Subaru Crew - Modifications II

hondafriek

The mudguards are not that hard to paint,clean them with a wipe of lacquer thinners,get a spray bomb of flex primer from Pep boys or some such store.

You can also have a custom spray bomb made up for your car colour.

You can modify the front ones with a heat gun and some careful trimming if you have enough material on the mudflaps to begin with.

Cheers Pat.

ateixeira

That Acura ad where they guy looks at the curvy road leading up to the house, and then agrees to buy the house before even looking at it, is pretty funny.

Pat: what places will do that, i.e. custom color spray paint cans?

-juice

barresa62

I will look into the painting of the mudflap/splashguards myself.

Stephen

bigfrank3

How about this one?

http://www.subaru-parts.com/_installation.html

Regards,

Frank

barresa62

These are the exact instructions that came w/my splashguards. The instructions for the rear ones are fine. The fronts only fit the OBS,TS,RS Imprezas and not the WRX due to the wider/thicker rocker panel sills. The fronts need to be measured and cut accordingly to fit around the WRX rocker panel sills. BTW, it was cheaper to buy all 4 instead of just the rears from Subaru.

Stephen

hondafriek

Thats the one, thanks a bunch.

Cheers Pat.

hondafriek

For custom spray bombs check out anywhere that supplys bodywork materials.

We ahve several places here in Ottawa thart does it and we are small fry compared to the resourses you guys have.

Cheers Pat.

ateixeira

I was thinking about painting the side sills on the Miata. They're flat black now.

-juice

locke2c

I did that about a year ago on my Impreza. I love the look!

-Colin

ateixeira

Pat: do you mean an auto body shop? I've never shopped for bodywork materials. Where would they be in the yellow pages?

-juice

hondafriek

Not an autobody shop,whoever supplies them is what you are looking for.

I do not know what they would be listed under in your neck of the woods but in my yellow pages they are listed as Paint and body shop supplies.

I would imagine if you checked with Pep boys they could point you in the right direction.

Cheers Pat.

barresa62

for $40 on ebay. These replace the amber markers on the front side of the 02'Impreza. I plan on putting amber bulbs in to replace the clear bulbs. It kind of completes the whole clear theme begun w/the headlight mod. Normally these lenses are $70 to $110 a pair. We'll see if they get shipped to me okay. :-)

Stephen

artgecko

They will arrive in quick order. I got confirmation the next day, and I got my lenses in 3 days, via USPS priority mail. I see Austin ordered some too.

BTW, I didn't mention it over on the i-Club thread, but unlike some side markers that need the lamp base modified, these fit just fine. Also, these have a chrome backing instead of white or gray as I've seen on other side markers.

I used a plastic putty knife, like they give away free at paint stores, and pushed up and out from the bottom. Took less than ten minutes for both sides. (I did it while I was waiting for the engine to cool off enough to put the intake resonator back in. I'm goin' auto-Xing Sunday in D Stock!)

Anyway, I'm glad I could turn you on to this guy and save you a few bucks!

Steve

barresa62

Thanks again for the info and all..

I thought I recognized your name from Edmunds as well!

I'm on an ordering roll! I just ordered the STI grill prepainted in silver for my wagon from VividRacing. Here's a pic of a black wagon (like yours) w/the grill. The grill and side panels are all one piece. It comes out over the bumper a bit more than stock and looks a lot smoother w/o the side panel break, IMHO. Anyhow, it was $290 and a lot cheaper than some busier choices.

Here's a couple pics:

Compare to stock grill and side panels:




Stephen

artgecko

Thank you, too. My shopping spree extended last night to ordering the Phillips Silvervision lamps from England, based on the posts I found using search. Now to just get the nerve up to bake my headlamps!

Yep, I'm ArtGecko over on i-Club, cause Smorris was taken.

I don't know about the grill, but I don't like the headlamp eyebrows.

hondafriek

When are you going to do the brakes? like crossdrill and plate the rotors, clean up the calipers.

Now you are on a roll you have to keep going. maybe add a gauge package, anything else you can think of?

Cheers Pat.

barresa62

Yeah, I don't like the brows either. I think they're made by JUN. After I posted about the grill for $290 I found the same Subaru STI grill fro $240 on ebay. I sent an email to Vividracing to cancel the order unless they would be willing to match the price as $50 was quite a difference. I haven't heard back and I haven't ordered the ebay one. We'll see.

The headlamp baking thing just seems to go against all logic but I'm here to tell ya' it works w/o a hitch. The only difficulty is allowing the time in the oven to get the sealant all gooey enough to separate the lamp w/o breaking anything. Oh yeah...and not get any sealant on the lenses. I got a bit and haven't found the best way to get it off the lenses w/o scratching or damaging. Another choice is using a heatgun if you have one or access to one.

