Gerald's 02 WRX

[gling]

Adam Webster insisted that I make a thread about my car so here it is. The car started its life as a slightly modified WRX from Virginia and now it sits with the current EJ207. It's no show car as it's my daily and hence, I don't really care about how fancy it looks (as may be apparent from the photos). However, quite a bit of emphasis was put into the drivetrain and suspension/handling with power taking the back seat in terms of priority. Most of the wrenching was performed by myself with help of friends here and there. The following are some photos of the car and is accompanied at the end with the mod list:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/Sept%202009/_GHL1284.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/Sept%202009/_GHL1255.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/Sept%202009/_GHL1277.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/Sept%202009/_GHL1290.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/Sept%202009/_GHL1299.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/Sept%202009/_GHL1313.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1872.jpg

Powertrain

JDM Version 8 STI longblock
TurboXS FMIC w/ custom reversed piping (partially media blasted :lol:)
HKS SSQV BOV (media blasted)
Rotated Garrett GT3076 0.63 A/R turbo
Perrin rotated cat-less downpipe
TiAL 44mm EWG
Custom 3" cold air intake
Perrin "Big MAF"
HKS Carbon-Ti catback
Walbro 255 lph fuel pump
Modded and flow-tested 860 cc WRX injectors
GM boost control solenoid
NGK One-Step-Colder iridium spark plugs
Modified Greddy oil catch can
Deka ETX14 lightweight battery

Drivetrain

STI six-speed full drivetrain swap with JDM gear ratios and upgraded 4th through 6th gear carbon baulk rings
STI close-ratio steering rack
STI Spec-C aluminum control arms modified for extra caster
STI Group N engine and transmission mounts (transmission mount custom reinforced/hardened)
TIC transmission crossmember bushings
Spiider/DCCDPro Deluxe DCCD controller
Kartboy rear crossmember bushings
Kartboy exhaust hangers
Kartboy front and rear shifter-linkage bushings
Kartboy short-shifter
TiC shift lever pivot bushings
Unknown brand polyurethane steering-rack bushings
Hotchkiss 25 mm FSB
Hotchkiss aluminum front endlinks
Perrin adjustable 22 mm RSB
Perrin rear aluminum endlinks
Perrin reinforced RSB mounts
GT Spec rear differential mount w/ hardened bushings
Whiteline rear-subframe locking bolts/kit
TEIN Flex coilovers with EDFC, front camber plates, and pillowball tophats
SPC adjustable rear lateral links with solid STI Group N bushings
STI “Pink” trailing arms with solid pillowball bushings
STI titanium front strut bar
STI "Pink" aluminum rear strut bar
GT Spec 3-piece underchassis brace
GT Spec fender braces
STI Brembo calipers with Axxis Ultimate pads
Goodrich stainless steel brake lines
Exedy Stage 1 organic clutch
ACT Streetlite flywheel

Exterior

STI fog-light covers
Prodrive lip
Home Depot front lip extension
EDM projector headlights with 50 W, 6000 K HID low-beams and PIAA Intense White high-beams
Replica carbon fiber STI sidemarkers
Hella Supertone horns
JDM V7 STI hood scoop
JDM V7 STI front grill
Prodrive 18” Crystal Silver P1 rims
OEM Impreza RS rear mudguards

Interior

JDM V8 STI gauge cluster
JDM V6 STI Momo steering wheel
AEM EUGO WB gauge
Prosport 60 mm boost, oil pressure, and EGT gauges housed in a Defi center console pod
Blitz turbo timer
Intake temperature gauge
STI shifter trim
OEM 05+ Subaru STI shift knob
OEM Subaru compass mirror
JDM V8 STI front and rear seats with doorcards
Pioneer AVIC-D3 headunit
Pioneer 200 W three-way speakers in the front and two-way speakers in the rears
Bazooka 10" 100 W subwoofer

[gling]

Attached are more photos of the Version 8 swap.

