Davin's next engine rebuild project... yikes | Redline Updates - Hagerty Media
Even with the headaches that it brought, you could tell Davin had a real soft spot in his heart for the Chevrolet 283 small block that just got wrapped up. With that little Chevy running smooth it’s time to hook up the trailer and bring in something new..ish. As much as Davin loves what he knows and has done before, this project is going to stretch him just a bit, and from the first moment he saw the blue Subaru it was a learning experience. Out with the old and in with the new?
This 2002 Subaru WRX is a quintessential midwestern car. The clear coat is flaking off, the interior smells like a sad air freshener factory, and the rust is working overtime to turn the steel body panels to Swiss cheese. Davin thought picking up the project would be the easiest step, but the car had other ideas. Upon arriving at the CoPart facility outside Detroit, Michigan, the team finds out that this trip turned from a quick drive to a crash course in stealing a car.
Well, Davin isn’t actually stealing the car. We did pay for it. After handing a check over there were no keys to be found. Who gives a car to auction without keys? Not sure, but we bought their car and will probably learn a lot more about them as Davin dives further into the project. With no tools in the trailer, it was a small flathead screwdriver and large pipe wrench that saved the day by disassembling the steering column and breaking away the steering wheel lock to allow the tired tuner to be winched backward into the trailer.
Once home the hotwiring continues and when combined with a push start, the little blue Subie putters right to life. The turbocharger even still makes boost and scoots the car along pretty well. Davin thinks it could do better though. If you want to see what he’s got up his sleeve for this flat-four, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.
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