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Old 07-27-2020, 04:53 PM   #1
Chief_WRX
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Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default Chief_WRX's Weekend Warrior | 50th Anniversary HBP STI

Chief_WRX | 50th Anniversary Heritage Blue Pearl STI


I am back, third time in a WRX or STI. I ventured down a different path for a bit after selling my 07 SWP STI in 2015. I went to not having any performance cars, to a Focus ST, then a much anticipated Focus RS. I had the Focus RS until October of 2019 when I sold it to get an S550 Mustang GT Performance Pack; terrible decision. After only having the S550 for a few months, the bug bit. I really began missing the Subaru platform and started my search. After digging through the VA chassis and their updates, I was dead set on a 2018+ model. The car play and RA block in the 19+ didn't attract me to only search for 2019 and 2020. After a few days of searching I found something I didn't know existed, a 50th Anniversary STI in Heritage Blue Pearl, only 200 made, one-owner, 7600 miles and complete stock. I liked the idea of the car being an exclusive color, the silver interior stitching and seat belts vs red, also it being a limited with all the goodies. The price was correct, and they offered me a decent amount for my not so old S550 GT. Working for the government, I was able to complete the deal virtually, as I was stuck abroad because of Covid. However, the S550 needed to go from the Kansas City metro to St. Louis and I wasn't home. Luckily my awesome wife, who supports my horrible car switching habits, was willing to help; given her hate for the S550 Mustang, I knew she would be okay with it leaving. So at eight months pregnant with our fourth child, my wife drove three plus hours to St. Louis to pick up the STI.

The goal for this STI is to be pretty awesome weekend warrior and fun cruiser. It won't be driven a lot as I travel too much for work, and I am gone for long periods of time. My wife has her 2019 Expedition that hauls the kids around. Even when the time comes for me to drive something everyday, I will be purchasing a vehicle so the STI stays a fun toy. This journal is for everyone to follow along with my process of the build. Again, this will be slow for periods of time and pick up at other times.

First after arriving at home.


Current Set Up

Engine:
GrimmSpeed Dual Position Exhaust Hangers (Fixed the Saggy Exhaust)
Group N Mid Pipe Exhaust Hanger
SPT/STI Performance Exhaust


Exterior:


Wheels and Tires:


Suspension & Drivetrain:


Interior:


Audio & Misc:
Escort Passport 9500ix Radar Detector
Radar Mount w/ Wiring
Panavise Radio Mount Shaved for 16+
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Last edited by Chief_WRX; 08-13-2020 at 05:45 PM.
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Old 07-27-2020, 04:53 PM   #2
Chief_WRX
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Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

The first thing that must be installed after acquiring a Subaru is a new exhaust. I am not a fan of the loud, obnoxious exhaust, nor the standard Subie Bro muffler delete. I like a nice subtle exhaust that is deep and quiet at cruising, but also decently loud at full throttle. I was able to find a guy in Montana who was going to scrap an STI Performance Exhaust aka SPT Exhaust, he was unable to locate a buyer locally to him. I offered to pay the $250 to ship the exhaust to my house in Kansas, he accepted and the exhaust was sent. Upon further research I notice the STI Performance exhaust has an issue with sagging at the rear bumper. I went ahead and purchased a four pack of the GrimmSpeed adjustable exhaust hangers for the muffler sections, and a Group N hanger for the mid-pipe. Once the exhaust arrived to me I spent a few house giving the exhaust a good deep cleaning; the mufflers were polished as clear as I could get them using Lake Country metal polisher pads and Meguairs Hot Rims polish.

Photos prior to cleaning, polishing and installing.




Exhaust Installed.


Initial Exhaust Start Up.

Last edited by Chief_WRX; 07-29-2020 at 12:36 AM.
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Old 07-27-2020, 04:54 PM   #3
Chief_WRX
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Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Photos of current set up as of August 2020.


















