T Montague's 2zr swap - '08 m/t sedan some extra info

[tmontague]

So the Yaris is now stripped down to nothing in the interior except a drivers seat and it is down another 100 or so lbs due to this. I currently have it taken off insurance and being stored at my in laws warehouse until me move in the winter and I can have in my garage/driveway again.

I am hoping to get it out on track one day in September and burn out what us left in my track pads and hopefully get it in the 1:24's. I would ideally like to strip the dash, HVAC and all of the no longer needed interior wiring and lose another 50 or so lbs.

Over the winter the plan will be to get rid of the side and rear windows and convert it to lexan. I will also be pulling to window motors and interior door skins to shed some more weight. The car should be sub 2k lbs by that point.

i have spent most of my "car time" lately getting my new Subie up to my family hauler standards which means, all new fluids, zero clunks, zero dashboard lights and minimal to no leaks. I also had to cut and ceramic coat the paint as it was a very neglected car





I can say that it is now complete (save for a valve cover gasket) and it is quite the road trip car. It handles infinitely better than our Vibe at the limit and it surprisingly plush over bumps. The fuel economy is similar to the Vibe but it has a much better awd system (tested on out steep gravel cottage driveway) and it has loads more power. I am very happy with another successful used car purchase and a happy new Subie owner. They really do handle really well for the type of car they are compared to others in its class. This is also one of the softest handling generations of the Outback and I still feel it handles well.

I have had to seasoned mechanics look over the undercarriage of the car (i originally did this as well before I purchased it) and both have said that it checks out great and is in great condition. Also the rear end alignment was all within factory spec which is great as nothing has been damaged or bent. It is always good to hear actual mechanics confirms your findings seeing as I am a simple driveway wrench and not a professional by any means.

Here is a short list of things that were wrong with the car but are now all fixed:
-P0420 code (catylitic converter sub optimal efficiency)
-C0071 steering angle sensor code (effectively disabling the stability control and lighting up the dashboard)
-cracked windshield
-broken passenger side mirror
-passenger seat electric adjustments not working
-broken front control arm bushings
-leaking oil cooler o-ring
-intermittent horn engagement (this was a fun one!)
-very badly scratched paint
-bad passenger front brake shudder
-bad smell in cabin
-severely delayed throttle response
-a/c not blowing as cool as it should

I am thinking I will write a thread up some day of how I go about purchasing used vehicles and what I look for as well as how I determine the price I'm willing to pay to have a relatively inexpensive but safe car. Let me know if anyone would be interested in reading something like that in the near future. It may help other mechanically inclined people who don't have a large budget but want a nice vehicle.

For next season I plan to use the Subie to tow my Yaris to and from the track, it should make for a much faster track car when all of the niceties are stripped out of it

[CrankyOldMan]

Originally Posted by tmontague

So the Yaris is now stripped down to nothing in the interior except a drivers seat and it is down another 100 or so lbs due to this.
...
I would ideally like to strip the dash, HVAC and all of the no longer needed interior wiring and lose another 50 or so lbs.
...
Over the winter the plan will be to get rid of the side and rear windows and convert it to lexan. I will also be pulling to window motors and interior door skins to shed some more weight. The car should be sub 2k lbs by that point.

That's where the 2ZR Vios is right now, minus the rear window, plus the passenger OEM seat. Sub-2000 lbs is crazy quick off the line!

I'm still reading the rules for the SCCA class I want to run in (eventually) and some of the excessive weight shedding already done to mine may be outside of what's allowed. If you're interested in swapping doors and saving yourself the labor I think I can schedule a road trip.

*EDIT - that's a cool idea for the windshield. I was going to try and reinstall the OEM fan and heater core on mine.