Last weekend I replaced the struts in the Forrie. I replaced them with some KYB gas struts for $588. The rears were a piece of cake- except that the right rear had already been replaced by some boofhead who had not re-installed the bump stop. So now I'm after one of them- if anyone has one please let me know.
The fronts were a pain and in the end I had to take them to a mates place because it became a 2 man job. We compressed the springs as much as was possible, but because the shafts would sink back into the body, we couldn't attach the tops. Turned out the original shocks did the same thing- most unusual for gas struts. Anyway, together we did it but I would advise against using this strut unless you are ok with this. Car has since had a wheel alignment.
The Impreza FINALLY goes off the road this week for a partial tear down. Starting at the flywheel, I'll be removing the entire drivetrain. During last week I rebuilt some 2 piston rear calipers. These will be bolting on to the R180 hubs. An MY08 STI rear diff will be bolted into a GD rear subframe. The idea is not only better geometry, but the subframe will be solid mounted for more consistant handling.
An MY07 6 speed gearbox with DCCD and helical front diff will replace the old 5 speed, and a 6 speed spec clutch and flywheel are also going in. MY02 STI front shafts and R180 rear shafts transfer the power sideways, while a 6 speed spec tailshaft goes in as well. The front shafts have had their ABS tone rings removed to fit in with the existing hubs. From there, I have to install the 6 speed shifter and wire up the DCCD controller. The biggest problem will be fitting that 6 speed as they are HEAVY! I'll take some photos as I go along.
But now they are gone and I did have a few light long scratches on it (2x1m) which I managed to remove so im happy.
