So, I'm pretty sure Josh (aspitfire) has rubbed off on me when he's been working at my store, but now I really want to get back behind the wheel of a subaru. I just missed my chance at the Legacy Sport Sedan and can't get it out of my mind. Basically, what I want is an older platform Subaru, be it legacy or Impreza w/ a turbo charged engine and obviously AWD, I was poking around the intrawebs late in to the night and found a few old impreza's in the $1500 range, and saw an older FS thread on a JDM Ej20G for under $1500 here on mnsubaru. My questions are what its gonna cost me to get into a subaru with the above setup. I was thinking around $3000 would get me on the road. my goal is to get a running car prior to the snow fall, which should give me 2 months. -What am I going to need to do a swap? I'm familiar in that most subarus are pretty interchangeable in regards to Engine, tranny, etc. -If i get an older impreza, can the 5-speed that's already in it work fine with an ej20/ej22? Would it hold the power levels. -would I be able to run a current ECU with an older engine so I could rock Enginuity? -Any shops around here that could help me do the install, source parts, etc? -anything else i'd need to know? Thanks, Bryan
$3000 you "might" be able to put together a drivable turbo'd Impreza. It would be really tight on that budget. If you are going to have a shop do any of the work there is no way you could do it for $3000. You need the engine (longblock, air filter box to the muffler with everything in between), ecu, wiring harness (for the whole car, not just the engine), Fuel pump and controller, clutch, and a hoodscoop or FMIC. The old tranny will hold the power, as long as you don't push it too hard. So be realistic and just accept that it's going to break and that you'll replace it when you need to. Running a current ECU with an older engine won't work since the sensors and plugs are different. If you swapped WRX heads onto an older engine and spliced enough connectors I'm sure you could get it to work, but I don't think it would be worth the time.
with a 1500 Impreza comes an L transmission. 20g is 1500 the complete motor, 200-300 dollars to chux to do a wiring harness, then you need at least an ACT clutch otherwise slipping, now you need crossmember, figure $500 extra dollars for all the things we've forgotten. Also ECU. You could get on the road for $4000 in my mind. Honestly I'd spend the $6000 and through an RA tranny into the mix also. that way you can enjoy the power you've gotten.
alright, keep the suggestions coming. Now the asking price on some of the Impreza's was $1500, I'm sure I could talk them down a bit. I'll also be selling the GTP once i get this up and running. So i'd at first just need it to get rolling. Once the GTP sells, then I could throw another $2000+ into the tranny, clutch, suspension, etc. I'm basically looking for the bare essentials to getting a turboed Suby on the road and reliably driveable as soon as possible.
unfortunately, with fulltime school and fulltime work, i have no time to take a day off of anything, much less travel. Otherwise it'd be a sweet deal. That and I want it to be something I put together. Plus, that car has NO HEAT, not good for a winter driver.
Thats a ****ty build by Supermoose (a halfassed vendor) on RS25.com I would not buy it, as I've seen the build thread....
$3000 is cutting it close. you should go over to RS25.com and keep your eyes out for the swaps with occasionally pop up. there are some sweet deals on full jdm swaps there. anyway. as they said if you want to use the new WRX/STi ecus you will need the matching wiring (or a boat load of re-wiring). if you go this route it may just be cheaper to go with a usdm swap. The L tranny should be fine for now. from what i have gathered the L/RS/WRX 5spds are all pretty much the same quality wise. niether is noticebly stronger than the other. however with the L tranny you might get a better gear ration (4.11?) vs the wrx 3.90.
^ hmm.. you are right. if its an auto it would be a 4.11. otherwise the RSs have 4.11s in 5spds and 4.44s in autos.
Swapping an EJ22T into a 1G Legacy is about as easy as it gets. The ECU plugs in and all you have to do is add a couple wires for boost control and what not. I'd rock an NA 4.111 tranny off the bat. They seem to hold up better than all the 3.90 Sport Sedan transmissions. Don't ever waste your money on an RA tranny, trust me. It is a larger car though, and depending on what you're looking for, might or might not be for you. The beauty of it is that '93-'94 Legacies share the same chassis as other Leagacys up till '04 and the same as Imprezas up to '07, for the most part.
couldn't have said it better myself. for wiring simplicity, I would recommend a stock 22t (with a TD04 and MBC, of course). unless, of course, you plan to do what Justin and 95lwrx are doing/have done and swap the whole dash over with it. the newer USDM WRX engine control wiring is intertwined throughout the entire bulkhead/front harnesses, making it a rather large project to seperate. or....just go full standalone. or.....leave the turbo and go 6-cyl. after riding in WagonL's car a couple weeks ago, I've been extremely impressed. comparable hp/weight ratio to a WRX, but it's all motor. :eek3:
