Replaced my front bumper beam with jdm item.
Mine was in pretty bad shape. I was just going to replace it then i seen the jdm ones.
Got a used one off ebay from east coast.
About 5kg lighter on the nose of the car. easy swap.

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06 sti

Due to the reo bar being lighter ?

yeah its heaps lighter. "27.75 lbs for the USDM beam and 10.5 lbs for the JDM"

i researched it and the usdm one was beefed up to reduce damage on low speed impacts. some american safety policy standards. we just inherited it from them.

top piece here is audm/usdm beam





jdm

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06 sti

small update. Replaced headers, they didnt last long. they were ssi ones and cracked on all four joins at the merge. replaced with stainless psr ones. sounds a lot better without exhaust leaks. health check and retune on motor. 5 and a half years with the iag motor and still running perfect. absolute blessing that thing has been. retune put out similar results to last time with slightly faster spool. 400rpm earlier. Also enabled ecuteks launch control. that said still havent launched it since as i suspect i have a damaged mount somewhere due to cars history of abuse. much to the dislike of my mechanic i have a full set of cusco mounts going in this week. he says they too harsh for street and i wont like it. my cars pretty far gone NVH wise anyway with the orc twinplate so im just sending it. replaced shifter bushings trying to remove some slop and yeah nice improvement. used torque solutions ones due to stiffness ratings and cost. hopefully have it together in a state im happy with so i can go take some souls at the wrxwars next month. hunting a new p.b and i think its easily possible with the new clutch setup+ launch consistency and some wider tyres on it now. fingers crossed

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06 sti

Didn't make the drags, went to full service car night before and wouldn't even fkn start.. MAP pressure high and boost solenoid codes.. had me scratching head for day or so but found it was 30amp main senser fuse.. had the 360 gap cam ready n all.. was a bit sad but maybe blessing as it wasnt 100%. Now planning late season for the cold air and maximum boost.. haha.
On the subject of car not perfect i had local small shop install cusco mounts. Gearbox one in but engine mounting brackets didnt fit the engine ones. Seemed odd to me as kit is for the car. after research i see my car is just on the edge of the compatibility and needs older 05 style mounting plates. ordered set and will try again.
Mechanic did say my engine ones are completely stuffed.
Car was said to have group n mounts when i got it but the mounting plates suggest this was not the case as they only match the original newer style mounts. probably why they have let go as i've launched this car many times. I can even remember when the issue started and it was at the drags and its progressively gotten worse.
That said the gearbox mount, wowzers. NVH up for sure but not disgusting yet but man the gearbox and shifting feels great now. Also replaced the crossmember bushings with whiteline ones as when i looked last They were ready. Pretty much the knuckle bushing in my shifter and the whole external setup for gears be fresh. Procrastinating on the solid linkage bushing from torque solutions to really give that direct racecar feel but still trying to get more feedback on that. The engine is still struggling with what i assume is a completely perished mount so not racing was probably the correct decision.
I also get car back from shop and now turbo is making a strange noise i've never heard. its still making full boost but felt a little lazy on ramp, wasn't sure if being paranoid. It's almost a metallic tapping sound. First i think shaft bearings, then it doesn't sound like it. more like wastegate tapping or something? only under full boost. i jacked up the e85 level and went for a blast and it still feels OK but like 80% ? Im reading maybe the noise was always there but now resonates in the cab due to the mount but i've only done the fkn gearbox. Once i get the engine mounts done i'll do a launch and trial 1/8 mile with the dragy and see if its speed is the same or if i have an issue.
Also replacing post maf plastic hose as it looks cracked and perished and have a leak tester in the mail to run leak tests at home.
Would love bodywork and paint but ill continue to work on the maintenance side for now.
Tinkering, enjoying the car a lots still and the motor itself continues to shine. built 2019, 4 years on flex tune, driven hard. "bad tuner" they say, still perfect.

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06 sti

leak tester is great, found vac leak. was a small line not connected. exhaust leak minor at downpipe to catback. got new gasket and bolts going to have a go myself at it later. front right engine mount split. new set go in tomorrow. cusco with correct plates. lol. turbo is fine, new sound. nvh. car running strong. mafhose replaced with psr one.swapped oil temp from sump plug adapter to sandwich plate. more clearance and cleaner install but temps read off due to the headers hugging the filter and the sensor there now in the thick of it. reading heaps higher. i can see me moving it away back to the sump just for better accuracy.

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06 sti

cusco engine mounts in. NVH increase seems minimal compared to the gearbox mount.
bit more vibration through wheel, pedals but that's about it. nothing annoying. rest of car feels fkn great. removed pretty much all the drivetrain slop now. super satisfying to see and feel the car improve. next on the menu is solid shifter u joint. that's the last one to do in the shifter. feels really good already but keen to see exactly how direct i can make it. i wanna bang those gears when i'm shooting for it. have complete rear end whiteline bushing kit but im intimidated by the control arm bushings without the correct tools. i have some other whiteline bushings in the suspension already so will continue to use them throughout for anything chassis/suspension. mate as a press n says its easy so may build the courage and pop them ourselves.

