My 02 Bugeye WRX Wagon

[SimonTuffGuy]

Here's the build thread for my 02 WRX Wagon. It's going to be kept fairly stock, but modded enough to be fun.

Car is bone stock, with the exception of a front strut tower brace.







Modifications to come:
- New Headunit/DVD/Video
- Autometer pod and gauges
- Rear Strut Brace
- Headlight Swap (JDM Projectors or Morettes)
- Exhaust of some sort
- Rally Innovations Skid
- Rally Armor Mud Flaps

I'll try to snap some new pictures here with some of the new junk installed.

[SimonTuffGuy]

The speakers worked 20% of the time on the ride home. They were being run off a cheap amp in the back. So I took the time to remove that and all the wiring. I picked up a Pioneer AVH-P3200BT headunit. It's a 2 DIN headuint with a 5.8" touchscreen. Has USB and SD readers, input from iPod to control that, plays DVD/movies, outputs to a rear screen, allows input for a rear camera, and can do GPS, HD Radio, XM, etc. Also does bluetooth for "hands free" on my Droid Incredible.

Luckily enough the wiring mess pictures above wasn't terrible. They used butt connectors on both sides of the factory harness. I took out the RCA jack connector piece and went to stock wiring... Then ran a universal to universal from my Pioneer headunit to the stock wiring.

No installed pictures of the headunit yet. I'll snap some later.

In the mix of things... I also installed a new ebrake handle. The one in my car was cut off and had a crappy and broken Momo cover on it. I picked up a stock one off EBay for cheap and installed it over the weekend. Looks much better.

[perucho]

...

Modifications to come:
- New Headunit/DVD/Video
- Autometer pod and gauges
- Rear Strut Brace
- Headlight Swap (JDM Projectors or Morettes)
- Exhaust of some sort
- Rally Innovations Skid
- Rally Armor Mud Flaps

I'll try to snap some new pictures here with some of the new junk installed.

Congrats on the new ride! That wagon looks good! Lowering springs are worth every penny too. I also got rid of the stock 6-cd changer and installed amps/component speakers all the way around, and a set of autometer gauges soon after I got the wgn.

[SimonTuffGuy]

What gauges do you have in there? I'm figuring on boost, oil pressure and something... Exhaust temp?

I just grabbed my old set of Autometers off a forum member here. Oil pressure, A/F (cheapy one), and volts. I got the Auotmeter pod and heard it's not that great... But I figure it'll work compared to paying 3x the cost for the other one that's out there.

I'm not sure about lowering it yet... I may, but I want to keep clearance for winter and stuff too.

[perucho]

Yeah, boost, oil pressure, and exhaust temperature. I think I got tein springs and the drop was barely one inch but took care of the gap nicely. It drove fine too, although it was never on deep snow.

[SimonTuffGuy]

Teins are awesome... I'm not sure what I'll end up doing with that. The rear looks pretty nice as far as the gap, but the front does look semi 4x4'ish.

Plans are to get a set of winter tires mounted on my stock wheels and then a set of summer tires on a different set of wheels (undetermined what they will be yet).

[kumalaba]

^

Those are some awesome subies!

[SimonTuffGuy]

Was your Autometer pod textured to "match" the dash a little bit? I ordered one off EBay and it's not textured, but flat. I think it's going to look weird on the dash without matching.

They said it's Autometer, has Autometer instructions and stuff.... But just trying to check, your picture does look textured, as does the one they listed on their auction...

[perucho]

Yes it was textured. It was black so it didn't match the dash top color exactly but it was okay. If it's not textured, you could paint it to match the trim color of the other plastic pieces that are not textured.

I also don't remember if it was an actual autometer pod...

[SimonTuffGuy]

It also looks like yours angles the gauges towards you a lot more than mine will... It's awkward. Knockoff maybe? I'll snap a pic over lunch...

Their pic (for reference):

[perucho]

That image shows that the pod cluster is textured. That one looks just like the one I had. So yours has not texture?

[SimonTuffGuy]

Talked to the seller on EBay and they said Autometer sends them some textured and some flat... Everything including the box, the piece itself are stamped with the correct part number and stuff. Must've just been bad luck. :\



A bad picture of the Pioneer screen. Much nicer than the stock headunit that was installed. Amber loves the DVD capabilities, she watched a movie on the ride home the other night.

[perucho]

I remember carefully filing the edges around the pod cluster base so that it would sit flush with the dash top.
If you can match that dark silver/gunmetal paint on the dash trim, I think a painted pod would look great!

[SimonTuffGuy]

Yeah, I can see that it's going to need filed down a little bit. I'm up in the air what I want to do now... ATI makes a unit for the top of the steering column that holes 2 gauges... Really all I want to run is boost... But I'd run oil pressure or something else since I got the gauges for so cheap.

[FastOrBust]

nice pickup i was looking for one of these in wrb for winter but decided i didnt want to make payments so i got a dsm instead and i also put the rally armor mud flaps they look great and if you buy the universal ones there only 15 instead of 95