Liberty 2.5i BL 2007, 5 Speed Manual, EJ253
Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2020 11:45 am
Hello everyone, I've only been a member on this forum for about 4 months but i have been following everyone since October 2019. I must say all the information on this forum has helped me a lot while working on my car. I am currently pursuing cert 3 Light vehicle motor mechanic course and bought this as my project car.
I managed to purchase a Black 2.5i sedan from an auction with 200,000kms, service history and a clean carfacts record. Car ran well when i picked it up but had contaminated coolant and low engine oil level. First thing i did was top up both and dropped it off for roadworthy inspection. My dodgy mechanic had charged me $1600 and had the car sitting in his garage for almost 20 days and has changed the following to get the car road worthy.
1. Front control arm lower inner rear bushes.
2. Cv boots on the front.
3. Passenger side rear view mirror.
4. Rear brake pads
5. Engine oil change.
After everything was fixed and name transfer done i was officially an owner of a liberty. Although Gt or a Spec-B would have been nice but since the lack of knowledge about the model lineup and funds i kind of settled down with the 2.5i. This was my dream car since the time i moved to Australia ( i'm from southern part of India, Hyderabad). I have seen some really tastefully modified cars on Melbourne streets and started researching about whats available, what was sold initially when Subaru came out with this model that we all love. After some research and saving up i started upgrading/modifying my car according to my taste/budget and all the wise factors which make sense on a daily driven vehicle.
Basics:
1.First thing i did was to get 4 new tyres. Car came with roadworthy tyres but had different pattern on fronts and the rear. being an awd drivetrain i wanted same pattern tyres all four corners.
2.Next was to change all fluids in the car. I managed to replace coolant, brake fluid, clutch fluid, diff oil, transmission oil and power steering fluid. Having accesses to a hoist at my uni made this job very easy.
3.Window tint to combat straya sun.
4.Air filter (Ryco), Cabin filter (westfil)
5.Valve cover gaskets and spark plug seals (Genuine Subaru)
6.NGK Spark plugs
7.Ignition leads
After driving the car for about 2 months i started the modifications. By this time i had a good feel of the car about how it handles and drives while it is completely stock setup. All the stock rubber bushings were showing signs of wear and the car felt like a boat and at times scary on the freeway as it used to get unsettled after hitting a bump or while driving on uneven surface.
Driving and Handling:
1.Whiteline BSF35Z (Front) & BSR39Z (Rear) swaybars
2.Whiteline KLC144 - Rear swaybar endlinks
3.Whiteline KDT905 - Rear differential mount support outrigger bushing kit
4.Whiteline KDT927 - Rear differential mount in cradel bushing kit
5.Whiteline KTA124 - Rear control arms - lower front and rear arms
6.Whiteline KCA307 - Rear control arm - Lock bolt kit
7.Whiteline W63396 - Rear control arm - Upper inner bushing kit
8.Whiteline W63397 - Rear control arm - Upper outer bushing kit
9.Whiteline W0506 - Front control arm - lower inner front bushing kit (bought it but yet to be replaced)
10.Whiteline KDT901 - Front gearbox crossmember pad bushing kit
11.Whiteline KDT957 - Front gearbox linkage selector bushing kit
12.Whiteline KDT965 - Front gearbox mount bushing kit
13.Whiteline W92830 - Front gearbox selector bushing kit
14.Whiteline KSR207 - Front steering rack and pinion mount bushing kit
15.Superpro TRC1025 - Front swaybar endlinks
16.Tyres - 235/45R17 Michelin Pilot Sport 4
17.Alloys 2011 WRX 17"x8" +53 offset, PCD 5x100
18.Upgraded to Gt brakes with DBA 2650S-10 for fronts with RDA brake pads and DBA 653S with TRW brake pads.
19.HEL Braided Brake lines for GT
20.Contacted Shockworks for coilovers , Waiting for this lockdown to end!
