Hey all,

I own a '93 Impreza L AWD w/ a 1.8L and I wanted to know a few things about performance upgrades...
1. What kinds of upgrades are available for my particular model?
2. If I were to get an engine swap (got my eye on a 2.5L), would there be any compatability issues?
3. I also want an exhaust system, but I haven't the foggiest idea where to start. If I do get one, will I have to replace it when I get my new engine?

1) You should be able to adapt most 2.5L parts for your needs.
Suspension - bolts right up.
Basic engine stuff - should bolt right up.
Body stuff - bolts right up.

2) Wiring may be your only real hurdle. If I got WRX motor swap, you can buy my 2.5L :D

3) There are alot of options in that area. You could go with a "custom" one from a muffler shop or find an aftermarket one that will work. Again, you might have to modify it a bit to fit your car but I think it'd be pretty much a straight bolt on. :D

-mykr.

Hey, thanks a lot for the info. What kind of stuff can I do for the handling? (i.e. steering, braking, suspension) And what did u mean by "basic engine stuff"?

Suspension - You could do what many of us have done: struts/springs, bigger swaybars, heavy duty links/mounts.

Engine
Basic engine stuff = intake, exhaust, filter.
More advanced stuff = cams, headers, NOS, turbo kit, engine swap.

Search around the various forums and get ideas.

Good luck.

-mykr.

Heh heh.... I had a look around and I found out that there's no way in hell I'm gonna be able to do any of the stuff I want to do. First of all, I don't have a whole lot of money to throw around. Second, I don't know **** about cars and I'm not friends with anyone who does. I could find the parts for cheap, but I won't be able to pay the obscene labor charges to get them put in. My dream of a better, stronger, faster Impreza will have to remain a dream..... :(

Originally posted by bongchild
Heh heh.... I had a look around and I found out that there's no way in hell I'm gonna be able to do any of the stuff I want to do. First of all, I don't have a whole lot of money to throw around. Second, I don't know **** about cars and I'm not friends with anyone who does. I could find the parts for cheap, but I won't be able to pay the obscene labor charges to get them put in. My dream of a better, stronger, faster Impreza will have to remain a dream..... :(

There is a lot of people in AZ that are doing amazing things to the imprezas. Just pay attention to your region and you'll be able to find people to help you.

I used to work for a shop. Turbo'd my car for under a grand. Got lots of help from friends I met from the regional forums as well as technical.

You're right. I shouldn't give up hope just yet... I'll just keep my eye out. Thanks for the info, everyone.

Isn't Kastle from Peoria AZ??? :rolleyes:

There's alot of stuff you can do to your car that's cheap or free. Just think out your mods and have a plan to where you want your car to end up and you'll get there. Keep an eye out for used parts that people are getting rid of cheap as well.

Here's an example of a cheap cat back exhaust system. Find a WRX take off backbox from a dealer or from a WRX owner that upgraded to an aftermarket system. Take that to a good muffler shop, have them weld up a 2.25" midpipe and mount the WRX box to the car (you'll need to have the top hanger cut off and rotated 180 deg. do this so you don't have to listen to the banging of the hanger on the floor pan of your car like I do...I'm going to get it fixed some day but I'm just being lazy.) Wala...a decent cheap exhaust system. Mine cost $150 for everything. It flows ok for the 2.5 and it's not loud at all. I sorta want something a bit louder so I might go with a new system.

Check out scoobymods.com and see the GC section. It'll have some free/cheap mods to do as well.

Good luck.

-mykr.

Say, are junkyards a good idea? I know the parts would be cheap. Maybe I could rip a stock turbo out of a WRX... After that, the only problem would be finding a shop to get all that crap put in. I also heard that putting a 2.5L in my car would be a pain in the ass aside from the wiring. Would it be a better idea to put in a 2.2L turbo engine from a Legacy?? I read somewhere that an intercooler from a Saab would fit in there nicely as well.

You're gonna have issues in a motorswap, basically, no matter what it is. I don't know what problems you'd have w/ a 2.5L(since I"M not too familiar w/ the 1.8L, which I hear is a different line of motors), but the Legacy turbo motor(while not a bad option since you can also change stuff later to get even more power more easily), you'll have to replace your cross brace for the engine, or modify your own. This isn't too bad, but it's something to think about. Wiring will still be a pain.
But if I can give one piece of advice it's this: don't be afraid of working on your car. Everyone didn't know anything about cars at one time, but we weren't scared to go in there a figure it out. Good luck!

