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Mike's 02 SF

('01-'02) 
76K views 467 replies 47 participants last post by  02foresterL 
#1 · (Edited)
So I've been on here for almost a year now, never made one of these and definitely should have. I used the rainy day today to track down dates and info on all the things I've bought/done to the car and decided to start one of these. More to come.

Bought the car May 14th, 2011. 2002 Forester L AT with 44k for $8800, and it was soooo clean. Came to about 11k with everything else and a 50k mile warranty. Loved it, I remember there was a problem with the hood latch when I first got it and the plastic panel on the driver door was popped out, the dealership fixed both things the next day.



I'll start with the small things I don't have logged anywhere. Lamin-X yellow vinyl for the fogs, mud flaps, painted stock grille black and grabbed a new subaru badge off an old legacy at the junkyard. Tint sometime early this year, Subaru all weather floor mats, LED interior lights(domes/reading lights), SF.org red N/A vinyl badge, debadged L/AWD and both FORESTER badges on the side, DIY PVC 3" cold air, toggle switch to run parking lights and fogs without headlights, etc etc

Both head gaskets done March 2012 @ 72,593 miles
02 WRX wagon takeoffs bought w/45k 8-21-11
02 WRX SPT front lowering springs bought new 9-2-11
215/45 Continental Extreme Contact DWS Tires @ 85,5xx miles

Ride height was pretty even and suspension is the same right now. Plan on doing coils, still debating on which route to take.

Sport Edition CD 17x7.5 +48 w/ Michelin Primacy Alpin 225-55/17 w/3.5k miles put on 9-5-11.


Bought a BNIB US spoiler November last year but got around to installing it maybe two months ago.




Hella Supertones February 2012.



JDM Grille & Clear Corners June 2012.



The above picture is the most up to date picture I have, I have a bunch but don't want to flood the first post. I'll make sure to log everything from here on out with pictures.

My plan from here is to go lower and wider. Not going to bother swapping the auto to manual so no performance mods. So basically, coils, wheels, sway & tower bars.
 
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#4 ·
Thanks Bereno.

Also forgot to mention that I put 02 WRX front seats in the car and I love them. I want to get 06 WRX seats though as the gray/black would match my interior better.

I'm currently just under 79k and the warranty expires at 94k. Hoping that anything that's gona go wrong does soon so I don't have to pay a lot for it.
 
#14 ·
Haha I wish.

what sort of paint did you use when you did your stock grill? This is probably going to be one of my next mods after wheels go on this weekend.

The side profile shot has got to be one of my all time fozzy favorites. Do you have that one in a higher resolution?
I used a flat black for the stock grille and made the mistake of not clearing it the first time. Make sure you scuff up the chrome part with a light grit sandpaper or a steel wool first. I do have a bigger size too, message me your email.

Took out my 02 WRX seats today and put 05 WRX seats in. All black and one piece.(no adjustable head rest) They look so much better and they're A LOT cleaner. Sold my 02s to my friend with a dumped 95 legacy wagon. Pics later, about to change the oil and brake pads. Also found a guy an hour from me who will do a rear disc swap for $300 so that's up next on the list. Still waiting on Racelands due to back order. Lame.:mob:
 
#13 ·
what sort of paint did you use when you did your stock grill? This is probably going to be one of my next mods after wheels go on this weekend.

The side profile shot has got to be one of my all time fozzy favorites. Do you have that one in a higher resolution?
 
#28 ·
I used to have the EBC Green Stuff pads on my fronts, and although they did perform well, they definitely didn't reduce brake dust as advertised. I put ceramics on the front and have the same ones coming for the rears. I noticed the 02 WRX disc setup(rotor and caliper) are further away from the inside of my wheel than my front discs. I'm not too sure the brake dust will even reach the face of the wheel, probably just going to collect on the inside. And here I am wanting white wheels, like that would make my brake dust problems any easier.
 
#29 ·
So my back left wheel is off alignment because the control arm they replaced on my car is literally maybe 2/16 longer than the forester one. Stupid WRX control arm. I brought my control arm home with me with the bolt stuck in it and bought some PB Blast hoping I can get the bolt free without damaging/removing the bushing. If not looks like I have to find a used one somewhere or buy a new one from Subaru. New pads/rotors come in monday and got a call from Raceland today saying my coils will be there Monday and will be shipped by Wednesday. So in twoish weeks it'll be time for some more low. Hopefully I don't run into too many problems with my tires rubbing.
 
#30 ·
So my new rotors and pads came today and I went out to put them on and hit a road block. Didn't realize there was an axle nut holding the rotor on. Took my brothers car to Advanced Auto and rented a 32mm socket to get the axle nut off. Got back home to realize I can't hand loosen it because the rotor spins freely, and I had already taken the calipers off. So I could've put them back on and just put the ebrake on, that is if I had an ebrake in my car right now. So I reassembled everything and put it off for another day where I have access to air tools. Still waiting on the guy to let me know when I can go back to have my ebrake cable installed. Now for the two things I need advice on.

1) Since the ebrake cables for the drums were short, he put in 02 WRX ebrake cables.(the ones that run from the discs to the handle. Those were too short considering they're for a sedan, and instead of ordering longer cables, he ordered a new cable for the handle. The one that actually is attached to the handle with the bracket that connects the two ebrake lines. I'm not too sure if this method will work or be affective, not too sure how much slack will be available since the actual cables are short. Any input?

2) I'm pretty sure the rear discs on my car are from an 02 WRX sedan, and I've been told numerous times that you can't put wagon struts on a sedan in the rear. Upon taking my wheel off I noticed my strut is on an angle and I'm wondering if the fitment is wrong because it's a longer strut. Does anyone know of any problem with this? Is it the hub connection or the strut tower connection that makes wagon struts not work in a sedan?
 
#31 ·
1) I just replaced one of my ebrake cables and from what I understand if the ebrake cable is too short, having a longer cable from the handle to the cable will NOT solve the problem. This is because the cables have a fitting that puts them in the rear disk as well as into the center tunnel. If its too short, the cable would never reach these parts no matter how long the cable from the handle is. I could be wrong, but thats what it would seem like to me.

2) I'm not familiar with this one lol. Sorry man!
 
#33 ·
I'm pretty close to just going back to him, pick up my ebrake handle and figure this out on my own. It's been a hassle the entire time with him. They replaced a control arm and the one they put on was a little bit too long so now my alignment on my drivers rear wheel is out of whack and can't be fixed until the control arm is replaced. I had to order a control arm from Subaru for $95+tax. I'm trying to find out how hard replacing the ebrake cables are without a lift.
 
#35 ·
They took out almost all of my interior in the rear when they replaced my brake lines. Is that something I'll have to do? I just contacted the guy who has my ebrake handle and apparently he's in Georgia so I can't get my handle with the extended cable until Thursday. I'm done dealing with this guy, I'm gona go there Thursday and see if his method works then never return to that place. I got my control arm from Subaru today and I'm gona replace that and do my rotors/pads today if my friend allows me to use his air tools to get the axle nut off. Any idea how hard setting the tension is for the ebrake?
 
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