JDM Impreza STi 2005
Discussion
To cut a very long story short (I can tell the story later) this is my 2005 Impreza WRX STi JDM.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
JDM? What is different I hear you cry? Well, over an EU/UK Impreza STI from the late 2003s, Japanese Domestic Market Impreza STIs were quite different under the skin (they look nearly identical outside), primarily for homologation purposes (rallying) to the cars that we got here in the EU/UK market. They look quite similar, but a brief list of changes in 2005 for the "Hawkeye" (or to give it it's proper designation, GD-B chassis) are:
• JDM is stronger, 2.0ltr UK/Europe is 2.5ltr
• Twin scroll turbo
• Nitride coated, cross drilled crank
• 13:1 STi quick rack
• Slightly larger intercooler design (?)
• Auto and manual intercooler spray (UK get manual activation only)
• More aggressive inlet cams
• Equal length headers
• Electric folding wing mirrors (UK had heated)
• 235 width tyres (UK get 225)
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th same as UK, 5th and 6th are shorter
• Front STi titanium strut brace
• 8,000rpm redline
(Edit: thanks for clearing up the bottom end query, not forged as the description I copied suggested)
So, without really meaning to, as I still have my E46 M3, I've ended up with another "achievable" dream car.
Before the M3 I had an Impreza RB5, which was cool, but I did always have a hankering for a newage Impreza, especially in blue with gold wheels. With the judicious application of man maths, I decided to buy this 2005 (so quite an early) Hawkeye STi from Japan. It was a 3 hour drive (not to Japan, but I'll get onto that later) and the weather was absolutely miserable, hardly perfect conditions, but hey it's still a 4wd family car at the end of the day so the weather didn't really dampen my enthusiasm. I'd been chatting with the seller for a week or so, and I was genuinely excited when we pulled up next to it - being a massive rallying fan from the 90s through to the current day, but always having a soft spot for Impreza WRCs, I actually felt like a schoolboy again as I had a quick look around it. I'd even worn appropriate socks:
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
The car had done around 140k KM when I collected it, and drove quite nicely, everything worked as it should, items like the driver control diff all working as they should, limited slip diffs grabbing a wheel over loose surfaces etc, it's in very good mechanical condition. Recently serviced, with cam belt and pulleys done, as well as brakes, which was a nice bonus.
A deal was done and I was the proud owner of my second Subaru.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Got back on the road after a spot of lunch, and drove back home, noticing that JDMs definitely have a shorter 6th gear, but to be honest, it cruises at 130km/h very nicely
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
After a couple of fault free hours on the autobahn (the keen eyed amongst you might have noticed it's neither Japanese nor UK registered at this point in time) we arrived home and I took some better (well, they exist) as it was absolutely tipping down when I picked it up and was dry-ish when we got home
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
So, I'll elaborate a bit more on why and indeed where I bought it in the next post, but what about my car in particular? Well, the only real difference on this car was that it's got a full Trust exhaust system, from the turbo back, including a sports cat downpipe, all stainless steel. This had a bung bolted into the tailpipe when I bought it, and it was actually very quiet (for an aftermarket system, and by Subaru standards) on the Autobahn, so of course I took that out to have a listen:
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Nice - obviously you don't get much of an idea at idle, but being a twinscroll, and revving higher than a typical unequal length Impreza, it's got quite a unique sound (which as a matter of fact is more similar to the WRC cars from 99 onwards, as they ran equal length manifolds from then on) which is sort of a mix between the Subaru off-beat thrum and a more typical 4 cylinder sound. I like it. This is the shortest video I've found that demonstrates the sound, I may see if I can get a video of it sometime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc9h9kfd66E
Apart from this, and an aftermarket stereo (which thankfully streamed BT audio) it's pretty much standard, the interior trim is all in good order, and the bodywork was OK - the rain hid a few issues but nothing too major. All in all it felt like a good car.
Next Steps: Well, driving across an entire continent (almost) during a worldwide pandemic, and the steps that involved, but I'll leave that for part 2, if people are interested.
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrJDM? What is different I hear you cry? Well, over an EU/UK Impreza STI from the late 2003s, Japanese Domestic Market Impreza STIs were quite different under the skin (they look nearly identical outside), primarily for homologation purposes (rallying) to the cars that we got here in the EU/UK market. They look quite similar, but a brief list of changes in 2005 for the "Hawkeye" (or to give it it's proper designation, GD-B chassis) are:
• JDM is stronger, 2.0ltr UK/Europe is 2.5ltr
• Twin scroll turbo
• Nitride coated, cross drilled crank
• 13:1 STi quick rack
• Slightly larger intercooler design (?)
• Auto and manual intercooler spray (UK get manual activation only)
• More aggressive inlet cams
• Equal length headers
• Electric folding wing mirrors (UK had heated)
• 235 width tyres (UK get 225)
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th same as UK, 5th and 6th are shorter
• Front STi titanium strut brace
• 8,000rpm redline
(Edit: thanks for clearing up the bottom end query, not forged as the description I copied suggested)
So, without really meaning to, as I still have my E46 M3, I've ended up with another "achievable" dream car.
