What Gro Harlem has been up to

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Gro Harlem
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What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by Gro Harlem »

Have had people PM'ing / IMing me whats up since I basically disappeared off the face of the planet a couple years back. In a nutshell: i graduated school right around the time of my disappearance...got a boring 9-5 job w/the DoD as gov't & have been working nonstop since then. Have had SOME time but not much for cars & I'm almost to the point of being driven insane b/c of it (i love tinkering with anything mechanical...dont' know why).

Anyways ,heres my car history summed up (kinda):

Had the 93' GS since summer 03'. i finally sold it to SuperK last October, 07'. I hadn't really driven it regularly since June of 05' so it sprung up some issues between then & when he bought it. I feel kinda bad b/c he had to address some stupid issues that should've never happened but I still feel it was a steal at 2800$ & I am glad to sell it to someone on here who will actually drive/enjoy & care for it.

In June of 05' I bought a 96' Protege DX 5-speed that basically replaced the MX-3 as my main driver. It was $500 on ebay & I won w/the minimum bid. I put LX seats in it, tach cluster, leather wheel from a 626, nicer shiftboot, nicer center cnosole from a ES, clock, remote trunk release cable & other crap essentially converting it to a LX model w/out power windows/locks.

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In September of 05' I bought a Mazdaspeed Protege w/42k miles on impulse & only drove it 2 months before the temp registration expired. It was in a front-end wrck & had the wrong front bumper put on by whoever repaired it. I only paid $6100 for it but had to get new brakes/tires/windshield & a wing (since it was removed for some reason). I sold it the next year for 8200, but in the end I only made 300 bux off it. I think some of you thought I had this car & still drive it but nope, sorry, it had issues that dissatisfied me so I got rid of it.


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In May of 07' I bought a 2000 Toyota Celica GT, silver & automatic (gasp) b/c of my job working in downtown DC (falls church actually) and the retarded traffic that I had to endure. The car has its share of dings & scratches on the paint but is otherwise in great mechanical condition & I got it for a decent price. I haven't done much to it, a S2000 antenna (stock one is a long ugly metal rod), converted the faded plastic sunroof panel to the 2003+ glass one, put my awesome stereo system in it from my MX3, and got a leather steering wheel from a 2003 Matrix. Also a ebay CAI that did nothing for power & indexed sparkplugs. I still drive this car regularly & it has served me well.


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In Nov of 07' I sold the Protege since I never drove it after getting the celica. I made a ton off selling it, it sold for 2300.

As of recently I've had it with the Celica. The cheap interior & lack of balls from the frugal-minded transmission. So I went on an adventure of buying cars I'll never register!

First I got a 04' Scion xB in May for $6000 which was an incredible price. Got lucky on ebay basically. It was in great condition had 56k miles and was a 5-speed. I drove it 2 weeks & couldn't stand having 5-speed. The main reason was the car was SLOW....1.5 liter echo engine. Plus it wasn't much fun to drive. It handled incredibly well & only weighs 2400 lbs but after getting a few comments from co-workers on how 'ugly" and "gay" the car was..I decided not to keep it. I sold it almost instantly on craigslist for $8800...i almost crapped myself when I realized I made 2800 in 2 weeks for virtually no effort. Turns out these are one of the hottest-selling used cars on the market now b/c of the surging gas prices. The car got me 38mpg my first tank & 33 the 2nd.

Then I bought a 02' WRX wagon 5-speed in June. The car had a rod-knocking engine & was abused badly. I got it for a reasonable price & sold it for a slight profit but it was a pain in the a$$ finding a buyer for it. Simply put, buying it was a mistake.

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So a couple weekends ago, my brother in law cashed in on the retarded panic going on by society. Everyone trying to trade in their trucks & suv's for fuel efficient small cars. So he bought a 06' F150 for 8 grand that is MINT & fully loaded, extended cab, 5.7 liter, its awesome. He sold me his WRX For 2 grand...TWO GRAND!!! I couldn't resist.


