Mark's 2003 Forester X

[Wiscon_Mark]

Update 5/4/14:
Finally got some spring-like weather and took it in for a wash & wax:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/7DGcjgL-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/22UWN9D-1.jpg

The interior as it stand now:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/1qS206c-1.jpg


Pictures when I first got 'er (8/12):
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/mIgDn-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/HnQHo-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/u6wGX-1.jpg


Mods/Projects already done:
LED interior lights
WRX shift knob with Kartboy short shifter
2003 WRX front seats
Hawk HPS street performance pads on centric rotors & painted calipers (picture: http://i.imgur.com/i3Lkvox.jpg)
Replaced trailer electrical harness
Polished driver's side headlight fogginess
Fixeded Rusty rear hatch handle & rust on the hatch itself
Installed Cobb shifter stay bushings
New o2 sensor & new exhaust gaskets all around (fun job)
SMK Fabrications "Forester" Dead Pedal
Replaced rusty front subframe rails
Honda Pilot wiper arm for the rear & new wiper motor
Extra-S fluid in tranny & fresh fluid in the rear diff
KYB Excel-G struts with FXT springs & new tophats.
Rallitek adjustable rear sway bar & Audi "C" style aluminum endlinks
Moog HD front endlinks
JVC stereo, Polk 6.5" speakers, 8" underseat sub
ScanguageE, 'permanently' plugged in

Plans:
Fix all rust spots and dings (including replacing the passenger side fender)
Sound deadening in the doors & trunk (a lot of noise over bumps in the rear)
Tinted windows
Custom cut rubber flooring in rear, including seatbacks

[Huffer]

Very nice!

[Dead91silvia]

Cool! Looks even better then you described before! You cant get a 1st gen here for that price.

[chrish8r]

Very nice find. Looks clean for the miles

[Wiscon_Mark]

To be fair, I didn't show you guys the missing paint and dinged fender on the passenger side :lol:

But I will make a point of tracking down a replacement fender, sanding/cutting out the rust and fixing it all. Most of the problem spots are very treatable right now.

Otherwise, the car is immaculate for the mileage.

[Thomistopheles]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/08/4794142dgif-1.jpg
Looks good! That's my favorite fozzy body style as well.

[Reason]

Congrats Mark!

[Wiscon_Mark]

I swapped the seats and got my Eclipse deck in. Most of the major stuff is swapped over.

Now to get the new speakers in and track down some tweeters & a new sub!

Then to the bodywork...

[wentz912]

Still looking for those switch blanks for your OB?

[r3v_v3ng3]

Great deal! Yeah I like that bodystyle on the forester. My girl have the 99 and my sis have an 07FXT but I like yours better. Plus its green! Love the green

[Wiscon_Mark]

Great deal! Yeah I like that bodystyle on the forester. My girl have the 99 and my sis have an 07FXT but I like yours better. Plus its green! Love the green

Thanks! I love how the 03-05 SGs look. I even like the green color a lot. When I had the outback, I had all sorts of exterior mods & enhancements I wanted to do. There's not a ton I want to do with this one, even though I've had it for a while now. A rear spoiler, repainting all of the bumper trim black, and fixing the dings are really the only high priority things I want to do.



Installed my new dead pedal today:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/11/mxdTF-2.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/11/tcMA4-2.jpg

[Wiscon_Mark]

Update after some considerable time:

My summer setup is some older Forester S wheels (16") with Continental ExtremeContactDWS All season UHP tires. They clean up nice for some used wheels I got for $120.

New struts & springs are on (KYB Excel-Gs with FXT springs and new tophats).

I gave it a wash & polish, took the roof rails off to get the buffer on the roof and decided I liked it. They're very easy to reinstall.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2013/08/7RlrtJs-1.jpg

I plan to paint all of the exterior plastic trim pieces & cladding with some glossy black truck bed liner soon.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Winter update!

Just got it washed (nice upper 30s day) and snapped a photo:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/01/3KmGg4y-1.jpg

Since the last photo, I finished all my exterior trim painting (save the door handles & mirrors).

I just had the motor & clutch redone, so new headgaskets, 2 new pistons (rings were a little off), new timing belt, waterpump, and a new clutch. Car is definitely smoother and the clutch is a dream compared to the old one with a really worn pressure plate spring.

Kartboy SS, Kartboy subframe lockdown bolts, a new WRX/LGT shift knob, and an auto-dimming mirror/compass are on their way too!

[98legwag]

Are the FXT springs stiffer than the N/A springs?

[Wiscon_Mark]

It's hard to tell - there's so many part numbers across the '03-'08 model years that I'm not really sure if they're actually different. The main thing is that it's easier to find FXT suspension bits with low miles because they all go aftermarket. My suspension is definitely stiffer now, but it may be due to the KYB struts.