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Thread: SLW's 1998 Legacy Outback- Starting phase

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    SLW's 1998 Legacy Outback- Starting phase

    My entrance into the world of BGs was during college where my best friend had a 1997 Outback. He passed away a few years ago and his parents gave me his car. It was a rust bucket and he wasn't a car guy but I still had big dreams for it. Ordered a bunch of stuff to slowly start restoring and building it to my liking.

    The first thing i did was buy a wrecked 99 limited for most of its interior, bought jdm heads and tails and several other things. Long story short, i popped the timing belt and took it to my inlaws house to rot. I did not need the car as I have a 2002 F150 Fx4 and a 2003 F150 Lightning (both with under 30k miles!) to drive.

    This 1998 has been showing itself on Facebook Marketplace and i watched the price go from 2400 to 1900 over the course of a few weeks. I finally called him up and told him that I would come and buy it if he would take 1500. Went to look at it and wow, so much better shape than the old 97. No rust, relatively decent condition on the inside and the body was in great shape. I offered him $1400 after some haggling and drove it home. Had 214k on it.

    I will be using this car to keep the mileage off of my trucks and for the better fuel milieage. I would like to use it for autocrossing eventually as my Ligthing, though tons of fun, is quite a pig on course.

    [B]Mods so far:
    Exterior

    Paint- Ford Magnetic gray metalic
    Window tint 30% front, 5% rear and eyebrow
    New oem front wiper arms
    New Windshield
    Honda Pilot rear wiper arm
    All exterior lights are led
    JDM Projectors retrofitted with FXR 3.0 bi-xenon projectors
    JDM clear tails and garnish
    2004 STI BBS wheels- Restored with Red caps
    JDM GTb side skirts
    JDM slim door molding
    JDM side marker lights
    JDM GTb front bumper and crash bar
    JDM GTb rear bumper
    JDM GTb projector fogs
    JDM OEM wing
    JDM OEM spats
    USDM 1995 manual folding mirrors
    Outback Limited smooth door handles
    Rays splined lug nuts
    New OEM front windows and guides

    Interior

    JDM TS type R seats and door panels
    Outback Limited woodgrain trim
    New OEM carpet, headliner, rear hatch trim dyed black
    New OEM leather steering wheel
    Map lights now controlled by dome light switch/door open and led
    ProClips iPhone mount
    JDM ebrake surround
    Husky molded front floor liners
    Rear cup holder
    New oem cargo net kit
    Forester leather ebrake handle
    EUDM "Power Mode" shifter with pop up pocket surround
    JDM OEM option console extension
    JDM ebrake surround
    WeatherTech rear floor liner
    Infiniti I30 auto dimming rear view mirror
    JDM lighted ignition ring

    Engine

    Zero/Sports muffler
    3rd gen Legacy hood struts
    Gates timing belt kit TCKWP277AN (this kit comes with Japanese bearings)
    Perrin lightweight crank pulley
    110 amp 3rd gen h6 alternator

    Suspension/Brakes

    Tein Flex Z coilovers for a 2004 WRX STI or 2002-2007 WRX
    Zero/Sports front strut tower brace
    Zero/Sports rear strut brace
    PowerStop 2002 WRX front brakes
    Powerstop 2004 Legacy rear brakes
    StopTech SS brake lines for 2002 WRX
    Grimmspeed master cylinder brace
    Whiteline sway bar Endlinks
    Whiteline rear control arms
    Whiteline rear sway bar BSR19XXZ
    Whiteline front sway bar BSF19XZ
    Whiteline rear sway bar mounts
    Whiteline bump steer kit KCA313 End links and balljoints
    Garage Dog house roof brace

    Audio

    Sony Carplay/Android Auto radio
    Skar 6.5" components
    Skar 6.5" coaxial's
    Dual 10" subs
    Skar 1500W monoblock
    Boyo license plate camera


    The day I brought it home 9/21/18


    Current
    Last edited by SLW-SVT; 05-22-2020 at 09:07 PM.

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    Best mods:


    Brand new carpet:


    Limited Steering wheel, cluster surround, wiper/light controls


    Old school Alpine radio, JDM ebrake surround


    Ebay strut bar


    Leather seats!




    Serious detailing




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    SLi Resident Tylerhartman's Avatar
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    Looking good! I didn't know Weathertech made a mat for 2g's, that's awesome
    1999 Legacy GT Wagon 5SPD (Stella)" Race Wagon"
    V7 STI Drivetrain, STI 6MT, R180, Brembos, JDM EJ205 "Big port AVCS", Fortune Auto 500 Coilovers, a lot of JDM Parts and much much more...
    2006 Legacy 2.5i Wagon A/T SWP SE "Slow Wagon" 20% Tint, JDM Tails, JDM Rear Fog, GT Leather
    1997 Legacy GT Wagon
    1998 Legacy L Wagon
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    Thanks Tyler

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    I got a new radio that has android auto and carplay and a backup camera. After much thought, i decided to mount the camera inside the rear bumper. I installed a slim sub as well.














