My '93 Impreza Wagon

[RoadRunner]

I've had this car since the summer of 2005. I'm still in high school, so money is kind of tight, but I've managed to do some modding.

Last summer... pretty much stock
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_1732small.jpg

That's the only picture of it that I have right now of the car, but I think I'll take some pictures next weekend.

Some new wheels, being painted.
Before...
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2594small.jpg

Almost done with paint, before clearcoat though...
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2591small.jpg

Current status:

1993 Subaru Impreza Wagon

Specs:
Front Wheel Drive
EJ18 (110 bhp)
4EAT
Aegean Blue Metallic (Color Code 340)
Grey Interior

Exterior:
97-01 L hood, painted flat black
97-98 Headlights with black housings
97-01 Grill with color-matched stock badge
Depo Clear Corner Lights
Color-matched side door mouldings to body color
Paranoid Fabrications IMPREZA Badge
2000 OBS Spoilers
Tinted windows. 35% front doors, 25% rear doors, 20% hatch and side windows
JDM Tail Lights
Clear Side Repeaters
Fog lights

Interior:
CADesign’s DIY red gauge cluster mod
Silver gauge cluster surround
Floor mats dyed black
Rubber trunk mat from a 1997 OBS
06 WRX TR Front Seats

Engine & Exhaust:
K&N panel air filter
Intake silencer delete
05-07 WRX catback with deleted resonator
A/C Delete
Kartboy Exhaust Hangers

Suspension:
Front and Rear Strut Tower Bars

Brakes:
ATE SuperBlue DOT4 Fluid
Goodridge Stainless Braided Lines
Front: RS Calipers and Rotors
Carbotech Bobcat Pads

Audio:
Alpine Type-S 6.5” in Front doors
Pioneer TS-G1641R 6.5” in back
Pioneer Head Unit
OEM Subwoofer

Wheels & Tires
1997 Legacy GT rims, painted gold, and clear coated
205/55/16 Goodyear Eagle all-seasons

[Not All There]

Nice, another buildup of a budget friendly car. Should be a good project.

[RoadRunner]

In its current condition...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2700.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2707.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2718.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2721.jpg


Interior...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2740.jpg


Cluster w/ CADesign's mod...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2752.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2749.jpg


http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_2764-1.jpg

[lorenkb]

Very cool. Those steelies are tiny!

Can you give a rundown of the steps you took in painting the wheels?

Loren

[RoadRunner]

Yeah, 13". Believe it or not those were actually stock!

Steps for painting the wheels...
1. Give them a good thorough cleaning. First I used soap and water (dish detergent or car wash works fine), scrub them down with steel wool, and then use soap and water again. Basically you want to just keep doing this until they are totally clean since paint doesn't stick to dirt or brake dust.

2. Repair any damage. Scrapes, scratches, curb rash, anything like that. I didn't take too much time doing this with my wheels because they not anything special anyway, and it would have taken weeks to get every little imperfection out. But to do this you can use various grits of emery cloth, working from coarse to fine. Make sure the wheels are cleaned again now.

3. Primer. I did about three light coats. 30 minutes apart. Sand in between coats if necessary to get out any imperfections that show up.

4. Paint. I used Duplicolor "Universal Gold" engine enamel. Couple of coats, and again sand in between coats if necessary.

5. Clear coat. This is very important because it protects the paint from rock chips, UV rays, all that stuff, and gives it a nice shine. I think I did about three coats and I used U-Pol clear coat... good stuff. Expensive but worth it.

That's about it I think. Feel free to ask anything else though.

[I Like It Sideways]

Great work on it so far! I like how the gauge cluster looks. And nice job on the wheels, those are among my favorite sets of wheels from the factory.

[Blix666]

why a flat black hood?

[RoadRunner]

Well the car is a 93 so it had the old style hood, but the paint was all messed up... chipping and peeling. I got all the stuff to do a 97-01 conversion very cheap (hood, grill, and headlights), but I was quoted $250 to paint the hood which is too much for me. So I just primed it and sprayed it down with some SEM Trim Black.

