DR Motosport

I've always had mine set to auto, and on the road it uses very little but at track days I've seen it almost empty a full bottle. The jdm ecu controls it and uses various measurements such as temperatures and boost pressure. I eventually went for a fmic when I changed the turbo so less of an issue now.

Cheers Paul, good find that one.

Yipee, camera arrived yesterday and just in time for knockhill. Suppose I should read the instructions before Saturday

Not sure about the clio system, but most cars use a toothed gear ring, and the sensor picks up this moving. If it's exposed to the elements it can be full of grime, rusty or even split causing the sensor to misread. Early impreza classics were like that and exposed to the elements, new age cars have the ring more inside the hub and out the way

Well done Cathy, next task we'll teach you is a clutch change

Good find Chris, and offer runs til after the knockhill track day too.

Also check the white multi plug connection under the rear seat before it drops through the floor to the tank. Seen a few of these now starting to break down on the early classics.

Ordered mine yesterday

Aye, its about time you updated on here Adam, says me thats needing to update my TrackScotland projects

Wee update time, and this brings the car almost up to date. Certainly up to date for how it was at Kames last month. My visit to the Autosport Show in January also let me check out seats. The white WRX Ra had Sparco EVO’s fitted, and these fitted me perfectly. Those ones had cost me £100 each from a friend who buys and sells rally cars, but that was back in 2005. Nowadays those same seats are nearly £400 each, ouch. That would blow the budget on a £2k track car. I wasn’t too impressed with a lot of the budget priced seats available, until I found the OMP TRS. They were comfortable and fitted me nicely, and although they are a steel framed seat they are still FIA approved and are only 1-2kg heavier than the much more expensive fibreglass ones, but a huge saving on price. £268 from Peter Lloyd Rallying – for the pair, delivered. My machining friend made me up the 2 seat mounts that bolted to the original Subaru seat points from 3mm stainless plate, exactly the same as OMP sell for £70 each. I did however buy an OMP seat adjuster for the drivers seat, as not everyone’s 6’2” who will drive it, this cost £35, and bolts between the seat and the mount. Another bonus of these seats are they can be side or base mounted which made fitting the adjuster easier, and allows for more forward and rearward travel than the standard Subaru seats offer. This let me set my seating position lower and further back than usual and will help a little with weight distribution and centre of gravity. I may buy a similar adjuster for the passenger seat to allow the same. Including the mounts and adjusters, they still save more than 10kg on the originals. This also let me remove the original seat belts and another 3 kgs saved. I’ve also bought an OMP suede steering wheel to replace the skinny original, far nicer to grip.

Feck it, that's 1 ordered, went for the kit with the motorsport suction mount and all the extra mounts. Gordon I saw they had some updates for the 3, but I dont think its a total cure reading the reviews.

Have a look at the reviews for the 3 especially on Amazon, seems to suffer freezing and some serious software issues. It's also closer to £300. I've used my mates 2 a few times and think I'll go for one of these, Good find

I'm not sure it will fit, They certainly wont fit a bug-eye because the radiator cap fouls on the bonnet. So I've a feeling it would be the same on the classics just looking at a bonnet here.

Cathy, Have a look at COOLPARTSUK on ebay, you might be able to work out what radiator you have bought and what one you need from their adverts. But from what I can remember, radiators with a cap are from blob-eyes onwards 2003>. Bug-eyes dont have caps, A wee breakdown for fitting for you, Put front of car up on ramps, remove engine undertray if its still fitted. Remove bottom radiator hose (its at the passenger side)from radiator and engine - gives you more space. The hose is held on with spring clips, just use good pliers, but beware the bottom 2 clips are likely to be rusty, so maybe get a couple of spares. This will drain all coolant. Remove top radiator hose, again at both ends. Remove 2 metal brackets that hold radiator in position at top of radiator. Remove 2 smaller hoses that go to header tank. Unplug wiring plugs for radiator fans (if 1 fan its 1 plug, 2 fans 2 plugs one either side) These are down sides of radiator near the bottom, can be a bugger to get off as its press a wee clip in then unplug. Lift out radiator. Put old one side by side with new, and remove fans from one to the other. Refitting is a direct reversal and fill system as above post. You'll need to buy 5litres of antifreeze and mix it 50:50 Keep topping up when cold as it will self bleed slightly Hope you follow all that, it's not too difficult, honest. Davie