Before the M3 I had an Impreza RB5, which was cool, but I did always have a hankering for a newage Impreza, especially in blue with gold wheels. With the judicious application of man maths, I decided to buy this 2005 (so quite an early) Hawkeye STi from Japan. It was a 3 hour drive (not to Japan, but I'll get onto that later) and the weather was absolutely miserable, hardly perfect conditions, but hey it's still a 4wd family car at the end of the day so the weather didn't really dampen my enthusiasm. I'd been chatting with the seller for a week or so, and I was genuinely excited when we pulled up next to it - being a massive rallying fan from the 90s through to the current day, but always having a soft spot for Impreza WRCs, I actually felt like a schoolboy again as I had a quick look around it. I'd even worn appropriate socks:
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrThe car had done around 140k KM when I collected it, and drove quite nicely, everything worked as it should, items like the driver control diff all working as they should, limited slip diffs grabbing a wheel over loose surfaces etc, it's in very good mechanical condition. Recently serviced, with cam belt and pulleys done, as well as brakes, which was a nice bonus.
A deal was done and I was the proud owner of my second Subaru.
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrGot back on the road after a spot of lunch, and drove back home, noticing that JDMs definitely have a shorter 6th gear, but to be honest, it cruises at 130km/h very nicely
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrAfter a couple of fault free hours on the autobahn (the keen eyed amongst you might have noticed it's neither Japanese nor UK registered at this point in time) we arrived home and I took some better (well, they exist) as it was absolutely tipping down when I picked it up and was dry-ish when we got home
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrSo, I'll elaborate a bit more on why and indeed where I bought it in the next post, but what about my car in particular? Well, the only real difference on this car was that it's got a full Trust exhaust system, from the turbo back, including a sports cat downpipe, all stainless steel. This had a bung bolted into the tailpipe when I bought it, and it was actually very quiet (for an aftermarket system, and by Subaru standards) on the Autobahn, so of course I took that out to have a listen:
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrNice - obviously you don't get much of an idea at idle, but being a twinscroll, and revving higher than a typical unequal length Impreza, it's got quite a unique sound (which as a matter of fact is more similar to the WRC cars from 99 onwards, as they ran equal length manifolds from then on) which is sort of a mix between the Subaru off-beat thrum and a more typical 4 cylinder sound. I like it. This is the shortest video I've found that demonstrates the sound, I may see if I can get a video of it sometime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc9h9kfd66E
Apart from this, and an aftermarket stereo (which thankfully streamed BT audio) it's pretty much standard, the interior trim is all in good order, and the bodywork was OK - the rain hid a few issues but nothing too major. All in all it felt like a good car.
Next Steps: Well, driving across an entire continent (almost) during a worldwide pandemic, and the steps that involved, but I'll leave that for part 2, if people are interested.
Edited by Mr.Jimbo on Monday 2nd August 18:29
Interesting, that seemed the “best” (I.e least outlandish) summary of changes I could pinch from the net) - Googling the difference now has brought up some actual technical insight, shows you shouldn’t believe everything you read. I shall educate myself 
They’re a two litre rather than the 2.5 with a different turbo/manifold is the crux of it. Must admit I can’t see any difference in the IC either, but I’ve never looked at a Uk one up close.
I’ll go editing then!
They’re a two litre rather than the 2.5 with a different turbo/manifold is the crux of it. Must admit I can’t see any difference in the IC either, but I’ve never looked at a Uk one up close.
I’ll go editing then!
They don’t have the head gasket issues of the UK ones, due to the thicker walls inside the block of the 2 litre. The pistons are however susceptible to ring land failure like the UK cars.
Our JDM hatch overheated due to a coolant leak and blew its head gaskets as a result, so I’ve asked for the pistons to be swapped for Mahle ones at the same time to solve that potential issue.
Our JDM hatch overheated due to a coolant leak and blew its head gaskets as a result, so I’ve asked for the pistons to be swapped for Mahle ones at the same time to solve that potential issue.
I knew there was something different, turns out the 2.5s were open block instead of the semi closed one that the EJ207 has.
Untouched Japanese road flare in the passenger footwell, might remove this and keep it somewhere a bit safer!
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
(ignore the closeup picture, but was impressed how clean the chassis longitudinal was)
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Decided to buy the car as we were living in Germany (Munich to be precise) and due to return to the UK in April, but with Corona rules as they were, it was easier (in some ways) to drive back to the UK, and as my M3 was parked up in the UK, and no travel (without about 20 days of combined quarantine) possible it's the easiest way, right? I was originally looking for a 911, but the price and LHD put me off - so a JDM import was just the thing
In reality it came up at the right time, in the right condition and when I read about the differences between the two, and the general consensus that a JDM variant is preferable, I decided to go for it.
