Toodles
Idling at the Lights
I’ve been lurking for a few years now, so thought it’s about time to post about my car.
It started not long after my version 3 WRX STI wagon was stolen from my driveway whilst I was asleep. A very sad day.
I ended up buying a Hilux ute to transport my dirt bikes around without having to worry about a trailer. The novelty soon wore off and I was keen on another car that was a bit more fun. I have a thing for quick wagons. I was really close to buying an Evo prior to buying the WRX so I started looking into Legnum VR4s. I knew very little about them but I was really intrigued. I test drove a few (all automatic) and was rather underwhelmed at first.
I started to read a bit on here about them and how they respond to mods and really started to get interested as they certainly aren’t a car that I would see very often which were tastefully modified and in good condition. I like the fact they look like big, unassuming lazy wagons.
Long story short, I ended up buying a completely stock 1999 Legnum VR4 Type S featuring the auto box.
The first thing I did was put a tow bar on it so I could tow my dirt bikes and serviced every fluid, good plugs and timing belt, water pump etc. It is a really good car to tow the bikes with. I am a huge fan of stock looking cars but with tasteful mods, which has been my goal with the car so far. Not long after, I put in a manual boost controller and a transmission oil cooler which made a decent improvement to the car.
It didn’t take long for me to really start enjoying the car. Even in auto form, it was still really nice to drive. Unfortunately while I was away for work, a rubbish truck clipped the front of it while it was parked on the side of the road at my Dad’s place. It buggered the front bumper and the fog lights.
It wasn’t major, but it made me lose interest in it for a bit and brought an Audi S4 wagon which I used instead. The Audi is cool, but the itch to get the VR4 sorted so I could drive it hit again. I am a sucker for 90’s Japanese performance cars. After a few weeks it was all sorted and back on the road.
After driving the car for a few years, the auto box was becoming a little tired. My partner and I took the car around the South Island of NZ for a week roadie and slept in the back of it which was a bloody cool trip, and darn cool that we could do it in the Legnum, but by the end of it, the auto box was leaking and really unhappy.
Such an awesome trip, and aside from the gear box, the car was awesome. 2700km in 7 days on some less than ideal roads.
I decided I wanted to spend some money on the car and start modifying it. I brought a pair of Recaros off Adam and then the ball really started rolling. I mentioned to Adam that I was wanting to do a manual swap. And guess what, Adam had most of the parts I needed, including a gearbox he rebuilt and offered to do the swap for me as he knows these cars backwards and inside out. He convinced me to go with an Evo flywheel so we had better clutch options which I am really pleased with. I really rate this clutch. Whilst doing the swap he did a bunch of other stuff whilst the engine was out.
The car currently sits with;
- Evo Competition lightweight flywheel
- Evo Silver Japanese exedy clutch
- Rebuilt manual box
- 262 degree cams
- New lifters
- Heaps of gaskets and seals done
- Adam’s Solid shifter bushings (these give it an awesome feel)
- Greddy copy intercooler
- 3 port boost solenoid
- Walbro 255l fuel pump
- K&N air filter
- Valve stem seals done
- Custom turbo back 3” stainless exhaust with 2 Magna flow mufflers
- Thicker aluminium radiator
- DBA T3 rear rotors (can’t seem to track down the fronts)
- Tuned
Super happy with how it is. Looks stock but is a pretty quick car which embarrasses a lot of people. After 5 years of ownership, it is definitely my favourite car I’ve owned and I can’t see myself ever selling it. I’ve got lots more planned for it which will happen in good time.
I also have picked up another VR4 nugget which will be a long term project. It’s a factory manual and I really didn’t want to see it pulled apart and trashed so I brought it as it was so cheap. The plan is to restore that back to factory. But that’s for another thread.
It started not long after my version 3 WRX STI wagon was stolen from my driveway whilst I was asleep. A very sad day.
I ended up buying a Hilux ute to transport my dirt bikes around without having to worry about a trailer. The novelty soon wore off and I was keen on another car that was a bit more fun. I have a thing for quick wagons. I was really close to buying an Evo prior to buying the WRX so I started looking into Legnum VR4s. I knew very little about them but I was really intrigued. I test drove a few (all automatic) and was rather underwhelmed at first.
I started to read a bit on here about them and how they respond to mods and really started to get interested as they certainly aren’t a car that I would see very often which were tastefully modified and in good condition. I like the fact they look like big, unassuming lazy wagons.
Long story short, I ended up buying a completely stock 1999 Legnum VR4 Type S featuring the auto box.
The first thing I did was put a tow bar on it so I could tow my dirt bikes and serviced every fluid, good plugs and timing belt, water pump etc. It is a really good car to tow the bikes with. I am a huge fan of stock looking cars but with tasteful mods, which has been my goal with the car so far. Not long after, I put in a manual boost controller and a transmission oil cooler which made a decent improvement to the car.
It didn’t take long for me to really start enjoying the car. Even in auto form, it was still really nice to drive. Unfortunately while I was away for work, a rubbish truck clipped the front of it while it was parked on the side of the road at my Dad’s place. It buggered the front bumper and the fog lights.
It wasn’t major, but it made me lose interest in it for a bit and brought an Audi S4 wagon which I used instead. The Audi is cool, but the itch to get the VR4 sorted so I could drive it hit again. I am a sucker for 90’s Japanese performance cars. After a few weeks it was all sorted and back on the road.
After driving the car for a few years, the auto box was becoming a little tired. My partner and I took the car around the South Island of NZ for a week roadie and slept in the back of it which was a bloody cool trip, and darn cool that we could do it in the Legnum, but by the end of it, the auto box was leaking and really unhappy.
Such an awesome trip, and aside from the gear box, the car was awesome. 2700km in 7 days on some less than ideal roads.
I decided I wanted to spend some money on the car and start modifying it. I brought a pair of Recaros off Adam and then the ball really started rolling. I mentioned to Adam that I was wanting to do a manual swap. And guess what, Adam had most of the parts I needed, including a gearbox he rebuilt and offered to do the swap for me as he knows these cars backwards and inside out. He convinced me to go with an Evo flywheel so we had better clutch options which I am really pleased with. I really rate this clutch. Whilst doing the swap he did a bunch of other stuff whilst the engine was out.
The car currently sits with;
- Evo Competition lightweight flywheel
- Evo Silver Japanese exedy clutch
- Rebuilt manual box
- 262 degree cams
- New lifters
- Heaps of gaskets and seals done
- Adam’s Solid shifter bushings (these give it an awesome feel)
- Greddy copy intercooler
- 3 port boost solenoid
- Walbro 255l fuel pump
- K&N air filter
- Valve stem seals done
- Custom turbo back 3” stainless exhaust with 2 Magna flow mufflers
- Thicker aluminium radiator
- DBA T3 rear rotors (can’t seem to track down the fronts)
- Tuned
Super happy with how it is. Looks stock but is a pretty quick car which embarrasses a lot of people. After 5 years of ownership, it is definitely my favourite car I’ve owned and I can’t see myself ever selling it. I’ve got lots more planned for it which will happen in good time.
I also have picked up another VR4 nugget which will be a long term project. It’s a factory manual and I really didn’t want to see it pulled apart and trashed so I brought it as it was so cheap. The plan is to restore that back to factory. But that’s for another thread.