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06 sti

Whacked an on again off again exhaust leak with a grimspeed 12 layer metal gasket. Downpipe to catback joint. Wild looking gasket but has held out longer than the usual universal style ones i've been using so looking positive. I'ts been blowing out about every 6-9 months and over it.
Attached a project aero front lip just for aesthetics.
After much procrastination i went with this one for durability as i know ill 100% bump and crack a carbon/frp style one. Pretty happy with the results. Would like a flat style lip for the sides to match but no rush.
Few niggly oil leaks to adress too. We have chased them down to the butterfly style clips on what i assume is breather/pcv system? Also my oil return line from the turbo is weeping and making a mess. Looks like a prick to get to with turbo removal required.
I'm almost thinking if i pull the turbo off i might just not put it back on and upsize, just a little.. haha
Have some gold open end steel muteki nuts in the mail to replace my gross rusty ones.
Car seeing less and less use as i get older but still enjoying it. I still actively run two small local car clubs and do events but a lot less mischief than when i was younger.

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06 sti

Decided i want to do some light track sessions with the car. i enjoy drag racing and weekend stuff but really want a chance to unleash its actual potential. nothing competitive so im eyeing off the infinite time attack stuff as i love barbs on my simulator. my only experience with the car similar was a simple rac tuning day where it quickly revealed its lack of cooling.
was good for probably less than 5 mins of full tilt before heat soaking all the confidence i had in pushing it. tyres were other obvious weak point.
so here i am hoarding parts to make a robust cooling system.
have a csf 42mm dual row race spec rad to go in. broke a nipple off the 20+ year old plastic expansion tank so replacing that and the overflow with aluminium items. while dropping the coolant ill be installing an RCM cyl 4 cooling mod as well. i just like the fittings on this kit, a lot more robust than other offerings. all that with my existing high flow thermostat should cool the mildly spicy closed deck.
measured up the rad and i think its very likely ill be modifying the stock thermo fan housing to get it to fit. ive read mixed stories from simple drop in to no go at all. i can see a couple of points i feel could make contact. just going to shave parts off, trying to avoid an aftermarket fan setup. gonna be tight! a few parts still to arrive so job for next week at home.
after that is the oil, i havent bit the bullet on any of this yet but seems best cost and performance will be to build a custom one. aeroflow core with psr thermostatic sandwich plate, some custom lines with AN fittings.
only decent prefab kit i can find is the blitz one and i feel the custom one will be just as good for half the price. worth fiddling or just pay the premium?
its still a few months away so plenty of time to procrastinate, build and test.

Heres a snapshot of how it currently as it stands.

Engine-
IAG stage 3+closed deck block
2618 Manley Spec 99.75 mm Turbo Tuff Pistons
Extreme .210" 9310 thick-wall wrist pins
Manley Turbo Tuff I-Beam Rods
ARP 625+ rod bolts.
King race series rod and main bearings
heat-treated 2012+ STI crankshaft
balanced and blueprinted
ARP 625+ half inch head studs
+1mm oversize Ferrea valves
11mm oil pump
Stock AVCS cams.
Killer B pickup
Killer B windage plate
Hyperflow 4 port catch can/battery clamp combo
Tridon high flow thermostat
Cusco engine mounts
Cusco Pitch stop mount
Cusco radiator cooling plate

Airflow-
Blouch 1.5 XT-R 8cm with grimmspeed ver2 heatshield + ebay beanie
Turbosmart kompact dual port set to full recirc
PSR stainless UEL headers
Catless Downpipe
Butler custom 3 inch TBE
Processwest TMIC/Shroud
Processwest in guard intake.
Silicone turbo induction hose+ Intake charge hose

Fuel System+electronic
ID1300XDS
AEM 340 in tank, hard wired
Zeitronix flex fuel sensor kit
3 port boost solenoid
Auto+manual switch intercooler water spray
Ecutek tuned 366hp on 98 / 431hp on e70 Hub dyno 18.8 Psi. toggle launch control
innovate motorsports MTX-D pressure+temp gauge
JRP digital boost gauge

Brakes+rolling
Stock brembo calipers
2 piece DBA 5000 T3 rotors front
DBA 4000 T3 rear rotors
Braided lines
Cusco master cylinder stopper
Bendix ultimate plus pads
muteki sr48 gold lightweight nuts
"regular traffic" 235 KUMHO ECSTA PS71

Handling+Suspension
Silvers neospec S coilovers
Whiteline 22m front + rear swaybars
Whiteline antilift kit
STi front strut brace
Cusco underbody H brace
Nolathane bushings all round
Sound Deadening removed
JDM lightweight front bumper beam

Gearbox-Drivetrain
ORC 559 ceramic twinplate
Kartboy short shifter
Titanium shift knob
Torque solutions shifter + linkage bushings
Whiteline crossmember bushings
Cusco Gearbox mount

Rice-
Chargespeed 3D composite wing mounted to stock STi bottom half
Original Ganador carbon super mirrors
Project Aero front splitter
Oversize 05 style scoop
LED side indicators.
Gloss black roof wrap (paints fked)
JDM carbon rearview cover
Red hazard

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06 sti

42mm radiator went in easier than expected. just done measurements by eye, trimmed of a couple of unused tabs and shaved down about 50% from a couple of frame pieces and went straight in. super close to the headers so see how that goes. plenty of clearance to everything else. still waiting on other parts so leaving it dead in the garage for now.

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06 sti