The wagon was never much of a project but the last round of changes are significant so I figured I would sort of document it here. Older modifications may be added later on, for completeness.
After "deleting" 3rd gear in my 5MT twice within a span of a year, driving the wagon involved 1st gear to 3k, change to 2nd, rev to 4k, change to 4th and go from <2k. People must think I was racing at each light, but only up to ~60kph
After saving my pennies I decided to switch out everything that is attached to the engine.
First, rip out the old stuff:
Then, throw in the new stuff (rear diff/brakes off to the side):
The ripping out and the throwing in of parts was done by Dustin and Ryan at Vex Performance.
Recycled my WRX shift boot (spot the zip ties, which since been replaced with an o-ring):
The combination of the sturdy 6MT and stiffer shifter bushings feels nice, real nice.
Zip up to Edmonton on borrowed wheels/tires (thanks to Perfect Dark) to pick up some 07 STi wheels:
Snackers was kind enough to pick them up from the seller and help with the parking lot wheel swap. Sure is nice to know people on WSC
So what do I do next, now that 3rd gear has been added back, along with a bonus 6th gear? Put it back on the dyno, of course. Just a quick check to make sure everything is still working as they should:
Time to do some turbo testing, perhaps?