[RoadRunner]

Great work on it so far! I like how the gauge cluster looks. And nice job on the wheels, those are among my favorite sets of wheels from the factory.

Thanks. If you like how the gauge cluster looks in that picture, you should see it at night! Thing is so bright, sometimes I have to use the dimmer control to turn it down.

[409industries]

Looks like an awesome build, a total go getter! Digging the wheels too. I also did a similar method with my BBS's before i painted them black. One more thing i would recommend in your step one, is to use acetone to wipe down all the surfaces to try and get some / most of the road oil out of the paint. Sometimes when you start painting youll see the rainbow fisheyes start to appear...

[RoadRunner]

Looks like an awesome build, a total go getter! Digging the wheels too. I also did a similar method with my BBS's before i painted them black. One more thing i would recommend in your step one, is to use acetone to wipe down all the surfaces to try and get some / most of the road oil out of the paint. Sometimes when you start painting youll see the rainbow fisheyes start to appear...

Thanks for the compliments. It's coming along slowly, and it's nothing special, but I still enjoy driving it and that's what matters. Good point on the acetone too, except I used denatured alcohol instead... worked fine.

[RoadRunner]

Got a WRX catback on today, with the resonator replaced with straight pipe. Sounds pretty nice.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/DSC_2779.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/DSC_2778.jpg

[RoadRunner]

Added a few things... also got rid of a few. Let me know what you think.

Went to a local junkyard with tons of Subies and spotted a OBS that had spoilers! I promised myself I wouldn't spend any money on anything except suspension, but i had to get these. Got them at a steal for $56! Painted them satin black and glued them on.

Then I went to SolarSolutions in Bedford, MA yesterday to get some tint. Their prices are great, and so is their customer service. They also give a discount to NASIOC/NESIC members. Couldn't be happier with how it came out. A+ for SolarSolutions!

Solar Solutions (http://www.solarsolutionstinting.com/)
330 South Road
Bedford, MA 01730

Apparently my A/C system had a leak in it somewhere, and since it's the old R12 stuff, I decided to just take out the whole system. So that's what I did today. Now there's a big gap in the engine bay and it kinda looks funny. All the stuff is for sale. See my ad in the classifieds.

Pics...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3075.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3074.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3077.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/ACStuff2.jpg

[fattie92]

looking good!

[Not All There]

nice progress, I really like the gauges.

[BlueRu]

Your girl is very nice. I like that this is your car and you work on it with what you got when you have it. Keep it up for sure!

[RoadRunner]

Ordered a mini I M P R E Z A badge from Paranoid Fabrications. Painted it the same gold as my wheels... Duplicolor Engine enamel Gold w/ clear coat. Also added the SUBARU decal that came with it. I wasn't sure what to do with the AWD decal, but after looking at it for a minute I had an idea...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3575.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3576.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3574.jpg

[RoadRunner]

Then I went to WBM 2007...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/Wickedbigmeet006border.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/IMG_2731-1.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/WBM%202007/DSC_3282.jpg

All WBM pics here. (http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/WBM%202007/)

[RoadRunner]

Ordered some JDM GF8 tail lights...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/JDMTails.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3571.jpg

PIAA Reverse lights... very bright.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3591.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3590.jpg

Sylvania Silverstar turn signals. The ones that are silver when off and light up orange.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3573.jpg

[RoadRunner]

And a few more. Enjoy, and let me know what you think...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3577.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3580.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3583.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3586.jpg

[Blix666]

sick man...love it. i almost bought those wheels off subarurabbit @ nasioc. they look awesome.

and you were 4 cars behind me on the hill @ WBM!

[409industries]

This is one hell of a project car. I love what you've done to it so far. I also have a set of those "chrome when off, orange when on" lights, but mine were ebay specials. Keep up the awesome work!