Took the car over to the local hand carwash place the day after I brought it home, mercifully the weather had improved, and gave it it's first good clean for a while. I'd knocked the seller down a bit on the condition of the wheels, as they were coated in brake dust and looked quite contaminated under the paint. German people tend to use auto car washes as unless you can prove you can catch 100% of the run off water, or have a secluded drive away from prying neighbour eyes
you don't handwash a car there unless you really like looking after them. It does mean you get quite a nice scene with some tasty cars at the local hand carwash. Anyway, some pics after it's first wash:
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
So, buying a car in Germany is a little different to the UK, Initially I applied for Kurzeitkennzeichnen (Short term licence plates) but it turns out, the previous owner has to de-register the car for that to work. I contacted the seller, and agreed if I bought it, I could drive it back to Munich on his number plates, with the short term insurance available for car buying in Germany. Armed with the car, and my Ausfuhrkennzeichen application (export licence plate) I went to the German equivalent of the DVLA, paid €55 eur and got my own set of (albeit short term) Munich licence plates. The licence office holesawed through the old plates as part of the de-registration, but allowed me to keep them as a memento.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
The plates by definition are only legal for up to 90 days, in hindsight, I wish I'd applied for the full 90 but more on that later. I went for 30 (as it was easier to get the associated insurance for 30 days online)
An upside to life in Germany, 102 octane is pretty universally available (at least in the south)
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Pricey though at €1.70/l (95 octane for reference was €1.45-50 at the time)
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
The next week unfortunately brought no last minute alpine driving adventures or trips to snow bound local castles, due to the lockdown rules and slightly pressing matter of organising an international(ish) move looming. The snow arrived in Munich so we were glad of the winter tyres it came on
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
And some final sightseeing (Olympiapark in central Munich)
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Saying goodbye to friends
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
and before long it was time to say goodbye to our temporary accomodation, and set off, England bound at 5am
map by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
(crap picture, not only is it blurry, I forgot it doesn't have a clock
)
We went from around 0-2 degrees in Munich (with ice/snow still on the ground) to around 16/17 degrees through France
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Punctuated by quite a few French fuel stops
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
The car also proving a valuable picnic table
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
As expected, due to Corona, the roads were pretty empty. Apart from a brief chat with the Gendarmes, not too far into France, who thankfully spoke German, I managed to explain with several documents, that it was all above board that we were A) English, B) Allowed to legally be in C) France, driving a D) German car across Europe and that all of that wasn't just for a jolly. I think the full seats and boot helped sell our story
(one interesting point I didn't appreciate is this car is incredibly practical, the amount of stuff we managed to bring with us was crazy. Full boot, bedding on the back seat, two pet rabbits happily occupying the back seat, and still plenty of room up front)
All in all, a pretty un-eventful journey, full of worry with dozens of COVID tests before and after the trip, paperwork, the promise of more tests and isolation, Calais took far longer than usual (2 hours) to navigate, but the journey time was otherwise one of the quickest we've done, all at a non-Gendarme attracting 140ish kph (bit faster in Germany where allowed). I was glad to have a passenger, usually when I drive the M3 through France I have to get out and walk round to the toll booth, which pisses off French people no-end.
rossub said:
They don’t have the head gasket issues of the UK ones, due to the thicker walls inside the block of the 2 litre. The pistons are however susceptible to ring land failure like the UK cars.
My car was imported to Germany direct from Japan in October 2020, and then I bought the car in Germany in March 2021. From what I saw looking around the car when I bought it, it's had no crash damage, and is completely rust free underneath - a significant factor in me deciding to go for it. I've no idea on the history, as it's all Japanese (funnily enough) but I think it came from a warmer part of the islands.Untouched Japanese road flare in the passenger footwell, might remove this and keep it somewhere a bit safer!
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr(ignore the closeup picture, but was impressed how clean the chassis longitudinal was)
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrDecided to buy the car as we were living in Germany (Munich to be precise) and due to return to the UK in April, but with Corona rules as they were, it was easier (in some ways) to drive back to the UK, and as my M3 was parked up in the UK, and no travel (without about 20 days of combined quarantine) possible it's the easiest way, right? I was originally looking for a 911, but the price and LHD put me off - so a JDM import was just the thing
In reality it came up at the right time, in the right condition and when I read about the differences between the two, and the general consensus that a JDM variant is preferable, I decided to go for it.Took the car over to the local hand carwash place the day after I brought it home, mercifully the weather had improved, and gave it it's first good clean for a while. I'd knocked the seller down a bit on the condition of the wheels, as they were coated in brake dust and looked quite contaminated under the paint. German people tend to use auto car washes as unless you can prove you can catch 100% of the run off water, or have a secluded drive away from prying neighbour eyes
you don't handwash a car there unless you really like looking after them. It does mean you get quite a nice scene with some tasty cars at the local hand carwash. Anyway, some pics after it's first wash:Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrSo, buying a car in Germany is a little different to the UK, Initially I applied for Kurzeitkennzeichnen (Short term licence plates) but it turns out, the previous owner has to de-register the car for that to work. I contacted the seller, and agreed if I bought it, I could drive it back to Munich on his number plates, with the short term insurance available for car buying in Germany. Armed with the car, and my Ausfuhrkennzeichen application (export licence plate) I went to the German equivalent of the DVLA, paid €55 eur and got my own set of (albeit short term) Munich licence plates. The licence office holesawed through the old plates as part of the de-registration, but allowed me to keep them as a memento.
