after 16 hrs under the hood, it is nearing completion

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 1:44 pm

we started at 8 am yesterday, took a pizza break about 1:30 pm. sent everyone home to deal w/ family, kids, dinner at 3:30/4pm and back to work at 6:30 pm. We finished putting it all back together and out for a test run by 1:30 am this morning. Some issues made the car run like crap, but after much thought, scratching our heads, etc, we figured it out and the car runs like butter.... really fast butter. :DMav gets the car ready for the install Fri night: jacked up on stands, hood up, lights ready to go, etccar completely stock parts, nothing special except my gutted uppipe (factory)we get the topmount intercooler (TMIC) off first while making sure we label all the hoses in a number system for easy installation later.funny how the stock turbo points straight up and feeds into the TMICNext the coolant reservoir is taken out, making an enormous mess everywhere... the stock coolant hoses (laying ontop of the STI TMIC) are quite different from the STI hoses (mounted on the top front of the TMIC)Next, the Intake Manifold is removedbefore i can say boo, they already have the turbo in the car! the downpipe and exhaust were detached and the car is about half way done.next, i have to dremel out the manifold holes so it attaches to the TGV's. had we realized i could have done this prior to installation, it'd have freed up a good 45 mins of waiting...the Manifold: first we had to do some cutting on the bottom where it hit the fuel hoses and lines. Throttle Body: didn't quite fit because one of the wiring harnesses is attached to the STI TB and the LGT has it loose... so we swapped those out too to make it a bit easierit is an extremely tight fit in there! next we took out the alternator to run some of the hoses.then try and figure out how to get the throttle body back onto the manifold with all the hoses in the way. we ended up having to bend some of the brackets.next came time to reinstall the alternator. making sure the hoses were run properly is key or the alternator will not fit or seat properlynext we worked on the heat shield for the turbo. the original heat shield will not fit. however, i picked up a COBB heatshield a few months back. it still needed to be alteredthen time to install the STI TMICtop off the coolants, flash the ECU (this was the hang up), let the car crank a few times and then go for a spin.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 1:53 pm

we are almost finished. Mav swapped out the endlinks last night as well. tomorrow, i should get the SPT catback exhaust from the shop and get that on. I have to follow up with my tuner, Jon at TDC in NH about the updated maps. I think the ones he sent are bad. they killed the car and it ran like crap. I'm back running my Stage 2 maps and the car is awesome! i lost a little power in the lower gears, but it kicks in at a higher RPM. 3rd and 4th gears however, their is so much more power! can't wait to get the exhaust on the car and finish the side graphics. then, i will be done (after a front brake upgrade in a few months and maybe.... maybe... headers. ) ha ha ha. ok, maybe not the headers til long time later. Mav gets his STI next (hopefully we can still order one in March/April).

tcam · Post by **tcam** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 1:54 pm

absolutely incredible work how many people did u have participating in this?what kinda gains do u think ur getting?

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:03 pm

well, throughout the day we had 4 people at any time.my buddy Ralph who did this on his 05 Wagon 5MT and Mike (subie tech) were the key contributors. another guy came over as he is planning to do the same with his Forrester XT, but it will be much easier as we only need to do the turbo and intercooler. Phil got home at 4:30 pm so he helped out in the evening.as for gains, most people who have done the swap get about 280-290 awhp and 350 ft-lb tq. depending on supporting mods and octane of course, depends on what you do. i will most likely be towards the lower end as I want a conservative tune, but then i will also have a CBE which should also add another 10-15 awhp on these cars. all i know, hope to hit 12's this season. once i hit 12's i'm retiring my drag hat and concentrating on solo II. (except when i must feed my need for speed )

tcam · Post by **tcam** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:06 pm

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT Â»all i know, hope to hit 12's this season. once i hit 12's i'm retiring my drag hat and concentrating on solo II. (except when i must feed my need for speed )My goal is 3 seconds behind urs (get under 15sec)

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:17 pm

you mean 2 secs? you want to hit 14's right? should already be in 15s now.

tcam · Post by **tcam** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:18 pm

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT Â»you mean 2 secs? you want to hit 14's right? should already be in 15s now.o, yeah.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 11:24 pm

Nice Project, Hope. Post some vids of this new beast at the track!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:41 am

that will be awhile. we just got another dump of snow yesterday and thru last night. won't be getting to play much at the moment. oh well... still fun

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:13 am

sweet!!! thanks for all the pics, it was cool seeing the project being done and its evolution to the sti parts. for sure post up some vids!

SeattleJeremy · Post by **SeattleJeremy** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:21 am

Looking GOOD! I miss my Subie.

