amgarrety's 2003 USDM B4 - 12/24 Exhaust Question

[amgarrety]

A preface to my MR1: I am not an engine guy, therefore I don't plan on doing much with my engine in this car. I am all about how my car looks, and my goal is to make it stand out and turn some heads.

Here she is, my Subaru Legacy B4, also known as the "USDM B4":

Summer:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/9259268472_85493313a9_c-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/8542446165_4720cde007_c-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/9256489259_622e7fdc23_c-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/9259269814_92caf9893b_c-1.jpg

Winter:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/8542240791_73e7787968_c-2.jpg

Interior:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/8727439872_5b64b6cec8_c-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/8104192871_305511c81a_c-2.jpg

And how it looked on July 22, 2011 (within an hour of buying it):

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6528101979_3fda10bd98_z-2.jpg

From factory it is a Silver Stone Metallic 2003 Subaru Legacy L SE, chassis code BE.

I have a detailed excel spreadsheet with all of my current mods, and how much i've spent so far. Not my best idea :lol:

To date, i've spent $6,529.52 on the following mods:

Exterior
D-Type Turbo Hood
D-Type Front Bumper
D-Type B4 Headlights (wired to work properly)
D-Type Stock Grille
D-Type B4 Grille (spare grille)
Side Skirts
JDM Tinted Tail Lights
Chrome Marker Bulbs
OEM Spoiler
Complete Japanese Stock Badging
High Mount LED 3rd Brake Light
Hella Horns (3 Horn Setup)

Interior
JDM B4 Tinted Gauge Cluster
JDM Momo Steering Wheel (D-type with black metal ring)
Momo Shift Knob
Gauge Lighting (Blue)
HVAC Lighting (Blue)
Interior Lighting (Purple)
Painted (Metallic Charcoal) Radio/Fog Switch Bezel w/ Cup Holder
Broadway Rear View Mirror
Redline Goods Custom Shift Boot
Custom B4 Dead Pedal
WRX Seats ('02)
S401 Hazard Switch
JDM single-din pocket/button combination

Electrical
DRLs Disabled
Independent Fog Lights
USDM to BFM adapter (made by rkrenicki) (Awaiting Installation)
D-type Headlight Leveling Switch
GT/Outback Windshield Wiper Stalk
GT Courtesy Door Lights
Scangauge II ECU Monitor
1-stage unlock
Automatic up/down driver and passenger windows


Audio/Video
Pioneer Touchscreen Bluetooth Radio
Polk Speakers
GT Tweeters

Engine
B4 Hood Dampers
Grounding Kit
Lightweight Flywheel (Awaiting Installation)
"H4" Intake (Awaiting Installation)
Green Air Filter

Wheels
17" Prodrive P1 Rims with 215/45/17 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires (Summer)
16" Stock Snowflakes with 205/55/16 Tiger Paw Touring tires (Winter)

Suspension
Tokico HTS/D-Spec Adjustable Struts
H&R Wagon (Non-Outback) Springs

Brakes
Ceramic Brake Pads
Wearever (Advance Autoparts Brand) Rotors

Exhaust
Custom SR·S Catback Exhaust

Future Plans
Engine Swap
Custom interior trim upgrade
Rear wheel spacers
Window Tint (at some point, not urgent)
Japanese Rear Windshield (with wiper) (again, not urgent)

Past Modifications
Hella 500 Driving Lamps
GT Headlights
JDM HID Headlights
ZeroSports Eyelids
Silver JDM L7 Grille
Blue JDM L7 Grille
Red JDM L7 Grille
B4 Turbo Hood (A-C type)
OEM Mudflaps

[amgarrety]

A brief walk-through from July 22, 2011 to December 17, 2011

Day I bought her:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6528101979_3fda10bd98_z-1.jpg

First try with the Hella 500s:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6101573791_97f9117ca5_z-1.jpg

And got them right the second time:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6131551436_a282ffe13b_z-1.jpg

The new tail lights:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6528199751_5f4cbdcea6_z-2.jpg

New radio with new wood grain surround:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6332800141_5cf5d268f9_z-2.jpg

All interior lighting and gauge/hvac conversion:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6547187063_4eeb3a2de2_z-2.jpg

And my JDM Grille:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6528222785_c2e5016edc_z-2.jpg

As of this point in time, I have my JDM GT eyelids, and I just recently painted them. I am just waiting for my GT headlights, which should be here by December 22. I'll post an update when I get all that fun stuff installed.

[MRLancaster]

Love it! Cant wait to see the GT lights.

[amgarrety]

I rushed to get them so my car will look nice on Jan 7th :grin:

[chrish8r]

Glad you finally decided to make a build thread on here. Lol looking nice. Im not sure if ill be at the january 7th meet but we will see

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

I was wondering how you attached your hellas! lol

[Legacy89]

I'd like that install for a couple of lights. +3x on a license plate mount.

[amgarrety]

It took some trial and error but they dont shake at all, and the holes were already in the bottom of my bumper, so I didn't have to do any modifications to my car to make the mounts work. You just have to do some creative cutting to make sure you can tighten the bolts with a socket or straight wrench.

[Legacy89]

Have to look for those holes and see if they made it over here :P

[SativaMan04]

Awesome work so far. I really like your radio and of course the jdm parts!!

[amgarrety]

Got my headlights working and had a little photoshoot today!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6565573369_de4dfc6787_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6565576339_e78e6de058_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6565571565_ee49b01ec6_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6565578887_d2cd48bdf7_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6565579959_6e44f47da8_z-1.jpg

[chrish8r]

loving the headlights, that black outline really adds to the overall look

[MRLancaster]

Looks much better!!! Keep up the work

[STIdarkside]

Gt headlights look awesome. How hard was the swap in terms of wiring? Did you buy brand new oem gt headlihts? They look great!

[amgarrety]

Subaru no longer makes the headlights, but other companies make them to OE standards. That's what these are, brand new from a company named "Vision", but they are the same as the OEM lights in pretty much every single way.

The wiring was easy. The only thing that caused a problem was that a harness was needed to swap without cutting wires. The old harness and the lights both had 3 wires, one for hi beam, one for lo beam, and one to ground both lights. The old connector did not plug into the new connector though. Here's what they looked like:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6566164027_ff79e9f58f-1.jpg

The new connector is on the left and the old connector is on the right. As you can see, I just cut both connectors off. Other than the connectors, the only other difference was the color of the wires. All I did was test that out by hooking up the ground, and then testing each wire individually. Then I used heat shrink connectors from Radioshack to finish it all up. They work perfectly now. Here's what it looks like behind my light:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6566163297_606496dd83-1.jpg


*Note that some styles of lights are different. THESE (http://www.ebay.com/itm/00-04-SUBARU-OUTBACK-VISION-PAIR-OEM-STYLE-HEADLIGHTS-/250881416329?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A2003%7CMake%3ASubaru%7CModel%3ALegacy&vxp=mtr&hash=item3a69b29c89) lights are by the same exact company, the only difference being that they feature a chrome housing and a plug and play connector already on the light. Scroll down to see the connectors on the back.

[STIdarkside]

Do you have a link to the website for them? Googled it but had no luck finding "vision" headlights
Thanks

[amgarrety]

I just got them off eBay. They were $60 a piece with free shipping. All bulbs included. Just search for Subaru Legacy GT headlights, and if you want, search by price, low to high. I found mine around page 23 that way.

-edit-

Actually, I just remembered, the seller was AM Autoparts. I looked up the website and found this:
http://www.am-autoparts.com/Subaru/Lega ... 56602.html (http://www.am-autoparts.com/Subaru/Legacy/HeadLights/AM-13239309/356602.html)

Like I said, I bought mine off eBay, so I can't say for sure they are the same exact things, but I'd imagine it's a safe bet if they are from the same company. The only thing for me was I bought the left and right separately where as that is a pair.

[amgarrety]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6571026143_4f499b7018_b-1.jpg

Look at what my amazing girlfriend got me for Christmas :D Yes, that's a blue emblem there.

[MRLancaster]

Very nice!!! Never seen one wit the double grill or whatever you would call it. Cant wait to see it on the car

[amgarrety]

Yeah I don't know the story behind this grille. I've never seen a blue emblem or the double chrome lines. If anyone knows about it, I'd like to know. The fact that I've never seen one before makes me feel special.

[Yamazaki]

I'm fairly certain it's from a TX.

[amgarrety]

I'm fairly certain it's from a TX.

