DarkOnion's 1997 Impreza L
 

Hey all. I finally decided to start a thread on my ongoing project and first car... my Impreza L coupe. Lots of updates to come.

1997 Impreza L Coupe (AT)

[img]http://www.kimete.com/darkonion/images/gst_subaru_day_25m.jpg[/img]

A brief history of the L.

~1997-1998 Aunt buys the L from Stevens Creek Subaru in San Jose, California. Used it as a daily driver and a car to take to Tahoe on many occasions.

~2000-2002 Aunt goes to graduate school in Ithaca, NY. Roadtrips car and all her stuff there and back.

~2002 Gets a job. Sells the L to my dad with $1000 discount on the condition that the car would be given to me. Dad uses it as a daily driver.

~2004 18 years old and finally got my license, I more or less inherit the car to drive places after school.

~2004-2005 I start school at UC Davis and dad uses the car to go to work.

Summer 2005 I decide to use the car in Davis and is now my own personal car. I really inherit the car this time.

Winter 2006 I install my first mod like the noob I am. I buy an Ebay short ram intake. Fitment sucks. Coupler don't fit... blah blah blah. Ended up using duct tape to hold the airflow sensor to the short ram. I lie to you not. See picture...

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/iclub/intakeduct.jpg[/img]

April 2006 Joined I-Club and went to first Subaru meet in Davis, CA. It just happened to be down the street 1.5 blocks.

Next mod: I bought Borla headers from a member on I-Club that sold his OBS wagon. He threw in a free Ebay strut tower brace and coilover sleeves. Eventually had the headers sit in a corner and yeah. The brace, however, was easy enough to get on.

Summer 2006, before Mt. Hammy: I was at work (Davis, CA) and I saw a set of Rota Subzero's and tires on sale on Craigslist for $225. WOW!! I emailed him and then asked my friend in Fremont to pick them up for me. I had to borrow money from his mom because my brothers and sisters were too lame to help me out. Anyways... 3 good wheels, 3 good tires, and one cracked wheel and one uneven worn tire for $225. Not too bad. Went to SubyDude where I bought the last Subzero in GunMetal from the sh!t pile and a bunch of lugs. Thanks Davon and SD. Eventually had to buy new tires. Davon recommended I get my tires mounted and balance at AI and yeah. The wheels came on. That was that. My parents hated the color though.

[img]http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v33/151/124/3203798/n3203798_31327533_340.jpg[/img]

After Hammy 2006: I started looking for an exhaust. Talked a bunch with Rau about how to get a WRX exhaust to fit on an L. Considered a few STi catbacks, but none really worked out. Eventually, I saw the JGT500 for the WRX being sold by GilTSuby. Only 300 miles or something. I dropped him a PM and after talking to him, we negotiated that if he didn't sell his catback by the end of the week, I would pick it up for a little less than his asking price. At the time, I was in Davis taking summer classes. That weekend, I drove back and eventually picked it up from him. (Quick note: Tony (aka GilTSuby) has made a bunch of Subaru avatars. He is willing to make a custom one for you for a small donation.) Like most Subaru enthusiasts, we ended up talking and sharing stories of all types. You know... things like why Stevens Creek Subaru sucks and the likes. The exhaust ended up sitting in my garage for awhile (4 weeks) while... (see next part)

End of summer 2006: For all you peeps who don't know, GC's have this small problem where seals on the engine... well... they go bad. Pretty much, the seals deteriorate and the engine starts leaking fluids. Silicone seals. Just like breast implants: after 10 years or so, you got to get them replaced. The engine leaks fluids. Those fluids drip down onto the headers and yeah... You get a burning smell and lots of smoke under your hood. After awhile, had the family fix that and also had him replace my dirty stock headers with my the clean Borla Headers. 3 months or something, and the headers are finally being used. I eventually got a keyless entry/alarm at Circuit City. That sh!t actually helps with insurance. I ran it through their calculator thing and every six months, I save a total of $180. Anyways... I saw Jeff (stg2lgcy) post up a place that did his midpipe and downpipe for his swapped GC. Performance Muffler, down the street from MPJ/SpeedElement. I decided to go with them. Called them up, and brought my car in. They quoted me what it would cost to make the JGT500 fit onto my L. Made an appointment for the next day and the rest is history.

