Tom's Classic White One
 

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Hi guys,[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]My name is Tom and I am lucky enough to be the owner of a white gc8 wrx. I picked the car up in late May 2010 and am only its second owner since new :D[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]When I bought the car it was completely stock, right down to the tape-deck lol[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Since then I have slowly but surely added on bits and pieces until it has become my dream car of 15 years ago :) as anyone who has modded their car knows, once you start you verrry rarely stop! :p However, as I am saving for a house/holiday I have made a strict modding budget and have so far kept to it which I am really happy with...even though there are sooo many more things I would love to do to it, especially after seeing the many nice examples that grace this website![/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Anyways, below is my list of mods and future plans as well as a few pics of my car as of the cruise last weekend:[/SIZE][/FONT]


[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Performance[/SIZE][/FONT][LIST][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]V6 STI carbon fibre front strut brace[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Whiteline ALK[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Whiteline 22mm adjustable front sway bar[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Whiteline 24mm adjustable rear sway bar[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Full set of 03/04 SPEC-C progressive rate struts and springs (courtesy of Stace aka Tuna) – now installed!![/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]X-Force SS TBE with high-flow cat and Varex muffler [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Upgraded high-flow panel filter [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Resonator-ectomy mod[/SIZE][/FONT][/LIST]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Visual[/SIZE][/FONT][LIST][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]GD STI pedals (japanparts.com)[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Ultrex replica 1-piece STI front lip [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]GD WRX rims powdercoated black onyx (Perth Powder Coaters) [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Painted brake callipers white (with black writing)[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Painted ‘orange thingy’ black[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Windscreen antenna [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Window tint – darkest legal[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]De-badged/stickered boot, only leaving Subaru logo :D [/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Kenwood CD deck - not into all the doof-doof rage so suits me just fine[/SIZE][/FONT][/LIST][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Future plans[/SIZE][/FONT][LIST][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Possibly re-paint the ‘orange-now-black thingy’ white to see which colour I prefer more[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Clear front and repeater indicators OR go the Meak look and get orange park lights. Have been meaning to do this for a while but still haven’t decided as have seen examples of each and both look sweet…[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Put on fog-light covers (if I go with the clear indicators)[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Eventually re-spray front bumper and bonnet[/SIZE][/FONT][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Sort out some lowered springs[/SIZE][/FONT][*][SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Continue to enjoy each drive :)[/FONT][/SIZE][/LIST][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]So there you have it, please feel free to comment/make suggestions/whatever...I have a thick skin! :p[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Tom[/SIZE][/FONT]

Hi Tom,

well done for sticking to a budget. It is hard to do.

Car looks very tidy. Keep enjoying it.

Kym

Nice looking car mate!

White calipers must be a nightmare for brake dust lol

If white calipers are anything like white rims - then yes! I cleaned my car, rolled it out of the garage, hit the brakes and bang, dust on em already.....

Very neat example Tom, and yep its very easy to go overboard. Best of luck sticking to budget, I suspect you'll need it!

I know all about white rims, Al has had them for years. But white calipers - I reckon they'd be harder.

White calipers?
Shit son, you be crazy!

Good to see a write up on the car Tom, looking forward to any future modifications :D

Cheers for the comments guys :) quick update on the mods side of things:

Yesterday I left my car in the very capable hands of John and the guys at wheels world to do some fettling with. End result -> my car is now running on the SPEC-C struts and springs that I got off of Stace (aka Tuna), happy days!!!! :toothy10: while it was there I got them to change my swaybar settings as well so I am now running the stiffest setting at the front and middle setting at the rear.

Overall changes have been HUGE with the car now handling [I]like a cat on carpet[/I]! :p the new struts/springs make the car sit a bit higher, (so a future mod might be to get some lowered springs) but the driveability has improved markedly so I really don't care. At the end of the day I have now finished my budget for the year and couldn't be happier with the results as the little beast now handles proper well and looks the business too!! :D

[QUOTE=Soksta;659244]White calipers?
Shit son, you be crazy!
[/QUOTE]
haha yep this is the general response that I get from people! :rolleyes: all worth it in the end though, only give them a good scrub about once a month and they seem to be holding up well, still nice and white!! :D

wow, clean gc8 well done

Hello Tom, cool name :)

Good job on sticking to budget! I'm the same when it comes to my car, although the bank balance got raped a bit this month...

Nice gc8!
Colour-coding would be my only suggestion...

Nice looking car mate, how many bloody Tom's on this site, never seen so many in one place.

Tom.

Cheers for the comments guys, nice to know I'm not the only one who likes my car! :D

[QUOTE='Ko[R]uPt;668783']Nice gc8!
Colour-coding would be my only suggestion...[/QUOTE]
I was originally thinking this too and painting the skirts white, but once I put the STI lip on I was actually pretty happy with the overall look as it ties in nicely with the side/rear skirts.
Hence my colour-coding is black (skirts, rims and tint) on white (panels and calipers)...hence Top-Deck! :p lol
Saying all of that, I have a strong feeling the skirts will be colour-coded in the not-too-distant future ;)

you need an STI front lip

[QUOTE=ImPreSiV;668825]you need an STI front lip[/QUOTE]
Not sure if serious? or was it a case of tl;dr??

