What did you do to your 5th gen today?? -V4

My first requirement of the sale was that it would NOT go to a salt state, so that automatically disqualified you anyway. The second requirement was that she have a dedicated garage space, and I flat out refused interest from those without a garage. The third was that the buyer have the means to care for her properly and I am confident my buyer does.

 

I'm sorry I didn't advertise it here. This platform has just been getting more and more difficult to use, specifically uploading photos. I just don't have the time and patience anymore for the forum.

On a lighter note (no pun intended), I cleaned up the headlights on the GT last night. Used Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish again. Going to use 303 UV protectant on them today.

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dang i really need to do this

On a lighter note (no pun intended), I cleaned up the headlights on the GT last night. Used Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish again. Going to use 303 UV protectant on them today.

I love 303 and use it on everything but my salad, but I don't think it will do much to protect the headlights. I prefer to use Meguiar's headlight protectant.

EDIT: Never mind, I see they don't make it any longer. Damn, glad I still have 3/4 of a bottle.

I love 303 and use it on everything but my salad, but I don't think it will do much to protect the headlights. I prefer to use Meguiar's headlight protectant.

 

EDIT: Never mind, I see they don't make it any longer. Damn, glad I still have 3/4 of a bottle.

Meguiar's still makes a clearcoat. I linked it below.

https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G17804-Clear-Headlight-Coating/dp/B01M4RVVX6

That is the PN on the belt I have but it seems like it's just a tad too short. I haven't tried it again after last weekend but that was my 3rd attempt. The current belt is stretched of course but it's an inch longer if not more.... yeah i know "thats what she said".... I'm going to try it one more time and if it doesn't go then on to plan B.

Interesting you would bring this up. I bought a Gates belt for my 3.6R to go with the new idler and tensioner pulley bearings I bought about a year ago and discovered it was too short. I didn’t really *need* a belt at that point, so I just put the old one back on. The box says it’s 64-5/8” long, which is actually on the longer side of the belts RockAuto lists. Kind of sounds like I should just order an OEM one.

I wonder if this is a case of somebody writing the specifications down wrong and then everybody just running with it. Something like that seems to have happened in the past; I bought like four different wheel bearing seals for my ‘97 Outback and all the aftermarket ones were the same size and too small. The OEM ones I finally bought were correct.

EDIT: In fact, looking at subarupartsforyou, they sell two belts for my car. One is shorter than my Gates belt by 14mm, and another that’s longer by 12mm. Oh, who the heck knows?

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Thats a lot of confusion on those belts. I checked the part number postes earlier in the thread and the pictures show a 6PK1656 belt IIRC. So thats 1656mm long.

Our JDM/rest-of-the-world version has a shorter belt with a different part number, logo indicates it was made by Mitsuboshi.

Started on my suspension last night. Replacing the struts and adding Tein lowering springs as well, so nothing really crazy but as I suspected, things arent exactly going smoothly. I figured I would just assemble the struts before everything so that once the old ones came out, I would just slot the new ones in. Keep in mind, I've only ever installed coilovers before, and given the simplicity in their design and the fact that theyre all put together when they arrive, the only issue I'd have would be the removal of the old stuff. Well cut to me trying to figure out how to assemble all the pieces of the strut with the dust cover and bumpstop and then the spring itself and not even realizing theres supposed to be a piece that slots between the spring and the tophat. Couple this with the fact that my father is freshly single and is on his phone like a teenage girl, so his help is limited. Luckily, I'm dealing with a subaru so it's a pretty straightforward install.

So I watch a few youtube videos and notice that piece that goes between the spring and the tophat and I'm immediately frustrated because this means compressing the springs to remove the tophat from the new piece and compressing the spring of the old piece to scavenge the missing piece. It was a ton of spring compression and my forearms are feeling it from all the wrench twisting. Finally I'm able to get the assembled strut into place and realize that I was trying to install the passenger side strut onto the drivers side. It was at that point that I decided to just go ahead and remove the strut from the passenger side, assemble the 2nd strut, and call it a night. Today after work I get to drive 3 towns over again and attack this for a 2nd night in a row. Who knows if we'll even get to the rears tonight. I have one more Monday off coming up so I need to have this all done by then (I work a regular mon-fri schedule while my father works fri-sun so Monday's are our best bet to get any of this work done).