Pre-Catback:

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/iclub/oldcatback.jpg[/img]

New Catback: (note: It took me forever to get the silencer out for the first time. Not as hard now, but still a pain in the rear.)

[img]http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v40/151/124/3203798/n3203798_31651127_5252.jpg[/img]

~August 2006: I eventually buy Rota centercaps, a Perrin lightweight pulley, and Endlinks from Zoeb when he parted out his WRX. I remember now, this was right before HIN Nightshift in SF. Sometime in August 2006. Yeah. Had my mechanic put my pulley in and do a few other things and yeah. The pulley was probably one of the more useful mods I've done. Thanks to Zoeb for selling me his stuff hella cheap.

October 2006: The first Install Fest at my place. Walter (Rau) sold and helped me install a 19mm WRX front and a JDM 20mm rear sway bar. I'll have to find some more pics. The main event of the day was: how many Subaru peeps does it take to install a heatshield and intake filter on a 350Z? The answer is 8. Anyways... got those sway bars and the endlinks from Zoeb onto the L. Definitely an improvement. I also learned how to change my oil that day. Thanks to everyone for coming.

[img]http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v50/151/124/3203798/n3203798_32095271_6712.jpg[/img]

December 2006: After finals for Fall 2006, I was home in Fremont. The week prior, I met Varun (rikshaman) at the Davis meet. He was kind enough to tip me off on car that gotten t-boned that was at an auto-recycler in San Jose. I called up Karlton (xtremeyolks), Mike (skyliner35gtrx), and Benny (chishifu) and we decided to go to treasure hunting at the junkyard. Once we got to the recycler, Karlton and I was lead to the back where we saw a WRB colored GC. In fact, it was 2.2l L coupe with an AT. When we saw the side, we were about to cry. Anyways, we took a look around the car to see what else was left. Varun already got a lot of stuff off that car. The owner said that he has had trouble selling the CF hood for $250 and that he would let it go at $200. What a deal!! I took it. Anyways... the trick was getting it back home. What we ended up doing was pulling off the vents and strapping it to the top of my L. Mike had some rope and yeah. Apparently, we didn't strap it down to well, so for like half the trip, Karlton and I had our hands out the window holding it down for like half the trip. Yup. Anyways, I eventually get it on a few days later.

[img]https://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o30/chishifu/12-18%20Subie%20Guys/121806_1641.jpg[/img]

Before:

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/iclub/prehood.jpg[/img]

After:

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/iclub/cfhood.jpg[/img]

Early March 2007 - I got my Corbeau TRS seat from a fellow member here on I-Club. Rob (stratos) sympathized for me being a poor college student and was nice enough to give me a discount on the seat as well as meeting me half-way between Petaluma and Davis. Here is my review more of less of the seat. Not really a racing seat, but definitely better than my stocks. It is actually more comfortable. The seat definitely helps. It holds me a lot better than my stocks. Thanks Rob.

[img]http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v66/151/124/3203798/n3203798_33141493_9091.jpg[/img]

The journey continues. Scroll down to post #14.

_______________________________________

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lol good start bro ;) I'm looking forward to the rest of your story!

Haha. Sounds fair enough. I think you know most of it already. A few mods here and there. A few installs here and there. A few failed ones. A dyno day where, according to Rau, my car produced 37whp and 124w ft-lbs. on the GST dyno... and yeah.

My website with all kinds of Subie related items.

[url]www.darkonion.com[/url]

u have a website?haha

Yup.

Built it myself. My mom asked me to build a site for her business. Yeah. I think my site looks really hot. You should tell Greg and Mike that they should hook me up, because the GST logo is sitting on prime e-estate.

Greatest story evar.

Yeah... I am working on it. You know something... Elliot and Kevin picked up my wheels. :p

On multiple occasions. Haha.

ur subzeros?

Yeah. Elliot and Kevin picked those up the first time because I was in Davis. I actually had to borrow money from Kevin's mom. Haha.

