# Polished Bliss: Impreza 22B...



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

This was the latest one just completed this morning 

You're lucky if you ever see a 22B on the roads but this was the second we've had in within 12 months, this one was booked in after the owner saw the write up from the previous one.

The car has just recently been imported from Japan and as with most imports it was looking a bit dull and lifeless with old product residue in just about every panel gap.























































Onto the wash stage...

As usual, the pre-foam was first using R222 @ 60 degrees:










This was repeated 2 or 3 times and then rinsed off at high pressure:










The wheels were cleaned with Gloss-It Wheel Gel, which cleaned the faces up nicely, but I quickly discovered alot of underseal overspray on the inner rims. It would have taken an eternity to remove this with the wheels on so off they came...

Overspray pictured below:










I soaked the wheels with Autosmart Tardis and left it for a minute or two:










Then with the pressure washer @ 50 degrees and good old elbow grease I managed to remove all the overspray and old weight stickers with just some small areas of pitting and blistering remaining:



















Each wheel was sealed with Blackfire Metal Sealant and while that cured I cleaned up the arches:










With the car back on all 4 wheels again I carried on with the rest of the jobs. All the exterior trim were cleaned with a Meguiars Slide Lock Brush and R222 and then I moved onto the shuts:

*Before*:










*After*:



















The engine bay was also sprayed with R222 and agitated (the alternator and alarm siren were covered up) before being rinsed at medium pressure (60 degrees):



















Finally it was then time to get the car washed, using Shampoo Plus and a lambs wool mitt:










After a going over with Tardis followed by a rinse I put the car inside for claying.

It wasn't too bad contaminant wise so Meguiars Quick Clay was used:










One final rinse was done and then I got the drier out and got rid of any water hiding in the panel gaps etc:










Paint readings next:



















The gauges revealed that pretty much the whole car had seen paintwork at various times of its life with readings varying from 120-700 odd in places.

I made polishing the bonnet a bit easier by removing the vents:










See what I mean about dull and lifeless? (not to mention some nasty scratches)





































When it came to polishing the original panels I was expecting sticky paint but when I did my first test pass on the roof the polishes worked nicely, although the paint was alot harder than the last one which was a bit surprising...

I had to finally settle on Gloss-It Extreme Cut and Gloss-It Fast Cut Pads to achieve the desired results.

Moving from the roof to the bonnet:

*Before*:










*During*:










*After*:










Pleasantly surprised at the lack of sticky paint, as I moved onto the sides Sod's Law came into play 

I have never experienced such horrible sticky paint in all my life (and I've done a few now! :lol. The paint was just soaking up the polish instantly and the amount of EVP Pad Prime needed to keep the pad lubricated was starting to cause product sling which I cant stand so in the end I swapped over to the G220 but needed to step up to Menzerna Compounding Pads (and 2 or 3 drops of EVP Prime) to get acceptable correction.

Usually re-sprayed panels don't ever present a problem when it comes to sticky paints but this was obviously an exception. The bumpers were ok though so I was able to polish these with the rotary :thumb:

Still, even with the G220 the results were pleasing and the hard paint allowed the compounding pads to finish down pretty well 

*Before*:










*After*:










By this point Martin from Dent Devils had turned up to remove a few dings so I swapped sides for a bit...










N/S A-Pillar showing signs of an old wind deflector that had marked the paint:










*After*:










Some of the marks were too deep to fully remove as can be seen in the above pic.

*N/S rear quarter before*:










*After*:










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*Boot lid after*:










*Underside of spoiler before*:










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*Boot lid before*:










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*Number plate recess before*:










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*Sideskirt corrected*:










With all the 1st stage correction done on the paintwork it was time to turn to the exterior glass which had some of the worst water spot etching I've seen for a while:










Just aswell we have the Lake Country kit to play with now 










When going for scratch removal on glass you need to use the felt pads and polish provided but as I was only aiming for removal of the water marks (full glass correction could easily take a day or two in my experiences) I was able to just use the polish with a Menzerna Compounding Pad (80mm):










I worked the polish @ 1800rpm's with medium pressure, spritzing with water when needed to keep the polish working:










*Before*:










*After*:










There were still some really deep etching marks on the rear screen in places but they were hard to see if you didn't put the sun gun over them so overall I was happy 

I gave the glass a thorough wipe down with Menzerna Top Inspection and then sealed with the Werkstat System.

