CovertRussian's 05 LGT Build Thread

Yep, that's the one. On my phone so I didn't link it.

While it looks nice for a racecar it would be a little too ricey for a daily driver

First of all, I enjoy your thread very much. It's the go-to place for repair. Thank you for all the time and effort in giving our community the walk-through thread.

 

I do want to mention that the hood scoop is functional, not only to direct air to the TMIC, but also it directs air over the turbo heatshield. I would consider airflow over the turbo when thinking about a hood that doesn't have a hood scoop.

Thanks man, appreciate the feedback! I was actually curious on how much the hood scoop would help after going FMIC.

What I was really hoping for is, OBXT's having a scoop and the hood lines.... Runs to GIMP to chop something together and drool over it

If you haven't already seen Sgt Gators thread you should check it out. He has some good data concerning oil temps with and without the tmic scoop. It seemed that with a fmic the scoop was detrimental to temps with his setup.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73859

My driver left brakes kept on dragging, I thought it was my guide pins yet again, but they were moving freely. I had my wife press on the brakes while I had the caliper off and watched the pistons move. One of the pistons was stuck looks like due to a torn boot that let it rust/ruin the seal.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_001.jpg~original

I had a pipe dream of not loosing all of the brake fluid thus tried to keep the line attached, but I underestimated the effort of the rebuild and had to remove all calipers.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_002.jpg~original

Pistons and seals are all out

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_003.jpg~original

My camera is dying, sorry for the crappy pic, but you can see one has deep pitting and one has lots of rust.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_004.jpg~original

Used a drill with a brush to scrape all of them. But one with pitting still had groves where the piston seal would be, this is where I simply resorted to the new piston from RockAuto...

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_005.jpg~original

Caliper cleaned up and new seals installed

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_006.jpg~original

Boots are a pain to install. I found this to be the easiest way to reinstall them.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_007.jpg~original

I used the Sil-Glyde on the seal oring and put some on the piston it self so the boot could easily slide to the top of the piston.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_008.jpg~original

All done with the front caliper

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_009.jpg~original

With camera having issues didn't grab that great of rear caliper rebuilds. They are even more tricky to install thanks do smaller necked piston.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_010.jpg~original

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Brakes/Calipers/CaliperRebuild_011.jpg~original

I've had a rear end clunk for a long while now. I figured my rear endlinks were shot and needed to be replaced. I was going to replace just the end links, until I saw how little room there to get to the end link mounting on the swaybar it self. At that point I decided to install the Whiteline bar that I've had in a box for while now anyway.

Whiteline 20mm Rear Swaybars:

BSR39 - Non Adjustable

BSR39Z - 2 point Adjustable

Look at that stock toothpick!

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257476&stc=1&d=1509458242

Swaybar mounting points, they are super flimsy. I'm quite ashamed at Subaru thinking this was sufficient...

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257477&stc=1&d=1509458242

I sprayed everything with PB Blaster and started trying to remove the end link bolts, it would not budge (started stripping the head). This is where I remembered about heat, heated it with a MAP torch for about a minute.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257478&stc=1&d=1509458242

After heating it I sprayed it with PB Blaster again, this cooled metal and lubricated at the same time. The bolt came out like butter, seriously don't even waste your energy trying to remove them without heat.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257479&stc=1&d=1509458242

Mounting points didn't need heat, but would have made it slightly easier, I just didn't want to scorch the bushings.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257480&stc=1&d=1509458242

Getting the stock swaybar out was tricky. But I was trying to remove it without touching anything else, that was a mistake. Unhook your muffler hangers and let the mufflers rest on a spare jack stand. This will make your lifer easier getting the swaybar out and in.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257481&stc=1&d=1509458242

Whiteline 20mm vs stock toothpick.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257483&stc=1&d=1509458242

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257482&stc=1&d=1509458242

Insert the swaybar, make sure you get the orientation of it correct the C bend needs to go over the control arms.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257484&stc=1&d=1509458242

Grease the bushings and put them on the bar and bolt it up to the mounting brackets.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257485&stc=1&d=1509458242

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257486&stc=1&d=1509458303

I would mount and tighten the end link on the swaybar end first while the bar moves easily (hard to get to once end links are hooked up to knuckles). After that put both wheels on the ground (I use drive on ramps) and only then tighten them down. If you tighten the swaybar while one or both wheels are in the air, the bar will be preloaded once you lower the car to the ground.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257487&stc=1&d=1509458303

All done, took me about 2 hours to install, would have been one hour if I took the muffler hangers off and lowered the mufflers to begin with.

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257488&stc=1&d=1509458303

http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=257489&stc=1&d=1509458303

Conclusion

I haven't driven the car hard enough to feel the difference. Will update once I drive it for a bit.

Now I did have to preload the swaybar just to get the link to fit. This could be because I removed one tire and the suspension drooped on that wheel only. I will go back and see if the bar is still preloaded once it sags again.

The clank is still there! Now the end links that came with the bar aren't new, so they could be the culprit, or it could be another suspension part...

i have a clank in he rear over large-ish bumps, it's my avo rear sway contacting the muffler flange on the drivers side...

Sent from my XT1028

Good to know, it's definitely not that for me. I think it's easier the coilovers or another bushing. I'm starting to hear wobbling from the rear again, which means either bad bearing or tires being eaten unevenly again.

What is it with these cars and just loving to destroy tires!

I have a (passenger side, I think) rear end clank/click too. Mostly noticeable over small bumps in a parking lot. As long as it's suspension (i.e. worst case, it eats tires) and not the rear diff spider gears or something - I'm ok with that.

I already bought Moog endlinks (cheap via Rock Auto) to replace the totally-dead Perrin endlinks I bought used a few years ago..

I am surprised by your conclusion. Switching to that exact bar I felt an immediate difference just turning at 25-30 mph on city streets. (I had Bilstein HDs with Spec B spring rate springs at that point). It was a huge noticeable and awesome improvement.

Edit, just saw you are on coilovers that probably is a large part of it.

I have a (passenger side, I think) rear end clank/click too. Mostly noticeable over small bumps in a parking lot. As long as it's suspension (i.e. worst case, it eats tires) and not the rear diff spider gears or something - I'm ok with that.

 

I already bought Moog endlinks (cheap via Rock Auto) to replace the totally-dead Perrin endlinks I bought used a few years ago..

I hope it isn't spider gears too, but sounds like it's coming from end instead of center. I'll have to go through all of the left side nuts and bolts, might be the coilovers though.

I am surprised by your conclusion. Switching to that exact bar I felt an immediate difference just turning at 25-30 mph on city streets. (I had Bilstein HDs with Spec B spring rate springs at that point). It was a huge noticeable and awesome improvement.

 

Edit, just saw you are on coilovers that probably is a large part of it.

I honestly will say I'm not too impressed yet. Keep in mind I already have BC coilovers in the back with 8k springs and stock coilovers up front. Even then with the stiffer rears and stock rear swaybar I expected the car to be looser.

I probably should zero out the rear toe (not sure what it's at now).

Don't forget to get the reinforcing brackets for the sway bar mounts. Heavier bars will break the OEM hangers.

https://www.google.com/search?espv=2&q=rear+sway+bar+reinforcement+brackets+for+a+legacy.&spell=1&sa=X&ei=exBpVK5nx6jIBNzxgpgB&ved=0CBwQvwUoAA&biw=1280&bih=891

hi , do you have the part number for the piston and the seals?

Piston: Centric 146.43006

Front Seal: Centric 143.42017

Rear Seal: Centric 143.47007

Don't forget to get the reinforcing brackets for the sway bar mounts. Heavier bars will break the OEM hangers.

 

https://www.google.com/search?espv=2&q=rear+sway+bar+reinforcement+brackets+for+a+legacy.&spell=1&sa=X&ei=exBpVK5nx6jIBNzxgpgB&ved=0CBwQvwUoAA&biw=1280&bih=891

I'll second what Max said. You need the AVO reinforcement brackets. Fred Beans Parts has them for a decent price. Without them the stock brackets will bend under the strain of the stiffer sway bar.

Yeah with how flimsy it is I'm planning on welding some brackets together. Unless I can find a set under $100.

These look pretty good actually. Might do something like this:

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x312/kagenmateer/Suby/IMG_3157.jpg

geebus, can that guy use some longer screws!?!

Sent from my XT1028

Been busy this weekend.

Switched to Shell Rotella T6 5w-40. We'll see if the oil consumption goes down. I did also tighten down the turbo drain clamp, looked like the oil like was originating form it.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Engine/General/20141115_124301.jpg~original

Finally got around to installing the LCA rearward bushing washers. I've put 10k on the whiteline caster bushings, they look pretty good still.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Front%20LCA/Rear%20Bushing/CIMG0581.jpg~original

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Front%20LCA/Rear%20Bushing/CIMG0582.jpg~original

You can see where the bushing was touching the stock arm. Not enough surface area.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Front%20LCA/Rear%20Bushing/CIMG0583.jpg~original

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Front%20LCA/Rear%20Bushing/CIMG0584.jpg~original

Also replaced the driver side ball joint, I hate Subaru for this stupid ball joint in knuckle design.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141115_150045.jpg~original

Once again the bolt broke, even after I heated it up. Had to drill it out...

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141115_162937.jpg~original

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141115_163202.jpg~original

And again drilling out was not the hard part, the hard part was getting the ball joint out thanks to cast iron rusting and welding the joint in place.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141116_155414.jpg~original

Hoping the paint will help for future replacements.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141116_160048.jpg~original

Made a crack from me trying to expand the knuckle to get the ball joint out.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141116_160631.jpg~original

Tightening it up seemed to made the crack shrink back. I am concerned about it though. The crack happened at the thinnest part.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141116_163110.jpg~original

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141116_163209.jpg~original

Finished for now. I might replace the knuckle or get it welded.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Suspension/Lower%20Ball%20Joint/20141116_163114.jpg~original

I broke one of my knuckles in pretty much the same way.

Also welded up my own swaybar reinforcing brackets, total cost was about $15.00

You may have missed my story. I had my trusted mechanic replace a ball joint, after 3 hours of his guy trying to get it out. I found that out when I called to check on the car.

Come to find out he was on hold with the dealer ordering a new spindle.

He said to me, you get a better deal then I do, I'll hang up, you call the dealer and order the spindle. I called and the dealer delivered my $114 spindle the next morning.

From then on when he get's one of these cars in, he tells the owner, it may be less labor to just replace the spindle. It's less overall labor.