Aussie Dave's MY07 Liberty GT Spec B STI

[Aussie Dave]

Originally Posted by Dookie

Looks awesome Dave!! Me likey!


TSI, looking at Dave's front lip, I remember reading about the DIY front lip on .com and seeing that you did it. Thinking you should start a thread about DIY front lips, since I'm interested in doing this very soon.

thanks Dookie but that DIY thread on the lip on .com just makes me LOL
especially the one where the member has painted the weather stripping sliver to match his car. It looks so farking getto!!

[havanisda]

I thought every1 was sayin these r just reflectors. They look lit up 2 me.

[Dookie]

^^ It's called a flash dillweed....


Dave, I agree, some do look ghetto and some look very good. Of coarse nothing looks better than the real pre-fab lips.

[havanisda]

I hope your pretend plane crashes.

[TSi+WRX]

Originally Posted by Dookie

Dave, I agree, some do look ghetto and some look very good. Of coarse nothing looks better than the real pre-fab lips.

+1 to all comments there.

I'm honestly dying for an aftermarket STi-replica lip.

But given my local road, driveway/entryway apron, as well as weather conditions......it's just not realistically possible.

I've spent about $350 on aesthetic modifications (alone) for my headlights, $500 on tail-lights and their aesthetics, I've got a good set of summer tires and rims, and another set of good winters, a decent front BBK which was more an aesthetic mod than anything else, a cat-back system whose axle-back canisters alone cost more than many full cat-backs, I've got more invested in speed-detections countermeasures than some would think sane, and my gauge compliment was a hefty chunk of change, too. Heck, for interior and exterior cosmetics alone, I think my total bill is over $1K.

I spent good money to put on good parts, and a bit more to get her properly (and professionally) tuned by a respected tuner.

To say that I love my Winky, I truly think, is an understatement.

To think that I'm doing the DIY lip just to save money would be folly - it's simly the best (and only) compromise I have, now.

Like brother DukeTrout said on .com, if someone would come forward with an aftermarket lip solution using, say, durable urethane, I'd be among the first to sign-up.

For those of us in areas where a low-slung lip is simply inviting a self-repeating repair bill....the DIY lip is our only logical choice.

[Dookie]

^^ Well said.

[TSi+WRX]

^ I'm just trying to illustrate the point that -A LOT- of the people doing this mod live in areas where a low-slung lip just isn't practical (where I am, for example, private driveway as well as even many commercial entry/exit angles approach "ridiculous," in order to facilitate winter ice and snow removal) - and that we're not being "cheap."

There are guys and gals on .com who have poured a lot of money into their cars, otherwise (with anything from much higher-powered turbo setups to very expensive aesthetic enhancements) that have chosen, for whatever their personal reasons, to do the DIY "rubber lip."

Does it look "ghetto?"

To some, undoubtedly - and I can respect and understand that point-of-view. We all have our different tastes and preferences, our different viewpoints of what's ricy, ghettofabulous, etc.

I'm just not willing to keep repeatedly repairing and constantly worrying about this particular portion of the car.

Can I afford a "real" aftermarket lip? Yes.

Can I afford a forward-positioned "lip camera" setup, as a fellow brother on .com rigged to his ride? Yes. Am I willing to spend the hours necessary to rig it, find a place for the monitor in my cabin, and also run the wiring? No, I'm not particularly inclinded ( despite the fact that I've probably got a few miles of extra wires in the car, due to all of my electrical mods ). And besides, sure, I can avoid curbs and other stationary obstacles, then, but I *still* won't be able to do anything about road-debris and ice-chunks that are so common here in NE-Ohio, in the winter.

Am I willing to take the time to rig up a Delrin (or metal) "skid pad/plate" setup? Yes, I think I would be - but I am actually, here, uncertain about my ability to fabricate the necessary brackets, due to my limited tool selection as well as fabrication experience.

For me, the rubber lip is a compromise due to practical concerns - and that's all it is.

I wanted a lip, and this is, practically, the only way I could do it.

[KA82]

a nice looking lip at that.

[Aussie Dave]

I cleaned the leather seats and used Autoglym leather treatment. Results came out well and the seats are very soft now.

[TSi+WRX]

Oh man, that looks sooooooooooo good!

I'm sooooo jealous!

