[MudRunner]

On the road again... lifted, loud, and angrier than ever.

Car: MY'00 Outback (Base) 4EAT w/premium sound + Rear limited-slip differential (oddball option on the car)
Purchase Date: 8/14/2000
Purchase Location: Bremerton, WA
Mileage: 176,000, and counting (updated 1/5/12)

Mods: Updated 1/5/12

**Engine and Trans**
-Full 3" intake setup w/torque box mod, snorkel coming soon
-Borla replica UEL header, ported/polished
-Gutted stock catpipe
-Custom stainless 2.25" catback tucked into trans tunnel, glasspack muffler
-Painted stock intake mani wrinkle black
-Valve covers and injector guards shot in gloss black
-Ported/Gasket matched intake manifold
-Gasket matched and shaved heads (higher C/R)
-Gates Racing Timing Belt
-FelPro PermaTorque MLS head gaskets
-NGK Iridium Plugs
-Injectors cleaned, tested to new condition
-STI GroupN engine mounts
-Fully rebuilt 4EAT w/mods
-Centre diff lock switch
-Radiator fan shutoff switch (coming w/snorkel)
-Prosport Oil Pressure Gauge
-Prosport Oil Temperature Gauge
-Prosport Water Temperature Gauge
-Scangauge II displaying TPS, Water Temp, IAT, and Bat. Voltage
-Air conditioning delete (including condenser, etc)
-Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 engine oil
-Wix 51365 Oil Filter
-Subaru ATF-HP auto trans fluid
-Subaru OEM 4EAT filter

**Suspension and Rolling Stock**
-KYB GR-2 Struts
-Subaru OEM Subaru Baja front springs and Subtle Solutions spacers (+2" lift)
-RalliTEK Heavy Duty Rear Springs (+2" lift)
-Custom Alignment
-Axxis Ultimate Ceramic brake pads
-225-60-16 General Alitmax HP's on stock 10-spoke alloys
-Full size spare, roof mounted

**Interior/Exterior and lighting**
-MY'04 FXT 4EAT leather shift knob
-Pioneer DEH-P6000UB Head Unit
-Custom single DIN toggle switch panel
-RoadBlockR sound deadening in the hatch
-All weather front floor mats
-Subaru A/W rear floor mats
-Custom aluminum front skid plate
-Thule crossbars
-cheap Swagman bike rack
-DRL delete + GE Tungsram Selective Yellow H1 lowbeams
-Trailer hitch + various balls/hooks for towing/offroading
-Front tow hook cover removed, hook painted red


TABLE OF CONTENTS:


-The story, and the first detail job (You are HERE *big red dot*)

-Hawkeye WRX rim's (just a photoshop...)

-'04 FXT 4EAT Leather Shift Knob

-Comparison with '09 Outback, and Foglight rockguards removed

-Mystery box arrives, and what's inside

-HomeDepot hybrid CAI (for MAP Subbies)

-First pic with the new suspension setup, I say good-bye to the car for a few months

-Adding some more parts to the MOD box!

-I'm not a parts-whore... I swear...

-It's BACK!

-Permatex Headlight Restoration

-Custom Lightbar installed

-'07 FSXT 6CD Changer

-Borla Replica header installed

-Link to my Hella wiring mess, and Bbottomley's helpful expertise

-Just some more pics!

-Magnaflow muffler painted, ready for catback install!

-Soundclip of new stainless catback

-Got some SNOW!

-RoadBlockR Sound Deadening

- Protection for the dangly bits...

-Bad news

-Axxis Ultimate Ceramic brake pads

-eBay Swagman Bike Rack installed

-Trip to Paris Landing State Park, BattleWagon turns 150k miles young

-Spring Cleaning, and undercoating! :smile:

-Finished up the Pioneer install, painted my shifter surround

-Got tint!

-Subtle Solutions front lift installed

-Couple pics from the alignment shop

-Ordered the new engine

-Scangauge II installed

-Starting the engine replacement!

-Finished pics!

-Murphy's law... I get torque bind and a failed transmission clutch pack, as well as a new throttle position sensor.

-The TuRD... my transportation while the Scooby is in the shop!

-All fixed up, showing off the new shoes!

-A loose wire leads to another trip to a different dealer, and a tow truck along the way.

-GE Tungsram Gold (Selective-Yellow) Low Beam Bulbs

- DIY Intake V2... 3 inch, modded airbox!

- Painted my 'new' spare set of wheels.








[story snipped to save space... shoot me PM for details... lol)



First mod... resonator deletes! Eventually I will get a different tube to replace the piece between the scoop and the airbox, but for now, it adds a little more growl. I neatly sealed off the holes with electrical tape. Ghetto-tastic.

Before:

After:

Next, I removed the silly piece of plastic that Subaru put in front of the intake scoop to deflect air away from it.

