This is the first and only suby I have ever owned. I purchased it in October 2004 from Subaru of Gwinnett in Atlanta. She had 92k miles when I bought her. She has come a long way since then. I drove it for about 6 months without doing any mods except clear corners. Here are some of the first pics I took of her. And the first and only time I took here off road for some rallying! So in April 2005 I had a small mishap with a curb and wet roads which resulted in a bent control arm, bent crossmember and bent fender. :run: So she finally gets some mods! I ended up installing STi GC Aluminum Control arms, Legacy Turbo crossmember, Whiteline 22mm adj turbo swaybar, Borla Header, KYB GR2 Struts and Tein S Tech Springs. I installed the legacy turbo crossmember because I knew a swap would be in my future. In order to make it work with the NA 2.5 I had to use a Borla header and swaybar for a WRX. Here is a pic of her on jack stands getting repaired. And the control arms. In July 2005 I started the interior modifications. I recovered the headliner and door cards with black Ultrasuede. I installed blue STi carpet in October 2005. I also installed 2004 STi front and rear seats in November 2005. Also installed in the interior was a 2005 STi parking brake handle and a custom made parking brake boot. Then in August 2006 I finally found a Version 3 STi Nardi Steering wheel in MINT condition for an awesome price! Link to my headliner thread. http://www.rs25.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34141&highlight=black+headliner Link to the Nardi thread http://www.rs25.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52693&highlight=sti+nardi Here are pics of the finished interior.
In February 2006 I replaced my worn clutch and bad center diff. While I was at it I installed a STi Group N transmission mount, Kartboy Short Shifter, Kartboy Shifter Bushings, Kartboy Transmission crossmember bushings and a Z1 auto stainless steel clutch line. Here is a pic of the pile of parts that was installed. After all of this was done I didn’t do much for about a year. I think within that year I added JNorth Fender braces and yellow Rockblocker fog light film and that was about it. At the beginning of 2007 I took her in for paint! Added a Version 6 Grill, STi Fog Covers, 22B Vents and a Flat Fuel Door!
In early August 2007 my stock EJ25 spun a bearing. I knew when I bought the car that it had been beat on pretty hard, but I also knew I would do an engine swap on day. It died the day before I was flying to San Francisco for a week! So while I was in San Fran I purchased a V5 STi EJ207 from ECS. Once I got home I started tearing her apart so I could send the wiring harness to ECS for the merge. Here are some pics of parts that I ordered while I was waiting for the harnesses to be merged. ACT Street Clutch and Flywheel SPT Bosal Exhaust Kartboy XL Exhaust hangers STi Group N Motor Mounts and Pitch Stop August 31st. The V5 motor and merged harness came in! Old motor coming out! Swapped V5 ECU on to USDM bracket. Wiring harness going back in.
September 2nd I installed the motor with the help of my brother and a few friends. It took a week or two to source all the small parts I needed to get it fully together. It was up and running on September 15th. I was only seeing 9 psi, added the correct restrictor pill and it was running 15psi!! And it is very QUICK!! Here is what she looks like now! I still have tons of plans for it. Next up will be a header and a Apexi Power FC. Then better suspension, brakes....the list goes on!
