Possible GC8 ver2 WRX

I got tired of dealing with car problems here and there and reliability, power etc that I finally decided to spring for what I know best after spending untold sums on alternative transport.

I decided to go with a top, winning, quality and proven brand...Subaru. Since I've always liked power, I looked for and found one at quite a good deal by local standards. It's a grey 1993 GC8 4 door WRX. I put a deposit on it 2 days ago and actually saw it and took it for a spin for the first time this evening. A quick 10 minute look. First impression and maybe I've just been away from power for too long but it reminded me of my Cobb AP stage 2 tune back in the day.

10 minutes is all it took to get those memories rushing back again...I committed straight away and if all goes well, I'll have it tomorrow and will post pictures. It's a little beat up by ATL standards but the mechanicals checked out OK and that was the main thing I was looking for.

 

Damn... good to see you posting again.

Good luck with the car. Post some pics once you get it.

 

Wow pEd, you're still around? A true warrior. I hope you're doing ok. I remember one of the last install days at your place and someone tried to kill your lawn with some awd power. Good times, good times.

Well I did pick up the car and since its late to take real pics, I'll put up pics of how it was advertised. I'll post my own pics tomorrow maybe.


















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Check for crosshatching on the block directly below the alternator. You may get lucky and get a closed deck ej20g with oil squirters.

 

Its an EJ20GDW1HE so maybe a closed deck. I tried checking the block but Its really dirty and I didnt feel like messing with it at the time.

Honestly though, the open decks are good enough. I ran a big turbo on a stock wrx longblock for a long time.

Around here, 240 feels like 400 there. Unless the deal is right, I probably won't go beyond a VF34 which was the my first turbo upgrade on my old wrx anyway.


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Dang that car looks very ragged out. And Shiring look at the pics....he's in Jap land.

 

Vince I was wondering what ever happened to you! Where are you at nowadays?

 

Its pretty ragged out by ATL standards but pleasantly surprised about the mechanicals considering the age of the car. I suppose the Japanese have been doing their thing for a while now. Its comparable to my stage 2 wagon for a fraction of the price. Basically the cost of a TBE, AP, 2 tunes and labor.

Yeah, it's a Japanese car alright, RHD and all but it's in Africa at present. Yeah Dana, change of scenery for a little while bro.

 

It's been a little hectic and disregard the clutter everywhere. Many things to do. Anyway, those were the pics from the day I got it. Done a few things to clean it up as well as put about a 100 hard miles on it. It looks rough on the outside as well as inside but mechanically, it's solid. Powerwise, it's basically the same as my old vf34'd wagon but it feels faster. Most of the time is spent in 2,3 and 4. I'll post a few pics shortly.

 

So far I've cleaned it up quite a bit. It's a far cry from how it was when I got it. Changed out the Japan radio with an Alpine CDE143BT and some Pioneer speakers. Much improvement on the sound and a better tuner that grabs more frequencies.

Not sure if I previously put up the technical details as the old wrxatlanta would do but here they are anyway, at least the important ones.

1993 JDM WRX / GC8A48D model / EJ20GDW1HE engine / TY752VB3AA 4.11 5MT
td05-16g, 380cc

As far as mods go, it's got a cone filter and a hacked catless DP with a straight through 3" exhaust and nameless muffler section. It's not as loud as I thought so I'm not really sure where the "extra" muffling is coming from.
It's got a claimed 155k on the clock.

I've since had two separate rides on some stock ver4 sti's on vf23's and those things are quick. I don't remember too many rides that accelerated that quick and that hard. Gary's (gawrx) 02/03 WRX comes to mind.

Plans are modest so far. Found a local source selling ESL engine management so I'll probably do that as well as get the 440 injectors but eventually I'll get the two pot brake setup, coilovers, end links, steering rack bushings, engine / transmission mounts and sway bars just like the old ride.

Another local source is also selling a running ver4 STI engine, ecu, harness, gearbox and diff for approximately 1800. It's very tempting.

As far as the floor mats, they are soon going. They remind me too much of hot wheels.

 

Awesome that you're back in a WRX! Looks like the perfect spot for a rally suspension setup.

 

Its cool to see a stock turbo chimney. And are the IC's on those models tilted like that from factory?

 

Yes all the early ej20gs were like that

 

Thanks Bobby! Hard to get rid of the WRX bug, it's seriously addictive. I'm hooked on tarmac but rallying is fun. Let me get this one sorted out first. BTW, some of the "tarmac" roads around here would qualify as rally roads.