What is a TX? I've never heard of that model. And google only shows Texas Subaru dealers for me.

[Yamazaki]

Have you looked here (http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=17559)?

[amgarrety]

Forgot about that thread! I'm gonna have to research some more now. Thanks for the info.

[02_Legacy]

what is becoming of the old grill? :wink:

[amgarrety]

Haha I knew it wouldn't be long until someone asked that. Sadly, she is my baby so I can't give her up. I know Cervantes has a like one for sale though. I may end up switching the two out every once in a while so they both get equal love :smile:

[Yamazaki]

I looked through a bunch of sales ads and most of the TXs have the "regular" grille. Only a couple had that "double wing". I thought about it and remembered that the RS30 and GT30 grilles are double wing, but yours wouldn't fit them. Long story short - I don't really know for sure what that grille goes to.

Here are pictures of a couple TXs though:
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/2720/1001828a20111129w001051.jpg
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/7602/70003029872011083100100.jpg

[amgarrety]

I was actually kind of hoping to hear that. I've personally never seen it before. Anyway, here it is on my car now:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6576500157_3374033a71_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6576500933_7c67acaa40_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6576504589_5be62d569c_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6576503679_97e0ee6389_z-1.jpg

And side by side of new and old:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6576498705_e764f5e8ee_z-1.jpg

[STIdarkside]

The new grille looks good.

Did you keep the drl when you swapped headlights? Also do you know what the part number would be for the gt headlight harness? Was curious if it would be possible to switch from the L to GT lights without splicing wires.

Guess one could also add connectors to the existing L harness so that you could easily swap them

[amgarrety]

Yeah, I didn't do anything with my DRLs. I know they are different, but that didn't seem to affect anything.

And I'm almost certain there is a harness specifically for swapping from L to GT lights. I didn't find it at autozone, and Advance Autoparts said they had a certain harness in their computer that they didn't have in stock, hut they had no picture to verify anything. I was just impatient and spliced. I've been told there is definitely a harness out there. Some lights might even come with the harness.

[amgarrety]

Advance Autoparts did have the stock L connector to pigtail harness though. So if you do cut off the L connector and Need to replace it with a new one, they have it, although its blue with different colored wires. Aside from that, the plug itself if identical.

[Legacy89]

Im going to swap parts of my wiring harness for new wires in a while.
Also changing the connectors for Deutsch Connectors. Better than OEM quality and i have all the tools and connectors needed at work.

[amgarrety]

Are you making your connectors more 'universal' by adding standard connectors?

I thought about putting quick disconnects in so I could change lights without having to worry about cutting and re-crimping wires. I really should've done that. I might still go back and see if I can even do that with the lengths of wire I have.

[rougeben83]

If you don't want to splice the headlight harness, you can get some male plugs for the 9007 L sockets, then splice some H7/H1 female plugs in to make an adapter...takes more work but it would technically make the L-->GT conversion easily reversible.

Anyway, I like how you mounted the hella 500's. Good job! I was thinking of doing that when I had big driving lights, but parallel parking in the city would probably wreck them :(

[amgarrety]

Anyway, I like how you mounted the hella 500's. Good job! I was thinking of doing that when I had big driving lights, but parallel parking in the city would probably wreck them :(

Thanks! I know what you mean about parking in the city. My dad and I have already had a pair broken due to idiots getting too close while trying to park, even in parking lots. So im always careful when I park to make sure im pretty far from the spot in front of me. And I put on the covers every once in awhile just for piece of mind. I've had the fortune of not having to parallel park in a city yet.

[amgarrety]

Actually, funny story rougeben83, I just looked at your MR1 page and realized that your car is the car that gave me the idea to get driving lights in the first place. I also used it to brainstorm how I wanted to mount my Hellas. I have a few pictures of your car still saved on my computer from when I was studying your light setup. Take a look at one of my first attempts:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/12/6307877294_e611a43853_z-1.jpg

[Legacy89]

Main reason is that they blend in with OEM, easy to use and they are durable.
I work with Cat machines everyday and they mostly use Deutsch.
Genious for quick-connect driving ligths etc.

[amgarrety]

Just bought myself a spoiler and a SRS exhaust, so I'll provide updates as I get both of those things going.

Also, it looks like I might have to get a wheel bearing replaced, so we'll see how much that costs first.

[rougeben83]

the bearing is cheap, its having to have it pressed out of the hub that will be expensive if its the front. The rear bearings are bolted onto the control arm so its not so labor intensive.

[amgarrety]

Of course its the front. Thats my luck haha. I'm not even going to attempt it myself. We'll just see how much I get robbed for.

[amgarrety]

Ok, some small updates.

Its been a good week for my car.

First, and most importantly, I got that wheel bearing and hub replaced. $500, but hey, its fixed. Now im working on a few projects. I have a green BE spoiler in my possession. The only things wrong were a broken mounting bolt and the light was loose. It turns out some of the plastic on the light was broken, so I ordered and test fitted my new one. All I need to do is fix that hole so I can screw the light into it, and then bondo a bolt into where the other bolt was missing, paint the spoiler, and put it on. That should be pretty easy.

Then there is my exhaust. It's all ready to go, and with some luck, it should be on my car Tuesday. If not, it'll be on this coming weekend at the latest. It's just a deal of rotating those muffler hangers and fitting it to my current exhaust. Not a huge deal.

Smaller things: Im getting a Kartboy Short Shifter and new bushings tomorrow, and they'll probably be installed tomorrow too. I also am still waiting on a Momo steering wheel from Matty2Hotty, so as soon as that is here, its going on as well.

Last but not least, i've been working on a fun little project. Its a new revision of something that's been done a few times before and i'm only in the rough draft stage now, but as I progress, i'll be sure to provide details. Here's a rendering:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/01/6705498345_e7482ccd90_z-1.jpg

Does it look at all familiar? (https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=17673)
(Hint... Click that^^^^)

So, right now, the length and width dimensions are right. The height is far from right. We just guessed to get a rough mockup, and we'll do some measuring soon to get a proper rendering.

Basically, it's slightly redesigned to get rid of water. Air goes through the filter (which sits there at the top, on top of those little lips welded to the inner walls). That air immediately comes in contact with that curved metal piece in the back, which redirects the air toward the throttle body and catches the water, which runs down that curved metal toward the bottom. There is a small gap at the bottom of that curved piece of metal that allows the water to drip down and escape through some rubber tubing at the very back of the box.

There are definitely a few flaws we are trying to work out right now, and this design will undoubtedly change over time, but this is a fun little project for now. Of course, this means a hood scoop at some point in the future, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it :grin:

I'll update this thread with more pictures when my car begins to look different, i.e. later this week.

[Flyboy888]

LIKE!!

[SativaMan04]

Cool Grilles!! My JDM grille has the blue emblem, but not the double lines. You're car is looking sweet! Did you install your eyelids yet? I can't wait to see them! I really like the your interior lighting as well as the deck!! Are the interior lights on all the time or do you have the option of turning it off and on?

[amgarrety]

My eyelids are sitting in my trunk. They are all painted and what not but im torn on whether or not to install them. Since installing my GT lights, I really like the black lines. So I don't know yet what im doing with those yet haha.

And thanks! Yes, those interior lights have a little switch above my hood release latch so I can turn them off when needed. They really aren't overbearingly bright. Some people tend to get that impression but they are fine, and I can even dim them with the rest of my interior lights.

Also, yeah for blue emblems! We're special.

[SativaMan04]

LOL! You're blue emblem grille is better though haha!! I like the interior mod a lot. Was it hard to do? How much is the cost of the mod? I'd be interested in your eyelids if you're willing to part with them. ^_^ :smt117

[amgarrety]

My interior lighting wasn't hard at all. I just used LEDs and wired them into the light that illuminates the cigarette lighter. The price depends completely on the price of the LEDs + shipping. Everything else is super easy and you can do it all yourself in 30 minutes. The LEDs I have are million color, so naturally they are more expensive, but a single color like red, blue, or green can easily be picked up from Amazon for about $30. If you want a switch, you could get one of those at radio shack, and just run wire to it.

And the eyelids are the style pictured here:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/01/333785323_567-1.jpg

And I kind of want to go with this style:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/01/6716009541_7fc8e48827_z-1.jpg

But I haven't decided yet.

[SativaMan04]

I see I see!! Hmmm.... I'm going to have to do the light mod in the near future. As for the eyelids, I thought you had the lids like in the second pic. I definitely want that look as well!! Thanks Amgarrety!!

