Slow Subie: May 2014

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Subaru Time Lapse Rally Car Assembly

An old time lapse video that I found on YouTube of the crew at Vermont Sports Car stripping a brand new 2008 Subaru WRX STi and turning it into a race car for Subaru Rally Team USA. This would be fun.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Monday, May 5, 2014

Fighting every step of the way...

Sometimes, I think this car is cursed. It has fought me every step of the way. Seized bolts, an engine failure, transmission problems, and the rest. I finally got the driver's side brakes done, including new rotors, Powerstop Evolution Plus Pads, and regreased pins with new boots. I also painted everything with some Duplicolor black caliper paint I had laying around (it needs touched up). The passenger's side upper pin is completely seized though. It doesn't matter how much heat and WD-40 I lay on it, or how much I beat it, it will not come out. So, I'll be ordering a new bracket and set of pins, leaving the car in the garage until I can get some spare time after my work week to get that side finished.

Tomorrow, I am going to start taking out the old transmission. Since I recently had them apart, I'm not so worried about separating them, but I am worried about the transmission mount/crossmember bolts. That should be fun.

Intro

My love for automobiles began at a young age. One of the earliest memories I have of my father was him teaching me to assemble a 1/25 scale snap-tite model. If I recall, it was a teal colored Ford Bronco. Little did he know at the time, that build would launch me into the model car hobby and well beyond. I began looking online for new and better ways of improving my builds. That eventually unveiled the entire world of modified cars, and I was hooked before I even got my license, dreaming in scale of cars I would build as an adult.

Somewhere along the way, Subaru managed to become the focus of my new found automotive obsession. I remember watching clips of the great Peter Solberg and other WRC drivers sliding their cars through corners with a trail of dust and flying debris behind them. It dawned on me that I could, someday, own one of those cars. A kid like me would never be able to afford a Porsche, Ferrari, or the like, but a Subaru...

The first vehicle I ever bought wasn't a Subaru at all, unfortunately. A Dodge Dakota, 5 speed, two wheel drive. I tinkered with it a little, but it wasn't long before I started looking for a Subaru. Seeing as how Imprezas were nearly impossible to find locally at the time, I ended up with a 1998 Legacy L. I loved that car and modified every bit of the suspension that I could. It wasn't fast, but it was fun. I am now on my third 1998 Legacy, this time having found the 5 speed GT sedan that is now the SlowSubie. My dad actually gave me some cash to be able to buy this car before he passed away...sometimes I wonder if he ever linked the thousands I threw away on cars to that $5 model he helped me build so long ago.

I haven't built a model car in at least a decade now, but my love for cars, and specifically old Subarus, has never faltered. I have tried driving the new models of Legacy and Impreza, but their much quieter interiors and computer controlled throttle (and everything else) always left me feeling disconnected. That's not to say that a WRX isn't an enjoyable car, as it provides plenty of grins and fun along the way. I just like the raw feeling and feedback that an older BD/BG Legacy or GC/GF Impreza provides, even with much less horsepower.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. SlowSubie will have many more entries of that, as well as some of my current car and build.

Enjoy,
Perdue

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Subaru Time Lapse Rally Car Assembly

Sunday, May 11, 2014

This little guy gets it...

Monday, May 5, 2014

Fighting every step of the way...