Meme's '09 Outback to Legacy wagon!

[jaylew]

Thanks! Yeah they're totally pointless. Plus now I don't have rear cupholders until I get the JDM rear seats and armrest. I don't just need the ducting too, I need the EDM HVAC itself because it's got an entirely different cutout for the rear vents with a motorized door. I mean I could just hack up the USDM HVAC and use the dial on the vents themselves to close it off if I ever wanted to but it would permanently bother me knowing it's been done like that. If I went with the EDM HVAC the climate controls would show in celsius as well, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know of anyone else that's done that to a USDM model so I could dig myself into a hole with that one if I'm not careful.

 

 

You could just make some ducting to divert the ducting that blows to the rear feet up to those vents

[norutah]

Interesting build. I'm contemplating going the other way.

 

Would I need OBXT suspension parts or would regular OB parts suffice? I can probably start gathering stuff at the local Pick-n-Pull...

I do not want to spend a lot of time on this on the OPs thread but DM me if you want to trade drive shafts, shifters, etc.

 

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[thomas1657615996]

I love these 'oem' builds. Keep it coming!

[Febreze Mee]

The OP sold his Outback, to member ckwaters. The car now resides in the PNW. 6spd has been moved to another L.L. Bean. The original car's build will be going in a similar, but different direction.

[Memeticism]

The OP sold his Outback, to member ckwaters. The car now resides in the PNW. 6spd has been moved to another L.L. Bean. The original car's build will be going in a similar, but different direction.

 

Nope! She's definitely still sitting in my garage. I've actually been really, really frustrated with the process of registering it. Without going into too much detail, the title was damaged when I moved last year so I've spent the bulk of this entire year arguing back and forth with the Colorado DMV via snail mail trying to get a duplicate. I eventually gave up and shelled out for a bonded title through Nevada which took another few months. No lie, I've had this car for well over a year and it just got registered at the end of November. Of all the headaches I foresaw with this car, proving that I own it was the very last one I'd have imagined. Now that's done I can finally stomach the idea of working on it more, there was a period where I just gave up on doing anything to it completely because what's the point if I can never drive it?

 

Anyway yeah she's parked up, license plate and all. I'd show some pictures of her now and the small amount of work I've done since but I'm in England visiting family for Christmas so you'll have to make do with seeing my uncle's Impreza 2.0GT!

 

 

[Febreze Mee]

I'm feeling extra dumb now. I have confused you entirely with another member who share a very similar profile pic, and also resides in a dryer part of the country:

 

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/6mt-master-swap-thread-107137.html?p=6023490

 

My apologies. Thanks for sharing your Uncle's Impreza.

[Memeticism]

I'm feeling extra dumb now. I have confused you entirely with another member who share a very similar profile pic, and also resides in a dryer part of the country:

 

https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/6mt-master-swap-thread-107137.html?p=6023490

 

My apologies. Thanks for sharing your Uncle's Impreza.

 

Noooo no don't feel bad, that guy's profile is so similar to mine I can definitely understand the mix-up. Besides, you reminded me to post an update finally after so many months of radio silence. I feel bad because I know I said updates would be slow but it's been way slower than I'm comfortable with on account of DMV purgatory.

 

I've done a few minor things since then, I've swapped out the OEM transmission and crossmember bushings with Group N units and I whacked the oil pan pretty good on the highway so it's been replaced with a Killer B aluminum pan with goodies I'll never need like the high-flow pickup and baffle. I don't even have any pictures of those on hand, I was going to lump them all into a post at some point. I did find a few recents of her after all though! Here she is during a camping trip to Convict Lake, California:

 

 

Came across an abandoned BRAT in Beatty on the return trip. Had the optional air conditioning! I'd love to haul this thing back into town as a restoration job but I know my eyes are way bigger than my wallet on that front. It'd be lovely for someone to do it, though.

 

[Memeticism]

I was going to wait until the job was actually done before I posted about this, but I'm too excited. It's a very pic-heavy post, not that I think that matters in 2022.

 

When I pulled the roof rack off ages ago, I noticed some rust forming under where the front edge makes contact with the roof sheet metal. I assumed it was from the roof rack rubbing into the paint and trapping moisture on the exposed metal, but it was just a small bubble at the time, and I didn't look into it because I was afraid of what I would find in retrospect. Shortly after returning from my trip I pulled off the tape I was using to cover the bolt hole in the meantime to get a better idea of what needed to be done now that it's registered. Some paint came off with the tape and I saw what looked like body filler underneath. Lo and behold...

 

 

It looks like either I wasn't the first person to notice the rust, or there was some damage to the sheet metal that was very poorly repaired. The body filler was a quarter of an inch thick in some places, and the rust had spread so much more than I could see from above, as rust does. I couldn't even see it from the underside, it was hidden by the structural beam so I didn't notice it when I dropped the headliner.

