SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) Hello everyone, This 2005 SWP legacy gt wagon is my first taste of the BP platform. I come from having built numerous Impreza’s (incl. 9-2x), one E36 BMW and a NA Miata. The goal of this build is what I call OEM+. This is my first thread so I would like to introduce myself to this forum. I came from owning a complete JDM STi drivetrain swapped Saab 9-2x. My desire to build another similar wagon but with more refinement and comfort landed me with PhilT’s SWP wagon in 2017. This is my first EJ25 because I avoided them due to their reputation and design shortcomings (relative to EJ207) The day I picked her up Side track: The Subaru Japanese 2L STi engine, aka EJ207 featured a larger intercooler, tubular twin scroll header header with great heatshielding, bell mouth downpipe, long runner no-TGV intake manifold, big port heads, sodium filled valves and a bottom end that can hold upwards of 500whp reliably unopened. All my Subaru’s were EJ207 STi engines because my experiences have been nothing but great. I was surprised to see Phil’s car spent almost all its life at higher power levels but finally succumbed to headgasket failure at 296,000km -but it was running green coolant its whole life. For those who don’t know, subaru’s blue coolant was updated to include the headgasket conditioner and extends headgasket life. Headgasket failure at 296,000km The torque and NA power of the EJ25 felt great and the EJ25 really began to grow on me. For the first 3 months I owned the legacy, I had my 2003 Subaru JDM swapped STi wagon for sale. Driving these two cars back to back made me decide against the EJ207. It just simply wouldn’t suit the car well. Unfortunately, I learned the shortcoming of the BP legacy wagon were many. To build this car to my liking would require extensive modifications and I soon regretted accumulating parts for a chassis I wasn't no longer too confident in. The EJ207 STi drivetrain Bugeye beside the STi legacy wagon. some of these issues I identified were: No spherical front control arm bushing *hardrace now sells them for $180 USD. Weak wheel bearings Weak axles (& expensive) Too little anti-squat my solutions: 5x114 conversion (08-14 Front hub) 2011+ STi lower control arm (oem spherical bearing) 08-14 STi wheel bearings STi axles modified rear trailing arm bushing mount to reduce anti squat Other Upgrades (current & planned) 04 STi 6spd 35/65 DCCD & R180 Ohlins R&T coilovers Custom carbon fiber driveshaft (local shop, group buy?) 18+ STi 6 pot calipers Powder coat calipers silver with black STi stencil (S402 style) 18x8.5 +53 Forged BBS OEM STi wheels Face lift JDM 3.0R premium front clip 3.0R premium STi front lip S402 Fenders SpecB grille JDM washer headlights Link G4+ ECU Adjustable rear upper and lower control arms *spherical bearings Solid aluminum subframe bushings Aluminum specB trailing arms WL poly diff bushings 15+ STi steering rack engine OEM JDM STi twin scroll exhaust manifold Stock location custom built dual ball bearing GTX3071 U20 JDM DAVCS heads deshrouded 08+ STi DAVCS cams 19+ STi updated OEM shortblock *blueprinted and revised tolerances 12mm JDM oil pump *blueprinted Eccentric idler pulley *cam time engine 15+ STi oil pan & pickup tube ID1000 IAG fuel rails, custom parallel lines\ TGV deletes Perrin turbo inlet Custom downpipe with APS race cat Fujitsubo catback Custom vertical intercooler using Bell core *retaining crash beam Edited February 1, 2020 by SAABaruu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) JDM Front clip didn't include fenders, so I am on the hunt for S402 fenders! How it'll look when finished. JDM rear bumper 17x8.5 +44 Volk RE30 magnesium blue test fit. The best volk wheels every made, a staggering 15.4lbs each. Sold these already to fund the 5x114 conversion Edited February 1, 2020 by SAABaruu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) Hood extractor for the custom vertical intercooler. It will be ducted to seal off the engine bay. This will increase downforce substantially ; i.e. an STi produces 300lbs of lift at 120mph vs. EVO 8 produces 150 lbs of downforce at the same wind tunnel (source: some german car magazine that wind tunnel tests all the cars they review). The hood scoop allows for a lot of lift and decreased efficiency for the heat exchangers up front. I learned from time attacking my 9-2x that heat management is the most important and ducting has more influence on cooling performance than upgrading parts. The custom intercooler setup is designed to use a vertical intercooler since it is a more efficient design, especially for high PSI builds. To improve transient response, I am going for shorter piping with less bends than the AVO fmic it replaced. Here is the design idea I thought up. To have both the outlet and inlet pipes exit at the top in a vertical fashion. The engineer at Bell said this 180 degree turn at the bottom end tank won't slow down the air like a bend in a pipe normally would. Between the dual AVCS, twin scroll and short intercooler piping, I am aiming to have fast response and minimal lag with a turbo spitting out 380-400whp. The fab shop doing the work still