The Adventures of an Aussie in America
I didn’t have much time to work on the car this weekend, but I managed to get the engine and trans split so that I could inspect the clutch & flywheel. They are showing normal wear so I’ll be replacing the clutch with a heavy duty unit (I’m looking at Exedy and ACT Stage1).
I also started sorting through the harness and labeling various connectors. It looks a bit less like a pile of spaghetti now but I can see I still have plenty of work ahead of me.
I am trying to use as many of the WRX electronic systems as I can so my goal is to integrate the WRX gauge cluster. I have seen this kind of swap done in GC/F Imprezas but not in the BD/G/K Legacy so before I get into the harness merge I need to make sure it’s going to work!
I started by taking the clear shield and shroud off both clusters, then tried putting the Legacy shroud over the WRX cluster. As you can see the fit actually isn’t that bad as the Legacy cluster is a bit taller than the GC cluster so the top of the tach doesn’t get cut off.
Right now the plan is to cut the 3 mounting tabs off the WRX cluster and modify the Legacy shroud to fit the cluster a little better. Along the bottom I may be able to use the factory clips (with some modifications) to hold them together, at the top I’ll probably have to make some brackets to hold everything together. The stock Legacy mounting points are all present on the shroud so it should bolt in with minimal modifications to the dash itself, I’ll just have to shim the lower mounts a bit.
I will have to drill a new hole in the legacy clear shield because the trip reset switch is in a different spot on the WRX cluster and I don’t think it will be possible to fill the old one, but I can deal with that. I also need to figure out how/whether to fill the gaps at either side of the cluster.
On the whole, it seems like it just might work!
As some of you already know, I am the proud owner of a 1997 Subaru Legacy GT. It’s old and has been in failing health lately, but it’s all mine and I love it.
The car has gone through many revisions over the past couple of years, with different wheels, suspensions, and many other odds & ends. Here is what it looked like before I pulled it all apart:
The suspension was shot, and the transmission was making some very disturbing noises…so I decided it was time for action. The plan was to put in a fresh transmission and some new struts & springs, a nice simple winter project.
Of course, things didn’t go exactly as planned. Once I had the car apart the mod-bug bit, and bit hard.
After much deliberation and even more searching through classifieds I found just the thing, a complete 2005 WRX drivetrain, with a few upgrades for good measure.
So, that brings us to the present time, here is how the car looks now:
And here is my crate of goodies, fresh from the shipping company:
Over the next couple of months I will be merging together the 2 wiring harnesses and replacing virtually every mechanical component in the car. Here is a quick list of the new parts:
I am also planning to replace all the factory sound deadening, install JDM heated power folding mirrors, fix a couple of rust spots & paint blemishes, the list goes on!
Hello and welcome to my little corner of the net. This site (assuming I find time to keep it updated) will house the various projects I’m working on and hopefully provide some useful information, or at least amusement!