21.Replaced Powersteering suction and outlet hose with Subaru oem parts to get rid of the powersteering whine.
22.Timing Belt, Water pump, seals, pulleys replaced with Gates kit TCKHWPT304-1 at 205,000 kms.
23.Top and bottom oem radiator hoses with new oem thermostat.
24.Cusco brake cylinder stopper.
Lighting:
1.H7 Osram nightbreaker laser for low beam and Cosmic H9 LED upgrade from iilumo for high beam.
2.Changed all halogen bulbs (Parkers, interior, number plate, brake, indicators) to LED. Purchased from iilumo
3.JDM yellow fogs but not satisfied with the light output.
4.Ordered Diode dynamics ss3 pods in yellow/sport output and waiting for them to be delivered.
Exhaust:
1.UEL headers off facebook marketplace, Made by Borla.
2.X Force 2.5" catback exhaust (used).
3.Everything was put together by my mechanic(not the old dodgy one)
4.High flow cat
5.O2 sensor spacer to get rid of CEL codes.
Appearance:
1.JDM Honeycomb grille
2.JDM plates
3.Rally Armour Mud flaps
4.Weather shields
5.Headlights restored and ceramic coated.
6.Did everything myself, Claybar, Paint decontamination, polish and protection = bead porn.
Future mods planned:
1.Shockworks coilovers
2.Gen 4 pre facelift spoiler with led stop light. (yet to paint it and install)
3.Fascia kit with ac controls and Pioneer headunit with Apple Carplay.
4.Wrx Sti seats or Gt/ Spec-B leather seats.
5.Aluminium Radiator
6.Cylinder 4 cooling mod
7.Short Shifter from corgiwerx
8.Sti steering rack
9.Need to fix a dent on the passenger side rear fender (probably why i got the car for so cheap)
Sorry for not posting good photos. Car looks bone stock apart from JDM grille, Plates and wrx wheels. I couldn't go out due to the lockdown to click some decent pictures. I will post the build processes with detailed pictures in a seperate thread. Please feel free to give me any feedback or suggestions about my build processes. As i said i am still new to this and still learning. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you.
I managed to purchase a Black 2.5i sedan from an auction with 200,000kms, service history and a clean carfacts record. Car ran well when i picked it up but had contaminated coolant and low engine oil level. First thing i did was top up both and dropped it off for roadworthy inspection. My dodgy mechanic had charged me $1600 and had the car sitting in his garage for almost 20 days and has changed the following to get the car road worthy.
1. Front control arm lower inner rear bushes.
2. Cv boots on the front.
3. Passenger side rear view mirror.
4. Rear brake pads
5. Engine oil change.
After everything was fixed and name transfer done i was officially an owner of a liberty. Although Gt or a Spec-B would have been nice but since the lack of knowledge about the model lineup and funds i kind of settled down with the 2.5i. This was my dream car since the time i moved to Australia ( i'm from southern part of India, Hyderabad). I have seen some really tastefully modified cars on Melbourne streets and started researching about whats available, what was sold initially when Subaru came out with this model that we all love. After some research and saving up i started upgrading/modifying my car according to my taste/budget and all the wise factors which make sense on a daily driven vehicle.
Basics:
1.First thing i did was to get 4 new tyres. Car came with roadworthy tyres but had different pattern on fronts and the rear. being an awd drivetrain i wanted same pattern tyres all four corners.
2.Next was to change all fluids in the car. I managed to replace coolant, brake fluid, clutch fluid, diff oil, transmission oil and power steering fluid. Having accesses to a hoist at my uni made this job very easy.
3.Window tint to combat straya sun.
4.Air filter (Ryco), Cabin filter (westfil)
5.Valve cover gaskets and spark plug seals (Genuine Subaru)
6.NGK Spark plugs
7.Ignition leads
After driving the car for about 2 months i started the modifications. By this time i had a good feel of the car about how it handles and drives while it is completely stock setup. All the stock rubber bushings were showing signs of wear and the car felt like a boat and at times scary on the freeway as it used to get unsettled after hitting a bump or while driving on uneven surface.