The second polishing stage was done with Meguiars 205 and a Gloss-It Polishing Pad, spending a good amount of time lightly burnishing the paint to achieve as much clarity as possible.

Bonnet vents were polished by hand with US Intensive Polish and a CCS Light Cut Pad:










Another Top Inspection wipe down followed but this time for the paintwork and I then applied the LSP which was Zym0l Vintage.

A few Sun Gun shots (no wipe down had been done at this point):








































































































































The interior was detailed, the tyres were given a final buff (after 3 coats of Gloss-It Signature Tyre Gloss), tailpipe polished with Brilliant Show Metal Polish and engine bay dressed and protected with Aerospace 303 Protectant.

It was then time to go to bed, although it was quite an early finish compared to some 










This morning the car was given a final wipe down with Gloss-It Gloss Enhancing QD and while I went to go and collect the owner Rich took the final pics :thumb:

This is the result of just over 37 hours worth of work and I couldn't have been much happier in all honesty 











































































































































































































































Thanks for taking the time to read,

Clark


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## kings.. (Aug 28, 2007)

cracking work fella.. and a seriously pretty car


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## s3 rav (Apr 30, 2008)

great work as always!


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## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

Stunning finish Clark


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Superb work there mate - :thumb:

Top drawer


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

Amazing clarity in the finish, great work!


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## mazda7 (Sep 10, 2007)

More fantastic work on another lurvly motor :thumb:


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Awesome work. The correction is spot on and i have always loved the 22b.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Emerald Detailing said:


> Awesome work. The correction is spot on and i have always loved the 22b.


I think its one of those cars where even if you're not a fan of Impreza's you still appreciate it... they definitely need wheel spacers though to properly fill the arches :thumb:


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

cracking as usual Clark well done m8!


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## baseballlover1 (Sep 25, 2007)

looks great!


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## PremierDetail (Aug 23, 2008)

Wow. Just wow.


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## freezer1 (Aug 3, 2008)

Top job and top car, luv them imprezas.


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## clcollins (Jul 30, 2007)

Another glorious success, a lot of defects to sort out, as always you turned it around in to something awesome, first class job :thumb:


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## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Fantastic detail, write-up and photo's Clark!:thumb: 

Still the ultimate Impreza!:argie: :argie: :argie:


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## TimG (Apr 2, 2008)

Great work on the scoobie, looks really good. Enjoyed reading the writeup to. 
You gotta love them flat fours


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## dsms (Feb 1, 2008)

You somehow keep outdoing yourself, freak of nature Clark, freak of nature!!!


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## notsosmall (Sep 13, 2008)

Great work :thumb:

stunning finish :argie:

I only seen one in the flesh the other week for the first time


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## Ti22 (Mar 24, 2009)

Nice work again clark! Nice motor too.


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## ianking (Jun 6, 2007)

Great work there Clark. 
p.s great screen saver on your iphone:thumb:


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## Sim (Feb 18, 2008)

Awesome work as usual


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## wd40 (Jun 20, 2007)

Yet another awesome job on an awesome motor. Only ever seen 1 in the flesh.
Top job :thumb::thumb:

Shame about the wallpaper on the phone though !!


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## JayDee (Jan 12, 2008)

Great work again Clark.

How did you rate the glass polishing kit. i spoke to Rich a while back about this as I have a couple of marks on my windscreen where my GF scraped the windscreen one day.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

JayDee said:


> Great work again Clark.
> 
> How did you rate the glass polishing kit. i spoke to Rich a while back about this as I have a couple of marks on my windscreen where my GF scraped the windscreen one day.


If it wasn't any good we wouldn't sell it :thumb:


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## JayDee (Jan 12, 2008)

Clark said:


> If it wasn't any good we wouldn't sell it :thumb:


Yeah i realise this ,but what are its limits. Will it remove actual scrapes/scratches from glass or just things like watermarking etc.