Pat: Funny, I had been looking at brake pads and brake lines. I was also thinking about going the 4-pot route w/the brakes and maybe cross-drilled rotors. I haven't decided yet...oh where will it stop (pardon the pun!) LOL...

Stephen

hondafriek

The four pot route is expensive and IMHO, overkill on a street car, I would go for the stainless lines and a good set of pads, you will probably find that is all the brakes you need.

Mind you, if the Geez you have four pot brakes means anything to you go for it.

Cheers Pat.

ateixeira

That black wagon is pretty sharp. Do the eye brows function to keep water off the eyes - I mean, headlights? ;-)

-juice

locke2c

Pat,

Stephen is talking about using the Subaru 4-pot brakes that are original equipment on Japanese (and I think European now too) WRXs. They aren't terribly expensive and are a relatively modest upgrade-- he's not proposing AP Racing or Brembo brakes.

-Colin

barresa62

What Colin said. :-)

I just got back from the NW i-club Pt Townsend Fun Run yesterday evening (check out the pic album in Photo section) and saw some great mods. It's a double edged sword though. My wallet is getting so thin. It's lookin' like Calista Flockhart after a week-long fast! LOL!

Stephen

ateixeira

She is emaciated. EAT something, woman!

-juice

barresa62

I know..I was searching for an example and she came to mind right away.

Oh yeah...the JUN brows make the WRX look kind of dopey (literally)! Just my lil'ole opinion though...

Stephen

hondafriek

I stand corrected, some of the four pot systems cost an arm and a leg, And I seriously doubt that they are worth the cost.

I did not realise Subaru;s own system was consideribily cheaper, in that case go for it.

The last time I enquired about a four pot system it was for a Honda and was well over $3,000 Canadian.

I was seriously tempted at the time even at that price, if there was one area that the Honda was seriously lacking it was brakes.

Cheers Pat.

locke2c

The whole Subaru 4 pot kit runs around US$800 last I checked. Which is what... $8000 Canadian? hehe

Stephen I definitely emphasize with you, having experienced "mod fever" during the first year and a half or so of ownership myself. You're starting with much more, obviously, but I still would stand by my (new) credo: don't mess with the engine internals. New cars aren't supposed to have problems like hobby cars.

-Colin

barresa62

The Vishnu pkg 0 and 1 are both non-internal mods in my book (maybe w/some self-justification?). The ECU chip has many miles of testing down-under over a few years. The spark plugs, underdrive pulley, MBC, and turbo-back exhaust w/performance cat don't fall in the category of internal mods per my definition. Basically, I'm comfortable w/these mods. If I were to start changing fuel injector size, bigger turbo, camshaft, etc then I would take pause until the car was a bit older.

On a truly external mod note, I found a fellow NW i-clubber who does painting. He did a guy's mudflaps in platinum silver just as I wanted to have done. He had them at the Fun Run and showed me the job he had done. Long story short, I removed the flaps and gave to him to paint. I will wait until I cut the front ones to fit before I have him paint those. :-)

Stephen

hondafriek

I also agree with Colin, the warranty was long gone on my 89 Accord before I did any engine mods.

Manufacturers do not need any help to wriggle out of warranty obligations, I am not saying this would be true of Subaru having no experience with this particular car maker in this area.

But I have had warranty problems with other manufacturers, who shall remain nameless,Ah hell Chrysler was the biggest pain in the [non-permissible content removed], they would pay for nothing if they could get away with it.

Cheers Pat.

barresa62

You're right though about the warranty and I realize it's a gamble, even with a great company like Subaru. Fortunately, I have a mod-friendly dealer. They're also the sponsor for Subiegal's rallying effort.

Stephen

ateixeira

Notice Chrysler calls the 7/100 thing a powertrain pledge, not a warranty?

-juice

hondafriek

Chrysler would not know what a warranty was if it bit them in the [non-permissible content removed].

Cheers Pat.

barresa62

First the stock grill:

Now the STI grill that I ordered:

I think the STI grill looks a bit more aggressive. What you can't readily see from the pic is that the grill mesh is different and there's a small STI logo on the right of the grill. The grill clips right where the OEM grill clips.

Stephen

barresa62

Stephen

lakepop

Your call on the grill. I'm not into badging up the machine to look like an STi without the performance to back it up.

But if you like the way it looks and you can get people to think you have an STi ...have a shot. I'm a stealth kind of modder..looking for performance to kind of sneak up on people.
With that said the grill looks OK to me.

paisan

I agree with lakepop.

Unless it's an STI then I wouldn't put the grille on or any other stuff for that matter. I'm an all go no show type of guy though. Kinda the Anti-R!ce if you will

-mike

ateixeira

I like the grille - you could always de-badge it.

