Underdog's '06 GRP Sedan 5MT

 

Seats went in today. Used the 3.3 ohm resistor mod to delete the in-seat airbags but still need to figure out the occupancy sensor for the passenger seat (I removed the occupant detection module from the stock seat but not the bladder & associated connector). Also found that the driver's seat has an extra airbag plug I had not anticipated, so need to figure out if anything is needed there. Still need to tweak drivers seatbelt receptacle so no pics of complete driver's seat yet.

 

for what it's worth, i just got done doing a 08-14 sti driver side swap on my 05 s402 cone. no power or heated. that stuff just adds weight and complexity to it. passenger will come in a couple months. super pain.

Sub'd!

This weekend I made a module that will allow me to toggle bypass the occupant detection system, which was removed in the process of installing my Bride seats, and triggered the airbag light in the driver's cluster.

edit: I have moved the contents of this post to a walkthrough -> Underdog's Occupant Detection System Bypass for Aftermarket Seats (MY06+ Style)

Somehow I missed several years worth of updates to this thread...

Considering putting Underdog on the chopping block to free up some space and some cash. Current daily driver is a ‘19 Accord 2.0T, which will never be as fun a platform as the Legacy has been, but checks all the boxes for what I need. Parting out/selling Underdog would enable me to pay off the note and probably have a few bucks for mods left over. However the emotional attachment is real, and that cuts both ways.

* voltures begin circling *

Considering putting Underdog on the chopping block to free up some space and some cash. Current daily driver is a ‘19 Accord 2.0T, which will never be as fun a platform as the Legacy has been, but checks all the boxes for what I need. Parting out/selling Underdog would enable me to pay off the note and probably have a few bucks for mods left over. However the emotional attachment is real, and that cuts both ways.

 

sadness

Necrothread!

Considering putting Underdog on the chopping block to free up some space and some cash. Current daily driver is a ‘19 Accord 2.0T, which will never be as fun a platform as the Legacy has been, but checks all the boxes for what I need. Parting out/selling Underdog would enable me to pay off the note and probably have a few bucks for mods left over. However the emotional attachment is real, and that cuts both ways.

 

I just sold my 2013 STI, had it since 2017 when I sold the Outback XT

 

Finally just decided to get a truck for work so I purchased a 2020 Tacoma TRD Pro.

 

Good luck if you decide to sell.......it is a great build!

great builds always end up GREAT.

I spent a lot of time thinking about it over the weekend and I think for now I'm going to try to drive the car a bit more frequently. It seems like the more it sits the less interest I have in it, which is an easy problem to fix. I also have a few smaller things that have been on the to-do list, so I'm gonna start knocking them out.

For example: yesterday I decided to make a prototype hood scoop/splitter to fit my STI TMIC. I took the top portion of the stock scoop and cut the opening as wide as possible, then fabbed up some walls to duct it to the TMIC out of aluminum flashing. Everything was riveted in place and tested, then I gave it a fresh coat of black paint and sealed all the seams with reflective tape I had laying around. Even put the hood insulation back on after some very minor trimming. It's not perfect but it's functional, fun, and free. Plus now I'll have a much better mock-up to work from if I ever make one from scratch.

Next I'm going to swap back to the stock front seats. I love the fit of the Brides, but it's unenjoyable getting in and out of them frequently, and they don't really match the character of the car as a daily driver (for me, anyways).

After that I'm going to install the turbo blanket and shifter return spring I've been meaning to get to, then all it needs is an alignment and inspection.

As far as the Accord - it got some love this weekend, too. Changed the oil (and installed a Fumoto) and rotated the wheels. Planning on an RSB, front lip, and some tint in the near future.

Hmmm thinking of selling your Brides?

I spent a lot of time thinking about it over the weekend and I think for now I'm going to try to drive the car a bit more frequently.

 

Yes, you need to drive it more. Now that I'm retired, my wagon gets driven a lot less. It's been once or twice a week lately.

