The Broken WRX Wagon :(

[T-Heineken]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2325196325_5b47f75ebb.jpg?v=0

2004 Stock Wagon, had 63000mi when I bought her.
-Mudflaps
-Rear Strut Brace
-Cleared Headlights (I was bored one night...left the yellow stuff in the parking lights though)
-Skid Plate (required propane torch to remove old jacking plate and had to install new one)

-I almost have a swapped suspension...I have the KYB AGXs, Ground Control Coil-over Kit, 10" @ 250 and 12" @ 225 rear. I trimmed of the 5"-ish spring seats (mod originally made by ten80), in order to fit the 12" springs on the rear.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/2325968670_4c4c08ba81.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2258/2325149275_a74d51610a.jpg?v=0
I just need to install them....but difficulties have arisen :(
RUST!!!! the two bolts and nuts that hold the struts in place are sooo rusted. I've been soaking them in PBlast for the past hour or so...will let sit overnight, and maybe even use some of the good ol' propane torch if need be
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2325149505_89123b92ec.jpg?v=0
CARFAX indicates she was on corporate lease for 2.5 yrs in Maryland...I guess that's what gave 'er the rust. This was my first independent car purchase, and while the everything check out with the mechanic, no mention of rust was made. It was a problem with the skid plate, and is now a problem with the suspension swap.

I want to save up some dough and get a downpipe and TBE...was looking at the Tsudo and SR*S TBE from ebay...but some people have reported fitment issues....so I'll keep looking, and probably just have to save up more money and go with a little bit more baller setup.

Hopefully the bolts will be loose tomorrow, and pics of the suspension swap will be posted!

May the power of the PBlast be with me!!

[BlackParis]

Dont look like much rust... Guess you dont have air tools.. that looks like it would come right off...

When I first took off the 1995 legacy struts for the first time in its life (11 years of rust) I had to use my 3/4 inch Impact gun (1400lb/ft) with a reducer, my half inch wasnt enough (750lb/ft)

But good luck!

Could always take it to a vocational school near you, they like figuring things out like that and dont charge much, plus they have the tools ;)

[rollo]

I had to use my 3/4 inch Impact gun (1400lb/ft)

Jeez.. 1400lb/ft.. those bolts didn't know what hit 'em :D What kind of air pressure do you need to run something like that?

As for those bolts, yeah let the PB soak in, maybe try some silicon spray too (that stuff is magic, I'm quite sure of it) and don't underestimate the power of leverage. A big ass torque wrench or a ratchet with a jack handle on it (although you run the risk of breaking the ratchet mechanism). Or a ring spanner.. or whatever you call them here.. the wrench with the full circle on the end.. this thing:
http://www.diydata.com/tool/spanner/ring1.gif

..and a decent size rubber mallet.

[T-Heineken]

Could always take it to a vocational school near you, they like figuring things out like that and dont charge much, plus they have the tools ;)

I wish I was in the vocational school! That's one thing I'd love to do after I retire at age 30, learn in depth how all of this stuff works :D


So....four hours of marinating PBlast, then some heat on the nuts, and the front right strut is free!!! On to more work!

[munozppk]

You can always break them....

[MetalNeverDies]

lol my friend bent his wrench making a big L shapped lever arm on the wrachets to try and brake the bolts loose there. and they werent even rusty. then i after tons of force and holding an air impact wrench it finally broke it loose. but they one we were using was super old and probably not very powerful

[MilesFox]

welcome to rust. if you think you are having a hard time try moving to the rust belt.

you can slip a pipe over a 1/2 dr ratchet, but i would recommend a breaker bar. try to avould whacking on a ratchet with ahammer as well, unless you want to strip the gears in it and/or leave it half functional

another truck is to wail on your box end wrench woth a rubber mallet, or use some heavy dead blows with a 3 lb hammer(on one of your older 'spare' tools if you have one)

[I Like It Sideways]

The AGX's with Ground Controls look great. Can't wait to see them on.
Why are your sleeves blue? I have red...and thats all I've ever seen.

+1 for a long pipe on the end of a breaker bar.
I use the handle on my floor jack as my cheater bar.
Make sure to crank on the nut end, not the bolt, so as to not shear the bolt head off. Also, I'd avoid pounding on stuff... the sudden impact is what will break stuff

[carl]

welcome to rust. if you think you are having a hard time try moving to the rust belt.


x2, your rust is just :jack: lol

the real fun begins when you start working on a 10+ year old midwest car. those bolts should come loose just fine. breaker + cheater bar

[T-Heineken]

The AGX's with Ground Controls look great. Can't wait to see them on.
Why are your sleeves blue? I have red...and thats all I've ever seen.