[amgarrety]

No big changes lately, I've been trying to save some cash for a trip to Spain during the first week of March. I did however get a JDM Momo steering wheel from Matty2Hotty. Im pretty sure it likes its new home.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6838798273_2085c77f58_b-1.jpg

Since I like to know as much about the parts I buy as possible, if someone could tell me the significance of the black metal ring around the Momo emblem, I'd appreciate it. I've seen silver on other JDM wheels, and I know the USDM Momos have no metal ring at all. Why the heck is mine black? Someone thought it was a JDM Legacy thing, but I've seen JDM Legacies with the silver ring. So... yeah.

And I have mudflaps now. Not Rally Armor, just the Subaru OEM flaps, but they get the job done. You can kinda see them here:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6838822621_f8e328eba7_b-1.jpg

And I have B4 hood dampers on their way. USPS tracking says they are in New York right now, but as soon as I get them, I'll take pictures. I know some people are excited to see them. I know I am!

What else... what else....

Oh! I filled my car with gas the other day. That was pretty fun.

Yep.

Ok, that's it for now.

[chrish8r]

Hood dampers are the best thing ever. No more prop rod!!!!

[amgarrety]

Hood dampers are the best thing ever. No more prop rod!!!!

I know! When I picked up the mudflaps from dplacencia, he showed me the dampers he had under his hood. I then realized how much I was missing out on. They look so much better.

[Tinobag]

Last but not least, i've been working on a fun little project. Its a new revision of something that's been done a few times before and i'm only in the rough draft stage now, but as I progress, i'll be sure to provide details. Here's a rendering:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/01/6705498345_e7482ccd90_z-1.jpg


No way. I'm working on the same thing!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/1png-1.jpg

[amgarrety]

Hahaha I think you're the third person I know of doing that in addition to me. We're all working on different designs though. Im glad im not the only one crazy enough to build it myself.

[Tinobag]

Well I switched up my design after reading the thread you linked to. I think it would be sweet to have a use for my hood scoop. I am a bit worried about water though. Even after everyone said it would be fine...

[amgarrety]

Yeah, I totally reworked my design because I didn't like my method for removing water. Im going to play around with different sizes of mesh and see if I can screen the water out that way.

Im more worried about saturating my filter than I am getting water in my engine.

[Kansei]

put the filter towards the front of the box run the piping around so you can run all your lines off of it and have the water drain out the back? i'll even draw up a design idea for you. all i have is ms paint though...

[amgarrety]

My other idea was to pass air through the filter, force it into a pipe that curved up just enough to catch water, then force it directly into the throttle body. If I really wanted to keep the filter dry, I could do that exact process and put the filter at the end. My only worry is going from a small diameter tube to a large area for the filter, then back to a small diameter tube... I feel like i'd be losing valuable potential air pressure. And if you think about it, that's exactly what the stock ram air is anyway. So I'd be getting really no benefit with that method. I think I have to go directly from the scoop, through the filter, then ram all that air into the throttle body in the shortest distance possible.

[GTDrifter]

cars coming along pretty nice

[Kansei]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/intakedesignpng-1.jpg
alright. the red is where the filter would go. the blue is where the water goes and the grey is the piping to the intake.
sorry for the shitty rendering...

[amgarrety]

@Harry - Thank you kind sir.

Kansei, thats actually not bad, I can see what's doing on. The only thing im afraid of there is creating air pockets. But I bet you that design could be manipulated slightly to be aerodynamic and still remove water. That rendering is actually very close to my first design. I have the filter on top and I have a curved metal wall to redirect air, but im sure if I just move the filter, it'll work just the same. But under that curved piece of metal, it was the same idea, a gentle slope down to remove water.

[Kansei]

what i was thinking but would have made WAAAAAAY too much be going on it that pic is to actually make vents like a mini blind sort of pushing the incoming air away from the filter when it first enters to work like an industrial air/water separator. rapid change in direction is how they all work unless you want to use a desiccant to remove moisture. that would be a little too in depth i think...

[amgarrety]

What kind of air/water separator are you talking about? The only thing that is coming to my mind is in terms of an air compressor, where the air is compressed at high temperature to create condensation and remove water, but thats obviously not possible in an automotive intake. Rapid direction change might work, but I just want to make sure that incoming air and deflected air aren't crossing paths, or that might disrupt pure air flow.

There might be a way to make the desiccant work. If you did 3 slightly offset layers of "mesh" silica gel, that would catch all the big drops. And that would allow the water to escape naturally via evaporation then. It would probably be fragile, but inexpensive to make.

[Kansei]

on the navy subs its all about heated desiccant and rapid change in direction. the desiccant is used in a tower but the accumulators work with rapid direction change. which you could make it in a dual chamber design with a slat pushing the air backwards with the filter on the underside. the idea behind this is like ram air where the way its caught is to create pressure in a sort of charged way similar to a supercharger. i'll draw that up too.

[Kansei]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/Untitled1png-1.jpg

same rules apply. red filter and light grey is the box. the dark gray is a plate thats supposed direct the airflow and keep it from disturbing airflow.

[amgarrety]

That actually may work. I'll have to draw that up in CAD this weekend.

You realize that if I add some fans to it, I essentially have a ram supercharger? I had thought about that option before, but rejected it because I thought the fan might become more of an obstacle for the air than an assist. However if I put the fan on a differential type device, so it can spin independent of it's mechanics, that would solve the problem. And if I could find a way to hook it up to my engine and speed up with my revs, I'd basically have a small supercharger.

That's a lot more work than I need to do, but it's an interesting idea to toy around with.

[amgarrety]

And my B4 hood dampers are here and installed!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6857454303_2edf04b014_b-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6857473809_8bb2553023_b-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6857472847_7b92b93e83_z-1.jpg

A super easy install, and it's much better than that prop, which was removed for this picture because Tanner had such a problem with it. :grin:

Now I just need something interesting under the hood.........

[02_Legacy]

Info on the hood dampers please? Where did you get them? Are they aftermarket or JDM, I see you have them listed as "B4 dampers"

[amgarrety]

I believe they are aftermarket. I don't know of any stock hood dampers. I got them from eBay. Here is a current listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0667629150 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&vxp=mtr&item=290667629150)

The set that is pictured is not the set you get. It is very similar but the mounting hardware is different. It came in a box marked "Autobahn88", and the website (http://www.autobahn88.com/english/) has the dampers listed too. They are technically "BH5" dampers, but they work perfectly.

[02_Legacy]

cool thanks for the link

[Yamazaki]

I really like those hood dampers too. I may have to add that to the list of things I'll be doing...
But "BH5", really? I wonder if autobahn88 honestly intends for them to only be on 2.0L wagons....

[04Legacy]

Now after seeing these pics i really really want to get these. Thanks for converting me Michael. :smt023

[MRLancaster]

^Agreed!

[amgarrety]

Yeah, I also wondered why someone would market these for the wagon. I'd expect them to be more popular among BE owners, but at least they fit both.

It'll look a lot better better with a more impressive engine. I don't have a lot to show under the hood, but I'm sure a Blitzen6 or even a WRX engine will make the hood dampers look like they really belong on the car.

I might do some accent color this summer so there is at least a little bit of something to look at.

I would say for the price, they are a pretty good deal. They feel like they are of a good quality, and they hold the OEM hood fine. They are nitrogen filled, and you can keep your hood partially open after a certain point. It doesn't hold the hood up quite as high as with the prop, but unless you hold the prop up, you really won't notice it. It's just the slightest bit lower. Im definitely happy with them.

[04Legacy]

If you ever have to do a wire tuck let me know im down to help. :wink:

[amgarrety]

Finally installed my SR·S exhaust! It took some custom work, as expected. It sounds absolutely godly, and that's even without UEL headers. I'll post a clip when I get the chance. Here are some pictures.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6887677985_0facb13db7_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6887673211_e60448f9ff_b-1.jpg

They got the muffler a little crooked :\ I'll fix that someday.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6887678981_d504a2f154_b-1.jpg

[amgarrety]

And in case you're wondering, yes, I agree, its massive. And I don't really like the look of it. Maybe someday I'll find a way to tuck the muffler and put a smaller outlet on.

[chrish8r]

It looks really good and i cant wait to hear it. I do agree a slight tuck would look nice

[GTDrifter]

yeah, if there was a cutout in the bumper for the exhaust it would cut down on the awkwardness but it still looks good.

