"...because anything worth doing is worth overdoing." -Mick Jagger
Table of Contents:
Interior
Suspension
Engine
Drivetrain
Chassis
Heat Managment
Brakes
Wheels/Tires
Cadmium Plating
Vendor Experience/Reviews
Tuning/Dyno Sheets
Perrin Gauge install
Polished Intercooler
Moroso Air Oil Separator
Before...
After... (not much of a change on the outside lol)
This build was a dream come true for me. After years of research and planning I finally had the opportunity to build what I envisioned to be the perfect STI. I tried to maintain the car's balance and nature while kicking everything up a notch or two.
For me the calling came when I saw the headlights on an STI slowly power up at an autocross in 2004 one cool, dark, misty, morning. I have wanted one ever since. Finding a clean near stock 2006 took months because so many of these cars are poorly modded and that's not what I wanted. I found this STI in Salt Lake City. It had about 37,000, was in good shape, and the price was right so I flew out. It was stock with Tein springs. It had taken a light hit in the front right corner, but the carfax was clean. Assessing body damage is not my strong suit so a few things got by me that were either covered up or I just didn�t/couldn�t see when I initially inspected the car.
When I started taking it apart I noticed things. It was rougher than I had originally thought. It had been curbed on the right side. And it looked like the left side had been repainted. It also looked like the strut had been bottomed out on the left front which coned the strut tower a bit. I also noticed clues that it must have had a cat-back on it at one time. Oh and someone drilled a hole in the spare tire probably when installing a subwoofer box or something. So this is also kind of my rescue car. Anyway it all worked out though since I got a good straight car. Had I noticed all that stuff though I may not have bought it and could still be looking.
So then, the idea was to build this STI with the best parts I could find. From the beginning this car was built with an eye towards STU class autocross as my guide. A lot was done with the suspension, but it's a mild build power-wise which if fine with me. I feel it has enough power so I chose to work on power delivery. My focus was on consistency and response. I tried to carry this theme throughout the entire car. Since the direction was always going to be a dual-role street/STU car I also wanted to try and keep the car as quiet and comfortable as possible. This way I could enjoy it as much on the road as I did on course.
A great deal of research went into every part installed in the car as well as the car itself. I decided on an �06 because they seem to do the best in STU and I also think they are the best year released in the US. I wasn�t crazy about the aesthetics at first, but the look has really grown on me. It�s very easy to detract from the performance of these cars and I wanted to avoid that. For me it was about taking what was good about the car and making it better. Due to my nature of always trying to do things the best way I can you may see some things done here not usually seen.
I naively though this would be a bolt-on affair, but boy was I wrong. It�s a good thing I know a great machinist, because I made many trips to his shop during the build. Sometimes just to modify an existing part, other times to make new parts. I�ve even designed and had built a bunch of special tools and fixtures. The most tedious part was all the bead-blasting that preceded the plating. It took months. Next time (if there is one) I�ll just pay to have it done.
The most difficult part turned out to be installing the Group N bushings in the rear suspension. It took the machine shop four hours to remove then install the rear subframe bushings. I did the rest myself with some help. I had to design then have made fixtures that would compress and push at the same time so the bushings wouldn�t tear themselves apart. It took a couple revisions to get them right, but in the end they worked great! All part of the fun!!!
It took about 8 or 9 hours of blasting to clean each knuckle.
It was worth it though.
At it's most dissembled the car was basically a tub.
Some assembly required!
Table of Contents:
Interior
Suspension
Engine
Drivetrain
Chassis
Heat Managment
Brakes
Wheels/Tires
Cadmium Plating
Vendor Experience/Reviews
Tuning/Dyno Sheets
Perrin Gauge install
Polished Intercooler
Moroso Air Oil Separator
Before...
After... (not much of a change on the outside lol)
This build was a dream come true for me. After years of research and planning I finally had the opportunity to build what I envisioned to be the perfect STI. I tried to maintain the car's balance and nature while kicking everything up a notch or two.
For me the calling came when I saw the headlights on an STI slowly power up at an autocross in 2004 one cool, dark, misty, morning. I have wanted one ever since. Finding a clean near stock 2006 took months because so many of these cars are poorly modded and that's not what I wanted. I found this STI in Salt Lake City. It had about 37,000, was in good shape, and the price was right so I flew out. It was stock with Tein springs. It had taken a light hit in the front right corner, but the carfax was clean. Assessing body damage is not my strong suit so a few things got by me that were either covered up or I just didn�t/couldn�t see when I initially inspected the car.
When I started taking it apart I noticed things. It was rougher than I had originally thought. It had been curbed on the right side. And it looked like the left side had been repainted. It also looked like the strut had been bottomed out on the left front which coned the strut tower a bit. I also noticed clues that it must have had a cat-back on it at one time. Oh and someone drilled a hole in the spare tire probably when installing a subwoofer box or something. So this is also kind of my rescue car. Anyway it all worked out though since I got a good straight car. Had I noticed all that stuff though I may not have bought it and could still be looking.
So then, the idea was to build this STI with the best parts I could find. From the beginning this car was built with an eye towards STU class autocross as my guide. A lot was done with the suspension, but it's a mild build power-wise which if fine with me. I feel it has enough power so I chose to work on power delivery. My focus was on consistency and response. I tried to carry this theme throughout the entire car. Since the direction was always going to be a dual-role street/STU car I also wanted to try and keep the car as quiet and comfortable as possible. This way I could enjoy it as much on the road as I did on course.
A great deal of research went into every part installed in the car as well as the car itself. I decided on an �06 because they seem to do the best in STU and I also think they are the best year released in the US. I wasn�t crazy about the aesthetics at first, but the look has really grown on me. It�s very easy to detract from the performance of these cars and I wanted to avoid that. For me it was about taking what was good about the car and making it better. Due to my nature of always trying to do things the best way I can you may see some things done here not usually seen.
I naively though this would be a bolt-on affair, but boy was I wrong. It�s a good thing I know a great machinist, because I made many trips to his shop during the build. Sometimes just to modify an existing part, other times to make new parts. I�ve even designed and had built a bunch of special tools and fixtures. The most tedious part was all the bead-blasting that preceded the plating. It took months. Next time (if there is one) I�ll just pay to have it done.
The most difficult part turned out to be installing the Group N bushings in the rear suspension. It took the machine shop four hours to remove then install the rear subframe bushings. I did the rest myself with some help. I had to design then have made fixtures that would compress and push at the same time so the bushings wouldn�t tear themselves apart. It took a couple revisions to get them right, but in the end they worked great! All part of the fun!!!
It took about 8 or 9 hours of blasting to clean each knuckle.
It was worth it though.
At it's most dissembled the car was basically a tub.
Some assembly required!