The Project Begins...

Back in January, I looked at a 1999 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport that I saw listed on a rebuildable wrecks web site. It was hit in the front and had only 71,000 miles on it. I have owned a '95 Legacy LSi wagon for about 5 years now and have had great luck with the car. It's pushing 230,000 miles now, and I was looking into replacing it with a lower mileage car as prevention. I also thought maybe the smaller Impreza would be a little better with gasoline consumption. I was hesitant about the smaller size, the lack of a sunroof, and the fact that I had been spoiled by the leather interior of my LSi wagon. and would have to get used to cloth again.







Anyway, I looked at this car, estimated the cost of gathering the needed parts, and decided I didn't want to risk investing too much into the project. I would have to buy a new hood, front bumper unit, headlight, windshield, and both airbags. A frame shop would have to pull the front, and then there was that nasty damage to the roof. I was afraid the costs would get out of control, so I passed. Then, a couple months later, the guy who had it for sale had picked up a 2000 Impreza wagon that was the same green color and had all the parts I needed. So, I shot him an offer, he took it, and the journey began. In addition to having all the parts I need for my fix, I also have additional parts, including a good engine/trans, that I can use for a different rebuild or can sell. So, that will lower my investment as well.

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Today, I received both my Subes. Since they are AWD cars, they needed to be flat hauled. It was a 55 mile one-way trip, and the cost of transport was more than I liked, but with diesel fuel up so high, I won't complain too much. Now they are both in the garage and the tear down of each has begun. Here's a bit of a look at the progress from day 1 with Project Green Machine.

Just into the garage:

The donor car rests beside Project Green Machine. Notice the spoilers on the hatch--obviously I'm swapping hatches:

The interior in my project car is pretty good for a 9 yr old car...with the exception of blown airbags and broken glass scattered within:

That roof is gonna be a challenge to fix:

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And, by the end of day one, the front end was completely off my project car, along with the L fender and to roof rack. The L fender and front bumper assembly were swiped from the donor car, and the hood was swapped. Inside the car, the headliner has been removed to aide the work on the roof. Also, all the sticky residue from where the plastic had been taped to the car was rubbed out with some serious elbow grease. (Special thanks to Dad!):

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We'll see how things progress from here. The next step is to have the frame shop set Green on the rack and straighten that front end out. Then, back home, I'll have to address the issues involved with the roof and then have the donor's windshield swapped into the project car. It was lucky to have a donor car of the same color, but, unfortunately, the stripe is a different shade, so I will have to do some painting. This was the first time the cars were sitting side by side, so up til now I was banking on no paint work other than the roof. That's minor, though. Less vital things to keep on the list are finding some sporty wheels for Green and swapping a CD player in for the factory tape deck. I'd also like to customize the install of an aftermarket GPS unit.

Until next time...

-JT