2004 WRX Tear-down - TX-Lou

[TX-Lou]

I thought I would go ahead and create a teardown thread for our project. I wish I would have done this already as it probably would have saved us a few dollars from mistakes that we’ve already made but….live and learn.

As mentioned in the title of this thread our donor car is a 2004 Impreza WRX 2.0L turbo (EJ205). We got the car through a Copart Auction in Houston. A little word of advice for those folks who are going to purchase through a Copart Auction. I originally registered with Copart and tried to bid on car but couldn’t since I wasn’t a broker. So, I used J &L Auto Brokers (who were great) out of Alabama. They created a Copart account for me and I used that to bid. Copart bids are fast and furious…..and can be a little confusing at times. We were winning the pre-bid. When the bidding starts the current high bid is the winner if nobody bids in about 8 to 10 seconds. It goes fast and furious since you have just a few seconds to bid or decide to pass. We were all sitting around the computer and the bids were flying. Copart pops up a banner that tells you that you are winning the bid. That goes away and your state’s flag shows.

Things are flashing around the screen quickly but I was happy to keep seeing my TX State flag. So the auction starts to wind down and I get the notice that I’m winning….but then it flashes a big red X on the screen. We were all really confused and time was running out so I bid again and the same thing happened again. Time was running out again and everyone behind me was urging me to bid again so I did. After it did the same thing again the little lightbulb in my head goes off that something is wrong. So I didn’t bid again and the auction ended……..only to find out we did win after all. What I didn’t realize was that my account didn’t get registered with my TX address. It was listed with the address of our broker in Alabama. While some folks here are probably very familiar with the Alabama state flag, none of us were. But, I sure will never forget the big red X that is the Alabama state flag ever again. Yes, we probably cost ourselves an extra $150 or $200 and felt really dumb afterward but we did get the car and we will always laugh about it.

Here is our donor car on a trailer that I rented from U-Haul and in pre-teardown in our driveway.




Here are some pics of where we are right now. Doors, Hood, Trunk, Rear Seats and Seatbelts are all out. We just started on the dash. We’ve already cut some door and headlight wiring that we didn’t think we were going to need but after reading more here realized we do. Oh well, I’ll have to buy or build those cables. But the edict is out now…. Don’t Cut Anything!



.....................Edited on 09-24-2015...................
I thought I would post some information concerning what resources we used for teardown and some other stuff that may help others.

RESOURCES
The main resources we used for information concerning what to do and how to do it were:

• The FFR 818 Subaru Parts Disassembly Manual - Printed and put into a binder
• Haynes Repair Manual - Subaru Impreza 2002 thru 2011, Impreza WRX 2002 thru 2014, Impreza WRX STI 2004 thru 2014: Includes Impreza Outback and GT Models
• The Factory Five Forums
• Youtube - Briansmobile's Videos including his video titled Take 2 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Engine Removal Part One
• 2004 Subaru Impreza Online Service Manual

TOOLS
Here are the main tools that we used for the teardown.

• 1 Standard 3/8 Socket Wrench
• 1 Adjustable Angle 3/8 Socket Wrench
• 1 Metric Deep Socket Set (10mm through 19mm)
• 1 Metric Impact Socket set (10mm through 19mm)
• 21 mm Socket - Transmission Plug
• 19 mm 1/2 Deep Socket - Suspension Bolts
• Torx t70 Socket Bit - Coolant Plug
• 17" Breaker Bar - 1/2
• 10" Socket Extension - 1/2
• 3" Socket Extension - 3/8
• 1/2 Female to 3/8 Male adapter
• 3/8 Female to 1/2 Male adapter
• 90 Degree Needle Nose Pliers
• Pry Bar
• Misc. Small Tools - Pliers, Hammers, Screwdrivers, Snips, Heavy Scissors, etc.
• 18V Battery Powered Reciprocating Saw
• Diablo 9" Heavy Metal Demolition Blades

We also used a dremmel to cut off a mangled bolt, a lighter to heat a suspension bolt to loosen it, and an 18V Power Driver with 3/8 socket adapter.