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Old 08-18-2011, 12:26 PM   #1
Bimmer777
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Default My 02 WRB WRX Wagon

Picked up a 2002 World Rally Blue WRX Wagon couple of weeks ago and thought I would make a mini journal for it. This will help me track what I've done to it and hopefully get advice and comments from others. I don't intend to make this a very detailed thread but will update with mods and pictures as I modify it.

A little background. Prior to the WRX I owned a 2004 BMW M3 (hence the screen name) for over 3 years. Loved the car in every way but it just became very impractical to keep it in NYC. Sold it and decided to pick up something cheap to beat around. Also, I am a Rally fan and friends with a Rally shop that builds rally cars from top to bottom. I have been helping them out with servicing for years at various rallies as well for years. I was always aware that WRX cars were very reliable and fun little cars so it was a no brainer for me to jump to a WRX. I also wanted the wagon because I do a bit of skiing so practicality was a plus.

The WRX. Picked it up at an auction, got a good deal on it. Car had 170k miles on it but I wanted a higher mileage car as i was gonna replace most wear and tear items anyway. So far, car looks and drives well. I've only been able to change out all fluids as I don't know when it was done last.

Maintenance:
Motor Oil - Shell Rotella 5W40
Tranny Oil - Redline 75W90TS
Rear Diff Oil - Redline 75W90
Fuel Filter - Luber-finer
Oil Filter - FRAM

Plans:
Car is in overall ok shape. Like I said, I planned to change a lot of wear and tear items. So, here is the list to tighten up a bit:
1. 04 STi Suspension - I like a tight ride, already bought it.
2. STi steering Rack - looking for an 04 but hear that 05-07 will fit as well with the crossmember. Can anyone shed light if it's a direct bolt-on with the crossmember or any modifications will need to be made?
3. Timing Belts, waterpump, pullies - will buy new, peace of mind.
4. Clutch and flywheel - the current one feels old and I'd rather replace it. not looking to go with a lot of power so maybe will just replace with OEM. Any suggestions of a good deal on aftermarket ones that are close to OEM?
5. Intercooler hoses - i figured mine are getting old, may as well replace them not to lose any boost.
6. Group N mounts - like i said, i like things to be tight (all things ). Motor , tanny, pitchmount.
7. Boost Gauge - no need to explain.
8. Uppipe and possibly downpipe - on the cheap, not sure of the options yet.


That's pretty much it for now. Excited to be a part of the community and look forward to many fun days driving!

I know that this thread is worthless without pics but i only have two crappy cellphone pics so far. So here they go.


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Last edited by Bimmer777; 11-06-2011 at 06:31 PM.
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Old 08-18-2011, 02:33 PM   #2
sky3
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Looks clean for the mileage man, nice find!
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Old 08-18-2011, 03:19 PM   #3
Jackie leggs
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atomic orange pearl

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Really clean car! Hows the interior looks with that many miles? Congrats on becoming a subaru owner lol
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Old 08-18-2011, 03:39 PM   #4
Bimmer777
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sky3 View Post
Looks clean for the mileage man, nice find!
Thanks! I was happy to find it too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackie leggs View Post
Really clean car! Hows the interior looks with that many miles? Congrats on becoming a subaru owner lol
Thanks! Interior looks amazingly nice! Obvious driver seat bolster wear but not too bad at all for the mileage. I'd give the seats 60k miles tops, that good.

I also may swap seats from and STi or EVO with a custom bracket. Don't know yet.
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Old 08-18-2011, 04:30 PM   #5
wrxmonster
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Super clean man. Paint looks good for the mileage. GL with everything.

BTW fill out your profile.
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Old 08-18-2011, 04:38 PM   #6
Scoobie2.0
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Crystal White Pearl

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Again, that is the cleanest high mileage and stock? bugeye I've seen. As for your mods, just grab any name-brand used downpipe. Same goes for uppipe but you could also get an oem sti uppipe as they are catless also. For clutches, you may as way get something a little stronger than the oem just in case you do decide you wanna add more power. I personally liked my ACT stage 2 clutch on my old wrx. Oh and if you wanna do some cheap exterior mods, look up the koji mod for headlights and painting your sideskirts. Hope this helps! Btw, any pics of the M3?

Edit: Oh and make sure you get a tune along with the downpipe.
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Old 08-18-2011, 05:06 PM   #7
TXwrxWagon
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WRB not so minty fresh

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http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1926049

should cover your rack questions...

nice pick up. Be aware if you are using the STi front control arms you will be using sedan front fenders and bumper cover to cover over the 10mm wider/per side track width.

Also in the wagon, depending on the age of your STi donor parts, the rear struts might need saggy-butt spacers.

Rob
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Old 08-18-2011, 05:11 PM   #8
Bimmer777
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrxmonster View Post
Super clean man. Paint looks good for the mileage. GL with everything.

