SUBE555 Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 Any forum members with JDM STi swaps, WRX swaps or other turbo kits on pre BL/BP Legacys? I guess if you're not from the US and have a factory turbo model, that can be included too. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 Only factory turbo for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted January 18, 2004 Author Share Posted January 18, 2004 Any mods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 Nothing Major Mods Number plate raised by about an inch to allow more flow to radiator. Front grill painted black Fitted a cheap Taisco 2 & 5/8 Vacuum/boost gauge. Wanting to keep a clean look placed gauge on the side of the central console. Opened up panel behind gearshift and conected to spare connector that works off dashlights. PAinted lightbulb orange to get a subdued orange light. (Previously a white face and clear bulb was too bright for my tastes) Effect Found that at full throttle boosting 10 psi ~ both primary and secondary turbos in operation. But only when engine under load. To increase turbo spool up time I lengthened the wastegate hoses by about 9 feet. The idea was to stop the waste gate from creeping open as boost started to come online. Effect: Under constant acceleration I hit full boost at about half throttle. Car has noticably faster acceleration. Removed snorkel/resonator. Opened up the fender/inner guard to remove snorkel. Intake in engine still feeding hot air to inner guard. Effect : To be honest very little - perhaps a little better response off the line. No probs with ECU. Closed off inner guard from hot engine bay, Opened up inner guard to cold ram air. Removed intake into the inner guard and blocked hole up with an alloy cutout i made. To ensure the inner guard had plenty of cold air, with a holesaw drilled 5 holes the size of a qtr in the bottom rear of the guard facing forwards. When moving cold air is forced into the inner guard which feeds the airbox. Result: More power/acceleration etc - On a normal day boost has inceased 1 psi ~ on a cold nite 2 psi over standard. Well worth doing for zero cost. Added manual boost controler Result : Raised Primary turbo boost to about 11/12 psi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20Legacy Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 I'll gladly be the token WRX swap guy :D [url]www.I-Speed.us[/url] did the conversion for me. It's flawless. You can check out some info about my car on this retarded site I made for it B) [url]www.EJ20Legacy.tk[/url]. Jeremy Did you have any questions about conversions or just wondering if any were on the board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leondal Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 I have a Forced Air Tech Stage I kit on my '98 Legacy GT. Other mods include: -UR underdrive pulley -Borla Header (wrapped) -2.5" custom exhaust -Kartboy short shifter (w/bushings) -Synthetic fluids (brake, power steering, oil, transmission) -Took the snorkster out -Hyper grounding wires -K&N panel filter (stock air box) -Built '97 outback transmission -Exedy clutch kit putting some Arias forged pistons in soon. No problems to date Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leondal Posted January 21, 2004 Share Posted January 21, 2004 You could always keep the stock engine and make a custom kit... [url]http://www.uniquemotorsports.com[/url] has some various parts (uppipes and downpipes, etc for this.) mostly geared towards the TD04 turbo [url]http://www.deadboltspeed.com[/url] has rebuilt WRX TD04 turbos then the rest of the crap is pretty much universal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted January 21, 2004 Author Share Posted January 21, 2004 Would the EJ257 short block be more cost effective considering it is a whole step up over the Phase I blocks in the BD/BG GT's. (I'm waiting on a new Leg probably, but opened up this can of worms for all those who are currently running forced induction in their Legs.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20Legacy Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 EJ257 is the STI block correct? I'm too lazy to check but I think I remember that being the code so: Yes it's a HUGE step up considering not only all cast internals but the fact that it's a semi-closed deck block and much stronger than the N/A blocks, which tend to get ovaled piston sleeves after a while of forced induction life. The problem is that you can't really just bolt your heads onto it... you either need new heads from a 2.5 turbo (STI or otherwise/forester/baja) or, apparently, non-US STI heads for the 2.0L. If you bolt on WRX heads or N/A 2.5 heads the compression ratio is too high (like 9.5:1) and there could be piston/valve clearance issues (piston hitting into the valves). I-Speed sells the STI block with custom forged pistons from Crawford Performance made to have regular WRX heads mated to it. The custom pistons maintain a proper compression ratio and proper clearance. I'm not positive, but I'm thinking the N/A 2.5 heads would need the same thing to work properly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leondal Posted January 22, 2004 Share Posted January 22, 2004 I think it really comes down to how much power you want to run when all is said and done. I'm seeing a trend where people are able to run more boost and power than is commonly thought possible on the phase I. I've heard over and over again that these things can handle only 230 HP reliably. I have seen so many phase Is running more than that without problems. If you're not going to want to run more than 300 HP, I don't think it would be all