justabeatty Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) Last updated: 1/12/24 So I know activity on these forums are waning over time, but out of respect for these cars and for this community that has provided so much for my car building experience I almost feel obligated to put something out there for y'all. Here goes! Fair warning: I like to be a bit of a deviant when it comes to my builds. Don't know what it is, I guess I just like a challenge. Just take my former 05 OBXT Widebody for example (RIP ) 6/13/2023 (107k miles) Picked up the Spec B from a nice fella local to me who had put some work into the car piecing it back together and giving it the good 'ol VF52 treatment. The guy he bought it from was preparing to part the car out as the 6MT obviously goes for a pretty penny, but felt it wasn't right to put such a special car on the chopping block. I sure am glad he did(n't)! Initial Build List: IHI VF52 PLM Catted Downpipe Tomei Up-Pipe & UEL Headers Cobb AP, short-throw shifter, catback exhaust Grimmspeed 3-port EBCS Turbosmart BPV Perrin TMIC & Inlet SPT Intake ID1050x Injectors & DW65c Fuel Pump Tuned by English Racing Speed Density tune w/ Si Drive Configurations for Max Power in S#: 299 WHP @ 5.7k RPM, Max Torque = 333 ft-lbs @ 3.5k RPM Nothing crazy, but plenty to work with as a grocery getter Tidying Up Occasional CEL for "Rich Fuel Trims" - Codes needed turned off via Cobb AP Airbag Light - Unresolved Major stumble in hot weather & cam codes - Replaced cam position sensor with OEM Now for the fun stuff... Edited January 16 by justabeatty updated cover photo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted December 20, 2023 Author Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) Exterior Mods JDM Spec B D-F Conversion At first glance, the paint on the Spec seems to be in good shape, but the previous owner did make it clear that there's some clear coat peeling going on on the roof and other areas. At that point I know its my duty to get the body in order with the parts I want first so I can then have the whole car resprayed (color TBD). At this point it was pretty surreal getting my hands on a local USDM Spec B, but then I came across a complete front and rear facelift JDM Spec B swap (wingless trunk included ) in my paint code on OfferUp of all places. Had been sitting in storage for 5 years and now makes its worldwide re-appearance on my car! Included in the conversion are Rev D-F powered folding mirrors and auto levelling headlights thanks to the wiring provided by Ralph Aiu at Legacy Odds n Ends The Zero/Sports Hunt As you can see in that previous picture I have installed a single-exit exhaust with a rather large can on it. How you may ask? ZERO/SPORTS IS HOW BABY One of the few selections of aftermarket single-exit exhausts, the Z/S single-exit 'World League' exhaust lives up to its claims. Was able to get a full catback used via croober, props to Jesse Streeter for the ease of import Has definitely seen better days, but what can you expect of a 15 year old system! The facelift JDM rear bumper comes with an optional right hand exhaust cutout block-off plate as I believe the 2.0i's came with a single exit exhaust from the factory (I could be wrong on this). Makes the modification come together quite nicely. Had to add on the left-hand exhaust garnish for extra flare of course K2 Gear & More We'll also add a K2 gear roof spoiler while we're at it...the exposed carbon fiber is just too hard to pass up against the DGM Other additions will have to wait, but their time will come once I get closer to painting. I've already acquired 95% of what I want on the car aesthetic-wise. It's just a matter of time... DAMD vented fenders - japanparts K2 gear/Stanza V1 trunk lip - Courtesy of Ethan Nakaya/08Spec_B SSR GTX-03 18x8.5 +45 - DSG Performance Hoping to replace those placeholder photos with the real (installed) ones soon! Edited December 26, 2023 by justabeatty 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted December 20, 2023 Author Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) Interior Mods Not sure where to start here cause there's a lot going on (too much for some ) but I guess I'll go in order. MOMO Shift Knob & Brake Lever Definitely one of the best bang for your buck aesthetic modifications I've done so far. Never satisfied with a straight OEM look, I felt inclined to match to match the blue alcantara with something a bit more stylish and albeit "ricey" for the shift knob and brake lever. Took a bit of searching through MOMO's shift knob offerings cause they have so much product out (real & fake), but I knew that I needed to be very particular on what I'd accept. When I finally came across this one with a reverse lockout recess that matched my brake lever, I knew we had a winner Leathers provided courtesy of Redline Goods. Initially