Chocoholic005

Up pipe isn't worth it since you've already got a catless one. TGV deletes and intake changes aren't really worth it unless you're getting into bigger changes. Sounds like the standard downpipe, OTS tune and upgraded tires, pads and fluids are your best choices. Don't forget about the driver mod.

More photos.

*Prices do not include shipping unless specified. Message me and I'll get you a quote. - EJ257 out of an 05 Legacy GT. Single AVCS w/ B25 heads, stock. 203k miles with low compression on cylinder 4 (80 psi) and failed leakdown. Ran when removed. Good candidate for a rebuild, includes everything you see pictured. Prefer not to ship, but we can talk. (SOLD) - Engine rebuild gasket, seal and hardline assortment. This is spare stuff I ordered that I either didn't need or couldn't end up using. Purchased everything for the 05 EJ257 w/ B25 heads, but 90% will fit any EJ25 turbo. Everything is brand new and totaled ~$350 before taxes/shipping. Sold some parts of this kit; inquire about individual items. Valve Cover Gasket Right – 13270AA190 (SOLD) Valve Cover Gasket Left – 13272AA140 (SOLD) Woodruf Key – 804505060 (SOLD) Coolant Crossover Pipe O-Rings (x2) – 806933010 (SOLD) Water Pump Gasket – 21114AA051 (SOLD) Water Pump Side Seal – 21116AA010 (SOLD) Intake Manifold to TGV Gaskets (x4) – 14035AA492 (SOLD) Rear Cylinder Head Half Moons (x4) – 11051AA070 (SOLD) Turbo Oil Feed Line – 15192AA490 (SOLD) Passenger AVCS/Turbo Oil Feed Line - 15192AA432 Turbo Oil Drain Hose - 807515712 (SOLD) Water Stay Pipe Bracket - 14058AA000 6 Speed Flywheel Pilot Bearing – Clutch Masters Part (SOLD) Throttle Body to Intake Manifold Gasket - 16175AA331 (SOLD) B25 AVCS Camshaft Seals (x2) – 806742160 (SOLD) B25 non-AVCS Camshaft Seals (x2) – 806732160 (SOLD) Oil Pump to Crankshaft Seal - 806733030 (SOLD) Wrist Pin Clips - 805323040 (SOLD) Keepers - 13210AA020 (SOLD) Exhaust Manifold Gaskets (x2) – 14038AA000 (SOLD) Valve Seals - 13207AA120 & 13211AA110 (SOLD) TGV to Intake Manifold Gaskets (Paper) – IAG (SOLD) TGV to Cylinder Head Bolts/Washers – IAG Downpipe Hanger Bracket – 44021AG00A Deatschwerks Side Feed Injector O-ring Kit – 2-002-4 - VF40 - used. Unknown mileage, fins look pretty decent, there's some minor shaft play, but no housing contact. Could be used again, but probably a rebuild candidate long term. (SOLD) - 6 Speed Reverse Lockout Pull. Good shape, see pictures. $25.00 shipped to the US. - Legacy GT 5 Speed Driveshaft. Used, out of an 05 wagon. No issues. $50.00. - 5 Speed Clutch/Flywheel/Pressure Plate. Used, but with 50% life left or more. $50.00. - Brembo Front Helicoil Kit w/ 4 Inserts. SOLD - 2005 Legacy GT Booster & Master. Used, but functions fine. $30.00. - Homemade bulletproof TMIC (resin), no leaks. $30.00. - Facelift 08-09 Legacy Grill. Used in good condition. $50.00.

Did the 50 mile oil change today; took me almost a week to get the miles since there's just no where to go. Also adjusted the clutch pedal, hopefully more to my liking. Probably won't be any major updates for a while. Just working through minor issues; a sloppy shifter when in gear, a driveline clunk (probably carrier bearing) when starting out in first gear and lots of interior rattles.

How much more vibration/nvh with the solid joints?

This is a dynamic part of the steering/suspension system, so your alignment being correct will not save you. Just be careful out there until you get stuff even'd out.

That's not a anti-lift kit; it's a roll centering kit, and you just replaced part of it with an OEM unit. I imagine that you might have some weird bump steer now that you have unequal suspension geometry from side to side.

Luckily the spill was on the garage floor which is shop coated, so clean up was nothing. I'll be cleaning the hoist this week, because its absolutely filthy after having a car sit on it for 15 months without moving.

That didn't stop with the 90s; they still do that. Transfer case is locked up on most trucks.

After 15 months and 449 hours of labor, Phoenix is finally running (and my lift is free!) again. The first start, which you can see below, went off without a hitch; that is until all the power steering fluid ended up on the ground. The two fittings at the steering gear were loose, and didn't leak until the system was pressurized. I didn't even think about checking these when I installed the rack as they came pre-assembled. Took me about 3 hours to fix, but now we're leak free and Emily and I were able to go on our first drive last night. Only went for about 10 miles since it still needs an alignment, but the drive was problem free and everything felt good. Keep in mind I've literally only driven the car once before, home from purchasing it in Detroit. The car still needs plenty; doors, paint/bodywork, half of the interior conversion, etc. but this concludes the mechanical portion of the restoration. I'm sure there will be fine tuning and more mods in the future, but its safe to say she's ready for another 203,093 miles on the road.