[SativaMan04]

Nice hood dampers and Exhaust. What size piping did you go for? I can't wait to hear it.

[chrish8r]

yeah, if there was a cutout in the bumper for the exhaust it would cut down on the awkwardness but it still looks good.

^^^^^be a rebel, cut your own!!!

[amgarrety]

yeah, if there was a cutout in the bumper for the exhaust it would cut down on the awkwardness but it still looks good.

Yeah the bumper is what really screwed me over. I had to drop the muffler so it could fit under the bumper. If I had a cut out similar to the JDM Legacy, it might look better.

Also that is 3" piping. It is just what came with the exhaust. If I would've been able to get just the muffler, I would've done 2.5". Maybe someday, the muffler shop near me is really cheap.


Also, here is a really crappy video. It's raining and I didn't feel like screwing around with my mic for 15 minutes to make it sound good. The exhaust is felt more than it is heard. Its got a nice deep rumble and it sounds like a bass drop every time I press in my clutch haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyKfWCFPjDU

[GTDrifter]

love the reverse image lol confused me at first but it sounds pretty nice.

[SativaMan04]

yeah, if there was a cutout in the bumper for the exhaust it would cut down on the awkwardness but it still looks good.

Yeah the bumper is what really screwed me over. I had to drop the muffler so it could fit under the bumper. If I had a cut out similar to the JDM Legacy, it might look better.

Also that is 3" piping. It is just what came with the exhaust. If I would've been able to get just the muffler, I would've done 2.5". Maybe someday, the muffler shop near me is really cheap.


Also, here is a really crappy video. It's raining and I didn't feel like screwing around with my mic for 15 minutes to make it sound good. The exhaust is felt more than it is heard. Its got a nice deep rumble and it sounds like a bass drop every time I press in my clutch haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyKfWCFPjDU

It would look better with a cutout or tuck, but it still looks good. You're losing a lot of backpressure and low end torque with the 3" piping. Usually people with modded turbo cars have 3" piping. I did a custom 2.25 piping from my cats to the sti muffler. I gained power and torque in the whole power band, especially mid and high end. Basically it didnt feel restricted anymore.

How does it feel though? How do you like it? I'm sure highend is a lot smoother, but what about your low end?

[amgarrety]

Yeah, that was what I thought when I got it. 3" isn't really my thing, and there is no point in me having it on my car. I just let them do it because it was cheaper right now. I'll have them custom bend 2.25" or 2.5" maybe this summer. You can see from the last pic that they have no shortage of pipe.

To be honest, I just drove it home from the shop. I had some things I had to get done so I didn't get to have any real fun with it yet. I didn't notice any real difference on the home, but I didn't get over 4,000 rpm at all. I can tell you I love the sound, which was the main goal of getting this exhaust put on, so i'm definitely happy in that aspect. Maybe in a few days i'll be able to give you my true thoughts on how it affected my power. I can tell you without even testing it that i've lost some.

[chrish8r]

You gotta love miles....am i right??

[amgarrety]

You gotta love miles....am i right??


Hahahaha spot on.

[SativaMan04]

I feel you on the budget mindset. Thats why I installed the hood on my car without color matching yet. When you do switch from 3" to 2.25 youll love the power band all the way around from low to high. Although I'm already used to the power on mine I could still remember the restrictive stock exhaust.(choking on down shift) I love the sound on wooot as well!! You're car sounds aggressive. I like it.

[amgarrety]

And finally, it only took me months to track down a B4 badge for a reasonable price, but I finally contacted Celtic Motorsports and got them to order a few, so it came direct from Subaru, brand new! My darling Subaru is finally a B4 :grin:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6924063757_0b6f414902_b-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6777948714_6f54635598_b-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6924065647_438602e4c2_b-1.jpg

But seriously, do you guys know how hard it is to get one of these badges? It really isn't a big update, but this is by far the hardest to find mod i've done to my car, and thats after two JDM grilles, B4 tinted tail lights, a JDM Legacy Momo steering wheel, and a B4 cluster on the way.

[GTDrifter]

looking good.

[amgarrety]

Thanks brahh

[SativaMan04]

Very Nice! Do you think you can track me down badges for my car? Specifically the Bilstein badge?

[amgarrety]

I can look, but your best bet might be to get that used. After the headache of trying to find this one, I wouldn't expect to get a Bilstein badge new unless you dig pretty deep.

UNLESS they came on any USDM subaru. Then just tell me which one and I'll tell you how much it is from the dealer (if my dealer has it).

[SativaMan04]

Cool thanks amgarrety

[amgarrety]

I got my B4 cluster today, and began taking it apart. It'll be a hell of a project to switch it to MPH and get it to read my correct mileage.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6792963482_0b03fe778b_b-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6939077985_331a689ef1_b-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6939084521_bb4ea4c97b_b-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/02/6939082225_13e4398a90_b-1.jpg

[amgarrety]

Small updates. I messed with some lights yesterday. Firstly, I cleared the corners of my headlights:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/6982025497_24527a0c98_b-1.jpg

Much better looking in my opinion.

I also wired up my lights so my low beams remain on with my high beams:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/6835908638_b83517cfb3_b-1.jpg

I don't know if you can tell, but both lights are on. Since Subaru lights are ground controlled, all you have to do is ground the low beam to the chassis and you're good to go!

Also, you might note that my Hella's are missing. They are just getting rewired. They should return soon.

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

I was going to yell at you for taking off the Hellas. lol I like the clear corners

[amgarrety]

Haha don't worry, they'll make a triumphant return.

[Legacy89]

How does that work if you put on the parkingligths? Do they turn of like they should or is it lit at all times with the ignition on?

[amgarrety]

What do you mean? The low beams? They work exactly as normal, except they stay on with the high beams. There is no difference otherwise. You can still turn off your lights with the ignition on and the parking brake pulled, and your parking lights will still operate independently.

[MmmCheese]

i disabled my DRLs too... :) with cuts to prove it lol

[Legacy89]

I mean are they powered at all times?
I mean at:
Off
Park
On

I haven't measured the circuit but shere should be 12v+ at the common plusswire at all times with the ignition on.
Atleast that i got the first time i hooked up my hellas on my car. They went on and of with the ignition until i figured out that it was ground controlled.

[amgarrety]

If there is power runnin through your lead, then the light is on. So this means when the car is on and when the car is in park with both the lights switched on and the ebrake disengaged. If you pull your ebrake and turn of your lights, they will go off, even while your car is running. Of course, your lights will be off when the car is off.

[amgarrety]

Jesse what lights did you have stock? L lights or GT lights?

[hansvonaxion]

I can look, but your best bet might be to get that used. After the headache of trying to find this one, I wouldn't expect to get a Bilstein badge new unless you dig pretty deep.

From memory they sell the Bilstein badges at Autobacs. And I think the Legacy lettering too, in different colours. The B4 wasn't there but I could get any other badge from the dealer. Let me know if you ever want any.


I got my B4 cluster today, and began taking it apart. It'll be a hell of a project to switch it to MPH and get it to read my correct mileage.

The guys in the UK buy some small unit and install it, apparently it's pretty easy but that's converting a JDM car to MPH, don't know if it would be any different for you. Worth looking into?

[amgarrety]

The guys in the UK buy some small unit and install it, apparently it's pretty easy but that's converting a JDM car to MPH, don't know if it would be any different for you. Worth looking into?

The only difference regarding KPH and MPH on the two clusters I have is the face of the gauge. Sat right next to each other, they are exactly the same (I have a KPH reading on my stock cluster to compare to). So that means the needle will travel at the same exact pace. I just need to change the actual printing on the face of the gauge. My biggest concern is the odometer reading. I can learn to drive in KPH and wire in a new harness to use the cluster if I have to, but I want my odometer be correct. Thats the only thing hanging me up. Thats why i've been trying to merge the circuit board/gauge faces from my current cluster with the rest of the B4 cluster. But it's slowly revealing itself as an impossible project when you factor in things like getting the rings of light around the gauges to actually light up when the USDM circuit board doesn't have space for those lights to exist.


I do highly enjoy your access to badges. I may hit you up in the future. Thanks for the heads up.

[hansvonaxion]

Yeah I think it's basically just a resistor or something, sorry my understanding of electronics is basic to say the least, and like you say the odo doesn't read correctly afterwards but it is a very simple operation from what I've read.

