ace275's Subaru Legacy JDM Twinscroll Manual

[ace275]

I've been after one of these for a long time, and sold my main car to put funds towards importing one as the 6-Speed Manuals are just completely hens teeth over here. In the 4 months I have been searching, only 1 has come up for sale and it wasn't a colour I liked, and wasn't well looked after underneath either.

My wants were:
-Not Silver or Grey
-6 Speed Manual (Only Facelift Spec.B Variants get the 6-speed)
-70,000 miles or less

I could have got the gearbox and also Brembo's on a 'Tuned-By-Sti' variant, but they're twice the price and not overly different from a regular Spec.B, just bolt on parts
Myself and Torque GT have been checking the auctions and classifieds daily for over a month (And I have been doing it prior to this) so glad to finally have found one I'm happy with. There are just a couple of small marks around the exterior, mainly a scuff on the rear bumper at the left, but otherwise it's very good inside and out, and exceptionally clean underneath. Probably one of the only listed as 'Grade 4' that we looked at that we're fairly a Grade 4, as most definitely shouldn't have been.

Anyway, this is a Facelift (2006) JDM Legacy GT Spec.B 6-Speed Manual, coming in through Torque GT. There are plenty of 5-Speeds about, but they're nowhere near as strong and don't take too much above factory power (Although neither do the engines)

It'll need a new dashboard as it has the common cracking found in JDM models due to the hot sun, and it has a few small marks that need attention but nothing off-putting

Current plans are
-good underseal and cavity waxing
-Brake upgrade (Brembo's from TBSti model)
-New Wheels, something really light that clears Brembo calipers
-Interior upgrade, prehaps some leather retrimmed recaros in front and a UK leather rear bench
-A remap for uk fuel (280bhp standard but should get 290-300 happily on UK fuel) maybe
-Resist the urge to upgrade the bottom end, then maybe go f**k it and lightly forge it for 400bhp?

After 18 months of autos, it's good to be back playing with petrol manuals again. The 6-Speed in these is essentially the non-DCCD STi box with a longer 5th and 6th, excellent base for tuning

Anyone else notice that bonkers Corvette in the background? Only in Japan!

Only started the process on this, so could be anywhere around 4-5 months until I have it

 

[rhythmeister]

I spotted the R34 as well!

 

[ace275]

I spotted the R34 as well!

The blue Swift is interesting, roof scoop and all

 

[SlowRider]

These have aged really well and still look great for their age. I had been seriously considering one in the same spec for my next car but the rules on JDM cars not being able to tow meant I couldn't make it work. Hope you get your hands on it soon.

 

[Gambit]

was getting very confused there i was like did you not just buy one about 3 weeks ago??? is this the same one?? then noticed the silver in your avatar - glad i wasnt losing my mind!

looks a clean one - underbody is different ballgame to UK cars

 

[ace275]

was getting very confused there i was like did you not just buy one about 3 weeks ago??? is this the same one?? then noticed the silver in your avatar - glad i wasnt losing my mind!

looks a clean one - underbody is different ballgame to UK cars

Yes, I bought a UK Spec B a few weeks ago as a runabout and to learn what I like/dislike about the Gen 4. It's also a 6-Speed manual, but its the 3.0 EZ30R rather than the 2.0 EJ20 Turbo. Had to make sure to make the titles different as best as I could

Though... the JDM one cost over 10 times as much as the UK one

The UK one was so dirt cheap I'll make a tidy profit on it, gearbox alone is worth more than I paid, even after MoT and getting it home. Will make up for the money I haemorrhaged owning the XF Sportbrake

And cheers, yeah I seen a few JDM ones that were a bit crusty underneath, but this was leaps and bounds above all the others I seen. Glad to be done getting inspections done at £200 a pop, but they are seriously thorough. That's where I got the pictures from for now.

 

[ilovequo]

Nice machine

 

[ace275]

Parts gathering has started already
Set of super lightweight Rays Volk RE30 (Forged). At just 7.3kg/wheel, they're one of the lightest wheels available. Will be unlikely they'll stay silver, but I'll not be receiving the car for 4-5 months so no rush to have them painted. As long as they're straight without buckles or a large imbalance I'm happy

& also a Cusco front strut brace with integrated brake booster brace/stopper thing.

 

[colinmca]

Welcome to the twinscroll club. I've owned mine for 3yrs now (after 5yrs in a UK 2.0) and still love it. A few thoughts that popped into my head;

The dash swap is very easy to do and a UK dash is the same as JDM so you could swap it out of your BPE.

A UK leather rear bench seat will fit but you'll lose the recline function as the button is in the bolster.

There's a button in the boot that operates an actuator to fold the rear seats for you. Pretty cool but you'll need to swap a leather cover onto the JDM frame to keep this functional.

Rear Brembo calipers need to be the gold variety (Black Brembos have a different lug pattern) you'll need to swap in an STI handbrake setup at the same time (or use special/heavy conversion discs)

Front Brembos can be black or gold, both the same calliper but the black ones can usually be had a bit cheaper.

Get signed up at UKLegacy as they know everything there is to know about these motors

Cheers, Colin.

 

[ace275]

Welcome to the twinscroll club. I've owned mine for 3yrs now (after 5yrs in a UK 2.0) and still love it. A few thoughts that popped into my head;

The dash swap is very easy to do and a UK dash is the same as JDM so you could swap it out of your BPE.

A UK leather rear bench seat will fit but you'll lose the recline function as the button is in the bolster.

There's a button in the boot that operates an actuator to fold the rear seats for you. Pretty cool but you'll need to swap a leather cover onto the JDM frame to keep this functional.

Rear Brembo calipers need to be the gold variety (Black Brembos have a different lug pattern) you'll need to swap in an STI handbrake setup at the same time (or use special/heavy conversion discs)

Front Brembos can be black or gold, both the same calliper but the black ones can usually be had a bit cheaper.

Get signed up at UKLegacy as they know everything there is to know about these motors

Cheers, Colin.

Thanks for that!

Yes I might just instruct Torque GT to replace with a brand new unit, as they're still available new for around £600 fitted, but I did consider swapping mine but it's a slightly inconsistent finish on my current one.

That's handy info on the rear bench. I'd like to keep the recline, but happy enough to swap the seat covers over. I'm considering a set of Recaros for it anyway, so that would depend how I'd go on the interior in the back

Already noticed that on the rear's. Found I can identify them easily by the newage rears having a round housing around the piston, and the hatch having a diamond shape. 50/50 whether to use front Brembos, or try and find AP Racing or similar calipers for the front as they're a little better again, but I'll see what comes up.

Already on UKLegacy, but the forum has been down for maybe 2 weeks now!

 

[TheDaniel]

Absolutely class! Torque GT are real easy to work with too. I dealt with Darren who was a gent. .. Definitely something to look forward to! Health to enjoy. It looks like a gooden.

-PS I didn't really look at the corvette, I was looking at the red R24 & the wee blue rally Swift Sport!

 

[ace275]

Absolutely class! Torque GT are real easy to work with too. I dealt with Darren who was a gent. .. Definitely something to look forward to! Health to enjoy. It looks like a gooden.

-PS I didn't really look at the corvette, I was looking at the red R24 & the wee blue rally Swift Sport!

Thanks, it is Darren I've been dealing with too, he's been a gent. He says he sourced the car for @Gemma too

The swift looks like it's just ready for NI lanes rallys!

 

[ace275]

Rays wheels have arrived and I gave one a test fit on the other Legacy to confirm fitment and they work perfectly. Offset is good and brake clearance will be good for a future big brake kit if I go down that route. I don't think they'll be on the silver one at any point whilst I wait on the blue one arriving as it'll only tempt me to fit lowering springs

The weight difference lifting the old wheel off to test fit this one is very noticeable. Apparently a 5kg/Corner weight saving over OEM wheels.

 

[Boydie]

Slippery slope this weight saving lark........ just saying

 

[ace275]

Slippery slope this weight saving lark........ just saying

I've a set of plastic garden chairs for seats next. They're a bit brittle from outdoor weathering but they'll weight next to nothing

But in all seriousness, yes... yes it is. And I'm already looking at seats and brakes that improve the car but bring the weight down too.

 

[ace275]

Got the update today that it's now at the docks, and being loaded in a few days

Whiteline rear ARB bar also ordered for this which is sitting ready for arrival, and I'm looking into audio upgrades as my current 3.0 UK Legacy factory system isn't up to much

Should arrive in the UK min-april, then on the the DVLA process (One of the slowest parts of the whole importing process)

 

[ace275]

Now aboard and on its way! (Thermopylae)

 

[ace275]

One month on, after a few stops around Japan, China, Taiwan and Thailand, we're finally progressing through the last parts of the Suez Canal and on a direct route to Southampton, with an ETA of around 9-10 days time.

Also had the Rays wheels refinished in silver again as although good, they were a bit flat and had some minor marks. I don't have centre caps for them, so for this I 3d printed a set, making small adjustments to the file until I got a good secure fit, then sanded, high build primered, 3 coats of silver and 5 coats of laquer. Wheels have also been fitted with new Eagle F1 Asy5 tyres

Did also notice the 3d printer enclosure is excellent for drying painted parts as it's 35c in there

And finally, some ICE upgrades, as I'm really missing the audio quality I had in my XF Portfolio, with its 17 speaker Meridian Surround. So Focal speakers, InPhase under seat sub, and a 4ch amp for under the other seat. Also, JDM replica number plate for JDM points

 

[ace275]

Centre badges arrived for the centre caps, but they're a hair too big, so I held them against a belt sander allowing them to rotate to wear a fraction off them. Perfect fit now.

One of them the black writing isn't great, so I'll touch that in and maybe hit the whole thing with a few more coats of laquer to seal them in and protect them

 

[da.murf]

nice job on the centre caps. car will look well on the wheels also

 

[ace275]

nice job on the center caps. car will look well on the wheels also

Thanks. If I was printing a set again, I'd borrow a Dremel and finish the inside of the center badge area better however as the 3d print left a rough patch in each one. Won't see it once they're on however

 

[ace275]

Number plate finally issued, collecting on Friday!

Got it registered on a new NI registration too

Going to be a slow week until then

 

[rhythmeister]

One more sleep

 

[ace275]

6 hours from Torque GT to Liverpool, time for a bite before the boat

Drives great, other than the radio strangely rebooting every 10 minutes (Being replaced anyway)

Back home tomorrow morning to start fitting some of the bits I've had waiting

 

[Coog]

Class! Long wait for it but there’s a lot of enjoyment in the anticipation as well.

Get it lanoguarded or similar asap