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrThe plates by definition are only legal for up to 90 days, in hindsight, I wish I'd applied for the full 90 but more on that later. I went for 30 (as it was easier to get the associated insurance for 30 days online)
An upside to life in Germany, 102 octane is pretty universally available (at least in the south)
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrPricey though at €1.70/l (95 octane for reference was €1.45-50 at the time)
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrThe next week unfortunately brought no last minute alpine driving adventures or trips to snow bound local castles, due to the lockdown rules and slightly pressing matter of organising an international(ish) move looming. The snow arrived in Munich so we were glad of the winter tyres it came on
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrAnd some final sightseeing (Olympiapark in central Munich)
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrSaying goodbye to friends
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on Flickrand before long it was time to say goodbye to our temporary accomodation, and set off, England bound at 5am
map by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on Flickr(crap picture, not only is it blurry, I forgot it doesn't have a clock
)We went from around 0-2 degrees in Munich (with ice/snow still on the ground) to around 16/17 degrees through France
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrPunctuated by quite a few French fuel stops
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrThe car also proving a valuable picnic table
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrAs expected, due to Corona, the roads were pretty empty. Apart from a brief chat with the Gendarmes, not too far into France, who thankfully spoke German, I managed to explain with several documents, that it was all above board that we were A) English, B) Allowed to legally be in C) France, driving a D) German car across Europe and that all of that wasn't just for a jolly. I think the full seats and boot helped sell our story
(one interesting point I didn't appreciate is this car is incredibly practical, the amount of stuff we managed to bring with us was crazy. Full boot, bedding on the back seat, two pet rabbits happily occupying the back seat, and still plenty of room up front)All in all, a pretty un-eventful journey, full of worry with dozens of COVID tests before and after the trip, paperwork, the promise of more tests and isolation, Calais took far longer than usual (2 hours) to navigate, but the journey time was otherwise one of the quickest we've done, all at a non-Gendarme attracting 140ish kph (bit faster in Germany where allowed). I was glad to have a passenger, usually when I drive the M3 through France I have to get out and walk round to the toll booth, which pisses off French people no-end.
Edited by Mr.Jimbo on Wednesday 4th August 12:35
Edited by Mr.Jimbo on Friday 6th August 13:17
Mr.Jimbo said:
I knew there was something different, turns out the 2.5s were open block instead of the semi closed one that the EJ207 has.
The 2.5 STi block is semi closed deck, just as the 2.0 is. The issue is the cylinder wall thickness is thinner, so it moves about more, leading to gasket issues.jsf said:
Mr.Jimbo said:
I knew there was something different, turns out the 2.5s were open block instead of the semi closed one that the EJ207 has.
The 2.5 STi block is semi closed deck, just as the 2.0 is. The issue is the cylinder wall thickness is thinner, so it moves about more, leading to gasket issues. I wish there was a definitive guide somewhere that could be trusted, so much conflicting information.If this had been a blob eye, I’d have been seriously tempted, always go between the two for looks, but I do prefer the Hawkeye interior.
It still feels a bit weird being able to pop out the back door and wash the car without having to drive anywhere.
mazdajason said:
Interesting story! I also have a JDM Subaru, blobeye though.
Can you expand on why the Germans don’t wash cars at home? It reads like they aren’t allowed to unless they can trap the water?
Yeah, so the council are super hot on chemicals and potential oil/fuel/grease going into the drain water, that (from what I was told) unless you have a way to collect any run off, and filter out anything undesirable, you’re not allowed to wash your car at home. A friend of mine does with his own yard, out of sight of the neighbours, but I used to have to drive 15km to the SelbstWasche-Box (self wash) who (as long as it wasn’t rammed) didn’t mind us bringing a sealed bucket of suds along and a wash mitt for a proper wash. The company car just got auto car washes, which to be fair are a lot more advanced/well maintained and never damaged any of my company cars (some light swirling)Can you expand on why the Germans don’t wash cars at home? It reads like they aren’t allowed to unless they can trap the water?
It still feels a bit weird being able to pop out the back door and wash the car without having to drive anywhere.
Mr.Jimbo said:
jsf said:
Mr.Jimbo said:
I knew there was something different, turns out the 2.5s were open block instead of the semi closed one that the EJ207 has.
The 2.5 STi block is semi closed deck, just as the 2.0 is. The issue is the cylinder wall thickness is thinner, so it moves about more, leading to gasket issues. I wish there was a definitive guide somewhere that could be trusted, so much conflicting information.So after a fair old drive, and faced with 10 days of isolation in the UK (luckily our belongings arrived the next morning so we were definitely kept busy) I had a bit of time to actually tinker with the car and give it a good clean, I had no idea what protection if any the paintwork had, so wanted to make sure I gave it a good clean/decontamination and then some form of protection on it. I'm not massively into detailing, but it consisted of a snowfoam wash, several coats of fallout remover (Autoglym Magma) and a polish with Autoglym SRP, followed by Extra gloss protection, which pleasingly improved the look of the car.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
- Magma doing it's job. I think the wheels just weren't washed that carefully, as after several washes and applications of Magma, the brake dust I assumed was baked on forever has been completely shifted - they still need a refurb due to a bit of kerbing/corrosion but they look 100 times better than they did when I bought it
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Coming up quite nicely, pre polish/sealant
During: (yes I'm a massive fanboy, but I had the mug before this car
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
JDM spec rear wiper coming in dead handy
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Nice shine coming through. I actually polished the car twice, first after a wash, then a second time after the next wash, before sealant. By this time I was waiting on the reg so the car wasn't driving anywhere.
