Navi271's 95 L Wagon Updated:1/20/18 Sold and Totaled

[Navi271]

^exactly! lol, it's still WGM, on the inside... :wink:

I haven't washed it yet since the painting, but when the trunk was plastidipped black I had no problem using the pressure washers in the manual bays at the car wash. You can even use the foam brush since the rubber coating is protecting your paint! If the dip is sprayed on correctly there should be only a little texture, but not rough enough to trap dirt. I'll post on here when I wash my car.

Also... those rumor/confirmations that gasoline will stain the plastidip are very true. Ask me how I know... :smt012 and I was being so careful too.

[Lancaster6]

That looks soo good. Camo green may be the only color I'd consider dipping my BH.

I have a buddy that dipped his Prelude. He too can attest to the staining powers of gasoline; light blue dip + gasoline = very dark stain. :(

[nikolaus.conrad]

Hot Hot HOT!! Don't lose your car haha

[Wagonista]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2013/02/1361588319410_zpsa7457ec2png-1.jpg

this

[Navi271]

Hot Hot HOT!! Don't lose your car haha
LOL, It seems others have no problem seeing my car when I'm driving it around, or it could be they're just seeing 4 wheels rolling down the road and they're thinking, waaaaaatt is that?

Thanks guys for the amaze-face with rainbows!

[Oc7ane]

Your car looks sweet man. Camo looks nice to. did you buy a kit ?

[Navi271]

Thanks!

Yes, I bought the 4 gallon kit with the spray gun and compressor. Its just a really simple compressor. There's no storage tank or anything, just a plastic thinger that constantly feeds air through the gun, pull the trigger to add paint.

I got the kit through a local guy here who gets a slight discount with dipyourcar.com.

I ended up using 3.5 gallons total, and that was a pretty thick coat all around.

[Muse]

Does Plastidip overspray as bad as paint?

[Navi271]

I've never spray painted a car, so I can't really compare, but I did get some runs with the plastidip when I wasn't paying attention. I don't even see them anymore, and no one sees them unless I point it out.

[Navi271]

Happy new year!
Just an update for all you guys.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/01/IMG_0017_zps883a2592-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/01/IMG_0004_zps62906ec5-1.jpg

The plastidip is holding up quite well! Even in the cold. Door dings only leave marks on the plastidip which can easily be painted over. There were only a couple spots that have needed some attention: a small bubble on the front bumper, and the spoiler was rubbing against the body when the hatch opened. I've also painted the TS-R badge with black plastidip.

The best part of plastidip is I can use the foam brush at the car wash and not worry about scratches in the paint!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/01/IMG_0015_zps176664c3-1.jpg

I found this awesome spot of rust... as you see above, this is why I can't put the jack stand where the arrow tells me to. I've still had a problem with the lower radiator hose not sealing. Some RTV fixed that. There was a small exhaust leak you could plainly see when it was cold at the header and cat connection. RTV'd that as well.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/01/IMG_0033_zps2d959f2b-1.jpg

Putting on my winter wheels, I had to make sure the new-ish brake lines would clear the smaller diameter rim and if not, then simply adjust them. I cleaned up the calipers as well so they were more of a silver color again. Silly stop-tech's put out a lot of brake dust.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/01/IMG_0037_zps7ab60200-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/01/IMG_0040_zpsee2011e1-1.jpg

Here are the snowflakes on the car, in the snow! Now I'm hoping my battery will work in the sub zero temps tomorrow and let me start my car. It should be -17*F in the morning with a wind chill around -35*F. Wish me luck!

By the way, I think I may be getting a 2nd car and eventually replacing this one this year. I'll still stick with Subaru's of course, but I'm looking for something with a 3.0 H6, or an 05-09 Legacy GT, not silver and probably a sedan with an AT since it will be my daily driver eventually.

[Hinyo]

Best of luck =) looks real good. Any parts on the way?

[98legwag]

By the way, I think I may be getting a 2nd car and eventually replacing this one this year. I'll still stick with Subaru's of course, but I'm looking for something with a 3.0 H6, or an 05-09 Legacy GT, not silver and probably a sedan with an AT since it will be my daily driver eventually.
I recommend a 08-09 3.0R. But I am biased.