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Here's the story of the car. He bought it new in 01', never really abused it, put some mods on it when he first bought it but never modded it after 03'. Car has 105k miles which is kinda high but meh. The car got rear-ended this past March by some douche in Ocean City, MD. He got a settlement check for about $6 grand that he spent on a wide-screen TV, PS3 & home sound system rather than repairing the car. the car is still totally driveable & only the trunklid doesn't close. Alignment is still straight & nothing in the suspenion is bent...but the bumper/rear quarter are f'ked. Yes there is frame damage but I got an estimate of $800 to have it pulled w/out any bodywork. I got a black rear bumper from somoene on nasioc for $200 shipped that will replace the torn one on it now. THe car shouldn't look bad aftewards. The body is in good shape otherwise, has a couple dings & it was keyed on the drivers-side & hood all the way down.

Mods installed:
-STI hoodscoop (painted)
-PIAA foglights
-HKS Turbo timer
-APexi rev limiter thing
-Pioneer head unit, not sure what model
-2 12" kicker comp subs w/kicker amp, not sureho w powerful but pretty loud
-window tint
-5-Zigen 17" bronze wheels with sumitomo tires, nearly mint condition (he only used them 2 summers)
-Greddy catback exhaust, sounds really sweet
-completely stock engine bay which is a very big PLUS for these cars
-Aftermarket rubber subaru floormats to preserve the stock ones from wear.

The rims alone are probably worth 500-600 if I were to sell them & the turbotimer & apexi thing, another 200 or so. Subs/amp another 300. So I'm pretty happy he let me buy it.

Future plans:
-reflash ECU with the "stage 2" maps
-lower it a bit with some springs (not sure which brand) + KYB special struts
-possibly get a td34 turbo upgrade but not sure yet if i will
-put my stereo in it
-maybe put STI interior tidbits inside if i can get them for a good price (i want the blue carpet especially!)
-possibly get the body work repaired & the car repainted a dark gray color or some other form of silver/grey.


So ya, thats what crazy stuff I've been up to for the past couple years.
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wytbishop
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by wytbishop »

I learned more from you and Yoda in my first few years on the board than anyone else. I want to personally thank you for your massive contribution. It has been interesting watching the forum transition from the generation of guys that you were a part of to the current collection of members. Sounds like things are going well for you out in the world. Good luck with everything.
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SuperK
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by SuperK »

I've really enjoyed your car, Gro.
I mean, it's put me through hell, it's stranded me next to a couple cow pastures and a chicken coop overnight,
it's almost killed me in the rain...

And I've dumped a ton of money into trying to fix the issues...
but all in all, I still love the car.
I accidentally destroyed one of the rims:
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and while doing so, I damaged the front bumper... You know, the front bumper that wasn't actually mounted in place and wiggled and jiggled?

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And I couldn't find another single gunmetal rota... so I ended up with a polished lipped one :S

Noble Green, by the way... MAZDA NOBLE GREEN 2 MICA 11N 1995 - METALLIC
is that the paint code? :S


Anyways, there's a lot of work to still do on your car, Gro, but I actually know what those problems are ;)
When I get everything fixed and she's driving minty mint, I'm going to take her up north on a road trip, stop by and make you miss her :P
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by mitmaks »

i was wondering where you went.
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Gro Harlem
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by Gro Harlem »

the bumper is mounted with 2 bolts lol. There are 2 holes on the plastic bumper support beam. Factory uses 2 big-azz philips screws. I shoved a 12mm bolt through one of the holes after drilling it out. The bumper otherwise never gave me any problems w/being loose & I actually removed it every time I wanted to jack the car up, thats why I made it easy to remove. The sides held onto the plastic fender lining. I drove it w/that bumper for over 20k miles w/no issues :shrug:

& i'll have to look up the paint code again. I still ahve some paint left over but its probably bad since its 3 years old now.
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by OutlaW »

WRX is about the only 4 banger i will ever get ...
it's like this ... once you go 6cylinder, you never go back :)
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by fowljesse »

I would have bought that car, and also appreciated your contributions!
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Gro Harlem
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by Gro Harlem »

UPDATE ON THE WRX (for those that give a crap):

Before & After body work:

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Parked at the body shop right after they finished it:
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Sold those 17's for $500 & painted the stock rims just like my MX3's stockers. Lots of people think they are custom & don't realize they are stock lol:

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Project Plan:

Completed
Exterior:
-Custom Paint & Body Work: Frame straightened, rear quarter replaced, Antenna shaved, trunk shaved, dings/dents all pulled, Car painted Mitsubishi Evo MR "Graphite Gray" including power mirror mounts & sideskirts: $4200
-04-05 Rear end conversion: $370 in parts
-GT-Spec STI replica emblemless grille: $125
-JDM STI hoodscoop: $0 (came with car)
-Clear signals -> amber signals for MD state inspection: $20
-Bosch Icon wiper blades (they kick a--!): $17
-Windshield Replaced: $205
-Tint Removed (for MD inspection)

Interior:
-STI Interior Conversion: Front seats, Rear seats, carpet, door handles, door panels w/bezels & switches: $660
-Red Gauge Cluster & HVAC Illumination Conversion: $20
-JVC SH9750 Head Unit
-Alpine F340 55x4-channel Amp
-Infinity Basslink 200w 10" Subwoofer
-Subaru Speaker install kit: $55 shipped
-Phoenix Gold 6.5" Component Speakers (front)
-Kenwood 6.5" Component Speakers (rear)
-Autometer triple Dash pod: $45
-Glowshift 7-color Gauges: Boost, EGT, Oil Pressure: $140
-ProSport Oil sender relocation kit: $45

Engine/Drivetrain:
-Cobb Accessport v2 reflashed to Stage 2 93 v1.30 maps
-up-pipe with flexpipe & GrimSpeed double-thick gaskets
-SSAutoChrome 3" turbo-back exhaust w/GrimmSpeed gaskets
-Mechanical CEL Fix

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels/Tires
-Painted Stock 16" wheels w/polished lip: $5
-Sold 17" 5-Zigen Rims: +$500
-Falken ZEIX 912 205/55R16 Tires on stock wheels: $320
-04' Sti driver-side wheel hub to silence bearing noise: $80
-Wheel Alignment & corner balance by IAG Performance: $115

Future Goal:
Exterior:
-35% Window Tint all-around w/9" sunvisor strip

Interior:
-Possibly Oil Temp & a 2nd EGT gauge in A-pillar pod
-Alpine Type-S coaxial 5.25" speakers in rear
-Sound Insulation & door deadening installation

Engine/Drivetrain:
-Turbo Upgrade of some kind
-Stage 4 reflash w/dyno tuning session
-TurboSmart dual-port BOV (already have) installed
-Timing Belt replacement performed professionally (i don't trust myself w/interference motors)
-3" Carsound Catalytic converter welded into downpipe
-New clutch/flywheel of some kind when needed
<br>Suspension/Brakes/Wheels/Tires
-New Brembo Blank Brake Rotors all around (already have)
-Hawk HPS Street pads
-H&R 1.7" Lowering Springs (already have)
-Tokico D-Spec 23way adjustable struts
-Technafit SS Brakelines
-New wheel bearings packed with NEO HP800 bearing grease all-around (already have)
-STI 17" wheels w/tires possibly
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SuperK
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by SuperK »

You know you own a subaru:

When the hood scoop comes factory.

Nice to see you're still active in the mod community! Sell off the celica yet?

On a side note, did you ever find that paint code for the MX?
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by Nd4SpdSe »

Nice job!

Hew, quick q...for the rear end conversion, is it just the tail lights and the bumper you need, and no custom work? My girlfriend was thinking about doing that conversion on her '02 TS
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by Flyer »

For $2,000, I would of taken that subaru...
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Gro Harlem
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by Gro Harlem »

Returned my 02' Bugeye to stock this past weekend to get it ready to sell. I'll regret selling it but I have no room :(

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Now I have these:

Daily Driver - 2012 JSW TDI with stage 2 tune, 171whp 313wtq but its a DSG so not quite as fun as it seems:
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New Toy - 2015 WRX Limited 6MT, slow as balls in comparison to my bugeye but that will change soon
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Daninski
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Re: What Gro Harlem has been up to

Post by Daninski »

Sold my 02 bug and now it has 313,000k and the guy who owns it says it still goes like stink. Those cars were fast.
2004 Subaru WRX Silver, stage 2, minty interior.
2002 Subaru WRX Blue, SOLD (best E test numbers I've ever seen)
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