Old hybrid motor out of the car:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1783.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1786.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1715.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1718.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1721.jpg

New Version 8 motor in the car:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1782.jpg

Used to be spare JDM six-speed box and old hybrid motor out:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1781.jpg

Unfinished engine bay shots:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1792.jpg

[gling]

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1794.jpg

Garrett ball bearing GT3076:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1729.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1730.jpg

Just about done:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1872.jpg

My friend Kris doing a road tune:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1816.jpg

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL1819.jpg

And a time-lapse video of when the motor was pulled:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lVswrH_rGs

[Turbotime05]

Wow sexy! that thing is pure nastyness.

[adam]

This car is absolutely amazing... to see it and to drive in it are an exhilarating feeling!!! Sweet car yo!

[RCKSTR]

+what he said :spin:
car is amazing both inside and out!!!
and the sound, oh the sound :devil:

[jmb1983]

Very nice man! That car is a amazing

[apkarian100]

Sweet ride, I'm slowly turning to like prodrive wheels, maybe.

[gling]

+what he said :spin:
car is amazing both inside and out!!!
and the sound, oh the sound :devil:

Hehe, looking to get another resonator or a quieter catback on the exhaust piping though; loudness, even with a re-plumbed EWG gets old fast unfortunately.

Very nice man! That car is a amazing

Sweet ride, I'm slowly turning to like prodrive wheels, maybe.

Much obliged. However, while I own them, the Prodrive wheels that I have are not the end-all best rims out there; they are a good bang-for-the-buck and are very strong. They are not forged (GC-series aside) for weight-shaving benefits, and don't have the the more "extreme" offsets, but they hold up for street abuse at least. The GC-series (Rays) on the other hand, are a whole different ballpark.

[97legacygt]

for not paying very much attention to the outside like you said that thing looks amazing!

[KillerBlackbird]

I love wingless...nothing like it.
I'd love to take some shots of it, if only you were closer.

[squeethebee]

Yeah, black bugeyes with EDM's are pretty much one of the sexiest cars ever to wear the stars of pleiades.

Also, I always thought the P1s looked a little small on the GD chassis, but now that I see them in an 18, it fits just right.

ed

[gling]

for not paying very much attention to the outside like you said that thing looks amazing!

Haha, if you really look at/think about it, there really isn't much done on the outside. Just a few accents here and there. My paint is not too fantastic either. Thanks for the kind words regardless.

I love wingless...nothing like it.
I'd love to take some shots of it, if only you were closer.

Sure, where are you located? What do you shoot?

Yeah, black bugeyes with EDM's are pretty much one of the sexiest cars ever to wear the stars of pleiades.

Also, I always thought the P1s looked a little small on the GD chassis, but now that I see them in an 18, it fits just right.

ed

Yeah, I like 18s on the GDs if they are set up for tarmac. However, 17s and 16s for gravel setups look better.



Also, new images of the swap uploaded above.

[Quadsbc]

Car is looking great! hows it perfoming?

[gling]

Car is looking great! hows it perfoming?

It's running well. Finally got my AC back too so it's completely back to normal :) Got to make it out to a dyno day one of these days to see what it's putting down though.

[Spilner]

I just went from six to midnight, beautiful car.

[Dusty B]

God I love your car. Swing by the apt this week for some tasty beer. I'll get to rub your car a lil bit too. :devil:

["F"audi]

That is the sexiest bugeye I have seen in a long time.

So fresh and So clean

[Midnight_Rush]

I love it! who took those pics? what camera did you use and what did you use for photoshop?????

[Bu11dogg2]

I'm pre-nominating you for ROTM next month :)

[adam]

I am Pre Seconding that thought

[gling]

I just went from six to midnight, beautiful car.

Not quite sure what you mean... :confused:

God I love your car. Swing by the apt this week for some tasty beer. I'll get to rub your car a lil bit too. :devil:

Yeah, I'll bring some meat or something to throw in the grill too.

That is the sexiest bugeye I have seen in a long time.

