Mods
Engine:\r
2010 WRX EJ255 (Tuned by Airboy Tuning, producing 270 awhp & 315 awtq)\r
Modified Cobb SF intake\r
Modified Cobb SF heatshield\r
Cobb XLE BPV\r
Cobb Accessport\r
Gimmick Motorsports turbo inlet\r
FMS Black TMIC \r
Grimmspeed TGV Delete\r
Tomei Big Bore 4-1 Headers\r
Tomei Big Bore Uppipe\r
Invidia Catted 3" Downpipe\r
Modified RandomTech catback exhaust\r
TiC FU Cam Bolts\r
KillerB windage tray\r
KillerB oil pickup\r
T-bolt hose clamps on all pressure pipes\r
DEI Titanium wrapped headers, uppipe, and downpipe\r
DEI Gold wrapped intercooler\r
Perrin Lightweight crank pulley\r
Perrin Turbo Blanket\r
Perrin Turbo Heatshield\r
Crawford AOS\r
HKS Grounding kit\r
Custom intercooler spray\r
Group N motor mounts\r
Optima RedTop\r
\r
Drivetrain:\r
2013 STI 6 Speed\r
'13 STI R180 rear diff\r
'10 WRX Front axles\r
Competition Clutch Segmented Ceramic Clutch\r
ACT Lightweight Flywheel\r
DCCD Pro Universal Controller\r
Custom Driveshaft spacer\r
Custom hybrid rear axles w/ SuberDave STI bearing race\r
KartBoy Short Shifter\r
Group N Transmission mount\r
KartBoy Shifter Stay bushing\r
TiC Shifter bushings\r
KartBoy Front Shifter bushing\r
Grimmspeed Master Cylinder brace\r
Hawk HPS brake pads\r
Slotted and vented Brembo rotors\r
\r
Suspension:\r
RaceComp Engineering Tarmac 1 Coilovers\r
Rallitek 22mm Front Sway bar\r
Rallitek 19mm Rear Sway bar\r
Kartboy front and rear sway links\r
Pretty much the entire Whiteline catalog for this chassis:\r
Whiteline ComC tophats\r
Whiteline W63393 - Control arm - lower front inner & outer bushing\r
Whiteline W63394 - Control arm - lower rear outer bushing\r
Whiteline W63395 - Control arm - lower rear inner bushing\r
Whiteline W63396 - Control arm - upper inner bushing\r
Whiteline KCA399 - Control arm - upper outer bushing (camber correction)\r
Whiteline KCA319A - Anti-lift kit\r
Whiteline KCA313 - Front Roll Center Adjustment Kit\r
Whiteline Rear Diff bushings\r
Powerflex Rear Subframe bushings\r
Entire 05 Baja rear subframe and all control arms sandblasted and POR-15'd\r
\r
\r
Interior:\r
'10 WRX Gauge Cluster\r
Sparco Chrono Road seats \r
GT-Spec D-Shaped Steering Wheel\r
DEFI BF Boost, Oil Temp, Exhaust Temp gauges\r
AEM UEGO Wideband\r
AEM Oil Pressure gauge\r
Custom A-Pillar pod\r
Custom Dash pod\r
Custom Shift boot\r
Pioneer Double Din stereo\r
\r
Exterior:\r
Custom hoodscoop\r
RallyArmor mudflaps\r
Acura TL BiXenon HID Projector Retrofit\r
Osram SVS Nightbreaker 4300k bulbs\r
Morimoto Ballasts\r
Morimoto 3000k HID Fog lamps\r
Hella 500 / OEM Subaru Top Lights\r
Hella Supertones\r
54w LED Spot lights mounted in grille\r
Custom mesh grille \r
Primitive Motorsports Skidplate\r
Rear diff bash plate
2010 WRX EJ255 (Tuned by Airboy Tuning, producing 270 awhp & 315 awtq)\r
Modified Cobb SF intake\r
Modified Cobb SF heatshield\r
Cobb XLE BPV\r
Cobb Accessport\r
Gimmick Motorsports turbo inlet\r
FMS Black TMIC \r
Grimmspeed TGV Delete\r
Tomei Big Bore 4-1 Headers\r
Tomei Big Bore Uppipe\r
Invidia Catted 3" Downpipe\r
Modified RandomTech catback exhaust\r
TiC FU Cam Bolts\r
KillerB windage tray\r
KillerB oil pickup\r
T-bolt hose clamps on all pressure pipes\r
DEI Titanium wrapped headers, uppipe, and downpipe\r
DEI Gold wrapped intercooler\r
Perrin Lightweight crank pulley\r
Perrin Turbo Blanket\r
Perrin Turbo Heatshield\r
Crawford AOS\r
HKS Grounding kit\r
Custom intercooler spray\r
Group N motor mounts\r
Optima RedTop\r
\r
Drivetrain:\r
2013 STI 6 Speed\r
'13 STI R180 rear diff\r
'10 WRX Front axles\r
Competition Clutch Segmented Ceramic Clutch\r
ACT Lightweight Flywheel\r
DCCD Pro Universal Controller\r
Custom Driveshaft spacer\r
Custom hybrid rear axles w/ SuberDave STI bearing race\r
KartBoy Short Shifter\r
Group N Transmission mount\r
KartBoy Shifter Stay bushing\r
TiC Shifter bushings\r
KartBoy Front Shifter bushing\r
Grimmspeed Master Cylinder brace\r
Hawk HPS brake pads\r
Slotted and vented Brembo rotors\r
\r
Suspension:\r
RaceComp Engineering Tarmac 1 Coilovers\r
Rallitek 22mm Front Sway bar\r
Rallitek 19mm Rear Sway bar\r
Kartboy front and rear sway links\r
Pretty much the entire Whiteline catalog for this chassis:\r
Whiteline ComC tophats\r
Whiteline W63393 - Control arm - lower front inner & outer bushing\r
Whiteline W63394 - Control arm - lower rear outer bushing\r
Whiteline W63395 - Control arm - lower rear inner bushing\r
Whiteline W63396 - Control arm - upper inner bushing\r
Whiteline KCA399 - Control arm - upper outer bushing (camber correction)\r
Whiteline KCA319A - Anti-lift kit\r
Whiteline KCA313 - Front Roll Center Adjustment Kit\r
Whiteline Rear Diff bushings\r
Powerflex Rear Subframe bushings\r
Entire 05 Baja rear subframe and all control arms sandblasted and POR-15'd\r
\r
\r
Interior:\r
'10 WRX Gauge Cluster\r
Sparco Chrono Road seats \r
GT-Spec D-Shaped Steering Wheel\r
DEFI BF Boost, Oil Temp, Exhaust Temp gauges\r
AEM UEGO Wideband\r
AEM Oil Pressure gauge\r
Custom A-Pillar pod\r
Custom Dash pod\r
Custom Shift boot\r
Pioneer Double Din stereo\r
\r