Earlier this year, I got the cracked wheel and Kevin picked up a Royal GunMetal Subzero from SD, because I couldn't get back into town because of a late afternoon class. Yeah.

lol... you borrowed money from kevin's mom? :P

Yeah. My brother and sister were too lame to run money over to Kevin and yeah...

you say and yeah alot

and yeah...

Haha. I'll clean up the thingy above a little later.

March 2007 - I had an Install Fest at my dad's place in Fremont. The plan was to do a drum to disc conversion on the L. I guess the story starts even before the install fest. I had a heck of a time trying to find hubs and rear brakes and rotors. I went to the junkyard in Rancho Cordova and the recycler said that they wanted $300 for the whole set. I was like... no thank you. Since the event was already planned, I had about a week or two to find some hubs. I was able to get the rear brakes and rotors from theScoobyMedic for $20. I remember him telling me that his parents told him to get rid of his "sh!t" in their garage and that was pretty much that. My parents are like that, too. Anyways, back to the hubs. I had a ton of trouble really finding something. Anyways, a fellow member, bugeye, was kind enough to contact me the week before the install fest, and notified me that he had hubs. That day, I drove up to his work and picked up the hubs. He did tell me that he couldn't guarantee one of the hubs, but said that if I had any problems that he'll try to get me another one. When I arrived, he had the hubs ready to go. He actually gave me a few other items. He gave pretty much the whole rear assembly for the hub. Both the brakes and hubs and parking lines. Eric (Daios) convinced me to drop SS brakelines onto the L at the same time. He just happened to be trying to get rid of some new SS lines. He gave me a deal and I picked those up from him. The week prior, Karlton (xtremeyolks) and I pulled off the Borla headers. There were two cracks/holes in them and I kind of wanted to sell it while it has some value since it won't port over after the swap. Anyways, since there was a crack, I ended up selling it to Karl (kitsune) for really cheap.

Install Fest came by and boy did we have a "fun" time. We encountered a ton of problems. Getting the basic stuff wasn't that bad. We were able to get most of the items off with the exception the trailing arm bolt. I think it was the trailing arm bolt. The thing was that my L, that bolt was in there with a rubber bushing, so we couldn't really get that sucker off with leverage. Eventually, Sam (mulcibre) came by with an impact wrench/air compressor (after finding out it was out of oil and making a stop at Home Depot) and Gagan (joltudeuc) spent about 3 straight minutes bursting on the impact wrench to finally get those stupid bolts off. That wasn't the last of it though. After proceeding and getting the parking brake lines on, we found that the rear passenger side hub was being stupid. We weren't able to get the rotor onto the hub. You think that was bad. It became worse than that. One of the wheel studs was all screwed up and we couldn't get the lug to fit on it either. I would have to run on 4 lugs!! As for the rear driver side. That went on smooth. This other side though. That was hell. We ended deciding that we'll just get the rotor on buy taking out some parking brake adjuster thingy and just trying to get it on all four wheels. After that, called it a night.

The next day, I more or less learned how to bleed brakes. Did some research on the web and just did it. It didn't really work out the first time so I had to jack it back up and do it right the second time. Anyways... that was that. I had a car that was running 4 lugs on one corner, without a parking brake, and unsure if I bled the brakes correctly. Yay. Not exactly a car that my parents felt that I should be driving to Davis from Fremont. Dad made me leave the car home and to get it fixed when I came back. Anyways... my baby sat there in the garage for two weeks.

Before I continue the disc brake story, I would like to give credit where it is due. Thank you to Greg (Roo) for supervising. Thanks to Sam (mulcibre), Eric (Daios), Karl (Kitsune), and everyone that helped out. Really appreciate it.