[QUOTE=kid;668450]Hello Tom, cool name :)
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Pimpreza;668791]Nice looking car mate, how many bloody Tom's on this site, never seen so many in one place.

Tom.[/QUOTE]

Toms ftw! :D I agree though, going through school/uni/work I have never had to deal with more then 1 other Tom but on here there are heaps! I guess our love of subies has drawn us all together lol

[QUOTE=REXXXED;668828][B]Not sure if serious?[/B] or was it a case of tl;dr??[/QUOTE]
haha was just about to ask this myself...?? Although in his defence my pics aren't the clearest...explanation please Kym

yeah didn't click on pic lol

[QUOTE=Top-Deck;668829]Toms ftw! :D I agree though, going through school/uni/work I have never had to deal with more then 1 other Tom but on here there are heaps! I guess our love of subies has drawn us all together lol[/QUOTE]

You, me, OP, TJ, Tommo, Possibly Thommo............Any more:D

Edit, at least another 7 but not all regulars.

Been a while so just throwing up a quick update. Since my last post I have had a Walbro fuel pump installed along with a new radiator, as both old units were starting to cark it.
I also had the guys at STechnic disconnect my fuel pump starter relay off of the brant as the damn thing had the hugely annoying tendancy of not kicking in...hugely frustrating especially as I HATE having anything wrong with my car (apart from the hail dents, learnt to live with those lol). Amazing how something as simple as your car starting first time every time can now seem like a godsend lol

Also managed to get down to the recent beginners skidpan day, which was my first chance to really test out the new handling mods; Sway-bays and struts+springs. Results are incredible!! :D Such a huge difference in the way the car reacts to inputs and so enjoyable provoking a bit of oversteer in the fast kick-back corners ;) Pretty surprised at how forgiving it is too; after a few runs I really started pushing the boundaries but no big tank-slapping moments (*Jezza cough cough :p) at all. Tyres are definitely the limiting factor at this stage though, so I'm guessing that's why the closest I got to losing it was some scrubbing and no big 'let-go' moments...now I really want to get down to barbs to see how I stack up in a timed event!


Anyway tl;dr hugely enjoyed my latest track-day and super keen to get more time in the car doing what it was made for...putting a smile on my face! Now that the little niggles have been sorted it is again my dream car :)

Update
 

It has been a few years since I have updated this thread due to travel/building a house/wedding taking up most of my time and funds, but in the last couple of months I have completed the following:
- Swapped out the struts for some new KW coilovers. The cornering grip is unreal now, with the rebound rate of the coilovers spot on for my liking. Surprisingly more liveable day-to-day than the Spec-C gear that was on the car before. Car also sits ~3.5cm lower each corner which has greatly improved the visual presence imo.
- Got the Stechnic boys to remove the Brant entirely. That was a happy day :D
- Got a new Aluminium gear knob to replace the aging original leather one that came stock. It was an el-cheapo from eBay but am actually pretty happy with the look/feel.
- Finally got my arse into gear and installed sound deadening to all doors and front footwells (see pics). Amazed at how much difference this has made! It is without a doubt the best $30 I will ever spend on my car, with road/wind noise about 50% less I reckon. Really has made daily commuting that much more livable :) Was actually a fun bit of tinkering too, always nice to learn a bit more about how to take bits apart n fit them back on again...only busted one clip too lol

Other than that, the car has been faultless, with over 320K kms on the clock now. The plan with the car now is to run it until it finally carks it, then it will become my long-term project as I have wanted to sand it back, straighten it up and re-spray for some time now. Will also give the engine a nice refresh at that point too.

In the meantime to keep my tinkering urge satisfied I have a couple of cheap mods planned, being:
- Install second water bottle reservoir in the front wheel arch space to use as IC water spray.
- Paint the front and rear skirts white to colour-match the car and make it look a bit lower.
- Remove the gear knob boot surround and replace with a piece of Perspex as I think the gear linkage looks pretty cool. Easily reversible if it ends up looking crap lol

Will chuck up some more pics of the car when these have been completed.

Tom

Looks good and like what I'll be needing soon, where do you get that from?

