Liberty Shitbox V2

[TJ]

Well. its quite often that I talk about my liberty with fond memories. For those on a budget it is an awesome basis for a daily driven street car with enough poke/handling/braking to make commuting enjoyable.

Its been over a year since mine drove me to tears and after doing 2 motors within 3 months I called it quits. For the last year Ive been slumming around in bunkies.. what Ive called my punishment phase.

However, the itch for performance is still burning bright, and tonight I've taken the plunge.

Ill paste some of the add.

Basically the car's a 91 Heritage with an RS turbo conversion, the engines fucked, the gearbox is from a 97 WRX i believe and thats doing OK, its got 4 pots, 02 STi rims, decent stereo, 05 STi steats front and rear amongst a whole host of other bits








And as you can see, the paint on the roofs fuxxed, the boots not much better

Now the car has a blown motor, and the kid doesnt want to fix it.
We have come to an arrangement, and he keeps the seats and rims, and I get a regoed, complete, uncrashed, and modified Liberty to play with again. The price and me knowing the complete history of the car are what have prompted the move.

It wont be seeing the road until about mid year.

Plans -
16 in WRX rims to clear the 4 pots -no need for showy rims, smaller rubber is cheaper and smaller rolling diameter = faster
V5 Sti seats.. had them in mine, best stock seat Ive ever sat in. So shall repeat.
Obviously it needs a motor ... thinking JDM EJ20R from a legacy so you get forged bottom end... though im not keen on gay twins. Not sure really yet.. tons of options but nothing megabucks.
Roof/boot/bonnet respray in black for the current drifter two tonne panda hotness.
Coilovers, so i can drop it and improve handling/bruise kidneys

Asides from that, its already got-
fmic (top mounts or for men who enjoy top mounting other men) ,exhaust, td05, bosch 040.. and thats about all it will have for now. Ill keep it milder to enure it doesnt end up breaking like the other one!

This one already has strut braces and h brace, so ive got mine as spares. This one has aircon, central locking, sunroof, stereo, electric windows.. not sure how I feel about that as mine was the total oppisite as I searched to minimize weight. Seeing as how it most likely wont be an out and out street.. err circuit racer, i dare say it will stay. Finally, it has a mega cool i know tj sticker on the back... long story

Wish me luck!!

[Glenno]

Satin black paint all over please.

[TJ]

Sponsored by winningbid - sure!

[rorge]

Looks like it'll make for some fun once you get something like an EJ20R in there! TD05 is good for all day reliable street power. I think they're perfect for a daily!

[DrNick]

Good stuff Tom!

Now learn from your mistakes of the past (like I did) and don't turn it into a money hole!!

S

[Marv]

Be careful of the EJ20Rs. Seems a lot of people have had head gasket issues with theirs of late, and Al posted something on RSLC about them not getting forged pistons. Thought about going new EJ207 + 98 WRX heads? You've got all the other shit you need to get it running and at least you know it'll last without chucking a tanty.

Flip the intercooler, too. Short piping FTMFW. You could even sell the TD05 for $250-$300 and buy a VF23 for not much more, and the 23 is a much better turbo (which can have its housing rotated for uber short pipework awesomenessoscity). I liked TD05s but after going VF its such a better turbo. And you can get them built up to be a PE1820 clone if you want to go silly (like the one I've got FS :P )

I reckon with your WA summers I'd chuck parallel fuel rails on it, too. Might as well do this shit while you're fucking around in the engine bay to save hassle later on. Add V3 STi 440s and an adjustable fuel reg and you're on a winnar. Add a V2 STi RA ECU for more awesomes - my car fucking CRACKED with that ECU. The tune is far superior to Aus-delivered ECUs, but you do need to make sure they've got adequate fuel.