 

Drove her today...its still puts a smile on my face when I push my right foot down.

I want to live with the stock seat again for a little bit before I say 100% but that would be the plan. One of my biggest concerns was whether there would be interest in the Brides, so that’s good to know.

Yes, you need to drive it more. Now that I'm retired, my wagon gets driven a lot less. It's been once or twice a week lately.

 

Drove her today...its still puts a smile on my face when I push my right foot down.

 

Haha yup! I am always happy working on or driving the car but sometimes it sits for months before I have a chance to get to it... then I drive it and fall in love all over again.

I want to live with the stock seat again for a little bit before I say 100% but that would be the plan. One of my biggest concerns was whether there would be interest in the Brides, so that’s good to know.

 

Just mulling around ideas for the track car. Would love to get away from the OEM seats into something more appropriate for track duty but don't see a cage anytime soon in my future due to expense. If I'm not going to have a cage, I want the driver side airbag and you seem to have that all sussed out

If I was tracking the car at all they would be perfect. The “hold” is great and the lower the seating position makes it feel like a sled. Not to mention the weight savings...

 

The airbags should work normally, although obviously you lose the one built into the outboard seat shoulder.

It's been really warm the past few days and it's been fun getting the car sorted out and taking it for a drive. I took out the Brides and reverted the wiring and seats back to stock. The seat height feels like my old OBXT by comparison, but I do like the seats and it is much less of a pain getting in and out. Plus I cleaned and conditioned all the leather which is always ...

After that I put it up on stands and installed the shift lever joint with the return spring that I keep talking about. Getting the roll pins out is always a pain, so this time I replaced it with a stainless M8 bolt (perfect fit). I don't miss working in the upper half of the transmission tunnel on a regular basis.

 

Then I put the PTP lava blanket on the turbo. Nice and easy. Was very happy to see the lava wrap on the DP has held up really well so far.

 

After all that I got it inspected, scheduled an alignment, and ordered a tap-turn module. Hoping to do some minor paint correction on it tomorrow. :feelsgoodman:

 

Paint correction is like marriage counseling for your car. I always come out of it with a school boy affection for the car lol

That’s funny and true. I always need a drink after both, too.

Nice to see you are driving the car again.

 

 

 

I too do not miss working in the upper tranny tunnel of Subies. I have found that hands with skin work better, hmmm....

Happy to say I've been very busy with it the past month. Knocked out lots of little things that I've been meaning to get to for years, and having a project to focus on has been helpful as we go into winter during the pandemic. Gonna break it up into a few posts.

Installed a jazzy aux-in. Ran the 3.5mm cable in two 2' sections to the cubby in the armrest, where I have a Griffin iTrip bluetooth receiver plugged into the 12v socket. Having the cords connect under the shifter trim plate makes it so the radio or arm rest can be removed without undoing everything. Installed the toggle switch in the ash tray lighter socket (perfect fit!) and made a pigtail with some bullet connectors, again for serviceability. (edit: I later go back and replace the bullet connectors with a 3-prong molex connector.) I unpinned the 12v and ground feed from the original connector on the trim plate side so I can use them for something else yet keep it 100% reversible.

 

I had noticed my steering wheel radio controls had stopped working so I did some troubleshooting. Figured it would be a loose connection where I spliced in the wires a decade+ ago. Traced it all the way back to the controls themselves. Seems like the plastic might have distorted ever so slightly over the years causing an internal short. Taking it all apart and putting it back together fixed the problem fortunately! While I was in there I took the resistance values for each button:

Installed a SmartTap module from Diode Dynamics. Not much to say here other than it is totally worth the time to remove the lower dash panels and the crash plate under the steering wheel, to access the relay. Nice to have the tap turn functionality - don't care much for the strobe or other special features, but leaving the strobe because who can be bothered to reprogram after every battery reset?

