What did you do to your subaru today?

This was last weekend, but tested the structural integrity of the rear tow hook on the Legacy. Figured better safe than sorry, so tested it in the safety of my own driveway rather than wait until it's buried in 6' of snow in a ditch (because that's how much it would take to stop this beast).

We're doing a little "landscaping" at the new pad since this is our first spring/summer here. Closed and moved in last fall so really didn't get to attack anything right away. There were 3 totally overgrown shrubs right next to the driveway so I hacked all the bushy stuff off before winter to prevent the frustration come snow removal time (they were hanging well over the driveway). Fast forward to now and we're pulling the remaining "stumps" out of the ground. It's landscape rocks for several inches, so screw digging...





Also, the wife wants this big one gone as well. It, too, is overgrown and mama doesn't like it. I will be attempting to yank this one with the Legacy, and fear not, there will be video!



And she wonders why we keep this thing around...

 

Hook up both trucks and the legacy...you got this. Call me cuz I really want to watch this happen!

 

Thanks!! I'd love a dark gunmetal color if possible. If not, white or black would also work. I'm looking to stick the list on my MacBook Pro 13" which has the space grey color.

 

Absolutely! You just have to come to Ohio to get them

Yea, sorry, I moved a couple weeks ago. Fortunately a single hole saw (buy name brand) and a titanium step bit (harbor freight is fine) are not too expensive. Very important tip for drilling with the hole saw....keep your RPM's low for metal! Keep your drill on the lowest speed, and depending on the drill (e.g. most drills), keep the trigger at half speed.

Good luck with the install, it really is not bad at all.

 

There were some large traces of black plastidip on one wheel from the PO. I did what any sensible person does, took lacquer thinner soaked rags, and spent the good part of 30 minutes in class getting all the dip off. Was worth it, it looks much better now!

 

A little late, but got the Legacy back from the body shop about a week ago, I think it looks better than ever. Deer hit damage is taken care of, also painted the grille insert body color and debadged the trunk while it was being worked on. It even had some company from @tangledupinblu 's BRZ sitting next to it (same guy worked on both).

 

In bugeye news, I had my RT/front inner CV boot split today and fling grease on the down pipe. Caused a bit of smoke but was a quick fix, new (reman) axle and a little driving to burn off the remaining grease residue and it's good to go again. Also finally switched back to e85 for the summer and gave it a bath afterward, first one in months. Still loving the new JDM headlights and Prodrive grille too.

 

@pleiades that thing is MINT!

 

Beautiful @pleiades simply beautiful

 

Someday I'd like to have something that nice.

 

Lol, it definitely does help. This thing's been a work in progress for 8 years now and I'm sure it wouldn't be nearly as nice if I were driving it daily. Mostly do it for myself to satisfy the car addiction but I always appreciate the compliments from you guys.

 

How's the beam pattern on those lights compared to stock?

 

Can't give a full comparison because I went from halogens in the stock headlights to LEDs in these, but so far so good. They're the aftermarket replicas from DEPO, usually a set or two listed on eBay. The low beams are projectors and have a good tight pattern although they seem slightly high. Haven't had anyone flash me but I might try turning the bulbs to see if that helps. The high beams are the whole upper half (the reflector housing where our turn signals usually are) and they give a pretty wide pattern but still throw fairly far. Overall they seem pretty effective, my only complaint is that the harness doesn't clip together quite right so I have them held tight with cable ties. I've been meaning to get some night pics so I'll try to post some soon.

 

I thought I saw in the listing the reflectors are halogen bulb only for the Depo jdm replicas. The seller was Neondials on e-bay.

When are we getting the mafia together for a spirited drive?

 

Yeah you're right about the seller not recommending LED, pretty sure I remember reading that too. Decided to give it a shot anyway because I'm an idiot like that sometimes. The light output doesn't seem to be an issue but I had to make my own dust caps and swap a few wires for the LED bulbs to work.
And yes I would like to get a few of us together, the Tue/Fri meets never work for me and it'd be nice to do something for those of us around the border. Plenty of twisty roads and small-town bars to keep us entertained around these parts.

 

I should have the wagon back together on Friday... maybe sat or sun?

 

Sounds like a possibility. My daughter has a volleyball tournament in Amery all day Saturday but no plans other than that. Might need to post something in the event section and tag all of our bugeye brethren...

 

Someone posted a Perrin Lightweight Crank for $50 and I snagged it in 5 minutes. Drove to St Cloud at midnight just to get it so my car could run. Subaru life.

 

Gainz...!

 

It has an idle lope... I love it.

 

Flashed an E85 map. Peak power seems similar but mid range feels very improved.

 

Open flash tablet with Tomei UEL header.

 

There are flex fuel kits which monitor the fuel and adjust your tune on the fly where you can put any combination of E85 and gas in the tank. The open flash tablet can only do one or the other. So if I want to switch from 91 to E85 I have to run the tank low and then reflash. The tune can adjust for about E60 to E85 so the tank doesn't have to be completely empty when you switch. I originally chose the open flash tablet because of the resale value. They sell new for $500 and used for $350-$400 so I bought a used one and then figured I could sell it for the same price I paid if I wasn't impressed.

