SLW-SVT Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 The Story: This car belonged to my best friend from college and his parents gave it to me after he passed away last January. It sat in my driveway until November because the ac didn't blow cold and I remember him telling me that a shop wanted $1200 to fix whatever was wrong with it. I had to put my dd in the shop for insurance work ('10 IS350) and was forced to drive it to work. The AC system simply needed a freon recharge and the ac was blowing cold again... http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0830.jpg So I started driving the car. We had some great memories driving up to visit his parents in Telluride, CO from Texas and just doing college stuff around town. I quickly realized that I really wanted to keep the car and restore/upgrade it in his memory. It's in poor shape being from Colorado but I'm working on getting the rust straightened out. Initial changes: The first thing I did was use 3M's heavy duty headlight restoration on the headlights, tail lights and fog lights. I first had to purchase a left fog light as the one it came with was busted out...then i realized that the bracket for the right fog light was broken so had to get another of those as well... I ordered 1200 lumen fog and reverse lights I bought a new battery since the key comes out in any position and it wasn't turned off correctly for a couple of months. I did the HVAC control light replacement. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0799.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0800.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0836.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0857.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0854_1.jpg The '99 Limited: The biggest thing was addressing the faded purple stock seats and the ashy white dash. I tried all kinds of chemicals to try and restore the gray but nothing worked. I found a wrecked '99 Outback Limited and brought it home for $575. The seats where in pretty good shape except for a small cut on the driver and worn out bolster and the dash was in a lot better shape. There are several things that I have taken from this car and still need to take. So far I've taken the seats, leather steering wheel, leather door cards, lower wood radio trim (the top one was broken as the plastic is kind of brittle), wood window switch surrounds, taller console lid, updated cup holder, rear cup holder, door speakers (surprising amount of bass), tweeters, windshield wiper arms and wheels. I really wanted the rear tweeter setup but the plastic pillars are all scratched up. A nice bonus is that it came with Husky molded floor mats up front! Parts I still need to take- Dash (i finally found a nice writeup and almost have the dash out but I'll need a lot of time to get the dash out of my car and put this one in http://beergarage.com/subyheatercore.aspx) Rear window upper trim (mine is cracked on both sides) front driver door, rear passenger door, rear hatch (This will be when I'm ready for paint) and lighted vanity sun visors. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0838.jpg The radio: I really want a reverse camera and a more connected radio so I put a Pioneer AppRadio 4 in. I really like it so far but not having a volume knob kind of sucks. I still need to figure out where to mount the camera too. I don't plan on doing a sound system since i seem to listen to talk radio and podcasts on the way to work these days. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0899.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0898.jpg JDM!: So i got bit by the JDM parts bug on this car...I've already received a new grille, tail lights and amber side marker lights. I have projectors, rear center garnish, shifter boot surround with pop up storage door and a different e brake surround with the pocket and two spots for the seat heaters Turns out the outback uses a larger grille than the other Legacy models so I'm not sure how I feel about this yet:( http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0913.jpg Future plans: Find wrecked STI and do a complete swap. I have been talking with a shop in Houston that does these things. I still need to research more on exactly what I want. I would like for this to be my work commuter/ autocross car. I tried auto x once in my 03 F150 Lightning ( , ) and had a blast so I definitely want to get back into that with a lighter car. Lots of stuff from Whiteline Full Paint job. In a few weeks/months I will be getting a new windshield and my buddy that works at collision shop will be fixing some rust on the roof where the windshield seems are. The roof, door handles, mirrors and hood vent will get painted then. Later on I will be painting the rest and changing out the doors and hatch that I mentioned earlier. The white will stay the same but the two tone lower will get switched to Ford Magnetic gray. The more I drive this car the more I love it:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 I found this car last week and picked it up for $250. I will be stealing the suspension from this one to properly delift mine and replace the rusted suspension that I currently have. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0909.jpg Here she currently sits with the Limited wheels. I can't wait to lower it! http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0866.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wish Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 envious of the white. looks really clean. tint the windows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton96 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Looks pretty awesome so far, and +1 on the tint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted January 28, 2017 Author Share Posted January 28, 2017 thanks, I will be tiniting eventually. I'm trying to decide if I should replace some of the scratched up windows first. I have a couple of sets of new metal pads that hold the windows in place when rolling up. I got the Honda Pilot rear wiper arm in. So much better than the rusty stock one http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/IMG_0908.jpg And here is the dash. It bugs me a lot. I just need time to do the swap. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/IMG_0835.jpg And the seats. Pretty good condition but I would like to repad the driver. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0829.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0837.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wish Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 not a fan of leather, but the fact that they're heated is gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 I like being able to slide in and out of my seat so leather is a must for me. I got a new dome light since my switch was broken and stole the trunk light from the limited as its a different design and worked better with the led bulb I'm using. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0922.jpg Best part of the Legacy L was that it came with a mostly unused cargo cover since the holder clips were broken. I was especially excited because I had just received one from ebay that was sagging pretty badly. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0923.jpg These parts came in the mail today from Japan today http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0924.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0926.jpg And the projectors arrived from New Zealand! Going to hit them with the 3m HD restoration kit. I have a buddy that does projector retrofitting so I will be sending them to him to do the RHD to LHD conversion. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0927.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osei Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Check your laws regarding tint. Here in NY they just changed the law, so that tint is now part of the inspection process. Any tint darker than factory on the front windows is an automatic fail. O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setnev Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 The best thing I found to get rid of rust on body panels and heavy surface rust on bare metal parts is to use a polycarbonite disc and angle grinder. It practically melts the rust away leaving a nice surface to prime or rubber coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Check your laws regarding tint. Here in NY they just changed the law, so that tint is now part of the inspection process. Any tint darker than factory on the front windows is an automatic fail. O. I think its still 35% in Texas. The best thing I found to get rid of rust on body panels and heavy surface rust on bare metal parts is to use a polycarbonite disc and angle grinder. It practically melts the rust away leaving a nice surface to prime or rubber coat. I'll keep that in mind when I prep the car for paint. I got some work done on the car tonight. I put the JDM console pieces in and drilled out a spot in the front compartment to put an iPhone charging dock. I had to drill some holes for the connector to come through but it came out okay. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/fullsizeoutput_22ab.jpeg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0931.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0932.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0935.jpg It seems like the pieces have a little gap on the '99 center console. I may try to heat up the console and put a tie strap around it to bring the sides closer together. I really like having an extra pocket by the e brake. It would be cool to figure some way to mount a drink holder there. I also replaced all the bulbs in the seat heater, fog light, rear defrost and cruise control switches. The seat heaters were kind of a pain dealing with the rubber bulb mounts but the others were pretty easy. Those have really been bugging me.... And I put in a new battery mount bracket and bolts. The one I had was super rusty. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/fullsizeoutput_22a7.jpeg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0929.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0937.jpg I started putting in the aluminum pedals but I need to look into how to do the accelerator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadhp Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 This is a great thread! Can't believe I overlooked it! Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton96 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 If you aren't up to swapping the dashboard, go get a bottle of Meguiars natural shine interior protectant and spray the area of the dash down liberally so that you have a thick coating on the dried out areas and then let it sit over night, in the morning wipe off the excess and inspect and if it's still dried out repeat as necessary. The protectant is really good moisturizing plastics and composites. I have done this with a lot of the 20+ year old junkyard stuff and it works very well. I soaked my window wind up handles in cups overnight and they're like new even after a year since I did that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 This is a great thread! Can't believe I overlooked it! Keep it up! Thanks! Hopefully a lot more to come. If you aren't up to swapping the dashboard, go get a bottle of Meguiars natural shine interior protectant and spray the area of the dash down liberally so that you have a thick coating on the dried out areas and then let it sit over night, in the morning wipe off the excess and inspect and if it's still dried out repeat as necessary. The protectant is really good moisturizing plastics and composites. I have done this with a lot of the 20+ year old junkyard stuff and it works very well. I soaked my window wind up handles in cups overnight and they're like new even after a year since I did that. Okay I'll try that out. I'm planning on doing the dash swap this weekend but I definitely have some parts that could use some restoring. The Door handles and glovebox handle comes to mind. I've tried back to black, armor trim restore, mothers trim restore and 303. Nothing works. Also this weekend I want to install the rear cargo net that came with