AdamH's 1996 Legacy GT-B - Part2 (HG fail and big brakes)

[AdamH]

List of mods...

Exterior
RFRB Front Grille[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
RFRB Rear Spoiler[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
18? Inovit Apis Wheels[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Colour coded mud flaps[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Clear side indicators[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Window tints[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
55w 6,000k HIDs[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
LED indicators, turn, stop, tail and reversing lights[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Rear fog-light mod[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]

Interior
Alcantara seats (taken from a higher spec BG5!)[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Otherwise totally standard[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]

Engine and Exhaust

Heads Refurbished by Advanced Automotive[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
ARP Head Stud Set[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
VF25 Primary, VF27 Secondary turbos[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Subaru 3-Port Boost Solenoid[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Fully Refurbished Solenoid Box and 3.5mm Vacuum System[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Modified 12mm oil pump[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Cometic Multilayer Steel Head Gaskets[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
H&S Stainless Steel Up-pipes[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
H&S Stainless Steel De-cat Centre Section[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
H&S Stainless Steel Backbox[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]

Transmission / Brakes
5-speed DCCD gearbox (TY754VB1EA) with front LSD[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
DCCDPro Universal Controller[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
D2 8-pot Brakes with 330mm Discs[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]

Suspension
BC Racing BR Series Fully Adjustable Coilovers[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Whiteline Adjustable Anti-Roll Bars, Front and Rear[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Whiteline Droplinks, Front and Rear[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Whiteline Anti-Lift Kit[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
STi Carbon Fibre Strut Brace[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]

Coming soon...
ECU remap[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
STi GeNOME gauges[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Fix leaking rocker cover gaskets. AGAIN :smt013 [/*:m:2oqqfj0b]


Right then, here’s the story of my Legacy told in words and pictures.

Part 1 - Getting in on the road.

In the summer of 2010 I bought a non-running 1996 JDM Legacy GT-B with the plan that I would fix it up and use it as a bit of a weekend toy. The car was cheap, very cheap, but the gearbox was stuck in second and there were also signs of light front accident damage. There was also a dent in the rear tailgate, but the guy who sold me the car had a spare in the correct colour and he helped me fit it when I went to collect it.

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/01.jpg

With the car on the back of a trailer, I then headed East to London and collected a replacement gearbox... A 5-speed DCCD taken from an accident damaged Impreza type RA.

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/02.jpg

The car was then parked up outside my house for a couple of weeks until there was room in my friend’s garage to get it in and fit the gearbox.

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/03.jpg

Meanwhile, I found a nice set of alloy wheels for sale so they were fitted with new tyres and put on the car.

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/04.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/05.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/06.jpg

With a free spot in my friend’s garage, the car went back on to the trailer for the 25 mile journey to the workshop.

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/07.jpg

With the new gearbox fitted I took the car home for a few days and got my first chance to enjoy the car, but I soon took it back to the garage and set about doing the smaller jobs. As the garage belongs to a friend he kindly gave me a key so I could let myself in at the weekends and work on the car myself.
Jobs done at this time were...
Fitted DCCD control unit[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
New drop links and anti-roll bars (I believe you call them sway bars?)[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Fitted Anti-lift kit[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Removed all window tinting as some of it was damaged[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Fitted stainless-steel up-pipes[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Fitted new centre-section and backbox exhaust (the original was full of holes)[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
Fitted BC Racing adjustable coilover[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]
I also had the front bumper repainted to cover up most of the light accident damage.[/*:m:2oqqfj0b]

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/08.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/09.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/10.jpg

It was at this time I discovered the idiot who owned the car before me had fitted GT brake discs at the rear, and not the correct GT-B ones, and so the pads were hanging over the end of the discs! Luckily, my friend who owns the garage had the correct items in stock so they were quickly changed.

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/11.jpg

The car was now ready for its first serious outing, a one-thousand mile round trip to the Nürburgring with members of UKLegacy!

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/12.jpg


To be continued...

[Reuben]

Fucking cool. Good work man, she's a stunner! That BF in the last pic is also a beaut, but i do prefer em with the rails :P

[AdamH]

Thanks :)

The BF had just had a full respray for the trip so it looked stunning... I'll post more photos in the next installment!

[Reuben]

Does it have a sunroof? (The BF) If so, fucking cool (and rare!)

