New to me 03 baja

[LrgLnrd]

Hey all I started this thread on NASIOC in the BAJA forum but figured I should post on his forum devoted to the BAJA,

So I picked up my 03 baja just about 2 months ago and it has been great. I made the mistake of getting rid of my 97 0bs that had the the forester suspension lift for a 98 cherokee. And then made another mistake of picking up a 96 cherokee. All said and done within a year I had so much money into both with no signs of being done I said screw it cut my losses and get back into a suby.

Details
03 2.5 N/A
183k
5 speed
1 owner

I am so happy to be back inside a suby it makes me smile everyday that I dirve it. I am now figuring out what needs attention in the repairs department and have already done some.
It does have a good clunking noise in the suspension and I did replace all the swaybar bushings. RF and RR had really bad play along with the RF and RR swaybar end links again had a bunch of play. The clunking got a little better but is still present. Guessing its in the strut mounts or struts themselves. PO never did suspension work.
Also the transmission has Im guessing/hoping the typical bearing growl when in gear and off the gas. From what Ive read and if I remember correctly its the input shaft bearing that goes bad. The clutch is worn as well so Im going to replace it all while its getting pulled out anyways.

Future Plans
I am hoping for this to be a DD but off road capable rig as well.
I have been researching and reading about different lift tire options and think I have it narrowed down for now.
2" SJR Suspension Lift
215/65/16 BFG All Terrains
And Down the road
2" body lift with either
1.5" lift springs and stock struts shocks or gain another inch with 04+ baja struts/shocks if I remember correctly.....Or is it just that subaru lengthened the springs for the 04+ bajas?
I also plan to run with skid plates and diff protector but still trying to figure out what route I am gonna take on that.
This will be a work in progress but I have no plans on getting rid of my baja anytime soon....Plus my son LOVES it..He constantly tells me its the coolest car I have ever owned...Which is true.
I only have one pic of my car but hope to get some more up soon.
Thanks
Greg
Here the pic from the first day I got him

[LrgLnrd]

This was from sunday...

So I got the tune Up and Valve Cover Gaskets all finished up and all I can say is it was definitely due and my baja (scoobert) is runnin so much better.
Hopefully this helps with my gas mileage....
While doing this I figured I would take pictures along the way because it is really fairly simple. For some this may be common knowledge but for others it might be helpful.
Here are the steps.
03 2.5 SOHC N/A 5 Speed
Remove Washer fluid bottle...2-10mm at top
Remove Battery
Remove front intake...2-10mm on front rad support
Remove the rest of the intake 1-12mm and 1-100 and slip it out
Pull plug wires
Remove Spark Plugs
Remove PCV hoses from Valve Covers
Remove the 5-10mm bolts from the cover....NOTE THE TWO TOP BOLTS ARE LONGER THAN MIDDLE OR BOTTOM.....On the passenger side One of the bolts goes through the timing cover..
After that just wiggle and maneuver a little to get it out... I ended up going through the bottom of my baja to get the passenger side out.
After that Its just a matter of removing the old gaskets fitting the new ones and replacing the gaskets for the spark plugs and the grommets for the Valve Cover...Which all come in the gasket set.
Then its a matter or reversing the process and your good to go.
It is a good idea to use if available a parts cleaner to clean the valve covers or even brake cleaner or something along those lines. I had neither so I just wiped them down really well and went though where the gasket sits thoroughly.
Hope this helps anyone with looking to do this.
Greg

[LrgLnrd]

And here are some from last week when we got a "snow" storm of about 3 inches.......maybe....

[sfeather11]

Nice ride and write up! I also have an '03 NA and have been thinking mine is due for a tune up. Your write up makes it look fairly well easy. Do you recall what kit you used and/or where you got it? Did the plugs come with it or did you order separately? I need to decide whether to tackle this or just take it to a shop for a partial rebuild and let them do the tuneup as well (head gasket is slowly starting to leak)...

FWIW - you mentioned lifting it in your "wish list". I've swapped out all 4 of my springs with '05 model year and gained an inch for a relatively cheap price (subie raised the ride height for the 04+ model years). I've also added homemade strut spacers to give it another inch. The templates can be found online and total material cost was about $60. Nice easy mods to lift it up! I would like to replace my rear 1" spacer with SJR's 2" for a little more aggressive stance, but I have no idea how to contact them, their website is a little lacking...

Peace!

[LrgLnrd]

Nice ride and write up! I also have an '03 NA and have been thinking mine is due for a tune up. Your write up makes it look fairly well easy. Do you recall what kit you used and/or where you got it? Did the plugs come with it or did you order separately? I need to decide whether to tackle this or just take it to a shop for a partial rebuild and let them do the tuneup as well (head gasket is slowly starting to leak)...

FWIW - you mentioned lifting it in your "wish list". I've swapped out all 4 of my springs with '05 model year and gained an inch for a relatively cheap price (subie raised the ride height for the 04+ model years). I've also added homemade strut spacers to give it another inch. The templates can be found online and total material cost was about $60. Nice easy mods to lift it up! I would like to replace my rear 1" spacer with SJR's 2" for a little more aggressive stance, but I have no idea how to contact them, their website is a little lacking...

Peace!

Thank You for the kind words, and yeah I figured might as well take pictures and post as I go on everything I do just for reference.
Looks like I might be putting a tranny in next (unfortunately) kinda but knew it was coming but its more money going into that than what it would have cost for lift and tires....oh well we will see what happens

I dont remember what kit I used...Just ordered it from pep boys Im thinking it was the fel-pro kit..pretty standard for pep boys to use. And the plugs and wires were from there as well cant remember what ones but oe spec stuff....Nothing out of the ordinary..
As far as the valve covers their very easy and straight forward.
For contacting sjr just go to their website. I know it was down for a little while but was up and running again and they have to have a contact us page.
Hope this helps,
Greg