Driving and Handling:
1.Whiteline BSF35Z (Front) & BSR39Z (Rear) swaybars
2.Whiteline KLC144 - Rear swaybar endlinks
3.Whiteline KDT905 - Rear differential mount support outrigger bushing kit
4.Whiteline KDT927 - Rear differential mount in cradel bushing kit
5.Whiteline KTA124 - Rear control arms - lower front and rear arms
6.Whiteline KCA307 - Rear control arm - Lock bolt kit
7.Whiteline W63396 - Rear control arm - Upper inner bushing kit
8.Whiteline W63397 - Rear control arm - Upper outer bushing kit
9.Whiteline W0506 - Front control arm - lower inner front bushing kit (bought it but yet to be replaced)
10.Whiteline KDT901 - Front gearbox crossmember pad bushing kit
11.Whiteline KDT957 - Front gearbox linkage selector bushing kit
12.Whiteline KDT965 - Front gearbox mount bushing kit
13.Whiteline W92830 - Front gearbox selector bushing kit
14.Whiteline KSR207 - Front steering rack and pinion mount bushing kit
15.Superpro TRC1025 - Front swaybar endlinks
16.Tyres - 235/45R17 Michelin Pilot Sport 4
17.Alloys 2011 WRX 17"x8" +53 offset, PCD 5x100
18.Upgraded to Gt brakes with DBA 2650S-10 for fronts with RDA brake pads and DBA 653S with TRW brake pads.
19.HEL Braided Brake lines for GT
20.Contacted Shockworks for coilovers , Waiting for this lockdown to end!
21.Replaced Powersteering suction and outlet hose with Subaru oem parts to get rid of the powersteering whine.
22.Timing Belt, Water pump, seals, pulleys replaced with Gates kit TCKHWPT304-1 at 205,000 kms.
23.Top and bottom oem radiator hoses with new oem thermostat.
24.Cusco brake cylinder stopper.
Lighting:
1.H7 Osram nightbreaker laser for low beam and Cosmic H9 LED upgrade from iilumo for high beam.
2.Changed all halogen bulbs (Parkers, interior, number plate, brake, indicators) to LED. Purchased from iilumo
3.JDM yellow fogs but not satisfied with the light output.
4.Ordered Diode dynamics ss3 pods in yellow/sport output and waiting for them to be delivered.
Exhaust:
1.UEL headers off facebook marketplace, Made by Borla.
2.X Force 2.5" catback exhaust (used).
3.Everything was put together by my mechanic(not the old dodgy one)
4.High flow cat
5.O2 sensor spacer to get rid of CEL codes.
Appearance:
1.JDM Honeycomb grille
2.JDM plates
3.Rally Armour Mud flaps
4.Weather shields
5.Headlights restored and ceramic coated.
6.Did everything myself, Claybar, Paint decontamination, polish and protection = bead porn.
Future mods planned:
1.Shockworks coilovers
2.Gen 4 pre facelift spoiler with led stop light. (yet to paint it and install)
3.Fascia kit with ac controls and Pioneer headunit with Apple Carplay.
4.Wrx Sti seats or Gt/ Spec-B leather seats.
5.Aluminium Radiator
6.Cylinder 4 cooling mod
7.Short Shifter from corgiwerx
8.Sti steering rack
9.Need to fix a dent on the passenger side rear fender (probably why i got the car for so cheap)
Sorry for not posting good photos. Car looks bone stock apart from JDM grille, Plates and wrx wheels. I couldn't go out due to the lockdown to click some decent pictures. I will post the build processes with detailed pictures in a seperate thread. Please feel free to give me any feedback or suggestions about my build processes. As i said i am still new to this and still learning. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you.