Step 4: Profit?
Photography courtesy Motojunky
“I have read some amazing build threads on the forums and have been highly impressed,” wrote GRM forum member Motojunky. “I wanted to share another approach that worked for us. It's a three-step process: Buy a beater, do the minimum amount of work to make it reliable and safe, and then drive and smile.”
Proof that this process works: Motojunky’s 1998 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport.
After a ride-along at their local Susquehanna Region SCCA event in 2023, Motojunky and his daughter couldn’t wait for the next event.
“We were immediately hooked,” Motojunky shared. “[We] put the feelers out for a car, hoping to make the next event in two weeks.”
Just like that, a used 1998 Outback Sport seemed to fall into their laps. It was sold for a fair price and picked up the following weekend, but the pair had a heap of prep ahead of them. One week later, they showed up, registered, asked some questions and were off on their first course together.
Best part? The car didn’t break!
Since then, the Subaru has gotten a lot of TLC–including a new flywheel, pressure plate, steering rack, oil separator plate and so much more. They even added a roof vent for extra airflow.
In 2024, the Outback was still kicking, with Motojunky and his daughter tackling a few RallyCross events and even an autocross here and there.
But after his last RallyCross of the season, Motojunky discovered something no car owner likes to see.
“I remembered that I’d never gotten around to removing the rear interior panels to check out the strut towers. The car has some rust and I’ve been expecting the worst,” he shared. “I pulled the panels and found a little bit of rust, but far less than I expected.”
At least, that’s what he thought.
“The more I dig, the more I find,” Motojunky wrote. “My objective has 100% changed to slowing the rust and providing structural support so that the strut towers outlive whatever else kills the car.”
Like many of our GRM family members, Motojunky didn’t let the rust slow him down. After a few months of template cutting, patch welding and Rust-Oleum, those pesky rust spots were a thing of the past.
Just like that, Motojunky and the Subaru were back on track, starting off their 2025 season at the Washington D.C. Region SCCA RallyCross. But now, there is a new challenge on Motojunky’s hands.
“At the Washington race, there was a section of course that was pretty rough and needed to be crossed at a good angle,” Motojunky explained. “On one run I got out of shape in the preceding turn and wasn't able to take my preferred line. I bottomed out–HARD–and expected the car to quit running. It didn't. I took a quick look between runs and didn't immediately see any damage.
“I finally unloaded the car to give it a quick look before this Sunday's race. I was shocked to find the driver-side "frame rail" crunched pretty bad,” he continued. “Apparently, I came down on something solid, directly on the tow hook. Ouch.”
The mounting tabs of the top of the radiator were another causality from the Subarus little incident. But zip ties–every car enthusiast’s best friend–currently offer the radiator some temporary security.
Luckily, this crunched rail doesn’t seem to be causing any problems. So, what will Motojunky do next? Follow his build thread to find out.
Step 4: Profit?
In reply to Colin Wood :
Step 5: Buy more cars and repeat steps 1 through 4.
Colin Wood said:Step 4: Profit?
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