[amgarrety]

Yeah i've heard it's a resistor too, which makes sense. But i'm not very skilled with circuit boards.

And i'm sure changing the odo isn't too bad, but i've also heard they can check to see if the odo has been tampered with, and it is a federal offense if it has illegally. I don't want to go through the headache of changing it legally until I can convert my gauge to the MPH face for sure. That way I won't regret the decision later and have to go through the process again to revert to my old cluster.

[hansvonaxion]

Came across a thread on UKL about it but it seems he swapped out the guts, including the odo.

http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.ph ... omsearch=1 (http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=121153&hl=&fromsearch=1)

[MmmCheese]

I have the Gt Lights.

[amgarrety]

Getting ready for a project to make my car look a little more... pissed.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/7004718033_d6f476b0cf_b-1.jpg

[amgarrety]

Not many significan updates lately. Here's what's been up.

I finally got around to getting my spoiler in for paint. Here is a before:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/6894823708_60df74c407_c-1.jpg

It needed a bolt replaced, and a nut for the 3rd brake light (5th in my case....), but both of those are getting repaired, and the entire thing is getting painted silver stone metallic. I went out and bought a new spoiler light. It's got twice as many LEDs and looks better in my opinion. Im pushing my paint guy to get it done and installed on my car by saturday for the York PA meet that you should all attend. So I'll hopefully get pictures there.

I got some time for an updated photoshoot. Is the car still lookin' alright?

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/7040948167_5726a0bf66_c-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/7040947367_9463c0a7fd_c-2.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/7040939827_c15a0295dd_c-2.jpg


Also, I started taking a serious direction in planning a possible engine swap in the future. It's nothing serious right now because my motor is still working fine, but i've stopped screwing around with ideas and have decided to narrow things down. I don't want to give it away incase I change my plans, but right now, I'm not looking at doing a H6 swap of any sort.

I also have connections to get a turbo Baja hood pretty cheap, so that might come soon too. We'll see where I am with cash.

I still have that B4 cluster too. I'm still kicking around how to make that work the way I want it to....

So many projects. So thats my nearly completely useless update that im just going to call "shameless self-promotion" this time around. Hopefully much more interesting things to come!

[MmmCheese]

Nooo spoiler. Car looks so much cleaner without it. im tryn to find push clips so I can seal mine up for a temporary fix. Hopefully I can find some soon. Iigjt stop by Subaru today.

[Legacy89]

I have 6 brakelights on mine.
2x Outer, 2x inner, wing and rear window :P

[amgarrety]

Nooo spoiler. Car looks so much cleaner without it. im tryn to find push clips so I can seal mine up for a temporary fix. Hopefully I can find some soon. Iigjt stop by Subaru today.

It works not having a spoiler on some cars, but my car is silver with tinted tails. I almost needs to be something else there. Plus, with some other aesthetic additions coming this summer, it'll just look out of place to not have a spoiler. I'm just getting it done now in preparation for what ever comes this summer.



I have 6 brakelights on mine.
2x Outer, 2x inner, wing and rear window :P

Well, if we're counting like that...
2x Outer, 2x Inner, wing, lower rear window, and top rear window (I did that with an LED strip like Yamazaki's S401). I'll be removing the lower rear window light and replacing that with carpet when I get the spoiler on.

[MmmCheese]

I have six with mine now but I justdo.t like my spoiler manly BC its not the right one for it.

[amgarrety]

Oh yeah, that makes sense. I really like how the BE spoiler looks on our cars though.

[MmmCheese]

Yea it soots it. Idk idont kno if itll fit with my existing holes that dumbass drilled before I bought it.

[amgarrety]

It might not just by looking at your spoiler and where it might be drilled. I think my spoiler is significantly wider. Part of it extends past the lines of the trunk. Of course the bolt holes don't, but they are probably further apart than yours.

[MmmCheese]

Gay! Lol. Sucks but owell to Subaru I may go.

[Legacy89]

I was thinking about that when i got the windows tinted. But then i saw the damn hole in the cover.

[geckoboy86]

When we gonna see that cluster done?
It looks awesome...Wish my cluster needles lit up. Id have my cluster tinted too.

[amgarrety]

As soon as I can figure out how to keep my mileage. I can live with rewiring and driving in KPH, but I need my mileage to match up.

Although I would like to get it to read MPH too if at all possible.

[geckoboy86]

Does your original cluster feature the light up rings? Or if not. It's is possible to place the jdm bezel with glow ring on USDM circuitry?

[amgarrety]

No, the original cluster does not have the light-up rings. Im trying to find a way to combine them but its not possible.

See, that was my idea, however, the USDM circuit board doesn't have the necessary bulbs to power the LED rings. Those rings are lit by conventional bulbs, or LEDs if you swap them, but because of that, the circuit board needs to be fitted with those spots to light up the rings.

[geckoboy86]

Could you cheat it and run wire from an existing light in it and then link it to an led to light up the rings?

Edit: will the tinted front work? If so, have you tried it yet?

[amgarrety]

The tinted front won't work. The holes for the trip odo and the time knob are in slightly different locations. And the cheating LED thing is the only thing I can think to do, but I just need to find a way to do it. I don't know if it will be possible.

I swear, the clusters are so frustratingly similar, but completely different. I'll show you sometime. I have a thread here (I believe in the Swaps section) showing the first time I took it apart.

edit

Here: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=23962 (https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=23962)

[geckoboy86]

That sucks. It's almost impossible to get that perfect. Could the jdm even work in yours?

[amgarrety]

If I rewired it, yes. I could just get some old connectors out of a junkyard and wire up a harness. I mean, I could do it just for fun, but I'd love for it to be usable. It might just be worth it to do for meets for now.

[geckoboy86]

It has me wanting to tint my cluster slightly. I have a spare one. (I have a spare of alot of things, 3 headlights, cluster, cluster trim, radio, misc interior trim pieces and switches, one extra MAF and probably more)

[amgarrety]

Just be careful you don't tint too dark. The JDM lens is so dark that you can't see the cluster during the day. They fix that with a small fluorescent-looking light that lights up the front of the gauges from inside the lens. Your cluster obviously doesn't have that because your lens is clear. I'm sure you could do your own lighting trick to mimic that effect though.

[amgarrety]

AND! A small update from my paint guy!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/6897499026_c8d969e933_c-2.jpg

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

The true test will be how close will the spoiler match to your car's original paint! Silver is hard to blend/match!

[amgarrety]

Well, this is Silver Stone Metallic Clearcoat, color code 19X as listed on my VIN plate. It is legit automotive paint.

If for some reason it doesn't match perfectly, it's just the spoiler. It's alright if it is a little off. Im talking to someone about possibly buying the trunk this spoiler came off of and painting it as well.

Over time I will be handing my car to this guy piece by piece to have him paint everything. The hood and front bumper are next.

In other words, it will all be the same shade eventually :lol:

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

Well, this is Silver Stone Metallic Clearcoat, color code 19X as listed on my VIN plate. It is legit automotive paint.

If for some reason it doesn't match perfectly, it's just the spoiler. It's alright if it is a little off. Im talking to someone about possibly buying the trunk this spoiler came off of and painting it as well.

Over time I will be handing my car to this guy piece by piece to have him paint everything. The hood and front bumper are next.

In other words, it will all be the same shade eventually :lol:

That's what I might do as well. I love the new paint on the bumper and hood. Hopefully I can get the entire car repainted, but for now I'm happy with it.

[amgarrety]

The spoiler is on, and I waited until today's meet to get pictures. So here:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/6909424984_3d78eb3650_c-2.jpg

For those with a good eye, you can see a certain red BD beside me....

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/6909425508_7af8d17a31_c-2.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/7055516515_dda564dd46_c-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/7055515561_710fd47714_c-1.jpg

Yes, that is an Angry Bird hanging from Chad's tow hook....

And Shane (geckoboy86) came late, so I didn't get any pictures with him at the meet, but I got some cool pictures of his car. Here is the only pic of us together today. We went to my place after the meet and played with wheels for a few minutes.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/6909421372_5ee19e354b_c-2.jpg

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

THOSE ARE MY 6 SPOKES! YOU CAN'T HAVE THEM! lol

[amgarrety]

Haha do you see them on your car? Hahaha

I think they go better with the 2nd gen than the third gen personally. They're cool rims though.

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

this is true! lol

[Cervantes]

you need these is you car's life

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/DSCN0927JPG-1.jpg

[amgarrety]

I've seriously thought about B4 rims. They look nice and would go with the theme of my car, but part of me wants to get something not OEM.

