Subaru Legacy GT on a Nissan Forum...Build?!

[k00laid83]

I recently joined the legacygt forum and thought since I've been here for many years I would share my build here too. I was looking for a good daily that was AWD, I ended up purchasing my 2005 Subaru Legacy GT. The legacygt forum and the facebook groups have been a ton of help. Just a heads up I'm going to be copying and pasting everything from over there.

I owned my car for a month and 2 weeks in owning the car it broke down on me. First time I've ever owned a Subaru. My roots of building cars started with Honda's, then Nissan's, and dabbled in muscle / classic cars. I think that I'm very involved in the Nissan 240sx community. I was building these cars before the whole drift craze and have owned my s13 for about 15 years. I don't think I'll ever sell that car with all of the work I've put into it over the years.

If I'm being honest I notice that the Subaru community is very similar to the Nissan community. I think after this whole build I'll definitely fit in over there. Now to the pictures, this is actually going to turn into a build when I wanted a daily lol.

The day I got her..the interior was pretty jacked up.
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Two days later I found another legacy in my local pick n pull and started swapping out the stained cream carpet.
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Two weeks after that, it broke down on me. I was getting the infamous p0011 & p0021 codes. I replaced the avcs solenoids, and crank position sensor. I still was having issues and saw that I had low oil pressure. Thinking it was the oil pickup tube I ended up picking up a moroso piece.
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While taking out the oil pan this is what I found. Not surprising since the engine has 200,000 miles. Kind of hard to see in the pictures but there's bearing glitter in my oil pan.
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Two days later I ordered an ej257 type ra small block from flat irons tuning and all of the things I'm going to need for the rebuild. Just received it today with all of the other parts that I've ordered. It's turned in to an expensive build already!
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[k00laid83]

The rest of the ordered parts that came in on Monda. New oil pan & baffle, avcs cam sprockets, oil dipstick, STI Hardened Group-N Engine Mounts, Subaru OEM Thermostat & Seal Kit, Subaru OEM Legacy GT Master Gasket Kit, IAG Stock Location Turbo Oil Feed & AVCS Lines, 11mm sti oil pump, new oil cooler, AISIN timing belt kit, ARP head studs, Prosport boost and oil pressure gauges, gates radiator hoses & belts. Feels like Christmas since it's snowing.
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I'm glad I did a ton of research on here and on the legacy facebook groups. I almost bought the Gates timing belt kit, but I read all of the issues with the bearings. I couldn't chance it especially since I'm starting from scratch. The quality of the AISIN kit is very nice! Also, Dad Mods legacy gt build on YouTube helped a ton. I'm sure you guys have seen this video https://youtu.be/via10GmcTWQ. I'll make sure to keep posting on here if people want to see my build. Only thing left is to yank the engine out and take the heads to the machine shop.

[k00laid83]

Well boys I got my master gasket kit in the mail today. I was a bit surprised on how small the box was. I guess since I'm so new to subaru I just haven't embraced how different these cars are. Only thing left is to pull the engine and take these heads to the machine shop.

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[k00laid83]

Worked on getting the engine out today. It's almost out, just waiting on this coming weekend for my brother to come help me out.

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[k00laid83]

As I was pulling this out to take pictures of the tmic, it literally broke apart lol. On the last page you can see on the bottom corner of the IC where it's leaking oil. It's a black oil spot. I just finished up ordering a new Subaru OEM Dipstick Guide & Subaru OEM PCV Kit (05-06 Legacy GT). I think I'm getting close to getting almost everything I need. I assume I'm going to have to buy a few hoses after I remove the intake manifold. I've seen a few of the hoses that were cut and just put back on.

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[k00laid83]

Received my new pvc assembly and dipstick guide. Should have the engine out tomorrow, unless it snows. My only worry is because of the whole quarantine going on, that my machine shop isn't open. Guess, I'll find out soon.

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[k00laid83]

Pulled the engine out today. Came out pretty smoothly, only thing when taking off the clutch it looked pretty worn. The throw out bearing looked like it was going to pop pretty soon. The past owner definitely put in quality parts.

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[k00laid83]

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! Just a small update, I finally got my Company23 cam tools in today. I made a purchase not related to the engine. I found a good deal for a jdm double din dual zone kit, that should be getting here sometime soon I hope. I also got myself an ae64 JDM Auto HVAC Control Wiring Adapter and stereo harness. While I was at it I got an antenna adapter too. I had to do it, I couldn't handle the stock stereo when the car was operational lol. This weekend should be a good one because now I can break down the engine and get the heads to the machine shop.