    - - - Updated - - -

    I have a painter lined up for when my GTB bumper comes in the mail. So far the parts I'm getting painted are the front and rear bumpers, jdm slim door trim, jdm skirts, jdm spats, jdm spoiler and new 1995 foldable mirrors. Maybe the door handles too.

    the spoiler is mocked up and the pinstripe removed.



    Also, got a Garage dog house roof brace



    - - - Updated - - -

    So I have acquired most of the GTB parts (Grille, front bumper, crash bar, fog lights and spats. Already have slim trim and skirts) this past weekend. I'm waiting on a rear bumper now as the jdm spats don't work with the outback rear bumper. I got some Tein Flex Z's for a 2004 STi or 2002-2007 WRX and installed them yesterday. Also, someone on Facebook gave me a working rear couple holder with no damage!

    This car has been parked in the garage since I got it while I'm getting it ready to drive back and forth to work. Here are the main things I' waiting on before putting insurance on it.
    1. Paint the new parts and repaint the white.
    2. Have the BBS wheels refinished
    3. Change out brakes to something that are bigger and better than the stock setup
    4. Install new timing belt









    - - - Updated - - -

    Here are some pre body kit and paint shots









    - - - Updated - - -

    Whiteline rear sway bar, rear mounts and endlinks.. along with shiny new brakes. Also, installed a brand new oem steering wheel that my sister got me for Christmas.

    Havent decided what to do for the front swaybar yet.









    1998 Outback

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    I've been working on getting the car ready for paint. I worked out a deal with my painter where i would remove all the trim/ roof rack/ lights etc for a cheaper price. Got some red BBS caps and my first part for a turbo swap down the road. Also, i found a shop to restore my BBS wheels. still unsure about what color to use for my two tone but that will decide which color the wheels will end up being.

















    Zero / Sports muffler and Syms front strut bar came in along with a mint set of wood trim.

















    - - - Updated - - -















    Before:


    After:




    - - - Updated - - -

    FXR 3.0 retrofit



    I used some nuts and washers to space out the projector to clear the plastic clips for the adjustment screws.



    Had to trim here to clear the adjustment screws




    Installed


    Finished! looks a lot better without the orange bulb in the corners. I'm going to take these to the place that did my wheels for them to professionally restore them and spray PPG clear coat for headlights.



    Got all new clips and gaskets for the grille, backup camera that will be installed in the wiper delete cap, new hatch striking plates and a ceramic coating kit for the wheels.



    I got matching 3900K lights for the corner and turn assist in the JDM fog lights. Also matching 5k led for the projector in the fogs. I don't care about output on these, i just need them to match the 5500k HIDs in the headlights.





    Chargespeed convex mirror overlays! I cracked one of my new mirrors trying to prep them for paint so i got these.



    New Rays lug nuts with locking lugs



    And a Zero/Sports rear strut bar



    - - - Updated - - -













    1998 Outback

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    Well the car is back from paint! Looks a lot better than it did but its still not exactly perfect up close. oh well, its my dd work car.

    Next up is wiring up the side markers, and finish putting the car back together. Then its brakes, whiteline parts and muffler.

    I think I've decided on dying my carpet and headliner black. I ordered Duplicolor vinyl and fabric dye but I'm still researching what the best solution is for carpet.



    I might lower the front just a little bit more.











    I got the retrofits all wired up and they came out looking perfectly flat!



    Also new Zero Sports front strut bar! I didn't realize i was buying a brand new part so I'm pretty excited about that


    1998 Outback

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    I got a new windshield put in along with new trim, wiper arms, wipers, 3rd gen spray style washers and amber leds for the turn signal and turn assist lights. Not sure how i feel about the turn assist being amber but i like that the both match.











    - - - Updated - - -

    i got my headliner dyed (6 cans), put a driver side grab handle in (holes were already threaded just needed to modify the headliner), installed the 1999 Infiniti i30 auto dimming mirror(did not wire it up) and received a Weathertech rear floor liner!







    1998 Outback

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    Dirt Tech / Vendor Reuben's Avatar
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    Holy shit this thing is proper!!! Nice to see all the JDM kit put onto a proper BG chassis! Gotta have that stepped roof! Man keep up the good work, I love seeing the second gens get the love they deserve.

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    SLi Supporter Red85Celica's Avatar
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    This car has come a long way in such a short time, Neil. Love the new color!
    '02 BE Limited GT - SOLD
    '99 Legacy wrx wagon - RIP east coast rust
    '97 GT limited wagon - RIP.
    93 gt/b - current
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    Quote Originally Posted by Reuben View Post
    Holy shit this thing is proper!!! Nice to see all the JDM kit put onto a proper BG chassis! Gotta have that stepped roof! Man keep up the good work, I love seeing the second gens get the love they deserve.
    Thanks Reuben! I might import a GTB in a few years but for now I'm just happy to have a legit clone.

    Quote Originally Posted by Red85Celica View Post
    This car has come a long way in such a short time, Neil. Love the new color!
    It sure has! I've only filled it up once when I bought it and drove it home and I've only driven it to get the windows tinted and to the painter twice lol. It sounds good right now but I'm worried that as soon as I start driving it everyday something bad is going to happen...but that will just give me an excuse to expedite a motor swap! Is that you Brad?
    1998 Outback

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    SLi Supporter Red85Celica's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SLW-SVT View Post
    Thanks Reuben! I might import a GTB in a few years but for now I'm just happy to have a legit clone.



    It sure has! I've only filled it up once when I bought it and drove it home and I've only driven it to get the windows tinted and to the painter twice lol. It sounds good right now but I'm worried that as soon as I start driving it everyday something bad is going to happen...but that will just give me an excuse to expedite a motor swap! Is that you Brad?
    Yes, it is I.
    '02 BE Limited GT - SOLD
    '99 Legacy wrx wagon - RIP east coast rust
    '97 GT limited wagon - RIP.
    93 gt/b - current
    '94 Ti
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    So, the last of the current mods are finally completed and i lowered the car 1/2"! Car is getting an alignment tomorrow and I'm getting a new driver seatbelt under Subaru's lifetime seatbelt warranty as well.

    PowerStop 02-07 WRX front brakes
    Powerstop 3rd gen Legacy rear brakes
    StopTech SS brake lines for 02-07 WRX
    Whiteline Endlinks
    Whiteline rear laterals
    Whiteline rear sway bar
    Whiteline rear sway bar mounts
    Zero/Sports muffler











    1998 Outback

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    SLi Resident fwa2500's Avatar
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    Dude. That is looking awesome.
    '11 Lexus CT200h - Feb. 2024-Present
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    SLi Resident ryu_haneda's Avatar
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    Fantastic ride!
    2010 Red Impreza 2.5i hatchback - SOLD
    (Still driving a Subaru now, though)

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    Well, i have been keeping the LegacyGT.com build thread going but photobucket seems to have deleted most of my photos. going to continue the thread here.

    Since the last update here i have updated my interior with JDM TS type R seats and door panels and a modest Skar audio sound system with 2 10" subs, 1500w amp and 6.5" component speakers.






    found a super rare console extension!



    Ended up mounting this umbrella that i got in Japan to the sub box and now have front and rear Zero Sports strut bars



    Mounted these tweeter pods to the factory tweeter delete panel and put in new windows in with all new guides.



    Cant do this with USDM seats





    I put an EDM shifter assembly in with power mode button and pop up pocket and card holder trim. You have to have the shifter assembly for this to work.

    1998 Outback

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    Here are some current pics.











    This summer some big changes will be coming to the car. I currently have a Version 8 EJ207 and a Version 7 non-dccd 6mt trans and drivetrain getting ready to go in. I will be doing headgaskets and all new seals this Saturday. Im taking everything apart and washing as much as i can with my new parts washer. The brembos have been taken apart and sandblasted and will have new seals and be painted red with new Brembo rotors and pads.





    Put an oil filter and drain valve on the parts washer and am using a petroleum based degreaser.



    Using a subframe and steering rack out of a Saab 9-2x.



    Whiteline bushings



    3rd gen jdm GT control arms. I will be keeping th outback inner rear bushing housing and pressing in offset whiteline bushings.

    1998 Outback

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    Brembos have been sandblasted and are ready for new seals and paint.





    It appears that something was leaking above my motor at the jdm motor warehouse but i got it cleaned up a little







    I have all new bushings ready to go in from whiteline, kartboy or tic. New group n motor/trans mounts and pitchstop will be used as well.

    1998 Outback

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    Made some good progress yesterday working on the seals and gaskets. My buddy was supposed to bring the sprocket tool from work but forgot. we were able to get both intake sprockets off but one of the exhaust sprockets wasnt budging. We ended up rounding out the hole and that was it. I looked into using a reverse socket and putting a wrench on the cam but 17mm was too small and it seems that 18mm reverse sockets do not exist..hes going to come back later with sprocket tool and an air chisel to beat it into submission.

    We did get a good look at the cylinder walls 2 and 4 and you can still see cross hatches all around except on the bottom. We cleaned up and inspected the heads and torqued in new arp head studs, got the new aisin water pump on and cleaned up and resealed the oil pump. Also got the Moroso oil pick up on, Group N motor mounts in and cleaned up all the connectors on the engine harness and retaped it up. there were no damaged plugs!

    Buddies SUS








    My oldest came out with gloves on so i taught her to use an electric ratchet lol




    And i believe all i need now is coolant and i should be set
    1998 Outback

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    207 is all resealed, Aisen TKF-004 timing kit installed and everything is buttoned up. Waiting on Phenolic spacers to attach the intake manifold.



    Got the Tomioka twin scroll downpipe in today and had to test fit



    Painted and resealed the brembos and the intake manifold although im not to pleased with the calipers. I might try to clear coat them later.





    And got the motor and trans pulled and cleaned up the engine bay.







    Next up is to start working on getting the new subframes, rear diff, new bushings and suspension parts in. Also waiting on the the merged wiring harness to arrive. I really need to straighten up this garage though before pulling the interior
    1998 Outback

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