 

At this point I was coming to terms with how big of a job this just became so I went a bit crazy.

 

 

It was like that area of the roof was more body filler than metal. You can see where the original layer of paint was, and where it had been body filled over and repainted. I don't have any pictures of the other side but it was actually worse, it had fully perforated in multiple places and had just as much body filler. It also had some spread to underneath the windshield around the edges from rock chips. I was astonished because there's no rust anywhere else on the car, the underside is pristine and I've checked under the rear quarter panels including from inside to make 100% sure. I'm assuming these were originally just small spots from the roof rack that were left completely unchecked and allowed to run rampant, I never could have guessed it would spread that much.

 

So here's the thing: if rust is a disease, then I want to completely remove the affected tissue to prevent any chance of recurrence. To me, this meant cutting out the roof panel and welding in a new one. Not sanding off the rust, not cutting out a section and fabricating a new piece... All of it, gone. But given how backed-up body shops are, I couldn't find anyone willing to touch this rust bucket with a ten foot pole. I can't even blame them, repainting is one thing but this is full surgery. Everyone either said they were "fully committed to their insurance obligations at this time" or just flat-out said no. It was looking grim, so I figured I'd hit up a few classic restoration shops and hope one of them would be willing to work on a modern tin can. Long story short I found a guy through a mutual friend from college that runs a small body shop working on newer cars but collects and restores classic cars on the side as a hobby, he had a '63 Corvette split window on a trailer when I walked in sitting next to a wrecked Hyundai Tucson. The guy heard me out, said the mutual friend spoke highly of me, and that brings us to now. I bought the roof panel from Subaru of Las Vegas, and in the meantime he tack welded the holes on the doors and quarter panels shut.

 

 

And as she sits now...

 

 

That's the new roof panel being welded in. Wish I got some pics of it without the roof panel entirely, I'll ask him if he took any because I'm sure he did. He's really enjoying doing this, we've both got huge grins every time we see the car. It's going to be repainted the factory Diamond Grey Metallic 65Z, and we'll be pulling the whole front end and rear bumper off to get all the edges properly. It's going to be in the shop for a hot minute.

 

As an aside, I did price out getting the flat roof panel with the sunroof cutout from Subaru of Japan and having it shipped over. They are still available for purchase, if anyone wants to know. I know I'm not going to put the roof rack back on out of spite, and I liked the idea of the flat roof, but to me it wasn't worth the overall cost compared to getting the USDM roof. Plus I've heard people say it has the bulges to fit the side airbags and I don't feel like pulling airbags if that ends up being the case.

 

In case it isn't clear, this car is my child. With Subaru killing the STI in favor of electrification and the impending scarcity of parts, I fully intend to keep this car as a testament to what I view as the peak Subaru and one of the most timeless automotive designs ever produced.

Edited March 13, 2022 by Memeticism

[Guest]

^ That's dedication!

[Pleides]

Holy shit dude, you really didn't give up at the sight of that rust. That would have been a project killer for me. Good job on all that!

[Memeticism]

Holy shit dude, you really didn't give up at the sight of that rust. That would have been a project killer for me. Good job on all that!

 

Thanks man I think the aging and abuse these cars face combined with the rarity of this specific configuration kind of put me in a position where I, emotionally, couldn't not fix it. I love this body and it deserves to be cared for. I'm sure as shit not likely to find another '09 OBXT 5MT to start this build from without it having a whole other host of issues.

Edited March 14, 2022 by Memeticism
removed anti-electric rant

[SoobyDoobyDoo]

Kudos to you for keeping this thing going! Dedication is definition an understatement! I get it though…it’s getting harder and harder to find cool cars like these that aren’t beat to hell or have 200k+ on them that need a ton of work. Quick threadjack: where’d (or morsel how) you you find the edm console part in the EU wrecker? And those wheels…will definitely be a stand out project!

[ckwaters]

Great thread. I also have an EDM center console question. My install is complete. I just got the LED and rings from Japan, installed and found that the LEDs are blue! Gross! Yours are a lovely red that goes with the rest of the interior. Did some cars come with red and some with blue?

[Memeticism]

Great thread. I also have an EDM center console question. My install is complete. I just got the LED and rings from Japan, installed and found that the LEDs are blue! Gross! Yours are a lovely red that goes with the rest of the interior. Did some cars come with red and some with blue?

 

JDM STI S402 only. They pop up on Yahoo Auctions Japan during partouts occasionally, like I mentioned a few posts ago I got the center console from S402 #201 and it came with the LEDs. The other cars have either blue LEDs or an LED delete plate that replaces the clear rings. The blue LEDs were definitely an interesting decision on Subaru's part lol, I love accent lighting in general and they all look sexy but it clashes pretty hard.

