[NoSlushbox4Me]

Still working the back connections, but there's enough room for everything and I don't see any remaining issues (other than having time to work on it). Subaru really should have this in the car, at least as an available option. This is a must in my family, especially in summer.








Also, since I have your attention, I'm throwing in a shameless plug for my other center console items:

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

I'll do a write-up later, but the rear AC installation is done. It's sure hot in Texas today.

 

[2AGuy]

Interested in this for sure and whatever else you’ve made up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Su Baru]

Nice, I'll be waiting for the write-up :smile2:

 

[steveoyea]

You selling those center trays? In black preferably

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

You selling those center trays? In black preferably

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I have a black one without cutout made, ready for purchase.

https://www.impreza5.com/forum/#/topics/11954?page=5

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

I'm revamping my plumbing. I didn't listen to Yoda enough: "Do or do not, there is no try"
I think I've choked the flow area down too much from the source to the exit vent. Plans to maximize are in work. When / if that works out and provides enough air flow, I'll do a better step by step walk through. For now, this is just a little intro...

Feet don't really need air conditioning, so the left and right footwell vents get capped off to increase system pressure.



The air supply that routes underseat will be the primary source of the rear air conditioning. Adapters are made to replace the offtake connections




An Infinity G37 donates some ideal parts to incorporate, Frankenstein-style.



The air to the G37 vent gets an adapter manifold. I think making it a single hose inlet at the bottom was a mistake though. That's asking for a lot of flow from a single hose.



The manifold does mate up nicely to the G37 vent mounted in the modified rear center console panel.



This is the choke point where the 2 supply hoses get combined into one. The added insulation is needed because the driveshaft tunnel gets pretty warm. No need to pass the cold air lines directly over the warm tunnel.



I think I can do better than this single inlet into the vent manifold. Sometimes learning happens best by getting it wrong the first time.

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

Just like an old muscle car. When in doubt, consider swapping in a 4 barrel setup.

 

[ShadyJC]

How about adding a single fixed cup holder at the bottom of that =)

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

How about adding a single fixed cup holder at the bottom of that =)

Hmmmm....

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

The space below the console and under the back cover was a bit too tight for just using 4 individual hoses and my 4 elbow fitting. I think this manifold will work out well. It has enough air volume to not be a choke point and clears the parking brake cables that will be under it.

It looks like I won't have time to install the new parts in the car until some time next week though. Too much going on around here in the next few days.

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

Cap off connections for the driver and passenger floor vents. This will result in higher pressure and flow to the rest of the AC vents.

Adapters so the ducts that originally blew air under the seats would now supply air to the rear vent. I started with single host per side but in the final version went with double hose per side to maximize flow area.

Air manifold to pass under the center console to the rear vent, with rear vent adapter attached. Four 1.5" length flex hoses join the manifold to the vent adapter.

Rear vent is taken from an Infinity G37. The vent assembly mount section gets cut out of the G37 panel to make the attachment to the Impreza cover simpler. It also retains some factory markings for the vent close-off switch.

A shroud was made to mate the G37 vent to the Impreza cover at the preferred angle for getting airflow to the rear passengers.

A cutout was made for the G37 vent in the Impreza rear cover. Test fitting in the car shows where the vent assembly will interfere with the mount bracket for the center console hinged arm rest.

The hinged arm rest bracket was trimmed. It went down from 5 mount screws to 3 when it was trimmed. No issues for the arm rest operation have been noted.

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

The G37 vent is mounted in the Impreza rear cover and the duct adapter is test fit. Originally the duct adapter was going to be glued in place, but leaving it a slip fit was a better plan for being able to assemble everything in the car.

In the car, the center console rear cover, the parking brake boot, the center panel around the shifter with the cup holders, and the left and right front sections are removed. The 4 mount bolts that attach the rear of the center console to a bracket at the floor of the car are also removed.

The passenger floor vent duct is removed and the cap off is installed. It attaches with one screw.

The driver side floor vent duct is removed and the cap off is installed. It's a snap clip installation on 3 sides.

The left and right connection ducts to the underseat vents are removed. Pulling up on the bottom/back part of the duct and then pulling the duct to the back makes each one come out pretty easy.

The remaining under dash connections will be the air supply for the rear vent. The adapters are now installed.

