IG: @mn_rsti Engine Ej25 705 case halves IAG v2 closed deck process Manley Platinum series pistons 100mm Manley H-Tuff rods Nitride treated crank Killer B oil pickup Killer B windage tray mild ported B25 heads GSC S1 cams GSC intake and exhaust valves GSC stopper style intake and exhaust guides GSC beehive valve springs GSC Titanium retainers ARP 625+ head studs .051" JE ProSeal head gaskets Power: Blouch Domiator 3.0XTR Forced Performance Black ID1300 injectors ID1700 injectors IAG V2 fuel rails IAG -6AN braided fuel line kit IAG AVCS/Turbo SS braided lines Custom NA short runner manifold welded to IAG TGV deletes AEM 3.5 bar MAP sensor AEM IAT sensor OTL Performance Street Series coil packs Boomba throttle body Aeromotive A1000 FPR Radium Dual pump hanger with 2x Walbro 450 pumps Fuelab 81831 6 micron fiberglass element inline fuel filter MAPerformance ELH Grimmspeed 38mm ewg uppipe Tial 38mm ewg Company23 "anti-surge" EBCS Invidia catless downpipe Custom straight pipe axleback Mildly ported intake manifold 10mm Aluminati TGV spacer Custom 3” turbo inlet/intake Odyssey PC680 battery Custom built intercooler using a Treadstone core Custom IC piping TIAL 50mm BOV Vibrant vacuum block Mighty Mouse Solutions dual catch cans Koyo "1819" (90-94 Turbo Legacy Fitment) Radiator 2x SPAL 30101522 12" curved blade puller slim fans Moroso aluminum coolant expansion tank relocated Beatrush motor mounts A/C delete Air pump delete Evap/charcoal canister system delete v3 Accessport - Speed Density Cobb FlexFuel - JrTuned Transmission '07 STi stock 6mt Beatrush mount Kartboy pitchstop Kartboy x-member bushings Kartboy rear shifter bushing Kartboy short shifter Goodridge SS braided clutch line DCCD Pro Spiider with DCCD cluster (V5/6 GC8) output. OEM thumb wheel and manual override switches Comp twin disc Suspension/Steering Fortune Auto 500 series coilovers 13:1 ratio 15+ STi steering rack 00-05 MR2 PS pump, custom lines Perrin rear subframe and diff lockdown kit Hotchkis 25mm front and rear sway bars Brakes '07 STi OEM Brembos Stoptech Street pads Centric Premium High Carbon Brake Rotors front and rear Stoptech SS lines ABS delete, custom line routing in engine bay Interior: GC dash '04 STi center console, hand brake, shifter trim (cut to fit) V5/6 STi DCCD cluster reflashed to MPH and 0 miles (reflash by G-ROM) Ortiz Custom Pods 2 pod gauge cluster bezel AEM Wideband Defi boost gauge Exterior Retrofitted Morimoto DS2 Mini III 4.0 projectors, 50w ballasts, 5500k bulbs, e46-r shrouds Depo amber corners JDM taillights v5/6 STi "3D" honeycomb grill Wheels and tires '07 STi BBS wheels 235/45R-17 Dunlop Direzza ZII tires Merge iWire harness merge iWire GD DBW pedal adapter iWire GD steering column to GD steering rack in a GC knuckle adapter
I've been meaning to get a build thread going on my recent project. I've been really slacking on taking pictures as I go so I'll definitely try improving upon that... This build thread will document the majority of the process of my 98/07 RSTi build. Last August, I sold my beloved '07 STi to a fellow MNSubaru member. It was a tough decision, but I convinced myself the RSTi project is what I really wanted to pursue. We said our goodbyes... In came the '98 25.rs that I took as partial trade on my '07. The PO had already done a lot of the grunt work in tearing down the donor '07 STi as well as pulling the interior engine and drivetrain out of the RS... I need a bigger garage! Engine bay and interior how I inherited the car: I made quick work of pulling the remaining items out of the engine bay. @Cody Weatherly helped me pull the bulkhead harness out of the car and mount up the 6mt. I used a Beatrush 6mt mount and Kartboy xmember bushings. I don't have many pictures of the process, but I cut out the rusty battery box, and did some bondo work to make it look presentable. After: Engine bay sprayed: I pulled the front suspension, cleaned up the STi LCAs, replaced the ball joints and gave everything a good cleaning (damn you, OCD). I'll eventually blast and recoat the Brembos before they go back on. I put new inner and outer tie rods in the STi rack as well.