[Navi271]

Thanks! And it started on the first try! It sounded pretty horrible tho.

I'm not sure if I have anything planned for this car. I've almost reached 10 years of me being the primary driver of this car. I think it may be time to save up and get something new. On the other hand, this car has so much character that it will be really hard to sell. If I were to keep it for a while longer I'd have to do something interesting, like maybe get coilovers and lower it a little so it's a proper cruiser, like it was when I had S-Techs, or maybe a high compression 2.5L shortblock with 2.2L heads.

98legwag - lol, I like your white car, a lot! The 3.0 is soooo reliable, but the 2.5gt is temping because of the turbo. I've also considered just getting a low mileage, no rust, 2nd gen and making it awesome. So honestly I have no idea what I'm doing yet. I just know a 2nd car will probably be in my future, and I'll be sure to post it on here when that happens.

[dynonacht]

Wow this car is very impressive! What part of iowa are you from?

[98legwag]

98legwag - lol, I like your white car, a lot! The 3.0 is soooo reliable, but the 2.5gt is temping because of the turbo. I've also considered just getting a low mileage, no rust, 2nd gen and making it awesome. So honestly I have no idea what I'm doing yet. I just know a 2nd car will probably be in my future, and I'll be sure to post it on here when that happens.

Thanks. I was like where are now. I wanted something newer and did know 100% what I wanted. I saw my 3.0R online and went to check it out. When I drove it I knew. My advice, drive anything you may be interested in and you will know it when you find what you want.

[Navi271]

Thanks dynonacht! I'm in central Iowa in the Des Moines and Ames area.

98legwag - I actually missed an opportunity last year to get a 3.0R locally. I'm kinda regretting it but it was out of my price range at the time. If anything comes up nearby I'll be sure to go check it out! Who knows though, I may just keep my car for a while longer, since there's no pressure to get a new one yet.

[dynonacht]

Thanks dynonacht! I'm in central Iowa in the Des Moines and Ames area.

Cool! I've only been there once, im from right south of the twin cities in mn. Gotta see this car in person.

[peugoby]

Car still looks great after all these years. Do you mind sharing your suspension set up? I see you are still on the Bilsteins I sold you a few years back. I'm curious as to your springs or other mods you have done to make it sit so properly. Thanks!

[Navi271]

Car still looks great after all these years. Do you mind sharing your suspension set up? I see you are still on the Bilsteins I sold you a few years back. I'm curious as to your springs or other mods you have done to make it sit so properly. Thanks!
Thank you! You should check my mods list on the first page!
But to save you all that unnecessary clicking, I'll tell you. Yes, it still has the Bilsteins I bought from you, H&R springs I bought from Reason, and 3/8th's inch spacers on the rear struts. I just drove the car tonight, and it handles so well. I really like it, and it handles better than the stock suspension on my 05 GT. I also have upgraded the swaybars and endlinks though.

Sometimes I wish I could get the front maybe a half inch lower. At certain angles it can look a little high in the front compared to the rear.

Are you planning on doing something similar to your silver wagon?

[Wagonista]

Does the matte color kind of hide the dings? It seems like the body looks a lot straighter now that it's OD green.

[Navi271]

Does the matte color kind of hide the dings? It seems like the body looks a lot straighter now that it's OD green.
Yes I'd say it does!
Glossy reflections seem to show imperfections much easier.

[Muse]

http://i491.photobucket.com/albums/rr277/Navi271/20140621_134155_zpsba8a4b95.jpg


Dude, looking real hazy on the headlights... rkrenicki cleared mine a while back, with a 3m kit, then used Opti-Lens instead of the 3m sealant, and I can not say enough about how awesome they turned out. If you do this, I'd use the opti-lens on the GT too, as a preventative maintenance measure.

[Navi271]

Yeah the headlights are getting horrible... It's been starting to bug me, a lot. The GT is starting to haze over on the driver's side as well. I'll try out the 3M kit and OptiLens. Thanks for the advice!

