I have managed to infect my youngest sibling with a zeal for the 818 project, and he is now intent on building one. He has come across a bargain-priced 2003 Impreza TS NA 2.5 with a 4 Speed OD Automatic Transmission. The car was rear-ended by a semi, and is pretty much toast from the center door pillars back, which means that some aft components will need to be replaced. It is otherwise intact, however, and at $625, there is room for additional expenditure.
The key thing is the transmission. Little brother is missing his left foot, so being able to use an automatic transmission is critical to project viability. I am aware that you are of the opinion that in general the auto trans is something that can be easily converted to 2wd, and that other ancillary issues are resolvable.
We know that FFR is not officially supporting (at least at this time) the use of the automatic. But that does not mean that it can't be done.
Would you (and anybody else who cares to weigh in) care to comment with some detail on the viability of using this particular year and model Impreza automatic transmission? Any input you (or others) can provide will be greatly appreciated.