Just got it off Ebay mate. Not sure if it was from this shop exactly:
[url=http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12-Sheets-5mm-Car-Sound-Proofing-Deadening-Vehicle-Insulation-Closed-Cell-Foam-/281939869549?epid=1191570297&hash=item41a4ecff6d:g:460AAOSw7n9XEfDK]12 Sheets 5mm Car Sound Proofing Deadening Vehicle Insulation Closed Cell Foam | eBay[/url]
But was the same stuff, 5mm closed cell foam with adhesive backing - you can either get it in a roll or the sheets, I got the sheets as they are easier to work with. Super simple to work with and stuck to the plastic surfaces no issues at all :)

Sweet, looks like the stuff the concreter used at the end of my driveway last week, he gave me a couple of meters and it sticks like shit to a blanket but it's 14mm thick, I tried to find thinner but looks like you have solvered my problem, thx.

Update
 

So I managed to get around to painting the front and side skirts a couple of weekends back with the before/during/after results shown in the attached photos.

Overall I am pretty happy with how it all turned out: ended up going 3 coats primer, many top coats, and 3 coats clear coat. The only annoying bit really was that I couldn't get the rear spats off, so ended up just painting them in situ. Turned out ok, just more time consuming lol

Future plan is to paint the brake calipers orange and am also considering actually changing the front lip back to black haha will see if it grows on me but atm it just seems a bit too white now ironically lol
Anyway, open to any and all comments :D

Next tinkering plan is to ditch the gear boot and replace with DIY Perspex H-pattern so I can get my geek on and see the shifter linkage

Looks mint colour coded !

Sent from my SM-G900I using [URL=http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=78089]Perth-WRX mobile app[/URL]

Agree with above, new colour match looks the shizz.

Yepp I like it too.

Now get some custom number plates, with black/white colour scheme?

Very nice, colour coding makes a huge difference. Spats were probably held on by 2 bolts either side that are behind the bumper, car body makes them mostly inaccessible without pulling the bumper off.

Thanks for the comments guys, glad it's not just me that likes the new look!

[QUOTE=matto20v;849062]Yepp I like it too.

Now get some custom number plates, with black/white colour scheme?[/QUOTE]
Yeh I have been thinking of this for a while cos I think it would finish the look quite nicely but can't for the life of me decide what to put on the plates lol I will probably just wait until the engine gives way (done 330K now) and add them on with the major re-fresh I have planned for that stage

[QUOTE=Patch;849064]Spats were probably held on by 2 bolts either side that are behind the bumper, car body makes them mostly inaccessible without pulling the bumper off.[/QUOTE]
Yeh I took the front and rear bolts off but there are a couple of extra clips of some kind that hold it on also, and it looked like I had to take the bumper off to get to them so thought fuck it lol

Major update
 

It's been a couple of years since I last posted here so thought it would be a good time to give an update seeing as I have made quite a few upgrades to the old girl in the mean-time.

Performance:[LIST][*]DBA4000 rotors on the front[*]KW Coilovers (front and rear)[*]Installed new VF34[*]Installed 6-speed from an 06STI[/LIST]Visual:[LIST][*]New 18" Ultrex RS gold rims[*]Painted the calipers gold to match the new rims[*]Installed new digital radio head-unit[*]Rattle-can paint job on front and rear bumpers[/LIST]
All mechanical work was carried out by STechnic who I can't thank enough for all their help and workmanship.
The VF34 was installed at the start of the year and transformed the car completely. With 370,000kms on the clock and an unopened 205, I didn't want to push my luck so had it set at 14lb boost, but even at this level the car has so much more mid-range and top-end surge.
I then decided to take it to the drags to see if I could beat my previous time of 14.1 set when the engine was stock. Unfortunately the original 5-speed decided to call it a day, stripping 1st-gear when launching. However, the silver lining was that this lead to me purchasing a 6-speed from an 06STI. This was installed last week with me picking the car up yesterday, but the initial impression is unbelievable! The car is now an absolute little weapon and I can't wait to take it to a track-day once the weather improves to give it a proper work-out.

Other than that, the coilovers and new front rotors have greatly improved the handling of the car, with it's performance pretty much on-par with what I had always dreamed it one day might be.
I also bit the bullet and got myself some gold rims which I know might not be to everyone's taste but I think they look hot-shit. The offset and extra diameter just give it a much more planted look imo.


TLDR - despite being on its original 205 with 370,000kms on the clock, the car is more enjoyable to drive now than it has ever been :)
Attached is a pic of it in its current state.

Future plans are pretty simple - save for a 207 and re-spray, otherwise just enjoy continuing to drive my dream car.

I think you mean 205 and 207 yeah?

Car looks mint. Kw's are the shizz for good handling, they transformed my betty.

No no. Its not a Gallo 305. Its a Gallo 307.

[IMG]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51DCrRZAm3L.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=nick73;854990]I think you mean 205 and 207 yeah?

Car looks mint. Kw's are the shizz for good handling, they transformed my betty.[/QUOTE]

Nah the 300-series are for the 3L stroked versions ;)
I would blame it on Monday-itis but I wrote it on Tuesday so no excuse really haha :oops:

And yep, the KW's (for me) are the perfect combo of performance and street use.

Car looks schmick! Im still unsure about 18's on a GC8, but your rims look 'orright!