2002 - 2007

Our new project is a 2002, but we're going to make it look like a 2007 model. The main difference is in the front end.

Here's are a couple of 2002's, also called "bugeye":



And here's what the 2007 looks like:


Now we just need to find a new hood, bumper, and headlights!

Flock it!

The first real work that we did on the car was to flock the dashboard. This is done to reduce glare from the dashboard, and allow the driver to focus on the road. It's easy to do when the dash is out.

We started with a kit from Donjer. It worked awesome. You basically paint on some glue over the entire surface, and then you blow on a very fine "dust" of flocking material. When it dries, it feels like suede. The whole process took less than an hour, plus several days curing time.

Dash before...


Dash after... It feels like a Fuzzy Wuzzy Bear.

Searching for parts

Even though the new project came with a lot of stuff, it still needs a lot to be finished.

Some key things that the car needs:
- Intake/Throttle Body
- Intercooler
- Radiator and fans
- Exhaust
- Nuckles/wheel bearings that aren't shot
- Fenders & front bumper cover
- Matching locks & ignition switch

Since the car already needs some bodywork that we have to buy, we decided to change the bodywork so that car looks like a 2007 model, instead of a 2002. This might make it easier to find sponsors to help pay for everything, and the car will be worth more when we're done.

Finding all of these parts can be difficult and expensive. Luckily, we've found a local salvage yard that specializes in Subarus, and we found almost everything we need there. This place is exactly what you think of when you think of a salvage yard- Cars and parts everywhere, and a cat named Boots living in the cars. The owner, John, is super friendly and offers excellent customer service.

Here's a photo of the yard...



2007 model year fenders...


Every rally car needs a wing (and STI taillights)!

This mass of rubber and trim surrounds the doors and windows of the car to keep dust out- kind of important on a rally car. It took Dan two hours to pull all of this crap.

Brakes... This was a lucky find. John had some 2007 WRX brakes, front and back. We already have a set of fronts, but were happy to buy a full set from John- We'll use the ones we have as spares eventually. At the top is another lucky find- A set of dba two-piece brake rotors. We found these at the RalliTek garage sale and got an awesome deal on them. Hopefully, we'll never need another set of brakes!

Pix of new project

Dan and I started racing the RX-7 in 2003. We've had a ton of fun in that car, it's time to try something new.

We bought a rally car-in-progress from a local racer.

The car is a 2002 Subaru WRX. It has a great cage built by Judd Weld (great name for a guy who welds things!). The car comes with a brand new motor, brand new transmission, new brakes, rally seats, rally computer, rally intercom- pretty much everything. But none of it is assembled. It's going to take a lot of work to finish this car.

The car is at RalliTek in Portland, and luckily the owner of RalliTek is interested in helping us finish the car in exchange for some exposure for his business.

We still have to gather many parts for this car, as the shell is very bare. It had been a theft recovery and was completely stripped.

The hope is to have the car finished by the spring of 2010- for the Doo Wops race, which was also our first race in the RX-7.

Future posts will include parts gathering, fabbing, installation, and dirt slinging.