[Muse]

Get the kit for the drill. I did my Neon's lights with a Turtle Wax by-hand kit, and it sucked balls.

[Navi271]

I looked into what I used last time to clear the headlight, and it was in fact the Turtle Wax by-hand kit. It seemed to work fine for me, but it has obviously worn off after time. So I borrowed that same kit from my friend like last time to clear them up. It's definitely not the best, but I couldn't justify spending that much on the 3M kit and OptiLens. Someday I'll buy the kit you recommended, but for now my cars will get average products lol. Thanks again.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/08/IMG_0135_zps8146fc95-1.jpg

I've recently noticed my headers have gotten louder, a lot of that sewing machine sound, and some of the wrap was in taters. Last weekend I took the wrap off, which was some crazy hazardous stuff. I mean like, long sleeves, pants, mask, eye protection, and gloves hazardous. It was just like insulating a house.

This made the noise problem exponentially worse. I didn't drive this car for a week it was so embarrassingly loud.

Today, I'm sicker than a dog, but that didn't stop me from installing my stock headers.
My 6 year old UEL headers finally bit the dust and cracked!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/08/20140823_143117_zps1b308bf6-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/08/20140823_143157_zps51f8e56f-1.jpg

This is why it was so loud. The new/old stock headers are on, and it's nice and quiet up front.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/08/20140823_173727_zpsb2d31940-1.jpg

However, I did forget how much the exhaust note would change switching back to stock... It's much different! I'm ok with this change though. It's something new.
Happy modding everyone!

[peugoby]

Any noticeable decrease in power switching back to the stock header? I've thought about doing a full system on my car, UEL, High-flow cat, custom midpipe to a nice axle back but I bet all the increased volume wouldn't match up to very much more power. I think that money would be better saved towards a swap.

[Reuben]

If anything unequal length would take power away, not the other way round. But I wouldn't say it'd be that much of a difference. I'd run unequal purely for the sound, and funny enough that's exactly what i've done!

[fwa2500]

Any noticeable decrease in power switching back to the stock header? I've thought about doing a full system on my car, UEL, High-flow cat, custom midpipe to a nice axle back but I bet all the increased volume wouldn't match up to very much more power. I think that money would be better saved towards a swap.


I just put a stock cat pipe on mine, but otherwise it is the set-up you are thinking about. I notice exactly zero performance increase or decrease, it is all about having that classic Subaru sound :wink:

[Navi271]

I have to agree with everything that's been said here!

Switching back to stock has taken away the rumble and replaced it with a buzzing noise reminiscent of something more like a honda or an acura (or any other 4 cylinder I guess). My exhaust is also overall much quieter as well.

[Navi271]

We're getting some snow tomorrow. I took today off and had time to swap wheels.

The car is running fine, and I just hit 180k miles earlier this week!
I had one close call recently where I heard knocking from the engine, but only at idle. If I gave it any gas it would go away. A knocking 2.2L? No way... I started checking the bolts that connect the engine to the torque converter as I've heard it sounds similar when they come loose only to find that the crank pulley bolt was almost loose! No damage on the crank pulley key, so I cranked the pulley bolt down tight and checked to make sure the torque converter bolts were tight. They were. I haven't heard the knocking since, so I'm assuming it was the loose crank pulley bolt.

I don't have ABS right now. 1 or 2 sensors are dead. I can't tell because the car only stores 3 ABS codes at a time. 2 were for the FL, 1 for the RR. Ordered a new FL and I'll go from there.

On to the wheel swap, same winter rims and tires. 5th winter season on them!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/11/IMG_0167_zps591cf138-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2014/11/20141114_154627_zps4f2e2a66-1.jpg

^Sedan stalking in the background. lol

[meepers]

looks mean. love the OD. really fits the car. I would matte black the winter wheels! or maybe.. dare I say.. Plasti Dip just for the protection factor.

[meepers]

haha.. one click back and I would have seen that your whole car is Plasti dipped. Nice job.