[RoadRunner]

sick man...love it. i almost bought those wheels off subarurabbit @ nasioc. they look awesome.

and you were 4 cars behind me on the hill @ WBM!

Yup, that's who I got them from.
I thought that was probably you, it was hard to tell though.
Thanks for the compliments. :)

[lorenkb]

Awesome. It's amazing watching the character of the car change as you do work to it. Keep up the good work!

[RoadRunner]

Awesome. It's amazing watching the character of the car change as you do work to it. Keep up the good work!

Yeah, every time I look at it/ drive it I'm always amazed how much the car has changed. It's nothing like it used to be. (well except for the engine unfortunately).

[409industries]

yeah that is awesome. Thanks for sharing with us the progression of this wagon! I hope to do the same thing... from day 1 with the next impreza I get.

Nice job man!

[RoadRunner]

Aight, it's been a long time since I updated this.

Over the past couple months I have been collecting some brake parts, and I finally got them installed last weekend. I have a rear disc swap planned too, but I'm not sure if I'll get to that before winter.

Front 2000 RS Calipers (used) $50
Front RS Rotors (used) $20
Resurface the rotors $20
Goodridge Stainless Steel Lines $80
Carbotech Bobcat Pads $90
ATE Superblue DOT4 Fluid $32
SpeedBleeders $30
plus a few miscellaneous tools, of course

The finished product:

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3810.jpg

Braking is about twice as good as it was before. The new rotors are 276mm as opposed to the old ones which were only 242mm. Also, the RS calipers are 2 pot, and the old ones were 1 pot.

[RoadRunner]

On Sept 6 I rear ended some guy when I was merging onto Route 2. Turns out he is the vice president of Liberty Mutual Insurance Co! He had a little bit of damage to his car, but he didn't file a claim, so I only had to pay to fix my own car.

The damage:

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/Accident/DSC_3766.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/Accident/DSC_3769.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/Accident/DSC_3770.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/Accident/DSC_3775.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/Accident/DSC_3778.jpg

[RoadRunner]

I got a bumper beam and skin from a local guy that had put a RS bumper on his 96 OBS.

There was some frame damage though. I ended up paying $475 to get that fixed.

All fixed..

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3811.jpg

Right now I have the old bumper on the car. I'm planning to have the new/used one (that came with the beam) repainted. I'd really like to get the ChargeSpeed lip for it, but it's kind of pricey... we'll see.

[RoadRunner]

Added some Ebay front and rear strut bars. I don't even have a rear sway bar, but these things made a pretty noticeable difference in reducing body roll. They were only $55 shipped from
www.stores.ebstores.us. Just do a search for Subaru if you're looking for them.

Also added some clear sidemarkers that I got for $20, Kartboy exhaust hangers for $30, and an OEM subwoofer for $25.

That's it for now.

[martinus]

**** mang ... look a 100 times better than 1st was ...

[scoobysheff]

hi there my friend just letting you know that i do a special wide body kit and full accessories for the wagon,have a look at my yellow scooby,this is what it could be like!!!
this is my 1.8 gl,believe it or not in pearl.
i have sti 8 bonnet scoop,induction scoops,x2 rear spoilers,and 22b full wide bodykit.
i can basically supply everything you could wirsh for let em know what you think?
cheers gary...

[bergdh]

im liking the no roof rack!! also where and how much did you get the spoilers?

[Not All There]

lookig good! Sucks about the damage but seems to be looking pretty nice right now, even with the L bumper

[RoadRunner]

hi there my friend just letting you know that i do a special wide body kit and full accessories for the wagon,have a look at my yellow scooby,this is what it could be like!!!
this is my 1.8 gl,believe it or not in pearl.
i have sti 8 bonnet scoop,induction scoops,x2 rear spoilers,and 22b full wide bodykit.
i can basically supply everything you could wirsh for let em know what you think?
cheers gary...

Trust me, some day it will be widebody. :twisted: But that's after I do an AWD swap, 5MT swap, EJ20K swap, etc etc etc...

