GrimmSpeed Project L

[GrimmSpeed]

So i finally got bored with the wrx and parted it out and now its in its stock form getting ready to be sold....of course i couldnt go to long without a project going on so i picked up a 96 L. I dont plan to get to crazy with it has money is tight right now. first i'll take care of some of the supporting mods before i touch the engine. i would like to keep all external body parts oem as for this is going to be a sleeper.

Plans are something like this:

ej20 swap
aps fmic - so i dont have to get a scoop'd hood
reverse intake manifold
slot wrx brakes
wrx calipers
ss brake lines
vf30 pnp'd and coated
roll cage
wrx seats front/rear
front strut bar
rear strut bar
FHI 20mm rear sway
Optima battery relocation to trunk
STi i/c tank used for windshield washer moved to trunk
2.25 06 WRX axleback
i put the wrx stockers on when i first got it


those are the things i can think of so far. if you have any opinions on some of the stuff please speak up because i consider myself a complete noob when it comes to these older models.


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/stock_l_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/stock_l_2.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/stock_l_3.jpg


Justin

[fattie92]

this thing is going to be SICK!

[409industries]

ooooo! man this is going to be awesome. I can't wait to see how this is going to be pulled together. Im all about scoopless hoods with FMIC's... pure sex!

Bring it on brotha!

[RoadRunner]

Theres still snow in Minnesota??!? :shock:

Anyway... looks like a great project.
It will definately be a sleeper! Are you sticking with the stock bumper or using something with a bigger opening for the FMIC?

[GrimmSpeed]

Theres still snow in Minnesota??!? :shock:

Anyway... looks like a great project.
It will definately be a sleeper! Are you sticking with the stock bumper or using something with a bigger opening for the FMIC?

haha no i wish.

i'm sticking with the stock L bumper and just gutting the heck out of it to fit the fmic for the ultimate sleeper front end.

[409industries]

Theres still snow in Minnesota??!? :shock:

Anyway... looks like a great project.
It will definately be a sleeper! Are you sticking with the stock bumper or using something with a bigger opening for the FMIC?

haha no i wish.

i'm sticking with the stock L bumper and just gutting the heck out of it to fit the fmic for the ultimate sleeper front end.

Thats the way to do it... for 100% suprise EVO stomping.

[BlueRu]

I am liking this project. I disagree with the FMIC. I love scoops and top mounts. Then again I also love the HUGE STi wing. Anyway good luck with the project let us know how it goes!

[GrimmSpeed]

got the cryo treated brakes on with wrx calipers and hawk hps pads. everything went smoothly. the bolts were rusted all to hell but nothing a torch couldnt take care of.

oh..and threw on some stainless lines too.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/brakes_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/brakes_2.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/brakes_3.jpg

[409industries]

That old rotor just look so sad compared to the new ones...

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/brakes_1.jpg

LOL

[UP2MTNS]

question for you, if the EJ20 short block will fit in there, why not just put the bigger EJ25? Then you could go FP20g or even FPGreen.

[GrimmSpeed]

question for you, if the EJ20 short block will fit in there, why not just put the bigger EJ25? Then you could go FP20g or even FPGreen.

funds

[GrimmSpeed]

some more progress this week....

if you're ever bored dont say "i think i shall take the tar and sound deadening material out of my car"


shaved 6.5lbs by taking a portion of the bumper beam off to help fit the fmic
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bumper_beam_weight.jpg

saved 1.5lbs by take the bottom seatbelts out :)
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/seat_belt_weight.jpg

and of course the fun tar removal
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tar_removal_1.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tar_removal_2.jpg

save another 6.5lbs from the tar/sound deadening
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tar_removal_3.jpg

so i was able to take off 14.5lbs today..not to bad.

[409industries]

Want to shave about 20lbs real quick? Get one of the Braille Auto batteries:

http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/hosting/imagehosting/radiatorshroud/radiatorshroud_before.jpg

(Its the tiny guy on the far right) They also have a new Carbon Fiber battery that is even smaller. I should be getting one by the end of the month ;-)

Things look like theyre coming along on the L nicely... does heating up the sound deadening get it out easier?

[GrimmSpeed]

tried to get those fenders wider so i can fit the wide r-compounds underneath. didnt turn out as well as i wanted but my buddy(pictured) is coming back to help redo them.


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fender_roll_1.JPG

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fender_roll_2.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fender_roll_3.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fender_roll_4.jpg

[409industries]

Did he have a floor jack in there pushing out on the fender?

[GrimmSpeed]

Did he have a floor jack in there pushing out on the fender?

no thats a fender roller noob :wink:

[409industries]

Did he have a floor jack in there pushing out on the fender?

no thats a fender roller noob :wink:

Im an idiot.

[GrimmSpeed]

for the love of keeping the outside as stock as possible i needed to fit the front mount underneath the stock L bumper. it went ok, there was definitely ALOT more cutting to do to the L bumper cover than the wrx bumper cover. i was able to salvage about 2/3s of the bumper beam(see cut pieces above). i'm very happy with the turn out....looks sooo sleeperish. i do wish i was able to keep the fogs but i couldnt manage to do that...i'll have to think of a way to mount some hellas somewhere.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fmic_1.JPG

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fmic_2.JPG

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fmic_4.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fmic_5.jpg

[lorenkb]

YES! That is awesome.

