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Project Phoenix: 05 Wagon Restoration


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Your the first one I've heard of that had a hard time installing that tmic.

 

I did let that hose to the TB from the tmic form itself to the tmic for a couple days before I installed mine.

 

The TB to TMIC hose gave me problems for at least a half hour, so that was part of it. The other significant hold up was that my new turbo came with studs, which I had wanted to use, but eventually I had to pull one back out and replace it with a bolt. Even then it was a pain to get the hose over the turbo outlet.

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To late now, but I'm sure you know the trick of a little dish washing soap in the ID of the hose.

 

That TB hose, I had a couple of day's to let mine sit together on the bench before I did the install in the car. That couple of day's gave the hose time to relax and get accustomed to being on the TMIC.

305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

Engine Build - Click Here

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I do the following with my GS intercooler:

1. Attach coupler to turbo outlet.

2. Attach throttlebody coupler to intercooler.

3. Attach Intercooler and throttlebody coupler to throttlebody (you can tighten clamp between intake manifold runners).

4. Attach turbo outlet coupler to intercooler.

5. Bolt intercooler down.

 

I had to start doing it this way because the throttlebody coupler started to get damaged at the intercooler side connection from install/removal.

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Hell to the YES. I love seeing people do it right and not cut corners. This car is going to be very solid. great work, and props for doing it your self too. Wish I could do that.

 

Hell I am at home working and have parts, i could prob put on :lol:.

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After 15 months and 449 hours of labor, Phoenix is finally running (and my lift is free!) again. The first start, which you can see below, went off without a hitch; that is until all the power steering fluid ended up on the ground. The two fittings at the steering gear were loose, and didn't leak until the system was pressurized. I didn't even think about checking these when I installed the rack as they came pre-assembled. Took me about 3 hours to fix, but now we're leak free and Emily and I were able to go on our first drive last night. Only went for about 10 miles since it still needs an alignment, but the drive was problem free and everything felt good. Keep in mind I've literally only driven the car once before, home from purchasing it in Detroit.

 

 

The car still needs plenty; doors, paint/bodywork, half of the interior conversion, etc. but this concludes the mechanical portion of the restoration. I'm sure there will be fine tuning and more mods in the future, but its safe to say she's ready for another 203,093 miles on the road.

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Edited by Chocoholic005
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Wonderful to hear, been waiting for this day.

 

Yeah most of us have one leak somewhere when we do the engine. Mine was a clamp on the turbo coolant tank.

 

The car looks great.

305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

Engine Build - Click Here

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[...]that is until all the power steering fluid ended up on the ground.

 

 

If you need to get stains out of your driveway, there's a product called Chomp Pull It Out that's been working great for me. I leaked transmission fluid all over paving stones over the course of a year plus, and the Pull It Out still works. May take a few applications based on how deep the oil goes. For a fresh stain one application might suffice.

 

Really love following your journey.

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Did the 50 mile oil change today; took me almost a week to get the miles since there's just no where to go. Also adjusted the clutch pedal, hopefully more to my liking.

 

Probably won't be any major updates for a while. Just working through minor issues; a sloppy shifter when in gear, a driveline clunk (probably carrier bearing) when starting out in first gear and lots of interior rattles.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Small updates for today; sold the original engine locally and cleared some space in the garage. This weekend I attacked some of my biggest gripes with the car as it sits; a sloppy shifter and a shudder/driveline clunk when starting in 1st gear.

 

To address the sloppy shifter, I ordered some Torque Solutions goodies; a solid shift linkage u-joint and a set of pivot bushings. While installing these, I found the nut had backed off completely from the pivot bushing bolt and one side of the bushing had crumbled away to nothing from the vibration. Replacing this and the u-joint completely solved my issue and really improved shift feel while eliminating a nasty rattle in 4th gear.

 

As for the shudder/driveline clunk, I installed a new Group-N trans mount as well as a positive shift kit and solid carrier bearing mounts from Torque Solutions. This, combined with clearancing a heat shield around the exhaust pretty much solved all my issues. The wagon is so much easier to drive as a result; all that slop combined with a brand new clutch was very temperamental from a launch.

 

Other notable additions include a few extra pieces on the black interior conversion, including new floor mats, some new side sills and replacement interior clips. At the moment, I'm pretty happy with the way it drives and just want to trouble shoot/continue to break in the motor. Next, I'll focus on adding some additional interior sound deadening in effort to reduce interior exhaust noise without compromising the exterior sound. I'll continue to add black interior pieces as I come across them (thinking a seat retrofit next) and maybe some day get to the replacement doors sitting in my basement.

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This build has me drooling. I wish I had the means to go this far... One day maybe I will have a workspace like that... I am probably $16k short of your budget and $16k would get me pretty damn close to where I want to go, though still not with a brand new fuel tank and being able to fully disassemble everything and stuff like that. It is really the right way to do something like this. I wish every Legacy GT was able to get this kind of treatment, I think they all deserve it (well, at least the wagons do) This is all soooo good. Edited by SageAbkatsor
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oh the money we spend on these wagons. it's a slippery slope, but so worth it. these MT wagons (in good condition) are getting hard and hard to find. i will never talie what i've put into mine, that way i can keep going without regret.
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  • 4 weeks later...

Made some more progress this weekend; we were able to pick up the majority of the wagon specific black rear interior pieces from a local subaru parts shop. The rest I purchased from subaru, including a brand new center console, which was pricey but totally worth it. Emily tore the rear tan interior pieces out and added some additional sound deadening material, while I swapped out the center console and e-brake boot. After cleaning up the new pieces, the rear interior went together minus the rear seats.

 

Those rear seats we picked up the next day for $50 from a scrap yard who said they were in "rough shape". But a half an hour and a bit of leather cleaner later, and they're practically brand new. Very pleased with this acquisition.

 

All I've got left now is the front seats (thinking Evo X recaros) and the door panels. I have 10 used door panels sitting in my basement, and hopefully I can make one good set out of the lot.

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  • 1 month later...

Completed break in with no major issues and took the vehicle for its first major journey; moving my girlfriend to Charleston. Unfortunately, the wagon didn't seem to particularly enjoy the Appalachians. The transmission started whining about 6 hours into the trip under load and that only got worse at the end of the first day. We were able to limp into Charleston, but it was clear the wagon wasn't going to make it back.

 

The shipper dropped it off yesterday and we pulled the transmission this afternoon. Heavy metal glitter in the otherwise clean transmission fluid, and some small chunks on the front differential drain plug. My best guess is a front differential bearing, but I won't know for sure until it gets torn down. Talking with the company I got it from about potential reimbursement or something given it failed in just over 1000 miles, but since the 30 day warranty is about 8 months expired, I'm not expecting much. We'll see where we go from here...

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