subiemommy
04-20-2010, 01:59 PM
Julia was purchases brand new off the lot in 2001 buy my husband (who at the time I didn't know). It was stock, except SPT catback exhaust. He had plans to make it a race car from day one, but didn't want to void warrenties so he did nothing with it for years.
In 2005 he meet me, I saw an Impreza for the first time and fell in love. He never told me his plans with the car and I didn't care, I loved his GC the way it was. We got married in 2007 and his dreams fell farther back because he knew raising a family was more impotant than a 'silly' dream about a car.
After his Father passed in '09 his dream was resparked. He Father raced formual1 in the '70's and stopped when he started his family. He never seemed happy unless he was making something go fast, he had moved on to snowmobiles and 4wheelers as they were cheaper and something the whole family could do. Eric finally realized the void his Dad was trying to fill while still being a Father, after going through his Dad's shop and office and saw all he had kept from his racing days.
In late '09 he started buying parts without telling me, as if I wouldn't notice a difference in handling/preformance/sound or the missing money! haha
After I realized what he was trying to do I talked with him and made him understand I didn't want me or the kids to kill his dream, but he had to be smart about how he did it.
I bought him the turbo he had been looking at (turned into problems! haha) to show him I was serious and wanted him to track his car like he wanted. Now we are on the same page and he is thrilled, not only is his car getting babied and plans writen out for future mods, but he and I are closer now, it's crazy what a car can do! haha
On to the mods! In Novmber '09 he bought and installed a cold air intak (sorry, don't know the maker), RallyTech front and rear sway bars and a Cusco strut tower brace. After the Avo turbo was purchased the intake and strut tower brace came off.
Included in the list of mods to make the turbo work are:
Full rebuild gasket kit with STi head gaskets
Premium T-belt kit (water pump, thermostat, tensioner, idlers, crank and cam seals)
Cosworth main & rod bearings
STi rods, pistons and rings
Deatchwerks 440cc injectors
Walbro fuel pump
Lightweight Crank Pulley
Borla UEL headers (wrapped)
AVO 2.5L turbo kit (it's the everything you need MINUS everything you need kit hahaha)
SPEC stage 2+ clutch and pressure plate
Resufaced flywheel (was still driving on the original clutch and flywheel and the wear was minimal, almost felt bad replacing something so good)
AEM gauges on a triple dash pod (wideband Air/Fuel, Boost, EGT)
AVO rear diff and tranny bushings
Cusco engine/trans mounts
Homebrewed radiator shroud--for da stickas
These will be the only mods for atleast a year, at which point we will start stripping the interior out to make room for the roll cage. And deciding on a new paint color, he's thinking pale yellow.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/beautifulbaby3/DSC09122.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/beautifulbaby3/DSC09241.jpg
(Camera died before I got any more pix of the motor and all the real goodies. ANd the camera I bought to replace it is to advanced for the dino of a computer I'm stuck using! haha More pix to come, hopfully soon!)
In 2005 he meet me, I saw an Impreza for the first time and fell in love. He never told me his plans with the car and I didn't care, I loved his GC the way it was. We got married in 2007 and his dreams fell farther back because he knew raising a family was more impotant than a 'silly' dream about a car.
After his Father passed in '09 his dream was resparked. He Father raced formual1 in the '70's and stopped when he started his family. He never seemed happy unless he was making something go fast, he had moved on to snowmobiles and 4wheelers as they were cheaper and something the whole family could do. Eric finally realized the void his Dad was trying to fill while still being a Father, after going through his Dad's shop and office and saw all he had kept from his racing days.
In late '09 he started buying parts without telling me, as if I wouldn't notice a difference in handling/preformance/sound or the missing money! haha
After I realized what he was trying to do I talked with him and made him understand I didn't want me or the kids to kill his dream, but he had to be smart about how he did it.
I bought him the turbo he had been looking at (turned into problems! haha) to show him I was serious and wanted him to track his car like he wanted. Now we are on the same page and he is thrilled, not only is his car getting babied and plans writen out for future mods, but he and I are closer now, it's crazy what a car can do! haha
On to the mods! In Novmber '09 he bought and installed a cold air intak (sorry, don't know the maker), RallyTech front and rear sway bars and a Cusco strut tower brace. After the Avo turbo was purchased the intake and strut tower brace came off.
Included in the list of mods to make the turbo work are:
Full rebuild gasket kit with STi head gaskets
Premium T-belt kit (water pump, thermostat, tensioner, idlers, crank and cam seals)
Cosworth main & rod bearings
STi rods, pistons and rings
Deatchwerks 440cc injectors
Walbro fuel pump
Lightweight Crank Pulley
Borla UEL headers (wrapped)
AVO 2.5L turbo kit (it's the everything you need MINUS everything you need kit hahaha)
SPEC stage 2+ clutch and pressure plate
Resufaced flywheel (was still driving on the original clutch and flywheel and the wear was minimal, almost felt bad replacing something so good)
AEM gauges on a triple dash pod (wideband Air/Fuel, Boost, EGT)
AVO rear diff and tranny bushings
Cusco engine/trans mounts
Homebrewed radiator shroud--for da stickas
These will be the only mods for atleast a year, at which point we will start stripping the interior out to make room for the roll cage. And deciding on a new paint color, he's thinking pale yellow.
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/beautifulbaby3/DSC09122.jpg
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/beautifulbaby3/DSC09241.jpg
(Camera died before I got any more pix of the motor and all the real goodies. ANd the camera I bought to replace it is to advanced for the dino of a computer I'm stuck using! haha More pix to come, hopfully soon!)