I was under the impression that my shift boot was sized incorrectly, but I'd later find out that the Spec b's 6-speed shifter opening is actually slightly larger than the standard 5-speed shifter opening. I had used the 5-speed shifter bezel from my obxt since it was already painted black to match the AVO Double DIN conversion, but later it'd get scrapped altogether Zero/Sports Steering Wheel Enough said? Did/still does need a lil love on the right hand side. May come back and re-upholster/re-stitch it in the future...but for now some filler and leather conditioner makes it passable. Illumaesthetic Custom Gauge Face Here's where the interior really starts cooking. I had gone back and forth with my guy (insert name here ) over at illumaesthetic for awhile because I wasn't quite sure what I wanted the end product to look like. I knew that I wanted it to match my auxiliary gauges but was also pondering that design for a bit until my guy @TylerHartman hooked me up with the bl/bp Z/S Triple Gauge Pod & Defi ZD Club system. (Not my picture) As you can see, I'm really leaning into the blue & waves here. Hoping not to go too overboard with it though. ...whoops. anywayssss let's move on Double DIN Conversion (x2?!) Where I got the idea to go for two double din's I have no idea but with all the dash space we're provided I figured I might as well go all out. Not to mention the faulty as sh*t nav unit that the Spec B came with I took a chance with the navigation placement bezel but overall it turned out satisfactory. It required cutting the nav support bracket behind the dash to fit the full sized Kenwood DDX-9903S but I'd say it was worth it. The lower double din is your classic avo conversion with a Kenwood DPX9200-WMP (for the culture). I had bigger plans for it to be used as an aux input for the newer and better Carplay unit, but honestly I don't use it for much other than playing fun little animations In the end I am super happy with how the dash turned out. I'm tweaking bits and pieces as we go but the car's entertainment system gives me more than enough to do when I have some spare time. IMG_2149 (1).mp4 And I haven't even mentioned the PS2 Audiovox VOX10PS2 So in the midst of looking for a back-seat entertainment solution I stumbled across something nothing short of extraordinary. Certainly not an oem option for a sedan like the Legacy, but after taking a few measurements I knew that we could make it work...and work it does. Been on a bit of a PS2 game collection binge ever since. One of these days I'll work my way up the ladder in Gran Turismo 4 so I can unlock the Spec B in game! Everything above from the double din down was done in the span of two weeks with the help of my trusty bud Winston and my beautiful gf Shreya. I had a timeline to adhere to in order to get everything finished before moving residences at the end of 2023. More Pictures! Edited January 12 by justabeatty Fully updated 1/12/24 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted December 20, 2023 Author Share Posted December 20, 2023 Engine Mods (reserved) What future holds, none may know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_wolf_subie Posted December 30, 2023 Share Posted December 30, 2023 (edited) On 12/21/2023 at 12:55 PM, justabeatty said: Exterior Mods JDM Spec B D-F Conversion At first glance, the paint on the Spec seems to be in good shape, but the previous owner did make it clear that there's some clear coat peeling going on on the roof and other areas. At that point I know its my duty to get the body in order with the parts I want first so I can then have the whole car resprayed (color TBD). At this point it was pretty surreal getting my hands on a local USDM Spec B, but then I came across a complete front and rear facelift JDM Spec B swap (wingless trunk included ) in my paint code on OfferUp of all places. Had been sitting in storage for 5 years and now makes its worldwide re-appearance on my car! Included in the conversion are Rev D-F powered folding mirrors and auto levelling headlights thanks to the wiring provided by Ralph Aiu at Legacy Odds n Ends The Zero/Sports Hunt As you can see in that previous picture I have installed a single-exit exhaust with a rather large can on it. How you may ask? ZERO/SPORTS IS HOW BABY One of the few selections of aftermarket single-exit exhausts, the Z/S single-exit 'World League' exhaust lives up to its claims. Was able to get a full catback used via croober, props to Jesse Streeter for the ease of import Has definitely seen better days, but what can you expect of a 15 year old system! The facelift JDM rear bumper comes with an optional right hand exhaust cutout block-off plate as I believe the 2.0i's came with a single exit exhaust from the factory (I could be wrong on this). Makes the modification come together quite nicely. Had to add on the