The wiper arms had a bit of corrosion, so I removed those, flatted back and gave them a few good coats of matt black after some primer, and used copious amounts of AG vinyl/plastic conditioner on the scuttle cover - came up nicely.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
(interestingly the previous owner had fitted Bosch aero wipers, which are handed per country, so when I got it they were effectively backwards, but having fitted a pair to my RHD M3 whilst I lived in Germany, you can actually disassemble the whole wiper, reverse the "aero" cover part and re-build them, with a slight trim to the cover as "RHD" wipers, which cures all manner of squeaking and juddering. The wiper arm bush was also worn, which meant the driver side had quite a lot of play, I stripped the mechanism down, cleaned and re-greased and packed out the plastic bush which has so far worked a treat!
Onto the mechanical side of things, I mentioned earlier about the exhaust having a bit of a knock at full load, it transpired that the catalyst was actually contacting the steering universal joint, clearly quite undesirable... I decided to have a look at the downpipe/steering joint to see if it was something easily remedied
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Far easier with the I/C removed (can confirm this is a lot trickier than a classic sized intercooler, theres a definite knack to getting it out from under the strut brace, but not a difficult job overall)
On inspection, I couldn't see anything obviously wrong, and nothing that could be slid on it's mounts to improve the clearance, however the top torque reaction engine mount was looking past it's best, with the front bush being loose and suffering from play, so this was replaced with a new STI group N item. I did some reading and subjectively this mount doesn't significantly increase NVH, so decided to try it
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Again, quite pleased with how clean the body is underneath. You can tell the downpipe is aftermarket, as I can't imagine the lambda sensor wire is installed that tight from the factory.
I'd also had a light knock from the rear at low speed when turning, so decided to have a quick nose around the rear - on the push/pull test the left rear wheel could be moved slightly by hand which was pretty alarming, on inspection, these two bolts which are set to about 130Nm weren't torqued to spec, so the whole upright could move against the bottom of the strut
I'd also checked all the bushes including the rear ARB, I coppaslipped these bushes to stop them squeaking, but all seems in good condition.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Tightened up OK, and thankfully I haven't had any futher issues, but will keep an eye on it.
The rear brakes were squeaking in reverse which was annoying, so I took a look at the calipers, and found the spring clips weren't quite in place, so took out the pads and clips to check there wasn't any corrosion or dust restricting them and reinstalled , ensuring everything had a good coat of ceratec to keep it moving - quiet as a mouse again (well, quiet as a Subaru can be)
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
So that was the fairly easy stuff done, when I ordered the STi torque mount I ordered the missing STI badge from the boot, which smartens up the back nicely I think (we also had some sun, for a change) - I'll go onto what mods I've fitted in the next post, but heres where I'd got to, quite pleased with how the bodywork has come up.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
it's a beautiful colour close up
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on Flickr- Magma doing it's job. I think the wheels just weren't washed that carefully, as after several washes and applications of Magma, the brake dust I assumed was baked on forever has been completely shifted - they still need a refurb due to a bit of kerbing/corrosion but they look 100 times better than they did when I bought it
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrComing up quite nicely, pre polish/sealant
During: (yes I'm a massive fanboy, but I had the mug before this car
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrJDM spec rear wiper coming in dead handy
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrNice shine coming through. I actually polished the car twice, first after a wash, then a second time after the next wash, before sealant. By this time I was waiting on the reg so the car wasn't driving anywhere.
The wiper arms had a bit of corrosion, so I removed those, flatted back and gave them a few good coats of matt black after some primer, and used copious amounts of AG vinyl/plastic conditioner on the scuttle cover - came up nicely.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr(interestingly the previous owner had fitted Bosch aero wipers, which are handed per country, so when I got it they were effectively backwards, but having fitted a pair to my RHD M3 whilst I lived in Germany, you can actually disassemble the whole wiper, reverse the "aero" cover part and re-build them, with a slight trim to the cover as "RHD" wipers, which cures all manner of squeaking and juddering. The wiper arm bush was also worn, which meant the driver side had quite a lot of play, I stripped the mechanism down, cleaned and re-greased and packed out the plastic bush which has so far worked a treat!
Onto the mechanical side of things, I mentioned earlier about the exhaust having a bit of a knock at full load, it transpired that the catalyst was actually contacting the steering universal joint, clearly quite undesirable... I decided to have a look at the downpipe/steering joint to see if it was something easily remedied
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrFar easier with the I/C removed (can confirm this is a lot trickier than a classic sized intercooler, theres a definite knack to getting it out from under the strut brace, but not a difficult job overall)
On inspection, I couldn't see anything obviously wrong, and nothing that could be slid on it's mounts to improve the clearance, however the top torque reaction engine mount was looking past it's best, with the front bush being loose and suffering from play, so this was replaced with a new STI group N item. I did some reading and subjectively this mount doesn't significantly increase NVH, so decided to try it
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrAgain, quite pleased with how clean the body is underneath. You can tell the downpipe is aftermarket, as I can't imagine the lambda sensor wire is installed that tight from the factory.