-juice

bluesubie

I like any of the smaller mesh grills. I'm not crazy about the OEM one.

Yep, Stephen you're gonna need an STi intercooler and hood scoop to go along with that grill.

I was busting on a local guy for an STi type RA badge (weasel555 on i-club). He said, "That came with my STi RA exhaust, mate!" :-)

-Dennis

lilbluewgn02

He was supposedly the first guy to get his WRX at Mastro Subaru down here in Tampa, where I got my car. He's done some nice thing to it.
Yes, the Only Serge!

barresa62

You guys are almost as bad as the i-club (just teasing). I could give a rat's you-know-what about the STI badge. This is not why I've bought the grill. I happen to like the look of the grill. I think it helps to eliminate the sissyfied front-end look of the WRX.
The performance mods I currently have are:

225/45x17 Toyos T1-S
Volks Rays Gram Lites, 17x7.5
Front Whiteline 22mm swaybar
Rear OEM sedan 20mm swaybar

Convenience/Appearance mods:

Debadged rear tailgate
Headlight mod
Dual Rear UK cupholder
OEM painted side sills
OEM rear mudguard off and being painted

On order as I type this:

Vishnu Stage0 pkg (about 280 crank HP)
COBB rear tower strut brace
STI Hoodscoop (like ya'said, can't have grill w/o scoop, LOL)
STI grill
Folia Tec caliper paint
Front clear side lenses

In consideration:

Coilovers
Brake pad, caliper, and rotor upgrade
Steel brake lines and performance brake fluid
Vishnu Stag1 pkg (turboback exhaust w/performance cat)

Basically I will have more than enough performance and eye candy to call my car whatever I want and to be able to back it up in the performance ring! :-)

Oh yeah...I could alway take off the miniscule STI badge on the new grill if that would quiet the hordes...jeesh! LOL! Like I said earlier, I could care less about the badge. I certainly am not the type to go around plastering badges all over my car. The only sticker I currently have is the PNWSEC (Pacific NW Subaru Enthusiast's Club) sticker on my back side window. I like promoting clubs though. :-)

No R-typer in Seattle,
Stephen

bluesubie

My first ride in a WRX was with him on the NJ Turnpike! The car looks completely different now. I believe he has a bigger turbo too.

He's driven back down to Tampa a couple of times for Mastro/Prodrive meets.

-Dennis

barresa62

He sounds like my kindred spirit, only with a bigger mod budget! :-)

Stephen

kens

Stephen,

I like the way the grille looks! It takes more than just a single STi badge on the grille to make me think "hey, this guy's a poseur!". Now if you had the badges of pink plastered all over the vehicle, that would be a different story.

Ken

ateixeira

I said you could, not should. It's purely up to you. That type of thing is very subjective.

Pink stripes and yellow stickers are not subjective, they're plain ugly!

-juice

barresa62

Exactly my line of thinking. In fact, re:the grill, I didn't even pay attention to the STI badge until after I ordered. It was so small it escaped my attention. BTW, I have no intention of switching out the Pleides badge to the pink "I" badge like some folks have done. Besides, pink has never been a fav color of mine. :-)

Stephen

lucien2

.....JUICE!!! For calling it a grille, the correct spelling, after 20 posts!

A grill is for burgers. :-)

that STi badge has me yearning for the real thing.....

barresa62

You're on top of your game, my man! I can't believe I didn't catch that either. I lost count how many times I posted "grill" instead of grille. I should've known better. My English teacher would not have been pleased! :-)

Stephen

armac13

you had an English teacher? I assumed you had an American teacher.
:-)

Ross

barresa62

Ouch...ouch!! Actually, I spent 3rd,4th,5th grade in Germany at the Bonn American School on the Rhine (an Embassy school). I had teachers from all over the world and classmates from all over the world. My best friend was from Kenya and his dad was the Kenyan ambassador. My other best friend was English, his dad worked for British Leyland. Actually, as I remember it now, some of my families closest friends were from the Canadian embassy (they spoke "real good" english!). I had a lot language influence placed on me to be sure! LOL!

Stephen

lucien2

Well UPS seems to have screwed up my exhaust delivery. It was supposed to be here today, but the website says it is going to Bellevue, WA for some reason. AND the delivery date has been pushed back 6 days.

paisan

I posted grille beat him to it

-mike

bluesubie

Nah, juice and paisan were just trying to be "English". Like color/colour.

According to the dictionary on my desk (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate):
"grille or grill - ... 1: a grating forming a barrier or screen; specif : an ornamental one at the front end of an automobile .."

My British co-workers would argue that Webster's is rubbish though. :-)

-Dennis