Parts and Tools

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/rearhubs/partstools.jpg[/img]

Us peeps working

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/rearhubs/peeps.jpg[/img]

The Hellish Side

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/rearhubs/hellishside.jpg[/img]

The car finally back on all fours wheels

[img]http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v66/151/124/3203798/n3203798_33221232_4703.jpg[/img]

Back to the story. The car would sitting in the garage for 2 weeks. When I got back to Davis that night, I sent out PM's to GST and MPJ/SpeedElement to see if someone had an opening to "clean" up my mess. Eventually, I planned an appointment with Mike at GST and had my dad drive my car to the shop in Hayward to drop it off on a Wednesday. I pretty much called both shops and chose the one that had the earliest opening to fix my car. Those guys pretty much took care of everything. The adjuster thing, the leaking brake line (at least I thought it was leaking), SS lines for the front, the two bad wheel studs, and a full brake fluid flush. The next day, a day which I didn't have any classes, I took the shuttle from UC Davis to Cal, and then BARTed (subway/train thing in SF Bay Area) into Hayward from Berkeley. Greg at GST kindly offered to give me a lift from the station to the shop where I picked up the car. Two weeks without my car and I finally got her back. Yay. Big thanks to Mike, Greg, and the rest of the GST crew.

April 2007

I attended my first Auto-X at Monster Park in San Francisco. The guys dragged me into it. I've heard a lot of great things about Auto-X from the Subie peeps here in Davis. Mike (Skyliner35GTRx), Benny (ChiShiFu), and Karlton (xtremeyolks) talked me into participating. Gagan (joltdudeuc) sponsored me for the event and even loaned me his loaner helmet. Thanks. Anyways...

edit (added more names): I have an addiction now. And I blame it all on you people. And... all you other auto-x'ers I didn't mention yet. Rob (stratos), Kevin (Kevin M), other Rob (2cam16), Glen (glenspen), and anyone else i forgot. Thank a lot, y'all. I hope Karma bites you in the ( )( ) and let's my 37whp L post better times than y'all. :p

[img]http://www.kimete.com/darkonion/galleries/070429/images/IMG_1429.jpg[/img]

[URL="http://www.kimete.com/darkonion/galleries/070429/"]More Pictures from my first Auto-X[/URL]

That's pretty much up to date as of June 7th, 2007.

Next mods: Suspension and Summer Tires. Those will be coming soon... I hope.

Nice front brakes! ;)

OMG. I totally forgot to put that.

I am not sure when I swapped front brakes with Kevin M. Must have been somewhere in between my wheels and the hood. I want to say it was near the time I got my headers and exhaust on. Anyways, Kevin M needed L brakes so he wouldn't get bumped up a class for his wagon, and I decided to swap mine for the upgraded 2.5RS brakes that came on his OBS wagon. Pulled up to his dad's place in Vacaville where he more or less swapped brakes in under an hour. Wow!! So... that's really that. L to 2.5RS front brakes. Thanks Kevin.

edit (added 11-06-07): I should mention that my brakes, both front and rear bumped me up in class. I should probably be higher up, but I found a nice spot in STX. Still out-classed, but still learning how to drive. Not too worried about being petitioned. You can't really petition the slowest guy. Hehe.

Another comment about the catback. I usually leave the silencer in. It is kind of loud and I am sure it is fine for daily driving. No need to have all that noise. I use to have the Borla headers on, but decided to sell those. I'd tell ya, it sounded hella loud and hella mean with the combination of the two.

great job kev, looks like things are coming along nicely!

-albert from MSJHS

great job man, looking forward to reading more about this "L"

[QUOTE=KronikInsomniaK;1885496]great job kev, looks like things are coming along nicely!

-albert from MSJHS[/QUOTE]

Thanks. It is definitely coming along. I've pretty much come to the most expensive parts prior to swap. I was thinking about a coilover set-up and a set of summer wheels and tires, for track days and mountain runs and what not. :p

Kind of sucks that there are only a few entry-level coilover applications for the GC's. As for the wheels and tires, typical 5x100 bolt pattern. The only problem I'll run into is that anything bigger than and even in some cases, 225's, will rub. If I remember correctly, Kevin M said that only the rear fenders need to be rolled, but I guess my mileage will vary.

[QUOTE=turbo_4_life;1885508]great job man, looking forward to reading more about this "L"[/QUOTE]

Definitely. I always appreciate the comments and well wishes.