the Limited. I'll have to drill some holes in the trim and inner metal but It would really help holding my tool box for work. I've been using a bungee cord but that is pretty annoying to attach every time i need to use tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton96 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 I love stuff made by Mothers but their Back to Black protectant was crap. I even used the Meguiars stuff to moisturize the plastic thermostat outlet tube and the little rubber access cover for the bell housing, with enough time to soak it does a pretty great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 I guess I'm just applying and not letting it sit. So am I supposed to be getting spray out of my windshield wiper nozzles or is it supposed to be a stream? Also, an amazing thing happened the other day. My key in the ignition chime quit working, so I can now leave the keys in at work without hearing that annoying tone! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton96 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 Yeah it depends on how dry the material is but I normally spray a thick layer on the surface and let it sit for 12+ hours. As far as the windshield nozzles go, it depends on the year of the car, some of them had two aim-able nozzles per sprayer that shoot streams of washer fluid and are basically useless, the other style sprays a fan pattern typical to normal cars. I swapped in the latter version shortly after I got the car because the aim-able ones are junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setnev Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 My key in the ignition chime quit working, so I can now leave the keys in at work without hearing that annoying tone! Mine sounds like a dying walrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95subiblu Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 So awesome man. I wish there were junkyards n what not in Juneau... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 Yeah it depends on how dry the material is but I normally spray a thick layer on the surface and let it sit for 12+ hours. As far as the windshield nozzles go, it depends on the year of the car, some of them had two aim-able nozzles per sprayer that shoot streams of washer fluid and are basically useless, the other style sprays a fan pattern typical to normal cars. I swapped in the latter version shortly after I got the car because the aim-able ones are junk. I definitely want the spray since the streams are definitely useless. What years should i be looking at? I should be able to steal the nozzles off the Limited if the '99 model year has them. Mine sounds like a dying walrus :lol: So awesome man. I wish there were junkyards n what not in Juneau... I haven't gone to a junkyard yet but I really want to. I found the two donor cars on craigslist...but I imagine things are pretty sparse for you up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton96 Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 I'm not sure what years they came on, if I remember right, I took them off of a 3rd gen. But basically all wiper sprayers are interchangeable with all cars. They pretty much all have the same size hole in the hood and they all have a small hose running to it. So there's nothing to say they HAVE to come off of another subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted February 4, 2017 Author Share Posted February 4, 2017 I didn't realize that they were universal. but I assume there is no helping the rear one? I came across a brand new carpet set on ebay! The guy must have just posted it and I jumped right on it. $180 with free shipping! And my center garnish arrived from Russia finally. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0939.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted February 4, 2017 Author Share Posted February 4, 2017 I spent about an hour tonight sanding and polishing the center garnish, now I just have the new heads and tails to do:/ http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0940.jpg http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0941.jpg I did the light bulb change out on the HVAC controls as well...I got a little carries away and wanted to clean everything up really good. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0942.jpg Tomorrow, my buddy is coming over and we will be swapping out the dash with the one from the Limited. I need to look at and clean up the part that redirects the AC to where it needs to go. Most of the time I have to slam the dash with my hand to get it to change so I know the motor for it is working. Its probably built up with 20 years of crud so hopefully cleaning everything will get it working properly again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton96 Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Word of advice, check the air bag connector on the passenger side and make sure it's the same on the good car and the donor car. It's a bright yellow cable tucked up behind the kick panel on the passenger side. I made that mistake when I got a 97 black dash from a donor car and put it in my 96, so now I has a mismatched airbag :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLW-SVT Posted February 5, 2017 Author Share Posted February 5, 2017 Thanks for the heads up. I swapped the airbags so my car has the same airbag but with the new cover. You are right, the connector is completely different. I also swapped the entire harness over so my car has its original dash harness. I'm still working on putting it back together... I do have a random plug that I'm not sure where it goes? http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0956.jpg And I accidentally ripped the airbag leads out. I need to figure out what order they go in. http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu48/eocullins/Subaru%20Outback/IMG_0955.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublechaz Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Wow, don't mess up with that airbag. If it goes off in your face it can kill you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now