Reverend's Baja Turbo

General talk about the Subaru Baja.

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Reverend
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Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by Reverend »

Hello ScoobyTruck! Figured this was probably the best community to join for Bajas, so consider this my introduction and build thread. I've recently purchased a 2006 Subaru Baja Turbo 4EAT with 114,xxx miles on it. While it does have a clean title, it's not the cleanest thing ever. Previous owner neglected on a lot of things, but the body is in great shape so it's really just playing catch-up with maintenance and getting it running right. Some mods on the way, too... but starting out just getting things up-to-speed mostly.

I've owned Subarus since 2012 but they've all been Sedans, Hatchbacks, and Coupes... until I found this thing! The Baja and my STI are both kinda dailys, as I enjoy them both too much to garage queen either of 'em.

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Since purchasing it in October of 2017, I've replaced the Brake Pads and Rotors, Radiator and radiator hoses, Front and Rear Sway Bar Bushings and Endlinks, and changed the differential and transmission fluids. Because the previous owner seemed to do one or two oil changes a year, I've been keeping an eye on oil consumption and keeping it topped off. I'm sure a new shortblock is in this car's future, but I'm hoping to tackle that later on anyways.

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I'll get this "build thread" up to speed here, but I wanted to say Hi first!
rglass1040
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by rglass1040 »

Look forward to seeing what you have planned. Love my '06 and look to buy a few more...
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'18 Crosstrek, Sunshine Orange
HaHaBajAlcyone
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by HaHaBajAlcyone »

Welcome to the forum... your Baja looks good with a little snow on it.
Are those Crosstrek wheels? They are a good look.
Reverend
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by Reverend »

Thanks guys! Yeah I nabbed some 2016-2017 Crosstrek wheels with winter tires mounted on em pretty cheap. They don't rub or anything even though the tire size is a little bigger than they should be (sized for a crosstrek).

2017 is gone... and so is the old carpet! YAY!!

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Fresh OEM carpet (which miraculously only cost me $160 from the dealer!) has replaced the old, smelly, stained carpet. While I had it out, I also cleaned a bunch underneath to get rid of more of the dirt and mold that had been trapped under there. I even managed to make $2.26 doing it! Really glad to have a fresh clean interior in this car. Wasn't too difficult to put in. The whole thing, cleaning and disinfecting time included, took me 2.5 hours. Well worth the trouble!!

While I was at it, I test fit these 2008 WRX STI seats. Gonna need a rail swap, change over some wiring, and hopefully wire in some heated seat elements to get these working right, but I wanted to see what they looked like in the car. 2 of the 4 bolts for the seat line up with the factory mounting points so I took it for a short trip to see if I liked em before removing them again to get things settled with the rest of the swap. I'm really happy with how comfortable these are and how great they look in this interior. Just need to get 'em buttoned up and mounted right!

Image

There's more repairs and upgrades on the way for the Baja. Front and Rear Sway Bar Bushings, Endlinks, and a full suspension refresh should transform this from a clunky jittery mess to the solid Baja Blast I have in mind. I've got OEM Struts, Top Hats, and Bushings lined up to replace it all around, but I'm also thinking of doing a simple 1 inch lift. Never had a lifted car before, but it seems like it'd be an easy thing to try out. Not sure on brand yet on that, as I've seen a couple of versions out there.
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03bajaSport
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by 03bajaSport »

Love the work so far, and will be following closely as i too am a new Baja owner a 03 NA Sport with 256k...lol. For the lift, i have been tilting between Sumo and ADF for kits, both seem very good quality and have a good rep.

I also will keep a eye on your seat adventure because i had planned for a swap :)
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Re: RE: Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by DADDY »

Reverend wrote:Thanks guys! Yeah I nabbed some 2016-2017 Crosstrek wheels with winter tires mounted on em pretty cheap. They don't rub or anything even though the tire size is a little bigger than they should be (sized for a crosstrek).

2017 is gone... and so is the old carpet! YAY!!

Image
Image
Image

Fresh OEM carpet (which miraculously only cost me $160 from the dealer!) has replaced the old, smelly, stained carpet. While I had it out, I also cleaned a bunch underneath to get rid of more of the dirt and mold that had been trapped under there. I even managed to make $2.26 doing it! Really glad to have a fresh clean interior in this car. Wasn't too difficult to put in. The whole thing, cleaning and disinfecting time included, took me 2.5 hours. Well worth the trouble!!

While I was at it, I test fit these 2008 WRX STI seats. Gonna need a rail swap, change over some wiring, and hopefully wire in some heated seat elements to get these working right, but I wanted to see what they looked like in the car. 2 of the 4 bolts for the seat line up with the factory mounting points so I took it for a short trip to see if I liked em before removing them again to get things settled with the rest of the swap. I'm really happy with how comfortable these are and how great they look in this interior. Just need to get 'em buttoned up and mounted right!

Image

There's more repairs and upgrades on the way for the Baja. Front and Rear Sway Bar Bushings, Endlinks, and a full suspension refresh should transform this from a clunky jittery mess to the solid Baja Blast I have in mind. I've got OEM Struts, Top Hats, and Bushings lined up to replace it all around, but I'm also thinking of doing a simple 1 inch lift. Never had a lifted car before, but it seems like it'd be an easy thing to try out. Not sure on brand yet on that, as I've seen a couple of versions out there.
Do you have additional pictures of your install? I'd like to switch my seats out for sti seats as well.

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starr-
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by starr- »

Been waiting for the guys at the scrap yard to find me some 3rd gen leather sti or wrx seats myself. The black / grey combo works great in the baja! Have you tried swapping the baja rails onto the sti seats yet?
Photobucket kinda ruined this thread but you can get the idea:
https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showth ... ?t=1971647
I like it here.... [smilie=cheeky-grin.gif]
Reverend
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by Reverend »

The seats will need a rail swap. The Baja's passenger seat will work, but the power seat components on the drivers side will be too much of a hassle to switch over. I think I'm just gonna find some Impreza rails (93-07 will fit) so that they're not sitting super high. The seating position is just a tad too high for my taste in the Baja... and considering that this thing is going another inch higher with suspension, I can play the "rally car center-of-gravity" game and sit lower, right? Haha

Image

Spacers go on tomorrow! First time liftin a Subie.
Reverend
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by Reverend »

Got the Baja lifted with new OEM Struts, OEM Top Hats, and 1" ADF Spacers all around. Looks great with a little extra height!

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The Baja did have a bit of an earlier-than-I-expected surprise for me though. Just before getting the lift I got a Check Engine light on that I couldn't clear so we checked it out. Turns out I need a new short block sooner than later... as I don't want to ruin the rest of the components in there if this thing lets go. The previous owner wasn't a fan of maintenance. It was 2.5 quarts low on oil when I got the car last fall. I knew it would need engine work at some point, but wasn't planning on tackling that until the spring. So parts are on-order and it'll sit until those come in and we can get things rebuilt.
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starr-
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by starr- »

Damn that sucks. Right when you started to get things squared away!
On a side note, I think I finally found myself some 14' sti seats! For the drivers seat, is your baja seat currently powered or are the sti seats powered? Also, notice any significant loss of head room?
Thanks
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by tomato_88 »

That’s to bad that you will have to replace the block sooner than expected. Out of curiosity what exactly failed? How many miles?


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Reverend
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by Reverend »

starr- wrote: Mon Feb 12, 2018 5:16 pm Damn that sucks. Right when you started to get things squared away!
On a side note, I think I finally found myself some 14' sti seats! For the drivers seat, is your baja seat currently powered or are the sti seats powered? Also, notice any significant loss of head room?
The drivers seat in my '06 Baja is powered, but I'm not going through the nightmare to try and transfer that stuff over to the STI seat. I personally don't care for power seats anyways, so I'm fine cutting a little weight and dropping the seat height a bit. So for your second question: no loss in headroom. Quite the opposite!
tomato_88 wrote: Mon Feb 12, 2018 8:59 pm That’s too bad that you will have to replace the block sooner than expected. Out of curiosity what exactly failed? How many miles?
The previous owner wasn't a fan of regular maintenance. When I got this Baja, it was 2.5 quarts low on oil... so I knew I'd need to do something eventually anyways. I was keeping tabs on the oil level and topping it off as I went, as there was blow-by happening thanks to the fried rings. Mmmm now, I want Onion Rings.

Threw an AVCS code and had my local shop check it out. My plan was to ride out the winter and rebuild it in the spring or summer, but if it's throwing codes now... I don't want it to go boom and have to replace a BUNCH of other stuff instead. It was on my to-do list, just not this soon.
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starr-
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by starr- »

Reverend wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:36 amThe drivers seat in my '06 Baja is powered, but I'm not going through the nightmare to try and transfer that stuff over to the STI seat. I personally don't care for power seats anyways, so I'm fine cutting a little weight and dropping the seat height a bit. So for your second question: no loss in headroom. Quite the opposite
Excellent news! Thanks! I kinda hate that you beat me to the punch on this. haha
I like it here.... [smilie=cheeky-grin.gif]
Reverend
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by Reverend »

All buttoned up and ready to roll! Just got it back from the shop. Runs so smooth and quiet, it really feels it's brand new! Well... that shouldn't be surprising considering how many things were either rebuilt, refinished, or entirely replaced!

http://allwelldrive.blogspot.com/2018/0 ... plant.html

ImageUntitled by 86Reverend, on Flickr
ImageUntitled by 86Reverend, on Flickr
ImageUntitled by 86Reverend, on Flickr
ImageUntitled by 86Reverend, on Flickr
ImageUntitled by 86Reverend, on Flickr
Reverend
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Re: Reverend's Baja Turbo

Post by Reverend »

Nearly have it broken in. Oil Levels look good, car has been running smooth and seamless since the rebuild! Once the break-in period is over, I'll switch out the oil and be on to a few more things with it during the spring. Skid Plates, Method Wheels, and new tires are on the docket.

ImageUntitled by 86Reverend, on Flickr

In other news, the Baja makes a great Rallycross Setup vehicle. Tall enough to drive through any ruts or muddy spots on the site without fear of getting stuck or not clearing anything. Enough room in the back for a slew of cones to drop as the course is designed. Quick enough to still have a little fun while testing out parts of the course. It was perfect for me last weekend!

ImageUntitled by 86Reverend, on Flickr
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