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## R32-Simon (May 27, 2009)

Cracking job mate :thumb: Seriously thinking of swapping my .:R for one.


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## Mark Collins (Jun 10, 2009)

Great work, nice looking car


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## Amagoza (May 22, 2009)

Truly stunning. Inspirational.:thumb::buffer:


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## Saqib200 (May 13, 2008)

Stunning job, looks real nice.


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

Lovely job there!!!

Impressed with your phone picture too!


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## Ebbe J (Jun 18, 2008)

Looking superb Good job! I can see from your writeups that you're using the GlossIt Wheel Gel more frequently than the Blackfire gel.. Does this make it a better product? - I have always thought of you guys at PB, as someone going for a better finish instead of crying about high prices.. Or I might be incorrect in this assumption? 

I can also see that you're not selling the 3M polishes anymore, is the GI range taking over?


Kind regards,

Ebbe


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Superb workmanship again, Clark. I'm not the biggest fan of Impreza Classics but that does look very nice indeed.

Very interested in the glass polish. I have water etching on my rear window (not as bad as that though) and wondered whether the products work on tinted windows?


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## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

22B is an iconic classic, hope he keeps it in good shape - fantastic finish on it, looks mint!


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

stunning!!


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## bbigman2000 (Aug 28, 2006)

Outstanding work gents, you guys really are the best in the business.


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Very nice indeed, like the look of that glass polishing kit too!


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## detailersdomain (Sep 13, 2006)

great job!


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## Leopold (Jun 27, 2007)

Thats a absolutely gorgeous motor, it's exactly what i want one day.. excellent quality detail there also..:thumb:


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## M9 RS (Feb 14, 2008)

must be one of the best details to date.truly amazing:thumb:


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## amcfad (May 22, 2009)

Clark , you've excelled again ! it's been a long time since i've seen a 22b, and did you do it justice ? Top man :thumb:


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## Nova_Scotia (Aug 12, 2008)

Stunning work as always , remember test driving a 22b from sunnyhill motors

an awesome car in its day!!

The car stayed there for years , couldn't belive nobody snapped it up!!!!!!


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## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

Very nice mate 

Baz


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Cracking job yet again Clark :thumb:

I think we need a 'special' detail from you with what that glass polishing kit can do , could be idle to polish out the wiper marks in the Civic.


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## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

fantastic clark i realy love your write ups 

tom


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## Doc (Feb 2, 2008)

Great detail on a great car.


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## Vyker (Sep 17, 2008)

You guys at PB seem to work at another level! 
Really impressive!


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## firebod (Mar 25, 2009)

love the colour, made to look stunning after your hard work. The only car that can carry off the metallic blue / gold wheel combo IMO! nice work:thumb:


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

ads2k said:


> Cracking job yet again Clark :thumb:
> 
> I think we need a 'special' detail from you with what that glass polishing kit can do , could be idle to polish out the wiper marks in the Civic.


I am planning on doing so mate


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## andye (Apr 15, 2007)

Great work mate, car looks really great :thumb:


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Stunning. You did say when I popped in whilst you were working on it that it would be a late night, didn't realise you meant quite as late as that lol


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## vxrmark (May 30, 2009)

stunning work m8


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## sicko (Jun 20, 2009)

great write up and nice turnaround:thumb:


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## mdk1 (Jun 19, 2006)

Lovely job, one of my all time fav. cars.


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## nick1275 (Jun 7, 2007)

lovely turn around as usual, really nice crisp finish. my all time favourite scubee too!


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## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

Yummy, yummy! Nice work, Clark!


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## Dipesh (Oct 12, 2007)

Awesome car, awesome work. Fantastic.


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## ChrisJD (Apr 15, 2009)

There were some pretty bad scratches on that, excellent job.

looks stunning now.

Chris.


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## Fastmonkey (Aug 4, 2006)

Oh wow - Fantastic finish and what a stunning car..........


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## MRC (May 7, 2009)

Awesome detail.:thumb: You're so lucky to have worked on 2 of these. 

Probably the ultimate Impreza in my humble opinion.