I was surprised to see one myself, I thought it was aftermarket until I looked it up. Only thing that surprises me is the slant IC. It's quite small even compared to the ej205 IC's but they say it's actually quite efficient!

In any case and with the heat around here, I think a small core FMIC is a better, safer option.

 

GTScoob clean out your mailbox I cannot respond... sorry for the OT

 

Been a little busy so haven't had time for some updates. Still haven't changed out the "hot wheels" floor mats but have a few updates. I'll post up pictures later. Basically this is what I've gotten so far that I actually have.
ESL Chip for the 92-96 classics, Innovate MTX-L, 4 used (new) tires, 4 coil packs. Will update later.

 

Just a little entertainment in the meantime while I sort out the various pictures. This was on Sunday morning about 11am on the way back from the post office. Got a little carried away there with the soundtrack but oh well...

https://youtu.be/GwwO7kkZeyM

 

Swapped out to all new type coils yesterday and did the harness and igniter mods. One of the older coils was broken right at the spark plug boot. Also changed plugs and went with factory spec NGK PFR6G. The car idles better, boosts cleaner and pulls hard without any misfires, stumbles until about 5k where I am letting off until I change a few other things.

 

Ok, got a few more things done. Cleaned out the throttle body and intercooler. The IC was actually very dirty (clogged fins). Oil change done. Transmission was a little tricky and had to resort to plan B but it's done. I can't tell when the tranny oil was last changed as I essentially had to use a welder to help get the drain bolt loose. What came out it is a story for a different day. Installed a silicone "y" pipe and got an HKS VTA BOV for really cheap. After installing the "Y" pipe I noticed that the stock plastic was leaking really bad and opening when it shouldn't so the HKS has been a nice replacement so far.....but, it's loud. They sell used stock plastic ones here for the equivalent of 25USD but it's a hit or miss. I decided to spend a little more and get a known proven brand with a good spring and diaphragm design for 100USD. The Walbro is here but not yet installed, an ebay 3" TBE and Innovate SCG-1 is on the way. With the walbro, TBE right ECU, and WB02....I should be able to run it to 6500 which I haven't done since I first test drove it and it should make ver 2 STI numbers which are approx 276-280 and maybe a little more due to the freer flowing exhaust.

Will post pictures.

 

Another update. The Walbro 255 is in. The unmistakable sound of the pump priming when you first switch on the ignition is worth it. After the install, the idling sounds a little smoother at 800rpm on a warm engine and for sure it is definitely running a little richer at the moment. Next step is to free up exhaust flow. Since I had the car up on a "lift" the other day I'm pretty sure the whole exhaust is stock except for the no brand muffler CB section. An ebay 3" with flex UP and bellmouth DP is going on next though I'm pretty sure it will be very loud.

Will add pictures. Never mind the floor mats

 

A few more updates. I had the original Hella Supertones in GA but this time I decided to give the cheaper imitation Hella's a try. Honestly other than the paint being a little off, I couldn't tell the difference. Performance, same thing dual frequency. I'll see how long they last. Stock Horns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGRPLuBDxX4 vs the Super Tones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhrQzsCBQ6k

The previous owner had a MBC which explains why the car builds boost so quickly, 1 bar indicated. He kept the MBC and I later discovered there was no restrictor pill so I've been consciously keeping it at 0.7 which is hard to do as that's where it really wants to be singing. Anyway, that problem along with the stock bleed style BCS will be fixed when the SCG-1 arrives which has it's own 3port BCS and boost controller built into the the AFR gauge.

I'll then try a Prodrive PPP V7 mapped straight swap ECU change and see how 276 feels compared to 240. The ESL is backup in case the basically STI (Prodrive) ECU doesn't give an immediate and noticeable jump.

Still in the process of cleaning up little bits here and there as well as a few other things as this car has a high bar to meet. 1/4 of the way will be good enough. Been trying a few waxes to see what combination holds up best in the interim.

There are quite a few older well done classics here. The white one is one such example.

A few pictures, my old 04 Wagon, my new ride as well as a few other misc.

 

I spy the ol SMC Controller in your old wagon

 

He he, that stuff was a blast. Made that ride enjoyable up until the very last minute. VP M1. Only thing is that I had to replace the seals twice since I had bought an earlier model, the last time with the epdm seals and it never leaked again. SMC customer support was excellent, they repaired their product. Other than that it did exactly what it what supposed to do after Doug did his magic.

 

Yup my old one the in the Coolrex WRX was problematic at first but once I got the epdm seals I never had any issues. Steve stood behind his product.