Just got a second set of wheels. Rota SubZero's in chocolate bronze. Going to use that as my auto-x set. As soon as I kill the tires, I'll put on RT-615's or RE-01R's, or something. I'll add pics later.


edit: My brother helped me get my wheels on. Gonna get some pics up later.

~June 2007: Added a second set of wheels to my arsenal. I got Rota Subzero's that were painted in chocolate bronze. I believe the wheels are 17x7.5. They are running on Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3 (215/45/17). Here is a picture with the wheels.

[img]http://photos-798.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v81/151/124/3203798/n3203798_34599991_3846.jpg[/img]

What mudflaps are those?

One word. STOCK!!

Got some new toys on the way. Won't tell you guys what. You'll have to find out the hard way... :p

^ I'm like an excited little kid before xmas...










NOT!! jk so what did you pick up for the chick magnet?
Maybe a puszy magnet?

I won't say until I get it on. Should be here within the next week.

[QUOTE=darkonion;1907667]I won't say until I get it on. Should be here within the next week.[/QUOTE]

Ha kev said "get it on" . funny guy! ANyways can't wait for the up and coming saga of the DarkOnion Impreza. :D

lol pics! i got something going up on mine this friday so check mine out then kev ;)

[QUOTE=wrxtunerd;1907703]lol pics! i got something going up on mine this friday so check mine out then kev ;)[/QUOTE]

Will do.

[QUOTE=darkonion;1895991]Just got a second set of wheels. Rota SubZero's in chocolate bronze. Going to use that as my auto-x set. As soon as I kill the tires, I'll put on RT-615's or RE-01R's, or something. I'll add pics later.


edit: My brother helped me get my wheels on. Gonna get some pics up later.

~June 2007: Added a second set of wheels to my arsenal. I got Rota Subzero's that were painted in chocolate bronze. I believe the wheels are 17x7.5. They are running on Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3 (215/45/17). Here is a picture with the wheels.

[img]http://photos-798.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v81/151/124/3203798/n3203798_34599991_3846.jpg[/img][/QUOTE]

Looks like a nice project you have there. I have a set of WRX wheels/tires for sale if your interested in a cheap set of track day wheels. Let me know.
AJ.:RockOn - not mine:

Haha. Thanks for the offer, but the set that is on now, that's my second set. Trying to kill those tires so I can get a nice set for auto-x. :p

what tires are you going to go with?

Not at the moment, because these tires have a ton of thread left. I was thinking the Bridgestone RE-01R. I think TireRack has an overstock on the 225/45/17 and are selling for $125 each. On top of that, Bridgestone has this mail-in rebate for SCCA members for $100.

y0...

Hooters meet...

CD...

Erin vs. Zoey's car pr0n...

see ya there!

Haha. Okay.

updates?

Not happening this weekend. :(

Part not at the shop. Will come on Tuesday.

[QUOTE=darkonion;1911713]Not happening this weekend. :(

Part not at the shop. Will come on Tuesday.[/QUOTE]
Uh oh. Will Kevin kill all of us in STX with the new mods ? :D

Probably not. Still too slow... :p I have like no power mods and essentially stock suspension. Just want to close the 5 second gap between me and the next guy. Yup.

Got my new toys. 40% complete. Gonna finish the rest after class.

100% Complete

+1 for roomies, high school classmates, Kevin M, and Kistune

Stance Coilovers. Yup. Dropped the front and rear. Looks hella nice right now. Rides a little stiff though. Still need to mess with the dampening and have an alignment done.

Spring Rates:

F: 8K
R: 6K

Pics!!

Before
[img]http://www.kimete.com/pics/beforestance.jpg[/img]

After
[img]http://www.kimete.com/pics/stance1.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.kimete.com/pics/stance2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.kimete.com/pics/stance3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.kimete.com/pics/stance4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.kimete.com/pics/stance5.jpg[/img]

Pics or shens! :lol:

only one seat upgraded?

Only could afford one. :p Actually, the guy I got it off, he only had one and I got it for a really good deal. Thanks Rob (stratos) for the seat and accessories!!

[QUOTE=Kevin M;1917980]Pics or shens! :lol:[/QUOTE]

Keep your pants on!! :p Don't worry... I am getting there. I'll post it after the debut at SFR SCCA on Sunday. Haha.

