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Sorry guys, Copying and pasting from another forum where i have posted this as well - Thread is pretty pic heavy so far and pretty wordy. If you have any questions please ask 
Hi All,
I thought it would be time for me to finally post up a thread about my 1998 GC8 WRX. I've owned the car for roughly 6 months, i bought it in decent condition and did the basics to get it up to scratch. This is more of a "look what i've done, let me know if you have any questions about it" and to track all the changes and upgrades that get done to the car to look back on .
Engine/Driveline:
- Standard EJ20T Engine with 195xxx KMS
- Standard TMIC
- TD04 Turbo
- Rebuilt gearbox by All Drive Subaroo with 2008 - 2010 internals
- Replaced Clutch with Daiken/Exedy OEM
- Hardrace Engine/Transmission/Pitch Mounts
- Whiteline Positive Shift Kit
- Kartboy Shifter Bushings (Front And Rear)
- GFB Ge-Force 2 Boost Controller configured with low/high boost presets
- "Resonatorectomy"
- Front Driveshafts Replaced
- Ebay EL Headers
- Turbo Back 2.5" Exhaust with Varex Muffler
- Ebay Short Shifter (Looking for a standard length shifter if anyone had one shout out)
- Full Major Service Including Belts and Rocker Cover Gaskets
- Rear Main + Gudgeon Cover
- PSR Silicone intake
- HEL Braided Clutch Slave Line
Handling/Suspension:
- Standard WRX Wheels
- Front Hardrace Endlinks
- Shagged Suspension all around :'(
- Cusco BCS
- HEL Braided Brake Lines (To Be Fitted)
- STI Carbon Fibre Front Strutbar
- Whiteline ALK
Interior/Audio Visual:
- Alpine Single Din
- Audison 6 X 9 Rears in parcel shelf (cut out done by previous owner)
- Hertz Front Speakers
- Sundown SA12 Sub
Exterior:
- Rear Window Visor
- Painted Lower Front Bar Opening Black (PlastiDip)
- Tint all around
- OEM Lip Kit
- Amber Corner Lights
- Crystal Foggies
Odds/Ends:
- Aircon Re-Gas and O-Ring replacement
- Steering rack O-Ring replacement
Future Mods:
- Rear Endlinks
- Front/Rear Swaybars
- Rear Strutbar
- MCA Blue Coilovers
- VF35/VF34
- STI Injectors
- New ECU + Tune
- STI Tripple Gauge Pod - Currently Waiting To find another top vent to be cut up so it fits.
- Replacement door cards because mine are worn from the previous owner (again yell out if you have any)
There is still heaps more to go, probably lots ive missed but i will add more as i find more pictures, i hope everyone likes it, let me know if there are any suggestions for the future
Long story short, i believed the shafts had issues and changed them. I then found out my front diff (possibly) was gone, loud rattling while driving .. so off it went to ADS in peakhurst
Here are some of the latest pics as well
Dat A$$
Just installed my ALK today! got the comfort version (Was a good price), it feels AMAZING. I cannot describe the amazing feeling, i havent got an alignment yet but it already feels so good, it just feels so planted and pulls through turns like they were nothing - what was once a sloppy feeling while turning and cornering hard has turned into a tight smooth experience.
I would suggest the ALK to anyone and everyone!
Silicone inlet is done ... PLEASE EVERYONE TAKE YOUR MANI OFF TO DO THIS IT TOOK FOREVER, sounds and looks sexy though, for a PSR product .. it wasnt the best fit .. but i love it nonetheless <3
Few more pics and updates guys
This is the GD+ Belt cover mod. I managed to pick it up cheap from a seller on FB. All it took was a little trimming around the PS RES and a piece of steel to match up with the original bolt hole and it went straight on. Probably the best bang for buck mod to tidy up the engine bay, the original covers were a combo of plastic and steel and looked pretty grubby even when painted. you can also see the PSR silicone intake i ended up fitting. A word of warning REMOVE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD! it was such a headache and for a PSR product, the fitment wasn't the best (still having issues with the bov return line)
Next up is the new CF STI strut brace i picked up today for a decent price, honestly i can't feel much of a difference probably because the front it pretty stiff already after the ALK. to be honest after the ALK, the front end feels spot on stiff, i can hook it at decent speeds through turns and the car sticks like glue.
another shot of the strut brace, more directed to the silicone Y pipe (ebay special) but fixed my boost leak issues, the previous one was a stock subi one that has hairline cracks and caused issues
Cusco BCS - best bang for buck besides braided brake lines that you can buy (braided lines already waiting to be installed but i would like to do the brakes at the same time so i am waiting for the moment). Pedal feel improved so much, it went from a sloppy spongy feel to a solid pedal feel with heaps of feedback.