Now, for my first appearance mod. This may not seem like a mod, but it certainly made a difference in the way the car looks. The paint's clearcoat was contaminated with all sorts of stuff, from old wax buildup to waterspots to ground in road grime, you name it. It gave the car an odd grey-ish tint. :huh:

Today I was determined to remove the aforementioned 'tint', and make her shine again.

First step was removing the bug deflector, and doing a two-bucket wash. Here's what it looked like after that:

Then, I claybarred the entire car. The clay took out most of the surface stuff that was left behind, but the paint still felt rough to the touch. So I broke out the Griot's/Porter Cable buffer and Meguiar's Swirl X for a test spot. Here's a pic of the spot:

After verifying that the method worked, I started working my way across the hood. Here you can see that the right edge of the hood is whiter than the rest. :icon_razz: I love seeing progress being made.

After that, I added a coat of Meguiars Gold Class wax for protection. I'll follow up with another coat of NXT 2.0 Tech Wax once I get some at the store later. Then I moved on to the interior... sorry, no before pics, just an after:

I <3 big gauges...

After pics of the exterior (total time invested: 12 hours):

More to come, I have some fun stuff in mind. :biggrin:

 

[MudRunner]

Wow, killer detailing job!

Can you come to CA and do my cars too? :biggrin: They're so neglected...

Only if I get to take them home with me :lol:

You are pretty freakin awesome at detailing haha

Thanks man!

 

[MudRunner]

Fantastic!

I love a good detail job, altho I have to say I despise doing interiors, so mine is always dirty on the inside.

Don't ya just love the Tech Wax? I'm a huge fan.

I loooove TechWax! I put it on my car, run through a mud puddle at 30mph, drive home, hose off the car, and it looks spotless. :lol:


Yeah, this style airbox makes more sense to me as far as intake temps go, I'm going to put some foil tape on the underside where it rests against the radiator to help keep it cool. One of the guys on Srg said that the little flap was to keep water out, but it only covered a small section of the intake, so I don't think it will be too much of a problem (there are lots of little drain holes in the bottom of it anyways).

Next on my list: RalliTek heavy duty rear springs, and new front struts. I'm gonna have to detail a few more cars for some neighbors before that happens.

 

[MudRunner]

Thanks guys.


I may just do all of them... we'll see. It's more a $$$ issue than anything, I'm having to acquire things one at a time. Lucky I'm very mechanically inclined, so I can do all of the work myself.

 

[MudRunner]

I think you could seriously pay your way around North America with the way you detail. Make sure to stop in SoCal.
You will have one lucky Foz if you ever make the switch!
BTW, if you are just out of high school and starting college, you are very well written to boot.

Thanks! Trust me, the thought has crossed my mind. I could do a Forester Detailing Tour.

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

:icon_wink:

True dat. Similar intro story:

Our first Subaru was a 95 Legacy Outback. You know, the first year of the Outback when it really was just a legacy with a sticker kit (to look like body molding, lol!). My wife loved that car, and we drove through some crazy snow in it (in Boone/Mountain City).

When our daughter came along, my 2-door pickup wasn't going to cut it, so Subie shopping we went. I almost walked away with a 98 (I think) Legacy GT wagon. Black, 5-speed, sunroof, and those snowflake wheels I loved so much. The only reason I chose the 99 Forester was it was cheaper and looked like it had really been taken care of.

The rest is history, here I am in my second Forester now! Would have never known about the secret that is the XT if I had ended up with that Legacy GT.

Again, glad for you. Where you going to college?

I'm just glad I happened upon this forum; I've learned so much in so little time, it's amazing!

v -What he said.- v

Kansas State. The Wildcats. NICE Aviation program (says an Aviation major :> .. take advantage of those rental rates you get. $94 for a C172 is pretty killer. It was $125 for us 2 years ago. Lowest is about $80 ish but you might have a flying club like we did that offers even lower rates.).

Yeah, I'm really excited. My cousin is doing a flight program at OU (albeit not an aviation major) and when he saw the K-State rental rates, he said, "I'm changing schools! :huh: "


If any of you were to choose a particular strut replacement, what would you go with? $OEM, Monroe, KYB? I think Sachs makes them too. I want to keep the stock ride height, but would like to make the car feel a bit more neutral. I know the stiffer rear springs and a stiffer RSB will help, but I don't know how a new set of shocks will affect it. :icon_confused:

 

[MudRunner]

KYB's for all four corners $315.33 shipped from Rockauto. :biggrin: Gosh I love them.

Will be detailing a modded LGT on Monday, then I should have the moolah.

Anything else I should do while I'm in there? I'm gonna toss on the HD springs while everything's apart.

 

[MudRunner]

Retarded question: The JDM HID's for the Legacy/OB are aimed differently than the USDM non HID ones, correct? So I can't use them?

I wonder how hard it is to 'clear' the USDM headlights... hrmmm. Mine are pitted pretty badly from rocks on the freeway. I saw a set of these on a Baja in Germany a few weeks ago, and they were awesome!