[fattie92]

Bad Ass!

[409industries]

OMG you can't even see it. That is fricking incredible. Nice work J!

[GrimmSpeed]

haha thanks...its just the radiator, i dont know what you guys are talking about ;)

[sebhockey]

It looks great, cant wait to see it done.

[BlueRu]

Good job on making it look stock! I looked at the "after" pic and couldnt even see it until I looked at the pic without the bumper and the IC just sitting there.

[GrimmSpeed]

so i think i'm going to rip out all the hard brake lines and re route them and use stainless lines. its gonna run more than i'd like(500 w/ svx booster/cylinder) but i'd really like to get rid of the abs and clean up things. thoughts?

[JacksonRally]

I get rid of the ABS in all my vehicles, thats the real way to clean things up!!!! Stainless all the way!!!

[GrimmSpeed]

i heard that my project is going to eat project dirty impreza rs for lunch :) might have to take a trip out to cali to make it so.


ooohh

[sebhockey]

It's quite possible, you have a huge lead. I wish I could come upon the cash to have a dedicated rally car right now.

[BlackParis]

The gold WRX rims.. Is that spray paint? or powder coat? they look damn good.. wish mine would come out like that....

[GrimmSpeed]

It's quite possible, you have a huge lead. I wish I could come upon the cash to have a dedicated rally car right now.


<<< waits for mr dirty impreza to respond....

[GrimmSpeed]

The gold WRX rims.. Is that spray paint? or powder coat? they look damn good.. wish mine would come out like that....


spray paint for life mang

gold engine enamel

[409industries]

It's quite possible, you have a huge lead. I wish I could come upon the cash to have a dedicated rally car right now.


<<< waits for mr dirty impreza to respond....

a swapped turbo L? theres no contest!!! the poor RS would get p0wned. LOL it would be a good battle though, if that car is ever out here we will have to meetup for sure! stupid trying to build a car to rally specs...

[GrimmSpeed]

ok i think i'm going this route for the ebrake. will be plumbing the two rear calipers into this...supposedly you can lift it up a 1/2" and it will be full lock!!! :twisted:

http://www.ksportusa.com/products/ebrake.html


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/ebrake_3.jpg

[Not All There]

awesome, do a quick write up of the install if you can

[GrimmSpeed]

so we were able to get the engine, drive shaft, rear diff, and all the axles out. all of the axels came out fine except for one major PITA corner...i'm going to have to pick up another hub assembly.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/mike_in_engine.JPG

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/rear_diff_removal.JPG

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gutted_engine.JPG

[409industries]

MADNESS! looks like one hell of a project! cant wait to see the new motor in there...

[GrimmSpeed]

finally starting to get some cool stuff to put on the car vs the last 2 months of taking stuff out of the car.

first thing in...

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/wilwood_proportion_valve.jpg

[GrimmSpeed]

FINALLY got my stuff from the donor car this week. it was a LONG 6 week wait but i'm glad its finally here.

how it arrived
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/wrx_pallet.jpg

hope this baby is strong
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/wrx_engine_1.jpg

same to this...
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/wrx_tranny_1.jpg


glad i'm not the one doing the wiring splice
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/wrx_wiring_1.jpg

started to rattle can the engine bay white...
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/paing_engine_bay_1.jpg

[409industries]

Fricken awesome!!!

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/wrx_engine_1.jpg

rattlecan in the engine bay FTW

[GrimmSpeed]

single stage booster, monster master cylinder, and tranny installed...


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tranny_installed.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tranny_installed_2.jpg

[sebhockey]

Wow that is looking clean. That is definatley one hell of a build.

[bergdh]

hey just wondering on this brake upgrade, I have a 98 obs impreza, with drum brakes on the rear. I want to switch those out to disc. would I just have to switch out the rotors and calipers or is there more to do?

[RoadRunner]

hey just wondering on this brake upgrade, I have a 98 obs impreza, with drum brakes on the rear. I want to switch those out to disc. would I just have to switch out the rotors and calipers or is there more to do?

You would have to swap out the whole hub and knuckle assembly. It's rather a lot of work. Here's a good write-up: http://www.wac.addr.com/auto/obs/disc/disc.html

[fattie92]

hey just wondering on this brake upgrade, I have a 98 obs impreza, with drum brakes on the rear. I want to switch those out to disc. would I just have to switch out the rotors and calipers or is there more to do?

You would have to swap out the whole hub and knuckle assembly. It's rather a lot of work. Here's a good write-up: http://www.wac.addr.com/auto/obs/disc/disc.html

Well worth the blood, sweat and tears... And the BEER!

[BlueRu]

Looking good. Make sure you dont scratch the paint when you put the motor in!

[GrimmSpeed]

Looking good. Make sure you dont scratch the paint when you put the motor in!


too late...all scratched to hell

[BlueRu]

HAHAHA go fig. Thats the way it happens. Horay for tuch up paint and model brushes!

[Dynapar]

Looking good so far! i am surprised to see that alot of the pics i took made it up here. Man i guess that one night when Methodless came down we got alot done!

[GrimmSpeed]

so tonight she had a 30lbs weight reduction from the rear...anyone guess what it was??

[sebhockey]

Spare tire? bunch of trash left in there?

[Dynapar]

gas tank? or are you converting to FWD now?