+1 for a long pipe on the end of a breaker bar.
I use the handle on my floor jack as my cheater bar.
Make sure to crank on the nut end, not the bolt, so as to not shear the bolt head off. Also, I'd avoid pounding on stuff... the sudden impact is what will break stuff

Those sleeves are actually from Coleman Racing. Originally I went with that kit because I already had the springs I wanted, and Ground Control wouldn't sell the kit without the springs...so I bought the Coleman kit, but the upper spring seats weren't compatible...so I found a buyer for the springs from my GC kit, and it just arrived yesterday!

I just need to get the nuts off the top of the strut assembly now, and hopefully I'll have the fronts done in a few hours!!

and yeah, I use the handle from my jack as a break bar too! :lol:

[RallyRDR]

hmm hope those sleeves are real tough if you plan on off roading. i contacted Ground Control about their coilovers in off road use and they specifically said they are not intended for that kinda use lol. they are great coilovers tho, i run them on my civic and quality is top notch. good luck:headbang:

[T-Heineken]

hmm hope those sleeves are real tough if you plan on off roading. i contacted Ground Control about their coilovers in off road use and they specifically said they are not intended for that kinda use lol. they are great coilovers tho, i run them on my civic and quality is top notch. good luck:headbang:

I guess I'll find out! I think I Like it Sideways has a set, not sure if he's driven 'em hard though.
The fronts are installed, and now just waiting for the PBlast to set in on the rears....the front felt REAL NICE!

[I Like It Sideways]

I guess I'll find out! I think I Like it Sideways has a set, not sure if he's driven 'em hard though.



Hehe... hehe. I've put them through hell. 10+ rallycrosses and lotso back roads.

They can stand the abuse, and actually, Matt Johnson (not Johnston), used the GC sleeves on his national championship winning group 2 Civic.

Definitely a good investment

[RallyRDR]

interesting...whats the unsprung height of the springs ur using and the rates? are u using helper springs?

[munozppk]

What are you doing with the stock shocks, Can I borrow them for some R&D?

[rollo]

Also, I'd avoid pounding on stuff... the sudden impact is what will break stuff

Last resort :D Although that is pretty much what an impact wrench does..

[I Like It Sideways]

interesting...whats the unsprung height of the springs ur using and the rates? are u using helper springs?

10", 225lb in the front and 200lb in the rear.
No helper springs.

[T-Heineken]

What are you doing with the stock shocks, Can I borrow them for some R&D?

I want to say yes...but what will this R&D include? Possible breakage = :(

And....got the number panel in today!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2168/2329514301_143eaa6174.jpg?v=0

Gonna got up to Greg's shop this Saturday to swap out my rear suspension...then I'll be fully swapped HOORAY!

Just waiting for my Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50s I got off ebay to arrive....mount 'em, and try 'em out. I'll probably be cute at some point and paint the wheels...but not a standard color, maybe a 'fun' color with swirls or something....who knows *shrugs*

[04caliwrx]

Car looks good!

[T-Heineken]

Hooray! Went up to Vallejo Saturday and Greg helped me with my rear struts...and also gave me a present!!!

Ground Control Rears with 12" 225 Eibach springs + camber bolts on MAXIMUM CAMBER!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2342186608_ea07bfc322.jpg?v=0

Hydraulic lifts and Air powered impact wrenches are your friends :D:D
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/2341355213_8457dd7a77.jpg?v=0

My present from Greg....STi muffler and midpipe HOORAY!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2341355169_b5cec79202.jpg?v=0

So a great weekend. The suspension setup is finally complete and, though I haven't played with the AGX settings much, I love the variability in height. Look at that rear clearance!!!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2342186490_01b2ce2c62.jpg?v=0

Plus...when I got home from class and work today...MORE PRESENTS! Brand new WS-50s from ebay. $288 included shipping. Soon to be mounted on stock '04 wheels (after I wear out the tyres at the next autocross probably).
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2141/2342186402_115181d9b3.jpg?v=0

HOORAY!!!!!!

[Thresham]

Setup is looking Sweeeeeet! Congrats on all the new parts!

Can't wait to see that suspension in action, gotta keep us posted on how it performs.

[munozppk]

(after I wear out the tyres at the next autocross probably).


Autocross?!

and

No possible breakage. Just want to compare/contrast with mine.


Get some venn diagram action going on.

[fattie92]

Wait.... I am lost.. Can you go into more detail about the suspension setup and how you came to the idea of doing this? Also, how much did it all set you back?

