Project Wag

[liquidvisionsti]

Thought id start a thread about the wagon and its progress. Originally posted as Liquid Vision but using my sidc membership account now, a mod can delete the old account if possible?

Anyways my 1st taste of impreza ownership was a green uk turbo wagon, apparently it was meant to be putting out about 280bhp? Remapped and an hks system with no cat's, it was quick but I don't think it was all that much quicker than the red vw corrado g60 I had before it which was around 210ish bhp. But I caught the bug and after suggestions of buying an STI wagon I did. I've always been a big fan of the wagon's but I think after this a type RA would be nice.

It had been in the uk for a couple of years, was bought by a farmer who used it as a weekend car but then stopped using it pretty much altogether due to buying a 2 seater sports car, it had only done 3000 miles in a year so it was sold back to the original importer when he wanted to sell it, he had fitted an exhaust system along with a dvd player but had removed both when he sold the car back. It came from Japan with a Greddy boost gauge and HKS turbo timer so that was 2 things on the list I didn't have too get.

But anyway thats all that had been done too it so I got the car pretty much standard. I've loved the car every second since buying it.

I've done the following to the car over the year so far -

Do-Luck Panel Filter

Turbosmart Megasonic BOV

Tommy Kaira Intercooler

Blitz Nur Spec R Exhaust

Pioneer Headunit

Crystal Side Indicators

Crystal Front Indicators

Version 5/6 STI Front Bumper

The lacquer on the bonnet had been coming off along the front as well as a little dent on the rear pillar so it was in the bodyshop getting the bonnet resprayed, bodywork tidied up in general, and the new bumper sprayed and fitted.

Really need to get proper pictures of the car now as I'm proper happy with it, but got these parts waiting too be fitted -

Wallbro 255 Fuel Pump

SARD Fuel Pressure Regulator

Afterburner De-cat downpipe

Apexi Power FC ECU & Commander

Cusco Rear Strut Brace

Kakumei Equal Length Headers

Heat wrapped the manifold myself and those steel ties cut the hell out of your hands! Sliced my skin pretty deep twice with them, total pain in the neck to do but worth it! I also fitted the Tommy Kaira intercooler as well today, gonna do the fuel pump and down pipe tomorrow weather permitting.

A pic with the TK intercooler fitted, surprised at how straight forward that job was to do.

Going to be getting Alistair (trackhound) too remap the car as well.

But all I can say is I just love the car too bits. Can't wait to get it mapped and see the difference

[Midnight21]

Where was the pic taken...think I may have seen this car about?

C'mon the wagons lol

[trackhound]

Looks like you've been busy Martin!

Looking forward to working with another Wagoneer!

[lewisscoob]

Nice car, I thought the "Project Wag" thing was more to do with it being your wife or girlfriend

My car may aswell have been a wag cause I spend more time and money on it

Edited July 27, 2010 by LewisScoob

[liquidvisionsti]

Where was the pic taken...think I may have seen this car about?

C'mon the wagons lol

The pic was taken at Torry in Aberdeen bud, that little road that runs right along the coast, its bumpy as hell but really nice location for taking photo's

Looks like you've been busy Martin!

Looking forward to working with another Wagoneer!

Haha yea, ended up purchasing more than 1st thought! Really looking forward to the mapping though, just need to get all these bloody fits fitted haha

Nice car, I thought the "Project Wag" thing was more to do with it being your wife or girlfriend

My car may aswell have been a wag cause I spend more time and money on it

Lmao I never thought of it like that until now haha At least the biggest reward of all that time and effort is enjoying driving it

[rig-pig]

nice m8, just mind the wrap will smoke the 1st time its had a good heat

[ANDYJDMSTI]

Did you soak your wrap in water as you used it?..........If not you may need to do it again.

When myself and Squiggle did my exhaust afew years back we soaked it first, wrapped it wet then shoved it in an airing cupboard for afew hours. When put on the car it steamed like a bu@@er but it helps the wrap bond better.

[liquidvisionsti]

Did you soak your wrap in water as you used it?..........If not you may need to do it again.

When myself and Squiggle did my exhaust afew years back we soaked it first, wrapped it wet then shoved it in an airing cupboard for afew hours. When put on the car it steamed like a bu@@er but it helps the wrap bond better.

I didn't soak it bud, should I re-do it again just to be on the safe side then?

Not looking forward to that but if its going to bond better then it's worth it I reckon

[liquidvisionsti]

Been a while since the last update which has been due to tight funds! Anyway slight progress has been made.

The 1st Cosworth goody arrived today, Oil control baffle for the sump. I've ordered the cosworth timing belt guide and the kevlar timing belt. Just need to get a colder grade of spark plug, a shorter dipstick for the new sump, Dei heatwrap and dei silicone spray to seal the wrap then I really do have all the bits I need........finally

[ashleywrx]

Been a while since the last update which has been due to tight funds! Anyway slight progress has been made.

The 1st Cosworth goody arrived today, Oil control baffle for the sump. I've ordered the cosworth timing belt guide and the kevlar timing belt. Just need to get a colder grade of spark plug, a shorter dipstick for the new sump, Dei heatwrap and dei silicone spray to seal the wrap then I really do have all the bits I need........finally

looking great - thinking of fitting one of these plates myself

[TrackScotland]

Do you use the car on track, with sticky tyres?