[UP2MTNS]

dead cat?





LOL

[lorenkb]

dead cat?





LOL

That's a huge cat!

[GrimmSpeed]

lets just say that if i get rear ended its not going to be pretty lol


need to take out the rear tail lights
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bumper_beam_light_removed_2.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bumper_beam_light_removed_1.jpg


stock beam removed
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bumperbeam_removed.jpg


jdm vs. stock beam
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/jdm_bumperbeam_vs_stock.jpg


actual jdm beam weight...4.5lbs!!!
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/jdm_bumperbeam_weight.jpg


Overall install wasnt to bad. You cant take the bumper cover off while its on the car, you need to take the whole cover/beam off at the same time then you can take the cover off.

The jdm beam is nothing more than a bracket for the cover to snap onto to hold it in place...no crash protection whatsoever.

[UP2MTNS]

you're leaving the taillights in, correct? I thought the rules state that you can't remove oem lights. (?)

[sebhockey]

Call me crazy, but I don't think that one is worth replacing with a JDM one. To each his own though.

[flooredsubaru]

Grimm,

Is this going to be a full out rally car?

I might have missed it in the writing but it is starting to look a little too familiar.

http://gallery.landefabrication.com/albums/InstallingTurboEngine/es4192.jpg

You still need to get one of my brake boosters though you can see it back in the corner.

[GrimmSpeed]

you're leaving the taillights in, correct? I thought the rules state that you can't remove oem lights. (?)

yeah, tail lights are staying in

[GrimmSpeed]

Grimm,

Is this going to be a full out rally car?

I might have missed it in the writing but it is starting to look a little too familiar.

http://gallery.landefabrication.com/albums/InstallingTurboEngine/es4192.jpg

You still need to get one of my brake boosters though you can see it back in the corner.

what brake booster is that? i'm not entirely sure how far i'm going to go with the car.

[Dynapar]

i bet whether he says it or not, it will be a daily driver rally car. Thsi car will probably see more mud gravel per year than a WRC car lol.

Justin is this going to be ready for the duluth trip (mid Oct.)? Cause it had better be, its pretty much our only gravel driving meet.

[flooredsubaru]

what brake booster is that? i'm not entirely sure how far i'm going to go with the car.

Its a L and E Fabrication Brake Booster Delete.

When you are left foot braking with a brake booster depending on if the car is on boost or vacuum makes a huge difference to how the brake feels.

This way the pedal is firm and always in the same place, so when you are coming hot into a corner you can do your braking and set the car for the corner all with the same feel depending on the corner.

[GrimmSpeed]

time to play 'whats inside that box'!! soo..what is it?


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/box.jpg

[JacksonRally]

Well it looks like it weighs about 66lbs....new coilovers??? Hmmm....maybe w/o springs

[GrimmSpeed]

ok here's the answer.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_in_box.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_vs_stock_height.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_fender_well.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_camber_plate.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tophat_nuts_bc.jpg

[WRR]

ok i think i'm going this route for the ebrake. will be plumbing the two rear calipers into this...supposedly you can lift it up a 1/2" and it will be full lock!!! :twisted:

http://www.ksportusa.com/products/ebrake.html


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/ebrake_3.jpg

I had a hydra e-brake in my rally-x Mazda 323GTX and it was the $hit.. here is a pic (not a good one, sorry) and that little gold lever behind the cylinder allowed me to set it to apply the e-brake to all four wheels or just the rear.. seriously, 1/4" of a pull from full off to full lock - it saved me many times as opposed to my current SRT4 stock e-brake which has a 6 inch pull :(

the only down side was that the ease of using the e-brake made me a lazy driver cause I could over-drive a corner, lock the rear and still make it through... and it looked cool but it was slower then being good at cornering...
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/nrsg/Mazda%20323GTX/323GTXint2.jpg

[409industries]

ok here's the answer.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_in_box.jpg



hotness! which ones are those specifically?

[Dynapar]

^ BC coils

[GrimmSpeed]

Got this package in the mail today...


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tic_package.jpg


TiC Tranny Crossmember Bushings
TiC 5MT Linkage Update
Tic Rear Diff Mount Bushings

The guys over at TurnInConcepts are awesome to work with! If you guys need anything suspensionwise...they are the best guys to go to.

[Not All There]

awesome man, i didnt expect those!

[GrimmSpeed]

awesome man, i didnt expect those!


oh there's more bushings on the way too :twisted:

[GrimmSpeed]

did some more weight reduction today. since i'm going with the hydrolic ebrake i dont need all the regular ebrake hardware that is wrapped around the hub. we took off a good 2lbs per wheel and that doesnt count the things like the ebrake brake lines so we are looking at around 5lbs total.

this pic shows the ebrake hardware that is on the hub
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/ebrake_weight_reduction.jpg

actual weight reduction per wheel
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/ebrake_weight_reduction_2.jpg

the hub looks so much cleaner after taking it all off
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/ebrake_weight_reduction_3.jpg

Justin
www.grimmspeed.com

[GrimmSpeed]

H6 updgrade as been started. this is really a simple mod. the only things you need are an H6 sized rotor, H6 caliper bracket, impreza LX or WRX rear caliper. there is defiintely a big difference in rotor size bettwen the weak LX rotor and the leggy H6. i think next time i need to replace the rears i'm going to get the old turbo leggy rear vented rotors.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/h6_conversion_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/h6_conversion_2.jpg

[UP2MTNS]

H6 updgrade as been started. this is really a simple mod. the only things you need are an H6 sized rotor, H6 caliper bracket, impreza LX or WRX rear caliper. there is defiintely a big difference in rotor size bettwen the weak LX rotor and the leggy H6. i think next time i need to replace the rears i'm going to get the old turbo leggy rear vented rotors.