Exterior:\r
Custom hoodscoop\r
RallyArmor mudflaps\r
Acura TL BiXenon HID Projector Retrofit\r
Osram SVS Nightbreaker 4300k bulbs\r
Morimoto Ballasts\r
Morimoto 3000k HID Fog lamps\r
Hella 500 / OEM Subaru Top Lights\r
Hella Supertones\r
54w LED Spot lights mounted in grille\r
Custom mesh grille \r
Primitive Motorsports Skidplate\r
Rear diff bash plate
Build story
Hello, my name is Paul and this is my 2003 Subaru Baja, well… was, what’s left of it at least. Unfortunately my project has met an untimely end but I want to share my experience with this car because it’s something I will never forget. \r
This was my first car, and as with most peoples first cars, it holds a special place in my heart. It’s the car that I first learned how to turn a wrench on, and ultimately it is the car that let me express my own style. The Subaru Baja is very much a love it or hate it design, it’s the odd duck of the Subaru family but its uniqueness is a large part of what attracted me to it. Is it a car, is it a truck, who knows? It didn’t matter because it was mine. Being a naturally aspirated 2.5L motor, after getting used to having my own car, I felt that the acceleration was lacking. I had bought the car in 2009 and I started with the basics, I learned how to do my own brakes, oil, and filter changes, and of course, I installed a cold air intake. But that was just the beginning. In 2012 an opportunity presented itself and I dove off the deep end. I bought a rolled over WRX with the intent of taking it’s beating turbo heart and putting it into mine. How hard can it be right? \r
I stripped the roll over for its good parts, took apart the motor, cleaned it all up, replaced the broken bits, and put it all back into one piece, once I had it all ready I began taking apart my car. It was nearing the end of winter by the time I got to putting the new motor in and I was working in an unheated garage. I had a torpedo style heater with the garage open keeping me warm as I was hoisting the new engine into place. The wiring took a considerable amount of time, I was using the engine harness and ecu from the donor while retaining as much of my original wiring as I could to run the rest of the electrical systems in the car. After I had sorted that all out, spring was on its way I was giddy with excitement as I was finally ready to turn that key. The feeling was just indescribable as I heard that motor roar to life. I had succeeded but I still had a long way to go. I’m a huge fan of hoodscoops so I had to have one, but with how unique this car was, any old scoop wouldn’t do. So I took my first foray into body work, took a grinder to my perfectly good hood and with some fiberglass and body fill I sculpted my very own hood, in a style that was a homage to the donor WRX. With having done many modifications to the intake and exhaust, I set off to Calgary Alberta to get a tune, at that time my home town of Winnipeg did not have a shop with an all wheel drive dyno, so I made a trip of it. I’m happy to say my car made 270 hp to the wheels and 315 lb-ft of torque. It was now that elusive “Fast”, at least enough for me. A little while later, the 5 speed transmission wasn’t enjoying the added torque and I had glitter on my drain plug. It was at that point I decided to upgrade the more stout STI 6 speed transmission, and it wouldn’t be a project without an adventure so I had found one for sale in Toronto and drove over with my then girlfriend, now wife, and we strapped the transmission in the back of our hatchback and drove it home. While I had it up on stands, I took out the entire front and rear suspensions and subframes, sandblasted them, and applied a coating of Por15 as well as put polyurethane bushings everywhere to firm up the ride. I had to get a little creative to get this transmission to fit, it required the creation of a custom spacer with the help of a close friend who worked in a machine shop, and I rebuilt the rear axles with custom bearing races so that I could reuse my existing hubs. After all was said and done, I had an amazing car on my hands. The driving experience in slippery conditions was phenomenal and many skids were had in snowy parking lots. As I grew, I kept this car and while I did branch out with getting a convertible for summer, so I swapped out the suspension with a 1” lift and made this my dedicated winter car. I was always excited to see the first snows as it meant it was time to bring my Baja out to play… which brings us to last fall. While I had it parked over summer it was broken into and after a lengthy process with the provincial insurance company it was deemed a total loss. It’s a bitter sweet end, I’m sad to see this chapter of my life come to an end, but it’s an opportunity to start again and go on another automotive journey, and with any luck my build has inspired others to take the plunge and do crazy things, and the parts from mine will find new life in other peoples projects and help them along their own journeys.