 

A few more updates. The exhaust (304 SS TB and UP), scg-1 and a few other things arrived. I had planned on doing the exhaust work myself however lifting the car is a little tricky since I don't yet have a set of jackstands. The more I thought about it the more I remember busted knuckles so I eventually figured I'd "promote" a local business. First shop the tech was only able to get the DP on because we had a late start. This was Friday. The following day I tried to get the WB on but couldn't because the guy who tapped the threads didn't clean up. I knew exactly what the problem was but just couldn't get to it without removing the DP. The following day being Sunday, I looked around and found another "shop" and got the problem fixed and the UP installed and the WB had no problem going in. I didn't have studs and I didn't think it would be all that hard to remove them but wow!

This is the interesting story to the exhaust install. I wanted to do it myself but I also didn't want to break my back so I settled on supervising. First shop I went to was a tire shop. I said, I have an exhaust I'd like installed by one of your guys. The shop mgr says she knows nothing about exhausts and calls her preferred tech. The mgr herself gives me a price of $6 for the job. The preferred tech retreats back and says he doesn't know how to do it and mumbles something about the price while calling the other tech. The tech agrees to do it. So at some point while he is doing it the mgr comes around and says, wow that's a lot of work you'll have to add $2 which I agree to. As tech is finishing up, the mgr calls me again and increases the bill by another $2 saying the boss says so. I ask what do you mean? She says the boss told her that the parts that were being installed looked very expensive. I said ok. As I'm finishing up with the tech, he asks me, how much did you pay in there? I said $10 and I ask him, how much will you get out of that? He says if he's lucky he'll get $4 but more than likely it will be 2-3. So I end up giving him an additional 5 on the side and ask if he's ok with that. He was very ok with it. He later did let me know that the shop gave him only 2!!! out of the 10 I paid them so my total cost was 15.

The informal shop I went to next was a different experience. We didn't even talk price since I already knew it wouldn't top 15. This is what all they did. Removed the downpipe, filed the burred edges on the o2 bung, used a gas welder to remove 5 UP studs, replaced 6 nuts and bolts, fixed the exhaust hangar problem that seemingly all DP's have. When I left, the car was all good. When I asked how much for both of them, the mechanic said $18 and I protested (no one pays asking price around here) saying it was too much. So he said well I had to buy bolts, nuts and a stud to which I said give me a break, at least leave me something to buy a beer with. He said ok 16 to which I agreed. This whole time the welder is standing there and hasn't said a word about anything. That's how I knew that 16 was a good deal and they showed their appreciation as I was driving away.

Point of the story. Nothing really but it's interesting how corporations play games. In the shop the lady mgr and the boss are busy upward revising the quote yet have no idea what the actual tech is doing and how much his labor actually costs. He actually did end up getting screwed if you go by what the shop gave him. On the other hand, dealing direct is more straightforward. You actually see what you're getting. At the end of the day I thought getting an UP and TB exhaust installed for 15 + 16 was a really great deal.

Other than the burrs that weren't cleaned up, this exhaust looks like a quality piece for the price and I was pleasantly surprised with it's welds, fitment, flanges, hangars and resonator performanceand is only slightly deeper. The only downside is the 5" tail pipe. I kind of like stealth. Either way it's a major improvement from the old one. For the price, I don't think I could have gotten a better deal anywhere. I remember paying almost $300 for an Invidia. Yikes!!!

Also fixed up some really bad grounds (multimeter testing) and then just decided to make a good grounding kit and run a good pair of wires from the battery to the gaping hole in the radio section. That's what I'll use for power and ground for all the in cabin electricals.

Will post pictures later

 

Well done so far!

Looking at pictures I couldnt help but look at the surroundings more than the car itself...

 

He he, that's what gets me too. At any given time there is always something "interesting" going on. For example, within a 20 ft radius there's a guy getting an exhaust installed and just across there are sheep and goats at a buffet and the guy herding them was pressed to find a urinal so he sheltered behind a thicket and did his thing. The red dot above the thicket.

Anyway, thanks

 

A few more updates. I tried to avoid getting underneath the car but the attraction is too much. Got a set of headers and did a mild PnP job on them, drilled, tapped and installed EGT bung, installed a EGT gauge in the gaping hole I still have by the radio, installed some steering rack bushes (immediate and very noticeable improvement) as the old ones were shot, mocked up a prototype for a control center, have started black wow treatment on the interior and replaced the dash gauges with some led t5's / t10's (at least now the dash looks functional especially at night).

