I posted this on the legacycentral bbs and after several days of no response
:( I decided to post it here.
PLEASE let me know if I am leaving anything out. :o
Ive been looking at ej20g front clips as my trans is almost dead and my engine burns a bit of oil.
Ive contacted Automotive Advantage(JDM importer) in anacortes, WA and they quoted me $1800 for a legacy ej20g clip(not in stock). is that a reasonable price? how much of the wiring from the clip will work with my car? Im not worried about the mechanical side of the swap, only the wiring.

-any other JDM importers in the Puget sound area? I dont wanna pay shipping from PDX or Cali.

-What manuals should I get? not really sure which ones would cover a JDM car... Ive got the chilton but im not that impressed with it.

-Will the hydraulic clutch pedal assembly bolt up to my body(1991 4eat wagon)?

-does anybody know if the JDM ej20g legacies have a 4.11 R&P?


Besides the parts included in the front clip, Ive figured Ill need

-exhaust(later, I can run it open DP to a cat or DIY side exit for a while
-new timing belt
-boost gauge& related wiring, maybe an AFM if I can swing it
-hood scoop(unless the clip has a AWIC, and might come with a hood anyway)
-tranny crossmember, and 5mt front portion of rear driveshaft. (included?)

PLEASE let me know if I am leaving anything out.

I can keep:
my current front CV's & axles
rear diff if the trans is 4.11(some clips come with the rear diff?)

how about GC8 WRX(OBD 1) front clips? how comparable is the wiring? Ive read a bunch of threads on NASIOC about the ej20g swap into GC8's, and of course Matt monsons threads, but still dont know If its something Ill be able to do.

tools I have at my disposal:
-pretty complete set of hand tools(all sockets, box wrenches, pliers, cutters, BFH's etc.)
-cheapie mig welder(friends), 4" and bench grinder, sawzall, drill press, other small fab stuff
-engine crane
-Pickup truck to carry front clip
-my dad is really good at electronics, builds amplifiers from scratch, he might help

goals of the swap:
2 months to get it in driving condition(starting in late May, prolly 4hrs/day on weekdays, more on weekends
under $2000 for the front clip
~$2500 for the whole swap assuming the clip is pretty complete

do these goals sound reasonable? seems like if I do it itll be a great learning experience and I'll come out with a pretty fun and unique car. If I decide not to, Im parting the car out and getting a toyota 4x4. :huh:
especially interested to see what fellow PNW people have to say about clip prices, availability, and wiring solutions!!!
thanks for reading. :D
PLEASE let me know if I am leaving anything out.

if its a complete swap you won't need a hood scoop a legacy ej20G is air to water
shops ofter recomend changing the water pump and oil seals
hydrilic cutch yes
almost garanteed the clip will be an auto
wrx clips will be identical except no air to water IC

if its a complete swap you won't need a hood scoop a legacy ej20G is air to water
shops ofter recomend changing the water pump and oil seals
hydrilic cutch yes
almost garanteed the clip will be an auto
wrx clips will be identical except no air to water IC
is a 5 speed clip going to cost more? I can talk to the guy again and makes sure he has a 5 speed clip.
WRX clips up to 1995 will have OBD1 right?
I was going to inspect the seals and water pump and replace as needed. timing belt is a must of course.

sent you a PM.

back at ya, thanks! ;)

Very few Japanese cars are MTs. :(

Automotive Advantage is the only importer of Subaru clips that
I know of in the area. A month or two ago I was looking for an ej20g clip. I talked to Garret at Automotive Advantage he said he had one coming in, turned out to be a BG twin turbo clip with HIGH miles. They said they would put in a request for what I wanted, but it would take a couple months.

Thier clips do come with the rear end.

If you do decide to go with them, you can have the one they were going to get for me. I found a engine, and most underhood componets from a place called Rising Sun Engines in N. CA. The best part is they had an RS-RA engine so I jumped on it.

I have it in My 97 Outback, still wiring.

Hey, I was at Pacific Engine Inc. and I was checking out subaru motors... they have a EJ20G in their shop right now for $525(longblock) - heres their number, (253)288-0040, there located in Auburn. They also said they have a ton more suby motors, but there down in cali.

Automotive Advantage is the only importer of Subaru clips that
I know of in the area. A month or two ago I was looking for an ej20g clip. I talked to Garret at Automotive Advantage he said he had one coming in, turned out to be a BG twin turbo clip with HIGH miles. They said they would put in a request for what I wanted, but it would take a couple months.

Thier clips do come with the rear end.

If you do decide to go with them, you can have the one they were going to get for me. I found a engine, and most underhood componets from a place called Rising Sun Engines in N. CA. The best part is they had an RS-RA engine so I jumped on it.

I have it in My 97 Outback, still wiring.
comes with the rear end huh? good to know, I shoulda asked them that. they told me to call back in a few months also, I'll be calling em again soon...
and they told me about that twin turbo also, no way I'm gonna get into that clusterf*** :rolleyes:

no way I'm gonna get into that clusterf*** :rolleyes:
what does that mean? :huh:

twin turbo motor is way more complicated and less reliable. too much stuff going on in the engine bay.