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:54 am

Looks great Hope.That engine bay is tight,looks like a killer setup.Great job. By the way,how many HP did that add.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:27 am

powerwise, i'm not completely sure. however, ralph has done the same thing but running an STI uppipe and invidia downpipe. he logged about 290 awhp i want to say... but that is per the Gtech. so, not sure how completely accurate it is, however, i'd have to say it'd be close to that. i have the SPT catback exhaust to pick up from the muffler shop and hope to get that on the car tonight. i think once i get my mapping squared away, i should be close to that too.the thing is a beast, i can't really put the gas down as i'm going sideways down the road.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:15 am

holy hell is all i can say.amazing!can't wait to see that mother in video...

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:26 pm

dammit! i guess i have to hold off on the exhaust. was hoping to have it done by tomorrow too, but looks like i'm gonna have to book an appt for the shop to do a custom fit. no way to tell how it's going to fit until they get it up in the air.

MRCN RCE · Post by **MRCN RCE** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 4:48 pm

man that sucks about the exhaust, but i loved seein the pics... i'll learn how to do all that stuff someday. what kinda hp gain did you get?? j/p i know it's already been asked a few times and since you got all that snow up there, i think it's a shame to let those beautiful wheels sit in the garage. i'll take care of em for ya how much did those cost you??

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:58 pm

wheels are ADR Phantoms. cost $400 shipped to AK, so great price. hopefully exhaust will be squared away this Saturday.

MRCN RCE · Post by **MRCN RCE** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 6:54 pm

yeah thas an insanely great price, especially for as good as they look. around here, you can't even find ugly rims for that much. what kinda rubber did you wrap em in??

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:24 am

stock tires. however, i got some BFG Sti stockers that are brand new coming soon...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 1:09 am

Cool. So, when your MPG drops to 10, well below its already pathetic 16 MPG, we don't want to hear you complainin'! Oh yeah, ya forgot one last pic from the install. hehehe!Mavrik, no hooking her up for free warranty service when something blows up now, you hear?

Attached files

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:12 am

she already knows her rental vehicle will be a pumpkin coloured Vibe should she break the Legacy. Also that I'll have an STi before the first track day. We're not taking from an STi fund to repair the LGT should something break. Who needs warranty though when I can get things for cost?

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:17 am

who needs free parts and labor when you can pay for them?

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:23 am

Well, maybe you get better quality parts if you pay for them as opposed to having Subaru pay for them! Mav, if yours is the rental, what you gonna drive, bro?

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:35 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Well, maybe you get better quality parts if you pay for them as opposed to having Subaru pay for them! Mav, if yours is the rental, what you gonna drive, bro?hopefully by then a white 07 STi with gold heritage BBS rims... and maybe just for you guys... a pink JDM STi badge I work in the auto industry Drunkin, I know rules. You pay to play. I know what I've done to my Vibe has restricted the warranty so hows what she did any different? Its not.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:54 am

Don't get the white, get the blue! That's purdy! I saw one the other day on the lot, man! I had to clean up! hehehe

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:57 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Don't get the white, get the blue! That's purdy! I saw one the other day on the lot, man! I had to clean up! heheheOh I love the blue on gold for 07 STi. Only problem is from 2002 bugeye to 07 impreza... EVERYONE here in alaska has a blue one. WAY to common a colour. I did want dark grey. But everyone with an 06-07 STi seems to have grey. There is maybe 1 white STi in the whole city of anchorage. Besides white is a nice colour, hides scratches well... not that I expect to get anyway

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 10:26 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Cool. So, when your MPG drops to 10, well below its already pathetic 16 MPG, we don't want to hear you complainin'! Oh yeah, ya forgot one last pic from the install. hehehe!Mavrik, no hooking her up for free warranty service when something blows up now, you hear? again. this is a relatively safe upgrade considering the engine block is exactly the same as a stock STI. i have the stock STI manifold, inlet hose, TMIC, etc along with the stock STI turbo. the only issue I believe I need to really worry about is the ECU.... There are a dozen others who have done exactly the same thing. the only time things really break is when they add larger turbo's to this set up and don't upgrade injectors and fuel pumps. also, for safety sake, i'll be installing a tranny cooler and laying off the power braking and launching. being that my car was featured at the dealership's NASIOC event last night, it's not as if they do not know what I've done to the car. In fact one of the owners and his wife (our ages) laughed while commenting, "uh, no that's not a subaru employee working on that car either... i've NEVER seen that tribal tattoo" LOL and as Jill tells me, take the car back to stock when you trade it in, keep the parts, and just reinstall w/ the new LGT Spec B. ha ha ha! too much work! and as we say, "you gotta pay to play." if i blow something up in the car, it's my own doing. it'll suck, sure enough, but depending on what it is, depends on warranty coverage.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 2:25 am

