August 21, 2024

Scale modeling: Post scriptum

I absolutely love cars with the Pleiades badge, but it’s a love that’s more on the difficult side. The mirrors — seemingly nothing special, just three screws, and either they’re on the car, or they’re not. Imagine my surprise when I found the beginnings of corrosion under the triangles:

This is yet another area that needs attention.

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August 20, 2024

Scale modeling III

The final task is to run the missing wiring responsible for controlling the mirror folding motors.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it’s really handy to have a spare wiring loom from the left door to use the original pins. Additionally, you’ll need copper wire. I bought 10 meters of 1mm double-core wire, which was probably a bit of an overkill. You can easily divide that in half, so 5 meters should be just enough. The 0.5mm diameter is closer to the original as well. The double-core wire works well because you need to run two wires, making it quite convenient.

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August 19, 2024

Scale modeling II

First the idea, then the order, waiting, the container shipped, a trip to the parcel locker, and I have it.

Getting the mirrors to work is a bit tricky. You need two sets, JDM and EUDM, to start with. Each set needs to be completely disassembled, and you’ll also need to add two extra wires to the harness and, finally, adjust the triangular bases to which the mirrors are attached. I decided to go with a hybrid approach:

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August 11, 2024

Scale modeling I.V

I checked the mirror plugs and the switch, removed the pins from the plug, and it turned out that none of the local electronics or automotive shops had the ones I needed, and what they had barely fit. Instead of forever struggling with the wrong pins, I decided to buy the entire wiring harness for the left door and give it a new lease of life.

Now, just waiting for my vacation, and it should be possible to put everything together.

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August 8, 2024

Rajd Małopolski

This weekend was the Rajd Małopolski, and I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t take a quick trip. So on Saturday, we headed to Maków Podhalański and once again saw the rally cars in action.

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July 29, 2024

Scale modeling

As kids, my cousins and I spent a lot of time building models, and now, after quite a few years, the thrill of building something out of small plastic parts has come back to me.

I always looked at the mirrors of modern day cars with envy as they gracefully glided to a full fold in parking lots. To be honest, I didn’t know that JDM Imprezas had electrically folding mirrors, but as soon as I found out, I immediately started plotting.

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July 14, 2024

Wieliczka

Last weekend, the Janusz Kulig and Marian Bublewicz Memorial took place. I decided to go. It was a really great event that transformed that small town, Wieliczka, into a rally-fueled, colourful little place. It was fantastic to see entire families watching the competition, with kids laughing out loud at the roar of the ALS.

It was even more enjoyable because there were so many historic cars, including models from my era of WRC, like the Ford Sierra, Escort, Focus MK1, and Toyota Celica ST-205 GT4 — really quite special!

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May 31, 2024

Maintenance: Oil change

Oil change: 60871 km, Motul 300V Competition 5W40.

Some time ago, I got myself one of those Mishimoto magnetic oil drain plugs, just for peace of mind. So far, so good.

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April 14, 2024

Strut bars

Last year, the Impreza got a dedicated STI strut brace. It looks really nice, and I think that’s the most important thing. Whether it actually makes a difference is another matter. Anyway, here are before/after shots:

An up shot from the change of the strut bars is that I ended up with a slightly worn-out bar, which was just perfect for Forester:

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