that cost effective to buy the STI shortblock. The main weakness I've seen in the phase I is in the pistons. These pistons are very short skirted, and are prone to cracking under detonation. Once you've replaced the pistons, and effectively lowered the compressions ratio in the process, you should be good for a decent amount of power and boost. The rods should be able to handle adecent amount of power, especially with a lower compression ratio. From what I've been seeing, having between 8.5:1 to 9:1 CR seems to be ideal. Obviously, doing everything you can to reduce detonation is going to be key.... I'm not saying that all this is written in stone, these are just my observations and some of my own personal experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayner Posted February 2, 2004 Share Posted February 2, 2004 I saw the hybrid how-to in the back of this march's Sport Compact Car and it got me thinking. I've always liked the 95+ (actually 97 plus because I don't think they put manuals in 95-96 cars) Legacy 2.5GT's but I really wanted something w/ more performance. I recently bought a 2001 VW GTI 1.8t and while it's really pretty easy to get 300+ whp (actually closer to 400 hp) out of these engines, the front wheel drive factor sucks. I'm still stock w/ only 150-160 hp and traction sucks! and I'm really not looking forward to launching w/ more power. (yeah I know I could get an audi a4 w/ the same motor and AWD but I'm I have my reasons for not wanting one of those) Anyway I was thinking about either swapping a WRX motor into a 97 2.5GT or whatever the factory turbo'd engine was across the pond. I'm just looking for any information any of you can give me on either of these swaps. Mainly how much it would cost, but also what is an easier swap to do and what kind of power I could expect. It sounds like some people here have done swaps so hopefully I came to the right place. I wouldn't be able to spend any more than what I could sell my car for so my spending limit is around $13K. Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm just trying to get a feel for whether this is feasable. Thanks to all in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraziken Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 I contacted I-speed about a 2.5 Turbo swap. They indicated they would take the current WRX heads can install them into the STi Block? When I inquired about a ej257 swap, they indicated it would be very expensive. I don't know enough, but would just a WRX head swap into a STi Block have the same power results? If I do the swap, I'm looking to match out put with the current WRX sti. I-speed indicated I would use any WRX headers, but will WRX headers match up to a Legacy Cobb catback? If not, then I'll have to hold off buying any exhaust components, if I'm serious about a swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evolutionmovement Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 The STI has veriable valve timing, so the power curve would at least be different with the standard heads. If not weaker, it would probably have more of a peak to the curve all things being equal. For a much cheaper conversion, you could try using an old Legacy turbo block (or whole engine). Closed deck, oil squirters, tough as granite. I have one in my kitchen from a junkyard with 86k mi on it and there is no detectable wear on any internal parts. They were designed for rallying pre-300HP restriction days and are supposed to be designed for 400+hp. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraziken Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Ultimately, I think I was going to wait a couple of years. I figure the new turbo blocks from the Forrester/Baja/Legacy will be available in much higher numbers, and reduce the costs of such a swap. At this point, I still have some upgrades and I don't mind holding off. I'm a firm believer of "there' no replacement for displacement." I'd prefer to swap a 2.5 Turbo block for my 2.5 N/A if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBE555 Posted February 18, 2004 Author Share Posted February 18, 2004 I'm not sure how much the numbers will vary, but I'd imagine the complexity could go up with the new electronic throttle body and AVCS should you choose to use them. You could always do a WRX swap, use a different turbo, something a bit smaller, perhaps on the line of a V28/29 which would give you tons of bottom end and taper up top similar to the 6500rpm limit now in your car as I've been told. If you're all about drivability, you might want to look that route. Doing an EJ257 swap MAY be a bit more complex as we've been just recently talking about this in the Cobb forum and some of the potential issues that may come up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evolutionmovement Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 I can't argue with more displacement, even with a turbo (anyone ever bury the throttle in a Grand National), but the 2.2 should be a tougher engine, cheaper, and have less chance of wear with smaller pistons and shorter stroke although the difference may be academic. If you didn't go AVCS, you wouldn't have to worry about the electric throttle and all that. I'm not sure about CR with 2.0 liter heads or how well everything matches up to the 2.5 block or about the quench area change, etc., but if you used the 2.5 heads with WRX cams, I would guess you could probably just base-tune it as a big 2.0 and fine tune from there or just use some cheap piggyback to increase fuel with a 2.0 ECU. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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