Looks good! Good job! It looks like all that large ClearWire sticker crap is off your car too. Maybe it was there for work but it looked too rice!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:52 am

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy Â»Looks good! Good job! It looks like all that large ClearWire sticker crap is off your car too. Maybe it was there for work but it looked too rice! well, ginormous graphics will be going back on the car as soon as i get my new logo design back from the designer. yes, i love the look the car has now, however, that look does not make me an additional $20K like last year. and since I will be making even more per sale, not only from CW, but also from the addtional products and services I sell, I am guestimating, it will double those gross profits. so.... ugly and "rice" as they may seem, it's worth the $40K return in investments for me.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 4:03 am

At least CW cannot claim they add HP! LOL!! Well in that case you have no choice to put them back on!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:25 am

yes. the car is looking very good imo. this weekend, after we get the exhaust put on, gonna gussy the car up, put the crappy stock tires on my spiffy rims back on the car, and go get some pics before i have to put more fugly stickers on the car. if it hadn't been such a huge money maker for me last year, i'd say screw it. however, like i said, it made me a lot of money!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:54 am

Just plaster them all over the rear end, 'cause after all these mods that shall be the side of the car that people see the most.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:52 pm

LOL. no, i really had to slow it down this year. too many tickets and that accident.. plus, the graphics make me stick out like a sore thumb. not really want the negative attention if you know what i mean.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:47 pm

Yeah, it could work against you... When you cut somebody off and they get pissed, they'll know exactly how to hunt you down.

Psychobroker · Post by **Psychobroker** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:07 am

Awesome work Hope! I can't wait to see more pics.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:31 am

once the weather is better we can get more pics. The next project will be the exhaust (this weekend hopefully) and then brakes in the summer time.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 3:32 am

ha ha! yes, phil is worried that my brakes will fail due to my driving style. at the very least, the pads need to be upgraded. brembos will be needed once we get his STI...

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:34 am

mmmm! i need my LGT to do this!

CAN-AWD-VIBE · Post by **CAN-AWD-VIBE** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:41 am

the drool is now forming a pool on the floor around my shoes.this is fantastic work... keep it up Hope!!!!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 5:01 am

that's not my car on the dyno. it belongs to Jon @ TDC tuning. he's got some incredible mods and work on his. but i would probably kill myself if that were my daily driver! LOL. my ultimate goal would be to get my LGT to 300 awhp and probably call it good for now. then find another project to play with. Phil doesn't want me touching his STI though... LOL. he just wants to keep it stock for awhile til he gets used to it, then in about a year, maybe go stg 1, then stg 2 shortly after. then after that..... maybe i'll go bigger turbo and FMIC on mine.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:39 pm

alrighty we got the new exhaust on the LGT. took some work, but turned out great!OK, got some pics uploaded:SPT Exhaust Installthe dent! fitting everythingVid of the exhaust:

MRCN RCE · Post by **MRCN RCE** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:01 pm

damn that looks great, and sounds nice. and who was the genius that forgot to take the beer cooler outta the trunk before it went up on the lift?? your car looks nicer every time i see pics. good job, hopeedit: time to update your cardomain

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:48 am

haha beer cooler stayed in the car since I had permission from the boss to work in the shop after hours. I'm not interested in getting that privilege revoked or worse, lose my job

MRCN RCE · Post by **MRCN RCE** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:11 am

yeah well i guess that would be a good reason to keep it in there. how long did the install take??

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:31 am

i'm assuming you mean the exhaust? it took about 2.5 hrs. dale's a fast worker. plus, he loves doing this sort of thing. but yes, i guess i do need to update my cardomain. oh well, it'll be on my list of things to do...

MRCN RCE · Post by **MRCN RCE** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:36 pm

yeah i was talkin about the exhaust install. my first performance mod is comin on the 31st... k&n typhoon intake yeah i've got a pretty good list of things to do too. creating a cardomain page has been on that list since i had my 300ZX back in 04. i'll do it someday, just don't hold your breath

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:59 pm

the exhaust looks great, but i was expecting it to be louder. 300 horses should sound like 300 horses!

Psychobroker · Post by **Psychobroker** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:06 am

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx Â»the exhaust looks great, but i was expecting it to be louder. 300 horses should sound like 300 horses!I bet it does at WOT, which it wasn't in the vid

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:40 am

winter time.... no WOT til there's dry pavement. don't feel like totalling the car right now. LOL

Psychobroker · Post by **Psychobroker** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:03 am

Quote, originally posted by AKLGT Â»winter time.... no WOT til there's dry pavement. don't feel like totalling the car right now. LOLAlthough, you could just have it dyno'd.

after 16 hrs under the hood, it is nearing completion

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