This was my first car, and as with most peoples first cars, it holds a special place in my heart. It’s the car that I first learned how to turn a wrench on, and ultimately it is the car that let me express my own style. The Subaru Baja is very much a love it or hate it design, it’s the odd duck of the Subaru family but its uniqueness is a large part of what attracted me to it. Is it a car, is it a truck, who knows? It didn’t matter because it was mine. Being a naturally aspirated 2.5L motor, after getting used to having my own car, I felt that the acceleration was lacking. I had bought the car in 2009 and I started with the basics, I learned how to do my own brakes, oil, and filter changes, and of course, I installed a cold air intake. But that was just the beginning. In 2012 an opportunity presented itself and I dove off the deep end. I bought a rolled over WRX with the intent of taking it’s beating turbo heart and putting it into mine. How hard can it be right? \r
I stripped the roll over for its good parts, took apart the motor, cleaned it all up, replaced the broken bits, and put it all back into one piece, once I had it all ready I began taking apart my car. It was nearing the end of winter by the time I got to putting the new motor in and I was working in an unheated garage. I had a torpedo style heater with the garage open keeping me warm as I was hoisting the new engine into place. The wiring took a considerable amount of time, I was using the engine harness and ecu from the donor while retaining as much of my original wiring as I could to run the rest of the electrical systems in the car. After I had sorted that all out, spring was on its way I was giddy with excitement as I was finally ready to turn that key. The feeling was just indescribable as I heard that motor roar to life. I had succeeded but I still had a long way to go. I’m a huge fan of hoodscoops so I had to have one, but with how unique this car was, any old scoop wouldn’t do. So I took my first foray into body work, took a grinder to my perfectly good hood and with some fiberglass and body fill I sculpted my very own hood, in a style that was a homage to the donor WRX. With having done many modifications to the intake and exhaust, I set off to Calgary Alberta to get a tune, at that time my home town of Winnipeg did not have a shop with an all wheel drive dyno, so I made a trip of it. I’m happy to say my car made 270 hp to the wheels and 315 lb-ft of torque. It was now that elusive “Fast”, at least enough for me. A little while later, the 5 speed transmission wasn’t enjoying the added torque and I had glitter on my drain plug. It was at that point I decided to upgrade the more stout STI 6 speed transmission, and it wouldn’t be a project without an adventure so I had found one for sale in Toronto and drove over with my then girlfriend, now wife, and we strapped the transmission in the back of our hatchback and drove it home. While I had it up on stands, I took out the entire front and rear suspensions and subframes, sandblasted them, and applied a coating of Por15 as well as put polyurethane bushings everywhere to firm up the ride. I had to get a little creative to get this transmission to fit, it required the creation of a custom spacer with the help of a close friend who worked in a machine shop, and I rebuilt the rear axles with custom bearing races so that I could reuse my existing hubs. After all was said and done, I had an amazing car on my hands. The driving experience in slippery conditions was phenomenal and many skids were had in snowy parking lots. As I grew, I kept this car and while I did branch out with getting a convertible for summer, so I swapped out the suspension with a 1” lift and made this my dedicated winter car. I was always excited to see the first snows as it meant it was time to bring my Baja out to play… which brings us to last fall. While I had it parked over summer it was broken into and after a lengthy process with the provincial insurance company it was deemed a total loss. It’s a bitter sweet end, I’m sad to see this chapter of my life come to an end, but it’s an opportunity to start again and go on another automotive journey, and with any luck my build has inspired others to take the plunge and do crazy things, and the parts from mine will find new life in other peoples projects and help them along their own journeys.