[geckoboy86]

Personally I like the idea of RS 5 spokes more for your car.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2008/06/P1060656-1.jpg
(note that tires are the wrong size)

[Cervantes]

I've seriously thought about B4 rims. They look nice and would go with the theme of my car, but part of me wants to get something not OEM.


That's not really stock for something in PA :wink:

[amgarrety]

That's not really stock for something in PA :wink:

Haha you make a very convincing point. I might look into some prices just for the heck of it.

[Cervantes]

I can get them pretty easy, but shipping would be pricey if you wanted to go that route.

[amgarrety]

Do you have a ballpark estimate? Just so I could get an idea. Im not looking to spend very much on just rims because tires cost an arm and a leg.

[Cervantes]

I couldn't really say, but it cost me just over $100 to have some shipped to me.

[amgarrety]

Ok. Here's what i'm thinking with rims.

I think they would be cool winter rims, but I definitely want to step up to something 17" with a polished lip for my summer rims. So depending on how much they cost to get over here in the states, I might try to get them for winter.

Here are the options I'm strongly considering for my summer rims:

http://www.wheelwarehouse.com/images/Product/medium/4369.jpg

http://www.wheelwarehouse.com/images/Product/medium/4125.jpg

And other possibilities:

http://www.wheelwarehouse.com/images/Product/medium/4122.jpg

http://www.wheelwarehouse.com/images/Product/medium/917.jpg

[chrish8r]

those XXR's look real nice.....i love the spokes that have that kind of curvature by the lip

[amgarrety]

I JUST realized that one of my friends has these exact rims, and I thought they looked nice on his car. I just now made the connection, and now I like them even more.

[Cervantes]

The first wheel picture is really, really nice.

[amgarrety]

I'm glad you guys think so, they're the cheapest haha

[Flyboy888]

7-spoke FTMFW!!!! Love them

[amgarrety]

Here they are on my friend's accord. The only sad thing is that these are 17's, which to me look way to small on his car:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/7066148149_645118ecc9_z-2.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/7066149003_a3070e0dd2_z-2.jpg

[MmmCheese]

I say go with the XXRs those are what i want.

[amgarrety]

New camera! The girlfriend got me a GoPro HD HERO2 for our anniversary.

The first official video, a much better video of my exhaust.

http://youtu.be/Se7SUic8o8I

Skip to 1:05 for the good stuff.

[Flyboy888]

Very nice!!! I did a vid like that too :P just didn't get it that low, I was affraid the bumper would vibrate too much. I'm always so nervous of it falling off. But GoPro did make the suction cup really well. However Ken Block did sign my case so that's another reason I'm nervous lol. Haven't got the money for a new case get. Freakin love this camera.

[amgarrety]

Hahaha yeah. I'd definitely buy a new case. I'm not as worried about my case, and I'm buying a new one soon anyway (the skeleton case so I can charge my camera at the same time), but yeah, the bumper made me a little nervous. It stayed on though!

[chrish8r]

Great video. im really stuck between one of these or the Epic stealthcam......

[amgarrety]

Just by looking at the site (no personal experience), I can tell you that the HD HERO2 (and even the HERO) either match or exceed the specs of the epic stealthcam. But the stealthcam is cheaper.

Either way, I don't think you can go wrong, but I absolutely love my HERO2. I would gladly choose it again if I needed another camera.

[babiker712]

Looks great with silver and cleared headlights/tails. Now tint your windows!

[amgarrety]

This summer! I wanna fix something in my door first so it doesn't scratch my tint off.

Im getting the good stuff, too. Some new kind of tint that blocks a ridiculous amount of heat.

[amgarrety]

I've been holding back on modifications lately because I really should save up some cash, but the good news is starting next week, I will have more money than I know what to do with (just kidding, I own this beauty).

So I have some immediate future plans. I am finally planning to do something I didn't think I'd do so soon. Here is the time line.

I plan on buying a turbo hood within the next few weeks. If money accumulates as fast as I'd like, I plan to get it next week. After that, I plan on calling it quits with mods for awhile. I will just save up, and hopefully have enough money for a WRX swap by the winter. I decided to go WRX because I'm not looking to stand out with my engine, I just want something peppy and fun to drive around. It'll be easy, and since this is my daily driver, I can devote a weekend to it, and hopefully bang out the swap in those three days. I have two friends who have pulled so many motors that they can pull one in 40 minutes (so they say, but regardless of how fast, I trust they know what they are doing). If I have any extra cash lying around, I'll tint my windows.

After all of that is done, unless I find crazy deals sooner, I'll try to switch out my front quarter panels with JDM panels (with a more defined body line and side marker), and I'm trying to get a JDM rear bumper to accommodate my exhaust. Worst case scenario, I might just trim my bumper a little, but I like the JDM bumper. So we'll see.

Truthfully, that's about all I have my sights on for right now. I think as soon as I have my hood, i'll be completely happy with how the exterior looks (aside from the exhaust and the absence JDM quarter panels on my B4-esque car, which I can live with for awhile), and the interior is just about to where I want it, with the exception of the white momo shift knob and a new shift boot from Redline Goods.

I don't know if anyone cares, but I thought I'd share. I'm sure I'll gain more interest when I'm less talk and more action :wink:

[chrish8r]

Looks like you have a very nice goal in mind. The hardest part has to be not buying anything in that saving time....and hopefully your swap will go well

[amgarrety]

The hardest part has to be not buying anything in that saving time....


Tell me about it :roll:

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

Awesome plans! Now start saving! lol

[Flyboy888]

sounds like the perfect plan man, deffinitly do a build thread on that wrx swap, its in my long term plans as well :P lol and for the same reasons, don't need to stand out, just want more power and more fun, i'd never get tired of hearing that turbo :P

[amgarrety]

sounds like the perfect plan man, deffinitly do a build thread on that wrx swap, its in my long term plans as well :P lol and for the same reasons, don't need to stand out, just want more power and more fun, i'd never get tired of hearing that turbo :P

I know, I can't wait :D there's a good chance that I might upgrade the turbo before putting it in, just because I can. I'm going to do as much *cheap* work to the engine as I can before putting it in. Meaning the upgraded turbo will be by far the most expensive upgrade. Everything else will be smaller and more modest.

[Flyboy888]

also a good plan lol

[amgarrety]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7165391222_86d8e940cc_z-1.jpg

:D

[chrish8r]

That hood looks real nice and will add a touch of agressiveness

[geckoboy86]

Woot. Gonna look sweet.

[Flyboy888]

Sweet

[amgarrety]

And boom goes the dynamite.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7206065730_58bef11b62_c-1.jpg

[geckoboy86]

Looks like a totally different car now.

[amgarrety]

I love it :D

[redlegacygt]

Looks really good!

[amgarrety]

Thanks!

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

The hood looks fantastic

[amgarrety]

Thanks! I'll be sure to get a proper photoshoot with it soon, maybe this weekend.

[chrish8r]

Gotta love the Galleria, haha....was the hood pre-painted or did you get it painted??

[amgarrety]

Ok, let me provide some more info on this hood.

It came pre-painted from a silver BH5 over in Japan. I got it specifically because it was steel. Aluminum would've rendered my hood dampers useless, and I like them too much.

Anyway, Japanese silver and US silver are slightly different. It's barely noticeable in natural light (refer to the picture a few posts up). Here is a closer look, the JDM silver on the left and the USDM silver on the right:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7207425414_587bd733e5_z-1.jpg

It doesn't bother me enough to get it painted. However. The hood came to me with two unreported dents and a scuff in it. I wasn't too happy, but at least the dents are easy fixes. Here are pictures:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7207245292_8dcf95038f_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7207243802_79499ddd45_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7207246888_127659881c_z-1.jpg

The only thing with fixing those dents is those spots will need repainted, and since I don't have the JDM color code for that silver, nor do I want to buy an entire quart for those three spots, and the fact that I have left over silver stone metallic from my spoiler, I figure I'll repaint the entire thing the same exact silver as my car.

Sorry for the long explanations but I was going to post that all later anyway.

[Flyboy888]

Think those dents might be from shipping?

[amgarrety]

I thought about that, but it was pretty safely packaged, and had "fragile" stickers all over it. I went back and looked at the listing and didn't see any dents. It's just hard to believe the hood got dented in the packaging it was in if DHL respected the "fragile" stickers on it.