[QUOTE=darkonion;1917999]Only could afford one. :p Actually, the guy I got it off, he only had one and I got it for a really good deal. Thanks Rob (stratos) for the seat and accessories!![/QUOTE]

I've been thinking about getting a set of 04 STi BBS wheels that way, I see them every now and then for cheep if you want to get them one at a time.

Do you have any pics since you modded your front fender?

Haven't modded the front fender.

See post #40.

I took the car into AI to be aligned, but we came across a little problem. It seems that the trailing arm is bent. I have the alignment spec sheet in front of me and according to Orlando, the Toe on the rear right wheel maxes out at -0.5 and that he can't zero it out. He thinks that the trailing arm is bent and that I should get that fixed instead of doing alignment now and having it done again later. Yeah... I guess I need to find a rear trailing arm and have that taken care of.

Judging from the pics you have a little too much rake. You should drop the rear and/or raise the front a smidge IMO.

Agreed. I'll have to do that later though. Back in the bay at the moment. All my junk is in Davis.

[QUOTE=darkonion;1917975]100% Complete

+1 for roomies, high school classmates, Kevin M, and [B]Kitsune[/B][/QUOTE]

Fixed. No prob dude! Looks clean.

Karl

I am going to see if I can get some help raising the front a little. I don't really like the look of the car leaning forward. Looks a little too much like a drag racing car. Anyone willing to lend me a hand. Should be pretty easy. I think it should be pretty easy anyways.

[QUOTE=darkonion;1919564]I am going to see if I can get some help raising the front a little. I don't really like the look of the car leaning forward. Looks a little too much like a drag racing car. Anyone willing to lend me a hand. Should be pretty easy. I think it should be pretty easy anyways.[/QUOTE]

Nah it looks good leave it.

I don't think raising it another half an inch will hurt. It is just that drag racing look that I don't really like. But it does look pretty decent.

When I lowered the car after installing the front coilovers, I was like... damn!!

I would like to run it a little less stiff though. It is still kind of rough even though the front and rears are still set to 4/15. Looking for something a little more comfortable at the moment.

Looks good, Kevin. Let's see how she runs on Sunday. :)

Yeah. Totally. The only thing I am unhappy about is the ride comfort. I knew that it would be more uncomfortable, but not this uncomfortable. It is sooooo stiff right now on the streets. We'll have to see.

[QUOTE=darkonion;1919795]Yeah. Totally. The only thing I am unhappy about is the ride comfort. I knew that it would be more uncomfortable, but not this uncomfortable. It is sooooo stiff right now on the streets. We'll have to see.[/QUOTE]


Yeah Kev, I did a similar thing as you. One of my first suspension upgrades was Cusco Zero 2r's, and though it handles really nicely and looked good, it was way to much in terms of a daily driver. It simply was too stiff for me. I eventually got rid of them and went through several spring strut combo's. I feel like with all the trial and errors over time I could have bought Ohlins fixed perch struts! I finally landed on AGX's on Swift springs. I'm pretty happy with it. Eventually when the AGX's are all worn out, I would like to get a different set of affordable struts, perhaps one step up from the AGX's. Maybe the Tokico d-specs. What I have now works well as a daily driver and no dreaded clunking and has a stance I'm happy with. NOt saying you should go the same route, especially since you started autocrossing, just sharing my experience, for what it's worth :D

~gus

Yeah. I still have to tweak the set-up a little. I still want to raise the front a little and want to turn the dampening down again on all four corners. We'll still have to see. I can always get lower spring rates if things don't work out. I tell ya though, these coilovers really stick though. Hopefully will get a chance to see how they really handle. I think the downside is that the dampening knob is on the bottom side of the assembly, which may be a little troublesome to get to.

hey kevin, henry from mach iii here

what dampening did you set it to right now? and what tires are you running? judging by your pics, you need to raise the front quite a bit if you want to make sure you dont have understeer characteristics. try to measure the rideheight by the bottom chassis rail for front and rear. Remember, our suspension design does not like "slammed" look unless you have a huge roll adjuster spacer in there. that should effect the ride quality as well. From my experience, my GR+ rides just like the stock sti suspension. so just trying to see what else you have done. As for the adustment being on the bottom, i do agree that it's a bit troublesome, but what i do is just keep an 8mm deep socket in my glove and use that to adjust. Makes things much easier! Hope you're having fun and make sure you break it in before you go crazy on it!

