New in Victoria: Dicko's MY07 Liberty!

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New in Victoria: Dicko's MY07 Liberty!

Postby 06gtb » Sat Mar 11, 2017 3:17 pm

Howdy y'all! Name's Billy, though you can call me Dicko. I'm in Vic, in the southern suburbs of Melbourne and after painfully losing my 6-speed stick XR6 Turbo sedan, tastefully modified and tuned to just under 320kW at the wheels, I've spent the last two months looking for a suitable replacement. Ironically, the Falcon was in that almost-WRX blue, and the visual mods I implemented were inspired by the first-gen WRXs with the yellow fog lights and all. It was a damn fast car with a roomy interior and I love to carry passengers, but the manufacturing quality on the Ford (specifically the interior) left me wanting. That and an insurance payout for being rear-ended hard enough to write it off by statute (careful driving through Frankston guys, people love distractions) has given me this opportunity to experience something new.

Looking for a reasonably-sized sedan with either 8 Cylinders or forced induction (superchargers don't count in my book), the last of the 2nd-gen WRX sedans (Aeroplane-style front grille) seemed to fit the bill on paper. The first one I drove had just had a complete engine rebuild with forged internals, and drove as if the turbo was always spooled at 100%!! Insanely fun, impossible to get roadworthy and not exactly a passenger-comfort machine. The next one had the signature WRX blue, seemed the price, but the moment it rocked up was so full of flaws I couldn't believe the guy selling it was serious - scrapes on all four bumper corners that had been repaired with spray paint, a loud scraping noise when turning right, and even a check engine light he couldn't explain!!! I ran as fast as I could away from that one.

But the biggest disappointment from all of them was the interior quality - honestly, we're talking expensive performance cars less than a decade old here, and it was like sitting in a VK Commodore. Almost turned me off the Subaru brand entirely - who would ever bother with the RS etc. models with a crappy interior like that?????

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Then my old man put the hard sell on me about test driving a Liberty/Legacy. Thinking "nah, too pedestrian/executive for me" going in, coming out I was stunned. The interior is as good if not better than my last LS-series Lexus (LS is about as luxury as it gets from Toyota/Lexus), the 6-speed gearbox crapped all over the WRX effort, smoother power and response, and I know the consensus seems to be more gimmick than function, but the SI-Drive selector made a huge difference to the driveability of the car. I can only imagine what that'd be like with a solid tune and boost control integrated!

After driving both the Tuned by STI models (god damn I love those brakes) and a fully-optioned Spec.B, I decided to go with the "Regal Blue" Spec.B because I actually preferred the suspension tune, it had 18" wheels already on it (luxury dealership option?) and the extra $2k they wanted for the STI, whilst still a comparatively excellent deal, was just enough out of my price range that I wouldn't be able to afford the on-road costs after purchase. the STI was black though, and god damn they are sexy in black... It also lacked the satnav/OBD info display screen that the Spec.B had. Photos of the final purchase below.


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So. Whilst there are zero mods on the car as it stands, I just can't settle for that. It's an unbelievable sleeper, but I'd like it to look ever-so-slightly more aggressive like the STI models. Here's what I had in mind, noting I've been lurking around here for a few weeks and literally everyone's opinion is a world unto itself:

- tbSTI Brembo brake calipers (The one serious shortcoming I noticed driving the Spec.B)
- Drilled/Slotted front rotors (anyone recommend pads that aren't standard STI? Probably unnecessary)
- The ultra-low-profile rear wing like LAROKI's white pre-facelift (viewtopic.php?f=7&t=34466)
- STI front lip
- STI short-throw shifter (it's slightly too long for my shorter left arm [weird, right?] from a comfortable driving position)

No change to springs or shocks - I find the height is perfect enough that I don't have to stop every 40m in residential streets, and firm enough to power out of corners accurately. I'm also pretty happy with the wheels, although I'm sure they perform better when they're all on the same new rubber.

- LED Tail lights / brake lights / rear indicators / reverse lights (not the garbage from autobarn, I'm talking $20-$30 bulbs that work properly in reflector housing, and either the resistors or relay I'll need to fix blinking problem)
- Amber LED parkers and LED front indicators (Always been a fan of the USDM running lights look)
- Some sort of mod to fix the crazing that happens on those pyrex glass headlight covers over time? It's annoying as hell, I've been told toothpaste... but I'd much rather have clean and clear stock headlights than any of those weird Audi-esque lights lined with LEDS.

