looking beater.
Nice work.

Been here since 04... 67 posts... awesome.

 

[Mailman]

Haha yeah I don't post much...

I just bought this:

JDM Engines & Parts | JDM Racing Motors

Used Subaru JDM WRX 2002-2005 AVCS DOHC Engine with TD04 Turbo & 4.444 5-Speed Transmission, Rear Differential & Axles for Sale

jdmracingmotors.com

It looks like my stimulus check will be stimulating the Canadian economy. Time to clear out the garage!

 

[scruff3333]

Oh, hell yes! FTW!!

Keep us posted.

 

[Mailman]

The powertrain came via freight today. I unpacked everything and the motor and trans look extremely clean. There's some minor damage to some connectors and some refurbishment is needed for the rear diff. All in all, it looks pretty nice.