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1999 Subaru WRX GC8 Restoration

1999 Subaru WRX GC8 as bought, parked on the front lawn

A rally icon, found in recoverable condition on Facebook Marketplace. Brought back to glory with Joel Wright.

View Project Logbook →

Project Overview

Bought off Facebook Marketplace on 18 July 2026 with a blown head gasket, this 1999 Subaru WRX (GC8 chassis) came with peeling clear coat and general wear from age, but was structurally solid underneath it. Working alongside Joel Wright with some home workshop tools and the internet at our fingertips, the goal is a full, true-to-legend, restoration back to factory condition rather than an over-spec'd speedchaser's build.

The approach is deliberately OEM+ as we want to honour the legacy of this mighty rally legend. The "plus" is purely visual: classic rally gold BBS wheels and a black-gold engine bay theme distinguish our build. Restoration will occur in manageable parts so we feel challenged but not quite out of our depth.

This page keeps things high-level. For detailed, part-by-part breakdowns see Joel's project page. For progress tracking in recount style documentation, check my logbook.

The Restoration Plan

The broad plan developed thus far splits the restoration into four areas of work:

Engine Bay

Engine out, cylinder block machined, head gaskets replaced. Alongside that: a new intercooler, sorting out the coolant system, replacing fluid reservoirs, and reinstalling the engine with an upgraded Haltech ECU and wiring harness.

Brakes

Clean the brake rotors, replace the brake pads, replace the brake fluid, and bleed the brakes through — getting the stopping side of the car back to a trustworthy baseline before anything else goes back together.

Interior

A deep clean paired with targeted replacements: shifter, a reconditioned steering wheel, and a new fold-out stereo head unit in keeping with the car's era.

Exterior

An STI spoiler and front lip, a fresh respray of the body and trim, a ceramic coating for protection, and new tyres on a set of gold BBS rims for that classic rally look.

Follow Along

Day-to-day progress, garage sessions and short-form clips are being posted as we go on Instagram. Joel is keeping his own logbook on his website, check it out for project specifics.

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