long time impreza/wrx owner, now with blitzen gen 4

[vicious_fishes]

Basically just got it as a *nicer* car with the H6.

Looking to put some 18x8's on it in future, maybe some sti pink springs. I'm fairly unimpressed with the bilstein struts everyone raves about though, maybe mine are just tired after 250,000km.

Mods so far are to fit a gen 3 thicker radiator, have a lightweight crank pulley machined, TIC holy shift kit, leather duracon shift knob, and fit a lightweight flywheel and act HD clutch while i had the engine out. If anyone's interested, I can give them a quick rundown on how to fit the gen 3 thicker radiator.

Oil cooler going in soon, and i need to figure something out as far as front lips that suit the blitzen bumper go. I'd also like a lightweight driveshaft and discovered my GD impreza spec c steering rack doesn't fit and I need an 08+ one.

I also have an anti lift kit and com C camber plates ready to install when I decide what I'm doing about struts/springs. Coilover options seem limited.

[vicious_fishes]

Also, I'm planning on selling the blitzen wheels with tyres. Anyone know what an appropriate price is?

[vinshonz]

hi mate, i remember your name on wrx forums

also ex wrx owner for 6 years

now liberty

[Surge]

More info on the gen 3 rad would be good.
Are you saying the stock gen3 rad is thicker than stock gen 4?

[vicious_fishes]

Yes, the gen 3 rad is SIGNIFICANTLY thicker. Gen 4 is 16mm, gen 3 is 22mm. So nearly 40% thicker.

The bottom mounts are the exact same spot, the top mounts close but not quite. all you need to do to mount it is to drill holes in the cross beam and run a bolt + nut setup instead of the factory welded nuts. You even reuse the top mounts, just put the rubber O rings in upside down on one side.

the fans fit on both bottom sides and with a little wiggle one of the top mounts as well. Then just ziptie the other one on each side.

You also need to get a bit of rubber hose from *anywhere* and run it in a longer loop into the overflow bottle as the exit at the cap exits in the other direction. Finally, you'll need to trim about 10mm off the passenger's side rad hose as the inlet is just that little bit closer that when you rotate it it kinks a little.

There's a bit of "massaging" but it does go in with two drilled holes, two zip ties and a pair of scissors




As you can see it's quite a bit thicker. Same as stock GD STI if you've ever seen one of those.

You can also get a 40mm aftermarket wrx rad to fit with some other arguing - you need to run a 38mm to 28mm silicone joiner into a 28mm T piece, then 2x45* silicone joiners off the ends of the T piece, then 2x straight joiners into the two engine coolant out lines, the passenger's side of which will need to be replaced with another driver's side line that's been cut into a single 90* turn. All up it's around $200 in hoses/fittings on top of the price of the radiator.

You'll then discover that the coolant overflow tank won't clear the engine and you'll need to drill a hole in the windscreen washer reservoir and use that as your overflow. As long as you never let that run completely dry you *can* get an aftermarket 40mm rad to fit.

Alternatively, you take it to a metalworking/engineering shop and get them to remove the 38mm and weld in a couple of 28mm inlets onto the top tank and then do the same thing with the overflow tank.

[bigBADbenny]

Welcome to the boaty side!
Shockworks & MCA are the go to locally developed coilovers for Libs, I'm on the former and love em
They absolutely make sense of the car and any other improvements. Stock sways work perfectly so just add bushes and bracing (eg Avo caster LCA's and the rear sway bar mounts)
The late GD rack may fit with machining the mount on one side and adding a spacer to the other to compensate for the offset.
The late GD guts may fit a bp/bl rack as the rack rebuild kit is the same p/n. A specialist eg statewide driveshaft should be able to eyeball the possibility of the swap...
The GR quick rack being for wide body will require the inner tie rods to be slightly shortened & thinner jam nuts as its a widebody type. Or the BP/bl itr's may fit the rack end (I've not yet checked/the lhd ends are certainly different.
The rims, it's a rare rim really so $700+ the set if absolutely mint...
But stock specs so keep yer expectations realistic

[vicious_fishes]

Thanks mate. The spec c rack will physically mount but the inlets for the lines butt up against the crossmember and i'd have to trim it more than I'm comfortable with to get them connected. Tie rods are dead simple to change over though, if not just adjust the links like any wheel alignment.