[QUOTE=adizon;1919890]Yeah Kev, I did a similar thing as you. One of my first suspension upgrades was Cusco Zero 2r's, and though it handles really nicely and looked good, it was way to much in terms of a daily driver. It simply was too stiff for me. I eventually got rid of them and went through several spring strut combo's. I feel like with all the trial and errors over time I could have bought Ohlins fixed perch struts! I finally landed on AGX's on Swift springs. I'm pretty happy with it. Eventually when the AGX's are all worn out, I would like to get a different set of affordable struts, perhaps one step up from the AGX's. Maybe the Tokico d-specs. What I have now works well as a daily driver and no dreaded clunking and has a stance I'm happy with. NOt saying you should go the same route, especially since you started autocrossing, just sharing my experience, for what it's worth :D

~gus[/QUOTE]

WASSUPS GUS!!! it's henry. how you been man?? i think if you want something nice, but not going too stiff, you can actually get these custom ordered to some lower spring rates so that it'll ride like the agx with springs, but you wont have to worry about the shock quality or noise from coilovers!

Hey Henry. You are right. I haven't messed with the ride height yet. I am planning to do that during the week, since I am in the bay for the weekend. I'll definitely try to break them in before I go too crazy. With any suspension set-up, there are pro's and con's with where the dampening knob is located. It is a pain in the rear if you have to pull the seat or get under car, so there isn't really much of a reason to complain. I'll probably crank it two notches down when I get back to Davis. I figure if I auto-x, I'll crank those suckers up before my run. It'll be fun.

i just wanna make sure you dont get discouraged you know? but yeah, after you get everything set, this is what you should do NEXT!!!

[IMG]http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b117/dunnojack/hellaflush.jpg[/IMG]

18x10 +25 BABY!!!!!

Haha. 245 in the future... when I have more power and get the fenders rolled or flared.

Oh... and money.

well, i think on the GC, you can do by 9's with a 40.... still gotta try on my friend's GC8

well, you know i'll take care of I-club members. No worries!

Haha. I can't even fit anything bigger than 225's right now. Haha. Saw a wide body GC8 at HIN that was hot. Want to do that!! Need to be able to fit big, fat tires. Yup.

Here it is.

[img]http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v46/151/124/3203798/n3203798_31796025_601.jpg[/img]

Next Up:

Pads, rotors, 4 pots, or something

Then in the near future, a swap.

should do new front bumper, headlights/corners
swap

looks really nice with the drop, love those wheels

I like my bumper. Everyone else already has the more "aggressive" style front fender. I think my bumper kind of looks like the R34 front. I dunno. Anyways... as for the wheels, those are Rota Subzero's. I actually have two sets. One set is my all-season set (Gun Metal), and the set I currently have on is the chocolate bronze that the former owner painted. That set is running the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3 tires or something.

Went auto-crossing in Stockton today. That was fun. Haha. Suspension was awesome. The ride wasn't too bad. It is definitely bumpy, but I don't really mind that much. I can't wait until the next event.

Unlike my stock suspension, when in a turn where I poke at the gas, instead of being all smooth like the stock suspension, the coilovers make it really noticeable. I think next time, I'll just leave my foot on the gas and see what happens. During most of the runs, I was actually sliding all over the place. Haha. It could be the tires, or the suspension, or me being a noob at auto-x'ing. Really looking forward to the next event when I can test it.

An Update:

I went to GST today and those guys are really awesome. As for the trailing arm thing, they took a look at it and they couldn't find anything wrong. Still not sure though. It's all cool. +1 for them though.

Anyways... Mike... don't look at me... my car isn't for sale....



yet... :p

you flagged my gf and I to cross as you drove into xing lao lao...

