Thinking of a change..

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Thinking of a change..

Postby Stifull » Mon Nov 19, 2018 1:20 am

Hi fellow Subaru lovers. I am 65, married for 30 something years with 6 children and 3 wonderful grandchildren, 3 dogs and live in a beautiful rural area north west of Brisbane. I am retired computer tech. I am one of Subarus biggest fans...the cars, not the company... I am thinking I would like to get a Liberty for a bit more comfort and safety. I have been searching for a while now. I just missed out on one in Dubbo last week.. It had a mountain of goodies and had been tastefully done. It was making 285kwatw with all the matching suspension, brakes etc as well as all the receipts etc etc. It was an 07 Spec b sti .. We have a few Rexs and an sti and they are all moded and I am used to 13 second cars so I don't want to go backwards in performance and handling. I believe the Libs are 300kg heavier so I imagine that is going to take a fair bit of power to make it feel like what I am used to. Most of the Libs for sale seem to be 'Stock" .. I am not sure why people make such a fuss about their car being stock. I guess they think if they say it is moded folks will think that means it is thrashed within an inch of it's life. Personally I think the more mods the better 8) , as long as they are well done and the car is serviced and well looked after. I love my daily drive wrx. It is a GC8 with a 2.5lt with all the usual goodies. VF22, 3" TBE with ceramic lined divorced downpipe, CAI, all silicon intake, Y pipe, bigger injectors , Walbro, alloy radiator, IC water spray kit, full whiteline upgrade to all bars, links, ALK, King lows etc etc 4 Pot cals, slotted rotors . I have purposely kept it quiet and it is a LOT of fun. My eldest son has a Ver6 sti that also has a built 2.5lt engine ..They are very similar in power and handling but I prefer mine as it is not as raw as the sti. My wife has a bugeye WRX hatch with similar goodies but with only 2 ltr so it's a bit of a slug. Two of my daughters have had wrxs till recently but they both now have children so the rexs have been traded for SUVs full of prams and baby seat, LOL.. They both miss their rexs. My youngest daughter has an 09 Impreza (non turbo) ..
The main reason I wanted to replace my rex is it has no airbags and with spirited driving and track days at Lakeside, I am thinking airbags would be a nice upgrade.
I am not in a hurry as I wont bother unless it is as quick or quicker than what I am used to. I have a good relationship with Rus at Subievolution. I think my family are his best customers. I have spoken to Russell and Steve about various models of the liberties and as a result I am only looking for the 07 onwards 2.5ltr models and I am not fussed but I think I would be more likely to find what I am after in a Spec B Sti but a GT with 240kwts would probably be ok but they don't have the brembos, 6 speed etc. There is a black one that lives near us and it goes hard but still no real comparison in performance. I can't be bothered buying one and putting all the goodies into it , because of the hassle of rounding up all the gear and having it all installed and then the expense off the tuning cost..I am too old to mess around with that anymore.. I just want a quick one out of the box...Here are a couple of photos of our cars.. The red one is now gone and so is the Silver GF8 we still have the rest plus the EVO but we keep that hidden in the basement.
Please forgive me if I seem a bit fussy about what I am after but I have always liked high performance cars. I did my first drag race at Surfers Paridise International Raceway in my V8 Monaro almost 50 years ago. I have drag raced against my children at Willowbank as well as track work there and dirt track racing, and a go at drifting but I was not a fan. I also did a lot of go-carting. I have done Gymkhanas at the LVMA at Mt Cotton as well as several track days at Lakeside. I have also done a couple of defensive driving courses at Lakeside. In total I have driven over 1.2m klm so far and I am hoping to find the right Liberty in which to continue my enjoyment of driving..
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My sons and I also have a few 4x4s

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Current Subarus
07 Liberty GT (mine) 180kwt on 16lb
98 WRX Club Spes 2 with 2.5ltr upgrade(mine) sub 14 sec
99 Ver 6 Sti also with 2.5ltr upgrade (son) sub 14 sec
02 WRX Bugeye Hatch lots of goodies(wife)
09 Non Turbo Impreza(daughter#4)
Previous
98 GC8 WRX Hatch(daughter#1)
02 Bugeye WRX (daughter#2)
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Stifull
 
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Car: '07 Liberty GT '98 WRX CS2 2.5ltr

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby spike2135 » Mon Nov 19, 2018 10:35 am

nice :)



wot area of IT did you work in? ...i'm obviously in the wrong job.
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Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby Stifull » Mon Nov 19, 2018 11:55 am

Hi Spike.. Mate I was a contractor for a large global IT company (WANG) . The company founder, Dr An Wang basically invented the word processor and the sim memory module https://www.google.com/search?q=an+wang ... firefox-b.. During my time there I didn't make a lot of money as I have no qualifications or bits of paper but I did make a LOT of contacts over the many years I worked there. A builder friend and I built the 6 bedroom house in the photo,and with the help of my customers, Stramit, Sims Metal, HPM, Wattle, Martag, Bosch, Barbecues Galore (fireplace) and IT mates who were sparkies etc, and a lot of 2nd hand timber windows etc from my builder friend as well as 13 free 1800x900 panels of laminated glass being thrown out from a building demo in the city and a whole pile of free louvers, it all came together for only $52,000 to build about 18 years ago, including tanks and septic system etc..Part of my job was chief scrounger.. If they needed hens teeth or rocking horse poo, the would come to me. When you have a single income family with 6 children you get good at finding bargains..LOL... Not much has changed. All my cars are almost 20 years old but they are all excellent examples . I have a budget of $10k max for my Lib sti... Wish me luck.. The one I missed in Dubbo was $10k. I want the Brembos so I will not go below a Spec B GT, and I want the 2.5 so no older than 07.. I have friends in Japan so I am also looking at importing one. My 4x4 Van and the EVO are both imports from Japan. We bought both of our previous vans from Japan so I am quite familiar with the process. The demise of the Aus car industry has caused a change in the import rules so I need to investigate that further to see what can come in these days.
Current Subarus
07 Liberty GT (mine) 180kwt on 16lb
98 WRX Club Spes 2 with 2.5ltr upgrade(mine) sub 14 sec
99 Ver 6 Sti also with 2.5ltr upgrade (son) sub 14 sec
02 WRX Bugeye Hatch lots of goodies(wife)
09 Non Turbo Impreza(daughter#4)
Previous
98 GC8 WRX Hatch(daughter#1)
02 Bugeye WRX (daughter#2)
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Stifull
 
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Car: '07 Liberty GT '98 WRX CS2 2.5ltr

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby vinshonz » Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:18 pm

hi mate welcome

i seen some of those pics before, your from wrx forums? http://www.wrx.com.au/forum/
2008 Liberty GT Tuned by STi 27 of 250 made
PnP VF52, AVO TBE into TCP-Ti Mufflers, AVO panel filter, Mishimoto TMIC, Turbosmart Kompact BOV, Kobe Silicone Intake + SFB, Kobe 340LPH pump,
Tuspeed 3Port, Exedy HD + lightened flywheel, some Whiteline bits & Corgiwerx bits, Zeitronix Flex Fuel Analyser Kit , e85/98 Flex fuel -Got it REX tuned

2007 WRX Tuned by STi 35 of 200 made
STi Spec C TMIC+ProcessWest splitter, AVO TBE, X3E Silicone Intake, APS CAI, TurboSmart Kompact, Walbro, GrimmSpeed 3 Port, DEFI gauges
TD05-18G 198.5kw on RTRs Dyno - SOLD
vinshonz
 
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 6:53 am
Location: MELB
Car: 2008 Liberty GT TunedBySTi
Real name: Vincent

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby Stifull » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:30 pm

Hi Vincent.. Yes I have been a non financial member there for a while but don't visit soo much these days..It is a very quiet forum. I believe they all use the facebook page these days instead. Vincent you Lib Sti sounds nice.. I will try to find some pics.. You had a quick WRX, how do they compare. How many kwtsatw did you end up with after the got it rex tune ??
Current Subarus
07 Liberty GT (mine) 180kwt on 16lb
98 WRX Club Spes 2 with 2.5ltr upgrade(mine) sub 14 sec
99 Ver 6 Sti also with 2.5ltr upgrade (son) sub 14 sec
02 WRX Bugeye Hatch lots of goodies(wife)
09 Non Turbo Impreza(daughter#4)
Previous
98 GC8 WRX Hatch(daughter#1)
02 Bugeye WRX (daughter#2)
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Stifull
 
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Car: '07 Liberty GT '98 WRX CS2 2.5ltr

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby Stifull » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:42 pm

:D I found your dyno sheet.. 209kw.. on 16lb . Nice. I like the White..Don't see many of those. Do you know the number of white, black, silver etc they made. I think more than half are black from what I have seen on the for sale sites.
Current Subarus
07 Liberty GT (mine) 180kwt on 16lb
98 WRX Club Spes 2 with 2.5ltr upgrade(mine) sub 14 sec
99 Ver 6 Sti also with 2.5ltr upgrade (son) sub 14 sec
02 WRX Bugeye Hatch lots of goodies(wife)
09 Non Turbo Impreza(daughter#4)
Previous
98 GC8 WRX Hatch(daughter#1)
02 Bugeye WRX (daughter#2)
User avatar
Stifull
 
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Car: '07 Liberty GT '98 WRX CS2 2.5ltr

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby vinshonz » Tue Nov 20, 2018 9:25 pm

Stifull wrote:Hi Vincent.. Yes I have been a non financial member there for a while but don't visit soo much these days..It is a very quiet forum. I believe they all use the facebook page these days instead. Vincent you Lib Sti sounds nice.. I will try to find some pics.. You had a quick WRX, how do they compare. How many kwtsatw did you end up with after the got it rex tune ??


my wrx was more raw, weak brakes for the power it had, i felt that my gearbox would break at any moment, so i sold it before it broke :)
I didnt want a STI as it was too much of the same car its like buying the same car and getting a higher varient, each to the own i guess

So i went with the "Gentlemans WRX" so i found this 2008 Liberty tuned by Sti, its been 3 years now and i haven't looked back

Stifull wrote::D I found your dyno sheet.. 209kw.. on 16lb . Nice. I like the White..Don't see many of those. Do you know the number of white, black, silver etc they made. I think more than half are black from what I have seen on the for sale sites.


e85 is torquey, its punchy :D

which version you looking for?

2007 - only had Obsidian Black Pearl with charcoal wheels • Brilliant Silver (metallic) with silver wheels -300 made
2008 - only Obsidian Black, Steel Silver, Diamond Grey and Satin White - 250 made

the biggest give away is 2007 has gold brembos
2008 has black brembos also the speedo dash has "STI"

the brochures can be downloaded here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=12006
2008 Liberty GT Tuned by STi 27 of 250 made
PnP VF52, AVO TBE into TCP-Ti Mufflers, AVO panel filter, Mishimoto TMIC, Turbosmart Kompact BOV, Kobe Silicone Intake + SFB, Kobe 340LPH pump,
Tuspeed 3Port, Exedy HD + lightened flywheel, some Whiteline bits & Corgiwerx bits, Zeitronix Flex Fuel Analyser Kit , e85/98 Flex fuel -Got it REX tuned

2007 WRX Tuned by STi 35 of 200 made
STi Spec C TMIC+ProcessWest splitter, AVO TBE, X3E Silicone Intake, APS CAI, TurboSmart Kompact, Walbro, GrimmSpeed 3 Port, DEFI gauges
TD05-18G 198.5kw on RTRs Dyno - SOLD
vinshonz
 
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 6:53 am
Location: MELB
Car: 2008 Liberty GT TunedBySTi
Real name: Vincent

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby Stifull » Tue Nov 20, 2018 10:43 pm

Hey Vincent. Thanks for the helpful reply. I have spent many hours researching the Libs and in particular the VF38 turbo. I have been told by Subievo that swapping turbos on the Libs is not as straight forward as on a rex. I see you have a VF52 and I have had a quick look at those and I can see why you chose that.. Does that require changing the fuel pump and injectors ? As you would know on the rexs when you go to a much bigger turbo you have to bring the rest up to scratch as well. I have found that the perfect match for the 2.5 is the VF22 which is the largest of the IHI VF turbos (my eldest daughter had a VF22 with a water cooled front mount and it was so laggy that it was like a 2 stroke...nothing ...nothing...then whack, off it would go..206kwts) but unfortunately for reasons I am yet to understand, it can't be fitted to a liberty. I suspect it has something to do with the "twin scroll" system the Libs have in the VF38. Aaaahhh , my old brain struggles with this stuff. I am slowly narrowing down what it is i should start looking for.. I think I want your car, :lol: , or something similar. I am still stewing about missing the Sti Lib at Dubbo last week. 285 kwts and beautiful from head to toe..Trying hard to let that go and not think about it...I found a Lib Spec B with 260 kwts but without the brembos I am not sure how well that would pull up...
Current Subarus
07 Liberty GT (mine) 180kwt on 16lb
98 WRX Club Spes 2 with 2.5ltr upgrade(mine) sub 14 sec
99 Ver 6 Sti also with 2.5ltr upgrade (son) sub 14 sec
02 WRX Bugeye Hatch lots of goodies(wife)
09 Non Turbo Impreza(daughter#4)
Previous
98 GC8 WRX Hatch(daughter#1)
02 Bugeye WRX (daughter#2)
User avatar
Stifull
 
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Car: '07 Liberty GT '98 WRX CS2 2.5ltr