left-hand exhaust garnish for extra flare of course K2 Gear & More We'll also add a K2 gear roof spoiler while we're at it...the exposed carbon fiber is just too hard to pass up against the DGM Other additions will have to wait, but their time will come once I get closer to painting. I've already acquired 95% of what I want on the car aesthetic-wise. It's just a matter of time... DAMD vented fenders - japanparts K2 gear/Stanza V1 trunk lip - Courtesy of Ethan Nakaya/08Spec_B SSR GTX-03 18x8.5 +45 - DSG Performance Hoping to replace those placeholder photos with the real (installed) ones soon! I'll be interested to see those DAMD guards on, umming and ahhing over them myself Edited December 30, 2023 by Lone_wolf_subie Spelling mistake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted December 30, 2023 Author Share Posted December 30, 2023 (edited) On 12/29/2023 at 4:19 PM, Lone_wolf_subie said: I'll be interested to see those DAMD guards on, umming and ahhing over them myself I’m pretty excited myself! If you’re looking for vented fenders it’s pretty much between those and the k2 gear fenders, besides going for some sort of widebody setup or custom vents. I didn’t find out about the k2’s until after I had bought these lol, would've had a much more difficult decision to make if I had tho lol. If you wanna see the DAMD installed @08Spec_B has a good clean example in BSM! Edited January 9 by justabeatty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_wolf_subie Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 12/30/2023 at 4:15 PM, justabeatty said: I’m pretty excited myself! If you’re looking for vented fenders it’s pretty much between those and the k2 gear fenders, besides going for some sort of widebody setup or custom vents. I didn’t find out about the k2’s until after I had bought these lol, would've had a much more difficult decision to make if I had tho lol. If you wanna see the DAMD installed @08Spec_B has a good clean example in DSM! I can't find photos of the K2 guards anywhere! Didn't even know they did them tbh lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobyDoobyDoo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 Thanks for sharing- yeah, interest/activity may be waning, but the force is still strong with those who still own them! Always nice to see cars like these being brought back to their former glory or subtly upgraded. Nice list of parts, please keep us updated with progress. Also interesting take on the single exit exhaust, very tastefully done though. Interested if the exhaust note is any different for single vs dual exit? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_wolf_subie Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 49 minutes ago, SoobyDoobyDoo said: Thanks for sharing- yeah, interest/activity may be waning, but the force is still strong with those who still own them! Always nice to see cars like these being brought back to their former glory or subtly upgraded. Nice list of parts, please keep us updated with progress. Also interesting take on the single exit exhaust, very tastefully done though. Interested if the exhaust note is any different for single vs dual exit? I'm actually really grateful for guys like yourselves. BL/BP Legacy's are just starting to become popular in NZ as the prices are relatively good for what is a very tuneable car. Previously they were out of reach. Thanks to my American brothers I am learning a lot on what I can do to mine so thanks for sharing your build! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobyDoobyDoo Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) Yeah there’s a ton of great info on this site. Since they’ve been around a while, just about every issue you could think of has been discussed. Also nice to see what other folks are doing around the world cause the US got the shaft big time when it came to these cars. I’m still discovering parts that were available in other markets that truly elevate and make these cars so cool and before their time when they came out. Now they’re truly an underrated performance car. Edited January 7 by SoobyDoobyDoo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_wolf_subie Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 (edited) Yeah, were actually really lucky in New Zealand in more ways than I appreciated until recently. We only get JDM Spec out here and JDM parts are the norm. We have a company here called pick a part that is full of wrecks of different brands and models. I went in one day and found Zerosports brake lines on a wrecked Legacy. Would have been cheap too if I had grabbed them. We also don't get heavy snow or even white winters at all so no salt on roads, no rusted out suspension components. And I totally agree, they are very underrated as a performance car although we are starting to see people starting