[Navi271]

Haha! Thanks, I've always been on the fence about dipping these wheels. I think I would do a color instead of black though, because there are plenty of people with black wheels around here. Idk, I'll think about it.

[meepers]

maybe do the darker shade of green? The gray plasti looks awful on wheels. I did a set and hated how they looked. Basically looked like a 1980's primer job.

[98legwag]

A 4th gen sedan and a 2nd gen wagon. I know that feeling. Your wagon still looks great.

[Navi271]

meepers - I was thinking like a dark bronze or gold, or maybe bright orange since theyre winter wheels.

98legwag- Thanks! Yeah I still like both of these cars, and I try drive them alternating every other day.

[Navi271]

Small update, not much to look at but some stuff to read.
The wagon is sitting at almost 182k, and it's been running just fine.
I got a new head unit for christmas, double din to take up the wasted space. The ipod function stopped work on the old one, and now I've moved on to only using a USB drive. Since I'm still using an Alpine head unit it was only a plug and play swap, easiest install ever.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/02/20150119_152632_zpsf390e943-1.jpg

I think I had a very small brake fluid leak at the front left caliper since I installed it back in 2013. It was just now giving me problems. Air and/or moisture got into the caliper, and it was dragging causing my rotor to heat up. It even got a little red once! Replaced it and haven't had a problem since.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/02/20150111_163520_zps09b9697e-1.jpg

I took the car on a trip to East Iowa, about 250 miles round trip. Before leaving I topped off the fluids, and the engine still looks like it always does. Nothing has really changed with it.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/02/20150119_154202_zps022e89ed-1.jpg

A little shake in the wheels at interstate speeds but otherwise performed perfectly.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/02/20150124_124728_zps2406873f-1.jpg

When I got back home I found this bumper in my trunk! I also have a new grill, not pictured. They will both be cleaned up, plastidipped camo green, and installed sometime this spring/summer. I'll also have some big ol' fog lights as well.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/02/20150131_125507_zps0888538a-1.jpg

...and then SNOW.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/02/20150201_114201_zpse2e2398f-1.jpg

[Navi271]

So this is what NOT to do if you're planning on eventually letting go and selling your first car...

Start off with the outback bumper I picked up recently, a grill that I got from a friend last year I never used, a leftover gallon of camo green plastidip, leftover cans of black plastidip, brand new fog lights, and a freaking perfect summer like weekend.

The bumper and grill setup here.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150314_134810_zpshziw0xv0-1.jpg

I did about 5-6 coats of camo green with the paint gun first, then taped off the lower originally unpainted part and plastidipped that black with spray cans.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150314_161826_zpsnqde9ard-1.jpg

Done!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150314_181619_zps1dkue6js-1.jpg

The grill is all camo green except for the mesh which is plastidipped black.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150314_182028_zpslf8jgpll-1.jpg

Here's a before picture. Stock-ish and boring. Now it's time to take the front apart...

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150315_144507_zpsqknufyio-1.jpg

There are many plastic clips and screws all around the bumper you'll have to find. This isn't my first time taking it off however, so I knew where everything was. These bolts that hold the beam to the frame are tight as hell. I needed a breaker bar for them.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150315_154552_zpshql5m1r3-1.jpg

Once everything is unbolted, unhooked, and disconnected, the bumper with the beam should just slide off. It'll look something like this afterward.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150315_154342_zpstsmxf2pa-1.jpg

You need the metal beam if you want the bumper cover to fit correctly with a swap like this. The outback beam has a dip in the metal where the grill sits (makes room for the larger grill), where my original beam is perfectly flat. The outback bumper cover would not fit on my original beam.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150315_154332_zps8gxrvtrd-1.jpg

Then everything goes back together in reverse order, and there you have it!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150315_190534_zpswdxwgpee-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150315_190512_zpsevt6wwd2-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/03/20150315_190521_zpsvply0m19-1.jpg

The fender liners don't line up with the underside of the bumper, even the metal brackets inside the bumper by the front wheels don't line up at all either. So if you want this to be a perfect swap, there are more pieces you'll need. Despite that, everything went back together, and everything is secured to the car. I'll get some new pictures when it gets warm outside again.