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby vinshonz » Wed Nov 21, 2018 4:29 pm

Stifull wrote:Hey Vincent. Thanks for the helpful reply. I have spent many hours researching the Libs and in particular the VF38 turbo. I have been told by Subievo that swapping turbos on the Libs is not as straight forward as on a rex. I see you have a VF52 and I have had a quick look at those and I can see why you chose that.. Does that require changing the fuel pump and injectors ? As you would know on the rexs when you go to a much bigger turbo you have to bring the rest up to scratch as well. I have found that the perfect match for the 2.5 is the VF22 which is the largest of the IHI VF turbos (my eldest daughter had a VF22 with a water cooled front mount and it was so laggy that it was like a 2 stroke...nothing ...nothing...then whack, off it would go..206kwts) but unfortunately for reasons I am yet to understand, it can't be fitted to a liberty. I suspect it has something to do with the "twin scroll" system the Libs have in the VF38. Aaaahhh , my old brain struggles with this stuff. I am slowly narrowing down what it is i should start looking for.. I think I want your car, :lol: , or something similar. I am still stewing about missing the Sti Lib at Dubbo last week. 285 kwts and beautiful from head to toe..Trying hard to let that go and not think about it...I found a Lib Spec B with 260 kwts but without the brembos I am not sure how well that would pull up...


Hey whats your name? i cant find it anywhere lol

i think you should stay away from the v38 twin scroll turbos and i believe they are on the preface libs
https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread. ... ?p=5146967

the 07 and 08 came with vf46 single scroll turbo, then you can upgrade to the vf52 if you want to like i did.
if its just a 98 tune then stock injectors are fine, fuel pump is probably a safe thing to do

if you do get the 07/08 postface lib you can switch back to the WRX/STI turbo style with the process west intercooler
https://processwest.com.au/product/33/P ... -GT-Silver

Yes if i was you just wait for the a built liberty with good strong motor and power already set up :)
2008 Liberty GT Tuned by STi 27 of 250 made
PnP VF52, AVO TBE into TCP-Ti Mufflers, AVO panel filter, Mishimoto TMIC, Turbosmart Kompact BOV, Kobe Silicone Intake + SFB, Kobe 340LPH pump,
Tuspeed 3Port, Exedy HD + lightened flywheel, some Whiteline bits & Corgiwerx bits, Zeitronix Flex Fuel Analyser Kit , e85/98 Flex fuel -Got it REX tuned

2007 WRX Tuned by STi 35 of 200 made
STi Spec C TMIC+ProcessWest splitter, AVO TBE, X3E Silicone Intake, APS CAI, TurboSmart Kompact, Walbro, GrimmSpeed 3 Port, DEFI gauges
TD05-18G 198.5kw on RTRs Dyno - SOLD
vinshonz
 
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 6:53 am
Location: MELB
Car: 2008 Liberty GT TunedBySTi
Real name: Vincent

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby Stifull » Wed Nov 21, 2018 6:11 pm

Hi .. Thanks for the info.. Yes I am looking at 07 and 08 .. They have the airbags which is what is making me nervous about my Club Spec. I should have held off when buying it but it was in immaculate condition and already had the 2.5 engine which Subievo had built.. also an awesome sound system with sub and amp in the boot, Alpine alarm system .. If I had got one 12months newer it would have had airbags.. It's funny what goes through your heard when you are hurtling down the straight at Lakeside at 200+. Airbags probably wouldn't make much difference but it is one less thing to take your mind of the track..LOL..After having soo many subarus I can't believe how different the Libs are. I feel like a complete newbie asking such basic questions. Google is not all that helpful because I think the Lib versions must have changed a lot and there is a lot of conflicting info. The brakes for example.. The front brakes on the non brembo models look like the same calipers that Subaru have been putting on all model Imprezas for 24 years.. but now I find the rotors are even bigger than the 4 pot system we have on most of our rexs.. so I am assuming the front caliper, although it LOOKS like the impreza ones, they must be bigger. Surely they wouldn't use the same 2 pot calipers on such a big rotor on such a heavy car. A moded GTB would be good if the brakes do the job..Like I saw on another thread here ,there is a big difference between a spirited drive around the mountain and going flat out for 3-4 laps. These calipers are of a Gen 4 Liberty and they look a LOT like a slightly bigger version of the stock non turbo Impreza 2 pot system.. They must be different as they have a different part number but I cant see how 2 pot could be better than 4pots even with a 20mm bigger liberty rotor ..https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/GENUINE-SUB ... rk:16:pf:0
Current Subarus
07 Liberty GT (mine) 180kwt on 16lb
98 WRX Club Spes 2 with 2.5ltr upgrade(mine) sub 14 sec
99 Ver 6 Sti also with 2.5ltr upgrade (son) sub 14 sec
02 WRX Bugeye Hatch lots of goodies(wife)
09 Non Turbo Impreza(daughter#4)
Previous
98 GC8 WRX Hatch(daughter#1)
02 Bugeye WRX (daughter#2)
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Stifull
 
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Car: '07 Liberty GT '98 WRX CS2 2.5ltr

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby bigBADbenny » Sat Nov 24, 2018 10:37 pm

Check out Kiahatsui’s profile, more or less local to you and iirc the car may be for sale to the right owner.