You can also see the boost solenoid for the GFB G-Force II controller. The GFB features gain control and sensitivity control which improves the response from the stock TD04 so much, it pulls nearly all the way to the redline, it also improved the pull, it picks up so bloody quick now, and allows multiple boost maps with the 6 presets - so far i have high boost, low boost, high boost with high gain and low boost with low gain, it also features scramble boost with a button click so the boost can be wound up for overtaking or racing.
Control unit for the GFB - stealthy behind the wheel and easily visible while driving.
Subaru fender plug - improves directed airflow and also tidies up the bay after removing the resonator. fairly cheap from america ($2 but with $50 shipping 
) but ended up getting it for $15 ish shipped from tuspeed.
) but ended up getting it for $15 ish shipped from tuspeed. 
Time for another update guys, finally installed my RCA Kit, was probably the easiest mod i have done on the car yet. Pics Below:
was so simple to install, i would recommend 10/10 just like my other basic mods haha. Seriously, look up on youtube how to remove subaru ball joints takes 5 minutes a side or 10 without a pickle fork like me .
Everything removed
Comparison of the old vs new. you can clearly see the difference in height
Time for an alignment. If you have any questions please PM or respond!
Update time:
After doing the RCA kit, the car would screech when going around a turn too fast or going too fast through a sweeping bend (like merging onto the GWH from cumberland highway (if anyone not in sydney knows where this is), so i had enough of that and ended up getting an alignment, camber was good all around, but toe was at about 10 on both sides, this has now been set to 0 and the car drives so much better, sharp cornering feels so smooth!
The PS pump/RES has always leaked and been frustrating, my initial repair was the oring between the res and pump, this was replaced and never did quite solve the issue. I had another look at this the other day and noticed the top gasket for the lid was stiff and cracked, so i got to work with the RTV gasket maker and just ran a thin layer around the mating surface of the lid and the reservoir and this has now solved my leak!!! hooray!!! so bloody happy that thats one less leak to worry about.
Thought it would be a good idea to check the condition of the spark plugs in the car as well, at the moment, there are PFR6B's gapped at 6.5 in it. I have PFR7B's ready to go in and have gapped them at .7 as they should be. This should hopefully help with the performance of the car and will be replaced after running oil flush through along with a full service.
After the gearbox was replaced, i noticed that when decelerating while in gear, i can hear a rattling/grinding noise, im not sure what it is as it does not happen when in neutral/clutch pedal in, im heading back to All drive subaroo tomorrow to have this checked out, apparently its a common issue with subis but i just want to make sure no damage is being done to the car
Lastly ... the car has finally hit 199 000 KMS , at the moment im runnint Penrite ten tenths 10w-40 in it. If anyone knows of something a little more suitable/cheaper, im open to opinions
Couple of updates guys.
I have has the JDM gauge pod installed for quite some time now, it has no gauges in it .. and i found out that the only way to fit 52mm gauges in it is to make a new face. so thats next. I plan on putting in my new Apexi RSM that i installed and my newly purchased AEM analogue water temp gauge in the pod. This should neaten up the car a lot. The RSM will eventually be moved in the future when i get an AEM wideband .
.. and i found out that the only way to fit 52mm gauges in it is to make a new face. so thats next. I plan on putting in my new Apexi RSM that i installed and my newly purchased AEM analogue water temp gauge in the pod. This should neaten up the car a lot. The RSM will eventually be moved in the future when i get an AEM wideband . I also picked up a cheap as shift boot from ebay, suede looking with red stitching, looks much better than the previous acordian style one.
and From this
to this
Time for another update, I went to bunnings and decided to grab some MDF to redo my boot floor as the original carpet was worn and the crappy spare cover was broken and damaged
Ended up spending $25 on a piece of MDF and made up something pretty nice - at the moment its raw, but will be carpeted when i decide to.
Used some offcuts i had to make up two stoppers for each side to hold my box of tools/oils/fluids in and for my zip up toolbox. Overall pretty happy with the outcome, the boot is alot quieter and the mysterious rattle????? - sounds like a thud when going over bumps etc appears to be gone , must have been the spare bumping around or something alike.