I'd also had a light knock from the rear at low speed when turning, so decided to have a quick nose around the rear - on the push/pull test the left rear wheel could be moved slightly by hand which was pretty alarming, on inspection, these two bolts which are set to about 130Nm weren't torqued to spec, so the whole upright could move against the bottom of the strut
I'd also checked all the bushes including the rear ARB, I coppaslipped these bushes to stop them squeaking, but all seems in good condition.Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrTightened up OK, and thankfully I haven't had any futher issues, but will keep an eye on it.
The rear brakes were squeaking in reverse which was annoying, so I took a look at the calipers, and found the spring clips weren't quite in place, so took out the pads and clips to check there wasn't any corrosion or dust restricting them and reinstalled , ensuring everything had a good coat of ceratec to keep it moving - quiet as a mouse again (well, quiet as a Subaru can be)
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrSo that was the fairly easy stuff done, when I ordered the STi torque mount I ordered the missing STI badge from the boot, which smartens up the back nicely I think (we also had some sun, for a change) - I'll go onto what mods I've fitted in the next post, but heres where I'd got to, quite pleased with how the bodywork has come up.
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on Flickrit's a beautiful colour close up
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrEdited by Mr.Jimbo on Wednesday 4th August 14:40
You just remove the 4 fasteners (2 nuts and 2 bolts) from the strut brace assembly that holds the cross bar onto the strut top mount section and lift that out of the way.
It looks like you did that anyway on your photo, so not sure why your description states you had to get the IC out from under it?
The stock downpipe looks nothing like that, it has a large heat shield on it. I've got a complete JDM STi system in the garage from mine. JDM STi systems are going for stupid money now it seems.
Rear strut 2 bottom bolts that connect the strut to the rear upright should be torqued to 200Nm, not 130Nm. They will come loose if you don't torque them properly. Torque the nut. not the bolt.
Front strut 2 bottom bolts that connect the strut to the front upright should be torqued to 175Nm, the top bolt is a cam style bolt used to set the camber, rear strut are both fixed position.
It looks like you did that anyway on your photo, so not sure why your description states you had to get the IC out from under it?
The stock downpipe looks nothing like that, it has a large heat shield on it. I've got a complete JDM STi system in the garage from mine. JDM STi systems are going for stupid money now it seems.
Rear strut 2 bottom bolts that connect the strut to the rear upright should be torqued to 200Nm, not 130Nm. They will come loose if you don't torque them properly. Torque the nut. not the bolt.
Front strut 2 bottom bolts that connect the strut to the front upright should be torqued to 175Nm, the top bolt is a cam style bolt used to set the camber, rear strut are both fixed position.
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 4th August 20:48
jsf said:
You just remove the 4 fasteners (2 nuts and 2 bolts) from the strut brace assembly that holds the cross bar onto the strut top mount section and lift that out of the way.
It looks like you did that anyway on your photo, so not sure why your description states you had to get the IC out from under it?
The stock downpipe looks nothing like that, it has a large heat shield on it. I've got a complete JDM STi system in the garage from mine. JDM STi systems are going for stupid money now it seems.
Rear strut 2 bottom bolts that connect the strut to the rear upright should be torqued to 200Nm, not 130Nm. They will come loose if you don't torque them properly. Torque the nut. not the bolt.
Front strut 2 bottom bolts that connect the strut to the front upright should be torqued to 175Nm, the top bolt is a cam style bolt used to set the camber, rear strut are both fixed position.
Yeah the only heatshield this downpipe retains is the top one that covers the turbine housing itself, no further shields. I'll try and get a pic but it's close to the steering I shaft even without shields.It looks like you did that anyway on your photo, so not sure why your description states you had to get the IC out from under it?
The stock downpipe looks nothing like that, it has a large heat shield on it. I've got a complete JDM STi system in the garage from mine. JDM STi systems are going for stupid money now it seems.
Rear strut 2 bottom bolts that connect the strut to the rear upright should be torqued to 200Nm, not 130Nm. They will come loose if you don't torque them properly. Torque the nut. not the bolt.
Front strut 2 bottom bolts that connect the strut to the front upright should be torqued to 175Nm, the top bolt is a cam style bolt used to set the camber, rear strut are both fixed position.
Edited by jsf on Wednesday 4th August 20:48
You're right on the rear strut bolt torque, I knew it was high, but I did check it at the time and they definitely weren't at 200, I plan to check it again once it's got a few miles on.
Good eye on the Strut brace, I realised that the picture is actually taken from when I fitted the boost gauge tubing, and indeed had the strut brace out, but the first time I didn't remove it.
S100HP said:
That just looks so right, especially blatting cross country and in the snow. Lovely car.
