Return to stock Saga

[Dean]

I was just going to put this in the FS thread, but decided not to.

The return to stock started weeks ago trying to find all the parts etc.

The AP/ST return to stock went flawlessly, as did the harness removal. And then the trouble begins..

While inventorying parts, I realize the back rear right lower arm is bent and one of the forward rear control arms is to short! FTW! With only 2K on the car when it got dropped off at S^2 back in the day, I'm pretty sure those weren't my arms, but not much I can do about it now... And for some reason, my front struts were torn down. Don't know why, all the right parts and hats came with the DMSs. Wonder what else is missing/wrong. Guess I'll find out as stuff goes back together.

Start hunting from Rancho Cordova, and Part Outs on Nasioc etc. Guy on Nasioc says he has arms and fog light switch/relay for the STI. Schwing! So first his brother pulls off the wrong side. 1 more day... Next day he pulls the Right side, and guess what, the back one is bent! F', F', F', F'. Damn, if it is <1/4", ship it, it's better than mine, give me the best front, drop the price and I'll keep looking. Hey, I still need the fog switch, and relay and at least I'll have the right length forward one, so what they hey.

Well, then Sue's Miata breaks, and we needed to drive the WRX. Great, I'm not putting the harnesses back in, I already cut the worn driver side. Swap the STX ECUTek ECU into the car, swap wheels, oops, forgot to check brakes, fronts will survive, but rears are shot. I had a set of 50% EBC greens around, take the back end back apart, swap pads, bleed, etc... Don't have a matched set of tires which is fine for track days, but wasn't planned for autocross. What the F'... so run the 215s in the rear, and 615s in the front. It'll rotate better.

The tires actually end up being well matched, and even with the out of towners and crappy STX PAX it gets a top 10 both days. Not bad for a last run...

So the arms arrive. No note, nothing, but both arms are perfect... Don't know if he had the correct "right" the first day, or if it was the forward right that was bent, and he just gave me the forward left, but Yippey!

Put the front struts back together. OK, either these are the wrong springs, or because they are so "new" they are less "settled"? Needed to use my nylon straps as spring compressors to get them together. I thought we decided a little pressure was all it took. Guess we'll find out on the car.

So this weekend, the work started in earnest.

Saturday I was going to do the struts, rear arms and rear bar before I headed to Gardnerville to see my Brother and his family as they were stopped at my Dad's on their way to to Yosemite.

Ha. At least I left the rear seat unbolted from when I pulled the harnesses. The right rear went fine until I realized the top spindle hole had been filed for camber adjustment. Not a big deal, but again, makes me wonder if these are my struts. Figured I'd do the arms next, and then move to the other strut. So the first problem was figuring out how to get the stupid rubber covers off the inner forward arm nuts. Then realizing the the front arms, while symetrical, have different diameter inner and outer bushing sleves. Doh.. Flip that one around.

What the heck, pull the rear exhaust section while I'm under here...

The left went OK. I thought about doing the rear brake lines while I was there, but figured I'd do all brakes another day.

Rear bar went OK, but the the Poltec sway to end-link connection bolts are custom, and won't work on the stock links, and guess what isn't in my stock parts box. Arghhh.

Thanks Pete for the stock rear end links by the way. Gave mine to Tyson when he was over swapping his bar back to stock, and guess he had dumped his.

On to the front...

Well, whoever did the front struts did them with the brkaes off because they are torqued to a billion pound feet and the nuts are behind the calipers where you can't get an impact, or breaker bar on them. Guess I am doing the front brakes too... Oh joy...

Pull them off, put on the dust shields, but the holes are rusted a bit,,, tap those, break the struts loose. Swap them, swap the brakes, and pu it all back together.

Enough for one day. I'm going to dinner with the family.

[tysonK]

back to stock sucks. I learned my lesson. It's all about blingy wheels and (maybe a tune) that's it if I ever get a different car.

[Dean]

So hope this isn't to boring, but maybe it is a lesson to those ever contemplating it to keep all their parts, and make sure they get everything back from any shop that does the work for you... Today was definitely a lesson in not knowing how to put something back that you didn't take out yourself. Anybody want to guess what part it was?

So today was rear brakes(wish I had done them while I was there.), more under the car, and some engine compartment, and interior.

So rear brakes are easy. swap lines, and put in some stock pads.

Open the hood.. Pull the intercooler, swap the dog bone, decide to do the rest of the exhaust.

Drop the mid section. Bloody rear O2 sensor takes hand grenades, vice grips, and a sledgehammer to get out...

Figure out how to get the downpipe out, and drop it.

