jrho Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) Going to be documenting the progress of my 2007 Subaru Legacy GT wagon. My previous car was a full bolt ons and stance orientated 2008 Mazdaspeed3 After deciding against going either air suspension or big turbo, I decided to sell that car after 4.5 years of ownership. I've always had a soft spot for Legacy GT wagons and funny enough I came across this car when it was being sold by the original owner when I was buying my Speed3. Bought the car on February 17, 2017 with 161,000 kms. I'm the third owner and was hunting for manual wagon so was really happy when I came across this example. First day of ownership (excuse the dirtiness of the car it was during a warm day and they spray dirt and sand on the winter roads here). The car was up for a lot of maintenance so the first things I did were the timing belt, water pump, headgaskets, valve cover gaskets, oil cooler gasket, AEM drop in air filter and K&N cabin air filter. A Cobb Accessport was one of my first modifications on my previous Mazda, so I picked up a V3 Accessport not soon after as a way to monitor vitals and be able to tune for any future modifications. Winter tires were mounted on the OEM wheels and I had a set of Nitto Motivo all seasons in the OEM sizing from the previous owner so I bought a cheap set of TSW Trackstar 5 wheels (pretty much replicas of Work CR Kai wheels) and used them for a summer as the all seasons didn't have much life with them anyways. I was very disappointed coming from OEM Xenon headlights on my Speed3 to the dim halogen headlights on the Legacy so I picked up a set of retrofitted headlights off of one of the forum members. Deleted ambers, blacked out housing, TSX projectors and D2S bulbs made for a huge upgrade in lighting and looks. I work in a small oil and gas town and frequently drive back on weekends to my parents place which is 2 hours through the country so having a proper lighting set up was key. Current modifications: Performance/Drivetrain: - Cobb V3 Accessport running OTS Stage 2 tune - Cobb catted downpipe - AEM drop in panel air filter (isn't really a modification but oh well) - Moroso Oil Pickup - KW Variant 2 Coilovers Lighting: - Retrofitted D2S HID Acura TSX projectors, blacked housing, deleted ambers - Diode Dynamics Flasher Relay - Morimoto LED Switchback turn signals - Prolightz Interior LED kit - Valenti Dark Smoke LED taillights Interior: - Tomei Duracon Shift Knob - Homelink, auto-dimming, compass mirror - Blackvue dashcam with Power Magic Pro - JDM Double Din HVAC Controls - JDM Hazard Switch - Sony XAV-AX100 - Weather-Tech Floor Mats Exterior: - OEM flush type cross bars - Thule Force L 628 roof box - eBay CS2 style front lip Footwork: - Work Emotion CR Kiwami 18x9.5 et38 w/ Michelin Pilot Sport 3 235/40/18 (summer) - Work Emotion D9R wheels 18x9.5 et38 w/ Michelin Pilot Sport 3 235/40/18 (summer) Previous - Volk TE37 17x7.5 et48 w/ Federal Himalaya 215/45/17 (winter) - Work Black Lug Nuts - Rolled rear fenders - Rolled and pulled front fenders, trimmed fender liners and shaved front bumper tab Parts awaiting install: - SPC camber bolts for front - Whiteline KTA124 Edited June 3, 2019 by jrho More Parts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shutoburner Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Nice wagon and good luck on your build. I like your old mazdaspeed 3. Were they AWD? I think my brother told me they were. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Nice wagon and good luck on your build. I like your old mazdaspeed 3. Were they AWD? I think my brother told me they were. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Thanks! They're FWD sadly. Honestly if they were AWD, I probably would have kept it but at almost 300 whp and 320 lbft they're decently quick and quite a handful. The Mazdaspeed6 were AWD but it was a part-time system so still not the best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 Current winter mode. Picked up a used ski box for relatively cheap. Coming from using Thule ski clips in the past, this was a really nice change. Don't have to worry about rocks damaging your equipment and it didn't really add any noticeable noise which same can't be said for my previous ski clips.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claw Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Hey fellow Albertan! Nice build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 Hey fellow Albertan! Nice build! Hey my parents and fiancee live in Edmonton so I'm in town a decent amount. Would be cool to meet another LGT wagon owner! Originally I was going to refresh the suspension with new struts, top hats and my Swift lowering springs that I bought for Christmas. A fellow forum member shot me a message about some coilovers that were for sale and I ended up picking up a set of used KW Variant 2 coilovers! Really excited to put these on the car once the weather warms up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadleggy Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Definitely a clean build nice rack!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted March 13, 2018 Author Share Posted March 13, 2018 Definitely a clean build nice rack!! Thanks. I'm pretty happy with how clean the OEM Subaru Rack is! Got around to installing my Valenti LED taillights last week. Still on the fence on how I feel about them being Dark Smoke but it's been slowly growing on me. Might tint the reverse lights to dark up the rear so they don't stick out so much either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mateodelay Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Nice build. Was the HID retrofit difficult? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 Nice build. Was the HID retrofit difficult? Thanks! I didn't do the retrofit myself as I bought the set up from a forum member. I have been toying with the idea of doing a retrofit to the original headlights along with some other lighting modifications and it doesn't seem to bad from what I've read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted March 27, 2018 Author Share Posted March 27, 2018 Patiently waiting for winter to be over so I can install my coilovers... Hit 200k kms driving to Edson from Edmonton last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 Got my new summer wheel and tire combo mounted up yesterday. I will be running black Work Emotion D9R wheels in 18x9.5 et38 with Michelin Pilot Sport 3s in 235/40/18. Turned out to be more stretched than I initially thought but that may help me when I throw on my coilovers for clearance. Regardless I knew I would be doing a flat roll and some fender pulling to make these fit. Here's some photos of the fitment at stock height. This was just a test fit and I won't actually be running them until I get my coilovers on. Don't mind the dirty car, we're finally getting warmer weather and my car sees more offroad action that most people with Jeeps because of work haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 Installed my KW V2s in this weekend and they feel awesome despite having an unknown amount of mileage on them. I set them at the lowest range of the recommended ride height from KWs instructions and they ride great. Slightly firmer than stock with a much more planted feel. Making my wheels and tires work with the height required some fender work. Rolled the rears flat and rolled and pulled the fronts a bit to prevent any rubbing. Removed the front fender liners as well as my tires would touch them on any micro bump. Will probably have to go back and modify the where the bumper tab on the front fenders as I'm hitting those on decent bumps. Here's some crappy phone photos until I get around to actually getting some decent pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poormansupra Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 Looks good wish mine was dark blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 Got around to taking some photos that aren't potato quality. Still so many things I need to do to clean up the car but really happy with the look so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted June 15, 2018 Author Share Posted June 15, 2018 Nothing really changed. Recently picked up a Cobb catted downpipe to free up a bit of power and sound. I have a lot of maintenance I need to do in the near future such as new PCV, brake fluid flush, clutch fluid flush, transmission fluid change, rear diff fluid change, and oil change. Sigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted December 10, 2018 Author Share Posted December 10, 2018 Car hit 222 222 kms this weekend so figured I would do a mini update. Not much has changed to the car for awhile now. I had a local shop install a Moroso Oil Pickup and bought a beat up set of Volk TE37s in pretty conservative sizing for winter duties. Recently picked up a JDM Double Din conversion but need to wait for my new headunit and order a JDM Hazard switch and the necessary wiring connectors. Haven't done any car audio stuff in a long time but should be a decent project to tackle over the Christmas break Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madrig Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 your winter set up look good ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted March 12, 2019 Author Share Posted March 12, 2019 Finally got my new headunit in after finding out I was sold a single zone version of the HVAC conversion and waiting for the correct one to come in from Japan. Decided to with the JDM hazard button to make the install simple and it's a cheap part. Headunit I went with is the Sony XAV-AX100. I read a lot of positive reviews on this headunit and can say I've been very pleased with it so far. Love having Android Auto for navigation and streaming to bring up the interior to a more modern era haha. Still need to wrap the shifter surround in matte black to match the new HVAC controls. Also picked up a used set of Whiteline KTA 124 rear lateral arms locally. With warmer weather on the horizon, I'm hoping to finally install my Cobb downpipe that's been waiting in my room all winter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claw Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 I've got the wiring kit and a Pioneer deck waiting to go in, but soldering and playing with electronics makes me skittish. Do you know anyone in town that I could get to help me with it? I checked with Certified Audio and they won't touch it with a twenty foot pole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted June 3, 2019 Author Share Posted June 3, 2019 New summer wheels are mounted on the car along with my eBay CS2 style front lip! I have some more suspension goodies to put on but will be waiting until I'm done my term working in Edson. Hope to bring the car lower and add some more negative camber to dial in the fitment. Tires are a bit taller than I like so might be stepping down to a 225/40/18 later this summer. Cobb downpipe is in with the generic Stage 2 tune. The extra power is welcome but I'm more pleased with the additional sound. Sounds great around town and when stepping on it but no difference from stock on the highway which is what I wanted. With the exception of torn front inner CV boots which I replaced this past weekend, car is still chugging along at almost 240k kms (~150k miles). Photo by a friend: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex0856 Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 dig those wheels, very similar to my knockoffs. I was going to go with white initially but they were out of stock. have they been a pain in the ass to clean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 dig those wheels, very similar to my knockoffs. I was going to go with white initially but they were out of stock. have they been a pain in the ass to clean? Looks like your wheels are based off of the Gram Lights 57xtreme wheels. Also a split 5 spoke design but your face is more angular. They do get dirty pretty fast but it doesn't help that I mainly drive on dirt and gravel roads for work. Ceramic coating them makes it a lot easier to clean though so I think it's worth it despite them only being spotless for a short amount of time after cleaning haha. Encourages me to regularly wash my car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrho Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 Took some shots recently because my drive to work surprisingly didn't cover my car in bugs. Can't wait to bring the ride height down a bit and add some negative camber with the suspension goodies I keep delaying on installing! Also my front undertray is getting wrecked lately with my commute so it's hanging down haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now