Here is a thread with a lot of info in it. It is written for a stock car with the cats but it is the same idea for a catless header too.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67310

 

Sometimes you gotta pick a small battle to guarantee a win.

Pulled my in dash cup holder assembly out and soaked it in some hot, soapy water. It's been sticking in for a while and finally got sick of it. Hooray for function once again.

 

I had been looking at the Cobb FlexFuel kit for my 2017 WRX. Had been talking to the guys at JMA about it a little while back and it sounds like a very neat mod to do. Unfortunately, Jesse is recommending I at least have the stock connecting rods replaced with stronger ones in order to not throw one trying to take full advantage of E85. Not sure I want to go that far down the rabbit hole, but I would appreciate the FlexFuel capability.


I do appreciate the small wins in life. I took out the kids' carseats this weekend to clean them out and the seat protector they sit on. I think I may have discovered an entirely new life form that resembles a sour bright crawler, but may be capable of photosynthesis and bioluminescence... I also learned mold can grow on a dried out fruit snack.

 

Ha! Ain't that the truth! If I was smart, I'd pull the rear seats and install hard benches and bedliner the interior. My 3 year old recently threw a yogurt pouch up onto the driver seat and it left some dried yogurt in the little holes in the leather upholstery. Makes for an awkward white stain in my seat.... Stupid kids.

 

Went to a buddy's house who has a lift and installed the Boomba short shift plate. The plate is about twice as heavy as the stock plate and the two pivot points are closer together, creating a shorter throw. Despite the reduction in shift throw (which I estimate to be about 30%), the shift feel is still very good. I was expecting a bit more of a notchy feeling, but it was only slightly more so than stock. I imagine the greater mass weight of the Boomba plate is what made up for that.
Lateral movement is no different, only the front to back throws are shorter. Mostly, shifts from 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6 are great and the weight of the plate seems to help the shifter glide into gear. Going from 2-3 and 4-5 feels like it takes a little more effort than stock, but it isn't bad. From a standstill, going into 1st takes a little more of a firm nudge to get over the notch, and the same goes for reverse.

Overall, I am pleased with the mod. Rowing the gears is pleasantly more abrupt and using a Raceseng Orbature heavy knob helps tame the notchy feeling even further. Overall, it took me about 1.75 hours from start to finish. I do strongly recommend using a lift since the bolts holding on the heat shields and other parts are tight and space is very limited. There is a bolt on top of the rear plate shield is tucked way up towards the top of the transmission and is rather difficult to find and loosen. I also ended up adding a couple M8 washers between the shift cable cover and transmission case to give a little more clearance between it and the Boomba plate. Another negative is the stock rear shield cannot be replaced since the Boomba plate is too thick. I'm thinking it might be possible to cut away some of the shield and/or bend it to fit over the plate. I ran out of time today to experiment with the shield, but I plan to try taking my Dremel to it later and see what I can come up with.

 

Installed Weather Tech all around AND Subispeed F1 Rear Fog and Brake light.
Has a switch for F1 style flashing when brakes are applied. That is off for now but it looks cool. Not sure the cops are going to like it though.

 

Does it flash constantly or just a couple times when they're first applied?

 

It flashes rapidly for 4-5 times EACH time the brakes are applied and then stays on solid as long as the brake pedal is depressed. BUT, it is bright. At night I bet it gets irritating to someone behind you.
On the good side, no one is going to rear end you with it flashing......unless it’s on purpose because they just can’t take it anymore. Even not flashing, it’s another bright brake light back there.
On the bad side, any police up to 5 blocks behind you are definitely going notice it.
I have to look up the law here. Pretty sure it says no flashing red lights. I see them on motorcycles frequently and I think the police let them go because they understand that the bikes need all the visibility they can get.
After seeing it in the driveway, my feeling is that they will not let it pass on a WRX.
So, the flashing is switched off for now.

 

Replacing my struts! Well.... I got the passenger side in today. This is the first time I've ever done a strut removal/install. Will do the driverside tomorrow.
I'm happy to say I survived compressing the springs! Thought I was going to have to torch the bolts, but my milwaukee impact did the job. Hopefully the driver side goes as smooth tomorrow.
I cannot wait to be clunk free!

 

Are they not awesome? Which one do you have?

 

I see quite a few cars with the third brake light that flashes like that now.

 

I’ll turn it on today for a few days. See what happens. I go past the police station a few times a day. I can always turn it off.

 

I too have noticed this on more and more new cars of various makes with this feature. I suspect it is a dealer group making it available as an extra cost add on during the F&I ordeal. So I did a little searching and found this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FADDOL4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have installed three of them so far as I like how it gets your attention (I was rear ended a few decades ago). It uses your existing CMHSL and can be user programmed many different ways - I have ours currently set up to give four flashes then continuous until you release the brake pedal. Here is the manufacturer's web site for the one I bought (model M1 - same as the one in the Amazon link, but less expensive buying direct):

http://www.3rdbrakeflasher.com

Neat little unit and easy to install. Five stars.

 

On the road or in bed?