Cheers, yes it was good fun in the snow but nice to know we could get about - it occasionally snows there hard enough to overwhelm the road clearing crews, and then you start to see 2wd cars struggle even with the right tyres, knew we wouldn't have any issues in this. It was an incredibly comfortable/practical car to do a really long trip in, to be honest.Edited by S100HP on Friday 6th August 11:31
With the car now cleaned and polished, and busying myself with what was required to register (which is the V55/5 form, with all manner of questions pertaining to number of seats in a minibus, Tachograph numbers etc, it's quite tricky to actually know which you need to fill in, and what to omit but got there in the end) The car was basically sat here now, as the German kurzzeitkennzeichnen had run out (notice the 13/04/21 on the temporary red plates) my need to tinker set in. On my old Impreza, I'd had a full set of gauges, so I wanted to emulate that again. I always find in an Impreza, it's so urgent and willing to go, that it's a good idea to have an oil temperature gauge to know when you can start using more revs/boost & the car only has water temperature standard. Oil pressure is always a good idea to keep an eye on. Turbo boost pressure can show up a multitude of issues in my experience, so a 3 gauge dash pod seemed like a good idea (I'm not overly keen on A pillar pods)
Decided to go with Prosport electronic gauges, I've had them before and they're a fraction of the price of Defi or similar (in an ideal world I'd have the STI-Genome Defi gauges but those can be up to £1000 for a set!) and a recessed dash pod to mount in place of the standard dash clock. The gauges are smoked so quite similar to the dash instruments, which have the ignition on start up sweep (and I think are in fact made by Defi)
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
The gauges match the standard dash sweep on key-on, and have peak recall and a customisable alarm for high/low temperature/pressure etc, so quite useful information. Interestingly, I've found the oil temp warms up quite quickly, certainly quicker than my old UK turbo, so the standard water temp gauge is (in general) a good indicator of oil temperature as well, however I didn't know this before so was always wary (I seem to remember the oil taking a lot longer on my UK turbo to warm up, so going off the water temperature wasn't a good indicator). The oil temperature was taken from above cylinder 3 (massive pain to access due to proximity of the throttle body heating), pressure was taken from the standard point on the block with a relocation kit (so retains the standard oil pressure light also) and I tee'd off the wastegate control line for the Boost, and ran the boost pipe to the gauge sender just under the strutbrace on the firewall.
The centre console was looking a bit tired, with scratches to the silver-grey finish, and seeing as I had the dash apart to wire in the gauges, and the trim came out so easily, I decided to take them out to clean properly, and after noting some fairly deep scratches I decided to paint them. I quickly discounted black (as some of the Japanese special editions had) or colour coding the trims and sticking with the standard colour, by some luck I had some grey metallic paint in the garage that turned out to be a perfect match, so after a sand, primer and paint/clearcoat they were looking pretty good
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
The other thing that needed doing, was to convert the headlights from LHD to RHD. Unfortunately the original headlights weren't available, as obviously the car would have had RHD lamps in Japan, but to get through a German TüV (English: MOT) it had LHD lamps fitted. I got through the MOT with beam benders (hint: you need LHD to RHD, not the other way around, but these can be bought with English packaging from Amazon if you need them), and I naively thought that it would be really easy to find a pair of headlights in the UK from a car being broken or similar. In reality, it took me quite a while, as the choice was brand new DEPO units, or similar (£300+) for an imported set from Japan, but eventually I found a pair of decent condition units for sale and struck a deal for £130 delivered. One mod I'd always had my eye on was to darken the headlights by painting the surrounds and re-sealing the unit, like this:
I think it really suits the hawkeye, and the later hatchback Imprezas had a very similar style, so feels quite OEM. So armed with an oven, and an understanding partner, I set about dismantling the units in order to do that. Quite simple really, Oven on at 80 degrees, cook for 10 mins or until golden keeping a close eye that nothing melts, Oven temperature control doesn't seem that consitent, then they can be gently pried apart.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
And a lick of matt black
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Back in the oven to soften the butyl sealant, and reassemble:
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Looks really good in my opinion, especially with the chrome indicator bulbs and LED sidelights to get rid of any amber/yellowish light
I must admit, I cheated a bit. The RHD lights came with some OK looking lenses, but they were tired and had some pitting/blooming. I had an autoglym headlight restore kit from my M3, and decided to tackle these as a bit of a project, which left me panicking, initially as the first step leaves them looking like this:
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
However, perseverance and time, going through the various grades of wet and dry, then polish left them like this:
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Good, but not perfect. I went to Lacquer them and it instantly crazed. Not sure if I'd polished too fine, the lacquer was old (it was, but was fine on the centre console) or if there was a bit of residue on the lens or what but I was pretty annoyed at this point, having spent so long getting them looking good. Anyway, about here I decided to see if the Depo lenses would fit on the Subaru lamps, (not after I'd spent an age trying to remove and re-apply the lacquer with similar results) and thankfully, they were, so the units you see above, are the new(er) lenses with the old RHD lamps, happy days. It means I've got a set of LHD units to shift with older lenses, but I'll let someone else have a crack at them!
I was a bit daunted to read that the headlights need the bumper removing, but in actual fact it was quite straight forward
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
And finally, reassembled, very happy with the new, meaner look
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
I also fitted a HID kit from Amazon, as they're projectors, the cut-off is very good, and the light output far better than halogen, we'll see what is said come MOT time, if I need to revert to the standard H7 bulbs.
Focusing on the front end, I thought that it was lacking something, I'd always been keen on the RB320 splitter, so ordered a replica from HT Autos and was pleased to note that the car actually had all the fitting points pre-fitted in the bumper (whether that's standard or it had been previously fitted with one, I'm not sure) so it was a 10 min job to fit with bolts, rather than the self tappers provided.
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Really finishes off the front nicely in my opinion.