[409industries]

I can vouch for the rust crowd. F-k rust... it is my enemy. For the really stubborn bolts i usually use a 1/2 drive breaker and my cheater pipe. If you can, avoid using the jack extension because ive seen those warp and not fit afterwards LOL!

Love the windshield banner, looks sick T!

[T-Heineken]

Wait.... I am lost.. Can you go into more detail about the suspension setup and how you came to the idea of doing this? Also, how much did it all set you back?

Total $$$ is about $900: $400 (included shipping) for the AGX struts, $420 for the Ground Control setup, and $35 for the angle grinder in order to cut the spring seats off of the AGX struts

Front Struts
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/2344722980_4569556952.jpg?v=0

I cut off the spring seats so that I could put zero preload on the springs for lowering, but with the normal spring seats.
As for the rears....I used a technique pioneered by ten80 to fit 12" springs on the rears. The rear struts had a little four tab thingy handing down that the dustboot connected to that I cut off.
(With thingy cut off)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v687/ski1234/diamond%20plate/modifiedtophat.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v687/ski1234/diamond%20plate/modifiedhatandseat.jpg

Spacing with about an inch of preload on the front, and virtually none on the rears. In retrospect i probably would have just gone for the 10" on the rears, but I was worried about the tragic saggy wagon butt

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2316/2343892699_f85b3392b5.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2283/2344722910_c191c0151f.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2343892635_657df87cd3.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2068/2344722952_21168af5cd.jpg?v=0

More info about his process at NASIOC (http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1216901)

[T-Heineken]

Soo....despite me having a slight bit of car trouble (see this thread (http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4180)), I picked up a Helix high flow catted DP in South San Fran and installed it last night (I didn't have a new gasket, and am going to put stock stuff back on until I figure out my stalling issue, but I just wanted to hear it :D

Put it on and drove it for just a bit. Broke three bolts that hold the heat shield on, but it's the removable bracket piece that I can order if the bolts don't come out with PBlast. Sounds good...is hilarious with the gasket leak between the DP and midpipe.

Video/Soundclip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gX8eflWVZ4)

But after driving for 15 minutes or so...I smelt some burning...then felt the tube and it feels burnt where it touched the DP....I think it is this:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/2384269384_73d9b4fe5b.jpg?v=0
Does anyone know what this hose is for? I assume drain for water at the bottom of the windshield. What's the best way to get around this?

The turbo starts to spool much earlier and I can definitely feel more low end torque. Yay for spending more money on my WRX!

[thatguymike]

The tube is a drain tube, you can just bend it out of the way in an L position so that the end of the tube is facing the passenger side fender.

It's looking good! I smell a Prairie City sesh the weekend after the VORA Race!!!!???

[T-Heineken]

Is VORA this weekend? If so....I'm totally down for a sesh on the weekend of the 12/13th. Pending I figure out my stalling issue. I neeeeed some dirty!

[thatguymike]

Yep, VORA is this weekend. I'll be heading out there on the 12th.

[409industries]

The wagon has a nice ride height! Nice work...

[Not All There]

thats with a stock sti catback and a catted downpipe? sounds MUCH louder than mine.

Cars looking good

[T-Heineken]

So today I get so HHHHIIIIIGGGGHHHHH!!!!!





....off paint fumes :D

Sooo.....I felt like being cute....so I'm in the process of painting my wheels. I wanted something a little bit different. I was originally going to to go with a duplicolor green....but then I thought of a black and blue combo....a rugged combo :D

No clearcoats yet, and had to do some touch up on the one of 'em before the final touch....but:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2515034437_2360c22a5b.jpg?v=1211526097

[munozppk]

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHHAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1



straight ballin'!

[T-Heineken]

I'm sorry for having been gone for sooo long DI. I miss you...just been busy with school and work and skiing...I'm back now though.

Unfortunately, I definitely hit a snowbank last weekend in Tahoe. Totally my fault. Thankfully no one else was on the road....bah.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/3189965490_4f0358a9e1.jpg?v=1231723189

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/3189123559_d771739e0d.jpg?v=1231723168

Also found my passenger axle boot is leaking terribly...bah! If it ain't one thing, it's another.

mmm sludge :)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/3189122797_1ba6d8dc51.jpg?v=0

So hopefully I'll be posting more. LUVS DI

[T-Heineken]

Alrighty....replaced injured strut
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2545/3750935673_1b6dbe43b3.jpg

So now I'm back to normal.....which is anti-slammed (though not as anti-slammed as Kyle)

Though it's not directly for my car, but rather kind of for Jon's (UP2MTNs)....
















http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3496/3809520203_10789c47c0.jpg
:headbang:

But guess what I also got :cry:












http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/3810332522_7bbabeaf49.jpg

I know this happened between last Thursday and this morning...but I haven't seen that side of the car until unloading groceries today.