-----

News on the lip front - looks like some guys on .com are trying to gather support to have a polyurethane lip made - a low-cost one, to-boot.

[Aussie Dave]

Originally Posted by TSi+WRX

Oh man, that looks sooooooooooo good!

I'm sooooo jealous!

-----

News on the lip front - looks like some guys on .com are trying to gather support to have a polyurethane lip made - a low-cost one, to-boot.

mate if they get a lip made I might just import one to support their efforts!!

[TSi+WRX]

^ Then you'd be "double lipped!"

No, in all seriousness..... ->

What's your factory lip made out of? My guess is that it's something very, very durable, like poly. There's several "factory hot-rods" on-market now that carry with them aggressive areodynamic packages from the factory, and almost all utilize either flexible rubber or poly for their front lip/skirt applications....

Besides, if you were to take off your factory lip, to save it for, say, show or fair-weather motoring, it's still going to be HIGHLY questionable that a lip made for the US market will fit onto your vehicle, either without some level of modification, or even more bleakly, whether or not such a "non-matching" setup will be visually/aesthetically acceptable at all.

I think your ride looks great, up-front, as-is. No need to pursue aftermarket!

[Aussie Dave]

Originally Posted by TSi+WRX

^ Then you'd be "double lipped!"

No, in all seriousness..... ->

What's your factory lip made out of? My guess is that it's something very, very durable, like poly. There's several "factory hot-rods" on-market now that carry with them aggressive areodynamic packages from the factory, and almost all utilize either flexible rubber or poly for their front lip/skirt applications....

Besides, if you were to take off your factory lip, to save it for, say, show or fair-weather motoring, it's still going to be HIGHLY questionable that a lip made for the US market will fit onto your vehicle, either without some level of modification, or even more bleakly, whether or not such a "non-matching" setup will be visually/aesthetically acceptable at all.

I think your ride looks great, up-front, as-is. No need to pursue aftermarket!

LOL no need for a second lip hahahaha it's perfectly molded and if I were to offer an opinion I would say its constructed of polyethanlene. Its EXTREMELY ROBUST and I have no concerns about driveways or parking it. Subaru got the engineering right for Australian conditions. That is the best part of the tuned by sti concept. It lets Subaru Aust dial in a damn good version of their best Liberty using sti parts and local knowledge of road conditions. This is what North American Legacy owners miss...they dont really want a Subaru made for Japanese conditions but rather one made for their own backyard using the best parts sti japan can develop and supply.

[TSi+WRX]

Originally Posted by Aussie Dave

Its EXTREMELY ROBUST and I have no concerns about driveways or parking it.

^ That's the biggest plus for OEM parts - they know that the part should survive typical driving conditions, and needs to LAST.

Subaru got the engineering right for Australian conditions. That is the best part of the tuned by sti concept. It lets Subaru Aust dial in a damn good version of their best Liberty using sti parts and local knowledge of road conditions. This is what North American Legacy owners miss...they dont really want a Subaru made for Japanese conditions but rather one made for their own backyard using the best parts sti japan can develop and supply.

Totally true and very well-spoken.

The "Legacy STI," if and when it makes a US appearance, needs to be tailored specifically for the American driving enthusiast, and made to be superior on our roadways, our conditions.

[Aussie Dave]

CF eyes installed using 3M double sided auto molding tape. Worked perfectly and went on easily. Happy with install.

[havanisda]

Originally Posted by Aussie Dave

Minimum wage is also something like $13 hour here in Oz.

Just curious Aussie Dave, its been a year since u posted this info. Is minimum wage there a lil more than 13 AUD/hr?

[Aussie Dave]

Originally Posted by havanisda

Just curious Aussie Dave, its been a year since u posted this info. Is minimum wage there a lil more than 13 AUD/hr?

yep round about that but very few people here work for that sort of money, students maybe but that's about it.

[havanisda]

How long did it take u2 get used 2 driving on the left side of the road?

[Aussie Dave]

Originally Posted by havanisda

How long did it take u2 get used 2 driving on the left side of the road?

couple of weeks tops, but when I go visit my parents and brothers in Texas and Arkansas I sort of dont want to drive as it freaks me out all over again.

[Aussie Dave]

Well the diffuser arrived from HKC-Speed yesterday. I have not installed but have test fit and its perfect. Will go on this weekend after I give the rear bumper a good clean.