BTW fill out your profile.
Paint looks that good because it looks like it was recently resprayed, which I don't mind. Have to get around with the profile.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scoobie2.0 View Post
Again, that is the cleanest high mileage and stock? bugeye I've seen. As for your mods, just grab any name-brand used downpipe. Same goes for uppipe but you could also get an oem sti uppipe as they are catless also. For clutches, you may as way get something a little stronger than the oem just in case you do decide you wanna add more power. I personally liked my ACT stage 2 clutch on my old wrx. Oh and if you wanna do some cheap exterior mods, look up the koji mod for headlights and painting your sideskirts. Hope this helps! Btw, any pics of the M3?

Edit: Oh and make sure you get a tune along with the downpipe.
Thanks for the advice. I have to spend some more time on uppipe/downpipe and clutches. Tempted to pick up used pipes on the forum and new clutch.

I totally forgot the headlight plans. On my M3 I had the TFX retrofit done by Lightwerkz and loved it. I plan on doing a retrofit myself on the WRX for sure, with the Koji mod. I was thinking of picking up cheap headlights off ebay and converting them. Something like these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0QQ...#ht_2752wt_939

Here are some pictures of the M3. I liked to play in all seasons






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Old 08-18-2011, 05:14 PM   #9
madmax_087
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Berlina Blaque

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I heard from a few guys on here Amazon of all places is a good spot to get yourself a stock replacement clutch, should run you around $140.
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Old 08-18-2011, 05:25 PM   #10
Scoobie2.0
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Crystal White Pearl

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Ya picking up a used dp and up should be pretty easy on this site. And for the clutch, try pming a few vendors on here and see who can give you the lowest price. I've done plenty of business with Josh from import image racing and he's an outstanding guy. Also has the cheapest prices. Your link is broken so I couldn't really see which ebay headlights you're talking about. But the retrofit looks/works great on stock headlights. You could always try picking up a pair on here as plenty of people get rid of them for the jdm headlights, which are also an option if you decide not to do the retrofit. They usually go for $600+ tho. And imo, I like the look of retrofitted stock lights better. Oh and clean looking M3! Good luck with the car!
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Old 08-18-2011, 06:46 PM   #11
Bimmer777
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TXwrxWagon View Post
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1926049

should cover your rack questions...

nice pick up. Be aware if you are using the STi front control arms you will be using sedan front fenders and bumper cover to cover over the 10mm wider/per side track width.

Also in the wagon, depending on the age of your STi donor parts, the rear struts might need saggy-butt spacers.

Rob
Will read up on it. I searched, didn't find the thread.

I am not doing a complete front end swap. I am hoping to just do steering rack and crossmember and shorten the endlinks to accommodate narrower wrx track.


Quote:
Originally Posted by madmax_087 View Post
I heard from a few guys on here Amazon of all places is a good spot to get yourself a stock replacement clutch, should run you around $140.
I'll check it out, thanks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scoobie2.0 View Post
Ya picking up a used dp and up should be pretty easy on this site. And for the clutch, try pming a few vendors on here and see who can give you the lowest price. I've done plenty of business with Josh from import image racing and he's an outstanding guy. Also has the cheapest prices. Your link is broken so I couldn't really see which ebay headlights you're talking about. But the retrofit looks/works great on stock headlights. You could always try picking up a pair on here as plenty of people get rid of them for the jdm headlights, which are also an option if you decide not to do the retrofit. They usually go for $600+ tho. And imo, I like the look of retrofitted stock lights better. Oh and clean looking M3! Good luck with the car!
Yep, I browsed import image racing website and will definitely shop there.

JDM headlights are nice but tough for me to justify the price. Especially since I can get retrofit done at a fraction of the price and the light output will be better!
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Old 08-18-2011, 07:04 PM   #12
vinny_5255
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White

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Nice find man, I just did the 05-07 STI steering rack and crossmemeber in my 03 and it was a breez. Everything bolted right in, you mighht as well throw some whiteline products in as well since you are going to have a lot apart to do it. At least thats what I did :-)
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Old 08-18-2011, 09:32 PM   #13
Bimmer777
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2002 WRX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TXwrxWagon View Post
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1926049

should cover your rack questions...

nice pick up. Be aware if you are using the STi front control arms you will be using sedan front fenders and bumper cover to cover over the 10mm wider/per side track width.

Also in the wagon, depending on the age of your STi donor parts, the rear struts might need saggy-butt spacers.

Rob
Just had the chance to read through the whole thread, very helpful. I've changed the steering coupler on my M3 so am familiar with the process. Will definitely look to pick up STi unit. Thanks again Rob.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vinny_5255 View Post
Nice find man, I just did the 05-07 STI steering rack and crossmemeber in my 03 and it was a breez. Everything bolted right in, you mighht as well throw some whiteline products in as well since you are going to have a lot apart to do it. At least thats what I did :-)
It looks like I'll be picking up coupler, bushings and endlinks now.
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Old 08-27-2011, 07:11 PM   #14
Bimmer777
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Small update while I am getting all the other parts together. I've been looking for OEM BBS Goldies to buy but couldn't find the right set. Then a local member, and a fellow Rally guy, put these up for sale and I couldn't resist. Drove out to NJ and met up before the hurricane! Car looks 10x better!