I agree. I was tempted for a second. The clip came with the dash and everything need to switch to RHD. But when I found out it had 134000 miles on it, it wasnt so tempting.

134k kilometers?

I know there are several folks in the northwest who have done ej20g swaps... can you chime in? pleeeeez? :alien:
most interested to know:
source and price of clip
what you thought of the wiring
what downpipe setup you used
how long it took to get it running
what you had to buy aside from parts in the clip
any other pertinent info

134k kilometers?

No. 217,489 Kilometers to be exact. They sent me a pic of the odometer.

yeah thats worth about mmm $400

Just a few thoughts that I'd submit...Where do you plan on getting jdm wiring diagrams? I loved my '94 w/EJ20g 16g swap. I've imported two jdm EJ20g front clips now (most recently from Libero USA 800-717-6194, great experience, almost all of their clips include hood, fenders, etc), but I don't think I am going jdm again. Not only is it technically illegal to do a jdm swap, but sourcing jdm parts can be a pain. Plus low milage EJ205 can be had pretty cheap now, and you have the benefit of readily accessible wiring diagrams. If you go EJ20g, you're buying a 10-15 year old motor that could turn into a huge wiring nightmare that no shop will want to touch w/a ten foot pole. An EJ205 is fully legal in an older Impreza, plus is 3-4 years old AT MOST. My current swap project car is a '95 Impreza coupe w/EJ205 that has 26k on it.

Just make sure you do your homework, and that you have the exact wiring schematics for the package you get.

970legacy,
Sorry I never got around to hitting your Legacy Central thread. I haven't been online much recently. But you are in good hands here.
Any Subaru downpipe will work, so you can get an aftermarket WRX one, and just get a custom mid-pipe made. Here's details of how I did it:
http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=14637&highlight=
How long to get it running? :lol: Mine has been sitting since April, but I am still at less than 80 hours of effort so far. I messed up a ground and need to fix it.
The front clip should give you almost everything you need. You will buy some little stuff, but figure $200 to be on the same side.
And if you can find a 5spd, it is worth waiting because it will have 220ps stock instead of 200ps and a much bigger turbo. The VF-8's on the manuals are about the same size as a TD05-16g.

annointed,
for his 1991 Legacy the wiring for an EJ20G swap will actually be pretty simple. He needs to switch the placement of the cam sensor and crank sensors on the ECU and add in the wiring for the coil on plug ignition, wastegate solenoid and pressure sensor. That is about it. And I can give him the wiring diagrams. Doing old Legacy swaps are among the simplest wiring you can get for a swap. Converting his OBD-I car to OBD-II to run an EJ205 will be far far more extensive. For that, basically he would want to rewire the whole car with the new bulkhead harness...

Interesting...I had no idea older Legacy swaps were so simple.:) Is it equally simple for an OBDI '95 Legacy to EJ20G? I like the '95-99 body style (I have a '96 Legacy wagon, actually, but that's OBDII, so I'd be more inclined to go EJ205 w/it).

hey no worries man. Im not starting on this for at least 6 months. dont even have the clip yet. :o just trying to get all sorted out before I start.
thats good news about the wiring, I think I can handle it. I'll shoot you a PM about that wiring diagram...
Im not going to do the swap unless I find a manual front clip, there is no way I'd put in that kind of work to have an AT car.
looks like I might have to spend a little more for a WRX clip to get a 5mt as the legacy/liberty 5mt's seem to be pretty rare. :(

[QUOTE=annointed]Interesting...I had no idea older Legacy swaps were so simple.:) Is it equally simple for an OBDI '95 Legacy to EJ20G? QUOTE]
Identical.

And 970Subaru,
You don't need to swap your tranny unless yours is toast. Those older trannies are pretty much all the same except for the STi units. Just get a shorter shifter and a USDM Legacy turbo replacement clutch.

Also, you could get a 220hp auto WRX clip and put it in there and be quite happy. My ECU and engine came from an auto...

my trans is almost dead and my engine burns a bit of oil.


Unfortunately, it sounds like keeping the original trans isn't an option:( Both the '94 jdm WRX wagon clip (218 hp), and the '93 jdm WRX sedan clip (238 hp) that I imported were 5mts. The wagon clip I threw a sedan TD05 turbo on, since it came with a tiny TD04. But then, I also upgraded ems to an Apex'i Power FC. :devil:

95 legacy is a obd-1.5.. somewhere inbetween not compliant to 2 but much more than 1

part of the reason Im going to do this is that the trans is not long for this world. had it flushed and now its slow to shift. still fully operational, just feels like its not too healthy. varnished ATF also a bad sign... I'll be lucky if it lasts the winter. :rolleyes: I just would rather have a stick and a turbo if you know what I mean... :devil:

matt-so the JDM flywheel is the same diameter as the turbo leg?
on the off chance that the clip I end up getting doesnt include the rear diff, does anyone know what diff ratio the JDM liberty/legacy and wrx's have? mine is 4.11.

Hey Matt

do you have wiring diagram for the 94 BG5 TT GT? Can't find one anywhere. I'm putting a EJ20G with a 5speed into the GT (was Auto). All done except the wiring. Any advice would be appreciated :)