[boxkita]

madrig was working on a cf eu console solution before covid got out of control. He might have some insight into the led colors

[Memeticism]

Kudos to you for keeping this thing going! Dedication is definition an understatement! I get it though…it’s getting harder and harder to find cool cars like these that aren’t beat to hell or have 200k+ on them that need a ton of work. Quick threadjack: where’d (or morsel how) you you find the edm console part in the EU wrecker? And those wheels…will definitely be a stand out project!

 

Sorry, forgot to reply to this. Basically I just trolled around on eBay browsing wreckers from European countries until I scraped together the parts, and got in touch with some parts retailers for things I either couldn't find or wanted brand new. New parts are definitely out there, you just have to be willing to pay for them + shipping.

[SoobyDoobyDoo]

Lol to + shipping. Just got 90% of the black upper interior pieces…shipping was 5x more than the parts themselves. I made the mistake of consolidating them thinking I’d save a little money. Nope. It turned oversized. I’d rather not think about that…

[ViscousSquirrel]

I just wanted to say I feel your affliction for these particular models. I am probably 15 grand of replacement parts into a 5spd 2006 outback XT. I just couldn’t let it die. Soon everything will be electric and this was the last of a dying breed of manual trans old school turbo spooling, mechanical AWD, sporty wagon. Good on you for going the extra mile to save one.

[xrayspecs]

I just wanted to say I feel your affliction for these particular models. I am probably 15 grand of replacement parts into a 5spd 2006 outback XT. I just couldn’t let it die. Soon everything will be electric and this was the last of a dying breed of manual trans old school turbo spooling, mechanical AWD, sporty wagon. Good on you for going the extra mile to save one.

 

brave man admitting to what youve sunk into a old car! im in a similar boat with mine.

 

I have also very much enjoyed seeing the updates on this one.

[Memeticism]

Lol to + shipping. Just got 90% of the black upper interior pieces…shipping was 5x more than the parts themselves. I made the mistake of consolidating them thinking I’d save a little money. Nope. It turned oversized. I’d rather not think about that…

 

Funny you say that because I actually just did exactly that as well about two weeks ago lmao. I got the JDM hatchback garnish with the chrome bar going across along with the exhaust tip finisher, and saw the black headliner kit as well and couldn't say no. Obviously the car isn't here at the moment so it's just chilling directly in the middle of my entry hallway for everyone to see. I got lucky because this one came from a model with the side airbag option, meaning it has the SRS airbag bolt cover thingies as well and should be fully compatible. Only thing I need is the sunroof controls, black sunroof trim and handle, and the headliner itself to be reskinned.

 

 

As an aside, I'm really glad I'm in good with this body shop now because my Tesla got ran off the road the other day by someone with no insurance.

 

 

I got somewhat lucky I guess because it didn't damage the rocker or quarter panels so nothing needs welding or dent repair, it's just the fender and bumper. The downside is Tesla isn't even selling replacement parts right now, everything is going directly onto a car at the factories, so I had to get some used parts on eBay. Shop's painting the panels for me, I'm installing them myself because I don't want to deal with long insurance wait times and deductibles. Plus I want to ensure it's done right in case I ever sell the thing later, I don't want to pull shitty repair work on some poor unsuspecting buyer later down the line like what happened to me with the Leggy. I'm super obsessive about replacing broken clips and panel alignment, I want it to look like it never happened.

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Memeticism

[Memeticism]

Went into the paint booth the other day. I know I said I wanted to do satin white pearl in the OP, but I decided I'd rather keep it the factory color for originality and because I was planning on wrapping it down the line anyway.

[whitexc]

[emoji1786] That looks fantastic!

 

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[lagwagon]

Love the DGM. My wife's car (formerly my car) is DGM and it is a great color. Also reminds me of Super Gramps' Squid Juice.

[Memeticism]

And here she is.

 

 

Ignore the lack of a hood scoop and the wires dangling on the inside, haven't wrapped the headliner yet. I messaged Madrig about getting a carbon hood scoop, I feel like that would be a subtle touch to match the Model 3's carbon lip. Gotta get a new forward sunroof panel as well, the weather stripping fell off because it also had some rust around the edge that completely crumbled. Think I'll replace the door sill strips as well at the same time.

 

 

No more rusty roof! I ended up leaving the holes in because I might as well just get the wagon roof rails instead of the Outback's. Definitely going to make sure it's not rubbing into the paint this time.

[ViscousSquirrel]

Well that’s just wonderful. I’m glad to see that you saw it through!