Silly me bought an 07-09 grill which obviously doesn't fit. Need a reasonably priced replacement. Let me know what you got! Shipping zip: 48316

It was thoroughly lubricated, I assure you. However, I will take your note of letting it sit, mounted for a few days the next time.

The TB to TMIC hose gave me problems for at least a half hour, so that was part of it. The other significant hold up was that my new turbo came with studs, which I had wanted to use, but eventually I had to pull one back out and replace it with a bolt. Even then it was a pain to get the hose over the turbo outlet.

GrimmSpeed intercooler went on today; took me 3 hours to install and put up quite the fight. In addition to that the radiator is in, battery installed and the boost gauge has been plumbed into the GFB BPV reference line. Just waiting on the replacement power steering bracket to install the accessory system and get it driving. Still have half an interior to put back together.

Saturday and Sunday were spent connecting the host of wiring, fuel/vacuum hoses and other accessories for the engine. Unfortunately I broke the power steering bracket trying to get the old adjuster out, and will have to source a new one before we can start the engine for the first time. Since my 6 speed swap includes a transmission out of an S402, which does not have a DCCD differential, I could easily make use of the factory 4 pin connector for neutral and reverse position. Luckily my transmission came with the male side of the connector as well, which I spliced into the dash side harness for a plug and play solution. To finish out the weekend, I installed the downpipe and exhaust, which fit rather well considering what I paid for the components.

Busy week for us and the wagon. Michigan has been having some decent weather and we've been taking full advantage as we "work from home". I spent most of Wednesday and Thursday fitting the turbo inlet (Cobb surprisingly had a terrible design, would go Perrin if I could do it over), intake manifold and various hoses/sensors. Additionally, I cleaned and re-taped the engine wiring harness as well as sealing several unused connectors before installing that as well. Later I would manage to break multiple connectors and totally regret not just buying a new harness; I ordered some new ones from I-wire and will replace those later. By Friday, the engine was assembled and ready to go. Emily and I primed the engine with a pressure bleeder and some fresh oil, which worked brilliantly. Then we hoisted up the engine, installed the new Clutch Masters clutch and began the engine install. It went relatively smoothly, considering neither of us had actually installed an engine with a cherry picker before. Only took us two hours from when we picked it up until it was bolted in place.

The 135i is hers. She must have spent months dreaming about buying a BRZ and then test drove the BMW in addition to a few others, and that became the choice. Between the two of us, we're going to have quite the car stable in a few years. She wants to restore a classic Power Wagon as the next project and I've been dreaming of an Aston Martin in addition to the Jag. You are correct sir, I sure don't.

I'm running the 5 speed transmission crossmember with a 6 speed mount, it works fine.

The motor build up continues; TGV deletes, Tomei headers and up pipe went with relative ease, until I tried to hang the turbo, at which point nothing wanted to line up. After what seemed like hours of fine tuning, I finally got everything to sit happy with one another. The next curveball was pulling the crank pulley and center timing cover off of the old motor, because my dumbass didn't think about doing that prior to removing... everything. This involved drilling out 4 of the cam cover bolts because the motor was just that rusty, but I got there eventually. Next up is tackling the mess of lines atop the motor.

Deatschwerks is still up and running; I just got a set back from them a couple days ago.

Hasn't Washington been under lockdown for like a month? If its one of those services where you just send it to them, they process and send it back; they might not even know they're working with you. Not saying its a good business practice, but if they can't get into the office, maybe they can't check emails.

Cleaned up the valve covers, installed them onto the motor and timed the engine with an HKS timing belt.

Today we spend several hours bolting on new bits and pieces; got the cam seals hammered into place, coolant bypass and crossover tubes installed, group N motor mounts torqued down, and AVCS oil feed lines installed, along with a good portion of the timing equipment. Next up, we'll get the motor timed.

Emily and I have been taking full advantage of our work from home situation, spending ample hours in the garage on Phoenix. All of the parts we need for the engine are in, so the work begins. Yesterday we bolted on the D25 heads built by MAPerformance. No fancy port work here, just a fresh set of heads and cams with upgraded valves, springs, guides and retainers. We got them installed and torqued into place with new ARP head studs.

Recently we got the carpet put in and some of the small associated black trim pieces, including the shifter trim. In addition to this, the final piece of the engine build puzzle came in today; a freshly rebuilt VF40 turbo to get us up and running. In the future, I'm sure we'll move to something more exciting, but this should allow me to run an off-the-shelf Cobb map for break in.