to work on them down here now. My 2.0 GT is by far faster and more responsive (even as an auto) than my twin turbo manual ever was Edited January 9 by Lone_wolf_subie Spelling mistake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 Thanks for the kind words you two! Sorry for the slow reply, just got back from the first long road trip up the car has seen. Happy to say we went amphibious and rode a couple ferry's across Puget Sound, pics coming soon On 1/6/2024 at 4:20 PM, SoobyDoobyDoo said: Interested if the exhaust note is any different for single vs dual exit? Previously having the Cobb catback and switching to the Zerosports, I can't say I've noticed a large difference between dual and single exit's in terms of exhaust note surprisingly. I was expecting it to be a bit louder actually but that big can does work and ended up being slightly quieter than the Cobb. (I'm gonna try to attach a video of both, may not embed itself well but bare with me) Cobb CBE IMG_9527.mp4 Zerosports CBE IMG_1668.mp4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_wolf_subie Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Sounds good man! I'm looking forward to getting mine done in the next month or so 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoobyDoobyDoo Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 Sounds good! Sometimes I think the single exit is a little louder or has more since there’s only one exhaust point but idk hard to tell. Still has that intoxicating exhaust note…can’t wait for pics of Puget sound either I’m sure there were some views there! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 3 hours ago, Lone_wolf_subie said: Sounds good man! I'm looking forward to getting mine done in the next month or so Nice!! What kind of system are you going with? My Cobb catback is up for grabs if you're interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_wolf_subie Posted January 9 Share Posted January 9 I have a HKS Hi Power muffler and I'm getting a mate to start doing a 3in stainless system for me. Would love to buy your Cobb one but shipping to New Zealand might be a little pricey lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted January 9 Author Share Posted January 9 Oh sweet! I almost did the exact same thing honestly cause there was a Hi Power muffler for cheap nearby. Doing single or dual? 3 minutes ago, Lone_wolf_subie said: shipping to New Zealand might be a little pricey lol Yes you're right it most certainly would be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_wolf_subie Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Going single. Not really a fan of the twin exits lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 Well it suits your name Lone wolf I must admit I appreciate the balanced appearance of the dual but I can't help but want to be different than the norm either I'm quite excited to get the car lowered a smidge tho, the offset single exit should look pretty mean then 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone_wolf_subie Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Lol nice call, yup, suits my name lol I guess it's more an old school thing too (which I am lol) with the angled up single exit. But I'm the same as you, I don't want to look the same as everyone else 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 Yeah that’s the one thing about the z/s single is that it doesn’t have the angled exit. Would love to see how it turns out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 Finally posted my interior bits for y'all another long run of info lol. Also pulled some pics off the 2001 camera from our Puget Sound trip. Got a pretty cool photo opportunity when we were placed alone in the rear of the ferry. Unfortunately the small CF card gave us only a few shots, obviously still learning how to use it too 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pleides Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 What's up Justin! Hoping to see this car live a longer life than the OBXT. Poor old car just kinda gave up the ghost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justabeatty Posted January 14 Author Share Posted January 14 8 hours ago, Pleides said: What's up Justin! Hoping to see this car live a longer life than the OBXT. Poor old car just kinda gave up the ghost. Yoo you found my build thread yup was sad to see the OBXT go but definitely gonna cherish this one a bit longer! The subie spirit lives on 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Code Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Neat. You’ve amassed some pretty unique and rare parts. I applaud the effort. 1 "Striving to better, oft we mar what's well." - Bill Shakespeare - car modder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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