If you’re too full of turkey and marshmallow-topped sweet potato to function, you’ve got a few options to make yourself feel better. You could go for a run to try and burn off all that food, you might head to the garage to hide from your family, or you could watch this mesmerizing video of a Subaru WRX getting restored in the hope that you feel better in an hour.
If that third option sounds appealing, then read on because that’s exactly the kind of lazy Friday entertainment that I reckon is perfect for the day after Thanksgiving. The film in question is from YouTube channel RRC Restoration, which has hours upon hours of therapeutic restoration films that are all narrated with a calming Scottish tone.
In this film, the channel takes a 2004 Subaru WRX that was rusting away in a barn and gives it a gleaming new lease of life. At the start, the car is surrounded by hay, is missing wheels, has a hole in the hood and lacks almost everything from the interior. Quite the project, I’m sure you’ll agree.
In a previous life, the car was stripped down to be transformed into a rally racer, so despite missing parts the WRX is in good shape. Importantly, the engine is reportedly in pretty good condition but requires some new seals on the turbo. Over the ensuing 50 minutes, RRC Restoration works to tick off all those tasks to bring the famed racer back to life.
Once the car is out of the barn and in the workshop, the restoration process kicks off with a good clean, which looks incredibly satisfying and reveals that the paintwork is surprisingly clean.
Next, it’s time to get this thing running again. The radiator is removed and that’s followed by the turbo, which is replaced. The timing belt is also replaced and the water pump is fixed, before new spark plugs are fitted and the flat-four rumbles into life once again.
The next mechanical task to tackle is the suspension, which involves replacing the coilovers, and new discs are added for the brakes. For the calipers, RRC uses a set taken from an Impreza destined for the scrap heap. They’re restored and repainted, before being fitted to the car.
A new interior for the barn find also comes from the scrapped Impreza, so that’s all fitted into the WRX next. After that, the fenders go onto the car, as well as a gleaming new hood scoop, front bumper and side skirts. At this point, it’s all coming together beautifully.
The engine oil is then changed and the car’s original wheels, now painted gold, are fitted to each corner. The finished car looks great and ready to terrorize a few forest roads or local neighborhoods soon.
The nearly hour-long video shows RRC Restoration getting the car back to a condition that’s safe for the road and means that its new owner can “enjoy it guilt free through the spring, summer and autumn,” the video’s poster explained in the comments. After this, it’s going back into the shop to be “restored to showroom condition,” RRC Restoration added.
Hopefully when it is all gleaming and good-as-new, the car will still be driven out on the road and maybe a rally stage or two. After all, there’s no point having an awesome car like this just to look at, it’s always better if you drive your cars.
