It's been what feels like a lifetime, but in reality only about a month, the Impreza is back on the road!
The baffled sump from AS Performance took a while to arrive which delayed things, as they take a brand new sump and modify it to suit. Once arrived we were able to fit the other ancillaries!
Getting the engine back into the bay, and bolted up to the gearbox wasn't too hard, just required an extra pair of hands to guide the engine into place. The only real problem we came up against was bleeding the coolant system! These engine's are notoriously hard to bleed due to their design, but add in 22 year old rubber hoses that have mostly been disturbed or removed/re-fitted I'm sure you can understand! 😂
In hindsight I wish I'd just bit the bullet and bought a set of Samco hoses but I managed to source some genuine replacements after all. On top of the hoses the radiator also needed replacement as it had a very annoying pin hole leak. I luckily managed to get a Nissens radiator from a local supplier. After that It's been pretty much plain sailing!
It's been fantastic being able to drive the car again, the grin factor is right up there, and truly feels like your driving something special/unique. It's probably placebo, but the engine feels even better than before!
Whilst I was awaiting for parts to arrive I replaced some non essentials including: clear side repeaters, clear front indicators, genuine rubber gear gaiter, genuine gear gaiter surround RCM gear knob, and mini mud flaps as recommended, and fitted to Scott's aka
@Phase1sr awesome bug eye!
When I was fitting the mudflaps I found a rather nice discovery. The previous owner never mentioned anything about the suspension, and I presumed it was standard bar some coil springs and the front/rear whiteline ARB kit however I noticed that the shock absorbers are painted grey albeit with some surface corrosion they have metallic stickers on the dampers that read 'STI Prodrive' and underneath 'Bilstein' with Eibach springs. From what I've gathered these were an optional extra on the later versions 'WR Upgrade' and found on both the 22B and P1 Widely regarded as the best OE suspension setup! :smile:
I've also bought a 'stick on' front registration plate and plan to fit that on the bonnet in an attempt to clean up the front end, as I really hate the positioning of the current plate.
Regarding the head gasket replacement here was the final parts list...
* RCM High Performance 11mm Cylinder Head Stud Kit
* RCM EJ20 Multi Layer High Performance Head Gaskets
* Cylinder Head Skim/Testing Valve Lapping etc
* AS Performance Baffled/Clubman Sump
* ICP Aircon Delete Kit
* All Necessary Gaskets/Seals - (there's a few)
* Thermal Inlet Manifold Gasket
* Genuine Oil Pump
* Genuine Thermostat
* Genuine Water Pump
* Genuine Timing Belt Kit
* Genuine Oil Filter
* Genuine Fuel Filter
* NGK Spark Plugs
* 5 Litre's Of Millers Oils Competition 10W50 Fully Synthetic
* STI 'Group N' Engine Mounts
* STI Radiator Cap
* Nissens Radiator
* Genuine Radiator Hoses
Once given a bloody good clean, and we get some half decent weather I'm going to take some decent photos/videos but for the moment I just want to enjoy the old girl, and get some miles under my belt!
If all is well I plan to attempt another booking with Duncan at Race Dynamix to have that mapping session I was due to attend in January!
