RS Revival: Puzzle Pieces

As the '00 Impreza 2.5 RS takes shape, a growing allotment of parts are lining up to make it even better. There's still things ahead of this car for maintenance and repairs, but it's exciting to see and feel the changes.   However, there are a couple of inbound items in line for the RS that will help give it some direction as to which route this car could possibly pursue.  For now, the car will still be fun to drive and enjoy, nothing serious.  As more parts come in for the car, the picture of what it could be becomes more clear.

The first piece is really just replacing a beat-up K&N Filter.  In the adjustments to the homebrew design of the Top Mount Cold Air Intake trick learned from RS25, there's now damage to an already poor-condition K&N filter that the car came with.  Initial fitment of the intake had the filter sitting too high and screws from the hood scoop were poking at the filter.  The silicone coupler had not been cut down enough like other designs had, so it sat too high over the engine.  Eventually, with enough jostling and jerking around as a result of my spirited rally-car-wannabe driving, the filter had worn grooves into it and had also worked the entire Homebrew TMCAI setup loose.  That's when we took advantage of a Cyber Monday deal last weekend and nabbed a new K&N Filter for cheap.  Also, the intake was repositioned down a little further, trying for that perfect fit.  However, it has become clear that a DIY setup like this just isn't structurally sound enough for the driver to be confident with when driving on unstable surfaces like dirt and gravel.

Luckily, when I was researching the TMCAI, there was a company that makes a solution to my problem: Gorilla Off-Road Company.  I was able to talk with the owner through DirtyImpreza.com's forums about pursuing their design, which is built with a durable 6061 aluminum box that uses factory mounting brackets.  It's coated in a heat-insulating black powder coat application and can use standard-size filters, paper or otherwise.  The K&N Filter will work just fine in this sturdy and secure setup.  This is the second piece of this weekend's puzzle.  Gorilla Off-Road Company has made quite the name for themselves in Rally with Subaru, so I'm excited to have a design that's been put through it's paces by experienced drivers.

The third piece of the puzzle came into play just after watching a video from SubieSport that featured the XV Crosstrek.  The driver of that XV was none other than autocross and rally champion Paul Eklund.  Paul owns Primitive Racing, which specializes in Evo, Suzuki, and Subaru Rally Performance Parts.  Probably the most common product I've seen come from Primitive is their skid plates.  It seemed only fair to the RS that, if it were to undergo the continued beating planned out for it, that it would need some form of protection before a boulder snaps the frame in half or rips the differential out from underneath.  With that, a skid plate and rear diff plate for the RS are making their way onto this car.

So there's more in store for this car.  Progress pictures will be up once they start making their way onto the car!