needs to green light my idea... but packaging will be similar to this setup I found. Edited February 1, 2020 by SAABaruu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) My car had an AVO 420. Turbo Parts Canada (TPC) had custom spec'd this turbo. It has a new dual ceramic ball bearing CHRA. New turbine wheel that cut the weight in half from the old one! New larger compressor wheel. Previously this car made 343WHP on Neetronics dynojet with the stock AVO420. It was really laggy because PhilT was not running a restrictor, which was flooding the ball bearing cartridge and slowing spool. This is my first go at TPC turbos. Neetronics has 20 years of experience of tuning subaru's and they've achieved the best results using TPC. Nick uses a much higher speed balancer than most in the industry and this translates to more power, faster spool and better reliability. Neetronics first tested TPC by tuning a car with a brand new FP blue and sending that FP blue to have him rebalance it. The result came back with 5whp/5wtq more across the board. Neetronics went on to develop the VF20G turbo with Nick at TPC. The result was staggering, faster than stock spool and identical response but with 50whp more. The most exciting feature is the unique turbine housing. It is a single scroll housing technically, even though it has a twin scroll flange. Both scrolls merge inside the turbine housing, a few inches into it (right before the wastegate flap). Traditionally stock location subaru twin scroll turbos are severely bottlenecked by its small wastegate holes (twin scroll = 2 holes). This turbo on the other hand has the largest flapper of any stock location turbo there is. I think having the exhaust gases merge right at the turbine wheel will be great for response and spool. OEM twin scroll header Edited February 1, 2020 by SAABaruu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) EJ20X build. I picked up a EJ20x in February 2019. Facelifted airpump engine. Modified, custom VF37 sti twin scroll turbo that was clocked. Legacy to STI twin scroll uppipe. Engine was super clean inside, owner really was ontop of his oil changes. It also had this trick cast polish metal turbo inlet and special engine lowering mounts. The motor is currently in the car and I plan on running the JDM EJ20X prefacelift ECU. I have to replace the exhaust AVCS sensors with older magnetic type over the superior HALL effect. I am going to try this shortblock setup to see what the EJ20X can handle and what kind of fuel mileage it gets. It is a high compression 9:5:1 open deck block and the successor to the EJ205. Same crankshaft unfortunately. Ultimately I am taking this motor out for a brand new STi short block and going standalone ECU since we no longer have emissions laws in Ontario, Canada. gates racing timing belt & LIC eccentric idler pulley Impressed how clean this motor is! New 15+ STi windage tray and pickup tube (oil pan too) It frustrated me how subaru's dont cam time their motors like BMW, porsche and other engines. Thats why there is the LIC eccentric idler pulley. My tuner said one is enough for heads that have never been machined before but I would of preferred a second one to line it up closer. The difference is substantial as you can see in the pics below. When you consider how much a couple mm translates on the camshaft and valves lifting, you'll understand how this simple pulley can unlock 5whp and a smoother engine and better tune. WRC timing belt kits use this method to cam time the engine. BEFORE LIC eccentric idler AFTER Edited February 1, 2020 by SAABaruu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) Clutch tip. I installed the same clutch three times at by three different shops all on the same car and they all felt different every time. The final shop who did it right showed me the trick. The grease that exedy and other clutch manufacturers supply doesn't cut the job, especially for high performance builds. When my clutch was removed, all the grease turned into boogers and were solidified. So wipe off the grease on the throw out bearing and replace it with this motul grease instead. Take the clutch fork pin and spin it on the end of a cordless drill while holding a scotchbrite pad. Get it nice and shiny. My exedy stage 1+ HD clutch pedal felt so much lighter and close to OEM versus before it was a leg work out. Massive difference if you do these two steps. Edited February 1, 2020 by SAABaruu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moddingbug Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Subscribed! Just getting into a SWP wagon myself, only less than a month of ownership so far. Can't wait to see the progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) @SAABaruu is also my instagram handle. Saabaru is the nickname for the limited production 2005-2006 Saab 9-2x which is a rebadged Subaru impreza wagon. This was my first taste of the JDM EJ207 drivetrain and boy did I manage to have a lot of fun with this car and it never let me down once. I took it to countless autox events, track events, mexico events, time attack etc. I burned through 3 clutches in 35,000 miles, I couldn't help my self but launch it