Thom's 97 BD 2.2GT - Frankemotor lives - 9/7/15

[Thomistopheles]

Thom's 97 GT 5MT Sedan: Baller Husky Hauler II



History:
I bought this car on March 5th, 2014 to replace my 97 Outback (clicky linky). The outback had a rust forming on the bottoms of the doors and the driver's rear quarter panel. I originally intended to head down south in a year or two, grab another outback with a clean shell and blown head gaskets to reshell my car... but this BD GT popped up. The previous owner put 200 miles on it after having a clutch put in, and the timing jumped. Valves got up close and personal. A rust free shell in the midwest... This is where my story begins.

Body:
JDM projector headlights
FX-R projectors, Morimoto ballasts, Osram Nightbreaker bulbs
Motocontrol headlight harness
XB LED switchbacks
JDM projector fogs
JDM amber sidemarkers
JDM L7 grille
20% tint


Interior and audio:
Delrin teardrop shift knob
Kartboy short shifter
Full woodgrain trim
Pioneer Premier F90BT dvd/nav head unit
Alpine type S rear speakers
Kicker front components
10" Orion XTR pro
Memphis PRD500.1 amp
LED bulbs in ALL the things. All of them.
OB Limited leather seats + door cards

Wheels, suspension, brakes:
Gold RS 5 spokes, BBS RX-II, LGT snowflakes
04 STI fitment Tokico D-spec struts
Racecomp Engineering Black springs
3/8" HDPE rear strut top spacers
Drilled & slotted rotors, ceramic pads


Engine:
EJ251 block
Ported EJ22E heads
Cometic 0.040" hybrid head gaskets
Cold air intake
Long tube UEL header
High flow cat
2.5" stainless mandrel bent cat back exhaust, 18" resonator + vibrant 1146
Perrin lightweight crank pulley
ACT Streetlite lightweight flywheel
Exedy KSB04

[98legwag]

Why do I get the feeling this will be stupidly shiny?

[Muse]

Ummm... Because you know of Thom and his predilection for shiny objects?

Seriously, this man would probably figure out a way to make flat paint shine, just because.

[Thomistopheles]

Hmm? Did someone say shiny? Because I got something shiny tonight...



Ordering all my parts to freshen up the 2.2 right meow.

[dynonacht]

God I really want those lights, has this hauled any huskys yet?

[Thomistopheles]

Won't haul any huskies until the 2.2 is in. EJ25D in it is D-E-D dead, timing jumped while previous owner was driving.

[dynonacht]

Sorry I was under the impression the ej22 was already installed.

[Thomistopheles]

Ahhhh I wish. I can't wait to drive it... I should have it running around Wednesday if I take my time cleaning up the 2.2 and the engine bay. Amazon says the timing belt kit, water pump, accessory belts, plugs, fuel + air + oil filters, and gaskets will be here on Saturday the 8th.

[dynonacht]

Longest 2 days of your life lol.

[86bratman]

Looking forward to this, hate to see the outback go though.

[Emsea]

Subbed.

The challenge for the HH IIto haul as much or more steel than the HH I has commenced.

Edit: Calling them the HH I and HH II make them sound like battleships.

[Thomistopheles]

Wasn't able to pull it in the shop tonight. Battery was dead, so I gave it a jump and checked out all the electrical interior bits. Car is pre wired for an amp, so that's a plus. Took a closer look behind the timing covers, passenger side exhaust cam shattered and the belt was loose. It'll be interesting to see the carnage once it's pulled.

Anyway, here's more photos of my filthy car

[foohfooh]

psh dude thatll clean up real good

[dynonacht]

Damn Minnesotans.

[Thomistopheles]

Less dirty now. Still needs about 15-20 hours of paint correction, and the front end will need a respray. Crows feet in the hood and top of the fenders. Bumper's pretty beat too, could use some love. Threw the jdm projectors on, started getting the EJ22 ready for it.

[dynonacht]

Bout to scour ebay for some jdm headlights.

Makin me jealous.

[Thomistopheles]

Just bought a red badge L7 grille to complete my front end. Got it for $50 less than the asking price, wasn't really expecting the seller to take my lowball offer lol.

[86bratman]

I've been pleasantly surprised by the offers I've had accepted on eBay lol, care to share who the seller was. Maybe they have another they'll do the same with :-)

[Thomistopheles]

new_stars was the seller. Decent amount of legacy/subaru stuff for sale, a few different grilles.

[ctbrighton]

is it just me or are projector headlights scarce on ebay right now, I swear there were always a dozen pairs available at any one time.

Of course it's only NOW that i'm considering retrofitting a pair of those vs mini d2s on the 2 piece headlights....

[Thomistopheles]

I got these from a local guy, he has a long term build going and wanted me to do a retrofit in USDM housings for him instead... so we worked out a trade. I got my last set of JDM projectors local too, from Wiscon_Mark.

Now if only a set of JDM tails would pop up for a reasonable price... and without the center since I can't use it on the USDM trunk anyway.

[Thomistopheles]

Got my jdm projectors wired up, cleaned up the ej22 a bit, and got the old 25D ready to come out. Motor mounts, drop exhaust, and out it goes. Should have the 2.2 in there tomorrow night... after some engine bay cleaning.



Here's how the 25D died.

[Thomistopheles]

Cleaned up the engine bay after pulling the dead 25D and cleaned the 2.2.





Clutch looks brand new, but they didn't resurface or replace the flywheel when it was done. Tons of cracks in it, so I picked up another flywheel from a subaru mechanic friend for free. Should have it running and driving Friday if my heater hose comes in.

[Emsea]

.... so I picked up another flywheel from a subaru mechanic friend for free....

Bartering skills come naturally for Thomistopheles.

I too expect my BD to be running come Friday, so it is a race! But realistically something will hold me up and it will not be Friday haha

[Thomistopheles]

Did you get yours running? Drove mine home Friday night. Madison area subaru people are pretty good about sharing spare parts. He does a lot of side work at home, kept a spare flywheel from either a NA saabaru or a 2.5RS. Looks good as new after having it resurfaced.

Still waiting on my L7 grille, but tracking says it's in chicago

[Dead91silvia]

Looks good!

[Muse]

Congrats, man... Definitely worthy of carrying on the "Baller Husky Hauler" moniker.

[Hinyo]

So whens it going to start getting the THOM treatment? and CONGRATZ!!!!

[98legwag]

Nice. Now I vote you drive it out to the MD meet in a couple weeks.

[Emsea]

Did you get yours running? Drove mine home Friday night. ...

I did! I got it on the road Thursday afternoon. Now I have the interior in pieces sorting out the stereo system lol.
How does the 2.2 feel? Notice a difference from the 2.5 in the wagon?