Swapped out my Grimmspeed LWCP for the Fluidampr pulley. This debate is a bit of a dead horse so I'm not going to get into it, but I will say that take-off and shifting is much more pleasant with the heavier pulley, and it does seem a tiny bit smoother at idle and during relaxed driving. Nothing earth shattering, but I'm happy with the switch. You have to make a slight modification to the timing belt cover because there is no recess on the back of the Fluidampr due to the way it is constructed. The plastic cut very easily with a dremel and cleaned up with a file. Also took the opportunity to swap back to the original A/C belt and installed a new tensioner. I had switched to a self-tensioning belt a while ago - not worth the hassle.

 

While I was doing the crank pulley I swapped out the upper and lower Mishomoto radiator hoses for new OEM. My mishi hoses had this gross white residue that could not be cleaned off, and as Mike and I discussed elsewhere, it looks like there is a porosity issue. I also replaced the worm clamps I had been using with factory clamps on three out of the four spots. I kept the worm clamp on the upper engine side because getting pliers in between the turbo inlet and P/S pump and lines is a pain in the ass. Due to the thicker Mishimoto radiator I have the hoses needed to be trimmed to fit. I used a worm clamp as a guide at the cut line, and cut the hoses with a fresh utility blade dipped in dish soap. Easy peasy.

 

I modified my Cobb airbox to clear the base of the hood prop rod, and trimmed the cold air scoop so it could be removed without having to take the lid off the Cobb box (four small button head screws). Printed out a vinyl sticker to cover the Cobb stamp.

 

What is that?

A few updates...

Inspired by socalsleeper's sweet battery relocation panel, I decided to paint the accessory fuse box I put in the original battery spot (original post here), and make a plastic tray to bolt it to that would also clean up the appearance a bit. I made a template out of chipboard and transferred it to a sheet of textured 1/8" ABS. Cut it out with a jigsaw and fine tooth blade, then bent it using a heat gun and the edge of my workbench. Some stainless hardware to bolt the box to the plate, and the plate is attached to the car with a nut and washer that are accessible from underneath and behind the washer fluid reservoir. Also used it as an opportunity to label the inside of the acc fuse box cover, and to change the 9x single-pin Metripack connectors I used while prototyping into a 2-pin (headlight ballasts), 3-pin (relay triggers), and 4-pin (other fused circuits). I also made some brackets to mount the headlight ballasts to, and found the perfect location.

 

Before... (You can see I've already installed the new ballast bracket in this pic.)

 

After

 

Passenger-side ballast bracket

 

While I had the headlights out I swapped out the old H1 bulbs for XB35 bi-xenon bulbs from TRS. Seem to be a touch cooler in color temp but I'd still say they are a nice clean white, and very bright. No pics but I'll try to get some next time I'm under the hood or out at night.

As I’ve mentioned before, the powdercoat on my boost control solenoid bracket had somehow picked up a stain that would not come off no matter what I tried. I think the fine texture on the pc didn’t help, but I’m not sure what could have caused it in the first place since the only moisture its seen is when I wash it. Rather than re-coat it I decided to rattle can it with a metallic aluminum Rustoleum product. I was very happy with the results and decided to spruce up the STI BPV at the same time.

 

Since I had the BPV off I took the opportunity to swap out the 2011 TMIC with the pink STI logo for a clean 2015+ TMIC. I really like the way they redesigned the upper end-tank on the newer intercoolers, as it not only seems better shaped from a flow perspective, but also increased the clearance to my Carbing strut tower bar (though the bar still needs to come off for R&R). I also swapped the two piece grimmspeed y-pipe & couplers for OEM because I like the one piece design better.

 

Lastly, reflashed the car with a new map from Wicked Matt to help smooth out cold start idle. The front O2 sensor was moved to the downpipe because twinscroll and my ECU lacks the proper delay table to handle that. Matt implemented a workaround so now I just need to test it for a bit.