Last edited by Chief_WRX; 08-13-2020 at 04:26 PM.
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Old 07-27-2020, 04:54 PM   #4
Chief_WRX
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Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

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Old 07-27-2020, 04:56 PM   #5
Chief_WRX
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Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

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Old 07-27-2020, 04:58 PM   #6
Chief_WRX
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Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

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Old 07-30-2020, 10:11 PM   #7
Subarudunk
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Member#: 179439
Join Date: May 2008
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: Phillly
Vehicle:
2004 STI
JBP

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How does the STI compare to the RS. Was looking for an RS prior to settling for an STI
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Old 07-30-2020, 11:25 PM   #8
CoronaWRX
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Member#: 431618
Join Date: Oct 2015
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: Virgina
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Great looking STI, welcome back! I've been considering getting muscle car, because I have never had one. Looking at the Mustang GT, love to hear your thoughts on the GT and also the RS!
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Old 07-31-2020, 08:02 PM   #9
lkft
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Join Date: Jun 2017
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Subbed! Snow on the ground already in KS?? So much for global warming lol!! Nice STI!
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Old 08-01-2020, 09:54 AM   #10
milab21
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Member#: 157833
Join Date: Aug 2007
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: NJ Jersey Shore
Vehicle:
2017 WRB STI
2007 WRB STI-sold

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Subscribed..
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Old 08-01-2020, 12:37 PM   #11
Fishie31
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Member#: 366436
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern CA
Vehicle:
2020 WRX STI
WR Blue

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Subbed! OK, please forgive a n00b STI owner, but what's the difference between the STI performance exhaust (SPT) vs. the stock STI one? My Google searches are only coming up with people going from their stock WRX to SPT exhaust.

OK - I found my answer in this video:

Again, very nice STi.

Last edited by Fishie31; 08-01-2020 at 12:42 PM. Reason: I asked a question and then I found it on my own.
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Old 08-03-2020, 05:02 PM   #12
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Subarudunk View Post
How does the STI compare to the RS. Was looking for an RS prior to settling for an STI
My thoughts on the RS, it was an amazing car. If I hadn't already had prior knowledge of Subaru I would have kept the RS.

The Cons I had with the RS:
1) Production numbers were low, so aftermarket support wasn't as large and thus more expensive. Some vendors were already not making anymore parts.
2) Production being less than 13k American units, people getting in wrecks or having damage were waiting months for damage to be fixed.
3) The shifter was a cable shifter, similar to the WRX, it didn't have the connected feeling.
4) For being a hatch, the rear seat and trunk area sucked on space
5) This is the BIGGEST issue. The car wasn't a full AWD car. It doesn't even have a rear differential. It has a clutch system that applies AWD when needed. Thus giving the car a very FWD style bias that was horrible when going at higher speeds and turning. Terry Fair of Vorshlag did a full write up on it back in 2016.
6) The rear differ thingy over heated rather fast on laps, auto cross etc.
7) WHO THE HELL does a 5x108 bolt pattern?!

The pros:
1) The adjustable dampening was amazing
2) Ford's Sync system is top notch
3) The motor was pretty strong when upgraded affordably
4) 323whp/ 400FTWQ with an upgraded air filter on 91 octane

Again, I loved the car but all it really did was make me miss my Subaru's even more. To me the comparison, the STI feels faster stock compared to the RS having more power, the STI in limited trim is lighter than the RS in base trim. The AWD system is way better in the STI. The H&K sound system is leaps and bounds better than the Ford Sony system, however, Ford Sync 3 is that much better than the Subaru StarLink. The aftermarket support, community groups and end user knowledge of the STI is way better with the STI than the RS. None car people know an STI, the amount of times my RS was called a basic Focus was rather annoying. The interior of the STI is way better to include the driving position; however, the RS Recaro seat bolstering was greater. That is about it for a down and dirty of comparing the two cars.

A few pictures of said RS.








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Old 08-03-2020, 05:11 PM   #13
Chief_WRX
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Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by CoronaWRX View Post
Great looking STI, welcome back! I've been considering getting muscle car, because I have never had one. Looking at the Mustang GT, love to hear your thoughts on the GT and also the RS!
See above post on the RS, for the Mustang I made a mistake and settled for a Performance Pack GT when I wanted a GT350. I was mad at my decision and dumped the car at the first opportunity I got. I had a prior Mustang but this newer one wasn't for me. The interior was rather cheap, the boat-i-ness of the car wasn't something I was interested in. Yes, the raw power was pretty dang awesome but that isn't the type of cars I am into.

Pictures of said S550 GT:





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Old 08-03-2020, 05:12 PM   #14
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by lkft View Post
Subbed! Snow on the ground already in KS?? So much for global warming lol!! Nice STI!
Haha no snow here, those were from the original seller. He lived in Montana when I purchased the exhaust.
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Old 08-03-2020, 05:12 PM   #15
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by milab21 View Post
Subscribed..
Thank you man!
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Old 08-03-2020, 05:13 PM   #16
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishie31 View Post
Subbed! OK, please forgive a n00b STI owner, but what's the difference between the STI performance exhaust (SPT) vs. the stock STI one? My Google searches are only coming up with people going from their stock WRX to SPT exhaust.