So now I love this car again. I love the way it looks, and there's no way I'll be able to let go of this car anytime soon.

[CaleDeRoo]

Looks awesome. Can't wait for the weather to get better here so I can dip all my faded black plastic.

[98legwag]

Like the golden arches would say, I'm lovin it!

[Hinyo]

It just gets better and better =) wish i had a garage (so jealous)

[meepers]

That looks amazing. I have considered swapping my front OB cover for a GTB LTD bumper, but I dont think anything is as tough and to the business looking as an OB front cover.. Loving your ride.

[Navi271]

Thanks all!
Yeah I didn't think the OB bumper would look very tough, but I was pleasantly surprised after everything was all put back together.
The garage is sooo crappy, haha. The door doesn't shut, it was leaning last summer and we had to add some braces, and there have been mice in it! However, it is much better than not having one at all and it's made a lot of DIY car projects achievable.

[peugoby]

The Hella fog lights looks crystal clear and very nice. What are you going to do with the old setup?

[Navi271]

The Hella fog lights looks crystal clear and very nice. What are you going to do with the old setup?

Thanks! Hmm, I'm not really sure... I guess sell it locally? But the lip does have a lot of history, so idk if I can just sell it to anyone... I'm really not sure, any ideas?

[peugoby]

If you don't plan to use it again you should sell it

[Navi271]

A few changes! I no longer have the Stromung catback exhaust. Whenever I took it on a long drive on the interstate, I'd get a headache. There was some droning around the 3k range. Probably could have added a resonator, but I liked how quiet the sedan is and miss that with the wagon. Also since it was a sedan exhaust there's now a big hole in the bottom of my rear bumper cover. So I went back to stock... I like the Subaru sound, just not on my cars lol.

The grill didn't really work out either. The plastidip didn't stick in a lot of places, and the quality wasn't that great, kinda deformed. So I bought an SUS grill! I think it's the nicest grill I've had on this car. It has rubber on the sides to prevent water from coming through, and a shield behind the emblem to cover the hood latch. It also fits over the hella horns perfectly, unlike the previous grill.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/05/11167683_2346177331859_36324344716199979-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2015/05/11148464_2346177211856_34662053475508448-1.jpg

The stock tailpipe was looking pretty wimpy, so I added a cheap muffler tip. I also got the summer wheels on now that the sedan has its own set.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2008/11/20150426_172153_zpsk074o7d5-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2008/11/20150426_172248_zpsucfrvexo-1.jpg

[Navi271]

Hey everybody, long time no see. I've been lurking around a little bit, but had a major life change back in August of 2016. For a job at Caterpillar, I moved from central Iowa to Rapid City, SD. I decided to sell this car and keep the 2005 Legacy GT because it was more likely to survive many trips back and forth. There were other problems with this car like a leaking fuel filler neck, rust on the rear strut towers, needed new brakes and tires. Here are a few for sale pictures...

2668

2671

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2670

It was sold in July 2016.

[Navi271]

I want to say a full year passed and then one of my friends from Iowa contacted me. They said they saw I on the back of a tow truck with the front end messed up! The info seemed pretty reliable since there's only one Camo Green 95 Legacy wagon in central Iowa, so I was feeling pretty bad about it. Months pass up til recently when I saw a post on here from codyiscody. He said he looked up his VIN number to find his old car wrecked by the next owners. I figured I give it a try to and sure enough...

2673

2674

2675

2676

It looks repairable, no airbags deployed, runs and drives. It's sad to see though. I'm not sure what to say about it. It's an end of an era for me at least. It's weird to see lots of hours of my work broken like that.

I seriously doubt I'll try to pick it up at auction, but it will be available soon. More pictures are on the auction page here:
https://erepairables.com/salvage-cars-auction/cars/subaru/legacy/1995-subaru-legacy-20890340

I'm glad I could share the life of this car while it was with me here at sl-i! I still have the 2005 Legacy GT, so I'll probably update that very soon.

[Go Mifune]

Sorry about the old wagon but it's good to see you check in. Your car was an inspiration for my '97 L project.