That's what I have on my WRX rears (legacy turbo upgrade)....its nice.

[409industries]

Yeah the hub looks awesome without the weaksauce drum ebrake assembly. Nice.

[BlueRu]

Looks nice!

[Dynapar]

i will have to look at some of the pics i took and see if any are worth posting up

[GrimmSpeed]

we got the new prototype rear camber plates in today from BC Racing. These arent on the market yet so we are trying them out for BC. install was pretty simple with just the supplied tools(preload adjusting wrenches, 6mm allen), 14mm wrench, and a 17mm wrench. everything bolted up perfectly except i had to move the outside allen head bolts to the inside because they were hitting on the fender hole.


first you will want to mark your current preload position for the spring. we used some fashionable pink finger nail polish to mark the spot.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_plate_thread_marking.jpg

these are the wrenches that are included with the coilovers to adjust the spring preload. loosen the lower one first, then proceed with the second. loosen them enough to take all pressure off the spring so you can begin taken the plate/tophat off.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_adjusting_spring_locks.jp g

these are the wrenches you'll need. this is the stock non-adjustable BC Racing tophats. first step will be taken the dampener adjuster off and the main nut the holds the plate on. when you get the dampener adjuster off you will expose a 6mm allen..this is used to hold the stud still while taking off the 17mm nut.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_plate_wrenches.jpg

next you will want to slide off the collar that sits around the stud. once the collar is off you can slide the plate off.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_plate_collar_off.jpg

here is a pic of the plate completely off. now we will start to install the new adjustable camber plates.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_plate_noncamber_off.jpg


put the new camber plate on. then slide collar back around the stud. tighten down the 17mm nut. you will need to use the allen wrench again to hold the stud from spinning. reinstall the dampener adjuster with your 14mm wrench.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_plate_sitting_on_spring.j pg

now the camber plate is completely installed. while trying to put the coilver onto the car i noticed that one of the small allen bolts was hitting on the side of the fender hole.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_plate_bolt_hits_mount.jpg

to solve this problem you need to move both outside allen bolts to the middle slot.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_plate_bolts_need_to_move. jpg


this is what the allen bolts should look like once moved over.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/bc_coilovers_rear_camber_plate_bolts_together.jpg


now the coilover will slide back up into the fender and bolt right in with the 3 12mm nuts that hold the coilver to the fender.


Hope that helps all of you out that will be doing this mod in the future when these plates come onto the market.

Justin Grimm
www.grimmspeed.com
AIM: GrimmSpd

[Drew84]

So finally theres another set of coilovers out there with rear camber plates. Your running in to the same problem I had. Even having the allen bolts position close to gether. My alignment guy could only get -1.5 degress out of the rear of the car the hit the in side of the strut hole. You could relieve it a bit. But really on a AWD car -1.5 camber in the rear is about as much as you want.

[GrimmSpeed]

obx rear adjustable trailing arms came today. i was a little worried since they were only 120 shipped but to my surprise these puppies are pretty solid. they have a pillow ball mount on one end..that same end is also adjustable.

install was pretty easy...1 bolt to the hub, 1 bolt to the trailing arm bracket, and 3 bolts that hold the trailing arm bracket to the car.

of course..the pics:

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/obx_trailing_arm_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/obx_trailing_arm_2.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/obx_trailing_arm_3.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/obx_trailing_arm_4.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/obx_trailing_arm_5.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/obx_trailing_arm_6.jpg

[I Like It Sideways]

Those look mighty beefy. And in blue.. I'm digging them!

[GrimmSpeed]

wrx wiring harness all chopped up to be implanted into the L

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/wiring_1.jpg

[GrimmSpeed]

Thanks to one of our newest sponsors L&E Fabrication we just got a bunch of goodies in the mail...

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/superpro_all.jpg

we received basically every bushing you can get for the suspension components and cross members. we also received the whiteline rear xmember locking bolts which i cant seem to get in yet because the threads on the car are all messed up since there wasnt a plug on the hole to stop them from rusting to all hell.


some pics of the lateral link bushings. these bad boys go on specific ends so make sure to read the directions before installation.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/superpro_lateral_links_2.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/superpro_lateral_links_1.jpg


We used a press to push out the oem bushings and push in the new bushings. the process is a tad bit tedious and i vividly remember dropping a few f-bombs. most of the oem bushing can just be pushed out but there are a few that need to be cut out because there is a metal sleeve that cant be pushed out...one of these spots is on that bracket that holds the rear diff up(this bracket bolts to the rear xmember).

all in all the bushings are much stiffer compared to the mushy stock ones.

We also received another part that i'm very excited about...here it is in the box. Anyone know what it is?

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/steering_column_1.jpg


Thanks to our new sponsor, L&E Fabrication. Their products can be found at http://www.landefabrication.com/

Justin Grimm

[L and E Fab.com]

Oo... I know what it is...

But I packed it so That probably does not count.