The rear of the center console gets lifted up a little so the air manifold can be slid under it. It then gets bolted to the floor bracket so it can't move around.

The cover with attached vent gets slid into place and installed. The rear is now done.

A layer of carpet padding gets laid on top of the driveshaft tunnel to insulate the AC hoses from tunnel heat. The intent is to keep the cold air cold. The harness connections for the USB and line input in the console will be between the 3rd and 4th hoses. I added a slit to the carpet insulation so the harnesses could pass through.

The 4 hoses are installed. I installed the back end first for each and then routed each to the connection points up front. Each was 33" long. The #4 hose on the right side could have stood to be 1/2" longer, but it worked out fine.

A pair of hoses go to each side. One on each side of the center console mount bracket and one each further down the side of the center console panels. The left side hose goes around the parking brake. There is no interference with the parking brake, the brake switch, or the shifter. The carpeting is under the hose in each location. Hoses are never routed under the carpeting.

When installing all of the canter console panels, the trickiest parts were getting the screws that connect the back and front side panels together and getting all of the connection tabs in place between the front panels and the dash connection points on the sides of the center cubby area. That took a few tries. The center piece around the shifter won't snap into place if the side panels aren't correctly connected. But after that, the job is done.

I'm very happy with the final results. The airflow is pretty good to the back, with good adjustability. I honestly don't think it would have been much more airflow if it had been Subaru original equipment. I actually could have left the driver and passenger floor vents installed, but I wanted to make sure I got as much air flow to the rear as possible. The hoses have a bit of ‘that new PVC hose smell', but I'm pretty sure that will go away over time.

 

[sleepy]

Awesome! One of the options I was wondering why was not included in the car in the first place. You've got some great ideas, and have made your car one of a kind and to your liking. Ever consider joining Subaru R&D? I'd buy a "NSB4M" edition Impreza, lol.

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

The NSB4M edition made me laugh. Be careful what you buy into though. I've got an ADF lift kit sitting here just waiting for me to install it and that definitely isn't to everyone's liking. https://andersondesign-fab.com/product/2017-2018-impreza-2-strut-spacers-w-multi-link-spacers/

Subaru definitely could have added rear AC vents on their own. They just needed a focus group or a future buyers survey to tell them it's an important standard feature or option package. I would personally prefer it being a standard feature though. Us manual transmission drivers typically get screwed by not all options not being offered.

 

[sleepy]

Do what you want to do with your car, who cares what people think, it's not their car. From what we've seen so far, you've got some pretty cool ideas for the Impreza.

Part of the reason I love oldschool cars, aside from the obvious nostalgia, is the simplicity of a good, reliable, easy to work on, traditional manual car, without the unnecessary electronics or unwanted add-ons. With that said, it was also nice to add a new car that I didn't have to worry about, but that also had leather interior, moonroof and a working a/c for daily use. Simple things like rear seat vents would be a nice OEM option for the kids.

A different set-up for the USB inserts/audio-in would've been better, too, especially if you use the centre console bin alot, bc the USB stick or plugs gets knocked around and loosens the base. I also wish it had a sunglasses flip-down compartment where the moonroof controls are, like my Odyssey, which doubles as a conversation mirror to see what the kids are doing behind me, but that's more of an 8-seater option vs a small hatchback.

https://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m69/HondaRidgeline/Misc/0405081132.jpg

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

The hoses are finally almost odor free. In retrospect, I should have shopped around more for hoses that didn't need to outgas but everything is ok now.

I took the NSB4M edition Impreza to my local dealership last week to get my ADF lift kit installed. Without an extra set of hands to help out I wasn't too eager to start tearing the suspension apart by myself at home. I'm very pleased with the final result. The car seems to have kept it's excellent handling characteristics despite being 1.5" taller. The extra ground clearance is awesome and very welcome. Other cars around me seem slightly lower, from the driver's seat perspective. This is another option that would be great if Subaru offered, since the Crosstrek isn't available as a sedan.

 

[s10blazed]

That rear vent work is awesome. You wanted a feature and you made it happen. I'd like to see more of that in general. :grin2:

Do you share the 3d files for the center console insert?

 

[NoSlushbox4Me]

I don't distribute my files, but will print parts on request.

 

[deenka048]

A little late to the party but awesome work NSB4ME!!!