[jverendia]

damn those dents are kinda serious. kind of scared to see what my hood will look like now

[amgarrety]

The dents really aren't bad at all. The rest of the hood is in perfect shape.

[amgarrety]

So I decided to email the seller about the damage, complete with the pictures I posted here, and basically, they told me it left the warehouse in perfect shape, and was probably damaged during shipping. So they told me to send a picture of the hood in its packing (which I had, luckily), and they told me they'd file a claim with DHL for me. So we'll see were this goes. It would be cool to get at least a little cash toward a repair and repaint.

[chrish8r]

Hell yeah, compensation is always good. Well, as long as it goes through and i hope it does cause I'd be pissed if i paid for something in perfect shape and the shipper muessed it up

[amgarrety]

Yeah, well that's what I told them. I paid extra cash for the only hood they had with no dents, and I was a little frustrated when it came with dents. So I hope they'll take care of me. They are cooperating nicely, we'll see what DHL does about the situation.

And if in the end, I get a free paint job out of it, then I can't complain.

[geckoboy86]

Only issue is you installed it already on the car...DHL might say you damaged it during install.

[nikolaus.conrad]

Nice hood!! now you need to make it functional :wink:

[amgarrety]

Well of course! EJ205 or EJ255 swap is the next planned modification.

[octain11]

Wow, very clean and nice, makes my 3rd gen look bad haha. What kind of metal mounts did you use to mount the hellas the second time around? looks solid!

[amgarrety]

Thanks!

I just went out to Lowes and bought square aluminum tube (since the steel I used before rusted). It was a little more expensive but completely worth it.

[octain11]

Totally worth it, they look nice as well, will look into that, i should have them installed either this weekend or the next,

[amgarrety]

Ok, let me know if you have any questions regarding how to do it.

[octain11]

yup will do, thanks!

[amgarrety]

So my local body shop wants $827 to fix my hood.

And to that I say "go screw yourself". Looks like i'm going to need to tap into my less professional, but still very skilled, personal resources. The same one who did my spoiler to be exact. I'm hoping for less than $200 from him, maybe less since he still has my paint in his cabinet.

[amgarrety]

Tropical Treat Meet was tonight! We had a bunch of SL-i guys there, even nikolaus.conrad made the 4 hour drive to attend!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/IMG_6541JPG-1.jpg

Nik tried planking my car, it didn't work so well....

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/IMG_6540JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/IMG_6585JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/IMG_6617JPG-1.jpg

[Yamazaki]

Did you get your hood fixed already? It doesn't look damaged anymore in the pictures....

[amgarrety]

No I'm still waiting to get a reply from DHL.

[Flyboy888]

she looks purty. i really wish i was on the east coast so i could attend these meets

[amgarrety]

she looks purty. i really wish i was on the east coast so i could attend these meets


You should make the drive sometime, even if to go to OCMD for a big meet or something. I'm sure we could set up a meet around your schedule. That's we did when Tanner (MRLancaster) came to PA, and that turned into our Long's Park Meet.

[Flyboy888]

well im sure when i get full time, hopefully by the end of the year, i'll make some more mula and be able to make the drive. by that time tho it'll probably be in a WRX, but my wife will most likely have my legacy :D

[amgarrety]

Got bored and made a quick comparison of my car from the day I bought it until last Friday. It's really come a long way when you look at the photos side by side.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7287185318_fff901e81b_b-1.jpg

Also, I got DHL to agree to give me $275 in compensation after I get the work done to my hood with a receipt. So I just have to find a body shop that I can afford so I can get the repair done and get my cash from them.

[nikolaus.conrad]

Nik tried planking my car, it didn't work so well....
I was trying not to dent your awesome hood!

[amgarrety]

And off to the body shop with you!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7310973090_50527036a5_z-1.jpg

My engine basking in the sunlight for a few hours until I can go get my old hood as a temporary replacement.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7310974798_8863c6417e_z-1.jpg

Guys.... I have a problem..... I'm a hoarder.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/05/7310966282_993afc0146_z-1.jpg
USDM Subaru
Blue L7
Silver L7
Red L7 (the red is hard to see because it's covered in tape, awaiting "restoration").
(No, I'm not selling any of them).

If you're asking why I have four, here's the story. I really only bought one of them. The USDM of course came with the car. Then I bought the silver L7. That's the only one I bought. My girlfriend bought the blue L7 for me for Christmas (not knowing I had already purchased the silver). The red L7 came with my turbo hood. So now I have four, only one of which I intentionally bought.

Again, not selling any of them. Silver is in mint condition, blue has sentimental value and is the grille I currently use, and red is getting a new paint job to sort of mimic the etune grille. And I have to keep the USDM grille in case I decide to sell the car someday.

[geckoboy86]

You should chop the red one. Get rid the the vertical fins and then paint it to match your car color.

[amgarrety]

I don't have a lot of faith in my citing abilities. But I can always change it up down the road. Right now I'm just going to paint it black and hope it looks good.

[nikolaus.conrad]

Hotrod!!!

[98legwag]

Did you find a shop to fix the hood at a reasonable price?

[amgarrety]

Hotrod!!!

I've been so tempted to drive it around like that. Haha


Did you find a shop to fix the hood at a reasonable price?

Yes and no. It's not a shop, it's a friend of mine who has a degree in auto body collision repair and paint. He's the same guy who did my spoiler. He's doing all the repairs (dents and paint) for $300. Still higher than I anticipated, but I can't complain when I got $275 back from the seller.

[98legwag]

Thats not bad all things considered. A few years ago I had a door rusting and I got a replacement at a junkyard from an Outback. Took it and my car to my friend's body shop and got the vinyl removed and the door installed for around $300.

[amgarrety]

Yeah it could've been more expensive. I don't know, i'm just a little upset with the circumstances in general. Hopefully it'll be all fixed soon enough.

Until then, rockin' my old B4 grille on my old hood (I felt like changing it up today). Also finished painting my red L7 grille. Im not happy with the paint job but I can redo it another day. At least it looks better than it did. Here's the final product:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/06/7317679968_038eaa18d3_z-1.jpg

While I was at it, I painted the underside of my scoop just make it look better in general. I painted it with a Honda Black and clear coated it so it's pretty.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/06/7317675778_3053e2bce8_z-1.jpg

[nikolaus.conrad]

Hell yeah, good deal man!

[r3v_v3ng3]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/06/7317679968_038eaa18d3_z-1.jpg




Red and blue, cool. I have a green one. Wonder what other color it came with :smt017

[amgarrety]

I'm under the impression that 2nd gens came with silver, red, green, and blue, depending on what model it was. And I believe 3rd gens only featured silver, red, and blue. At least those are the only colors I've ever seen.

[Yamazaki]

3rd gen also had gold.

[amgarrety]

What did that come on?

Now I want it.

[Yamazaki]

What did that come on?

Now I want it.
It came on some black cars. The same ones with the gold lettering.

[amgarrety]

All dents are out! It's bittersweet. The guy did an amazing job getting the dents out. You can't even tell there were any dents. So that's awesome. But my factory silver has faded. So the hood is a beautiful brilliant silver and the rest of the car is a little 'brighter'. I can't say that I'm really bothered by it right now, but I may repaint my entire car one day just because the color is so beautiful new.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/06/7331381236_03fba98747_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/06/7331392198_b47d78fcaf_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/06/7331387492_229089f41e_z-1.jpg


You can see how far off the color is here:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/06/7331394648_b9206d21a5_z-1.jpg

[jverendia]

Looks nice. I eventually want to respray my car. Graphite grey.

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

Silver is tough to hide in a color blend, let alone spraying only one panel. It's like my hood and bumper, it's a shade or two off the original color. But it looks fantastic, and when your car is out in the sun you should never notice it.

[hansvonaxion]

3rd gen also had gold.

I've seen a second gen (early model) gold also.

[amgarrety]

3rd gen also had gold.

I've seen a second gen (early model) gold also.

Did they have an RS30 during th second gen? If I'm right, the way it sounds, the gold L7 would have been on the 3rd gen RS30.

[Yamazaki]

3rd gen also had gold.

I've seen a second gen (early model) gold also.

Did they have an RS30 during th second gen? If I'm right, the way it sounds, the gold L7 would have been on the 3rd gen RS30.
Yeah, some RS30s had gold. But the RS30 came out starting with the 3rd gen.