[sebhockey]

Hmmmm...methinks it's a steering column from LandE...

[ankyle62]

its pink, large and blunt. i am going to say a potential hammer!

[I Like It Sideways]

Gravity hammer!!
er what? I like all of the new bushings... and whats in the box... I need (want) one.

[L and E Fab.com]

Gravity hammer!!
er what? I like all of the new bushings... and whats in the box... I need (want) one.

I have tons of pink foam if anyone is intrested.

Come On Justin tell the people what they want to hear.

[409industries]

Hmmmm...methinks it's a steering column from LandE...

me thinks indeed!

[ankyle62]

hey i just noticed grimmspeed name, im getting ready to order that tranny cocktail from you guys that i found while searching nasioc.

[Not All There]

awesome man! Nice gifts L&E!!

[GrimmSpeed]

ok ok...L&E quick ration steering column for that perfect go kart like steering!!! i'm pumped to try the baby out.

can be found here...

http://column.landefabrication.com/

btw erik...it says 'steeing' column on the site

[Not All There]

oh man! your lucky! I so want to buy one of those!

[L and E Fab.com]

btw erik...it says 'steeing' column on the site

Steeing is a new type of driving style for rallying... Yeah thats it Driving style.

I will go fix it thanks.

[GrimmSpeed]

so one of the more annoying projects got done this week...getting the 05 WRX dash to fit into the L. there is alot of drilling new holes for brackets, sawzalling, swearing, etc to get it to fit right. i have to admit though...it all paid off because it looks awesome!! climate control in the race car FTW

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/dash_install.jpg

[sebhockey]

Wow, talk about a chore. You gotta change the door cards too then.

[bergdh]

wow that looks amazing!

[GrimmSpeed]

so we had to cut some nasty holes in the firewall to get the wrx ac/heater core to fit so i figured now would be the time to put some shiny thermotec heatshield on to cover up the holes as much as possible and keep as much engine heat out of the cabin as possible.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/firewall_heatshield.jpg


some more awesome bushings that i got from L&E Fabrication..

steering rack. easiest bushing to put on the entire car. the rack was kinda a pita to get installed because of some rust issues.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/superpro_steering_rack.jpg

SuperPro ALK bushings
definitely helped to have the press for these guys. make sure the center hole is towards the ground when installing.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/superpro_alk.jpg

[409industries]

Yeah i would imagine the SR bushing ARE pretty easy to install when the rack is OFF the car!

[I Like It Sideways]

Looking very nice!!! Good work with the dash.

Looks like it has an 02-03 gauge cluster (or did the 05 have the tach off-center?) I thought in 04 they moved it to the center

[WRR]

^^ correct, 04 moved tach to the middle (were it is suppose to be :P )

[GrimmSpeed]

yeah i told the guy he sent me the wrong cluster...well he sent another one and its the same freakin one. argh.

[Dynapar]

^ you better get this thing moving. duluth crusie in T - 1.5 days.

[Not All There]

doing an awesome job man, really nice quality build.

[GrimmSpeed]

google says its going to take me 28 hours to get to you guys if i want to come play in the dirt....damn thats long.

[GrimmSpeed]

hydrolic ksport ebrake and wilwood brake proportion valve is 90% installed. just need to attached 2 flex stainless lines into the system but all the hard line have been run throughout the car. we made an awesome find...there is this new hard brake line that you can actually bend by hand and it wont crease. this made our lives a TON simpler. no more using the bending tool.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/hydro_ebrake_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/hydro_ebrake_2.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/hydro_ebrake_3.jpg

[GrimmSpeed]

some more progress this past week.



Thanks to TurnInConcepts(www.turninconcepts.com) we scored some shifter and linkage bushing made by TiC and Kartboy(www.kartboy.com). These were some of the easier bushings to put on the car...something i definitely needed after doing alot of the other bushings. The shifter has a VERY notchy feel now which is totally awesome.



http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/kartboy_linkage_bushings_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/kartboy_shifter_bushings_1.jpg



Also got some of the TiC Tranny Bushings which come in a sweet cherry blossom red. This involves taking off the tranny support so you will have to hold up the tranny with a jack while you do the mod.



http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tic_tranny_bushings.jpg


Thanks to L&E Fabrication(www.landefabrication.com) we got this killer 1.5:1 Quick Ratio Steering Rack. I should be installing this in the next few days if i can find the time. its fun turing the steering wheel side slowly and watching how much more the steering rack end turns. absolutely cant wait to use this beast in autox.


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/quick_ratio_column_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/quick_ratio_column_2.jpg


Since i had the flywheel out i figured i would resurface it since it looks like the previous owner had a bit of fun with the car. got her to look pretty new after the resurface.


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/flywheel_resurface_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/flywheel_resurface_2.jpg



we are getting pretty close. need a few things like radiator, fuel tank cord of the harness, fuel lines, heater hose lines, and a few other random things but i'm finally

seeing the end getting closer.



Justin

[Drew84]

Car is looking pretty awsome. I like it.

[GrimmSpeed]

'tis been on a drought...but got the engine in.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/engine_in_1.jpg

[Dynapar]

stopped by Grimmspeed today, to get a remflex gasket.