[RoadRunner]

im liking the no roof rack!! also where and how much did you get the spoilers?

Junkyard, $56! :)

[RoadRunner]

lookig good! Sucks about the damage but seems to be looking pretty nice right now, even with the L bumper

I'm hoping to get a v3/4 bumper in the spring, then it should look much nicer.

[RoadRunner]

This weekends mods....

Full size spare:

-Wheel: $25 (junkyard)
-Unmount old tire: $10
-Used 215/40/16: Free
-Mount free tire: $20
-Paint and hardware: $15

Total: $70

PICS...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3918.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3919.jpg


Also, a replica STi rabbit badge.
$30 shipped from Renick Motorsports...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3923.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3925.jpg
[/img]

[ankyle62]

whoa where did you get those rims? looking good

[RoadRunner]

I bought them from subarurabbit on nasioc.
They're nothing special... just 97 Legacy GT rims.
They also came on 2000+ Legacy L's.

[RoadRunner]

9/07 - Strut Bars
9/07 - Clear Sidemarkers
9/4/07 - Kartboy Exhaust Hangers
9/15/07 - RS Front Brakes
9/22/07 - OEM Sub
10/24/07 - HID Kit 5000k Bi-xenon w/ slim ballasts
10/07 - Hella 2020's 85w Yellowstar fogs and 100w driving lights
11/6/07 - 99-01 Headlights
__________________________________________________ _______________

A few pics...

Learned that 205/70/15's are too tall :) ...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3973.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3974.jpg

Put the 205/70/15's on the Leg OB and bought some 185/60/15's. They look a little too small though... Oh well

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3980.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3984.jpg

__________________________________________________ _______________

Hella 2020 - They have 2 bulbs in each housing. One for fog, one for driving. I replaced the stock bulbs with 85w yellowstars for the fogs and 100w for the driving lights...

These light up the road very well, especially with the HID's (not pictured). This picture is also pre-99-01 headlight swap...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_3977.jpg

[RoadRunner]

12/28/07 - Install Master Cylinder Brace (Made by Poleboy90)
1/16/07 - Install OEM Extended Armrest / Cubby (Bought from (555 SUBARU)

That's it for recent installs. It's been a cold and snowy winter, so without a heated garage it's hard to do much work. I've mostly just been buying parts though, to install in the spring...


http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4487.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4488.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4505.jpg

[RoadRunner]

Suspension isn't being neglected either...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/Suspension%20stuff/DSC_4516.jpg

Also have rear disc swap in the garage.

And the rear disc swap came with trailing arms and lateral links, so I need to burn the old bushings out and replace them with Grp N.

Also have Kuhmo Ecsta MX 205/55/16 to mount on my 18 spoke LGT rims, which a currently being refinished.

[RoadRunner]

2/15/08 - Uninstalled HID's and installed Osram Nightbreaker +90

2/15/08 - Installed Antenna Delete
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4597.jpg

2/22/08 - Installed On-glass Antenna
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4599.jpg

[RoadRunner]

2/26/08 - Painted rear hatch, spoilers, STi 6 front bumper...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4593.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4594.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4590.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4591.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4595.jpg

[I Like It Sideways]

your wagon is looking amazing. I cant wait to see it with the bumper on.

[RoadRunner]

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4601.jpg

[nordicskiah]

aww very nice

[Not All There]

looks so much better

[WRXCMM]

nice work looks great.

[RoadRunner]

Thanks for the compliments. :)

The left side is being a bitch. I think because of my accident last fall, the frame isn't totally straight, so the bumper doesn't want to line up. I'll figure it out eventually, it was getting too cold and dark to deal with it today..

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4603.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4606.jpg

[RoadRunner]

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4638.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4639.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4640.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4633.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4630.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k175/aegean93l/1993%20Impreza%20Wagon/DSC_4627.jpg

[Blix666]

looks awesome man!