I have all five wheels as the car comes with a full size spare, not sure if that would add anything to the price.

[vicious_fishes]

Better shot of the gen 3 rad installed:



As you can see, there's a bit of massaging but there really isn't much to it.

[Surge]

Very nice, can see how it is in fact thicker.
Also good that it almost looks stock.

[bigBADbenny]

Yeah rim price would depend on condition and the existence of another committed blitzen owner looking for a good set of 5.

Which gen spec C rack is it?
I have a spare Postfl iirc front crossmember if you need to borrow for test fits or to bend the lines.
Alternatives are bending and flaring new lines or get eg statewide to do it all for you.
I have all 3 types of quick racks (inc the bugeye rack I bought from you way back) and some spare BP/BL racks so we could team up for a solution.

And a fourth option is to swap in a crossmember from the rack's donor car, iirc early and late GD are certainly compatible with each other and probably GR and BP/BL are too.
I'll have to look in the wreckers as cross members are relatively affordable and the suby engine bays are always empty due to the demand for donor engines LOL.

1 GR rack into BP, rack lines need bending(???)/widebody itr's req trimming
2 late GD rack into BP, shave mount, add spacer, bend lines or make new..
3 swap late GD guts into BP rack: possible even?
4 GR to BP subframe swap...

[bigBADbenny]

Iirc I did see a carbon driveshaft for sale somewhere, maybe wrx club or an FB wrx sti group.
Check out CorgiWerks for shifter upgrades inc sts adaptor and bushes.
Take a peek at mantic clutches, like the above, another Aussie developed product that's state of the art...

[vicious_fishes]

Yeah rim price would depend on condition and the existence of another committed blitzen owner looking for a good set of 5.

Which gen spec C rack is it?
I have a spare Postfl iirc front crossmember if you need to borrow for test fits or to bend the lines.
Alternatives are bending and flaring new lines or get eg statewide to do it all for you.
I have all 3 types of quick racks (inc the bugeye rack I bought from you way back) and some spare BP/BL racks so we could team up for a solution.

And a fourth option is to swap in a crossmember from the rack's donor car, iirc early and late GD are certainly compatible with each other and probably GR and BP/BL are too.
I'll have to look in the wreckers as cross members are relatively affordable and the suby engine bays are always empty due to the demand for donor engines LOL.

1 GR rack into BP, rack lines need bending(???)/widebody itr's req trimming
2 late GD rack into BP, shave mount, add spacer, bend lines or make new..
3 swap late GD guts into BP rack: possible even?
4 GR to BP subframe swap...

2005. The direct mount one. It physically mounts, but the lines can't connect and neither can the steering knuckle. Not even a forester knuckle fit, though I didn't try an outback.

A subframe swap would really be the last resort.

I also made another thread but does anyone know if there is a geometrical change between the alloy and the steel front control arms? I'd change over to the alloy ones if they improve the geometry but it isn't worth worrying for the few hundred grams alone.

[bigBADbenny]

No geometry change. However caster adjust lca bushes are available.
It's possible to use the GR+ STi widebody arms apparently for moar track/camber potential.
Gen4 Libs were the precursor platform for the GH/GR/08+ platform, the specific differences being the STi's front track & LCA diameter, different front knuckles for 5x114.3 hubs & rear subframe and links arrangement.

[vicious_fishes]

Yes I've discovered that a lot of parts are interchangeable.

Not going to bother with the LCA's though.

Do you guys have a source for pink springs?

[bigBADbenny]

Forums, FB groups, import monster, japanparts...
Iirc Prefl pink springs are lower than post, or try swift, or some hr's, plenty of info here to research inc saggy butt spacers for adjusting rake.
Lca bushing upgrade or replacement is mandatory at some stage...
Due to the weak stock bush.
Iirc I have spare arms, a few sets good to go or press bushes