Impreza RB5

[Mr.Jimbo]

I saw you liked my album on facebook Ben!

Right - bit of an update, as you can see, I needed new brakes. I decided to fit new discs and pads (fronts needed pads) and seeing as I'm a tart and want grooved discs, it'd look silly just having the rears grooved.



Thus, I went to Godspeed brakes, who seem to have a good reputation (not just in the Subaru circles), and ordered their grooved disc and Kevlar pad combo, along with some HEL brake lines (again, because I'm a tart with a penchant for shiny things, maybe see a slight difference over the standard 11 year old lines? who knows.)

The rears were fitted no problem, took a while to do the one side but just learning how things unclipped, the other side was done far faster. Bled up, so far so good.

Fronts however, everything was going just a little too smoothly, whipped the caliper off, stuck piston.

Bugger.

Quite common on these apparently, the hardened chrome coating on the piston wears and the steel beneath rusts. I'd read countless stories about them and was just praying that mine wouldn't be due to low mileage etc... wrong! If a jobs worth doing (especially so when it comes to braking) it's worth doing properly, I decided refurbished calipers would be the way to go. I can't really be arsed doing them myself, I haven't really got the time at any rate, so I phoned godspeed again, after a quick chat, and some price comparison, they worked out very reasonable, so I got them ordered. Incidentally, they only use their own stainless pistons, so they should last a good long while.

They'll be nice and shiny and new, which appeases the tarty side of me, but the very impatient side of me is annoyed I can't use the car for a week, to be fair, they're refurbishing them to order, and delivery is dead quick (discs were here next morning) so hopefully have them on by weds next week

Looks like I'll be Skoda only for the long weekend, what joy. I'll make an interesting update with pictures when its all done. In fairness, it wouldn't be LeMans without my car in pieces in the week before we leave, but I'm hoping not to repeat 2007, where my rallye was still driveshaft-less only 30 minutes before we left...

[rb5230]

how much do godspeed charge for the calipers to be rebuilt? and do they paint them?

i know at big red they were almost £300.

[Mr.Jimbo]

Godspeed were £235 plus delivery for the front pair, refurbed with stainless painted red. on an exchange basis there is a £125 deposit.

Bigg Red were £229 with standard chrome pistons, £269.55 for stainless, with £150 deposit (they sounded fussier about condition)

Brakes 4 U £177 for a refurb caliper without exchange, or £108 per caliper with chrome pistons refurbishment (again no exchange possible)

As I want/need mine, I had to go for exchange, and godspeed were cheapest

The good news so far is the backs bled up really easily, pedal already feels better. I also found the cause of the irregular pad wear was down to the recesses the pads slide in being gunged up with crap, cleaned them out and they're much smoother.

I swapped the lines over tonight and bolted the car back together, its ready now for when the calipers arrive to just bolt them on, bleed up and we're golden

[Mr.Jimbo]

2000 miles later update

Calipers arrived in good time, very nice and shiny, more importantly non seized, so got them all fitted and bled, and in the nick of time, because we set off for LeMans about 3 days later.

Car was faultless (though a smidge thirsty if we ventured past 70mph) apart from a flat battery from being far too trusting with letting people charge phones off the car. Mate's disco and some borrowed jump leads fixed that right up.

thus, LeMans pics;

Stickered up:




Leftovers from the sunstrip



5am somewhere around Rouen:


and finally, today my front indicators arrived (its been about 6 months trying to get hold of some!)


No pictures of the brakes, but they're very nice and shiny (and far better than the old ones!)

[Mr.Jimbo]

In all honesty, I've not got much to update, but got a few pics to show, the car recently sailed through the MOT, the tester performed the brake test on the road and was a bit caught out I think, he didn't stop going on about them it stops like a beast now they're bedded in. Not too dusty either, which was the main negative point I'd read about the kevlar pads. grooved discs look fantastic too.

Took some pics before I took the LM stickers off, left the LM24 on the spoiler, as I like it.



Compare this with when I got it:


To the new godspeed setup:









I got rid of the armourfend off the bonnet, which was a bh, to say the least. I spoke to a pro about it, the early gen stuff that was on my car should only be left for a max of 3 years, and as the car is coming upto 11 years old, it took a bit of shifting. If you're having trouble with anything, a boiling kettle, fingernails and patience are required, just keep dousing the edge in hot water and peeling away, you'll feel the glue giving. I arrived home from work one day after we started and my Dad had removed the last bits, which was kind lots of tar remover later, and the glue was gone, it's made such a difference to the front end, so much cleaner (you could never really see it in photos, but in real life it looks spot on now)

You can kind of see in this picture here, everything on the front just looks smoother. Other car is my company octavia, which seldom gets washed;

[106Lad]

Beautiful car.

I can never stop myself thinking that they should have come with the P1 Splitter as standard as it makes so much of a difference to the aggressiveness of the front end.

[Mr.Jimbo]

Thanks

I've often wondered about a splitter, but I think as its the RB5, it should remain 'rally-esque' hence me not lowering it, dicking about too much with the looks... Plus, after my Lowered E30 (which was pretty tame!) I like being about to go over speedbumps above 5mph again

[BDR529]

I forgot how good this car looked. Love the colour of the RB5s.

Hopefully this time next year I will be whizzing around in my own Impreza

[Mr.Jimbo]

Well guys, after umming and ahhing for ages (promising my parents it was advertised...) the car is finally up for sale proper

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3662518.htm

really REALLY regrettable sale

[Chunkychucky]

Sorry to hear that chap Second only to the 22B in my affections for Scoobies, an RB5 is definitely on my shopping list. However, similarly to you, short of robbing a bank I wouldn't be able to get one insured for a year or two Are you going to replace it with anything?

[Baked_bean]

I have commented on this in the past. Shame its up for sale. If i was in the market (i might be in six months) then i would love that!

[Mr.Jimbo]

Yep, its a great car, really gutted I'm having to sell, especially after only a year. I'm seriously looking into how to store it for a year or so, running it now and then. Might swap cars with my mum as she does limited miles anyway...

Thanks for the kind words, hopefully the pics represent the condition

I'm really after an MX5 now the weather is nicer, I'd love another E30 but even on a 318iS the insurance is a bit ridiculous. A mate is selling his mk2 '5 and I'm tempted, really fancy a mk1 S Special though...

[Baked_bean]

I have a mx5 mk1 you can have for £6k

I used to own a white 318is e30 aswell that i regret selling it big time, Especially now that i have seen that it has been written off

[Mr.Jimbo]

Bingo - mines no longer with us either