 

[MudRunner]

If you could get your hands on one from Germany you wouldn't have to worry about the aiming, unlike with the JDM ones. I don't know about these, but a lot of the German ones actually have glass lenses (as opposed to plastic) too, so they don't pit and fog as easily. I know this is the case with the SVX headlights over there. Not sure about the more recent Subie models, though.

Danke!

Glass would be a huge plus, I'm always worried about scratching the plastic whenever I'm scrubbing off bug remains and the like.

Thanks Bobby, glad you enjoyed it. Just getting started!

 

[MudRunner]

Photoshop fun...

Yes? No? The wheels are lighter in real life. My sister did this today while I was detailing a LGT (which is where the wheels came from).

I kinda like it.

 

[MudRunner]

Thanks guys, I will pass the compliments on to her. Photoshop is her hobby.

They looked hot on the LGT (color was PSM), and I'd always liked them... so I was thinking out loud, and she heard me. Thanks to her, now I really want them. :biggrin:

I see them going for $400-ish shipped with tires on Nabisco. Hrmmmmm.

*counts pennies*

Anybody wanna donate?

 

[MudRunner]

Here's one I found with the same wheels (best color LGT- ABP:icon_wink

This is the one I detailed today. That 5EAT is pretty nice... good match for the turbo.

 

[MudRunner]

Some new leathery goodness. Thanks, Silke. :biggrin: Shifting through the gates feels much more solid now.

Now I just need to find a wheel to match. Not in a big hurry, I kinda like the one it has now. It has a grippy texture.

 

[MudRunner]

Funny... I prefer the rubber shifter in my '03 over the leather one in my '07. :frown: My son wants to switch, so problem solved! :biggrin:

Was it east to remove the old shifter?

BTW, you really got the trim looking like new! :wink:

Bobby...

Just unscrew the knob... It's kinda tight at first, but it will turn with a little effort. :smile: My rubber one was kinda loose (something was messed up inside) so I just replaced it with a leather one.


Thanks, I'm always outside doing something to it! Our neighbors think I'm insane.

 

[MudRunner]

Next week it gets new struts (KYB GR-2's) and a set of RalliTek HD rear springs, installed by Andrewtech if they get back to me. If not them, then the local dealer.

But my first big DIY project will be one of these (or something like it) with a pair of Hella 500 or 700 series driving lights on top:

https://www.rallyinnovations.com/product_detail.php?prod_id=36

I'm going to order another OEM fog light switch for them, to fit in the blank spot on the dash by my cruise control button so that it looks factory. I really want the WRX wheels, but we have a huge deer population at home in rural TN, and I do a ton of night driving. Saftey/visibility > looks :icon_wink:

It will be a while before I get it installed, I'll be away from the car until late September after a week. My dad is borrowing it for a while.

 

[MudRunner]

Sounds like you have lots of MODs in progress! Don't forget to take pictures. Sometimes I get so involved in the MOD, that I forget to take pictures. :frown:

If you haven't used an OE/factory switch before, they're a PIA to connect to. You might want to get a plug from a wecking yard so you can splice to it, or even the entire switch with the plug (with wires attached) :wink:

Bobby...

Thanks for the tip... I'll have to remember that!

 

[MudRunner]

I got fidgety today and removed the foglight grilles, and re-aimed the fogs to where they're actually good for something. I think I like it without the grilles better. Sorry, the stupid white just washes out the pics.

Before (The silver '09 Outback was today's detail job):

After:

 

[MudRunner]

How can "Mudrunner" have the cleanest cars around? I think you need to change your handle!

LOL. I thought about the irony of that yesterday as I was detailing that silver OBW.

I'd change it, but I've gotten used to it, and I think that once I get it back home to TN, it will get plenty dirty. Right now I'm up in NOVA, where there is no mud to be found. :icon_frown:

So, I just do the opposite. Instead of making the car rediculously dirty, I become obsessed with keeping it clean. :lol:

 

[MudRunner]

^^ Sounds like a good practice area. Once you get the hang of it it's pretty simple. The guys on Meguiars Online are very helpful too. That's where I learned all of my stuff.

Remember, don't let the SwirlX dry on the car... wipe it off while it's still wet. If it drys, it will be a pain to remove, but some Quick Detailer helps if some does dry on there. The PC is a good buffer, it's simple to use and has just the right amount of power for me. Griot's just came out with a new one that's pretty reasonably priced, you might have a look at that.

The good thing about detailing is, if you do screw up, you can almost always fix it.

 

[MudRunner]

Do you clean your door jams and alll that too?

Yup, door jams, engine, underbody... the whole nine yards. :biggrin:

Zach,

If you stop detailing your ride, the mud would have a chance to stick to it. :wink:

Bobby...

True, most of the mud just slides off now with the techwax.

 

[MudRunner]

I can has mystery box?