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[k00laid83]

Well today I started to tear down my engine. I thought things were going to go smoothly. While taking everything apart I found many things that just weren't done right. Many hoses that were cut but still had clamps over them, or hoses with no clamps at all.

When taking the timing belt off I noticed that my timing is way off. So, I'm freaking out over that because I'm hoping the heads are ok. When I was removing the timing belt tensioner I noticed that the bolt wasn't bolted down tight. Then when removing it I saw that the bracket hole itself was stripped. I was thinking helicoil but I might just buy it new, not sure yet. The back portion of the timing cover nuts came out, so I'll be buying a new or used driver side piece.

Then when I removed the intake manifold, I noticed that the crank case vent hose was pinched shut. Which explains a lot, because when I removed the intake manifold it had pressure and hissed. I'll have to source a few hoses and I'm going to make sure everything fits as it should and isn't pinching.

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Here's how she's sitting. I'll finish her up tomorrow. Excuse the mess lol.
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[k00laid83]

Got her torn down yesterday. Time to get the heads to the machine shop. Are the camshaft caps supposed to be a bit scratched up? I ran my nail over the scratches and I can feel them. I hope it's something easy that the machine shop can handle.

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[k00laid83]

Update:

Well this week has had it's ups and downs for sure. I found a pretty good deal on a mishimoto tmic, but when it was received it wasn't a tmic. I received a wrapped header, I don't know the brand. When I got the box it wasn't packed right, the box was smashed and the inside of the box had no packing at all. I contacted the seller and let him know of the mistake and asked for a refund. I would have told the seller to still send the tmic but after seeing how this was packed I wasn't interested. I have yet to hear back from the seller on paying for the return shipping for the headers. I'm just happy he issued the refund and getting the process completed quickly.

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With the small negative situation for a Friday. Something positive happened on the same day. I found locally a brand new in box grimmspeed tmic for an 08 wrx that was never installed. The person I picked it up from had his car totaled. I thought it was a great come up. I know the air splitter is different between the 08 wrx and lgt, but for the price it was worth it. I'm going to reach out to grimmspeed and see if they can help me out. Maybe their willing to trade out the air splitter, it's a long shot but worth the call. I've had some bad luck with the intercooler portion of the build. Months ago I found a racer x fmic nearby, I had to pass it over I was strapped because of the new short block. Then a couple a weeks ago I found a mishimoto fmic from an 08 wrx for a great deal. Obviously, with this whole COVID-19 I had to pass on it as well since it was in the bay area. I'm about 5 hours away and just didn't want to risk it. Then with this issue with the mishi tmic that happened, I was very happy to find the grimmspeed tmic.

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In the meantime I've been working on cleaning up my interior here and there. I've been installing my black interior little by little. When looking at some of the interior pieces I noticed the stock rubber coating was pretty pitted. I decided to start vinyl wrapping interior pieces and cleaning them really well before installing them. I want to make sure the interior pieces match the new jdm double din that's coming in.

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On a side note, my wife and I went to our local pick n pull looking for bolts that are needed for the ej257 engine build. I was able to find the random bolts that I needed, but I was very happy to find a part that I've been looking for many years. It's non subaru related and will help my side business for making custom gauge cluster wire harnesses for the s13 240sx. Also, I was able to find gauge cluster connectors for my 180sx type-x gauge cluster, this is another piece that I can finally add to my conversion parts that I'll be able to provide the S-chassis community. The funny thing was I forgot my wire snips and we found a steak knife to help cut the wires. Sometimes you have to get resourceful at the junkyard. Don't mind my idiot look, I was very stoked!

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[k00laid83]

Update:

Well the heads were dropped off with the machine shop on Friday. I'm having them clean and resurface/deck the heads. I'm having them install all the valve seals that came with my subaru gasket kit and having my comp clutch flywheel resurfaced. I had them clean the valve covers as well while I was it. They advised that I should have everything by the end of this week.

I switched the short blocks out on my engine stand. My new short block is ready to start rebuilding. I'm glad I listened to everyone on here and on facebook groups about just picking up a new short block. It looks damn good! I started installing some of my parts. I installed a new 11mm STI oil pump, new baffle plate, a moroso oil pick up and new oil pan. The plan is to clean most of the hard lines this weekend and clean out anything that might have bearings particles in it.