But yeah, you've done a great job with the BG, so good to see these things getting loved, sad to see so many run down now, tis a different landscape to 5 year ago when i got beast :(

[AdamH]

Not sure about the sunroof, I'll ask the owner next time I speak to him.

I don't know about the rest of the world, but in the UK at the moment you can't give away the twin-turbos. High fuel prices have driven many off the road, to the point where only the very best BD/BG will sell and the rest get scrapped. The BE/BH are super cheep now too... A friend of mine just picked up a BH S-edition in perfect condition for the same sort of money that you needed to buy a good BG three or four years ago :(

[nikolaus.conrad]

Looks great! Welcome to SLi! What sort of fuel economy do these cars get?

[AdamH]

I have no idea. I've never had the balls to work it out as I know if I do I'd scare myself! I just know they have a serious drink problem :(

[Airgne]

welcome, and good job so far. please read the rules and fix your thread.

[AdamH]

...please read the rules and fix your thread.

Sorry, missed them first time around. :-( I'll get right on it...

[AdamH]

Part 2 - To the Nürburgring and lessons learned!

The 500 mile drive to the Nürburgring went well and the car behaved itself perfectly. However, on my second lap of the famous German circuit I started to get the tell-tale signs of head gasket failure. I did one more lap but decided it wasn’t worth risking the engine further, and therefore spent the rest of the trip watching the others.

A selection of photos from the trip, inc the other Legacys that went...

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/16.jpg
Left to right... Shaid (BG5B - GT-B), Martin (BF5B - GT), Me (BG5B - GT-B), Richard (BPEA - 3.0R Spec.B), Ruud (BE5B - RSK), Tom (BD5C - RS), Rob (BG5A - GT/V-Limited), Guy (BG5B - GT-B), Joe (BG5C - GT-B), Graham (BD5A - RS), Geoff (BG5B - GT-B). Star of the show was the Nürburgring seen in the background!

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/13.jpg
I overtook this Subaru van (The 'A' Team) on the track then found the owner after in the car park. Two Dutch lads driving all around Europe on holiday :-)

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/14.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/15.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/17.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/18.jpg

The 500 mile return journey was taken very easily and I got her home safely.

The garage was busy for a few weeks so there was just enough time to attend a local Legacy meet at a good old English pub before the car went back in the garage for new head gaskets.

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/19.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/20.jpg

Fun time over, the engine came out for new head gaskets, I took the chance to have a few upgrades done at that time...
Heads fully refurbished[/*:m:j6wn8ege]
Modified 12mm oil pump[/*:m:j6wn8ege]
APR head-stud bolt kit[/*:m:j6wn8ege]
Also worth noting is that the car was fitted with a new clutch and lightweight flywheel when the gearbox was changed, but I forgot to mention that in my opening post above!

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/21.jpg

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/22.jpg

Although I'd been to the 'ring before, it was as a passenger in my (then) girlfriend's car (also a Legacy GT-B), she already had upgraded brakes and so I guess I hadn't noticed how hard the circuit is on your brakes. A major lesson learned was that the standard Legacy brakes are rubbish, so if the car was ever to go on the track again it had to have better stopping power.

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/23.jpg

D2 8-pot callipers with 330mm discs. These cost almost as much as I paid for the whole car!!

http://www.scoobyprojects.co.uk/forumpics/legacystory/24.jpg

That's about it for 2010. In 2011, I took the Legacy on a 3,000 mile tour of Western Europe, so the next instalment will have the work done for that trip plus a few photos of the nine Legacys that went...

To be Continued...

[98legwag]

So full of awesomeness.

[hansvonaxion]

Those brakes are insane! What do you have on the rear?

[AdamH]

Erm, rears are still standard! Yes, they are a bit unbalanced but I've found running with the front coilovers set more firm than the rears help.

I have sat in my shed an R180 rear diff, shafts and hubs all waiting to go on the car (they came with the DCCD gearbox). I will need new rear brakes when those are fitted, so it's just a question of waiting for the right deal to come along!

[nikolaus.conrad]

Oh my God so much win

[AdamH]

I'm still sorting some photos for my next part, meanwhile here's a quick video of what to expect...

http://youtu.be/51jAdmZ5J4Y

[Dead91silvia]

Nice ride!

Call me crazy, but I'm in love with the yellow BD RS...

[anothernord]

wow45