Holy sh!t, man. Getting things done! Kinda jelly about the blasting and powder coating setup in-house. Can't get much better than that.
With as much stuff as I wanted powder coated, I decided to explore the option of getting my own gun and giving it a whirl. Using an Eastwood dual voltage gun and Desert Wrinkle Red powder from PrismaticPowders.com I got started. After a couple of test pieces, I was ready to give it a try on my shiny new IAG TGV deletes...they came out fantastic and I baked them in my oven lol I upgraded from my conventional oven to a Blue M lab oven. It's larger than a conventional oven, not by much, but better than using the oven I cook my food in . I deleted the "delay valve" that was on the bottom of the MC and also pulled the delay out of the slave. There are several threads with info on what they are on how to do it out there. I coated my brake MC, clutch master and prop valve just for the hell of it. They turned out great as well. I'm getting the hang of this powder coat thing. Invested in a budget sand blast cabinet. Also, this is my garage helper, Subie! He's a chocolate lab and will be 1 year old next week: Blue M 18x18x15 oven I used temporarily: Last week i upgrated to this Keen k-900 18x20x34 oven that I scored off of eBay for $25. Yes, twenty five dollars! ($130 to ship it, but still an absolute steal. These are $3800 brand new!)...eBay rookie seller Something larger would be nice, but this will do for now. Lots of parts coming in, here's a few pics... Blouch 3.0 XTR ID1300's. Shout out to @Aluminati for the help with the injector adapters to get these to fit my IAG TGVs! Current project: Prepping the intake manifold for powder. I decided to port match it to my TGVs for the hell of it. I also wanted to clean up some of the unneeded mounts that are on it so I'm shaving it a bit as well. All the casting marks are ground out and the grounding points are shaved on the pass and driver side as well as a couple of other mounts. Should look pretty slick once it's coated. Next on the list is to get the gas tank and rear subframe and suspension sorted. I also need to run new brake lines in the bay, deleting ABS. As soon as I get my longblock, I'll likely get that mostly assembled, if anything, for some motivation over the winter. New longblock is on the way...more details on that when it comes in. (Not so) short and sweet, but that's where I'm at! Stay tuned...
Not much for updates over the past week... I cut out TGV and purge control solenoid wires from the engine harness, shrink wrapped the individual wires, tucked them back into the loom and and then rewrapped the loom in fresh tape...because OCD. EDIT: This was a mistake later on. Read on to find out why Ported my GT Spec headers I put together a broke man's powder coating booth, utilizing a built in closet in my garage. It works better than it looks Tested out the new booth and a new color (coolant x-over tube and AC/Alternator bracket) Longblock should be here (hopefully) tomorrow. The plan is to start assembly on that right away so I can clear some parts off the table and make some room in my garage! Running brake lines is also high on the priority list for this weekend.
Got my harnesses boxed up and ready to ship to iWire. I'll gladly pay someone for the harness merge to avoid this headache! I need to source a GD fuel pump controller and harness before I can send it off...
Longblock details: Ej25 case halves Manley Platinum series pistons Manley H-Tuff rods ACL bearings Nitride treated crank rotating assembly blueprinted and balanced within 1/4 gram mild ported B25 heads GSC intake and exhaust valves GSC stopper style intake and exhaust guides GSC beehive valve springs GSC Titanium retainers GSC viton stem seals *contemplating GSC S1 AVCS cams as well
Progress has been kinda slow lately. Still waiting to find out what to do for my shortblock... Waiting on an STi fuel pump controller to show up before I can send my harness out for merging. New inner and outer tie rods installed on the STi steering rack, that's ready to go in. Pulled the STi struts out of the RS to sell them to make room for the Flatout coilovers Sold my v4 JDM seats...found some mint 2.5rs leather seats w/ red stitching and coupe door cards for a great deal that I couldn't pass up. I'm not sure how I'll like the leather...worried about sliding around. The bolsters seem a bit better than the stock 2.5rs seats, but not as pronounced as STi seats. Will found out eventually! Luxurious. Brake lines are halfway done. I'll be able to salvage a lot of the factory lines which will make things a whole lot easier going from the MC over to the prop valve. Valve covers powder coated
Awesome build so far! I wish I had the time and space for such a project. Maybe when I'm bored and retired some day lol.