So fresh and So clean

I'm pre-nominating you for ROTM next month :)

I am Pre Seconding that thought

Thanks!

I love it! who took those pics? what camera did you use and what did you use for photoshop?????

I took the photos myself. I used to be a full-time professional photographer; now I'm a freelance. Camera was a Nikon D2X with a 70-200 f/2.8, 17-55 f/2.8, and I think I used my fisheye 10.5 f/2.8 too. As for the Photoshop editing, I used curves, levels, saturation, layers, masks, history brush, gaussian blur, smart sharpening, and a few other tweaks.

[Bu11dogg2]

If you ever put it up forsale PM me first ;)

[gling]

If you ever put it up forsale PM me first ;)

Grin, will do. There are so many people in line now... :lol:

[gling]

Bumping this up for some wheel color opinions. I'm looking to get some Rota G-Force in 18x9. I know they are Rotas but I just want some wheels to tie me over for a while. I don't want to lug wheels around as I keep moving and I won't be tracking my car. I've dedicated my Prodrives to winter wheels for now. Anyways, I've narrowed it down to Gunmetal and Steel Grey. At the moment, I'm leaning on Steel Grey as it gives a bit more contrast than the Gunmetal.

Gunmetal:
http://wheeldude.com/gallery2/d/82881-1/IMG_6695_6_7Enhancer.jpg

Steel Grey:
http://wheeldude.com/gallery2/d/77550-1/5.jpg
http://wheeldude.com/gallery2/d/77534-1/1.jpg

[RiceViper]

WOW. Thats awesome. 1/4 times?? dyno. That thing is crazy. I love the massive list of drivetrain parts:D

[adam]

I vote steel grey

[abnormal]

I favor the gun metal, kinda blacks it out - looks meaner. Either one works for the killer car buddy!

[gling]

WOW. Thats awesome. 1/4 times?? dyno. That thing is crazy. I love the massive list of drivetrain parts:D

Thanks. The car put down ca. 360 hp and I have not done any quarter mile runs so I don't have any numbers unfortunately. The AVCS was acting up that day so spool suffered a bit.

http://www.efilogics.com/dyno/graph.php?gb=0&hp=1&torque=1&rpm=1&sl=1&sln=1&runid1=542&rgb1=000000255


Anyways... any input on the choice of wheels? :D

[RiceViper]

Nice power curve. The wheels look great, I like the lighter ones better I think??

[Berge56]

I think the gunmetal would look great!

[gling]

So far the Gunmetal:Steel Grey ratio is 2:1. I'm starting to like the Gunmetal more now too :)

[Boostinbildo]

I vote gunmetal too dude. Because you have had silver prodrives for so long now, the gunmetal will be a nice change!

[gling]

Thanks for the input thus far. Here is another comparison between the two colors, granted they are not on a Subaru; the color of the vehicle is similar though.

Steel Grey:
http://wheeldude.com/gallery2/d/56055-1/IMG_6505_6_7Enhancer.jpg

Gunmetal:
http://wheeldude.com/gallery2/d/71897-1/IMG_0915_6_7Enhancerrota_g-force_evo_.jpg


Note the issue of contrast.


P/s: Billy, you make a valid point about the color of my current wheels.

[etaks99rs]

I think the steel grey pops a little more. It looks good with a black car. IMHO

[itsmy04wrx]

Gunmetal for sure :up:

[The Internet]

fwiw, I vote gunmetal. It's nice and subtle.

[DHGurs]

I like the gunmetal on black cars.

[gling]

Got the steel gray ones; I'm a creature of habit I guess. Here they are with my summers on:

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/WRX/_GHL3788_web.jpg

[jmb1983]

Looks great!

[gling]

Thanks, but the girl in your avatar photo beats it hands down; she's voluptuous.