In people's experience with insurance companies...is it a big deal that I have swapped my suspension and done engine mods? I have AAA if anyone has had experience with them.
Nothing other than the passenger side doors is damaged...I guess somebody turned into my car while backing out/pulling in?

I'm so sad :(

[rollo]

Mofos.

AAA should be fine about it, for bodywork they shouldn't care what you've done to the engine. If they don't ask, don't volunteer it, but even if you dropped in a V12 it doesn't change the fact that you have coverage if some jackass ****s up your passenger side when the car is stationary.

FWIW when the Corrado got totaled, I put together a list of the receipts of all the mods so they'd have a good idea of what it was worth - they were cool with that even though I'd not mentioned it before. They've actually been great as far as insurance, I have no qualms with them at all.

[ten80]

Somebody say my name :P

Here's my thread on hacking up stock/kyb/tokico struts for coil springs and threaded sleeves: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1216901

For any sort of lift, 10" front and 12" rear Eibach springs are mandatory. 10" rear eibach springs will bottom out (stack up) before the struts do. You don't want the springs to limit your suspension travel! Swift springs have fewer coil winds and therefore more travel. I've also heard that they have a better ride quality.

Here's another thread about custom coil spring installation : http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1692521

[T-Heineken]

Here's another thread about custom coil spring installation : http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1692521

Dude...seriously cool...I wish I had some sweet machinery so I could do this...oh well...I'll stick with my GC setup for now.

As for some Swift springs, I just may have to look into some! The Eibachs definitely have too many coil winds....thanks again ten80!

[T-Heineken]

Wow. This thing is OLD.

Spun rod bearing :(

Chatting with a shop about maybe going for an EJ25 build :)

04 WRX with a 2.0L which has a spun bearing (have not pulled the engine, but opened timing case, both valve covers and all looks good; you can hear the lovely spun bearing knocking....)

I am basically looking at two possibilities (both using the same heads as are in my current block which has 102K miles on it):

1 - EJ20 Build
- Would replace head studs and oil pump
- Looking to keep all stock elements, cams, heads, etc
- Basically, put the same block I currently have back in the car
- Nice because I won't need a new tune or any component upgrades

2 - EJ25 Build
- Would replace head studs and oil pump
- Would get the larger cometic head gasket to bring my compression back down given the larger displacement
- Would like your input on this path for the following
1 - Use the stock TD04 turbo - This means that I wouldn't have to purchase the turbo, IC, or bigger injectors
- But, would this be a waste of power? I could always do this for this step, and swap out turbo and necessary items later...
2 - Upgrade to a 16G turbo (can't afford to go much larger than this, and I'm not really NEEDING that much power)
- Turbo comes out to ~500, injects at 400, fuel pump at 100, tmic at 180, and tune at 500 - So an extra 1600 just for the turbo piece

I think I might be willing to entertain those turbo costs, or maybe just keep the TD04 for a while (or buy a used TD04 with lower miles) and upgrade that later.
But I don't have any real idea of the cost of either of those blocks and the labor cost for assembly.

Overall, my goal is not to have a HUGE power gain. I've just always wanted to do a build with the EJ25, but who hasn't :). If I do go that route, I would keep my stock tranny for a while. I would probably never upgrade to a 6 speed, but might get a build gearset at a later date.

[T-Heineken]

The engine is back in the UP2MTNS rally car...so that means I can start tearing my car apart

....here's the plan.

- EJ205 with 50K miles on it
- OEM heads, rods, cams, etc
- VF43
- STi TMIC
- STi Pink Injectors
- Walbro Fuel Pump
- PnP Headers and larger ID crosspipe
- Street Performance Clutch Disc
- "...awesome but mildly conservative" tune from EQTuning

My car is getting an internal make-over :headbang:

But it won't be running for another month :kyle:

[WRXCMM]

your car is gonna be "pretty from the withinside"

[T-Heineken]

Pulled the engine last night with the help of Jon (UP2MTNS) and a few other friends. Was a real PITA. Top separated, then bottom did...but the studs on the bottom were just bashing against the tranny... basically ruined the threads, but luckily I have those studs on the new engine

Naked engine bay
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/4974415138_82cef07884.jpg

Old oil cooler (with shrapnel in it for sure)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/4974415214_cc575a10ed.jpg

The Old
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4974415114_6230195deb.jpg

The New
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/4973799461_a05bc7e368.jpg

This was a brand new water pump that I replaced 2K miles ago.....maybe ebay parts isn't the best idea?
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/4973799785_91a9f36508.jpg