I recommend handling upgrades first.

You cant get any decent power out of the 1.8 for AWD models without either a turbo or swaping the 1.8 out all together.

However, take out the silencer in the fender well. There are only two screws holding it down, and you will notice more power gains from doing this than you would think would be so.

(Note: The silencer runs from the airbox by the passanger fenderwell in the engine bay to inside of the fender, you have to reach from underneeth by pulling back the plastic fender cover and unscrew the two screws. It looks like a small white toilet bowl, take it out)

Originally posted by mrbell
You're gonna have issues in a motorswap, basically, no matter what it is. I don't know what problems you'd have w/ a 2.5L(since I"M not too familiar w/ the 1.8L, which I hear is a different line of motors), but the Legacy turbo motor(while not a bad option since you can also change stuff later to get even more power more easily), you'll have to replace your cross brace for the engine, or modify your own. This isn't too bad, but it's something to think about. Wiring will still be a pain.
But if I can give one piece of advice it's this: don't be afraid of working on your car. Everyone didn't know anything about cars at one time, but we weren't scared to go in there a figure it out. Good luck!

So, what all would be involved in doing an engine swap?

Originally posted by bongchild


So, what all would be involved in doing an engine swap?

1. Complete ej20 with ECU/harness
2. Tranny + rear Diff
3. Either a Real GC8/legacy 91-93 turbo/WRX cross member
4. Lots of Patience.

You dont have to do the tranny if you dont want.

Right, you don't need to swap trannies. The EJ18 is fully compatible with the EJ20, 22, and 25 bellhousing bold pattern. For a basic N/A engine swap you need:

Complete engine (heads, intake, sensors)
ECU
Someone who can wire it up!

If you go with a turbo engine (ala WRX EJ20 or Legacy EJ22T) you will need considerably more parts, including the turbo, exhaust from heads to end of downpipe, intercooler, and a WRX/Legacy turbo cross memeber. This is on top of everything else.

If you can find a wrecked donor car this part is easy, it's piecing together everything from different sources thats more of a pain.

By far the most difficult task however is wiring it up. Its not so much difficult as time consuming. It's definately one of those check 3 times before you finalize it deals, and cross your fingers when you turn the ignition.

But all in all, for starters, I'd say go with a turbo kit. It will give you some good experience, on a (relatively) cheap engine. If you blow up a wimpy 1.8L it's not as tragic as a fresh swap you just did! Plus you can get decent power from a 1.8, well, good enough. Best bang for the buck as you can put one together for well under $2000 with lots of goodies. And as jdmimpreza said, it's possible to do it under a grand if you shop around for parts or have a hookup for cheap/free parts.

Have fun!

-Brad (working on turboing his 2.2L impreza :cool: )

Originally posted by ChicksDigWagons

If you go with a turbo engine (ala WRX EJ20 or Legacy EJ22T) you will need considerably more parts, including the turbo, exhaust from heads to end of downpipe, intercooler, and a WRX/Legacy turbo cross memeber. This is on top of everything else.


But wouldn't a turbo engine already come with the turbo? Or do you mean I would have to get a better one? I have some questions about terms here..... what is a header, up-pipe, downpipe, cat, midpipe(?), and catback?? What do u mean by "everything else"?

A turbo motor could be sold in many guises. It just depends on the seller/vendor.

Typically a clip will come with:

Motor
tranny
up/downpipes
turbo
TMIC (top mount intercooler)
ECU
wiring harness
driveshafts
rear diff

It's definitely something that a beginner doesn't want to jump right into...heck, it's not something that alot of "experts" want to jump right into as well.

I'd say get it to handle well and then move onto the power modifications.

-mykr.

Originally posted by bongchild


But wouldn't a turbo engine already come with the turbo? Or do you mean I would have to get a better one? I have some questions about terms here..... what is a header, up-pipe, downpipe, cat, midpipe(?), and catback?? What do u mean by "everything else"?

Everything else meaning the actually engine and accessories.

mykrrrr is right, you can buy an "engine" and it can be a short-block (basicly the block with internals, no heads, accessories, manifolds, etc), long-block (usually includes heads, sometimes but seldom intake, no accessories), or the whole drop-out (includes basicly everything including tranny) Some people sell the whole kit-and-kaboodle with ECU and turbo, exhaust, and whatnot with the idea of an engine swap specificly in mind.

The best way besides buying from someone that sells engines with complete swaps in mind is finding a wrecked car that you can get everything from.
-Brad