[bigd_wright]

Man those are sweet! Looks awesome Gerald! And now i will come get ur old wheels...:hide:

[gling]

Man those are sweet! Looks awesome Gerald! And now i will come get ur old wheels...:hide:

If you can find me... :p Plus, they have winter rubber on them now so you'd have to wait quite a while to use them :)

[gling]

Oh, by the way, I changed my plates...

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff328/gerald_ling/photo-1.jpg

:)

[Berge56]

Rims look great Gerald!

[abnormal]

The plate and round thingies look great Doc. :turborush:

[RCKSTR]

Updates/Plans??

[yaya]

Got to see this sexy beast in person today...

:wub:

[Berge56]

awesome sauce!

[RCKSTR]

This is still my favorite bugeye yet :wub:

[gling]

Sorry I've been kinda quiet lately. I've been very busy with the new job and life in general. Justin, as for updates, I doubt there will be anything significant unless something fails catastrophically. I plan to do regular maintenance on it and drive it daily for the next two years or so until I decide on what my career path is and where it'll bring me.

If I stay local, I plan to buy a house with a garage and then I'll retire it from daily driving and do something more fun. I'll likely get a smaller daily and perhaps an 09 Lotus Exige 260 but by then, maybe I'll sell the WRX; makes no sense having a Lotus and a WRX. That or I'll make the WRX a nicer daily and skip the "smaller daily" altogether.

If I do keep it, then I'll get a new coat of paint and a twinscroll setup with some valve/motor work. I was thinking of doing a front-end swap as well to maybe an 06/07 but I am unsure.

Those are all speculations and plans for way too far into the future so I won't get ahead of myself and stick with my opening sentence of keeping it simple for the next two years or so.

Cheers.

Gerald.

P/s: It's got a quieter exhaust now... Grin.

[Bu11dogg2]

Hey Gerald!

Thank you again for all the help :)

Glad to see you back :)

[Berge56]

Gerald how is Mass treating you?

[Berge56]

Gerald how is Mass treating you?

[hiprsha666]

Ya, how? ^^^^^

[gling]

Haha! Sorry for the late reply. Mass has been treating me well; I'm glad to be back on the east coast. All is good and am liking Marlborough thus far. Nothing fancy but it's in a good geographic location. The roads in some places could use a new layer of asphalt though :( Looking to buy a house soon too perhaps; something simple BUT with a garage.

[Berge56]

Excellent! I didn't realize you are in Marlborough, that is 45 minutes from me house. Yes Mass roads can suck and need some much needed attention. What town are you looking to buy a house?

[gling]

Excellent! I didn't realize you are in Marlborough, that is 45 minutes from me house. Yes Mass roads can suck and need some much needed attention. What town are you looking to buy a house?

Not sure yet. It depends on whether my GF takes a job in Boston or Springfield; that will dictate whether I find something east or west of here. Which town are you in?

[Berge56]

I am in Southwick.... 20-30 minutes from Springfield. :)

[Nrw]

Sweet bugeye! I'll have to keep an eye out for it if I'm ever in the marlboro area. I'm not down there often but normally when I am it's by the police station.

[Andrew3776]

Wow!

[gling]

I am in Southwick.... 20-30 minutes from Springfield. :)

Oh nice. I know where that is. I have a friend whose dad lives by a lake in that area. Nice place.

Sweet bugeye! I'll have to keep an eye out for it if I'm ever in the marlboro area. I'm not down there often but normally when I am it's by the police station.

Thanks. Which police station? Marlboro? I'm not too far from downtown Marlboro. I'll keep an eye out for ya.

[Nrw]

Bolton street by marlboro high. My stepmother's family live across the street from it.

[Berge56]

Oh nice. I know where that is. I have a friend whose dad lives by a lake in that area. Nice place.

I live 3 minutes from the lake. :)

[squeethebee]

I live 3 minutes from the lake. :)

Let's be honest, it's between 5 and 7, depending on the light.

ed

[Psychoreo]

Near the crab shack?

[Berge56]

You do your timing belt yet Gerald? Yaya and I did his wagons timing belt a few weeks ago in 2 hours.


:truestory: