Ronald6 99 Legacy Wagon Brighton

[Ronald6]

Hello all. I've been lurking for awhile but haven't posted about my car till now.

I own 2 Subaru Legacies currently:
Aviendha is my 99 Legacy Wagon brighton.
My wife drives Nynaeve, her 98 Legacy Limited.

Aviendha the day after I got her (March 19, 2014):


Her most recent picture:


Upgrades (more like changes):

-Exterior:
-- HID headlights
-- Rear bumber guard
-- aftermarket Fog Lights
-- 17" black steelies

Interior:
-- blue LED dash lights
-- blue LED cabin lights
-- painted dash trim
-- matching seat covers, steering wheel cover (not used) and seatbelt pads
-- ergonomic shift knob
-- aftermarket stereo
-- tinting on all side windows.
-- tinting removed from rear window

Engine:
-- nothing, completely stock

Random pics:






I use it as a daily driver and rallycross car.

[r3v_v3ng3]

Welcome! Whats your plan for the brighton and any pics of the limited?

[Ronald6]

Thanks r3v_v3ng3.

My plans are to keep her running as long as possible. My wife's car has reached 328,000 miles (knock on wood) without needing too much work. We just replaced the timing belt and the cars original fuel pump.

On my car I need to replace the shocks soon. I plan on Bilstein coilovers.

By that time rallycross season will have ended and I'll work on moving the car from stock class to prepared class.
I already have a line on a slightly used Premative skidplate.
The air intake is after that. I plan on mounting an aftermarket hood scoop to the passenger side of the hood. The scoop will face reverse instead of forward. Given my options I don't know whatelse would work better given the dusty and muddy rallycross terrain. Just a snorkus delete where the air is grabbed from the fender instead of the engine bay would be a bad idea.
I also plan on installing a cabin air intake over the windshield.
Then a new exhaust.
Somewhere in there I also want to redue the paint / fix the rust / fix the dents.

The interior is pretty much done. I need to redo the door cards with a stronger adhesive and get a shift boot and shift knob to match the blue motif.

My wife's car:


Some shots of my car in use:

[Ronald6]

I have a problem and a question.

The problem:
When I first bought Aviendha, my 99 brighton, I knew it would need a new front axle. So I took it to Liberty Auto in Hillsboro. Tam (I think that's his name) replaced it and a few other parts and I took it to Gratteri's for an alignment. No problem.

Then I started to hear a thumping noise whenever I turned sharply right. I took the car back to Liberty and Tam took it for a short drive putting the car through it's paces. No noise. But as soon as I left the noise came back. Murphy's law.

My wifes car developed a problem and we took it to Liberty about three weeks ago. I picked my wife up in Aviendha, and because of the small parking lot the noise returned. Tam heard it and we discussed it. Even though the part was no longer under warranty because I had tried to bring it to his attention while it was under warranty Tam offered to fix it for free.

Liberty Auto = Integrity.

I finally had a day free about a week later and he fixed it, along with a few parts that also needed replacing.

But I still get the thumping noise up front, and in the months I've owned her it's also developed when I turn left as well as right. And after he replaced the axle I heard a whirring noise whenever I compression brake. It sounds like it comesnfrom the right front wheel.

I took it back to Tam, again, and he looked it over with my help. Even with a stethoscope he couldn't find where the noise was coming from.

Just about every part that moves has been replaced on the front wheels that deals with the driveling or steering. On both sides: CV joints, axles, control arms, you name it.

So my question is this: what are the noises I'm hearing? The thumping I get when I turn sharply and the whirring I hear when I compression brake?

Any help would be appreciated, I would hate to ruin a good car through ignorance.

[Ronald6]

Update time.

My mechanic got back to me on the noise. Apparently it's the throw out bearing. Nothing to worry about, he said, just come back when the clutch starts to go.

I redid my door cards for the third and final time:

Same fabric as before but I like this orientation better, and the bunting underneath plus the stitching add alot of texture.

I ordered a new shift knob and boot, both with blue stitching.

And the big announcement, trumpets please!

I got Primitive!

King Springs for a Legacy and KYB GR2 struts for an Outback with SPT strut tops.

The ride is fantastic. Both street and gravel/snow. Even on gravel washboard she felt like a smooth highway. Aviendha treated the snow like it didn't exist.

It's a little higher, 2.25 and 2.50 inches front and back. I now look down at Outbacks.


Skidplate next. After the holiday season.