As far as the ECU goes, I ended up hooking up the ESL. I had forgotten that you have to scale the injectors again when you go with a Walbro otherwise the stock maps are no good (super rich). So far I've gotten the idling, low load, EGT's and AFR's good up to about 4000rpm.

Will post pics.

 

How assessable are car parts where you're at? Do you order online?

 

Amazon?

 

It's somewhat depends on what part you are looking for. Used stock parts are plentiful and cheap however depends on what exactly it is. New parts are available however expensive. Aftermarket parts are difficult to find as most people basically put in an MBC and call it a day however there are a number of tuned ones.
I find the best deals online from the UK market and buy them direct. In some cases it's even cheaper than buying used here.

 

He he, a local Amazon. That's the tech from the first shop bringing back the old exhaust. It's a "1" piece exhaust so I couldn't carry it with me after I removed it.

 

Matt Amazon is too expensive these days

 

Not too much to update. Waiting on a speedo cable so that I can resolve a Vehicle Speed Sensor CEL light which will enable the car to rev past 4500 without cutting. A few other things here and there. Trying to decide between a front mount or water / meth injection. Heat soak is a real phenomenon around here. The ESL pic is a variation of the map that's on the car. Still far from the final tune but I'll ensure I tune it for around 89 or 90 octane with safety built into the timing maps as well as a slightly richer fueling especially in the high load areas.

 

A few more significant updates. The right rear rotor is toast so I picked up a rear matching set and pads on all 4 corners. Also the balljoints need to be replaced however those are relatively cheap. I had ordered a speedo cable but it hadn't arrived due to Easter holidays I suppose. I had previously looked for a cable before ordering one and on a hunch yesterday after picking up a turbo I got a good lead on the cable I needed so today I went across town and it was a fruitful excursion. Saw a few very very nice cars and I also got to rev past 4500 after quite a long break. There's a short video. It's basically a 1-3 run with max 60% throttle and wastegate boost. Had to slow it down as the 1730 sun was in my face and the road was curving plus it wasn't really pulling any additional load. Still running it pretty rich but trying to get a good baseline map which I can now do.

BTW, the evo guy said he he just got it last year bone stock RS for the equivalent of 9KUSD! I could not believe my ears. That car sounds like a Group B car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASioPNxoygU

 

Digging that Evo.

 

That Evo is a classic, I'd trade for it any day no hesitation. There are quite a few Evo's around and currently they are giving Subaru's a run for their money. Here is a clip of a closed course event that happened just this past weekend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMEUmSTLJ4I

 

A few more updates and got a few more parts. These old cars are very finicky. Now I have to deal with a misbehaving IACV which for the most part makes for very strange idling but goes away when driving. The other thing I realized after knocking my head against the wall is that Doug used to recommend Hallman MBC's. I think now I know why. Got a local td04 for cheap that I'll attempt to port and polish, fmic came in but I think it's too big for a gc8 600x300*76. SS lines in but not installed. No rush with the tuning aspect, taking it slow and logging tons of data. So far good until 12psi but my goal is a mild 17-18 psi tune on the td05. It's quick enough already. Will post up some pics.

Here's two small videos. One is of my ongoing ecu tuning session and the other is a small compilation of an event that just took place. Photobucket is such a pain with pics. I've got pictures of most of what I got at www.facebook.com/vcperformance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGmL05pjW1Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxnv4dc7RFc

 

Just use imgur.com for pics, it's the easiest one to use by far these days. Or Google Photos with the auto-sync setting for smartphone pics.

Cool to see this all coming together and +1 on the Hallman MBC, pretty sure I had one of those way back in the day with my Unichip setup before upgrading to a Perrin unit when reflashing ECUs became a thing.

That Evo is sick, favorite generation of those by far. Nice looking Foz at that shop too!

 

Sensei what's up? Long time for sure. Good to see you around.

Thanks Bobby, I'll look into imgur.....I suppose photobucket dates me he he. Anyway, I'm enjoying the project though I had to slow down somewhat due to other priorities so I haven't put out any updates in a while. Also need to update a few pictures. Have decided to go fmic since the tmic options are very limited and space is a premium and it can get quite hot around here. That and brakes and power should be sorted out then on to the cosmetics.

There are quite a few nice cars around so I need to carry my camera more often. Let me see what I have close by.

 

This was a recent event where I snapped some shots. Don't ask where my ride is he he.
http://imgur.com/a/lFw7C/all

 

Been a while since I posted updates. FMIC is on. Most of the stuff left is aesthetics. https://www.facebook.com/vcperformancedivision/posts/992924237492456