nearly every single time I drove it. Nothing ever broke. Zero heat either, it's amazing how much stuff I could get away with driving this car. Never got pulled over either. It pulled the third quickest raw time in the largest autox event in our province. It has a lap record at CSCS time attack. It also was the fastest car in the series when it competed. It also hurt a lot of egos, Engine EJ207 version 8 OEM Twin scroll headers *SteamSpeed STX71 twin scroll turbo (stock location GTX3071) *ID1000s *Custom 3 inch catless TS downpipe Fujitsubo 3 inch catback w/ vibrant ultra-quiet resonator *Custom axle-back straight pipe (muffler delete via v-band) *Hyperflow 660GT FMIC kit *Forge BPV *KStech 83mm CAI Perrin Inlet Mocal thermostatic sandwhich plate (200F) Setrab 19-row oil cooler *Walbro 255lph IXIZ 3 port EBCS Saikou Michi Dual Catch Cans *Koyo radiator & cap Drivetrain JDM 6MT (close ratio 5th & 6th) DCCDPRO CUSCO RS 1.5 LSD (100% Lock) Suspension RCE T2 600/500 coilovers RCE Camber plates front & rear STI front aluminum control arms Custom Aluminum caster adding spacer STI 05+ aluminum rear lateral links Whiteline rear subframe lockdown bolts Group N transmission mount Wheels, Tires & Brakes Enkei RPF1 17x8 +45 5x114 Hankook RS-3 245/40/17 Brembos CL RC6 racing pads Stoptech slotted rotors Interior S204 center console Car PC (7 inch touchscreen, 3D printed bezel) Black suede headliner Blacked out interior all tan plastics painted black Custom perforated black Alcantara door cards Rare JDM STI Limited seats (Black leather & Alcantara) WRX Leather Momo steering wheel Custom clockpod digital gauge (boost & oil temp) by VEI systems Subtle Solutions dead pedal STI Floor mats STI cluster Red HVAC window switches and fog light switch Wet weight: 3050lbs (removed bumper beams, no u-frame, no spare, lighter wheels). HP: 360WHP (steamspeed) 294whp (VF37) 1/4 mile: stock 105mph 12.9 1.76 60'. Stage 2: 109MPH 12.3 1.6s 60' GTX: 11.4 119mph 1.6s 60' Stock EJ207 with catless DP versus full bolt on stock turbo 94 octane. EJ257 makes 305whp 340wtq but my car was able to pull on any tuned EJ257 STi. Better avg hp/tq? http://i.imgur.com/tCHoRn6l.jpg My stock turbo and TMIC setup http://i.imgur.com/cf9Bi9pl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/qjT43GTl.jpg http://i.imgur.com/hJ5l0Iwl.jpg sleeper gauge setup VIDEOS bonus content: Here is my friends unopened EJ207 swap with a GT35R and some nitrous to help spool it up via the standalone. fun fact: that bmw 2002 in the background is the one that was in SEMA this year Edited February 1, 2020 by SAABaruu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 Reserved for GT35r NA Miata and HTA 86 xona rotor E36 BMW race car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) Reserved for 5x114 conversion Front track width will increase by 1.3" total or about 17mm on each side. This will make the change the perfect fitment of 17x8.5 +44 to +27 offset (which will definitely rub). I am anticipating the need for wider fenders and prefer metal oem fenders, so my only option is the s402 fender (which is 20mm wider). Alternatively I can try to run 08 STI BBS forged 18x8.5+53 wheels on stock fenders. Edited February 4, 2020 by SAABaruu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 Reserved for anti squat geometry changes: since it is a trailing arm setup, the instant center is located at the mounting point of the rear trailing arm. To increase anti-squat the mounting point must move vertically higher. The plan is to cut off the bushing mount, flip it on its side and weld it on and run a bolt through it into the chassis. Essentially it will mount just like the front lower control arm bushing does to the chassis. The plan is to use 11+ sti control arm spherical bearings and I can fine tune with spacers between the body and the bearing. Ultimately the chassis shop experts need to green light my ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 Reserved for custom carbon fiber drive shaft for specB & 6 speed R180 swaps. My local driveshaft shop thats been around for 36 years (great work) has been working with carbon for the last year. I think I can get these on a group buy for really cheap, I will update when I go deliver my driveshaft to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madrig Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 nice build ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 nice build ! Appreciate it. Love the work that you do, would love to have your parts on this build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorDaveLGT Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 nice build ! Second that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VespaGTS Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Wow! Keep it coming. I wish I had the resources to play with my car like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonamedude Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 So a solid carbon fiber drive shaft? I guess you'd only really need a drive shaft to be strong in one direction (axial?) however that seems like a pretty heavy duty part to make from carbon. Other than weight, is there a strength benefit for a high torque build or something else I'm missing? Obviously money isn't a huge limiting factor but I still can't imagine they are cheap. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 So a solid carbon fiber drive shaft? I guess you'd only really need a drive shaft to be strong in one direction (axial?) however that seems like a pretty heavy duty part to make from carbon. Other than weight, is there a strength benefit for a high torque build or something else I'm missing? Obviously money isn't a huge limiting factor but I still can't imagine they are cheap. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Benefits are numerous. Firstly you're dropping the weight by about 15lbs. Massive considering this is rotational weight. This translated into ~4% gains in HP/TQ across the whole RPM band. I have seen 25WHP on one STi before. It absorbs a lot of drivetrain noise, shutter, smooths out low rpm juttering and hard launches. It is a huge bang for your buck mod in my experience. It is a hollow carbon fiber tube with aluminum joints glued onto the ends of it. I am hoping to have this done for ~$800 or less (if we perhaps approach as a group buy?). I got my BMW axles rebuilt by a local shop and they were just starting to make them (10 months ago). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 Wow! Keep it coming. I wish I had the resources to play with my car like this. NO amount of resources ($$) would get me where I am going with this build without the help of a good friend who can offer me shop space for free to work on this. Also the aid of a close friend who I regard to be one of the greatest subaru mechanics/engineers, who memorized every torque specification on subarus and religiously uses a load-cell snap-on torque wrench. A lot of my knowledge regarding subaru's comes from him. He's worked on prominent racing teams that were top of their game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonamedude Posted February 2, 2020 Share Posted February 2, 2020 Benefits are numerous. Firstly you're dropping the weight by about 15lbs. Massive considering this is rotational weight. This translated into ~4% gains in HP/TQ across the whole RPM band. I have seen 25WHP on one STi before. It absorbs a lot of drivetrain noise, shutter, smooths out low rpm juttering and hard launches. It is a huge bang for your buck mod in my experience. It is a hollow carbon fiber tube with aluminum joints glued onto the ends of it. I am hoping to have this done for ~$800 or less (if we perhaps approach as a group buy?). I got my BMW axles rebuilt by a local shop and they were just starting to make them (10 months ago). That's interesting. Not bad considering that a Dorman one is nearly $400 and I'm sure oe is more. I'd be considered about impact resistance considering how I expect to use my vehicle. But still a very neat idea. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 4, 2020 Author Share Posted February 4, 2020 That's interesting. Not bad considering that a Dorman one is nearly $400 and I'm sure oe is more. I'd be considered about impact resistance considering how I expect to use my vehicle. But still a very neat idea. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk It is used in alot of OE sports cars like the M3. Carbon is resilient to impact but if it cracks then you're in trouble and it's hard to diagnose until a failure occurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRX USA Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 I’d be interested in a carbon fiber driveshaft if you are thinking of arranging a group buy. I have an OBXT with a SpecB 6MT/R180 swap that is also running the stock SpecB driveshaft. I’m a little lower than stock which is why I think it works (rather than needing something Outback specific). I’m sure you know about these guys: https://www.driveshaftshop.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 I’d be interested in a carbon fiber driveshaft if you are thinking of arranging a group buy. I have an OBXT with a SpecB 6MT/R180 swap that is also running the stock SpecB driveshaft. I’m a little lower than stock which is why I think it works (rather than needing something Outback specific). I’m sure you know about these guys: https://www.driveshaftshop.com/ I sure know about them and sure know better than not to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAABaruu Posted April 13, 2020 Author Share Posted April 13, 2020 Small update; sorry no pics. Turbo & header are installed. Intake manifold is now on, car is going into the fab shop for the custom intercooler setup. Waiting on parts to come in. I removed my specB rear axles if anyone is interested in buying them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkita Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 so what's your plan for getting the rear trailing arm to support sti hubs. This problem has been an issue with no real solution since forever. https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/conversion-5x100-5x114-3-05-lgt-129874.html Build my car Boxkita Track days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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