Justin was fabbing up a skid plate for project L. heres a sneak peak.... the new theory is absording the damage instead of deflecting it. also they were out of cherry blossom red material.

http://lh3.google.com/Dynapar/R2tB_Q8qokI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/qkyHNkeHClI/s800/IMG_6793.JPG

[409industries]

leaked photos... hell yeah! that car is definitely coming a long faster than mine. nice nice

[GrimmSpeed]

some skid plate making action today. i wanted to make something that covered the whole front of the car and gave the bumber cover some support. i had to completely gut the front bumper to be able to fit the fmic in so i need something to support it so if i were to hit anything it would just break off. there really wasnt anything on the market i could find so i decided to make my own.

tool/supply list
jigsaw
drill
razor blade
4x8 sheet of insulation
4x6 sheet of 3/16" diamond plated aluminum

first i took the overall widest and deepest measurements of the front of the car and cut a piece of insulation to that size. i cut out the area by the wheel so i could get the template(insulation) up high enough to tape it so i could start cutting it away little by little to get cover up as much as possible but still be far enough away from moving suspension parts and the wheels.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/skidplate_1.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/skidplate_2.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/skidplate_3.jpg

once i got the template cut to my liking i then traced the shape onto the aluminum.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/skidplate_4.jpg

i figured i would have to take the piece on and off a million times trying to get it to fit right but luckily i put it up to the car and everything fit almost perfectly...i was stoked. just one little section need to be smaller to allow for more tire movement.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/skidplate_5.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/skidplate_6.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/skidplate_7.jpg

i put the diamond side up because i really didnt like the look of it and it obviously isnt smooth. only reason why i got the diamond plate was because it was the only piece of aluminum i could find in the scrap pile at the local metal shop that was big enough.

i need to go find some longer bolts. i tied in to the two oem bolt holes in the front subframe and 2 bolt holes in the engine crossmember.
all in all took about 3 1/2 hours and $100 in materials.

Justin

[donutking]

Justin this car is coming together at a rapid pace! way to go I have always wanted a L project but I have always had no time or no money. Good job and keep it up!!!

[Not All There]

Nice to see more progress, how low does the plate hang in the back? Just curious, when we were fabbing mine without any type of step up it tended to get pretty close to the ground.

[GrimmSpeed]

Nice to see more progress, how low does the plate hang in the back? Just curious, when we were fabbing mine without any type of step up it tended to get pretty close to the ground.


it was low but then i cut off alot of the extra on the back that i wanted to originally keep because it hung to low. i'm not to concerned specially for ice races/snow racing as it will pop me up and out of the deep stuff if i go in :muhaha:

[Not All There]

sounds good!

[JacksonRally]

Looks sweet!

[subyspawn]

looking good Justin.

Cant wait to get project RLLYSTi going....

ehhhmmmm...drtywgn

[sebhockey]

Looks like it's coming along pretty good.

[GrimmSpeed]

IT RUNS!!!
Finally got some time to devote my energy to the project. Couple of things that need work...
blinkers dont work
dont think the radiator fans are turning on
clutch isnt fully disengaging so having troubles getting into gear
think i need either new timing belt tensior or pullies as there is sometimes a loud knocking.

anyone guess what i'm making??
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/stoptryingtocheat.jpg

so i'm going to be running a tmic for a little bit so i had to source a second hood and cut a hole it to make room for a wrx scoop. went to the auto store and had 5 different greens in my hand....think i picked a pretty close one.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/hood_scoop.jpg

Justin

[deadbeatdude]

you did all that bumper shaving to switch to a tmic.. oh well it looks awesome

[GrimmSpeed]

you did all that bumper shaving to switch to a tmic.. oh well it looks awesome


negative..i'm just doing a tmic to get the car running. i'll be switching to a fmic after some ice races this winter(dont want to kill the fmic at the races)

[wolfman79]

Looks awesome man. Giving me lots of new ideas for my OBS. Keep up the good work.

[sebhockey]

negative..i'm just doing a tmic to get the car running. i'll be switching to a fmic after some ice races this winter(dont want to kill the fmic at the races)

I say stay with the TMIC, less chance of damage to it.

[the_wrath_of_Khan]

This is a nice project. I think sleepers are a bit overrated. What FMIC is that? Why put the scoop on with a FMIC?

[the_wrath_of_Khan]

Where or who did you pick up the OBX parts from? I want to purchase some, but outside of eBay to avoid the shipping raquet those guys are running.

[GrimmSpeed]

i put the scoop on for the time being because i'm running a tmic to get the car running..there is no fmic on it right now but an APS is going on it.

got the obx arms from ebay ...120 shipped isnt to bad for cusco knockoffs i'd say.

[GrimmSpeed]

i had an issue because we flared the fenders so the stock fender liners didnt fit anymore and with all the ice racing we are doing i need to keep everything clean(wiring, engine bay, etc).
BEFORE
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/well_liner_1.jpg

AFTER
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/well_liner_2.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/well_liner_3.jpg

Justin

[Azewaldo]

Those are some sexy wheel wells.

[anaonbd]

a bit late on this, but i'm happy someone's doing something with an L, not just a wrx.

[GrimmSpeed]

now for bringing the cold air to that new engine...
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/custom_cai_1.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/custom_cai_2.jpg

i'm not exactly sure how i'm going to reroute it when i get the frount mount in but i'm going to have to move it somewhere because right now its right where the passenger side intercooler end tank will sit.

