Hi Everyone.
I've been around for a while and ozlib before here and I haven't yet put up a build thread. So I thought i'd share the story of my Liberty.
The story started 5 years ago, I was driving a hand me down family car and began the search for my first car to purchase. With dad having a Gen 4 and the neighbor an RS, I was pretty much hooked on Subarus. My budget putting me in the price bracket of my favourite shape, a rev D Gen 3. I looked for about 3 months for a clean RX as I was under 25 and needed a non-turbo to keep insurance costs down. Always in the back of my mind I had the thought that I would later do a conversion once I turned 25.
Living in Melbourne at the time, one eventually popped up at OGR in Mt Gambier. Had a full Subaru service history at Carlin and Gazzard, so I told them to consider it sold! Went a week later for a trip home to Adelaide detouring via Mt Gambier to pick up the car. OGR were fantastic by putting me up for the night and filling the tank. Absolutely loved the drive back to Adelaide on the highway with my first boxer powered car which on first impression seemed to run as if it were a tractor engine - I was in love.
Mods were kept to a minimum but went like this:
Tinted Windows
Alpine/MB Quart Stereo
Rays G-Games wheels
King springs
Guards rolled
Fujitsubo exhaust
Legacy tail light garnish
Fast forward to 2009 living back in Adelaide, nearing the magical age of 25, I begin the search for a halfcut. A perfect Legacy RSK halfcut pops up on eBay - 45k km on the clock so I bid, I win. I get the halfcut shipped from Melbourne to Adelaide and begin stripping both cars tagging and bagging everything as it came off. This went on for 3-4 months working evenings after work and some weekends. I was doing this by myself aside from a few tricky jobs that required two people, like lifting engines and gearboxes out.
Things swapped over from the halfcut included: Engine, gearbox, driveshaft, CVs, diff, brakes, bilstein shocks, complete engine, dash and body wiring looms, carpet, door cards, front and rear seats, centre console, dash, HVAC, cluster, steering wheel, folding mirrors, steering column, door locks and fuel pump controller - Oh and the hill holder delete. It basically turned out to be a re-shell.
Extras required for the conversion: Walbro fuel pump, Rev D turbo bonnet, Rev D HID Headlights and the exhaust needed the flange to be re-welded to suit the dumps.
Excited to start the car for the first time after having it off the road for near 5 months, I was bleeding the clutch and had removed a cable from the starter solenoid make room to swing the spanner. Put the intercooler back on, Clutch in and turn the key .....Nothing! I was devastated. Then remembered I had disconnected the cable from the starter solenoid.
Went back under the bonnet reached down and plugged it back in - all good now. Back in the drivers seat, clutch in and turned the key. Fired up first go! I was a happy chappy. This first run had no exhaust past the dumps so it sounded amazing rumbling away in the shed. I wish I had it on film.
It was a very straight forward conversion because everything was moved across from the
nearly complete and what was a previously running halfcut.
Mods list now include:
Tein Flex coilovers - removed and back to Bilsteins
Whiteline 20mm rear sway bar
Laile Front Strut Brace - removed due to Hyperflow TMIC
Laile Rear Strut Brace
05 Liberty GT Front and Rear brakes
Zerosports bonnet air splitter
ARC carbon bonnet scoop
Hyperflow TMIC
Silicone intercooler hoses
In guard resonator elbow mod
Exhaust Technology 2.5" dumps to 3" straight through exhaust
S&J Ecutek Stage 3 tune
52mm steering column mount Boost Gauge
17x8.5 Advan TC II wheels
And a few pics in it's current state:
right off.