Hopefully my next post will be a victorious one.

Thats a lot of confusion on those belts. I checked the part number postes earlier in the thread and the pictures show a 6PK1656 belt IIRC. So thats 1656mm long.

 

Our JDM/rest-of-the-world version has a shorter belt with a different part number, logo indicates it was made by Mitsuboshi.

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Started on my suspension last night. Replacing the struts and adding Tein lowering springs as well, so nothing really crazy but as I suspected, things arent exactly going smoothly. I figured I would just assemble the struts before everything so that once the old ones came out, I would just slot the new ones in. Keep in mind, I've only ever installed coilovers before, and given the simplicity in their design and the fact that theyre all put together when they arrive, the only issue I'd have would be the removal of the old stuff. Well cut to me trying to figure out how to assemble all the pieces of the strut with the dust cover and bumpstop and then the spring itself and not even realizing theres supposed to be a piece that slots between the spring and the tophat. Couple this with the fact that my father is freshly single and is on his phone like a teenage girl, so his help is limited. Luckily, I'm dealing with a subaru so it's a pretty straightforward install.

 

So I watch a few youtube videos and notice that piece that goes between the spring and the tophat and I'm immediately frustrated because this means compressing the springs to remove the tophat from the new piece and compressing the spring of the old piece to scavenge the missing piece. It was a ton of spring compression and my forearms are feeling it from all the wrench twisting. Finally I'm able to get the assembled strut into place and realize that I was trying to install the passenger side strut onto the drivers side. It was at that point that I decided to just go ahead and remove the strut from the passenger side, assemble the 2nd strut, and call it a night. Today after work I get to drive 3 towns over again and attack this for a 2nd night in a row. Who knows if we'll even get to the rears tonight. I have one more Monday off coming up so I need to have this all done by then (I work a regular mon-fri schedule while my father works fri-sun so Monday's are our best bet to get any of this work done).

 

Hopefully my next post will be a victorious one.

If it makes you feel any better, the rears are easier. You might not need to even compressed the rear springs (or very little).

Do you have pass through sockets and hex for the top bolt?

Coil overs

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If it makes you feel any better, the rears are easier. You might not need to even compressed the rear springs (or very little).

 

Do you have pass through sockets and hex for the top bolt?

glad to hear the rears are easier, that'll be for next monday. We were using a socket without the wrench and a clamp with the T40 going through the back but had better luck clamping the piston wrapped in a shirt. I'm going to take this to my suspension thread for the update.

Doesn't the jdm have electric power steering? That would explain the shorter belt.

 

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I've heard Japan has the electric rack. Ours are hydraulic like the US market though.

We have 2 belts, the main one is a 5PK874 with PN 809218460, and the AC belt is a stretch fit 4PK806 with PN 23979AA000.

Thats a lot of confusion on those belts. I checked the part number postes earlier in the thread and the pictures show a 6PK1656 belt IIRC. So thats 1656mm long.

 

Our JDM/rest-of-the-world version has a shorter belt with a different part number, logo indicates it was made by Mitsuboshi.

looks good. did you hand polish or use a buffer?

Used a drill and a pack of buffer type pads from Amazon.

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I love 303 and use it on everything but my salad, but I don't think it will do much to protect the headlights. I prefer to use Meguiar's headlight protectant.

 

EDIT: Never mind, I see they don't make it any longer. Damn, glad I still have 3/4 of a bottle.

The YouTube video I saw specifically said 303 so I figured I would try it this time. I was using spray turtle wax before. If it doesn’t hold up I’ll try something else.

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Started on my suspension last night. Replacing the struts and adding Tein lowering springs as well, so nothing really crazy but as I suspected, things arent exactly going smoothly. I figured I would just assemble the struts before everything so that once the old ones came out, I would just slot the new ones in. Keep in mind, I've only ever installed coilovers before, and given the simplicity in their design and the fact that theyre all put together when they arrive, the only issue I'd have would be the removal of the old stuff. Well cut to me trying to figure out how to assemble all the pieces of the strut with the dust cover and bumpstop and then the spring itself and not even realizing theres supposed to be a piece that slots between the spring and the tophat. Couple this with the fact that my father is freshly single and is on his phone like a teenage girl, so his help is limited. Luckily, I'm dealing with a subaru so it's a pretty straightforward install.