Making the most of the nice weather
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Finally, the chrome wheel bolts were all corroded and starting to show rust, some worse than others, this was probably the best set, in hindsight
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
So I got a cheap set of black nuts to see how they look, may yet go back to standard, but they're a big improvement
Untitled by James Waller, on Flickr
Decided to go with Prosport electronic gauges, I've had them before and they're a fraction of the price of Defi or similar (in an ideal world I'd have the STI-Genome Defi gauges but those can be up to £1000 for a set!) and a recessed dash pod to mount in place of the standard dash clock. The gauges are smoked so quite similar to the dash instruments, which have the ignition on start up sweep (and I think are in fact made by Defi)
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrThe gauges match the standard dash sweep on key-on, and have peak recall and a customisable alarm for high/low temperature/pressure etc, so quite useful information. Interestingly, I've found the oil temp warms up quite quickly, certainly quicker than my old UK turbo, so the standard water temp gauge is (in general) a good indicator of oil temperature as well, however I didn't know this before so was always wary (I seem to remember the oil taking a lot longer on my UK turbo to warm up, so going off the water temperature wasn't a good indicator). The oil temperature was taken from above cylinder 3 (massive pain to access due to proximity of the throttle body heating), pressure was taken from the standard point on the block with a relocation kit (so retains the standard oil pressure light also) and I tee'd off the wastegate control line for the Boost, and ran the boost pipe to the gauge sender just under the strutbrace on the firewall.
The centre console was looking a bit tired, with scratches to the silver-grey finish, and seeing as I had the dash apart to wire in the gauges, and the trim came out so easily, I decided to take them out to clean properly, and after noting some fairly deep scratches I decided to paint them. I quickly discounted black (as some of the Japanese special editions had) or colour coding the trims and sticking with the standard colour, by some luck I had some grey metallic paint in the garage that turned out to be a perfect match, so after a sand, primer and paint/clearcoat they were looking pretty good
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrThe other thing that needed doing, was to convert the headlights from LHD to RHD. Unfortunately the original headlights weren't available, as obviously the car would have had RHD lamps in Japan, but to get through a German TüV (English: MOT) it had LHD lamps fitted. I got through the MOT with beam benders (hint: you need LHD to RHD, not the other way around, but these can be bought with English packaging from Amazon if you need them), and I naively thought that it would be really easy to find a pair of headlights in the UK from a car being broken or similar. In reality, it took me quite a while, as the choice was brand new DEPO units, or similar (£300+) for an imported set from Japan, but eventually I found a pair of decent condition units for sale and struck a deal for £130 delivered. One mod I'd always had my eye on was to darken the headlights by painting the surrounds and re-sealing the unit, like this:
I think it really suits the hawkeye, and the later hatchback Imprezas had a very similar style, so feels quite OEM. So armed with an oven, and an understanding partner, I set about dismantling the units in order to do that. Quite simple really, Oven on at 80 degrees, cook for 10 mins or until golden keeping a close eye that nothing melts, Oven temperature control doesn't seem that consitent, then they can be gently pried apart.
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrAnd a lick of matt black
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrBack in the oven to soften the butyl sealant, and reassemble:
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrLooks really good in my opinion, especially with the chrome indicator bulbs and LED sidelights to get rid of any amber/yellowish light
I must admit, I cheated a bit. The RHD lights came with some OK looking lenses, but they were tired and had some pitting/blooming. I had an autoglym headlight restore kit from my M3, and decided to tackle these as a bit of a project, which left me panicking, initially as the first step leaves them looking like this:
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrHowever, perseverance and time, going through the various grades of wet and dry, then polish left them like this:
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrGood, but not perfect. I went to Lacquer them and it instantly crazed. Not sure if I'd polished too fine, the lacquer was old (it was, but was fine on the centre console) or if there was a bit of residue on the lens or what but I was pretty annoyed at this point, having spent so long getting them looking good. Anyway, about here I decided to see if the Depo lenses would fit on the Subaru lamps, (not after I'd spent an age trying to remove and re-apply the lacquer with similar results) and thankfully, they were, so the units you see above, are the new(er) lenses with the old RHD lamps, happy days. It means I've got a set of LHD units to shift with older lenses, but I'll let someone else have a crack at them!
I was a bit daunted to read that the headlights need the bumper removing, but in actual fact it was quite straight forward
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrAnd finally, reassembled, very happy with the new, meaner look
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrI also fitted a HID kit from Amazon, as they're projectors, the cut-off is very good, and the light output far better than halogen, we'll see what is said come MOT time, if I need to revert to the standard H7 bulbs.
Focusing on the front end, I thought that it was lacking something, I'd always been keen on the RB320 splitter, so ordered a replica from HT Autos and was pleased to note that the car actually had all the fitting points pre-fitted in the bumper (whether that's standard or it had been previously fitted with one, I'm not sure) so it was a 10 min job to fit with bolts, rather than the self tappers provided.
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrReally finishes off the front nicely in my opinion.
Making the most of the nice weather
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrUntitled by James Waller, on FlickrFinally, the chrome wheel bolts were all corroded and starting to show rust, some worse than others, this was probably the best set, in hindsight
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrSo I got a cheap set of black nuts to see how they look, may yet go back to standard, but they're a big improvement
Untitled by James Waller, on FlickrGassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff