It's down to the final rush for SEMA and Project WRX V.08 just came back from the paint shop in the all-too-SCC flat black, a tribute to our old Krylon-special STi. This all started back in the day, when Coleman decided to rattle-can his Project Silvia flat black because he couldn't bring himself to go to a body shop or stare at the huge patch of Bondo on his quarter-panel. And so, a trend started out of cheapness.
Not to be outdone, ex-editor Oldham followed suit with a perfectly good 2004 STi and a rattle-can party/barbeque. While the results weren't quite as stellar, the car was still nonetheless stunning, that is, until some neighborhood kids decided to turn the car into a tic-tac-toe chalkboard.
The vacuum-formed Airtab vortex generators were designed for flat surfaces, like on a tractor/trailer. To mold the pieces to the WRX's roof curvature, we first covered the sections in foil and marked the mounting locations. Then using Bondo and some pressure, we added material to the trailing end of the Airtab. Once dry, the extra Bondo peels away from the smooth plastic sides easily. With some clean-up and paint, the vortex generator sticks to the roof with the double-sided tape already attached to the bottom.
While most of us are not up for ruining a perfectly good paint job, something had to be done for a SEMA show appearance. Our car was to appear front and center in Subaru of America's booth and, although we're not really show-car dudes, we knew they weren't expecting a near-stock car to appear. When we first negotiated booth space with Subaru, we were asked if we wanted to team up with West Coast Customs. Yup, the guys from Pimp My Ride. Thanks, but we'll be alright.
We knew we weren't going to go with a crazy custom body kit and underbody lighting, just a few simple changes that would transform Project WRX V.08 dramatically. So the decision was made to flat black our Subaru professionally (Krylon won't cut it at a show the level of SEMA). It's now become almost a tradition and a sign that a project car has received the SCC touch. The BASF two-stage Carizzma Flat Black paint and white Prodrive wheels will surely stop anyone from mistaking our WRX for a Camry.
We continued with our thus-far mostly cosmetic build-up with a prototype carbon fiber hood from Crawford Performance. Like many on the market, it's a single piece of carbon fiber overlaid onto a fiberglass copy of the factory hood bracing. Due to the integrated hood scoop, the molding is complex and multi-layered. It's easily 20 pounds lighter than the stock steel hood, which will have a good impact on our CG and front-to-rear weight distribution.
The Crawford carbon fiber hood has an accurate copy of the stock underhood ribbing. This makes drilling and mounting of the stock intercooler ducting pretty straightforward, although the weight of the stock hardware causes more strain on the composite hood.
To duct the incoming air onto the top-mount intercooler properly, the original ducting hardware had to be taken off the stock hood and remounted onto the fiberglass structure. Crawford made such an accurate copy of the reinforcement ribbing structure that all the original screw and poppet holes were replicated in the fiberglass. Since there was minimal deformation in the fiberglass, mounting the stock ducting was just a matter of identifying which holes needed to be drilled, and doing so carefully. The same can be done when mounting the OE cardboard fabric underhood heatshield--which is highly recommended, since it helps to direct heat away from the hood itself. The only problem with retaining the OEM ducting is the added weight the hood has to support, which causes high-speed vibrations.
At the rear, the hulking stock wing was taken off to reduce weight. In its place went a JP USA universal flexible mini-lip spoiler that effectively acts as a gurney flap to rotate and energize airflow coming off the trunk. Even if it does little aerodynamically, the JP wing features an improvement in weight savings versus the stock piece. This significant change also means that Project WRX V.08's torsion trunk springs need to be changed for the stock wingless Impreza parts, so the trunk won't pop open like a catapult.
Unlike the front caliper, the rear unit uses the same size pistons so that the caliper is not rotation-specific outside of how the hydraulic lines are routed. This makes the unit easier to use with manufacturers' mounting constraints.
On the roof, we added a row of universal vortex generators from Airtab. These vacuum-formed pieces attach to the trailing edge of the roof, help reduce the low-pressure pocket behind the rear window (which causes drag), and provide smoother flow for the spoiler. They're designed to mount onto smooth surfaces, so a little Bondo work and spray paint was needed. Luckily, flat black isn't hard to match with Krylon's existing line of colors.
Interior
On their third tour of project car duty after Project `04 STi and '06 WRX, our Sparco Milano reclineable seats were installed. Unless we absolutely believe we need the lateral support, we often avoid changing the stock seats on street cars, since they're safe, designed to work with stock belts and the seating positions for drivers of many sizes. But showing up to a car show with stock seats is a taboo even we couldn't break. The switch to heavy, steel-framed recliners was actually a fair trade. Modern OEM seats now are so laden with seat heaters, weight sensors, airbags, active head restraints and wiring, that they weigh more than most aftermarket recliners. So, for the same weight, we now have more support without the seatbelt placement impediments typically encountered with heavily bolstered buckets.