 

So I watch a few youtube videos and notice that piece that goes between the spring and the tophat and I'm immediately frustrated because this means compressing the springs to remove the tophat from the new piece and compressing the spring of the old piece to scavenge the missing piece. It was a ton of spring compression and my forearms are feeling it from all the wrench twisting. Finally I'm able to get the assembled strut into place and realize that I was trying to install the passenger side strut onto the drivers side. It was at that point that I decided to just go ahead and remove the strut from the passenger side, assemble the 2nd strut, and call it a night. Today after work I get to drive 3 towns over again and attack this for a 2nd night in a row. Who knows if we'll even get to the rears tonight. I have one more Monday off coming up so I need to have this all done by then (I work a regular mon-fri schedule while my father works fri-sun so Monday's are our best bet to get any of this work done).

 

Hopefully my next post will be a victorious one.

I feel for you. I had to assemble my Konis also, and learned along the way. You learn that you don’t know as much about cars as you thought you did. [emoji1]

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Did a proper headlight restore of my own last night. Month or two ago, I had done the Meguiar's Two-Step restore, that came with the scuff pads and the spray on clear chemical. The results from that we're pretty decent, but my intention was to install Lamin-X headlight film after the restore, and boy did that go ass up for me. First off, I simply could not get the Lamin-X to fit right. No matter how I tacked it, aligned it, wet it, smoothed it, it simply would not line up properly. Even heating it didn't help, and the instructions specifically said "do not stretch". So I gave up, but unfortunately, the adhesive on the Lamin-X COMPLETELY fucked my recent two-step restore on the driver's side headlight, leaving it patchy and cloudy looking. I'm guessing the strong adhesive on the Lamin-X did not interact well with the clearing spray from the Meguiars, even though I'd let it cure for a few days.

Anyways, onto to what I did last night. Went at it the proper low budget way. Did wet sanding with 1500 grit sandpaper, followed by 2000 grit, and finally 3000 grit. Followed that up with Meguiars G12310 PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish, which worked really nicely, and finished it off with the 303 Aerospace Sealant mentioned above. All in all, came out pretty nicely. Not 100% fully perfect, but more than good enough for me and lightyears better than after my Lamin-X debacle. Headlight feels glassy smooth now too. That 303 is neat stuff, I wiped a bit extra on my the black plastic on the side mirrors and bases, brought a little life back into them.

Did a proper headlight restore of my own last night. Month or two ago, I had done the Meguiar's Two-Step restore, that came with the scuff pads and the spray on clear chemical. The results from that we're pretty decent, but my intention was to install Lamin-X headlight film after the restore, and boy did that go ass up for me. First off, I simply could not get the Lamin-X to fit right. No matter how I tacked it, aligned it, wet it, smoothed it, it simply would not line up properly. Even heating it didn't help, and the instructions specifically said "do not stretch". So I gave up, but unfortunately, the adhesive on the Lamin-X COMPLETELY fucked my recent two-step restore on the driver's side headlight, leaving it patchy and cloudy looking. I'm guessing the strong adhesive on the Lamin-X did not interact well with the clearing spray from the Meguiars, even though I'd let it cure for a few days.

 

Anyways, onto to what I did last night. Went at it the proper low budget way. Did wet sanding with 1500 grit sandpaper, followed by 2000 grit, and finally 3000 grit. Followed that up with Meguiars G12310 PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish, which worked really nicely, and finished it off with the 303 Aerospace Sealant mentioned above. All in all, came out pretty nicely. Not 100% fully perfect, but more than good enough for me and lightyears better than after my Lamin-X debacle. Headlight feels glassy smooth now too. That 303 is neat stuff, I wiped a bit extra on my the black plastic on the side mirrors and bases, brought a little life back into them.

 

I wish you would've seen my headlight thread before doing the laminx because the exact same thing happened to me too. Pulled the laminx after botching the install and off came all the hard work I'd done before. I have a buddy who does paint and he said his shop has some spray-on-once-and-your-lights-never-go-cloudy-again kind of stuff. He told me when my lights start to go south again to give him a call and he'll hook me up. Said he can even throw a drop of tint into it as well. He's done it to his lights and they look factory new. I wish this shit was available to the consumer instead of all these goddamn temporary bandaids.

Sand with 1000 grit. Spray this on.