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Subaru Crew - Modifications II

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Comments

  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    njswamplands Aug 6, 2003 6:34pm

    Bob-
    Noone anyone of us know ;-)

    I'm not a fan of screens where I have to take my eyes completely of the road. I am currently using the Garmin SPIII and am very satisfied with it.

    -Dave
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    But I'm curious if the turning ratio is any better. Anyone have info on the '96 L turning ratio v. the WRXs?

    -mike
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    The "work in progress" continues, nice to see it. What's next?

    Ed
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Good question, well next on the list is the RS wheels and new Toyos, no pics but that is done.

    Next actual mods...

    Relocate Battery to Trunk
    Replace Battery with ultra-light weight one
    Put in some foam on the interior so I don't get all scratched up by the bare metal
    WRX Driver and Passenger Seats
    Engine back exhaust pipes with resonators, true dual 1.75"
    Front sway bar
    Possibly a WRX steering rack, if it has a better ratio than the L's
    EdLark6's Paint Scheme :)

    -mike
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    mike, don't think the standard WRX rack is any different. not sure that the USDM STi is even different (I know the japanese one is-- but that's RHD so who cares).

    -Colin
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Thanks Colin. Wasn't sure if it was worth it or not. I may pickup the WRX rack, just to have as a backup in the event of a failure down the road.

    -mike
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Colin/mike: I wonder if there are any LHD quick racks on the European continent? Maybe worth posting over on Scoobynet to find out - even though they're in RHD country too.

    mike: It looks like there are some kind of stickers on the L's outside mirrors. What are they?

    Ed
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Ed,

    the only substantially quicker racks come from LHD rallycar shells-- and as you can imagine, they're pricey.

    at least this is what I remember from 2-3 years ago.

    -Colin
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    They are "TEAM IAC.COM" stickers :)

    -mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Do you guys have a name for the "L", or are you sticking to simply "L"?

    -Dennis
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    For now it's "Da L" "The L" "Team Whore Car" "Beater" "$500 wonder" Hee hee.

    But we should come up with a name for it.

    I'm gonna enter it into the GRM $2004 challenge next year :)

    -mike
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I'm almost certain that the US-spec STi has a faster steering ratio than the stock WRX. It's not as quick as the 'right-now-quick' steering found on the EVO, but it's faster than the WRX.

    Bob
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Hmm, the 2003 Forester got a quicker ratio than the 2002. I think it went from 19:1 to 16:1 that model year.

    The Impreza might have been 16:1 all along, though.

    You need Pat do custom build you a mesh grille!

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Why not! The car has parts from at least 10+ NASIOC and Edmunds users already :)

    -mike
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Eric, if you want mostly to get rid of the spongy pedal feel, I would suggest, stainless steel brake lines front and back,MRT master cylinder bracket, there are mixed reactions to the bracket.

      It is a bit of a pain to install but I personally found a big improvement in pedal feel, I also changed the brake fluid to dot5.1, I went one step further and installed Wilwood four piston front calipers.

      My suggestion would be to try all the mods I did less the four piston calipers, then if you like the brake feel try something like Hawk or axis brake pads.

      Cheers Pat.
  • maverick1017maverick1017 Member Posts: 212
    I am seriously thinking about debadging my 98L. I know there are positioning holes in the rear lid for the word SUBARU. I am wondering if there are any for the word FORESTER? and how many holes for the SUBARU. I plan on putting vinyl decal that just say FORESTER, similiar to the ones on the front fenders but bigger, to cover the holes. Any feedback welcomed.

    Thanks
    Mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    I don't think there are any holes.
    Just heat up the letters with a hair dryer and use dental floss to help remove them. IIRC, that is.

    -Dennis
  • maverick1017maverick1017 Member Posts: 212
    I should have been more specific, my car is a 98 Forester. I know there are not any holes in the imprezas of that model year but I am pretty sure there are positioning holes in the Forester rear hatch.

    Mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Just throw on a couple of rally stickers. :-D

    Anyone else with some better ideas? :-)

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    2 holes, IIRC. On the SUBARU letters, not sure which ones. I do not think there are holes under the Forester badge, though.

    Let me know how it comes out. My letters have faded slightly.

    -juice
  • wmiller4wmiller4 Member Posts: 97
    Seeing as how "The L" is made up of "parts from at least 10+ NASIOC and Edmunds users already", might I suggest a name?

    Frankenstein!

    It worked for the Edgar Winter Group!
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Frankenru? ;)

    Bob
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Here are some pics from this past weekend, notice we now are running RS wheels.

    http://teamiac.com/events2003/spr-08-16-03/people/index.html
    http://teamiac.com/events2003/spr-08-16-03/action/index.html
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    great pics!

    who are the people?

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Who had the two classic RSs? They look sharp.

    I'm gonna mail you a few cans of spray paint! That'll be my contribution to FrankenSubie.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    We are in talks with a tire manufacturer to get the car painted for free :) (with their logo of course) We'll see how it pans out.