Justin

[GrimmSpeed]

got her weighed today...any guesses??

i was not in the car and there was ~1/2 tank of gas, 30lb set of tools, and a fully inflated wrx wheel as a spare in the car. full interior as well and this is the LX impreza so it has power windows and power doors.

[the_wrath_of_Khan]

2,533

[GrimmSpeed]

higher...

[lorenkb]

2954

[rllyrckt]

i love the skidplate, can you by chance put up the dimensions for the plate and if you can, pm me some close up shots and suggestions, i love the look of the plate, best one ive seen yet. car looks great too

[the_wrath_of_Khan]

higher...
2,700

[carl]

2954
lower

mnsubaru members know :tongue:

[GrimmSpeed]

i love the skidplate, can you by chance put up the dimensions for the plate and if you can, pm me some close up shots and suggestions, i love the look of the plate, best one ive seen yet. car looks great too


i cant promise the dimensions will be symetrical because when i was building it was more of a, throw the tape measure away and just eye ball it, but if i can find some time i'll definitely draw up some dimensions and share with everyone. thanks btw!

Justin

[409industries]

2865!!!

Looks awesome. Those are some sweet wheel wells.

[GrimmSpeed]

answer is... 2810. not to shabby.

[GrimmSpeed]

working on the launch control. finally we can get launch control via ecuflash so no more having to buy the AP just to get the launch control.(nothing wrong with AP but we need to be able to mess with the maps all the time)

video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV6TWmE3OSA

Justin

[GrimmSpeed]

lets just say i'm glad i made the big skid plate. one of the reasons i made it was because i gut'd out the front bumber cover so much to fit the fmic that it didnt leave much of the bumper cover left. knowing we'd be doing alot of snow events and probably instantly destroy what was left of the bumper i scribed the skid plate to the bumper cover thus giving it much of its integrity back. well a few weekends ago i had a chance to test it out.

first pic here is of the aftermath, i cant believe i didnt puncture a whole into the radiator or completely rip off the bumper from what we were doing.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tonka_jump_1.jpg

you can see me easily twisting/bending the bumper cover which would have been destroyed without the skid plate support.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tonka_jump_2.jpg

and how it was tested?....well the front suspension was totally blown so every time i landed it bottomed out and slammed my nose into the snow ice.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tonka_jump_3.jpg

needless to say the skid plate worked wonderfully and the bumper cover is perfect.

Justin
www.grimmspeed.com (http://www.grimmspeed.com)

[the_wrath_of_Khan]

Wow that last pictures is awesome! I send you a PM. If you get a chance let me know about it.

Nate

[Not All There]

oh man! more pics please!

[GrimmSpeed]

some of you were asking..

takeoff

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tonka_jump_4.jpg

Justin

[wraithpreza]

looks like you were having a ton of fun! :D

[I Like It Sideways]

:shock: That is badass!! Nice air!!

Question: are you getting a knocking sound only when the motor is cold?

[409industries]

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/tonka_jump_3.jpg

Damn... look at that grin. Loving every second of it.

[GrimmSpeed]

couple fun things on the way...
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/fender_flare_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/sparco_wheel_1.jpg

:)

[Not All There]

i have been looking for those flares for ever! where did you find them? I wouldnt have cut so much of my fenders if i got those lol

[I Like It Sideways]

+1 On looking for those

I've read that some people buy universal flares, but where to find them, I dont know

[GrimmSpeed]

After driving on the new BC Racing coilvers for a few days i realized i absolutely needed an alignment and corner balance. We have great local guy, Jeff The Aligment Guy www.thealignmentguy.com (http://www.thealignmentguy.com) ...who did an awesome job. The handling is night and day difference. The typical subaru understeer is basically gone and a bit of oversteer is definitely there which is what i want.

I'm glad that i also got the car corner balanced while i was there because the corner weights were way out of whack prior to bringing it in.

We had a few issues with front caster and rear toe because in the front the ALK i have needs to be tweaked a bit and in the rear one of the lateral links is different so it wouldnt give him the toe that he wanted. So i need to fix those two things then bring her back in to get buttoned up.

I have an advanced driving control clinic next saturday and it couldnt come sooner..totally stoked to get this new setup on the track.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/corner_balance.jpg


Corner balance numbers after.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/corner_balance_specs.jpg

Justin
www.grimmspeed.com (http://www.grimmspeed.com)

[phi11]

Nice!

[409industries]

Corner balancing is key... you have to be stoked. I can only imagine the difference this has made for handling.

[GrimmSpeed]

finally got some more updates on this project...been so busy shipping all your parts out, havent had time to post pics up.


waited 4 weeks to get this from titan motorsports but it finally came. sparco 345 suede racing wheel.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/sparco_wheel_2.jpg



ditched the wrx seats for these corbeau cr-1's. i had bought some sparco seats locally but they didnt fit me well at all so used these instead. they are alot narrower than the sparco so they fit nicely. they are SUPER low which is my only complaint...i even got the wrx style brackets from corbeau which are suppose to higher.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/sparco_seats_1.jpg



piece by piece i'm starting to get that fugly tan interior out. hit up the local junkyard and found the rear door cards and door sills in black/grey.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/door_cards_grey_1.jpg


this is where it sits right now. complete vinyl wrap. car is going to be all white base layer with dark red metallic logos. i'm really pumped to get this project done because its going to totally transform the looks of the L.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/vinyl_inprogress_1.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/vinyl_inprogress_2.jpg


Dom from www.getadomtune.com (http://www.getadomtune.com) is working on the tune right now. we got it alot better than it was...just having wastegate issues right now so i can fully tune it right now. the power to weight ratio is definitely amazing compared to the wrx.