And finally engine - it's surprisingly quick, especially on S# mode, but my studies tell me the gains to be had simply from a turbo-back free-flowing exhaust and appropriate downpipe are significant. I'll want it as legal as possible (within reason, obviously - clearly I'm going to enjoy myself some blowoff valve!) but that means wastegate dumping back into exhaust post-cat, 100CPI metal cat in the downpipe, 3" mild steel from there back (struggling to see the benefits of stainless [or even mandrel bends?] given it's heavier and the car probably won't be alive for decades?) splitting into dual 2" or 2.25" low-profile cannon mufflers with angle-cut tips, just so you know something's under there, and to give it that boxer sound at high RPM. Obviously when I get around to this stage, unequal length headers are a must. Having designed my fair share of exhaust systems (although never for FI) I'd be putting a 3" Magnaflow cylindrical muffler as close to the engine as possible, followed by a 18" "spiral glasspak" resonator somewhere near the centre of the car, then splitting into the smaller rears, possibly through some sort of Y-split muffler, depending on whether or not it's already too quiet.

I want to keep the engine bay as stock as possible, so the plan there is to install a K&N (Yes, K&N!) panel filter in the stock box, possibly close off some of those resonator holes and just take full advantage of the factory cold air intake - and of course, a blowoff valve. It's weird going from a big-displacement engine that hissed like a steam train whenever you lifted your foot to something that's completely silent - somewhere in between would be ideal!

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Ok so, what else was on that introduction list? Oh yeah, occupations - I've been a representative in local government til last November, worked in various roles as editor and writer for local media, worked as a fitter and turner in manufacturing, welding, truck driving, viticulture, agriculture... you name it, I've probably spent a few months doing it. Right now I'm just wrapping up my second degree, in Business - Arts isn't exactly a growth industry, take note kids, I'm 29 going on 30 and have no permanent employment prospects on the horizon, so I fill my time with a variety of casual work til I can find something remotely fulfilling (and stable!).



Previous Rides, in order of ownership:
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- 1989 Honda Prelude 4WS, Purple Pearl/Tiger Mica, Exhaust, headers, JL Audio 250/1v2 (12W3v2) respray, 18" chromies.... about as rice as it gets. It's still listed here: http://starcarsagency.com.au/vehicle/19 ... DE-CUSTOM/

- 1990 VN Commodore S-pack, Dark Red, 5-speed 3.8L V6... sold to a guy who totalled it in 3 days flat.

- 1993 Lexus LS400, Custom Cherry Red, custom-built Ford XR6T T5 5-speed and XR8 pedal and master cylinder attached (by me - took a year and a half!), Full custom dashboard with calibrated VDO gauges, 20" Lenso Brushed 20 spoke rims, Custom braided brake lines, Custom drilled & slotted rotors front & rear, "Big 3" 2ga battery, alternator & wiring upgrade, Optima Yellowtop, Kenwood 2-DIN DVD/GPS/DAB+ head unit feeding JL Audio 1000/1v2 (13W7v3) + JL Audio JX360x4 (2x JL C3 coax rear, 2x JL VR600 splits front), Full dual 2.25" custom exhaust with X-pipe, straight through (except for stock cats) - still the best exhaust (sound and performance) I've ever built!
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- 2005 Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo BA2, 6-Speed stick, Mal Wood triple-plate clutch, FPV 19" wheels, FPV slotted rotors and 4-pot calipers, King Low springs & shocks, Custom dual 2.5" turbo-back exhaust (why dual exhaust on a straight 6? You tell me), Turbosmart BOV, Autometer boost, OP and OT gauges, flash tuner with 15psi maps and 98RON tune, 1000cc injectors, Upgraded Walboro fuel pump... you could essentially lift the hood and hear "good to see you keep your car clean" from the friendly neighbourhood police" - they're good people round here and as long as there's not giant chrome intercoolers sticking out of the sunroof and you're not driving like a wanker, they'll let you pass. In the ICE department, I created basically the same audio setup as the LS400 but in the very convenient speaker size of 5"x7", which fits in... absolutely nothing else.
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There's been a couple of other paddock-bashers along the way, like an ED Civic which I practiced respraying on, a '70s Peugeot, a Red VL Calais, a Silver VK Calais, and a red Falcon Olympic Classic on gas which has hopefully been crushed into a paperweight by now, but those above are the cars that meant something.

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So apologies if I've gone overboard or if there's a better forum for such an "extensive" introduction, but as you've probably gathered if you've actually read this far is that I like to make these cars my own. With the right advice I know this Liberty can be ballin', but I have a feeling getting an audio system I can tune to perfection will be difficult with 17,498 speakers all over the car.

Anyway HELLO! And thanks for having me :)


Oh... and as for "Interest - what you like to do for fun," should pretty pretty obvious on the road, and the rest you'll just have to get to know me for!
06gtb
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:53 pm
Location: Mornington, VIC
Car: MY07 - Liberty GT Spec.B, Regal Blue
Real name: Billy Dee

Re: New in Victoria: Dicko's MY07 Liberty!

Postby bigBADbenny » Sat Apr 15, 2017 11:33 am

Nice intro! Welcome :) great colour that...
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bigBADbenny
 
Posts: 10420
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:36 pm
Location: Collingwood, Melbourne
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