For coilovers are you thinking of going Teins? I ask because I reckon they're not worth the extra money over a set of STi pink springs on STi struts. I've compared 2 Libertys back to back with those suspension set-ups and the spring/strut combo rode better, cornered just as well and was much quieter and cheaper. If you want maximum awesomeness, a set of Whiteline Group 4, Buddy Club Racing Spec Dampers or Bilstein PSS9s are the entry level, with Pro Flex, properly valved DMS coilovers or some Apexi Pro units would be even more awesome.

I'd also have a good look at your trailing arm bushes after putting in stiffer suspension. The Libertys seem to wear them really badly with hard cornering.

PS: needs 6-speed!

[AlexinPerth]

Should be good when it's sorted.

[TJ]

Be careful of the EJ20Rs. Seems a lot of people have had head gasket issues with theirs of late, and Al posted something on RSLC about them not getting forged pistons. Thought about going new EJ207 + 98 WRX heads? You've got all the other shit you need to get it running and at least you know it'll last without chucking a tanty.

Flip the intercooler, too. Short piping FTMFW. You could even sell the TD05 for $250-$300 and buy a VF23 for not much more, and the 23 is a much better turbo (which can have its housing rotated for uber short pipework awesomenessoscity). I liked TD05s but after going VF its such a better turbo. And you can get them built up to be a PE1820 clone if you want to go silly (like the one I've got FS :P )

I reckon with your WA summers I'd chuck parallel fuel rails on it, too. Might as well do this shit while you're fucking around in the engine bay to save hassle later on. Add V3 STi 440s and an adjustable fuel reg and you're on a winnar. Add a V2 STi RA ECU for more awesomes - my car fucking CRACKED with that ECU. The tune is far superior to Aus-delivered ECUs, but you do need to make sure they've got adequate fuel.

For coilovers are you thinking of going Teins? I ask because I reckon they're not worth the extra money over a set of STi pink springs on STi struts. I've compared 2 Libertys back to back with those suspension set-ups and the spring/strut combo rode better, cornered just as well and was much quieter and cheaper. If you want maximum awesomeness, a set of Whiteline Group 4, Buddy Club Racing Spec Dampers or Bilstein PSS9s are the entry level, with Pro Flex, properly valved DMS coilovers or some Apexi Pro units would be even more awesome.

I'd also have a good look at your trailing arm bushes after putting in stiffer suspension. The Libertys seem to wear them really badly with hard cornering.

PS: needs 6-speed!

Yeah dude, Id love to do all of that... but then I've spent 25k, and I could have bought an Evo 7 in for that sort of money.

Ive got several mates who are into their liberty stuff, and I played with mine for two years so its given me a fair idea of what works and what doesnt, and what I'd like.

Given a large enough budget, id love to go some injectors, rails, VF34 (I had a VF30 and reckon it was almost perfect, just needed the response the 34 gives) and some sort of ECU (kinda wish id stashed the moootec now)

20R's are definitely forged, I've seen a couple dismantled.. and they have the infamous rattle to go with them. I think people keep buying legacy cuts assuming all motors are the R.. not so.

Anyhow.. for now, mild mods. If it cops big mods the problem is it wind it up.. then it begins to stress the box, the diff, the shafts.. guess where Ill end up ? Back where I was!!

Baby steps for now, just be good to have something that doesnt get hosed by Accent's and corners and stops half well. Cooler flipping will most likely happen, and atm its got WRX struts and coils... so they will do ok for now.

[MR 1JZ]

good to see your doing it on the smarts this time

[TJ]

Probably last until my first set of traffic lights which i pull up to someone who gives me "the look" to be honest!

Im not going to lie about it

[Marv]

some sort of ECU (kinda wish id stashed the moootec now)

Quite a few people are liking the ViPecs (which are meant to be an Autronic rip-off by Ray Hall). Datman posted a thread in Tech section on RSLC about having ignition issues with his built 2.5 w/35R and there was quite a lot of good info posted by Adrian Vos, Al and others about the merits of various ECUs.

I believe the ViPec will also let you ditch the factory MAF and crap. Tidies up the engine bay quite a bit.