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I gotta wash my poor 240sx!!
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[k00laid83]

Update:
A couple of weeks ago I posted about receiving headers instead of my Mishimoto TMIC. Luckily, I was able to find a brand new Grimmspeed?s TMIC from my local Facebook Marketplace. The TMIC is for a 2008 Subaru WRX and I knew that the WRX and Legacy GT TMIC is interchangeable. When reviewing the TMIC I noticed that the only difference between the Grimmspeed TMIC kit for the WRX and Legacy GT is the actual air splitter. I contacted Grimmspeed, after a phone call and several emails. They advised that they would switch out my current WRX air splitter for a Legacy GT piece. Needless to say that Grimmspeed was amazing to deal with! Their customer service is out of this world. That's an amazing reputation, it goes to show that a company is really involved and part of the community. I kept reading on here and on Facebook how great they were. Man everyone was not lying! I for one will be a life long customer and will ensure to purchase Grimmspeed when it comes to my future upgrades!! I know that this was a ramble but I?m pushing my ej257 type ra small block build to keep heading the right direction. I?m lucky that everything worked out!

Old Air Splitter:
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New Air Splitter:
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[k00laid83]

Update:

I've had a good birthday so far. I was able to pick up the heads and flywheel today from the machine shop. Glad I took the heads to get worked on and valve seals installed. The machine shop mentioned that one of the heads was a little warped but it got ironed out. My flywheel was a little off as well but I'm good to go to get things put together. I had a thought hit me yesterday about painting the engine bay the color I want to paint the rest of the car. So, while I was out today I stopped by my paint shop and picked up the new paint. I'm sticking to an Old Datsun / Nissan color from the 280z. I think with all of the black in the engine bay and the darker colors the car will have, the safari gold color will make things pop. I know it could be considered blasphemy using a Nissan color on a Subaru lol :lol:

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[k00laid83]

UPDATE:

Yesterday was great. I received my new VF52 Turbo from Hill County Forced Induction. I'm so glad that I followed the advise from all the posts and research I did on this company. The quality in their work is awesome. Plus, the way they package their turbos when they ship things out reflects on their quality! If I need any other turbos rebuilt I'll make sure to reach out to them first.

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[k00laid83]

I worked on the car today and got the JDM double din completed. After a bit researching I saw that others had the same issue with gaps around the shifter trim. I had to grind some of the tabs where it meets the JDM climate control. With a bit of grinding I got the gaps a bit closer. Only thing is I think I'm going to redo the shifter trim and remove the vinyl wrap. I have some SEM black trim paint that I'll use. I'll be throwing in a double din stereo soon but the spare single din I have will do for now. It's far better than the stock stereo and radio transmitter combo. I also got the front half of the car completed and switched over to black. I should have the rest of the car switched to black this weekend. I'm ready to get rid of the tan seat belts.

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[k00laid83]

I took the long weekend to get the heads put on the new engine block. It took a lot longer than I expected since I was being extra careful not to mess things up. Overall, it went smoothly. Now to just put things together quickly and repaint the engine bay. I spoke with my tuner and they recommended me that I go ID 1050x top feed injectors and get rid of my TGV's. Per their recommendation I'll be going that route. Also, I keep going back and fourth if I should pick up equal length headers prior to getting my car tuned. I might just stick to the stock exhaust manifold since from everything I've read they're great out of the factory. While putting this thing together I didn't realize how satisfying it was to see everything go on the new engine.

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[Bluejayde]

Had the exact same experience with my 05 FXT; blew up 2 months after I bought it. 2 years, a built engine, and plenty of dollars, and I'm still afraid it will blow up every day I drive it. What a fun car!

[k00laid83]

Had the exact same experience with my 05 FXT; blew up 2 months after I bought it. 2 years, a built engine, and plenty of dollars, and I'm still afraid it will blow up every day I drive it. What a fun car!

Bro, that's exactly how I'm feeling. I was telling my wife that I should have just bought another Nissan lol. I just wanted AWD that was not a european car. I should have got an Evo or something. With Subaru it's like playing russian roulette.

[KevinEdgar]

It was nice going through your thread on lgt forums but seeing again here idk...

[k00laid83]

It was nice going through your thread on lgt forums but seeing again here idk...

That's fair.

[RVAE34]

Update:

So, while I was out today I stopped by my paint shop and picked up the new paint. I'm sticking to an Old Datsun / Nissan color from the 280z. I think with all of the black in the engine bay and the darker colors the car will have, the safari gold color will make things pop. I know it could be considered blasphemy using a Nissan color on a Subaru lol :lol:



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Haha, that's the same color I painted my Z31 and it's my favorite Nissan color. It's actually from the S30 240z and the Hakosuka GT-R skyline.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49566822946_7ebcf99982_b.jpg

[k00laid83]

Haha, that's the same color I painted my Z31 and it's my favorite Nissan color. It's actually from the S30 240z and the Hakosuka GT-R skyline.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49566822946_7ebcf99982_b.jpg

I love that color and with the lines of the of my Legacy it should really pop.