ClioSport.net

Register a free account today to become a member!
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here.

Hawkeye Impreza cleans



  Z4
A couple of months back I bought an Impreza from a family member. It's probably the rarest spec you could possibly find so it was worth snapping up. No, not a spec C, 22b, b320 etc, a 100% STANDARD example!
On only 42k too.

Well, apart from this thing:
DSC_0221_zpswbsnfhe7.jpg


Gone.
DSC_0222_zpsrziahfjq.jpg


I knew the car was mechanically well looked after as it's been in the family around 7 years, I just needed to give the paintwork some TLC.

Here are some detailed before shots to show you what I was up against.
DSC_0200_zpscibx80ya.jpg


DSC_0201_zpsvikapsdx.jpg


DSC_0203_zpsdg6brark.jpg


DSC_0206%201_zpseeyxi9vt.jpg


I prewashed the car with the 2 bucket method, pressure washed, sprayed with APC, pressure washed, and repeated.

Iron X doing its thang.

DSC_0209_zps1gh2mdib.jpg


In the sunlight you can see the brown flake in the paintwork, nice.
Brown flake? I told you this car was rare.
Yes, my step mother who owned the car previously painted the fence on a windy day, resulting in an impreza with some form of rash.
I didn't realise how much there was of it. It took me around 2 hours to fully remove all of it! You can barely see it in the photos but it was speckled all over the NS
DSC_0214_zpsy0omadgu.jpg


The headlights didn't look awful, but you can see some hazing in the upper part of the lens.
DSC_0216%201_zpsuvoy4lhb.jpg

Using some fine wet and dry paper followed by 2 grades of Menz polish with my DA the lights were looking like new.
DSC_0219_zpsqaai0y0k.jpg

DSC_0220_zps2a9icrip.jpg


I didn't bother with a full correction, just concentrated on fine scratches etc which I got 90% of them out with the DA.

The exhaust was cleaned up with brasso and the windows cleaned using an E cloth (I usually use them in the house but tried them on the car, they're awesome!)

I finished the car with a couple of layers of blackhole, AG HD wax, then a quick spray of Zymol Z6. I'm no detailer, but this method works well for me.

DSC_0223%201_zpscrtskkrr.jpg


DSC_0229%201_zpsjgv0h2j4.jpg


DSC_0245%202_zpsu8rpuixl.jpg


DSC_0242%201_zpsnwgkci0g.jpg


DSC_0246%202_zpskhndm2ss.jpg


DSC_0239%201_zpswhd35cos.jpg

If you look closely, you'll see this is the STI model, it's very subtle and I doubt you would have noticed if I hadn't mentioned it.

I then took the chavvy blue thing to North Wales, Snowdonia for a long weekend..

13035586_10154069038823830_2111949755_o_zpsotptz6is.jpg


Apologies for the quality it was taken on an iPhone.

Driving though the mountains, along twisty B roads everything suddenly made sense. The 4wd system is undeniably fantastic, the centre diff control is good fun changing the power to front/back. Acceleration is obviously brisk, but not groundbreaking by todays standards, just hot hatch territory. As a package, they're a fantastic drivers tool.
 
Last edited:

-Dan-

ClioSport Club Member
Very nice fella, Look after it :up: Hate to be the guy to mention it but I've unfortunately been there, but keep an eye on oil usage and coolant temps, Could be a perfect excuse for a forged engine :grimacing:
 

Darren S

ClioSport Club Member
Lovely - great move at switching that brake light out as well. Hideous thing!

Wait. Your step mother owned this car before you? Kudos to her - a great choice for anyone to buy - even more so for a female! :up:

The only thing I'm not sure on are the clear light clusters on the rear. One of the worst things Lexus brought to the industry in the early 2000s. Are those standard issue on this car, though?
 

Mr R.

ClioSport Club Member
  A special one.
Lovely - great move at switching that brake light out as well. Hideous thing!