Now I have to figure out the uppipe...

Drop the front plastic cover, and pull off the brake "duct" plastic thingies I put in while I'm there.

Oh look, I'm missing a header to up-pipe bolt... I thought I had an exhaust leak... Guess I was right. Gasket is shot too.. Crap...

OK, drop the oil filter, pill the sandwich adapter with the oil temp and pressure sensors in it. Filter back on. Drop the right side headers. Ah,there is the up-pipe.

The top bolts on the downpipe were tightened by gorillas. liquid wrench, 1/2" breaker bar, 3/8 reducer, 2 extensions and a deep socket fixes that.

S^2 uppipe drops out with only a little wiggling... This is going to be easy... HA!

Put the stock muffler and mid/rear section in.

Put the EGT sensor back in the stock up-pipe. Mistake... Pull it back out...

How in the hell does this thing fit? It won't go up from the bottom, and it won't go down from the top...

After trials and tribulations, I figure out you drop it in upside down from the top, and feed it in from the side with twisting and cajoling until it rotates and drops in and can be pulled up into place. What a bloody pain... Except now I have to get the EGT in... Pulling off the little bracket running forward makes that almost doable. I think it's tight.

Somewhere along there, I pulled out the cabling to the gauges to the Oil and after market EGT sensors.

Downpipe isn't to bad, and the cat with O2 goes in pretty good.

Center differential mount, rear diff mounts.

Swap out the vacuum hose I split for the boost gauge. Pull the boost gauge hose back to the firewall.

That's enough dirty work. I'm getting tired.

Clean up, and start tearing apart the interior.

ECU Swap back to stock.

Dash gauge pod out, center console and gauge cluster out to get to cables. Pull the A-Pillar pods, boost hose back through the firewall. Pull it all out, and put the stock bits back.

Well, that was enough for today.

Not much left...

I need to decide what to do with the headers. That leaves the front bar, engine mounts, intercooler back in, and then the steering rack bushings and snorkel if I decide to do them, oh and put the spare and junk back in the trunk. And I think that is it...

Hey, who wanted to swap snorkels?

[MPREZIV]

Originally Posted by Dean

Today was definitely a lesson in not knowing how to put something back that you didn't take out yourself.

'Least it didn't take you 5 months like my last lesson on the same subject!

[sperry]

Dean, you should do some research about how different the STI and WRX headers are. Just because MikeW thought they were different doesn't mean they actually have significant differences. If you're planning on headers on the STI anyway, you might as well just swap the passenger side headers between the STI and WRX. Just toss a bolt in that bung to keep it from leaking.

Also, I didn't know you swapped out the dog-bone and rear-diff bushings. Are you putting those on the STI, or would you be willing to sell 'em to me? Hell, I'll trade you for those WRX front brakes!

[cody]

Sheesh, what a bitch. Sounds like you're zinging through it quickly at least. Remind me to never go back to stock.

[NevadaSTi]

Originally Posted by cody

Sheesh, what a bitch. Remind me to never go back to stock.

This is one of the reasons why I am staying stock. LOL

[Dean]

Originally Posted by sperry

Dean, you should do some research about how different the STI and WRX headers are. Just because MikeW thought they were different doesn't mean they actually have significant differences. If you're planning on headers on the STI anyway, you might as well just swap the passenger side headers between the STI and WRX. Just toss a bolt in that bung to keep it from leaking.

Also, I didn't know you swapped out the dog-bone and rear-diff bushings. Are you putting those on the STI, or would you be willing to sell 'em to me? Hell, I'll trade you for those WRX front brakes!

Yeah, I think I'll take a gander at the STI headers this week. As I recall though, taking them off the first time is a bitch because of the 02 sensor, and a heat shield without a slit in it, so I am not looking forward to it..

Sorry, I beleive all the group N mounts, engine and tranny will fit on the STI. The rear diff bushings are the urethane donuts you already have on the front outboard bushings. I didn't do the locking bolts for the back of the rear diff.

I'm going to get raped on the header to up-pipe gasket at Lithia later. 200% of retail on the damn thing. $20 for a bloody exhaust gasket...

[cody]

I recently needed that same gasket from Lithia. I just asked for a discount and he gave it to me for somthing like $12. I always ask for discounts but this time I actually got one.

[Kevin M]

Originally Posted by Dean

Sorry, I beleive all the group N mounts, engine and tranny will fit on the STI. The rear diff bushings are the urethane donuts you already have on the front outboard bushings. I didn't do the locking bolts for the back of the rear diff.

It all fits except the tranny mount. The group N rear strut mounts will work with coilovers but not stock perches.