So this is definitely gonna be a slow moving project being as the car needs to be used daily.

I shall start from the beginning. December 2016 I sold my tank lpg 2l turbo Saab 95 estate. Whilst saving for a bugeye wrx wagon I had seen and had to have. When I had the funds up together I travelled to Wales to pick up the 51 plate bugeye. Driving it home I really enjoyed the feel of the car and the how comfortable it was to drive. It was a high ish mileage car but with full service history that wasnt a problem.


But it was missing something. In March a classic popped up locally for sale. It need a lot of work but I convinced the Mrs to sell her ej9 civic and buy my Scooby. I then went to look at the classic. I knew had had a lot of engine work carried out and it looked cool. The classic was a wreck dirty and looked unloved when we got there my Mrs said I was made to buy it. But after going for a spin in it and the acceleration I know I could maybe try and fix it up. The rear arches where rusty and the headlining saggy but that engine was something else. After a whole day of cleaning the looked a 1000% times better.



but all this was short lived. That night driving her home after filling her up with fuel. The "apparent" braided fuel lines which the people who rebuilt the engine fitted split. Throwing almost half a tank of fuel over a laybys floor. I got the car recovered home.




After looking at fuel lines they had used water pipe with a braided cover. A day later after getting some fuel lines she was back up and running but the dream only lasted 2 weeks after that. When I tried to mot her. The mot tester said it's got so much rust underneath you can poke your fingers through most of the chassis legs, there is was no jack points left and the rear top mounts where excessively corroded plus a long list of other stuff.

So after a lot of thinking and consideration I decided to break it hopefully try and make some money back to buy another car.

 

So 3 weeks later I was looking on eBay and found this little gem another classic but a wagon this time. Rust free full service history and 170000 on the clock.

I've already removed the engine and box from the other car

So the plan is is to change all the bits that will fit over into the wagon. But take my time clean and underseal everything that needs to be. And make the 97 wagon a much quicker car. Already gutted the sti front strut brace and the volks ray wheels. The coming weekends the engine will be serviced and cleaned. All wiring tidied up. But here how the wagon currently sits much nicer without the white wheels.

I will try and update this when I do things taking lots of pictures too.

 

im only up the road if you need any help mate you delivered the front bumper to me the other week in Southampton

 

Oh yeah thanks for the offer mate may need some help in the coming months. Hows yours coming along?

 

She's done just need some new wheels

 

Well done Harris thats a good job done. Are you going to keep the other engine as a spare?

You should of took the Impreza you broke to the same mot area the other guy took it too

 

Wow what difference

 

Yeah gonna keep the other engine once its removed and the other ones fitted. Just trying to save up for upgraded brakes and samco hoses and a few other little bits and bobs for the conversion. This weekend i will be up the garage removing bits off the old shell after a weekend off the the gfs birthday. Lol yeah it was moted in Leicester but the car was in Bournemouth

 

Hey nice pics. Thanks for sharing and good luck with your build.

 

Hey, Thanks will hopefully get the ball rolling on this abit quicker soon.

 

Few bits done today after I had to work this morning. Removed the dash and all the wiring so we could cut the car up a bit smaller ready for the scrappy next weekend.

 

Sorry to read about the misfortune with he last classic. Good luck with the wagon, it looks pretty smart already.

 

Thanks. She doesn't look too bad now. I changed the lights over the other day also to the facelift ones. looks a lot cleaner. only issue I've found is i sold a lot of stuff cheap and i now need some bits and they are expensive like the bumper bracket. didn't realise but mines rusted away almost. I sold it for 20 quid and looked for another its 65

 

So just a quick update. Scrapped the old shell last weekend. Yesterday fitted v5 sti struts and springs on the old girl.
slow progress but getting there

 

Progress is always a slow process! Great read so far!

It's so sad seeing those bits of chopped up bits of scooby after owning a dark blue classic

It was on an X plate though and I don't live in leicester for the record!