Wait. Your step mother owned this car before you? Kudos to her - a great choice for anyone to buy - even more so for a female! :up:

The only thing I'm not sure on are the clear light clusters on the rear. One of the worst things Lexus brought to the industry in the early 2000s. Are those standard issue on this car, though?
Yep.
 
  SI-STI 2.35 & RC-172
Very nice fella, Look after it :up: Hate to be the guy to mention it but I've unfortunately been there, but keep an eye on oil usage and coolant temps, Could be a perfect excuse for a forged engine :grimacing:
Lovely looking cars but I would leave as is and just keep it looking clean,the 2.5 lump is a ticking time bomb and its not IF the engine lets go its WHEN especially if the engine has been tinkered with,but as above its a good excuse for a forged rebuild just remember it won't be cheap,All the best with it though:smile:.SJ.
 
  Evo 5 RS
Nice result!

Lovely looking cars but I would leave as is and just keep it looking clean,the 2.5 lump is a ticking time bomb and its not IF the engine lets go its WHEN especially if the engine has been tinkered with,but as above its a good excuse for a forged rebuild just remember it won't be cheap,All the best with it though:smile:.SJ.


Wow.

Wow... Next you'll be saying "Everybody died you know." Lol
 
  Z4
Brilliant.

This shape is the best by far. I love Hawkeyes.

Have to agree, although I'd put the blob eye in a close second.

Nice , it would be impressive to keep it original , what are your plans?

Autotrader!
I like the cars capabilities, but it's not for me sadly.

Very nice fella, Look after it :up: Hate to be the guy to mention it but I've unfortunately been there, but keep an eye on oil usage and coolant temps, Could be a perfect excuse for a forged engine :grimacing:

Yeah I've heard the horror stories, seems ok at the moment, hopefully stays that way.

Lovely - great move at switching that brake light out as well. Hideous thing!

Wait. Your step mother owned this car before you? Kudos to her - a great choice for anyone to buy - even more so for a female! :up:

The only thing I'm not sure on are the clear light clusters on the rear. One of the worst things Lexus brought to the industry in the early 2000s. Are those standard issue on this car, though?

They're standard, lots of people retrofit the red ones which I'd consider if I were keeping it but it seems a shame to put an older styled light on there.

Lovely looking cars but I would leave as is and just keep it looking clean,the 2.5 lump is a ticking time bomb and its not IF the engine lets go its WHEN especially if the engine has been tinkered with,but as above its a good excuse for a forged rebuild just remember it won't be cheap,All the best with it though:smile:.SJ.

Jesus dude, I'm not going to sleep tonight in fear of an inferno on my drive!
 
  Z4
https://www.pistonheads.com/classif...-wrx-sti-type-uk-superb-example/7539727#/home

On auto trader and piston heads now!

I have to admit, after driving the impreza back to back with an E92 M3, the scoob really does feel like a raw driving experience!
Something that just cannot be replicated in modern cars.

I remember saying to a mate before this fell into my lap that impreza & Evos are redundant with the new breed of hot hatches, how wrong I was!

I've had a love hate relationship with this car, fortunately it's been used as a weekend warrior more than anything as it'd make an awful daily:

The clutch is awful in cities, the steering is heavy, it's noisy (self inflicted with the exhaust large enough to hide Anne Frank in), 80% of the population think I'm a chav & the suspension is set up for a rally event, not a trip to Sainsburys.

But when conditions allow (which is all the time because AWD yo!!), on the right road, when you're in 'the mood' it's an absolute hooligan of a car.
There are 2 ways to get the most out it: drive it in anger, or drive it really angrily.
It loves the abuse; with that flat 4 burble, sharp turn in, incredible traction with comedy turbo lag this thing was setup to create big lolz from the factory.

I will miss it.
 

Coby.

ClioSport Club Member
  XC60-R.......V40-R
So you have 2 great cars and you've just reminded me how awesome your house is.... FU!!!
 


Top