Old News from May 2002
Additions posted Tuesday, May 28, 2002 by Dave

I've added one very nice looking Touring Wagon to the Reader Rides Section. Frank's 92 is an uncommon black color, and he put some black wheels on it as well. Have a look

I'm going in to a local shop to have my intercooler installed today. It should be just a bit of welding and fitting, not too much, but not something that can be done well without the right tools.

I'm excited.


Almost Famous posted Friday, May 24, 2002 by Dave

A friend of mine, whose car is in the Reader Rides section, has been selected as a qualifier in Sport Compact Car's Ultimate Street Car Challenge.

His name is Alan Card, and he's got a 96 Impreza Brighton with a Legacy Turbo engine swapped in, along with a host of other quality modifications. My contributions to the project were finding the engine, the front calipers and 15" Turbo wheels for his race rubber.

I honestly doubt that he'll be chosen as one of the finalists, but to be the only non-WRX Subaru among 5 is pretty cool.

Check out some old pics of his car here.


Update posted Wednesday, May 15, 2002 by Dave

Well, i think i'm closer to having the DMS where i want them. They're a bit different than the D2s, in that the only height adjustment available is gained by cranking on the springs. The D2 was adjustable via threads on the bottom end of the unit, so i had another way to change height.

I've dialed them back a little, to 4/4 from hardest, and the ride is a bit smoother while not giving much away in the corners.

I finally went in and got my car past the annual insprction/emission tests required in the most populous counties in Utah. I passed emissions without any problems, probably as good or better than when it rolled off the boat in 92. Inspection was a bit tricker, as i had to take the window tinting off from the front two windows. It was %8 too dark, and it's one of the items they look at hard. Due to a change in Utah law, however, i can keep the darker tint on the back of the car. Whew.

I found an intercooler on eBay this week, and ended up winning it. It's from either a JC Sports or Rallispec 2.5RS turbo kit, and features a genuine Spearco bar & plate core. It's not large, but made specifically for adaptability and to fit well into the engine bay. Fitting it should be relatively easy, as there's a lot of room between the inlet and compressor outlet to adapt something. The BOV is also external, so i should be able to fit that in somewhere.

I do wish the hoodscoop were larger, like the RS, but since i'm not looking for high-boost, just lower intake temps and a bit more power, i should be fine for the time being. Others that have put the WRX slanted IC on have noted performance improvements with just the stock scoop, so i should be ok.


More adjustments posted Monday, May 6, 2002 by Dave

I've been tweaking with the height, trying to get the rear from rubbing, but by raising it up, i've noticed that my camber settings in the rear are screwed up. These come with washers that have eccentric holes in them, letting me adjust the camber in the back.

By doing this, i can get a little negative camber, and probably lower it farther because the outside of the tire will be farther into the wheel well.

In other news, i've removed everything i can from the transmission cooling/filtering system. All i had was the lines that came forward and the filter. Not a lot of stuff, but it was nice to get it off. The tranny cooler might serve another purpose: Oil cooler.


DMS 40s in! posted Thursday, May 2, 2002 by Dave

Well, I spend the better part of last night installing my new suspension, and a bit of time today doing some more tweaking.

What do i think of it? In a word: Wow.

This is the kind of setup i wanted originally, and it's taken me a year to get here, but i'm glad i finally reached a better part of my goal.

The car rides much, much better, even with the dampening setup at full stiff while i get the height worked out.

Fun!