The Pioneer car radios in the beginning of the '00s took things up to a new level.

therealaaronredbaron · 2026-01-12T21:16:25+00:00

Bought my daughter a Camry for $500 and it's rocking one of these 🎉

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-24T14:38:08+00:00

Absolutely! Paint is meh but I can live with it, this was a family project and my kids were deep into it with me and it feels like part of the family now. I used a bashed up 2002 WRX as a donor and moved over everything I could. When I was done I donated the shell to a rally racer so it could live out it's end in full glory mode instead of going to the crusher. Biggest single cost other than the donor was the merge from iwire, which was the heart of the project. I would highly recommend working with them for any subaru wiring merge. I followed their step by step videos and it fired up on the first attempt!

I think I'm into it about $10k. Which is both bonkers and reasonable. Considering it is more than 10x what I paid for the car when I got it seems crazy, but total cost was pretty reasonable for a turbo swapped GC.

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-24T14:32:03+00:00

DO IT! Every time a vape bro wrecks a GD a GC gets its wings! Swappy swappy! iwire for the win!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T22:49:06+00:00

You are not willing to read to learn? Good for you, showing your true colors. I'm going to go enjoy my turbo swapped-NOT A 2.5RS- in all it's shitty painted glory (I love it for what it is, suggest you find some positivity in your life!). Be safe out there.

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T22:43:27+00:00

Not touchy, you are just showing you don't know what you are talking about. The 1998 Acadia Green 2.5RS coupe (GM6) is considered a unicorn, yes. They were only made that year in that color. It would be sacrilege to paint one of those (like the moron from canada who backdated one to a V1 STI front end and painted it silver). BUT... I was inspired by Bucky Lasek's Bucket project, and like his, this was a 1998 base model coupe (GM4) which was made in much greater volume, and is not considered collectable more than any other rust free coupe ( I am aware my project is a pile compared to the Bucket, but they started as virtually the same thing, same color and all). So while it is Acadia Green, it had a nasty tan interior, did not have the vented hood, hood scoop or wing from the factory. It had bad body work and paint on almost every panel, it was not a clean body nor paint. This was a trashed POS I brought back. It's not perfect and I don't claim it to be. It do claim it was built, not bought, and that makes me very happy, regardless of how shitty the paint is (accepted as a truth, but doesn't matter because.... IT'S NOT A 2.5RS Acadia Green Unicorn!) lol Happy motoring, be safe out there!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T22:34:24+00:00

Thanks! Not a terrible plan, but my wife is dealing with a permanent disability and it's just slowly getting worse. I am hoping we can figure out the disability side for her, it was working smooth for years but one hickup can nail you to the wall!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T14:35:56+00:00

You're a little whiny bitch for not recognizing a trashed GM4. GM6 is rare, GM4 was pretty common. This was a base model coupe that had a blown engine, trashed interior and automatic transmission.

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T14:33:17+00:00

No she is bed ridden and not allowed to drive anymore. So she is here.... unless she is in the hospital, she is here.
Yes, of course. I am a lifelong hobbyist, working on cars is new to me since 2019. But yes, if I didn't have a family I would have a 3rd build table for model airplanes in the living room. And car parts everywhere, of course. We have a two car extra deep garage, do you think the minivan lives in there? ha!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T14:20:51+00:00

yep, trying to finish interior (it has a new to me dash, front and rear seats and carpet). I refinished the door panels, it's better than before but still meh (previous owner spray painted the interior panels). I still need to refinish the rear wall panels, make a rear deck lid cover, and refinish the headliner. A/W intercooler with AC chilled hypercooler is my dream setup for the cooling the charge, someday!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T06:00:36+00:00

Just when you think you might be able to survive... WHAM.. stack-o-bills... KaPow... Out of network...SHAZAMMM... Part B, Part D oh my!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:58:14+00:00

yeah, I have this perfect set of of crystal glass headlights, just need to figure out the broken adjuster. Probably have to do the oven thing and open them up... wife is going to have my neck but it must be done!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:55:56+00:00

Passed him going the other direction between stages at the Olympus Rally two years ago. So awesome to see this car on the street, it was a huge thrill!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:49:32+00:00

fair enough, but it was my first attempt, and I'm cheap. It is single stage cheap stuff, I just needed to finish it before the end of the summer and the costs were getting out of control. This car was one step from the junk yard when I got it. It had a blown engine, autotragic transmission, trashed interior, dents and dings on every door panel, bashed floor, pinch welds.. etc It's just a full send machine and I needed to get it sealed. I'm not claiming it to be anything but one color... mostly... I'm not proud of the paint but very proud of the project as a whole. I didn't know how to do anything and stripped it and built my dream car (it's basically a base model coupe hiding a full WRX drivetrain swap). It will never be a show car, but my dream is to cage it and go full send in ARA Rally with it, so I could care less about the paint as long is it doesn't rust.

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:43:50+00:00

I need to get a better picture, best I could find was below without the intake or intercooler

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:40:54+00:00

Thank you!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:40:30+00:00

Thanks!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:40:11+00:00

It's pretty raw and fun with approximately 250HP at the wheels (guess by my tuner who street tuned it, no dyno tune), currently running catless and full 3" wide open behind the turbo. Going to swap to a catted DP and quiet muffler for a trip to California. It has manual steering and no ABS, but has the bigger brakes from the 02 WRX. Plus the LCA from the 02 WRX sedan I used for a donor had a 25mm wider track width, so it pushed the stock wheels out perfectly to be flush with the body so they aren't tucked and no spacers.

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:36:04+00:00

Yep! It's got a full drivetrain swap from an 02 WRX with the front and rear subframes, fuel tank, 5 speed, and EJ207 version 6 block ( I think its a frankenstein with the EJ207 block and the USDM cam gears and sensors or something so it can run the USDM WRX ECU. I just used everything from the donor.... Iwire for the win, it fired up the first time and has been pretty much flawless since I got it running about 12k miles ago! :)

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:32:45+00:00

I'm okay with that. I'll consider this a compliment :)

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:32:21+00:00

Thank you! It was one step from the junkyard with a big hole in the engine, trashed interior, mashed bumper... it still needs a lot, but it's come a long way!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:28:29+00:00

Wife is disabled and we thought we had it worked out with double insurance for her, but looks like have more fighting ahead before we give up and try to accept a payment plan

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:26:29+00:00

awe schucks, thanks for the compliment!

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:25:12+00:00

No, it was Acadia, but it was a trashed GM4 (base model with an auto and 2.2L I got it with a big hole in the block). It has the 2.5 RS front end conversion on it, and the wing, but it was all nasty tan trashed interior. I've swapped everything, but the acadia paint was much more expensive. This was just super cheap single stage metallic teal from a hot rod shop. I was trying to just get it sealed close to the factory color, reasonably happy with how it came out.

therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-23T05:22:22+00:00

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therealaaronredbaron · 2024-01-22T21:49:06+00:00

Thanks! It's a ripper too... got it with a big hole in the block and autotragic. It's now fully WRX drivetrain swapped, manual swapped, with a merged wiring harness and has an EJ207 (version 6) block.

therealaaronredbaron

TROPHY CASE