well, ive just come from the MR2 world. I'll be selling her within the month and i have plans to pick up a subaru. Im tired of not being able to drive my car 6 out of the 12 months because of snow.

Im not an expert on any of this stuff. I own a second generation mr2 Turbo, i know how it all works in the engine bay and so forth and what everything is for the most part.

I have a budget of somewhere around 10k. Probably a little less. I have a mechanic who can get an STI motor and swap it all for under 4k. Id like to know what year imprezas that STI motor will fit in. I know impreza's started in 93, and if the engine bay is the right size for that ideally id like to go with a 93 to hopefully get the cheapest body.

But then i dont know how the brakes are on the 93, whether or not they had ABS and other options in the car.

I was also wondering what is needed to complete this swap, i imagine a brake upgrade will be needed, axle upgrade, anything else? Thanks for any help.

Hey, Just to let you know the FAQ thread will give a world of help if you are just getting started with subies...
The engine will bolt right up, brake upgrades are a must. ABS was an option that would give you mushy brake pedals but 4 wheel disc. The WRX brakes bolt directly on and give much better stopping...imagine a BBK...I'm on my stock axles...your shouldn't need to be changed either, the tranny will go first. So a tranny or gearset upgrade can't hurt.
Take it easy, Micah

thanks a lot for the response.


what engine do you have in what body?

I have a 94 Impreza L (GC2) with a 02 WRX engine (EJ205)
GC2 + EJ205 = GC8 (WRX):banana:

3 threads? where's a moderator when you need one?

Read the FAQ

Originally posted by Matt Monson
3 threads? where's a moderator when you need one?

this one was first and should be the one to stay...the other threads are just out there in specifics...which can be asked in one thread....to make it easier though try to stick with a version engine from the same "era" so if you are getting a 93 stick with a 92-96? engine
Take it easy, Micah

sorry about all the threads. i just keep coming up with new questions. there's a lot to learn.

ultimately i was thinking about a legacy motor. at 280hp and 2.5k its not bad at all.

Are you talking about the infamous twin turbo?:huh: They won't fit as your car is LHD and it will hit your steering rack...

no im talking about the single turbo.

i cant find anything in the faq about what will be needed to upgrade the drum brakes to disk brakes.

what single turbo legacy engine made 280hp?!!
our Legacy turbo made 165hp and 180 lb-ft....are you talking the early 90's, pre-impreza single turbo from japan?
-Micah

the only one i can think of is the new one 2003/2004 with the EJ20R

all the others were 200/220ps or twin trubo

from what ive been able to tell and from what people have told me, the jspec EJ20G had a twin scroll turbo that put out somewhere between 240-280 hp depending on the year. correct me if im wrong.

The EJ20G put out 200ps or 220ps, unless you can get a hold of the very rare RS-RA, which is a lot like an early STi. And they are not twin scroll. Later year EJ20H's put out 250-260, and the EJ20R TT put out 280. But none of that really matters because you can get that kind of power out of any of them once you get it in there.

But what you want to look for is a complete swap or front clip. It will run you $2500-4000. Use the vendor list in the FAQ's up top and you should be able to secure a clean swap from a reputible vendor.

As for the brakes: Did you search this forum? If so, it won't be here. You need to head on over to the Brakes/Suspension forum and you should find more info. It is not a hard conversion. Pretty much you need hubs, rotors and brakes. I will be doing this conversion myself in the coming weeks, but since it is a ways off I can't tell you yet exactly what models and years you will want to pull your parts off of. But you can find that info in the Brakes forum...:disco:

read this link pretty good explination

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~1amiga/ej2o.htm

thanks for all the info!