RS Revival: No More Black Bumper

This '00 RS was starting to get known by local Subaru owners as "The Black Bumper RS", but those days have since passed.  This week, the Project Car got a fresh coat of paint on the mostly black bumper that used to adorn the front end.

On the one hand, it was kind of crummy paint job to begin with, as the whole thing had flaked off down to bare plastic.  It has been like this since before the project started.  On the other... it was quite easy to repaint because of this!

Factory-correct paint went on Friday.  Over the weekend, we buttoned up the front end to see that "this might not be a junky car" look we had never seen on this RS before!  It really does look fantastic from the front now... and that Version 6 STI Grille ties things together beautifully!

Overall, the front end of this car has transformed quite a bit.  This car had obviously been in an accident before, which the flaked-off paint already hinted at.  Both front fenders still had part number stickers on the inside, which they wouldn't have if they were original to the car.  The hood had body filler (with rust coming through) and had also been repainted poorly.  Many parts have been replaced or repaired, but things still aren't quite aligned on the front end.  It's not enough to be noticeable, but it's still a matter of cleaning up past problems to help bring this car back to it's glory days.

There's still a lot more work to be had this month for the RS Revival.  While this car looks great from the front, every other angle still shows the obvious exterior problems plaguing it.  It's been a tough battle against the rust on this car.  The engine has also been hurting for awhile and, while it still has never managed to break down yet, we cannot take this luxury for granted.  The ability to drive this car from shop to garage to driveway as it is being worked on has been helpful, but I fear luck might run out if we stretch it too far.

Next up: Interior repairs and additions are made while preparations for new metal in the quarter panels and a new motor are underway!