Steering rack is in with fresh inners and outers. I also sent my wiring harness on its journey to iWire this afternoon for the harness merge. Front brake lines are run in the engine bay (deleted ABS), but still need to finish fitting them to the front caliper lines in the fenderwells. (I changed up the routing of the lines on the driver's side compared to my previous post) For a change of scenery, I started retrofitting my headlights. They are Morimoto D2s mini 4.0 projectors with E46-r shrouds. These shrouds take a ton of work to get them to fit in this headlight! I think the extra effort will be worth it though. Teaser:
Some in progress pictures and finished pictures of the headlights... Very tempted to throw these on the wagon until my car is done.
Still collecting parts and doing odd and ends... Front end is together with an exception of coilovers which should be here any day...(Flatout Suspension group buy) I'm hoping to have a resolution/closure with UPS in regards to my shortblock this week. I really want to get the motor assembled and clear some space on the workbench for things to come, but can't do anything until that all gets sorted out. IAG v2 rails and lines came in. After a test fitment, I've realized I need different top hat/adapters than what I have now to avoid having to stack 4+ washers to bolt the rails down to the TGVs. I shipped my injectors off to InjectorDynamics for inspection/cleaning/flow testing and they'll ship them back with the new adapters. That's aboot it for now...
Front harness section has been all rewrapped and routed. At the same time, I mounted my HID controller off of the LH front fender brace and also mounted the ballasts near the SRS impact sensors behind the front bumper on both sides. This should work out nicely as everything will remain hidden. The main wire running from the igniter on the headlights will run straight down through a grommet in the sheetmetal to the ballasts. This should keep everything looking tidy. The driver side may be tricky with battery placement...I have a battery hold down coming sometime this week so I can begin mockup on that side. I'll have the passenger side done tonight. STi pedal box is in. I'll be getting a SS clutch line tonight that I'll install before bench bleeding the clutch system and then installing the slave and lines. Waiting on my harness merge to get finished up...my GD DBW gas pedal adapter will ship with my harness. The shortblock situation has made a little progress. Unfortunately UPS denied our appeal to their original denial of our damage claim. I'm working with the seller to provide me new (used) case halves and billing him for the labor to have this shortblock torn down and assembled in the new case. It was an expensive lesson for him to learn...do not ship an aluminum shortblock in a single wall corrugated cardboard box stuffed with just newspaper...smh. Case halves will hopefully be here (safely) at the end of next week, but reassembly of the shortblock probably won't happen until after the first of the year...
PROGRESS Injectors came back from Injector Dynamics. I had to replace two that were out of compliance . Got them installed and the fuel rails bolted down. Engine is mostly assembled...still waiting on cams (GSC S1's) before I can button it up. The turbo/inlet took a little persuasion to make it fit... Still need to wrap the header. Put my solder skills, or lack thereof, to the test and spliced in an AEM 3.5bar MAP sensor Started thinking about fuel line routing. I'm leaning towards a parallel setup, but I'd like to put the FPR here. I'm not sure if I should be concerned with one return fuel line being 3" from one rail and about 15" from the other rail though. The feed lines will be equal going to the rail, that's no problem. In my own logic, lines being equal going to the rail would be more important than them being equal coming from the rail...I do not know if that logic is correct. Still contemplating parallel vs. series routing. I found a home for the PS reservoir. Everything was going fairly smoothly until it came time to install the AN fittings onto the steering rack... A little too much Hulk. I hardly had an torque on the fitting which makes me thing the casting was cracked a little bit already. Cast aluminum in pretty much impossible to weld. ...sh!t happens, I'm in the market for a replacement rack. Tonight I got started on the rear of the car, pulling the rear subframe that was halfass bolted in basically just to make the car a roller when it was sold. I'm installing a Perrin rear subframe lockdown kit as the rear end goes back together. oh shiny After that's all cleaned up, I'll get the gas tank dropped and situated. I deleted the evap system so I'll need to figure out venting the tank and what hoses I need and don't need. Also have a Walbro 450 to drop in while the tank is out. In other news, iWire will be starting on my harness this week. Once I get that I can throw it in and get some progress made on interior. Cams and a clutch kit are keeping me from dropping the motor in currently. Still waiting on the coilovers..................... Still have a lot to sort out, but some progress is nice