[hansvonaxion]

I don't know what it was from, Yamazaki said there were a lot of options with the grilles so it was probably an option... I'm now looking for the optional "sports mesh" grille for my car.

[nikolaus.conrad]

Looks awesome!! Now I have to be super careful when planking :lol:

[amgarrety]

Haha you'll have to pick a different part of the car. The hood is officially off limits from this point forward. I went through way too much hell with it.

And the grilles were options? I'm really curious to go back and research all of them. Because the only grilles that I am really familiar with are the 3rd gen L7 grilles. And of those, I only know some info surrounding the silver, red, and blue L7s, the Blitzen, TK, RFRB, etune, and RS grilles. I'm not really familiar with 2nd gen grilles or any other colors/styles, including D type.

[nikolaus.conrad]

Obviously, I wouldn't plank on your freshly painted hood! lmao :smt005

[jverendia]

how much would your firend charge for a full paint job?

[amgarrety]

I didn't ask him. Here's the thing with him, he's good, but he doesn't have a shop. It does it out of a garage, so naturally the paint can and will get dust particles. So I'm going to take it somewhere with a dust free box for the entire paint job.

[98legwag]

It looks great.

[amgarrety]

I haven't updated in a good while, and for good reason. I'm trying to save up cash so I can do interesting things down the road with my car. Barely anything has changed since my last update, if anything at all. Really, I've been doing good not spending too much.

The SL-I New England meet just went down in Bristol, RI, and since I love meets, I decided to make the trip 10 hour trip (for me) with Yamazaki, which was a great experience. I learned so much just on the way up to RI, because of all of the books he brought along. But I'm a nerd, so that information interests me. He and I drove up together, me and my girlfriend in my car, and him and Dead91Silvia (Robin) in his S401, which is a beauty if you haven't seen it in person. Yamazaki and Robin were two of the nicest people i've met, and that was pretty much the tone of the meet itself once we finally got up there. No offense to all who work so hard to attend the meets that I normally go to, but this might have been my favorite meet to date because I got to meet so many cool people, including some of the owners of the cars I looked up to when starting with my own, such as Dodik, Yamazaki, Dead91Silvia, and rougeben83, just to name a few. I also got to see many other cars that I consider some of the best this site has to offer.

Anyway, lets get into some photos, mainly of my car (since this is my car's thread). These are not all my own photos. I am using photos from other sources as well (because lets face it, there were some damn good photographers there). So credit to where it is due. Feel free to claim credit of your pictures.

I would just like to start with the photo that made so many of my friends angry when I sent them a text of this picture:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7681092574_03a0ede880_z-2.jpg

Sitting at Sheetz before the long 10 hour drive, comparing USDM and JDM Legacies:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7681089522_8018f00f30_z-2.jpg

Upon getting to RI (actually the next morning), Yamazaki decided he needed an oil change, but since they couldn't pull up his VIN to see what exactly his car needed, my car sort of played guinea pig...
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7681085840_47be6eb240_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7681084316_e5401d2ffd_z-1.jpg

After a car wash with Shane (Reason), we drove off to Bristol for the meet.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7681083110_febf58b963_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7681299332_80115ccea6_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7668352098_371bcb4cde_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7668370994_c792f53982_z-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7681298306_96c149dfe0_z-2.jpg


I took a bunch of photos. Here is a quick album:
http://imgur.com/a/AEY6a#1

When Robin gets around to posting some of his pictures, I might steal a few for this thread, because I know as a fact he got some rather nice photos that I didn't get.

[xoSubieLegacyxo]

I would just like to start with the photo that made so many of my friends angry when I sent them a text of this picture:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/07/7681092574_03a0ede880_z-1.jpg

I'M STILL ANGRY! :smt013 :smt013 :smt013

[geckoboy86]

I'm shocked I wasn't sent that picture. Lol. It's ok to like that meet the most. I bet it was amazing. Its an established meet with people you know that share the same passion as you for legacys.

[amgarrety]

I'm shocked I wasn't sent that picture. Lol. It's ok to like that meet the most. I bet it was amazing. Its an established meet with people you know that share the same passion as you for legacys.

Well actually, I only sent it to Tanner because I knew he'd like it, then Chad provoked me to send it to him. It wasn't a mass text haha.

And I really only knew Nick and I met Dodik once before. Other than that, it was all new people. I think that was what I liked the most, meeting completely new people who I already knew pretty well through this forum.

[SilverSuby]

When you say your car was the Guinea pig, is that for oil brand or how much oil it takes?
-Logan

[amgarrety]

When you say your car was the Guinea pig, is that for oil brand or how much oil it takes?
-Logan

Actually more just the filter. We found out as I was already getting my oil changed that his car required 10W-30, while mine only needed 5W-30.

[Huffer]

^^ those oil grades are essentially the same, one is just more viscous than the other at different temps. The 5w-30 is actually more of a year-round oil, because it's "thinner" it offers more protection on startup but does start to break down at higher temps; where as 10w-30 stays together at the higher engine temps, which is what the S401 generates more of because of the turbo.

[Flyboy888]

awesome

[Dead91silvia]

MY pics kinda look like crap, but thats why I have photo shop! :grin:

I'll try and get them done sometime soon.

[amgarrety]

Just a really quick and small update. I finally got around to fixing something i've been meaning to fix since I first got my car a year ago. I finally fixed my wobbly shifter, seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyUOG3LwJx4

It is now back to its 'right out of the showroom' firmness that is should be. For those wondering, it was not my bushings. They were a little dry rotted, but still perfectly in tact and keeping my linkage from moving. My probem was this little joint:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/7739610356_328196227b_z-1.jpg

You can see it in action here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC3Sp7TTLOE

As you can see, I was missing something there that was making the joint wobble. That something was a small plastic/rubber sort of material that acted essentially as bushings for the joint.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/7739608148_21c908b327_z-1.jpg

So I installed this new joint.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/7739607288_540156c84f_z-1.jpg

The install itself, disregarding one certain part, was very simple, and should've taken, in all, about 30 minutes. However, it took us three hours. Why? Two stupid roll pins, one inside of the other. If it weren't for those pins, the entire process would've gone much faster. Regardless, it is done now, and the shifter is back to being nice and firm.

Thats about all I have for updates for the time being.

:smt006

[Huffer]

TIC shifter linkage?

I have one of those sitting on my parts shelf, along with a multitude of other bits I've never gotten to...

[amgarrety]

TIC shifter linkage?

I don't know exactly what it is called. In the Subaru parts database that I bought from (you know, one of those online dealer parts databases), searching the part number returned one result, and it was called "JOINT". It was the right thing, but I couldn't believe there wasn't an official name for it (at least where I found it).

If you want to change the joint, it isn't too hard aside from the roll pins and having to drop part of the transmission crossmember to get to them. If you ever plan on pulling your tranny out, I'd advise you to replace the joint then. Half of the battle with the roll pins was working around the exhaust and driveshaft.

[Dead91silvia]

About time! That drove me nuts when I was driving it! HAHA!!!

[amgarrety]

Hahaha you drove it for all of 5 minutes and didn't say something until the next day!

[nikolaus.conrad]

I fully plan to put a new "joint" on with a short shifter when my 5 speed goes in :grin:

[amgarrety]

The short shifter will be no problem. That is a super simple mod because the shift lever itself never even touches the tranny, so regardless of if you do it before or after installing the transmission, it won't make a difference because all of the work is done from within the passenger compartment. The bottom of the lever is a ball that sits in a crater, and the middle of the lever is where the fork connects to go to the transmission. It only connects by one bolt.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/7740148562_bd1dce168b_z-1.jpg


I highly advise replacing the joint while the transmission is out though. That, and replacing stock rubber bushings with polyurithane bushing might not be a bad idea either, but bushings are much easier to get to than the joint was.

[Dead91silvia]

Hahaha you drove it for all of 5 minutes and didn't say something until the next day!

I was being nice... :grin: And I did tell your g/f, but she said you knew about it. I figured what was the point of tell you that your cars shifter was more sloppy then a $5 hooker on Hollywood boulevard... LOL

[amgarrety]

Hahaha I had planned on swapping that hooker out for a rather more subdued lady before the RI meet, but it was then that I realized the problem wasn't my bushings, and that I'd have to wait until after the meet to fix her.

But yeah, like I said, she's been a hooker since I got her a year ago.

[Flyboy888]

where did you get the joint? and how much? i think thats my issue too. Cept mine only moves like 2-3 inches, not near as much as yours lol