OK - I found my answer in this video: 2017 Subaru STI Exhaust Comparison | Stock vs. STI Performance | In & Out of Car - YouTube

Again, very nice STi.
That video does a pretty good job at comparing them. Main difference the size of the mufflers, which changes the sound pretty drastically.
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Old 08-03-2020, 05:41 PM   #17
CoronaWRX
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Member#: 431618
Join Date: Oct 2015
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: Virgina
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief_WRX View Post
See above post on the RS, for the Mustang I made a mistake and settled for a Performance Pack GT when I wanted a GT350. I was mad at my decision and dumped the car at the first opportunity I got. I had a prior Mustang but this newer one wasn't for me. The interior was rather cheap, the boat-i-ness of the car wasn't something I was interested in. Yes, the raw power was pretty dang awesome but that isn't the type of cars I am into.
Thanks for the Input on both cars, I like hearing people's reasoning when choosing an STI. I get "car fever" bad and my 16 WRX and 19 STI are the first "performance" oriented cars I've owned. Those big horse power numbers in muscle cars attract me, but as you pointed out, "boat-i-ness", would get old quick. I don't think I'm a straight line performance type of person. I just need to go rent a Mustang, challenger, and Camaro and get it out of my system. That's another factor, they are rental cars, so they don't have the exclusivity that an STI has.
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Old 08-13-2020, 04:23 PM   #18
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Over five to six day long days, I was able to completely dial in the car's paint. It only took so long as I only worked on it in the evenings after the family was resting, and children were asleep. I have some pictures of the process, but I will highlight all the steps and products I used. Total time I spent roughly 25 hours total on the car.

General equipment I used:
Ryobi 1600 Electric Pressure Wash
MATTC Foam Cannon III w/ 1.1mm Orifice(Still considering upgrading to an MTM PF22.2)
Kobra Jet 50' Hose
MTM SG28 Non-Swivling Gun
MTM Quick Disconnects for hose, gun and pressure washer
MTM 1/4" Degree Nozzle Connects

1. The engine bay detail, I failed to get any photos of this. Products used:
Rinse the engine off with 40 degree nozzle, no I didn't tape anything off
Meguairs APC, diluted 4:1 in a foam cannon
Use the wheel brushes and mitt to clean engine off
Rinse with pressure washer and 40 degree nozzle
Liberally spray Meguairs Hyper Dressing diluted 4:1
I let it sit over night and then wiped the excess dressing off. It looks better than new.

2. Washing the wheels, wheel wells and bakes:
P&S BrakeBuster, diluted 4:1 in a foam cannon
Lambskin Wheel Mitt
RaceGlaze Brush
Takavu Wheel Brush
TufShine Tire Cleaning Brush





3. Complete decon of the car.
Obsessed Garage Purple Decon Soap 150ml of soap in the foam cannon filled with hot water
Two bucket wash method using Grit Guards in each bucket
Takavu Cyclone Wash Mitts
Optimum Farrex for Iron Decon, rubbed in by hand and rinsed off
NanoSkin Glide diluted 7:1 in spray bottle with NanoSkin Autoscrub Sponge to clay the car.
After the car was clay bar'ed I rinsed off the car one last time and blew it dry with a cordless leaf blower.
I used Rag Company drying towels to finish off the rest of the drying.



4. The car was brought in the garage where it was tapped off and prepped for polishing.
3M Precision Masking Tape
3M Precision Poly Tape
3M Green Painters Tape



5. I started with a test spot and determined the car need to be lightly compounded and fully polished to get the level of correction I would like.
Porter Caple 7424XP Polisher
Lake Country 5" Backing Plate
Lake Country 5.5" Orange Cutting Flat Pad
Lake Country 5.5" White Polishing Flat Pad
Lake Country 3" Backing Plate
Lake Country 3.5" Orange Cutting Flat Pad
Lake Country 3.5" White Polishing Flat Pad
Meguairs M105 Cutting Compound/ Ultimate Compound
Meguairs M205 Polishing Compound/ Ultimate Polish
NanoSkin Pad Brush





6. The polishing step was completed, I removed the tape and began an IPA wipe down of the entire car to remove the polishing oils on the cars surface. I 15-20% IPA mixture in a spray bottle and various microfiber towels. The car was now prepped to apply the first coat of sealant. After the first coat of sealant was applied, I waited three hours and applied the second coat. Letting the car sit over night prior to applying the coating of wax. I also IPA wipe down the wheels, applied the sealant and wax to the wheels as well.
Walgreens 70% IPA diluted to 15-20% in spray bottles
Various Microfiber towels
Jescar PowerLock+ Sealant
Adams Yellow Applicator Pad
Collinite 845 Wax
Adams Red Applicator Pad



