I’ve had this car for about 1.5 years. I got it as a $500 beater I could use when I hit the gravel and not have to worry about my “nice” car getting damaged. It was already being used as backwoods fishing hole transportation. It probably should have just been parted out. I never expected to fall in love with this heap of junk. I figured with all the work I'm about to put into it, I may as well start documenting it's progress. I'm also hoping to use this to debate ideas for it's future.
BACKSTORY
That was the car when I brought it home. The exhaust was missing from the 2nd cat back. The windshield was smashed on the passenger side. The whole front end body looked like it lost a drunk back alley fight. Other than replacing a wheel bearing, I drove it like that for 4-6 months. My goal was to spend as little money as possible on it, see how long it takes to die.
After the second time I was pulled over, I gave in and decided to clean up the front end. I put a new windshield in myself. I’ve seen it done enough that it looked super easy. It was not super easy. I won't make that mistake again. I replaced both front fenders, hood, and grill. I had to straighten the rad support to get the new hood to meet the latch. Then I threw on a random subaru exhaust a friend gave me for free. Even though it sat kinda high, I didn't think it was much of an issue until it melted a giant hole in my bumper.
April 1st, 2018 – I pick up a replacement driveshaft and shifter linkage from RedBimmer93. This is relevant later.
So now the car’s chugging along. Slight misfire, but otherwise relatively solid. I’ve blown through a MAF already, and when I replaced it I noticed that there were about 20 nickle-sized holes drilled in to the bottom of the airbox (I assume for water drainage). I put a new air filter in and just left it as is. Then I blew another MAF. So I replaced it and put some tape on the bottom of the airbox.
April 4th, 2019. The Forester completely dies on my way to work. I tow it home. Eventually it works out that I’m going to pick up an engine from... RedBimmer93. I guess higher powers have decided he needs to do an annual garage clearout? Or maybe he's just sabotaging my car.
After some troubleshooting, it turns out it was my new MAF. So now I’m on MAF #4. #3 had been giving me issues for a while, but I took the opportunity to replace the airbox just in case it was still leaking. Hopefully #4 is here to stay.
FUTURE PLANS
Next weekend I’m doing the suspension and brakes. The current set is toast, and my bushings are all in terrible condition.
The “Need To Do” List:
- Rear diff bushings - Probably the whiteline kit or something similar.
- Gear and Diff fluid swap (any suggestions here?)
- New bumpers with quick releases.
- Fix Exhaust Position
- Install an ebrake assembly
Eventually I'll slap on some fun stuff like a bumper bar, aux lights and a roof rack. For budget's sake, I'm going to try and make as much of this at home as possible. I'm totally open to suggestions.