After 15 years of track days with Subaru's and EVO's, I think I've tried every combination possible for brakes. My new-age JDM STi is running Performance Friction discs and pads on the Brembos. Pretty good but not fantastic that a lot of people make out, and I'd be really miffed if I'd paid for them. I ran AP's on my last track car, but this one came with new-age Brembo's fitted all round, I've tried Mintex, Pagid, EBC's red and yellows on different cars with the Brembo's So if your looking for something thats a good compromise for the road and won't fade at Knockhill, try Mintex 1155's up front and either 1144's or 1155's at the rear. They work well from cold, have a nice feel and I haven't killed a set yet. They are a bit dusty on the alloys is the only downside. I also always use AP Racing brake fluid, nothing else. For suspension, the only thing that works well on track are coilovers, simple as that. Look at any track day photos, coilover cars will be nearly flat through corners, those with lowering springs will be almost rubbing corners of their bumpers. You could throw everything out of the whiteline catalogue at it, and it will help, but still not as good as coilovers on track. But as you want your car for both track and road, its always going to be a compromise.

Already booked on track, think there were only 3 subarus for the last event so we need to do better

My mate restores old classic cars and no longer uses POR 15, Epoxy Mastic 121, goes on better and harder wearing and less prone to peeling. Do a Google search, plenty good write ups

That's some project you've started, good luck with it. Best way to remove sound deadening is in the winter months after a heavy frost. Use a chipping hammer and it shatters into big chunks, leaving very little residue. A wipe down with some paint thinners takes off the rest. If the car is bare inside, 2hrs does it

Those lights are actually PIAA driving lights and not the standard subaru fog lights, a £350 dealer extra. Shame they're bust as they were unbelievably bright on main beam

A few years back a local lad came to see me one night. His power steering had failed and alternator light was on, I said he'd probably snapped the belt. Opened up bonnet and not only no belt but no crank pulley either, luckily he still had the undertray fitted and the belt and pulley were on that. It needed a replacement pulley and new key but the crank end was fine. He tells me he still checks it every week to this day

Looking good, Strange they didn't remove bumper and headlights for painting, the rubbers around the headlights make it difficult to hide the painted edges.

From the photo it does look a bit like royal silver, but definitely 406. I do like the bonnet pins and cups, something different and as I said only £15, both made by grayston. The cups don't come with any templates so you have to make some up, but simple enough to do

Quick update time.... To make sure the aluminium bonnet didn’t pop open at high speed, I bought a set of bonnet pins and cups for them at the Autosport Show for £15, I already have a set of the flush Aerocatch type, but will keep those for now in the box, as they may end up on the STi. The pins are the usual standard alloy bonnet pins of old, but the cups are a bit rarer and I originally saw them on a certain McRae R4. After removing the sound deadening, the floor was like a patchwork quilt of colours, so time to get the original seats out and paint the floor. I didn’t want to remove every single thing thats inside the car, so removed what was easy and masked up the rest. These small spray guns are perfect for getting into awkward places and can be bought on ebay for £10. I just used some cheap 406 silver and didn’t lacquer. The footwells were given plenty of coats to make them more hard wearing. I’ll had some small cut down rubber mats for the pedals and heels.

I agree, just couldn't remember her name when I was doing the earlier post.

Best bits, oh so many. Picking up my first Impreza brand new back in 1997, 16 years ago. Everyone seemed to know what they were from the rallying, but hardly anyone had seen one close up as they were so rare then. A spirited run back from Crail with Dougie in his catalunya, and 2 Sierra Cosworths, oops, Picking up the new age jdm sti, after waiting 12 weeks on it arriving from Japan. All the SIDC track days, which brings me to one of the worst. A beautiful Saturday morning back in 2007, SIDC track day at knockhill having a blast in my white ra track car and my mate Dave out in his new spec c type ra. Having some dinner later on when the phone goes, Dave again, his mate was a fireman and was attending a helicopter crash in Lanark. I just knew.......... Had been friends with Colin for 16 years, when I did a bit of road rallying and he was doing the British championship in the legacy and we'd meet at the coltness car club. Oh so many stories and memories though.