7. Interior and Glass
The interior was cleaned with P&S X-Press cleaner for all plastics.
Sonax Alcantara cleaner for seat inserts
Griots Garage 3-1 leather cleaner for all the leather interior pieces
Windows cleaned with Rain-X Glass Cleaner, inside and outside
All exterior windows treated with Rain-X Replant
The Rag Company Waffle Weave Glass Towels

8. After the interior was completed, I applied the finally coating top off and dressed the rest of the exterior of the car.
P&S BeadMaker applied liberally to the entire exterior of the car, including glass and wheels
Tires dressed with Obsessed Garage Tire Dressing
Exterior black plastics treated with Meguairs Hyper Dressing diluted 4:1







Overall I am extremely happy with the way the car turned out. The paint is extremely glossy and a lot of depth to it.
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Old 08-13-2020, 04:29 PM   #19
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

After the car was completed, I waited 3-4 days for the Collinite to dust and performed a maintenance wash to rid the car of dust. Also, applying another coating of P&S BeadMaker. I took the STI out for a photoshoot, I am not the best at photos, but I am still learning. I am using older equipment too, all photos shot on a Canon Rebel T1I DSLR, 18-55mm Lens, 58mm Circular Polarizer. These photos are also in post two but will change there as the car changes as well.


















Last edited by Chief_WRX; 08-19-2020 at 04:40 PM.
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Old 08-13-2020, 04:38 PM   #20
YungBoba
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Member#: 450808
Join Date: Jul 2016
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: Anaheim
Vehicle:
2017 WRX Premium
WR Blue Pearl

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Amazing! Seeing shots like this makes me wish I had gotten some form of PPF or ceramic protection when my car was still new and I had the chance. Not that I can't still do it, but years of unprotected paint and scratches/scrapes/dings means it'll take a lot more work. Definitely something I will do early on for my next vehicle.
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Old 08-13-2020, 04:41 PM   #21
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by YungBoba View Post
Amazing! Seeing shots like this makes me wish I had gotten some form of PPF or ceramic protection when my car was still new and I had the chance. Not that I can't still do it, but years of unprotected paint and scratches/scrapes/dings means it'll take a lot more work. Definitely something I will do early on for my next vehicle.
It is never too late to add some kind of protection to a vehicle. Get some Dr. Colorchip and fill in some dings, correct the paint!
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Old 08-19-2020, 01:55 PM   #22
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

The past Sunday I completed a maintenance wash on the STI before tucking it away for a while. As I mentioned in the first post, I do quite a bit of traveling for work and I am gone quite a bit. My wife will occasionally drive the vehicle for me while I am gone, but mainly she starts it once a week and backs it out of the garage.

The process as follows for maintenance wash:

1) Wash wheels and tires using P&S Brake Buster and tools.
2) Foam using Adams Car Shampoo.
3) Two bucket method wash with Adams Car Shampoo in the wash bucket.
4) Rinse off the STI
5) Blow car 90-95% dry with a cordless blower.
6) Apply P&S BeadMaker to the car, to include, wheels, glass, and all painted surfaces.
7) Coat tires with Obsessed Garage Tire Dressing.

The combination of Jescar PowerLock+ and Collinite 845 is holding up amazing. So is the Jescar PowerLock+ on wheels. The top coating of P&S BeadMaker adds so much depth and slickness to the paint. Also, Rain-X and P&S BeadMaker on all the windows is amazing, it makes the wipers useless. A brief rain shower on Friday was the purpose of the maintenance wash.









Now that I am away from my car again, I have started to put together a spreadsheet of how I want this car to come out. I have tossed around ideas of an OEM+ style build to a full send, rotated setup.
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Old 10-04-2020, 02:52 PM   #23
Chief_WRX
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 369934
Join Date: Oct 2013
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Gardner, Kansas
Vehicle:
2018 STI Limited
Heritage Blue

Default

Not much of an update other than the car is still very clean. My wife took the STI out for a drive the other day to stretch the car's legs a bit. I am still away for work, with no foreseeable return home coming anytime soon. My build list is coming along great and decisions are being made, to go rotated or not?! A few simpler mods will be ordered in the near future, Kartboy Shifter, Bushings, and I may get my summer wheels on lockdown for next year as well.

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