If not I would suggest that its not really needed.

If you're going to the hassle of removing the sump and fitting the windage try you may as well fit a baffled sump too.

[liquidvisionsti]

Hey folks,

Sorry for the lack of updates lately! Quite a lot has happened with the Wag since I last posted.

@trackscotland - I plan to use the car on trackdays next year along with another set of wheels with slicks to get the most grip. Something I've been itching too do, big brakes 1st though!

I hadn't soaked the wrap in water before wrapping my headers and it was cheap wrap as well so I just took it all off and wrapped it last week in Dei heatwrap which I did wet this time and it took me just over 5 hours to wrap the whole manifold, was so glad to get it finished!

Few shots of the wrapping progress -

It was cable tied just to hold the wrap tight to the manifold whilst I waited for the steel ties arriving to which they did the next day, I also wrapped the up-pipe as I had a bit of wrap left over and I sealed the wrap with the dei silicone spray as well.

The car was booked into RA Motorsport Developments on monday to get my list of things fitted which were -

Cosworth Kevlar Timing Belt

Cosworth Timing Belt Guide Kit

Cosworth Oil Control Baffle

Walbro 255 Fuel Pump

SARD Fuel Pressure Regulator

Alloy Radiator as the standard one was leaking so I thought may as well upgrade!

NGK Platinum Plugs

Afterburner de-cat downpipe

Kakumei headers

STI 9 Sump

Engine oil/gearbox and diff oil changed as well.

After a bit of a mission getting through to Perth on Monday thanks to wipers not clearing half the screen I dropped the car off at RA motorsport.

1st time I had met Andy but he's such a down too earth guy and his knowledge is unbelievable, can't recommend the guys there enough. One thing that impressed me the most is they had a couple of issues with the sump and he took a couple of parts off the hawkeye he had there to use on my car (oil pickup and something else) which he didn't have to do at all, the fact he went out of his way to make sure that everything I had on the list to get done to the car got done I can't praise enough.

He gave me a lift into town and also a lift from the bus station on Tuesday which again he didn't have to do, so again more gratitude there!

I'm glad to say everything that was planned to get done has been done, one of the things he said to me on the way to collecting the car that on idle it was bareable but on throttle it was "stupidly loud"

I will admit it is a tad on the loud side but one of the things that I was concerned about most was how it was going too sound with the change in headers, they are equal length but they don't sound it, it doesn't sound like a completely different engine but it doesn't have the rumble now. But it was the noise I was hoping for most, its got such a rasp too it and on the loud pedal its not too far away from a rally car, add that to the fact there are no cats on the car now its popping and banging on the over run which I'm not complaining about at all haha!

All thats left now is to get the ecu fitted and the car mapped, I've still got the HKS induction kit too fit but not in a rush to fit that just yet. Proper happy with the car though and I'm glad it sounds how it does because I wanted to be unique with the car and go down a different route to the typical rumble and I couldn't be happier with it.

Grabbed a couple of snow pics yesterday too down Broughty Ferry, not the best couple of pics I know!

Will be painting the front fog covers as I'm really not liking the black as much anymore

Edited December 23, 2010 by liquidvisionsti

[braveheart]

Well done enjoyable read indeed, good to hear about Andys customer service part i think that's what's lacking with people that's the only reason i go back to SW Motorsport he does go to extra lengths to help out, trust me don't get any discounts for saying that. Post his details

Up location website contact number...good to see another quick wagon talk to Alastair of this also trackhound as he is doing a fewods on his..

Chris

[liquidvisionsti]

Thanks guys!

Yea totally man, I had spoke to Andy briefly before when the car was at awd waiting on an maf sensor coming up from down south, the company I bought it from were supplying one as the car kept cutting out on the test drive so the maf was at fault.

I've been e-mailing Alistair back and forward, he's going to be mapping the car and had recommended a few things before hand as well which is why my list of parts kept growing and growing haha! But if your going to do something do it properly

I've owned the car over a year now and although its been a pretty expensive year I can safely say I love the car too bits, I had considered getting rid of it a couple of months ago to replace it with something practical and more economical but it didn't take long for that thought too dissapear, as its the 1st car that I've had thats been standard when I got it I wanted to make a proper project out of it so rather than abandon it before things got started I changed my mind.

Since I got it back from RA the difference is night and day, its so much more ferocious when it hits boost and its only boosting at 1 bar at the moment, sounds unbelievable on the loud pedal too which I think might be too loud for some tracks but we'll see, still to get it mapped but will be arranging that soon and getting the clutch replaced as well.

Once again a huge thanks to Andy and the guys at RA Motorsport. I honestly can't recommend them enough.

Contact details -

RA Motorsport Developments

Unit 8, Lochty Industrial Estate, Almondbank

Perth

PH1 3NP

Tel: 01738 583064

Edited December 28, 2010 by liquidvisionsti

[tomwrx08]

gd update mate,thats one job i hate doing is heatwrapping,

took me 45mins just to do my sportscat and i wis well peed off

so u must have been ready for the nut house after 5hrs lol,

andy and the guys have a great rep and with great customer service its no wonder there always busy