On another note ... when i pulled the boot carpet up there was about 3 inches of water in spare wheel well, so i sprayed on some rust converter, and cut a small hole in the boot drain plug to allow water to get out. Also coated thoroughly in sound deadener as the boot was pretty noisy. Does anyone know where common boot leaks are? i dont want this to be common 
the seals look good but apparently the lights commonly leak.
the seals look good but apparently the lights commonly leak. Pics below
Hey all,
Managed to get a deal on something special (see below) straight plug and play for a v4 WRX (early 98 built)!!!
im going on holidays soon so unfortunately it and other mods will have to wait until october
Yoyo guys, Upgrade time!
Picked up a 22mm adjustable RSB and also decided to mod my newer style diff bush inserts to fit.
I am beyond impressed words.
the 22mm RSB makes the car feel so planted and solid, i can point and shoot at turns and the car behaves!
The diff inserts - where do i begin. After doing the gearbox, pitch and engine mounts, i was very happy, but i still felt an immense amount of slop when changing gears or dropping the clutch too hard. With these in, its ridiculous - there is no noticeable NVH increase and shifts are smooth as. Rev match shifts are straight in and the car doesnt jerk like the box is about to fall out.
Below are some pics in order, not going to name them, you'll get the idea. Hit me up if you are interested in knowing the diff insert model.
So it's been a while since i posted last and a few things have been done on bae.
After the sway bar and diff insert bushes i spent some time changing the Shift knuckle - this was a little worn out and i thought changing it would make a massive difference - it made a minimal difference so i looked a little further, it turns out my shifter pivot bush was very worn. I had a look around and found TIC make a rebuild kit .. it was $45 before shipping so off to bunnings i went. I found some black sprinkler hose by the meter for $2 and some nylon washers for $9. after popping the shifter out and playing around i found a pretty good combination. 2 X black sprinkler hose sleeves with one nylon washer on each side. Greased it up and tightened the pivot bolt decently until the shifter felt tight and shes good to go. its made such an improvement and along with the front and rear shifter bushes with the knuckle, shifting feels so crisp and sharp.
so i looked a little further, it turns out my shifter pivot bush was very worn. I had a look around and found TIC make a rebuild kit .. it was $45 before shipping so off to bunnings i went. I found some black sprinkler hose by the meter for $2 and some nylon washers for $9. after popping the shifter out and playing around i found a pretty good combination. 2 X black sprinkler hose sleeves with one nylon washer on each side. Greased it up and tightened the pivot bolt decently until the shifter felt tight and shes good to go. its made such an improvement and along with the front and rear shifter bushes with the knuckle, shifting feels so crisp and sharp. 
with the leftovers from the hose and washers, i can probably make about 10 more if anyone needs theirs rebuilt.
While doing the shifter knuckle, i found the best way to remove the pins was to use an appropriately sized drill bit in a socket on a few extensions and used that to drive out the center then outer pin. honestly the best way to do this is to use a punch set dont muck around and waste your time - also REMOVE THE CROSSMEMBER!! i cannot stress this enough, i was up myself and thought i would be able to do it with the crossmember still in BUT i was wrong - its much easier to drive the pins out without trying to wiggle around the crossmember.
old vs new
POWER STEERING LEAK!!!!
ever since i purchased the car, there has been a power steering leak, i changed the common failure tank to pump O ring but this continued but when this never ended up resolving the issue. Fast forward a few months, i noticed the lid of the tank had PS fluid leaking down the side, when i removed the lid i noticed the lid gasket had gone hard and begin perishing. there were heaps of cracks in the gasket and that this was probably the cause. At the time i couldnt work out the part number for the gasket, i ended up just using gasket goo around the sealing surface hoping that this would work but eventually started leaking again. This week i managed to get the gasket for $15 shipped to Australia. The difference is amazing, the old one is warped and messed up.
Old cracked gasket on the bottom
a few months back ichiban had a garage sale, i picked up this sweet set of GC8 4 pots to replace my MY98 sliding calipers. these need new dust boots still but theyre in good nick, also need the S clips for the pads but thats not too hard. these also got a good cleaning and coat of paint. im due for new pads and rotors soon so when its time for that, i will install these and get my braided brake lines on as well.
Any questions, PM or post here