On the upside it’s highly developed, 6mt, low mount turbo, deshele 2.5t, brembos and is a wagon.

Negatives for you, it’s prefl (they have all the airbags).

Probably makes too much power but could be detuned and still be bordering on scary ;)
LINK>>> viewtopic.php?t=13903


.
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Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby Stifull » Sun Nov 25, 2018 12:01 am

Cheers Ben. Thanks for the link.. I think it would be way out of my budget.. I think he has spent more on tunes than I would be prepared to spend on the car. It would be a lot of fun, especially if it handles as well as it pulls..Mid 12s is awesome.. If I bought that home my wife would want it to replace her rex wagon.. :( .. When I first bought our first WRX, which is the blue one that I still drive, I gave he my ex-company car, 4x4..beautiful.. Every time she went out, she would take my rex...so I bought her one of her own. She still takes my blue one occasionally..
Current Subarus
07 Liberty GT (mine) 180kwt on 16lb
98 WRX Club Spes 2 with 2.5ltr upgrade(mine) sub 14 sec
99 Ver 6 Sti also with 2.5ltr upgrade (son) sub 14 sec
02 WRX Bugeye Hatch lots of goodies(wife)
09 Non Turbo Impreza(daughter#4)
Previous
98 GC8 WRX Hatch(daughter#1)
02 Bugeye WRX (daughter#2)
User avatar
Stifull
 
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Car: '07 Liberty GT '98 WRX CS2 2.5ltr

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby bigBADbenny » Sun Nov 25, 2018 2:43 am

I can send a link to here for the vendor.
There’s also a twin turbo low front mount H6 sedan on FB, if you’re interested I’ll link you.
What is your budget for the right car?
How about son of BP/BL: g3 STi ?
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Posts: 10420
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:36 pm
Location: Collingwood, Melbourne
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Real name: Ben Richards
Profile URL: http://tinyurl.com/agvbzop

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby Stifull » Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:43 am

Problem is Ben.. I have a friend who is a car dealer and he lets me go with him to the dealer only auctions. They are cars that have been traded that the dealers don't want so as long as they get their generous :lol: "trade=in" price back, they don't care.. I missed a 07 Spec B with 160k for $4750.. I thought it would sell for more so I didn't rush there. By the time it got there it had sold...So to answer your question. My Bugdet is $10k... I know what you are thinking... but, yes I will get something special for that price...For 10k I could buy a Merc and a BMW and an Audi so getting one Subaru for that price shouldn't be too hard if I am patient. . I appreciate your help and look forward to the links if you think they are in my budget..
Current Subarus
07 Liberty GT (mine) 180kwt on 16lb
98 WRX Club Spes 2 with 2.5ltr upgrade(mine) sub 14 sec
99 Ver 6 Sti also with 2.5ltr upgrade (son) sub 14 sec
02 WRX Bugeye Hatch lots of goodies(wife)
09 Non Turbo Impreza(daughter#4)
Previous
98 GC8 WRX Hatch(daughter#1)
02 Bugeye WRX (daughter#2)
User avatar
Stifull
 
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2018 11:30 pm
Location: Brisbane
Car: '07 Liberty GT '98 WRX CS2 2.5ltr

Re: Thinking of a change..

Postby bigBADbenny » Sun Nov 25, 2018 3:36 pm

Absolutely.
And the best bet in that year range will have had a new stock or built bottom end, especially my08: some of which received warranty replacements. That’s a hint of how prevalent Subaru build issues were around the GFC.

Personally, I’d source a built short or long first (eg RSS) and snap up an even cheaper car with engine issues.
RSS have plenty of options, mine would include destroke and closed deck.

In the meantime I’d recommend looking at Btssm or Romraider, so you can conveniently have virtual gauges, logging and learning view. Basically you have the option of knowing your cars health at all times :)
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Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:36 pm
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Real name: Ben Richards
Profile URL: http://tinyurl.com/agvbzop


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