Haha. Yeah... Don't remember who, but yeah...

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really digging your gc8.. great story, had a good time reading it..


keep us updated when you get the swap :)

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Thanks for the pics, Aaron. Looks hella hot.

Yeah... so, I kind of need to figure out what I really need to do in terms of the right wheel. Like some of you guys might know, my toe on that wheel maxes out at -.5 degrees or something and it won't go anymore toward zero. My options are:

Replace the hub and hope that fixes it.
Get Lateral links and that will probably tweak it to zero.
Or leave it and get it aligned as is.

Got to figure out what is going to work the best.

A new pic.

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/july2007.jpg[/img]

Anyways. I went auto-x'ing this weekend at Oakland. My first run, I did pretty decent. On my second and third run, I spun out. More or less at the same place. I think that the weight distribution in the front is causing a little bit of it. I think the car tends to oversteer. It is that, or I am still learning the suspension. Going through the tight corners in the beginning was great, but the fast turns at the end of the course is where the ride was starting to loose it. Definitely something I'll be need to tweak.

just out of curiosity, what tires are you running? It was cool choppin' it up with you tonight. You should come out to Sac Raceway on Wed night and drag it out with me...

Would love to, but a take-home final is due Thursday. Grr. School sucks.

I am running 215/45/17's. I'll need to have the fenders rolled. After that, I should fit 225/235's pretty easily.

dude kev your car looks sweet now!!

Thanks Danyo. I try my best. A little bit at a time. I still need to figure out how to reclearcoat the hood and it'll look even better. It is really coming along.

Two pics from Auto-X in Oakland on Sunday.

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/13IMG_7984.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/13IMG_7985.jpg[/img]

I just did my oil change today. I also did a height adjustment on the coilovers. I know we all loved that slammed look, but it wasn't really practical. I raised the front a little, and now it has a slight gap in between the wheel and the wheel well. Hopefully, that'll run a lot better.

Come test it out at Marina on Sunday :)

I'll be at Marina... I think.

13 STX-N - White Impreza

Take pics, yo.

what color are your wheels my good man, dark bronze?

Close. My first set is GunMetal. My second set is chocolate bronze. That set was painted by the previous owner. Those are the ones that are on right now.

Saturday meet in Seaside if y'all are interested...

Another picture at Oakland.

[img]http://www.kimete.com/subaru/oakland.jpg[/img]

So here is the gameplan for the car.

Fix the rear right wheel (can't toe past -.50)
Refinish Hood & Fix hood
Front and Rear Brake Pads and Rotors

Yeah... lotsa money.

how do you plan on fixing the RR wheel?

[QUOTE=darkonion;1947677]So here is the gameplan for the car.

Fix the rear right wheel (can't toe past -.50)
Refinish Hood & Fix hood
Front and Rear Brake Pads and Rotors

Yeah... lotsa money.[/QUOTE]

lolz... that's pocket change for a project car Kev. ;)

[QUOTE=Kevin M;1947867]lolz... that's pocket change for a project car Kev. ;)[/QUOTE]
that's hella true...

but then again he's an unemployed college student...the rules change in that situation...

I have a part time job, but still not a lot of money. According to Mike at GST, you can put adjustable rear lateral links and that should be able to tweak the toe a little bit. Hopefully, I can find something.

Looking good Kev!

Thanks. I got lots of help from a ton of people. Props to them.

Went auto-x'ing today. Car ran really well. It felt really good. I think the raising of the front was really helpful. Hopefully will have some pictures soon.

Added:

The event today went really well. With the new raised front, the car was definitely a little better. Even the drive down was a lot better. It is still a coilover set-up, so, it was still a bit stiff for the road, but as for the auto-x, it ran great. The rear was sliding out a little bit. Not much though. Still need to learn how to drive though. I think a little of it is that I am kind of afraid to let the rear slide out. All and all, it went well. The suspension really helped with slaloms. Good experience. I think I have to make better choices with when the car slides though. I guess it is nice that I am getting more comfortable with getting the tail out and sliding. It was a really fun course though.

[img]http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v112/151/124/3203798/n3203798_35249367_3024.jpg[/img]