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Old 08-27-2011, 07:40 PM   #15
DurtyB
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sky3 View Post
Looks clean for the mileage man, nice find!
Agreed...looks real real nice!
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Old 08-28-2011, 05:02 PM   #16
Bimmer777
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DurtyB View Post
Agreed...looks real real nice!
Thanks!!

One more picture post hurricane Irene...

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Old 09-26-2011, 02:12 PM   #17
Bimmer777
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So I have all the parts on my original list ready to go on the car but no time to go and do the work. It looks like it will take two full days to do everything right, now just have to find a long weekend.

In the meantime, I did a couple of small things. First, I hardwired Valentine 1 and set the unit just above the rearview mirror. I tapped into something in the driver's footwell behind the steering column and routed the wire through A-pillar and above the headliner right to the rearview mirror.


Next, I have had Laser Interceptor on my last car. It has done its job numerous times and saved my bacon. I will not drive another car without it so I installed it on the bugeye. Great investment, will surely pay for itself many times over in avoided tickets.


Lastly, I didn't like the headlight output or the way they looked. I am also a fan of rallying and when I saw a set of Orciari lights come up FS, i jumped on itright away.
Brief Review: I like the way these are built. The lights are affixed individually to a metal bracket and the bracket itself is bolted to the car. The black plastic cover goes on top. The lights are individually adjusted with mounting screws, three for each projector. The projectors are also interchangeable. I currently have the low beam projectors on the inside as they are slightly larger than the high beam reflectors and does not require any bending of metal. I plan to interchange the high/low beams, but it will requre slight bending of the metal behind the headlight. Pretty simple and reversible.

Overall i love the way the light look on the car. I haven't had a chance to see how good they are at night, but i am a bit worried that they will be subpar. I am now thinking of doing a retrofit projector setup for these myself. I had Lightwerkz TFX setup on my M3 and got used to the great light. On to the pics:



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Old 09-26-2011, 03:52 PM   #18
aeion
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Nice find on the wagon and sooper clean m3! But honestly in my opinion those headlights look awful I say run those until you retrofit your stock ones
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Old 09-26-2011, 05:27 PM   #19
Bimmer777
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aeion View Post
Nice find on the wagon and sooper clean m3! But honestly in my opinion those headlights look awful I say run those until you retrofit your stock ones
Thanks! These lights are a matter of personal preference and I like them. The grey is consistent with the wheels. I realize it may not be for everyone.

I still may retrofit either stock headlights or just retrofit the projectors into these. We'll see.
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Old 09-26-2011, 07:27 PM   #20
jimbosv650
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Welcome and congratulations, although I must say that m3 was gorgeous. Having friends in the rally business, Im sure that bugeye will be up to snuff in no time.
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Old 11-06-2011, 07:05 PM   #21
Bimmer777
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After three months of ownership, finally had a chance to sort through the car. Put in 04 STi suspension, 07 steering rack with crossmember and new whiteline bushings, STi steering coupler, all Group N mounts, timing belt with waterpump and pullies, valve cover gaskets, sparks, new clutch and flywheel, Samco hoses, STi uppipe and replaced turbo. I think that's it. We decided to pull the motor since it would be much easier to do all the work on it. Overall, it took us about 10 hours to do all the work.

Impressions - the car feels great now. Handling is super tight although maybe a bit stiff. Steering is very precise with NO vibration in the steering wheel at speed whatsoever. The car feels very solid at speed and through the corners. I used to have a boost leak somewhere which is gone now, and coupled with a lighter flywheel, the car definitely feels faster. The tranny now shifts much better and the shifter is much more precise. The tranny mount that we replaced was in bad shape.

On to a few pics from the work being done.



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Old 11-06-2011, 07:09 PM   #22
Bimmer777
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Also, I've decided to go through with the headlight projector retrofit. I like these headlights very much but am used to the great amount of light from the retrofitted headlights and will have to sacrifice.

Orciari headlights will be for sale soon so let me know if anyone is interested. $500+shipping takes them.
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Old 11-06-2011, 07:18 PM   #23
aeion
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Good lord you did some work lol. And retrofit ftw!
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Old 11-07-2011, 10:27 AM   #24
Bimmer777
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Originally Posted by aeion View Post
Good lord you did some work lol. And retrofit ftw!
Yeah, it was a handful but needed to be done. Well worth it.
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Old 11-23-2011, 09:58 PM   #25
Bimmer777
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Sold the Orciari lights, back to OEM for now till I either get an 04 front end or do a retrofit. Also, put on winter wheels. Happy turkey day.


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