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## Rasher (Mar 6, 2006)

superb turn around


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## rossdook (Aug 20, 2008)

Thanks Clark - I'm not really the biggest Scooby fan, but always loved the 22B's though, so loving the job you've made of that one. :thumb:

As someone with less hair on his barnet than me, you've always been one of my favourite detailers and I'm a huge fan of the work you guys at PB do. I must admit to being quite horrified by what is lurking on the front of your iPhone though. I have one too, but would've put it straight back if it came with that muck on the front page! Stand free... :lol:


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## astormatt (Jan 31, 2009)

Gotta love 3 door impreza's :thumb:


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## Planet Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Stunning mate. Lost for words. Great Turnaround:thumb:

Don't tell me the pink badge on the front is standard though:doublesho


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## farz020589 (Oct 3, 2008)

good work as always


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

rossdook said:


> Thanks Clark - I'm not really the biggest Scooby fan, but always loved the 22B's though, so loving the job you've made of that one. :thumb:
> 
> As someone with less hair on his barnet than me, you've always been one of my favourite detailers and I'm a huge fan of the work you guys at PB do. I must admit to being quite horrified by what is lurking on the front of your iPhone though. I have one too, but would've put it straight back if it came with that muck on the front page! Stand free... :lol:


Away you go with your Stand Free pi$h! 

Thanks for the kind words mate :thumb:


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## rossdook (Aug 20, 2008)

Couldna help it big boy - my dad and grandad were both born in the granite city, as was our son. My first ever match was Gothenburg 1983, although I've not had much to crow about since tho... :doublesho

Hoping to pop my head in the door when I'm down your way in a months time too if possible - maybe we can compare hairstyles lol :lol:


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## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

*Simply Stunning!!!!!!!!!!!*


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## Planet Admin (Jul 11, 2009)

:thumb:Nice work. Great job:thumb:


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## Chris424 (Dec 5, 2007)

Stunning!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Bump - Got a call from a potential buyer for this car asking my opinion on it so this is to help him find the thread a bit easier :thumb:


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## rds1985 (Mar 7, 2009)

WOW absolutely stunning there is a 22B near me but it doesn't look like that!!


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## andrewst500 (Nov 2, 2008)

stunning work


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## MerlinGTI (Nov 4, 2009)

A dream car of mine :thumb: Well that one is now you have finished it, was a bit mankey before. :buffer:

Great work!


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## Ashtra (Oct 17, 2007)

Looks amazing clark,superb work as usuall.


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## gotamintvtr (Sep 25, 2006)

Clark said:


> I think its one of those cars where even if you're not a fan of Impreza's you still appreciate it... they definitely need wheel spacers though to properly fill the arches :thumb:


i was thinking that lovely job


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## paulrs2000 (Oct 22, 2009)

:thumb:nice work spot on,love them 22b,s


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## G105ALY (Dec 6, 2006)

Great stuff Clark. 

Aly


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## mr-p1 (Jun 19, 2009)

Such a car and the finish is first class! Makes you really appreciate how special these cars are!

Dont think i could ever get tired looking at the pics!


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## Louise (Nov 19, 2007)

Cracking work as usual 10/10 but 0/10 for that background image on your iPhone!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

You're entitled to your opinion louise but you're wrong


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

nice phone screensaver


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## Louise (Nov 19, 2007)

Clark said:


> You're entitled to your opinion louise but you're wrong


Suppose we all have our flaws


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## ben1988 (Jan 28, 2009)

awesome car and awesome detailing but i would prefer clarks wr1 lol:lol:


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## notsosmall (Sep 13, 2008)

This Amazing machine is for sale :argie:

If only i had £22,000 to spare

http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/1185389.htm


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Yeah it's been for sale for a while,pretty surprised no one's had it off Chris yet,you'd struggle to find a better one!


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## MitchB121 (Nov 23, 2009)

Great work! And an amazing car!


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## scottgm (Dec 27, 2009)

Clark said:


> I think its one of those cars where even if you're not a fan of Impreza's you still appreciate it... they definitely need wheel spacers though to properly fill the arches :thumb:


i have agree with you there!

Still a great looking car! and a job well done


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