Justin

[Not All There]

Looking good, another awesome L transformation.

You still have the ugly tan interior door cars laying around? Let me know, i need some for templates.

[GrimmSpeed]

Looking good, another awesome L transformation.

You still have the ugly tan interior door cars laying around? Let me know, i need some for templates.


actually just took them out with the trash yesterday.

[GrimmSpeed]

more updates here. We finally got all the white vinyl laid. starting to take form.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/vinyl_inprogress_3.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/vinyl_inprogress_4.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/vinyl_inprogress_5.jpg

next to do is get the dark red metallic graphics laid over the white base layer.

[GrimmSpeed]

i'll post this here to since it does belong with the car lol

We finished up the complete vinyl wrap on friday and took her to the LaCrosse, WI Subaru meet. everything you see is vinyl, including the white.

Thanks to the local guys for taking these pics!

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_1.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_2.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_3.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_4.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_5.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_6.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_7.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_8.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_9.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_10.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_11.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_12.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/gs_impreza_lax_13.jpg

[UP2MTNS]

Nice!!

BTW, I have the Corbeau LG-1 w/corbeau bracket and foiund it to be very low as well (too low). I ended up using some 3/4" spacers to raise it up. I had to space it where you mount the bracket to the seat...I used longer (and upgraded) bolts. Anyway, just something you can do if you want.

[Subpar]

I'm impressed with the cleanness of the wrap. I've done full vehicle wraps on vans and trucks, but any passenger car is hell. Good job, looks sharp!

[GrimmSpeed]

Next up is to get rid of those wrx brakes and powerslot rotors. I didnt want to ubgrade all of the hubs yet so i had to source 04 STi Brembos so they would be a direct bolt-on(almost). The fronts went right on without an issue but the rears needed some help. I had the kartboy rear 2 pot adapters..i'm not sure if these are meant just for the subaru rear 2 pots calipers or if they are made for the rear brembos as well as i had to mold the plate the bracket bolted onto to get it to fit.

Stopping has definitely improved a ton. The only downfall is that they weigh ALOT. looks like i'm going to have to get some lighter wheels to combat the heavier brakes.

Currently i'm using the oem pads but hope to be upgrading soon.


http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/brembos_1.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/brembos_2.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/brembos_3.jpg

Front WRX Powerslot vs. Front Brembo
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/brembos_4.jpg

Justin

[GrimmSpeed]

yes the car is still alive and ticking, albeit, put away for the winter.
swaped off the rota torques to enkei rpf1s...much much lighter. lost almost 4lbs per wheel.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/enkei_1.jpg
and more weight reduction. VIS carbon fiber trunk. i didnt weigh it but it is definitely alot lighter then the oem trunk. imo it is a very nice CF trunk.
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/cf_trunk_1.jpg
http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/cf_trunk_2.jpg

I've also added our 38mm EWG Setup and boy does this thing scream! It is absolutely amazing to drive on the street with the little td04 w/ EWG Kit. The boost comes on so fast and so hard...probably one of the most fun set ups i've ever driven. All of our other PnP goodies are on it as well which helps spool up a ton too. My next move is to swap the turbo for a vf30, but now i'm wanting to keep this td04 as long as possible because it is a blast to drive with the 38mm ewg.
Matt over at 555 motorsports has been tuning the heck out of this car and that as well has alot to do with the way the car runs..which is awesome. I would recommend him to anyone...he is a very smart tuner!

my guess is we may be in the 2500lb range now which was my goal.
Justin

[strat]

car looks great!

i've been wondering how well the pnp mani's would work on the stock td04. i'll have to look into those for my wrx.

[GrimmSpeed]

car looks great!

i've been wondering how well the pnp mani's would work on the stock td04. i'll have to look into those for my wrx.

They're probably our most popular PnP product, Matched with our highflow x pipe the exhaust flow and turbo spool is SOO much better.:eek:

Mike

[409industries]

I noticed significant spool gains when the Grimmspeed PnP exhaust manfiolds and x-pipe were installed on the STi (stock VF39). They work... ;)

[GrimmSpeed]

I noticed significant spool gains when the Grimmspeed PnP exhaust manfiolds and x-pipe were installed on the STi (stock VF39). They work... ;)

Good to hear, we love knowing our customers are happy! :crazy:

Mike

[GrimmSpeed]

now with more CF and new headlights. i'll be painting the mesh on the hood to some other color..not sure what color though. also, the headlight housing will probably be painted as well.

i'm really starting to like the old school front bumber with the newer headlights and hood...it just looks really classic.

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/7.jpg

http://www.grimmspeed.com/project_l/8.jpg

[strat]

looking good! i'd remove the mesh in the scoop all together personally but that's just me.

[GrimmSpeed]

looking good! i'd remove the mesh in the scoop all together personally but that's just me.


We have a similar ideas:headbang:

Mike

[distorto]

how did the OBX trailing arms work for you?

[GrimmSpeed]

they rusted all to hell.