AlfaWRX: Back with a happy engine!

The engine builder contacted me yesterday and said everything was ready to go. We arranged a time for me to pick it up, and 40 minutes later, I was having the first proper drive of this car ever.

The one engine-related task I was left with was rebuilding or replacing the power steering pump. While the engine was idling, he showed me that the shaft seal was turning and fluid was slowly running out of it. This, coupled with the exhaust manifolds being still coated with oil from the engine failure made for a stinky smoky experience.

The clutch pedal is pretty stiff, and being new, grabs on in a non-linear fashion. This is just part of breaking new things in, and getting used to the nuances of a different vehicle.

Being the first WRX I've driven of any generation, but my suspicion is this isn't much like a stock experience. What's been modified by previous owners isn't clear at this point, and figuring that stuff out should be challenging. My goal for now is to make a livable, fun, stock-ish GD-gen WRX.

The interior still needs a lot of cleaning, especially in the trunk area. But the seats and carpet should be ready for installation. No, I'm not completely happy with the condition of the carpet or the upholstery, but at this point in the build, working with what's there makes sense.

The engine looks identical to before, but the long block is a nice clean aluminum. You'll just have to trust me on t hat one.

Power steering pump. It might be fun to make a video showing that seal turning around at a slightly lower RPM than the shaft itself.

Carpet seaming tape. I used this to melt onto the carpet where it was worn through or torn. I'm not 100% happy with the result by the dead pedal (below), but it will work for now.

The carpet near the dead pedal was worn through and not completely there.It won't be noticeable with everything installed and floor mats in place. But yeah, I'll know its like that.