Tank is dropped and I'm working on wiring and evap routing/capping before it goes back in, new Walbro 450 pump installed. I deleted the stock fuel filter that the stock pump feeds directly into as there wasn't enough room to retain it with the 450. I'll run an inline Fuelab filter in the engine compartment. Battery box coated and mounted Exhaust manifold wrapped...what a PITA When I started putting the motor together, I still wasn't sure if I was sticking with the stock cams or going with something aftermarket...well I pulled the trigger on GSC S1 billet core cams. Lots of measuring fun! I ended up needing 15 of 16 new buckets. This process would be a lot cheaper and easier to have the machine shop tip the valves to gain the clearance needed, but the motor is already basically together...really don't want to tear it back down. I guess that's what I get for lack of planning. A bit more organized...this spreadsheet made it a breeze: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pOlZEvONctiaqMDEZEiL0fg&output=xls Apparently a comfortable place to lay down. Merged harness should be here Monday! The new steering rack is plumbed with the new high pressure lines and I didn't break a fitting this time! Should have new buckets at the end of the week and hopefully have time to get the cams in and set the timing this weekend.
HAHA I told him to start running hoses, but all he did was lie there and look at me. Looking forward to getting that harness plugged in!
I got the gas tank half ass in for now...waiting on a new rubber filler neck hose. Once I get that I should be able to get the rear subframe and drivetrain in completely. I did a ton of research to see what was necessary, wiring wise, in order to use the GD gas tank using the GD fuel sender/pump and subsender. I ended up using the GC tank harness I'll lose the STI rear diff temp output, but the GC isn't wired for it anyway so i'm not sure that it's possible to get working (using a v5/6 STI DCCD cluster so I'm not even sure if there is even a rear diff temp light in the cluster). Using the GC tank harness, there is one modification that is needed to the wiring. The STI fuel sender connector uses pin 2 as a ground wire whereas the GC uses pin 5 as the ground wire. On the GC chassis, pin 2 just terminates at the next harness connection in the chassis so you have to splice the pin 2 wire (red/yellow) into the pin 5 wire (black/yellow) to make the ground. Confusing, but fairly simple. Without doing this, you'll have no fuel level signal to your cluster. Rigged up a simple bracket for and FPR mount. Need to coat the bracket black still, but that should do the job. I got my new buckets installed and the heads buttoned up finally. I'm waiting on a LH inner timing cover before I can put the LH cam sprockets on and time the motor. It's the small things that delay progress as well as nickel and dime you at the same time! My merged harness should be here tomorrow! While I'm waiting on other parts, I'll get the harness installed and start working on interior.
The motor and headers sure look pretty mang!! Hoping to see this at the LaXCruise this year! Could be back to back "People's Choice Awards" for the GC's!?
Gas tank is in after getting a new filler neck hose yesterday. Rear subframe is in with the Perrin lockdown kit installed. Rear diff is in with new Perrin diff mount and outrigger bushings. My merged harness came back on Monday and I made quick work of getting it routed throughout the cabin. Heater core, blower motor/ac condenser, dash beam installed. Pro tip: Make sure you install the vent that goes along the trans tunnel and under the driver/passenger seats that blows air to the rear seats before you put the dash beam in. I had to pull the dash beam back out again to put the vent piece in. Can we go for a ride yet???
Are you running any sound deadening on the floors/doors/roof/trunk/etc? Super spendy, but makes your Subaru sound more like a Caddy on the inside. Especially closing the doors with it inside the door panels.(my favorite mod)
Negative. It'll be your standard noisy, rattling Subaru inside. I honestly don't mind the road/drivetrain/engine noise. I'm more the type to listen to my car than the radio anyway.
If I ever get to pull off a build even remotely close to this caliber, I'd be dynamat-ing the sh!t out of it. You mentioned inside the door panels. You mean stuck to the door itself but behind the panel, right? I'm hoping to do this to mine this summer.
You remove the door card and plastic, and then put strips on the inside of the outer part of the door through the holes. I prefer to listen to the sound of the drivetrain too Joe. When i'm not poundin' da bass cannon dat iz!