    Zephyr drives the Blue one, and Adam drives the silver one. The silver was due back at carmax, but they gave a crazy low price for it :(

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The used car market is depressed. He should try to sell it himself.

    Good luck with the paint deal. I'm sure it'll look better than the Krylon job I'd have done! :o)

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Coupe Door Panels for a GC8. Impreza/Impreza L/RS doesn't matter. We gutted TOO much and now I need to put them back cause the raw metal is a bit dangerous. Will also be looking to cage it as well.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    A buddy has a VW Microbus, and his door panels rotted out. He replaced them with a neat custom-made wood veneer, stained and all.

    You could make a custom one out of any material, wood or maybe a very light plastic?

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    That's the backup plan, to make some out of some kind of material and screw em to the door panels.

    -mike
  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    girl's asset with an RS wing in the foreground. :) Also, is that a dent in the driver's door of the Troopa? Say it ain't so!

    Jim
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The dent is about a year old. Got smaked by an intrepid that decided it wanted to pull out of the left break-down lane after a toll plaza while my buddy was driving. I have a replacement door sitting here waiting to get put on.

    -mike
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Permanently mount it there with a mannequin head in it for a really spooky look! (It goes with the FrankenSubi theme...)

    Steve
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I need to make a decision quick about getting hardened strut top mounts for the 2.5GT. I currently run STi v5 struts and H&R Legacy springs with the stock mounts (I know I know, shoulda done it all at once. stupid me). I have read that the initial "jounce" I feel now would go away with new mounts, since allegedly it is the soft rubber mount that now compresses before the damper or spring. I just wonder if it is worth the effort to pull the suspension, re-do the tops, put it back on, and get another alignment.

    N/A from th e"other" site wants me to come on down to Ft. Meade sunday- nominally I need a spring gasket for the back left assembly (once and a while it gets noisy as hell) and while we have that out of the car, test fit some of his stuff. I'm willing to have mounts overnighted if it is the right thing to do.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Will that leave you with a tolerable ride? Something's gotta give, if not your suspension then maybe your kidneys...

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I agree with Juice. Give it some hard thought before doing solid mounts.

    -mike
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    I had STi urethane mounts in the rear and Cusco camberplates up front.

    I doubt you'll notice any improvement. The stock rubber is fairly firm and it would be the noticeable "play" in the suspension only if you had really firm springs. You don't.

    -Colin
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    and why I posted over here. Over "there" it would just be too wierd to say "Suspension Question for ColinL and not the rest of you n00bs"

    :D
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    You should just post that anyway. :-)

    -Dennis
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    these days it is very, very rare that I venture outside of Off-Topic 'over there' so it's better that you asked here anyway. :)

    -Colin
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    is the proECM chip any good? :-) Someone's selling one cheap. I'm leery of it myself. Seems like chipping anything OBDII is kind of a waste.
  • sube555lgtsube555lgt Member Posts: 78
    If you want to improve the engine management. Drop down $395 for Cobb's ECU reflash. I have heard great reports from all but one person (who had wrong mods for the reflash.) In stock form the reflash reliably gets about 260hp. Check out www.cobbtuning.com for more info. From everybody I've talked to, it's well worth it!
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Loosh has a Legacy GT. I think you're thinking about the Cobb reflash for the WRX.

    As for the proECM, I've heard that it provides minimal gains, if at all. What's cheap?

    Ken
  • sube555lgtsube555lgt Member Posts: 78
    Oh, okay Ken, didn't look. Depends sort of on mods then. Most NA models don't really need ECU work without significant mods, unless you have an Impreza like dcoty. (That thing is an NA monster that needed the LINK ECU.) List some mods and I'll be able to better help.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    looks like raging contraversy about the proECM. Think I'll give it a miss. I am fundamentally skeptical of these sorts of things anyway; the lack of unanimity on its effectiveness and reliability is a deal killer.
  • sube555lgtsube555lgt Member Posts: 78
    I don't really look at any sort of chips or anything like that unless it's for my PC. :) The only way I would touch the ECU is with an ECU reflash or a stand-alone unit, but the reflashed unit is the way to go if you can. OE reliability with better tuning of the ECU as long as you know the reputation behind who is doing it. IIRC, ECUTek or one of the reputable companies is flashing NA ECU's but I can't remember for what years (maybe just Phase II SOHC engines.) I think it was ECUTek, I know it wasn't Cobb (yet), but I am not completely sure on this matter. Maybe someone can verify this.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well the Franken L goes under the knife in mid-nov. Will be getting a full race cage for it :)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You know a welder or you gonna send it to a shop?

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    That I used to get one of my boat trailers fixed at up near my lake house. Very reasonable pricing for me too :) So keep your eyes peeled for an EVO 2 or EVO 3 seat or other "large paisano sized" race seat. That will be the next item along with belts. Then it will only require a fire extinguisher.

    -mike
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