Full Mod List. Suspension: •Tein S Tech Springs •KYB GR-2 Struts •STi Group N Strut Top Hats (Front and Rear) •Specialty Products Camber Kits (Front and Rear) •Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings •STi Aluminum Front Control Arms •STi GM6 Uniball Front Endlinks •Whiteline BSF33Z 22mm Adjustable Front Sway Bar w/ urethane bushings •JNorth Fender Braces Braking: •WRX Fender Liners with Brake Ducts Engine: •JDM Version 5 Type R (EJ207) •IHI VF22 Turbo •Samco Silicone Radiator Hoses •Legacy Turbo Cross member •Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump •JNorth Radiator Shroud •SPT Bosal 3 inch Stainless Turbo Back Exhaust w/ Kartboy XL Exhaust Hangers •STi Group N Motor Mounts •2004 USDM STi Intercooler •Perrin BOV •K&N Drop in Filter Drivetrain: •Kartboy Shifter Bushings •Kartboy Rear Shifter Bushing •Kartboy Transmission Cross member Bushings •Kartboy Short Shift Lever •Turn In Concepts Pivot Bushings •STi Group N Transmission Mount •Z1 Auto Stainless Steel Clutch Line •ACT Street Flywheel •ACT Street Clutch Exterior: •SPO Motorsports Clear corner lights •Genuine STi Version 6 Grill •Genuine STi Trunk Emblem •Genuine STi Fog Covers •Genuine STi Fog Light Cover Brackets •Genuine STi 22B Hood Vents •Flat Fuel Door Mod with JDM metal door •Yellow Rockblocker Fog Film Interior: •Custom Black Ultrasuede Headliner •Interior Pieces Custom painted Satin Black •Genuine Subaru Blue STi Carpet •Genuine Subaru Blue STi Floor Mats •Version 7 STi Front seats •2005 USDM STi Rear seat •Genuine STi 5 speed Carbon Fiber Emblem •Subaru STi Duracon Shift Knob •STi Key •2005 STi E-Brake Handle •Custom made E-Brake Boot from Auger Automotive Boots •Version 3 STi Nardi Steering Wheel •Variable Intermittent Wiper Stalk •OEM DIN Pocket with lid •OEM Trunk Light Kit •OEM Center Gauge Pod •Autometer Phantom Boost Gauge #5703 Audio: •Alpine CDA-9856 •Alpine SPR-17LS 6 ½ Type R Components (Front) •Optima Red Top •KnuKonceptz wiring
Latest addition! My camera sucks and I don't have great photoshop skills, so this is the outcome! :lol: But these seats are awesome!! I swapped the drivers seat on to my RS rails and now it sits perfect!
I think in most states as long as the motor is newer than the chassis and has all the required smog devices, you can get a pass from the emissions referee. Nice car. Like the interior.
Thanks for the compliments! I'll be at the Subaru Challenge on the 17th. I won't be autoxing this time, but the car will be in the car corral.
damnit....now I'm not the only 99 RS on the site..... but, it looks DAMN good man!!! Where did you pick up the V6 grille from??
Thanks! Wish I was autoxing, but I have no helmet (will be ordered soon though). And the swap is so new I want to make sure there are no bugs in the system!
I'll get some better pics of the V7's this weekend. The V7's are a much better seat. The bolstering is much better. They actually hold you in place! JDM Version 7's 04 USDM STi's
Newest part: WC Lathe Werks White Acetal Copolymer 2" Sphere Shift knob w/2" extension! Chris @ WC Lathe Werks makes an awesome shift knob! They are really an impressive piece of craftsmanship! If you are interested in what he can do check out this thread: WC Lathe Werks Thread @ NASIOC. I absolutely love this shift knob! It brings the knob much closer to the steering wheel. Pics: I wrapped the aluminum extension with black vinyl. This is a comparison between my old STi Duracon knob and the new WC Lathe Werks knob.
It would be my first autox, so I don't know how much action you would see! However there might be a lot of cone crushing action! hnoes: I just might change my registration. I've got a few days to think about it, right?
Quick update: About a month ago I started having overheating problems with my swap. I discovered it was caused by a blown headgasket. So I pulled the motor and began tearing it down. When I pulled the intake manifold off I found that the head had been polished! :coolugh: The pics didn't come out great, but here are pics of the polished intake ports. I replaced the headgaskets, cam seals, crank seal, water pump, downpipe gasket, uppipe gasket, intake manifold gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets (grimmspeed), valve cover gaskets, and spark plug seals. Couple of pics of the motor on the stand. Almost back together! I finished putting the motor back together last weekend and it now runs better than ever!! Hope I'll get to show it off to wrxatlanta members some time in the near future!