Also what coils does she currently have? You heard about the shortage of HEC716s? Might be a good idea to step up to the MY01 coils and ditch quite a bit of wiring shite, especially seeing how you can pick up a bunch of the coils on Import Munter pretty cheap (cheaper than Bosch coils) and you won't have to find room for them in the engine bay.

The WRX struts are 110% Swede-spec compared to the innards of the STi stuts, too.

[AlexinPerth]

Start with a stock ECU, then move to aftermarket management when you change turbo?

[Marv]

Stock ECU = less cred at Racewarz :P

[TJ]

Vipec is definitely something ill be looking at as an options - "seems" to be good value for money.

But if I go earlyish loom I can go PFC which is also a top option.

Like I've said baby steps.

If im going to spend money on suspension, it wont be to put Sti coils and struts in. I dont want a stinking liftkit.

[Marv]

PFC works on Dattos, but I know too many people who have/had no end of trouble with their early PFCs in Subarus. Also gotta keep an AFM, which sucks. I guess it depends on who can tune what over in WA, and the PFC and Autronic seem to be popular over there.

STi struts and pink springs will drop it a bit lower than Kings Lows.

[Glenno]

I got some 440 cc yellow tops and a V4 STi ecu that i might part with if you want to play those games.

[TJ]

PFC works on Dattos, but I know too many people who have/had no end of trouble with their early PFCs in Subarus. Also gotta keep an AFM, which sucks. I guess it depends on who can tune what over in WA, and the PFC and Autronic seem to be popular over there.

STi struts and pink springs will drop it a bit lower than Kings Lows.

Ive got king spring and struts at home.. the car handled like a aborted foetus with them, so wouldnt use them under any circumstances - very lift off snap oversteery.

Glenno, you fucking know it !! Well the 440's at least.

My ECU choice will very much be dicated by my tuner.... I trust him as a friend let alone a mechanic so he will be the deciding factor.

I like the fucking off the AFM option thats for sure.

[2rismo]

Needs more pink badges for added gayness.

[TJ]

About the same colour as your car yeah Adrian ?

[JZK25]

20R's are definitely forged, I've seen a couple dismantled.. and they have the infamous rattle to go with them. I think people keep buying legacy cuts assuming all motors are the R.. not so.

I have pulled EJ20R's apart directly out of the untouched half cut and they do not have forged pistons std. They are cast. Even EJ20K WRX RA engine's have cast pistons. EJ20K STi have forged pistons.
The piston rattle is evident in many of the engine built around 97/8 and is a tolerancing issue not a sign of forged pistons. Many STi engines do not have rattle problems at all because they are toleranced better. The tolerancing is very fine on subaru engines, they have 3 different fine tolerances within the std piston size.

[2rismo]

About the same colour as your car yeah Adrian ?

[Rhys]

Front drivers tyre is around the wrong way.
Unless you're driving backwards.

[TK]

The cheap hotness these days seems to be EJ22's with 98 wrx heads & V3 STI cams.
Set of weiseco's, budget eagle rods, new rings & brgs etc.
Add one of Bazza's TD06 hybrid thingys & make 230-240 kw atw nice & easy & dead reliable.

Markee can build you one fuckloads cheaper than I could - you kow you want to.

[baggins]

People still mod Subarus?

[TJ]

People still mod Subarus?

Yeah dude im sucker for punishment.

[baggins]

Just reminds me of the late 90's - is it part of the "retro" movement?

[TJ]

Haha yeah the early 90's are making a comeback

I personally prefer the look of them over a GC8, they are well suited to someone of my size.

Plus they get less cop/p plater commodore wannabe skaife attention which makes life easier.

Just dont run them at 104db or with 5% tint

[GTREA]

This is gunna end up in tears Tom......you should have re-lived your 'fond memories' by buying an R31

[peal]

hows your debt going?

[TJ]

This is gunna end up in tears Tom......you should have re-lived your 'fond memories' by buying an R31

LOL - I nearly did. Sold before I could get back from QLD to see it.

Peal, its improving each and every week. Cant use CC funds on this thing as I've cut them up.