I went to look at a blob saloon that turned out to have big hole in the service history and they had a dark blue classic wagon for 2.5k and I went away that night to think about it and by the morning it had sold!

Got a black blob PPP wagon now and hardly see any wagons around so glad to see another owner on a similar path!

 

Thanks. Yeah it was such a shame that I couldn't afford to sort the welding out on it. But hopefully I can have fun and make a decent rust free fast wagon.

yeah I have got to say I hardly see any blob eye wagons around. Looks nice, what are your plans for it?

Hopefully I will have some 4 pots to rebuild soon and then fit. Then it's replacing all the hoses on the other engine and look at fitting it.

 

Plans are keep it on the road! Haha

It's just had maintenance, servicing and tidying bar a set of STI wheels refurbed so far. Might go chasing power or just enjoy it and do subtle cosmetic tweaks.

I do plan on doing brembos so I'll check back when I'm selling the 4 pot fronts and 2 pot rears when I get round to it!

 

So fixed the wheel bearing. And have been collecting parts for the engine swap. Plan is to get the engine swap done on the 9th 10th September. Which is painfully long time away but it's the only weekend I have free.

 

Very nice what did it look like before?

 

Hi Harris Classic,

Love the Wagon project you have on the go at the moment. Really interesting seeing how you have chopped the good bits from the rusted W reg.

Is the wagon a UK spec? What engine did it have as standard?

Hope you keep the thread updated!

Thanks

 

Hi Dakr,

cheers, before chopping up the w reg one i made a few posts on a few local forums on FB, where some people needed bits cut out for there own classics. so hopefully keep a few from the scrapyard.

the wagon is a uk2000, everything is standard on her so far i sold the volks rays wheels too. so she is back on the standard wheels. Not sure if i am putting the Sti engine in her or not as yet. I like the idea of a type r shell and building a car.

I have just brought another wagon with a blown engine so this weekend its fitting a new passenger front hub and possibly fitted a new turbo and exhaust from the breaker.

i am sure plenty of pics to come as well.

 

So this is the breaker i picked up last night. Certainly taking a few bits from this one for my wagon.

 

So after fitting a new hub on the wagon. It started overheating. Changed the thermostat and bleed the system but the car keeps overheating. My local mechanic reckons the head gasket. Looks like the sti engine will be being put in the wagon now.

annoying thing is I'm away this weekend so when I get back next week I will have to start work on the engine replacement. Been a long couple of evenings trying to get it running right. Now on to making a fast wagon again 😁

 

Those are two very good looking wagons!!

I'm gutted for you about that rust box you bought, but you ended up with a beaut that will go like stink!

I do love a good saloon but my heart lies with a wagon, there is something about a good looking wagon... especially one that suprises the local snob in his merc

Mine is a daily driven project aswell. Its a bit slow going but within 2 weeks it will have a TD05 and ESL fitted

 

That's nice. I've heard alot of good things about the td05 turbos. I think the white wagon has a td06 turbo made good power until the bottom end went. I completely understand what you mean about smoking a snob in his nice car. My old saloon used to kill m3's. When they used to catch up they were never happy. It's going to be even more fun in the wagon when you pull away from them.

this morning made a start on removing the engine and box to replace with the other engine.




everything is unbolted. Tomorrow going to my garage to pick up the other engine and gearbox plus the diff exhaust and any other bits I may require for the swap. Slowly getting there.

 

Good work.

 

I really like my Bugeye but I loved my classic wagon.
Keep up the good work.

 

Cheers guys. I spent yesterday at my garage getting the other engine, gearbox and diff. Hopefully pick up some paint at the weekend for my dad to spray the bumper, scoop and new spoilers also the arch that catched the tyre. Hopefully have some more progress over the weekend.

 

So got home from work and pulled the old engine out and put the new one in. Got to bolt everything up tomorrow but it's definitely a go start to the weekend

 

Few more updated pics. Having a bit of trouble wiring the car up as the idle control valves on both engines are completely different. Currently looking at getting a blob eye throttle body then as the valve looks similar.